Foyte completed his range card and closed the olive drab notebook. “I don’t think many places around here have generators, but that one does. You can hear it running. We’ll talk to Major Khan and see what he says, but I think this is our target.”
Both men bellied down the shallow hummock and jogged the quarter mile back to the dirt road.
Foyte and Lee returned to the staging area and convened a meeting with the rest of the brain trust. Leopole conducted the session but deferred to Foyte, who explained the layout based on his sketch and laser distances.
Leopole turned to Khan. “Major, what’s your assessment? Is this likely Sharif’s place, and if not, will we alert him if we break in there?”
“It is unusual for a small farm to have a generator, and the vehicle looks promising. Therefore, I believe it is his current location,” Khan said in his precise English. “But we should not act hastily. There is a way to confirm if he is there.”
“Yes?”
Khan tugged at his uniform shirt. “I will change into my peasant garb. I can stop there and ask for ‘Doctor Ali’ on behalf of ‘my’ animals. Even if he is not there, the other people may have information.” He shrugged. “It should do no harm and may save us time and effort.”
Leopole looked toward Foyte and Lee, who both nodded.
“Major, I like it.”
Khan stood up. “I should return in less than sixty minutes.”
Lee poked his head in the rude doorway. “Khan is back.”
The SSI leaders crowded around the Pakistani as he stepped inside the building that served as temporary headquarters. He nodded decisively. “He has been there most of the day. He was called away shortly before I arrived but he is expected this evening.”
Mohammed interjected. “How will we know if he’s back? We cannot risk going before he returns.”
Khan took a swig of bottled water and replaced the cap. “He is driving his van with the refrigerator unit. He keeps veterinary medicine in it, so we will wait for him to complete his rounds.”
Leopole inhaled, held his breath, then exhaled. “That’s it, then. We go tonight. Briefing in three-zero mikes.”
At that, Leopole motioned to Lee. They walked several paces, then stopped. “Steve, who’s your rear entry team?”
“Ashcroft, Green, Henderson, Jacobs, Olsen, and Pace.”
Leopole thought for a moment. “Okay. Ashcroft and Green are top shooters, though I think Green’s slightly nuts.” He shrugged. “But that’s okay with me if it’s okay with you. Henderson and Jacobs are solid; Olsen and Pace seem pretty laid back.” He looked his old comrade in the eye. “We just don’t need any hotdogging on this job. There’s too much at stake.”
“Yes, sir, I know. And so do they.”
The briefing began before sundown. Thirty operators crowded the building where Leopole had set up an easel with a blackboard. He preferred a modern whiteboard that accepted different colors, but that might draw attention. Besides, he could still erase the briefing points and wash the board clean of any residual markings.
“People, this is why we came. This is what our friends died for.” He took time to scan the room, taking in each man’s face, reading the owner’s demeanor. Most were impassive; two or three already had their game faces on. “One thing this is
It was obvious that nobody liked the ROE, but most understood the need.
“For this mission to work, we need to surprise those people.” He paused, then added, “No, that’s not quite right. We need to
Leopole turned to the blackboard. “Here’s the setup. A small house with a couple of outbuildings and some stock pens. There are goats and sheep, and probably some dogs. Expect them to cause a ruckus. If we can get close enough without them smelling us, we’ll use suppressed weapons to take them down. Otherwise, the security element will neutralize them as quickly as possible.”
“We’ll take a quick look at the situation before we deploy, but right now we don’t expect many bad guys. Sharif doesn’t seem to have much of an escort, apparently to avoid drawing attention to himself. You have his description. I wish we had a current photo but the sketch is close. He’s tall, thin, late forties, reportedly with a full beard. Just remember that info may not be current. Things could have changed since Johnson saw him.”
Leopole drew the perimeter he wanted. “Red, you’ll deploy in a 360 around the farm, about hundred meters out. Even with part of White, that means a lot of open space between each man. But our bird may fly the coop, and if he gets out, we need to shortstop him ASAP.”
Foyte raised a hand. “Colonel, I was discussing the arrangement with Major Lee. We risk friendly-fire casualties with the full-circle perimeter.”
“I know, Gunny. But it’s unavoidable. Besides, that’s why you get the big bucks.” Leopole waited for the perfunctory laughter to abate, then added, “If you have to shoot into the compound, try to hold low. That’s the best we can do.”
He turned back to the board. “Okay, whatever happens inside, we want to get out as quickly as possible. We’ll take any prisoners by air to avoid interception in case they have backup in place. When I give the word, our primary bird will land here in the open just south of the house.” He drew an X on the board and circled it. “It’ll fly to a spot I’ve arranged with General Hardesty before returning to base. That way, any unfriendlies at Quetta won’t see anything except night helo ops.”
Breezy whispered to Bosco, who nudged him hard. The minor feud prompted Leopole to interject. “Something we need to hear, gentlemen?”
Breezy looked at the floor. “Ah, nosir.”
Bosco shot his partner a frosty glance. He chose not to respond to Breezy’s observation that people accidentally fell out of helicopters all the time.
“Okay, one other thing,” Leopole added. “If there’s any reason to believe the house is a hot zone, we’ll get the entry team out as soon as possible. At that point Dr. Padgett-Smith will look at the evidence and make a determination. We have some biosafe boxes to transport any cultures or other lab items. In the unlikely event there’s more than we can handle, we’ll notify the Pakistani Army, which will take over.”
Padgett-Smith rose to speak for the first time. “Colonel Leopole, we may need decontamination measures.”
“Yes, ma’am. The helos will bring in the equipment, including chlorine and portable pumps. We’ll bag all suits and clothes and triple wrap them in the bags you brought, Doctor.” She nodded and sat down.
Leopole erased the blackboard and dusted his hands of chalk. “Any more questions?”
There were none, as he expected. “Right. We have this one shot, gentlemen. Let’s make it work.”
“Maqsad and Badlah are ready, Doctor.”
Ali looked up from the wood table. He was triple-checking the boys’ travel documents when Kassim interrupted. Glancing at his watch, the veterinarian reflected that, as usual, his colleague was punctual. The timetable for transit to the departure point had been computed with forty minutes to spare.
The doctor tapped one of the passports upon the table. “Truly, I hope that they are ready, Kassim. This is the most complex plan yet. It requires some people we do not know to fill their part of the bargain in three other countries.” He leaned toward his friend. “What do you think?”
The veteran shrugged. “The boys are as prepared as time has allowed. As for the others, I believe they will serve us through faith or money.”
Ali nodded slowly, visualizing the young warriors abroad in a foreign, hostile land. “Yes, I would prefer another month of English language and instruction on travel and security procedures. I believe that Badlah will be
