42
Downtown Sanliurfa
Sanliurfa Province, Turkey
Local Time 2223 Hours
Like a bad penny, Remington couldn’t help thinking as he stood at the wall and surveyed the night-darkened ground through the gentle rain that persisted. He stood beside the LADAR operator and wondered where he’d be out there if he were Goose.
The night-vision binoculars picked the Syrian forces-the living and the dead-from the night. But where was Goose?
More than that, though, where were the killers Cody had sent? Remington knew they’d have no hesitation about killing anyone in the field they felt was affiliated with Goose.
Although Remington had ordered the news kept quiet, word of Goose’s survival and presence outside the wall quickly passed through the Rangers. Remington felt the pressure to act growing within him. Most of the men were aware of Goose. Some of them owed him their lives.
It was more than that, though. Corporal Joseph Baker had enthralled several of the soldiers with the promise of salvation. Those men-those weak-minded soldiers-had followed Baker blindly, and Remington felt that Goose was capable of furthering that kind of foolish devotion.
Remington didn’t intend to have to deal with that situation again. The men’s desperation had to be shored up in order to keep them thinking like soldiers.
But Goose was out there, and every Ranger around Remington was busy thinking the first sergeant was going to turn into John Wayne, Bruce Willis, or Arnold Schwarzenegger.
“Show me the communication,” Remington told the corporal manning the LADAR.
The device looked like a small version of a television camera on telescoping legs. The low profile made it hard for the enemy to spot.
“It’s the readout, sir,” the corporal answered. “Unless I move it around, we get a pretty constant readout. But a few minutes ago, Goose-Sergeant Gander-was able to ping the LADAR.”
“With what?”
“A laser range finder from an enemy gun, sir.”
Remington chuckled at that. That was Goose-inventive and ingenious under pressure. Remington realized again why he needed Goose alive at the moment and why having Goose around was going to be dangerous.
“He’s been using Morse code?” Remington asked.
“Yes, sir.”
“And you know Morse code?”
“Yes, sir.”
“How?” Other than a cursory introduction, most soldiers were no longer taught the antiquated skill. Everything on the battlefield these days moved in hyperbursts of encrypted transmissions.
“I was an Eagle Scout, sir.”
Remington looked at the young man and saw the innocence in his features. “Of course you were.” He had to give it to Goose. There probably weren’t many Eagle Scouts spread throughout the Rangers, and Goose had managed to find one who was operating a LADAR tonight. The sergeant’s luck was nothing short of incredible.
“Of course you were,” Remington said again.
The corporal clearly didn’t know how to react to that.
“Can you signal the sergeant?”
“Yes, sir. Unless something’s happened to him. But we haven’t heard anything.”
That didn’t mean that Cody’s mercenaries hadn’t slipped through the brush and slit Goose’s throat. Remington realized he hoped that hadn’t happened. He needed Goose if he was going to turn the battle at Sanliurfa into a victory.
And he fully intended to do that.
“Contact him,” Remington ordered.
“Yes, sir.” The corporal turned to the task. “You going to send a team after him, sir?”
Aware of all the eyes on him, from Danielle Vinchenzo’s to the other Rangers’, Remington knew there could be only one answer. He hated feeling the pressure, but he also knew that with one word he’d be painted a hero.
“Yes.”
“Thank God,” Danielle whispered. Several of the soldiers echoed the sentiment.
“You’ll need a team to go get Goose,” the corporal said. “I’m volunteering.”
“Noted, Corporal.” Remington looked out into the darkness.“But this is one mission I’m going to lead myself.”
Outside Sanliurfa
Local Time 2235 Hours
Goose watched the range finder’s digital readout increase and decrease as the LADAR painted it. He translated the Morse code in his head.
Remington here.
Yes, sir, Goose signaled back. There was a lot more he could have written. Confusion warred within him. He hadn’t expected to talk to Remington.
U R in a fix.
Yes, sir.
I’m coming.
Just like that, Goose felt a huge weight lifted from his shoulders.
He wouldn’t have put money on that outcome. The smart thing for Remington to do would be to provide a distraction and cover fire while Goose and his companions beat it for the city walls.
U OK? Remington asked.
Yes, sir.
Mobile?
Yes, sir.
All of U?
Yes, sir. All three.
There was a pause. How many hostiles looking for U?
Unknown.
Sit tight.
Yes, sir. Wearily Goose let out a tense breath.
“Are they coming?” Miller asked.
“Yeah,” Goose replied. “I talked to Captain Remington. We’re to sit tight until he signals.”
“Do you trust him?” Icarus asked. His gaze was flat and uncompromising.
The question brought Goose’s own inner turmoil to a head. “Yes.”In this, with so many Rangers watching, Goose did.
But if the circumstances were different? He didn’t know. That bothered him. He shoved the question from his mind. Concentrate on staying alive and getting back to your unit. That’s your job right now.
“Get ready,” Goose advised them. “When we start moving, there’s gonna be no looking back.” He turned to face the darkness again.
Local Time 2304 Hours
The rain slackened off. Water still ran on the muddy ground, but it didn’t have the same volume as before. Rain dropped steadily from the trees and brush where Goose lay concealed. With the night covering them, the water was cold and felt like it seeped into his bones. He shoved his injured knee into the mud and hoped the chill would numb some of the gnawing pain.
Evidently one of the more enterprising Syrian officers had decided to take advantage of the lull in the rain. Scout teams moved over the terrain, probably looking for new areas to dig in against the attacks they felt certain
