Chapter 13

2000 Day 639 Afghanistan – 1230 Day 639 Comrie

In Afghanistan it was approaching dusk when Adam’s Platoon reached an abandon building that sat slightly higher than the immediate surrounding area. The building’s walls were thick and made from stacked rocks filled in with packed mud. The windows were small. It had a sloping roof with a packed dirt floor. From all appearances, it appeared to have been abandoned for some time.

They had only been there a few minutes when Theo said, “It looks like there has been a team here recently.”

“When? What makes you think that?” asked the Captain.

“I would need to take a torch and check to try to answer ‘when’. Actually, at the moment I can’t definitely say a team has been here. What I can say is that there are two broken chains in the dirt. They look like the chains we use for our dog tags.”

“What’s that?” said Bev pointing toward something lying in the loose dirt along the wall.

Gus moved closer then carefully looked at it using a small flash light. “Give me a zip lock bag.” Someone held the bag open for him as he picked it up with two small sticks. When it dropped in the bag he said, “My guess is that that is someone’s little finger.”

Natalia, Squad B’s medic, took the bag and then after a few moments said, “It is, and it appears to have been severed at the joint. It wasn’t very long ago and it doesn’t appear to be injured. Judging by the finger nail, it is probably from a female with a light skin.”

“How could that happen?” asked May as she moved over to look closer.

“Why would anyone cut the little finger off?” asked Bev.

“In some cultures it is used to mark people as a slave,” said Captain O’Brien as he joined the group. “Your hands cannot be hidden all the time, so a missing finger becomes a badge indicating your status. Thus it marks the person as being someone’s property. Loss of the little finger is less of a hindrance than losing any of the others.”

“Bastards!”

“Yes. There have been a few reports of people who were missing both little fingers. However, we don’t know why this one is here, who did it, or whose finger it was.”

“True,” replied Adam. “But based on our discussions last night, we could make a guess.”

“I agree that the circumstantial evidence is getting stronger.”

“I think we should setup outside rather than in here.”

“Good point,” replied the Captain. “Everyone should be extra vigilant tonight. Adam, I’ll give you my report to send in a few minutes. Let’s rotate eating.”

While they were waiting Leo went to check on his squad, who were manning their security screen. Todd and Kurt told their squads to eat then set up for the night. Sal went to check on his squad. While Adam waited for the Captain to prepare the report, he found a partially concealed high spot and leaned back. When Todd and Kurt saw what he was doing, they monitored him so he wasn’t disturbed.

Adam was startled as he had hardly begun to relax when Briana said, “Good evening, love.”

“God, you feel so close. It is just as though you are right here with me.”

“Well we are pretty close now.”

“You’re at Comrie?”

“Not quite,” they responded together adding a smile to their thought.

“Okay, what’s going on?”

“Nothing yet. We are watching a group of idiots who are trying to sneak up on your position.”

Their comment caused an immediate reaction, but before he could move Rusty said, “Adam, relax. We have two cloaked shuttles close to you. It seems your friends felt your anxiety so they came to talk to me. Your position is secure. A shield is in place just beyond the Squad B sentries.”

“Who’s approaching?”

“By their actions, we are reasonably sure that they are bandits. If so, their intent is likely to capture all of you. From what we’ve heard, they weren’t prepared for your arrival this evening. They weren’t expecting you until tomorrow.”

“That is probably because we made an effort to move faster than the schedule. We are slated to join up with a team ahead of us. Due to some cascading oddities, last night we decided to try for a day earlier than scheduled.”

“They were captured at this location last night.” Adam tensed. “Relax. They were rescued earlier today, actually it was around noon. They are at Comrie resting. The medical staff saw them when they arrived. When we found them, the bandits had already sent all their equipment somewhere.”

“So based on our conversations here, it looks more and more like someone is setting up TTC units.”

“Our Intelligence Department thinks that probability is quite high. We need more information to be certain.”

“I almost made a comment earlier that I wished my friends were here to assist as they have some really neat tools.”

“You could do that. It has some consequences that would need to be dealt with. We already have that problem with the other unit and some others we picked up at another location. Think the Captain would bite.”

“Yea. We are pretty certain we’ve been setup to vanish like we think several other units have. Theo found broken dog tag chains in one building. A severed little finger was found nearby.”

“That fits with what those rescued told us. From their description of events, we believe they were put down with a sleeping gas. The bandits gained control of them without firing a shot. We suspected, and medical evaluation confirms that they were given a drug that causes submission and blocks a person’s will.”

“If that is what they intended for us then the Captain’s hole card wouldn’t matter. What about the approaching bandits?”

“Hole card?”

“Yes. He brought 3 emergency air crew beacons...”

Rusty interrupted, “Later, the Captain is looking for you.”

Adam began to get up as he heard Captain O’Brien call. He noticed Todd and Kurt smiling at him when he stood up and just nodded.

“Oh there you are. Here is the report to send. Try the radio again just in case.”

“Yes, Sir.”

Seeing Adam setting up the transmitter and its dish antenna, Sal, Kurt and Todd walked over to join them. Captain watched as the report was entered then sent. They waited several minutes for an acknowledgment.

When it didn’t come Captain said, “Try it again. It seems the circumstantial evidence just gets stronger.”

Adam initiated the sequence to send the report again. After a several minutes, the acknowledgment routine again timed out. He checked the radio again. Only this time he could hear some sounds but it wasn’t clear enough to understand or say for certain it was voices. He said, “The radio is about the same as last night,” as he offered the headset to him.

After listening a few minutes, he looked at the five of them and frowned as he said grimly, “Evidence gets stronger.”

Adam said, “Sir, it would be real nice if we could ask our friends to assist us.”

“At the moment, any assistance would be good as we are in a deep hole, but there is still hope.” He paused then added, “Sorry, I should be more positive.”

“Sir, I appreciate honesty rather than BS,” responded Todd. “It is one of the reasons this team functions as well as it does.”

“I presume, Adam’s friends are known to all of you,” commented the Captain with a smile.

“Yes, Sir. We met them when we were on leave. They are good people.”

“While I would accept almost anyone’s assistance at the moment, why do you think they can bail us out?”

Kurt said, “While we were visiting them, we saw them in action. It was an enforcement action that involved searches of three separate secure sites. The raids were significant enough that the DA asked a local National Guard MP unit to assist them. Our friends assistance was done so well neither realized they had assistance, or even thought to question why they gained entry so easily.”

“This is a bit different. I see our position as tenuous, not hopeless.”

“We agree.”

Adam added, “Their help would shift the odds greatly in our favor.”

The Captain chuckled then said, “Alright if you are so confident of this then I agree we could use their assistance.”

“Are you certain it would be okay?”

“Yea, sure. Why not?” Captain O’Brien’s expression clearly indicated he didn’t expect anything and this was their way to relieve today’s tension.

“Well it could create some complications, but we would definitely survive.”

“I think we all like that option.”

It was moments later when those standing by the Captain sensed their presence. As they turned toward them, Captain O’Brien automatically reached for his weapon. He gasped when he saw five people step out of the shadows. Moments later he noticed the smiles on Adam, Todd, Kurt, Leo and Sal and relaxed his grip.

“Good evening, Captain O’Brien,” said Briana drawing his attention back to them. “Thanks for the invitation.”

He glanced at Adam then said, “Good evening. Who are you?”

“Adam’s friends. You said we could help.”

“But...”

“You thought he was joking,” added Ciar. “I am a very close friend of Todd’s. I hope it’s alright if I came as well.”

“Hi Briana,” said Adam as he stepped over and gave her a quick intense kiss. “Who all is here?”

“Well besides us, there is Zoe’s group, Cathan’s group and ours. Edana’s, Darcy’s and Caoilinn’s groups are taking care of some issues further North. Oh, Aine and Creidne came with us as well along with a few others.”

“Where did you come from?” asked Captain with a perplexed expression as more people appeared.

“Our transports are just around the curve of the trail a little further on,” said Rusty partially answering his question. “We thought we heard you tell Adam that you were willing to let us help, so here we are.” As he glanced around, “You have a lot of questions. I think before we address those we need to know how you want to deal with the approaching bandits. Based on their actions, we believe they intend to capture you by putting you to sleep. We can capture them; scare them off or do both. If it was me I would capture the leaders and scare off the others.”

“Okay I’ll bite. Why the difference?”

“By scaring them off others will know what happened here. It may be enough to cause so of them to consider a different occupation.”

Captain laughed, “Scaring the shit out of them probably makes more sense than taking them to Kabul. There they would likely be released after a few days in custody, if not sooner.”

“To start off, let’s have a little more light.” With that the immediate area was enveloped in a red glow causing several to gasp. “We’ll change the color later but this is better for night vision. Now we would like for you to pull your sentries in so we can fill their role.”

Captain O’Brien started to speak but Sarah said, “With everyone here, it will be easier to answer your questions. It will also make it easier for us, as your sentries aren’t aware of our presence.”

“Good point. Leo, have Squad B pull back.”

“They are, Sir.”

When the Platoon was all together, Rusty said, “Okay Zoe, Creidne, we are all here.”

Rusty had hardly spoken when they heard a roar a short distance away. It was followed by several more around them. The sounds caused several to reach for their weapons. The Squad leaders quickly gave hand signs stopping their movement. Over the next several minutes, the group heard numerous roars. These were interspersed with screams which occasionally happened right after a flash of light. Then the sounds became less frequent.

At a quiet moment, Captain O’Brien said, “I don’t remember anything in our briefings about lions in this area.”

“The area has a few large felines,” replied Briana. “The ones you heard, we brought with us. They look very much like the lions you are familiar with, so if you see one don’t be alarmed.” Then with a grin she added, “They do like their ears scratched.”

Even though Adam and his friends nodded in agreement the expression on the faces of the others was one of disbelief.

“Coming in,” said Zoe. A few moments later two naked men stumbled into the clearing. They wore a collar with a chain hanging from it. The chain connected to their wrist and ankle cuffs in such a way that it would be difficult for them to run. They were followed by six women wearing what looked like coveralls with a clear helmet. With them was Creidne wearing just a vest and short skirt, with several obvious weapons hanging from her vest and waist belt. Her appearance drew everyone’s attention as she was clearly a lovely woman. It was equally clear that she was not someone to be trifled with.

Creidne said, “We thought it was appropriate for them to dress in the way they intended for you after they captured you.” The men’s expressions were clearly of fear and arrogance.

“They what?” exclaimed the Captain.

“That is not quite true,” responded Zoe. “We stripped them because we wanted to make sure they were men, because they fight like street whores.”

One prisoner said, “You are the whore. Soon you will be at my mercy you infidel whore then you will suffer for this insult. Your torment will be long and painful.”

Zoe grabbed his hair and pulled his head back as she kicked the back of his knees. He dropped to his knees and screamed when they hit the rocky ground. The man’s eyes bulged out when he saw Belinda step in front of him with a knife. With two quick swipes, she removed most of his beard. When the knife flashed past him, he pissed himself.

Creidne turned to the other and said, “Now answer the questions or we will stake you out to feed the lions.”

The man was quiet as he was certain they would be rescued from these infidels. This was their land to do as they had done for centuries. Families members always obeyed the eldest male as they followed the word of the village cleric. His attention was drawn back to the present when he was also forced to kneel. He grimaced as his knees hit the rocky ground.

Creidne said in English, “Watch their expressions as I remind them of some of their past deeds in their own language.” As she spoke, both men smirked knowing that was impossible. “One of you can translate it for the others.” She then began reciting from their memories. They told of groups they had captured and how they had treated them. As she spoke the change in their expressions clearly confirmed the accuracy of what she was saying.

“What happened to the team in front of us?” asked Captain O’Brien sharply.

Sarah said, “They were captured here last night and were rescued about noon today. They have received medical care and are all in good health, considering. We found more people being held at their collection point, which is about a four day walk from here. The team in front of you was about to be picked up by a truck when we found them. The truck provided the lead to the collection point. On our own initiative, all of those we’ve rescued have been taken to a safe location where they are receiving medical care. Everyone rescued was under the influence of drugs. It is a drug cocktail that makes them unable to resist commands, but doesn’t affect their perceptions or observations. The first dose of that cocktail was in the packs these two men were carrying.”

Creidne looked around at the group then said, “I can feel your anger. You need to let it cool. Captain, you’ve done a great job leading this group. The setup to ensure your team vanished was done by experts. Now, you asked a question earlier that my friends need to answer before you decide on a path forward. These two don’t need to hear that.” With that she pointed at the two men and snapped her fingers. Immediately both fell over to lie quite still.

Zoe, Belinda, Melody and June sat them up so Briana and Cass could slide a bag over their heads and upper body. Once in place, it was cinched around their waists. While everyone was focused on the activity, Creidne stepped back out of sight.

“Are they dead?” asked May as she watched the two slump back down after being released.

“Nope,” responded Zoe. “Creidne just put them to sleep. They will sleep until one of us wakes them.”

Sarah said, “Now let’s walk a short distance this way, as we have a small camp set up a little further on. Bring your equipment with you.”

After glancing at O’Brien, each of the Squad Leaders nodded to their groups. They began gathering their gear to move. Everyone had a puzzled expression. Once they started down the path Joyce and Briana moved up beside Adam as Captain O’Brien and he led off. They both gave Adam a hug, while their eyes scanned the surroundings. Cathan moved up beside Todd. Tara, Sarah and Rusty followed them toward the shuttles. Zoe’s group followed along behind. When the soldiers stepped around a shallow bend in the road, they were surprised to see faint images of two strange ships hovering. Between them was a well-lit area.

Several hesitated at entering the area, or even looking at it. Seeing their reaction Rusty said, “We are the only ones who can see what is here. Anyone who passes by will only see a haze. It is the kind you would seek to avoid. Besides, there are sensors monitoring the surrounding area and the lions are also watching.”

Joyce, Briana and Cathan walked on into the lit area with the others following them. The ladies slipped off their tac suits and turned to their guys. They pulled them into a hug and gave them a passionate kiss. The other members of their clans gathered around them and showered them with hugs and kisses as well.

Sarah, Joyce, Rusty and Tara watched and smiled as the women greet their friends. Cass then gave Kurt, Leo and Sal a hug and a kiss after telling them it was from their ladies. Joyce and Briana followed Cass’s lead.

The rest of the Platoon watched their Squad leaders being greeted with a bit of envy. All were wondering who these people were and where they came from. Everyone was glad they had arrived when they did, especially after hearing what the bandits had intended to do.

Briana said, “Adam, you ought to introduce us.”

Looking at her, he said, “Yes, thank you, that is a good idea,” before he realized how she had told him and he blushed. “Okay. I’ve been reminded that I should introduce my friends. As you’ve probably guessed Todd, Sal, Kurt, and Leo already know them.” He then introduced each of them. “Some of you may have heard us talking with Captain O’Brien when I asked if it was okay if my friends came to assist us. I believe he thought I was kidding.”

“I was, and I still don’t believe what I am seeing.”

“Now, I believe Sarah and several others would like to answer the questions you’ve been wanting to ask.”

“Not yet,” said Éva the EMT, “we need to do a quick physical on all of you first. It will only take a few moments for each person. We have a set-up here, and one by the other bird. Adam, why don’t you start off?” Several gasped, as when she finished speaking Adam immediately started peeling off his clothes. He stepped onto the platform she indicated and stood still. When it chimed he stepped away. Todd quickly moved to take his position.

Then realizing the cultural gap Éva added, “The reason we want you naked for the physical is accuracy. You could leave your underwear on. It is your choice.”

“Hell, with what we have been through,” said Natalia as she began to slip off her uniform, “nudity is a minor thing.”

While the four squads were going through the medical exams, Adam looked at his friends, and they nodded. “Briana, did you bring our tactical suits?” asked Adam.