Chapter 18

Chuck

Still Sunday

I opened the door, expecting someone to be there, but no one was. I grabbed my duffel, and John grabbed his, as we deplaned. A golf cart came up to the plane and a guy in fatigues, but no rank, name, or insignia said, "Climb in and I'll give you a ride."

We went down into a tunnel and traveled about ten minutes until he took a turn then headed up. We ended up in a little driveway area with doors on each side. The guy said, "Go through those doors on the right. Your contact is in there."

John and I shouldered our duffel bags and walked through the double doors. Amazing, there was our Marshal. He was standing with a couple of men also in fatigues with no names, rank, or insignia. He smiled at me and said, "Hey, Chuck, John, good to see you. Follow me and we'll chat."

As we walked, with the other men following us, he said to one of the men, "Can you get some sandwiches and coffee. I'm sure these guys could use some. If you guys need a restroom, use this one." He stopped at a door that had a male sign.

John and I peed. I looked at John's face and raised an eyebrow. He just shrugged his shoulders. We washed our hands and went back to the guys who were waiting for us. We all went into a stark conference room. The only thing in it was a table and chairs.

After sitting the Marshal said, "You two are going to do something that needs to be done by someone not military and not CIA. You were chosen to do this. Only these three gentlemen, myself, and one other, know of this mission. It's not difficult and should be easy, but it may take a little time to complete."

John and I were looking at the Marshal. One of the guys in fatigues said, "I have a file that once you look at it, you are committed to this. It is not that dangerous. You were chosen for your abilities and for your past experience. John, you may be rusty but I'm sure you'll remember easily. Chuck, you have a rep that says you can do this one blindfolded. Now, will you two do this?"

John and I looked at each other. John said, "It would be nice if we had an idea of what needed to be done. You have to know that this is really unusual, considering all the shit that's been happening lately and the strange way you got us here."

The Marshal looked at the three guys. The one with the file nodded his head to the Marshal. He looked at us, closed his eyes, and then opened them again, probably to dramatize what he was going to say.

"You two are going to a special place and are going to remove a problem. You are going to take care of a sanction. There is a picture of a man in that folder that needs to be gone. Your government has not been able to accomplish this and the C.I.A. has people, observers and critics, crawling all over it. Unless it's in the Middle East or Africa, they can't do anything. Someone else needs to do this. Chuck, I know you acted in this capacity in special ops. John, you used to be one of the best spotters around. I want you two to act as a team and take care of this. You don't know the target, but if you did, you would want to just do this in the open. Chuck, you've sort of dealt with this guy in Texas, but not directly, just his minions. So what do you think, will you do this?"

I looked at the three guys in fatigues and asked, "Who are you?"

You could see them squirm so I said, "I don't want to know your names, just what branch you work for."

The center guy looked at the Marshal then back to me and said, "We are from a division of the Secret Service. We do not deal with the president or his protection. We act as liaison between various security branches. We are often directed to take care of special situations. This is one."

John and I nodded then looked at each other. I nodded to him and he said, "We'll take care of it. Give us the details."

The man with the file pulled a coordinate section map and pointed, "You are going to be in some fairly heavily forest area. The terrain is mountainous, but navigable. You won't need climbing gear and your access will be surprisingly easy."

The man traced his finger along a line, "This is the Mexican border. Your target is going to be on the other side, but you should be able to remain on this side. We have scanned this area where you will be for anti-personnel detection devices and lookouts. We even have several men in the field watching to make sure no one sneaks in and places any there. Once you two are on the ground, my men will withdraw. They cannot remain while you take care of business."

The Marshal said, "You need to find a place to set up with a clear firing lane, and then wait for the target. The target is there almost every night and most days. He leaves by car or helicopter, goes to various places, then returns."

The guy in fatigues, while showing an eight by ten picture, then said, "This is the target. These other photos will give you an idea of his physical stature."

When John pulled the pictures across the table, the guy pulled some more pictures, "These are secondary targets. If any of these should happen to be around, their elimination would be good. There are five men who frequent this location. It could be a real big deal to clean it out."

I had to ask, "Why don't you just set up a post and watch. When you have all five just send in a drone."

The Marshal said, "That would require the military and too many would be aware. This target is influential. He can be very influential with the Mexican government. He may be a bad guy, but he has enough influence to cause a lot of trouble. If no one knows who did this, no problem."

John asked, "So what's the plan?"

"You two will be outfitted tonight. Chuck, you will be able to sight in your equipment up to a thousand yards, a full klick. John, you can get used to your scopes so they will be familiar in the field. You will sleep in tonight, and will leave here at 0300 to be inserted within a mile of what is probably the best area for positioning. You will see it tomorrow and then you can move around to find the right place."

Another person in fatigues had come in with coffee and sandwiches, so we all had a sandwich. The leader of the fatigue guys said, "You will be provided with water and rations. I don't think you're going to want a fire, but we have this neat little bottle that will boil water for coffee. We'll make sure you have the right clothes to stay warm. Chuck, I'm not sure how you get around so well, but I hope your leg doesn't cause you any problems. This should be easier than your Oklahoma raid. That was something according to the reports."

I said, "As long as the insertion isn't a jump and I don't have to jump off a high chopper, I should be fine. I have to pay attention to where I step, but I'm fine other than that."

John said, "Let's get outfitted and test our equipment. We'll need to sack out as early as possible."

We went down a hallway until we went through a door marked supply. There were mounds of equipment on a counter. John and I began going through it. We separated a set of camies, a couple of pair of silk-like long underwear, four pair of socks, and all of the carry equipment. We both set aside a Kbar and sheath, plus the camouflage equipment and masking grease for our faces. I thought it was funny that both of us chose slouch hats that looked to be a little big, but we both knew that was best.

I was looking at the heavy coats when I asked if we had weather Intel.

The guy with the folder was surprised and turned to one of his men. "Get the forecast for a week. Hurry."

He turned to us and said, "Sorry, we should have had that."

John and I sorted out food then we both checked the map they had given us. John pointed to a stream and asked, "Has the water been tested out there?"

Again, the guy was embarrassed, but said, "Take these pills to be sure. Take a test kit. That will tell you what's in the water. Can't you take enough water with you?"

John looked at the guy and said, "For a week? How many Jerry cans can you carry?"

When we were done sorting everything out, I said, "A couple of things you've forgotten, how about some space blankets. Two apiece. John, they are great for a ground cloth too. The other things we need are a few packages of toilet paper, a machete with a scabbard, and a camping or foxhole shovel."

The Marshal asked, "What's the machete for?"

"Same as an axe, but more useful," John answered. "We'll need some sharpening equipment if it isn't sharp."

He then asked, "What are you going to dig?"

I said, "Who knows, we may need a foxhole, but we have to cover our shit. When we leave, wherever it is, we have to make sure no one figures out where we were at, or that we were even ever there."

John asked, "Okay, how do we contact you to get back out?"

The fatigue guy said, "You'll each have a radio. If you get into trouble or when you are ready to come in, call."

The guy who had gone for the weather information came in with a piece of paper. The nights were going to be cool, but not freezing. We would be good with some layers and the space blankets. There was no rain forecast, but we each took a shelter half to use to keep moisture off us. Only one of us could sleep at a time anyway.

We had our gear separated and loaded up everything, stacking the MREs neatly. We double checked everything and were surprised the shovel and machete were both very sharp. We checked the Kbars then began going over the useful hardware.

John was looking at two different types of scopes. One was an available light scope. Those were tricky. I opened the first case to find a fifty caliber sniper rifle. That thing was big. I looked at it then set it down. The other case had a military version of a .308. There was every piece of equipment to go with it you could want. When I saw the noise suppressor, I asked, "Do you have good noise suppressors for our Glocks?"

The supply guy asked to see mine. I pulled it, dropped the clip, and the jacked the round from it. He left, then came back, screwing on a short suppressor. He said, "This thing is really quiet. It's good for about thirty rounds before it begins losing its effectiveness. The one with that .308 is just as good. The fifty doesn't have one. It's too big. There is a suppressor, but it doesn't silence the thing."

I kept looking at the fifty and asked, "Are these explosive rounds or plain metal jacket?"

The supply guy said, "These are standard rounds. I have explosives, if you want. You know the range for the explosive rounds are just over a click. Not as far as the standard round."

"I can't see that far anyway. Can you give me a dozen explosive to go with these eight standard rounds. If I have to lug this thing in, it might as well have some firepower to use with it."

Picking up the cases, I said. "Have someone take the gear and our clothes to our quarters, then we'll test this equipment."

The fatigue guy said, "We need you to change clothes to walk around here. Take an extra set of fatigues. We'll wash a set and make them wearable for you for in the morning. You should try on the boots anyway."

John and I grabbed an extra pair of socks and another set of fatigues then followed everyone. They all assisted carrying our gear. There really wasn't that much.

They gave us a bare looking room with two beds and a table with four chairs. There was television in a cabinet on the wall opposite our beds. We put our stuff on the table knowing we would go through it again before going to bed. We stripped while the guys watched. The Marshal changed into fatigues with us. The guys watched me closely as I put the boot on my fake leg. They noted my extra piece of equipment in the holster on the prosthesis.

It felt funny to be in new fatigues again. I smiled at John as he went through the same sensations. I took both cases that had slings and we went out into the hall. Wearing our slouch hats, we walked back to the door that we had originally come in and mounted a long golf cart. We drove back through tunnels until we came up in a long building that could have been another hangar.

We were directed to a table and a mat. A guy with an armband that said, "Range Officer" came up to us and said. What distances do you want to start with? I said, "John will need to sight in several, but I want to start at a hundred, then go three hundred, five hundred, seven fifty, and a thousand."

The guy asked, "Do you want any wind?"

"Not at first, let me see what each of these will do first. Can you replace our rounds for us?"

"I have as many as you guys could possible use, not to worry. If you want to test a couple out of what you were given, do it. Our equipment is usually good."

The guy asked, "How about I light up the targets first, then later you can test the available light."

I didn't bother with the fifty for the short distances. At 100, I locked the rifle into the brace, a vise like apparatus for sighting. I used the scope and hollered, "Clear." The range officer hollered 'Clear' and I squeezed the trigger. John said, "Dead center."

"Light up three hundred."

I checked the rifle and adjusted the scope, noting the clicks. I had to adjust the rifle in the brace a little. We did the 'Clear' thing then I fired. John said, "Center."

"Light up five hundred."

I went through the adjusting, watching John as he checked his scope. He said, "Either your measurements are off or this scope is. That's six twenty-five."

The range officer grinned and said, "You know how that thing works. That's good."

I said, "Leave it up. I'll use that one then we'll go back to five."

I adjusted the rifle, sighted in, went through yelling 'Clear, ' and fired. John said, "Center."

I said, "Good equipment. Let me adjust the rifle then turn on the five hundred. I want to see if the scope is right." I did the clicks then had the officer light up the five hundred. It looked right on. I had to adjust the rifle then we did the safety 'Clears' and fired. "Center," John said.

"Okay, go on out to a thousand and lets see what the .308 does." The target lit up way far away. It was still small through the scope, but I was able to sight it in using the exact clicks I thought it should be. I adjusted the rifle in the brace. John confirmed, "One thousand." I said "Clear" then began squeezing the trigger. The round hit the target and looked good through the scope. Still sighting, John said, "Damn, center again and at a thousand."

I said, "It's not me, John, it's the rifle. Let's get some wind and see what it does. Can you give me ten knots first?"

John and I, along with the range officer, pulled our hats down tight. I said, "I'm not going to adjust for wind. I want to see where this thing hits with wind."

We did the safety 'Clears' and I fired. John immediately said, "About a quarter inch."

"Bring it up to twenty-five knots and let's see what the effect is."

The wind increased. I still didn't change anything and after the safety yells, I squeezed the trigger. John said, "About an inch and a half. Not bad."

I said, "Let me do this without the brace. I picked up the rifle, used the sling to get a good position, and using the table to brace and sight, I yelled, "Clear." The range officer yelled and I squeezed the trigger.

John said, "Dead center with the wind."

I said, "This is a damn good rifle. I think I'll steal this thing." I said to the range officer, "Let me do one prone with the same wind then I want to try an available light shot."

Laying on the mat is different than in the field, but it is close. I was able to sight in then yelled 'Clear.' To compensate, I sighted in to allow for the wind. As soon as I shot, John said, "Center, about an eighth of inch low."

I said cockily, "The target probably has a big forehead."