Finally: you, little brother. An officer, youngish, with the three stars of a captain lieutenant, at the head of an infantry platoon. He would go first, then, back swiftly, to a radio operator, then, swing left as you run the bolt, and go for the guy with the Chicom RPD 56, put him down, then fall back. That was the plan, and any plan was better than no plan.
The reticle of the Redfield scope wobbled downward, bouncing ever so slightly, tracking the first mark, staying with him as the shooter took his long breath, hissed a half of it out, found bone to lock under the rifle, told himself again to keep the gun moving as he fired, prayed to God for mercy for all snipers, and felt the trigger break cleanly.
CHAPTER thirteen.
'Gooooooood morning, Vietnam,' said the guy on VT Captain Taney's portable, 'and hello to all you guys out there in the rain. Well, fellas, I've got some bad news.
Looks like that old Mr. Sun is still A.W.O.L.. That's UA, for you leathernecks. Nobody's gonna stop the rain today. But it'll be great for the flowers, and maybe Mr. Victor Charles will stay indoors himself today, because his mommy won't let him outside to play.'
'What a moron,' said Captain Taney, Arizona's XO.
'The weather should break tonight, as a high pressure zone over the Sea of Japan looks like it's making a beeline for--' 'Shit,' said Puller.
Why did he put himself through this? It would break when it would break.
Standing in the parapet outside his command bunker, he glanced around in the low light, watching the floating mist as it seethed through the valley that lay beyond.
Should he put an OP out there, so they'd know when the 803rd was getting close?
But he no longer controlled the hills, so putting an OP out there would just get its people all killed.
The rain began to fall, thin and cold. Vietnam! Why was it so cold? He had spent so many days in country over the past eight years but never had felt it this biting before.
'Not good, sir,' said Taney.
'No, it isn't, Taney.'
'Any idea when they'll get here?'
'You mean Huu Co? He's already here. He pushed 'em hard through the night and the rain. He's no dummy.
He wants us busted before our air can get up.'
'Yes, sir.'
'You have that ammo report ready, Captain?'
'Yes, sir. Mayhorne just finished it. We have twelve thousand rounds of 5.56 left, and a couple more thousand30 carbine rounds. We're way low on frags, seventy-nine rounds and belted 7.62. Not a Claymore in the camp.'
'Christ.'
'I've got Mayhorne distributing the belted 7.62, but we're down to five guns and I can't cover any approach completely. We can set up a unit of quick-movers with one of the guns to jump to the assault sector, but if he hits us more than one place at once, we screw the pooch.'
'He will,' said Puller bleakly.
'That's how he operates.
The pooch is screwed.'
'You know, sir, some of these 'Yards have family here in the compound. I was thinking--' 'No,' said Puller.
'If you surrender, Huu Co will kill them all. That's how he operates. We hang on, pray for a break in the weather, and if we have to, go hand to hand in the trenches with the motherfuckers.'
'Was it ever this bad in sixty-five, sir?'
Puller looked at Taney, who was about twenty-five, a good young Spec Forces captain with a tour behind him.
But in sixty-five he'd been a high school hotshot, what could you tell him? Who could even remember?
'It was never this bad, because we always had air and there were plenty of firebases around. I've never felt so fucking on my own. That's what trying to be the last man out gets you, Captain. Let it be a lesson. Get out, get your people out. Copy?'
'I copy, sir.'
'Okay, get the platoon leaders and the machine gun team leaders to my command post in fifteen and--' They both heard it.
'What was that?'
'It sounded like a--' Then another one came. A solitary rifle shot, heavy, obviously .308, echoing back and forth across the valley.
'Who the fuck is that?' Taney said.
'That's a sniper,' said Puller.
They waited. It was silent. Then the third shot and Puller could read the signature of the weapon.
'He's not firing fast enough for an M14. He's shooting a bolt gun, and that means he's a Marine.'
