Chapter 9

Gunnery Sergeant J.T. Timmons was PISSED!

And not in the British way of being pissed. Although, a couple of good cold beers would be greatly appreciated right about now.

No, he was upset, and hiking up the side of this confounded heap of dirt behind this golden boy Colonel wasn’t making him any happier.

And, God, he hurt. He hurt in places that he could very well forget about, thank you very much. But, being buried under a crashed chopper might have had something to do with his ire. And, now, he’s got a rock in his boot.

So, the only thing he knew was that: a) he was still able to move, b) if he kept moving, he’d eventually work the soreness and aches from his muscles, and c) he’s got to get the rock out of his boot or he’ll go lame.

In an effort to take his mind off his aching body, he worried over the sparse information that he and his now dead team were given.

‘Accompany Col. Finn. Watch his back. Full load out on weapons and ammo. WHATEVER we thought we needed.’ He thought.

‘That’s why I’ve got an FN P-90 and an FN FiveSeven. Roughly 500 rounds of SS190 and L191 tracer ammo, 8- 40mm HE grenades, Fallkniven survival knife, garrote wire, a box of waterproof matches, MRE’s, and a canteen.’

‘And if this clown in front of me doesn’t slow down pretty soon, I’m gonna frag his ass.’ He fumed. ‘We’ve been going at a 12 minute mile in battle gear for the last hour, and I’ve about had it!’

“Colonel! You want to take a break for a bit?” Timmons called out.

“We don’t have time to waste by stopping now!” Riley flung over his shoulder.

“Well, you better, by God, make time, Sir!” Timmons shot back.

Riley spun around throwing a hard right at Timmons face, only to find himself flat on his back with a black-coated survival knife under his chin.

“If you so much as twitch, I’ll leave your rotting carcass on this mountain side, ... sir!” Timmons gritted. “I don’t know what your problem is, and I don’t much care. I figure that you’ll fill me in on what we’re supposed to be doing sooner or later. What I do know is that for a full Colonel, you’re acting like an idiot.

At this rate, IF we get where you say we’re going, we’ll be dead from exhaustion by the time we get there. Now, I’m going to get up and back off. Move slowly, or you’ll find out why they call me One-Eye.” Timmons warned.

Moving slowly, Timmons backed up three paces and rose to his feet watching Riley intently.

Riley sat up and said, “You realize the amount of trouble you’re in for striking a superior officer, don’t you?”

“I don’t see a superior officer, sir, only a higher ranking one. I was told you went through SEAL BUDS/SQT with high evaluations of your skills. Right now, I’m not seeing any of that. All I’m seeing is a kid with his head up his ass who’s gonna get us killed!” Gunny snapped back.

Pulling his knees up to his chest, Riley forced himself to calm down and breathe normally. After a few more seconds, he levered himself to his feet watching Timmons from the corner of his eye. Turning to squarely face Timmons, he appraised the man.

‘5 foot 8-9 inches, broad shoulders, EXTREMELY calm considering everything. Holds a knife cutting edge up, no guard on the knife and faint scars on the hand so he’s a knife fighter. Knife is mounted upside down in a breakaway holster. He’s young, twenty-five, maybe twenty-six, except for the eyes. They look like they’re a hundred. He’s been around the block and over the hill. Make that two hills.’ Riley thought.

“One-Eye? What kind of a name is One-Eye?” Riley asked in an attempt to calm the situation.

“It’s short for One-Eyed cobra.” Timmons answered.

‘One-Eyed. Monocled Cobra. Southeast Asia. Has a fatality rate of 90% even with anti-venin. Extremely aggressive, strikes and keeps striking until you’re dead. Doesn’t like to be around others. Prefers to be up close and personal. Quiet as death itself. If the Teams gave him that name, it was deserved. Being Southeast Asia, that’s Thailand through Vietnam.

The next question is how did he make Gunny so quick? Normal time for Gunny is 10-12 years minimum. No way he did it the normal way. So, some of the missions he was on went sideways bad, and since he lived through it, he was fast-tracked. And, knowing Uncle Sam’s Misguided Children, he did some hellacious in-theater ops.’ Riley mused.

“So, what’s the deal ... Sir?” Timmons asked breaking into Riley’s musing.

Author’s note: If you want to read up on the One-Eyed cobra, here’s a good website: https://www.thailandsnakes.com/venomous/front-fanged/monocled-cobras-venomous-very-deadly/