“Copy that, Jack, we’re heading in. Keep the doors open. Call you soon,” she responds.
I head downstairs to see several people have woken and are sitting on their cots. McCafferty has entered and is going from cot to cot waking the young, old, and middle-aged, holding a finger to her lips as she wakes each one. Robert is mimicking her actions. I walk over and give him a big hug.
“I wasn’t looking hard but I never saw or heard either of you,” he says as we release each other.
“Well, I’m certainly feeling the age thing and definitely not as quick as I used to be. We were almost caught a few times,” I say smiling and give him a quick rundown of the plan.
“I ran it through my mind and would have taken down the barracks first,” he replies after I finish.
“Yeah, I thought about that and there’s more than one way to do something,” I respond.
We wake the rest of the people in the gym telling them to keep the noise down and not to move. There’s a propensity to start talking quietly in gatherings such as this, especially with tension present, which quickly grows to a murmur and eventually ends in an all-out roar. Any voice is hurriedly squelched. I hand Robert my M-110, a spare radio I packed along, and have him guard the south entrance telling him to stay out of sight. I put McCafferty in a similar position by the north entrance door. I head into the pool, gagging on the horrible stench in the hallway as I pass through, and wait by the pool entrance door.
“Lynn, the gym is clear. You’re up,” Lynn hears Jack over the radio. “Bring everyone in via the gym door so we aren’t spotlighted by the outside light.”
“Copy that, Jack, we’re heading in. Keep the doors open. Call you soon,” she responds.
She takes a last look around to assure herself that all is clear. Several shrieks emanate from the woods to both sides of the camp. The sounds make her heart beat a little faster. The adrenaline, increased with Jack’s call, now heightens even more with the sound of the night runners so near. She rises and dark shapes hidden beneath the trees rise with her; the shapes transitioning from invisibility to darkened silhouettes.
Black and Echo teams dart across the road in pairs and come to rest against the walls of the classroom building where the women are being held. Lynn looks through one of the entrance door windows to a long hallway filled with lockers. It’s dark inside but it shows up in the glow of her goggles. Nothing moves. She slowly opens the door. The teams slip quietly inside with Black team kneeling by the lockers on either side of the hall covering the length. She crouches at the head of the line and listens. Nothing. The silence wraps around her. Action is close by and the tension can be felt in the darkness.
She knows the timing will have to be right to prevent any collateral casualties. Somewhere in the unlit classrooms lie Gonzalez, Bri, and Michelle. This has the potential to get ugly quick if any noise is made. The sleeping guards are just a building over and if they’re awakened by any noise, the teams will have their hands full in a short period of time. If that happens, she’ll have Greg and Echo Team pull the captives out quickly while she and Black Team cover their withdrawal. She’ll set up a line of defense and go from there.
She rises in the pitch-black corridor that once housed boisterous students moving from class to class; exchanging greetings, stories, and plans. Lynn moves silently next to lockers that are now forever silent; another testament to a time past. As she passes each classroom door, she points and assigns two team members to each starting with Greg and Echo Team. That way, they’ll have a leader at each end. She creeps silently down the hall assigning doors until she reaches the sixth and kneels with another Black Team member at the entrance. The silence and tension filling the interior of the hall is palpable.
Her heart pounds as she reaches the door. She doesn’t know exactly what she will see once the door swings open but is relying on Jack’s description. She would use the fiberscopes but knows, with the low point of view, that it will not give her what she needs. She feels her heart pounding; felt even in her cheeks. The plan is for all teams to open the doors at the same time, rush in, and clear the guards quickly. It’s important to immediately start quieting the people lying on their cots inside. The sight of strangers rushing in with their goggles on and firing is sure to cause a panic if they aren’t quick with their reassurance.
Lynn looks back down the hallway. She sees just a part of each team member pressed close to the doors awaiting her command. At each door, one soldier stands a little ways back, leaning forward with his or her M-4 pointed down, ready to rush in while the other has the door knob firmly in hand. She sighs deeply to steady the tension and adrenaline coursing through her. Her thumb checks that her trusty carbine is on semi and raises her hand to the mic button.
“All teams, go!” She whispers firmly.
The once silent hall fills with the turning of latches, the slight squeal of doors being swung rapidly open, the metallic rattle of sling swivels moving as weapons are raised, and the squeak of boots moving on the linoleum floor. The rush of movement is felt more than heard. An almost imperceptible rush of air fills the corridor with the opening of six doors at once. Twelve bodies, once just darkened silhouettes against the classroom doors, vanish.
The soldier standing next to Lynn swings the door open on her command. The rush of air brushes by her cheek but it goes unnoticed as her focus is on the next three seconds. Reflex, movement, what her eyes tell her, followed by her body reacting. She sees lines of cots filling the room with drawn blinds across the windows; bookshelves to her left and right line the outside walls. With her M-4 at her shoulder and infrared aiming point on, she enters the room. Two men look up from behind a desk and begin to rise. A lit cigarette falls from the mouth of one, striking the desk with a small burst of sparks. She quickly moves further into the room with her companion close behind; the scuffle of his boots the only sound.
“What are…” Those are the only words one of the guards gets out as the thin light of her laser centers on his chest and her finger twitches; once, twice.
The two loud coughs of her carbine charges the room with energy. Two similar sounds erupt next to her right shoulder. The first guard is thrown backward into the chalkboard with a loud crash. Her bullets fly true, impacting in close succession on his chest. They rip past the rib cage and through the soft lung tissue before exiting the back and hitting the blackboard with two thudding collisions. Two blood spots flower on his chest as he hits the board and falls. He hits his chair off center and collapses sideways sending it scooting into the desk.
The second guard is hit in near identical locations and hits the chalkboard sending an eraser and several sticks of chalk flying. He too falls over his chair and to the floor with a thump. This scene is repeated in five other rooms. It’s all over quickly. There is no sound from the other classrooms. The sound of her suppressed gunfire covered any others.
Heads look up from the cots with her entrance, the guard’s attempted question, and the sound of their gunfire, quiet as it was.
“Everybody stay down and be quiet. We’re here to help,” Lynn says addressing the group as she directs her team member to assure the bodies are down for good. Lynn checks in with the other teams and they report the rooms are clear. Phase two is off to a good start.
One guard is apparently still in this world as she hears a gurgling emitting from behind the desk. It’s dark to the others in the room. The only sense they have available is the sound of her voice. There is a whimper from the far side of the room.
“It’s very important everyone stay quiet,” she says. “We’re here to get you out but we need your help.” Another shot rings out and the gurgling stops. Squeals erupt with the gunshot.
“Be quiet!” A voice commands from the darkened room.
“Gonzalez?” Lynn asks in a questioning voice and then locates her sitting on her cot.
“First Sergeant,” Gonzalez answers rising. The sound of one of their own talking to the invading strangers quiets the room.
Lynn walks over, shakes Gonzalez’ hand, and then pulls her into a quick embrace.
“Where are Bri and Michelle?” Lynn asks.
“I’m not sure. We were separated after dinner,” Gonzalez answers. Lynn gives a very quick synopsis of the situation and plan.
“Greg, start rounding up our guests. Black Team, fall back to the hall,” Lynn says into the radio.
She directs four of her team to the far end to cover the entrance and keep an eye out to see if they’ve drawn any attention to themselves. She keeps her partner with her to be able to support either team. Echo team members enter the hall and begin escorting the women out.
“Jack, we’re secure and bringing you company,” she calls.
