company, waiting some five miles away across the sandy terrain.
WHEN Archie Sikes left Iraq through the courtesy of the Jihad Abadi, he went first to Syria in their E&E net. After a three-day stay in Damascus during which he was given a quick but comprehensive indoctrination on the terrorist group, he was transported to Saudi Arabia in a private civilian airplane. At that point, the deserter was taken to a place where he began classes in the Arabic language as well as the tenets of Islam. Archie, who hadn't attended church much as a youngster, had never received any serious religious schooling whatsoever.
First, an earnest young cleric told him the story of how the angel Gabriel had come to a man called Muhammad to inform him that God, i.e., Allah, had chosen him to be his final prophet. From that point on, Muhammad received divine revelations that made up the Qu'ran, which was the Muslim Bible. At that point, the Qu'ran was brought into Archie's life, and he received intense daily instruction in what it contained. His preliminary response was lukewarm, but as the subject matter deepened, it became all-encompassing to the young Brit. He began to feel a pull toward the religion. His instructor noted this, and put the pressure on.
Meanwhile, between religious classes, his Arabic lessons continued, with a heavy dose of the Muslim side of current world events involving international politics and diplomacy. With no opposing views being expressed, Archie began to feel that the Western nations he came from were indeed decadent and evil, and the United States and Israel were supporting the causes of Satan with the help of Europe. He began to reason that the Royal Regiment of Dragoons had declined to have him commissioned in their ranks because of the ingrained prejudice of the wealthy upper classes who wanted to keep the common man from improving his status in society. In other words, they perceived a serious threat in Archibald Sikes. Even if he had received a commission in another regiment, they would have seen to it that his career went nowhere in the British Army. These were the same people the mullahs accused of conducting Satan's campaigns against Islam.
While the religious and political aspects of the lessons were winning over Archie Sikes, it was the rules about women that brought about his total conversion. He had gotten along even less well with girls than he had with boys when growing up. His first attempts to establish relationships with his feminine classmates during his teen years were rebuffed. This spurning of his artless, clumsy advances made him angry and frustrated, and he found it humiliating that not only did the girls not seem to like him, but they demonstrated a marked disapproval of him as a person. Many seemed to consider him a buffoon. An angry inferiority complex developed out of this, and the lessons of Islam turned that all around to a feeling of superiority and even divine authority where the fair sex was concerned. Those English girls had not been properly subdued and indoctrinated.
Archie happily learned that Middle Eastern nations had an established, legal system of discrimination against human females. They were subordinated to men in every aspect of life. After all, they were not only created from the rib of a man, but from the weakest part, the curved tip. That was written in the Qu'ran.
The laws of Islam demanded that they wear khimar head coverings along with burqas that concealed their entire body. Women could never leave their homes unless in the company of a male relative. They had weak morals and needed constant surveillance, or they would become promiscuous with any man they found attractive. Leave it to them, Archie was told by his mullah instructor, and women would give birth to innumerable bastard babies from all their casual love affairs.
Archie also liked the laws of marriage. A Muslim man was allowed to have up to four wives as long as he treated them all equally and could afford to support such a family, which would produce many children. Fantasies of having four humble, compliant women to tend to his every want and desire danced through his head. It would be justified revenge against all the snobby girls he'd had to endure in his schooldays. When the entire world was converted to Islam, they were going to get their comeuppance but good!
With that thought in mind, Archie took the final step one memorable day six months after his desertion from the British Army. He announced to his pleased instructors that he wished to convert to the Islamic faith. And he expressed this desire in fluent Arabic.
Archibald Sikes took the name Arsalaan, which meant Lion, King of the Jungle. However, in spite of his mentor's insistence, he refused to take an Arabic last name. The day's coming, he said, when the name 'Sikes' is gonna ring across England! As part of his evolution into a Muslim, Archie even submitted to circumcision, though this was done as an outpatient under anesthesia in a doctor's office.
A few weeks later, he was told he would be taken to a special military training camp in Iran. It was there he was to be formerly inducted into the Jihad Abadi the Eternal Holy War.
.
SHELOR FIELD
1400 HOURS
WITH nothing much to do, SCPO Buford Dawkins distributed the men among their vehicles and had them get out the manuals. The idea was to get them to perform some maintenance and go through immediate action drills in case of breakdowns. Everyone, including Lieutenant Bill Brannigan and his 2IC Lieutenant Junior Grade Jim Cruiser, joined in the activity. With the hoods up on the patrol vehicles, all the Brigands were either leaning over the motors or beneath the chassis checking out the various mechanical, hydraulic, and electrical functions while referring to the workbooks. Fortunately, the batteries were installed, but the men had to be careful about running them down. Brannigan had Frank Gomez radio in a requisition for a couple of chargers, knowing it would probably be a month before they came in.
As the activity continued among the nine individual groups, Senior Airman Randy Tooley came driving up on his Vespa to see how the SEALs were getting along. On this day, the T-shirt he wore proclaimed:
SOCCER PLAYERS DO IT WITH BIG BALLS!
He rode the motor scooter inside the hangar and braked to a stop. Brannigan noticed the little guy as he came in, and he put down the wrench he had been using to loosen an air filter. The lieutenant walked over with Jim Cruiser at his side, hoping for some good news. The Skipper asked, How's it going, Randy?
Pretty good. I checked on that gasoline you're waiting for, but it ain't in the pipeline yet.
Bummer, Brannigan grumbled.
But I may have a way for you to work around that, Randy remarked.
Brannigan was interested. Yeah?
There's an Army transportation company on the other side of the field, Randy said. They get their supplies from the quartermaster depot in Kandahar. They make regular convoy runs in their gas trucks over there and back. I bet I could talk them into giving some of their fuel to you. When your own comes in, you can pay them back. That would include motor oil and coolant too.
Cruiser was suspicious. How are you going to manage to talk them into that, Randy?
They owe me some favors, Randy replied. I got them some refrigerators through a contact of mine.
Cruiser looked at Brannigan. Sounds solid to me, sir.
Me too, Brannigan said. He gave a Randy a close look. And what would you want in return?
Randy glanced past him to the vehicles inside. I'd be proud to have my very own personal DPV for me alone.
Cruiser sputtered, Jesus Christ!
It will be done, Randy, Wild Bill Brannigan proclaimed.
Randy immediately leaped back aboard his Vespa and roared out of the hangar. Brannigan and Cruiser returned to the vehicles to resume the maintenance work.
.
1600 HOURS
THE SEALs were cleaning the windshields of the DPVs and wiping down the chassis in the final phases of the PM session. The hours of crawling in and out of the little vehicles had given them all an intimate knowledge of the inner workings. Brannigan noted that the work done that day was beneficial beyond the mechanical aspects. The men had begun developing real affection for the vehicles they would be driving in Operation Rolling Thunder. They were now referring to them in feminine terms, and the names Ol' Bessie, Sweet Lil, and others like them could be heard during conversations among the crews.
The squealing of loud tires and a rumbling engine sound interrupted the activity. The detachment looked up to see Randy Tooley on his faithful motor scooter leading an M-35 fuel tanker across the aircraft parking area. They drove straight into the hangar before coming to a halt. Randy got off his Vespa and gestured to Brannigan. Wheel them DPVs up here. They'll top you off. We got twenty-five gallons of motor oil and enough coolant so's you'll have some left over. We got some lube too, and they're lending you a couple of grease guns.
