Chapter 210: Another Short Episode

The hum vee wasn't armored. Petro dollars bought a lot of technology, but obviously not all of it was up to date. I hoped that held true all down the line.

Being the paranoid bitch that I am, I had deep reservations about the Admiral's plan. His plan called for me to do the song and dance, find out where Martin aka the Irishman was located. I was then to pick up my satellite phone and make a call. The Admirals men would trace the phone and the calvary would come running.

But just as likely a predator drone would send us a hellfire missile instead. Either way the link between Swamp Thing, The CIA, and the rebels would be back in the closet. So I was scrambling to come up with a better plan.

"So Lucy, tell me what you know about what's ahead of us," I demanded.

"Usually these Arab Mercenaries are former Egyptian Army. There are some officers but mostly it is non commissioned officers, who tend to put themselves out for hire. A basic unit is usually five to ten Mercenaries and fifty indigenous fighters. Mostly the job of the Mercenaries is to keep the Government soldiers from running away or shooting each other. That's about all the discipline they can manage."

"So there will be as many as fifty soldiers in the compound?" I asked.

"At least camped around it. It just keeps getting better doesn't it?" she asked with a smile.

"When we get back, I'm going to give Priest a big sloppy kiss for that last upgrade." I said.

"A blow job would be better," she replied grinning.

We were led into the office of the commanding officer. At that field level there was no desk in the office, just a bed and a small end table. The OIC (officer in charge) was a dark man with a long dark beard. He could easily have passed for Taliban in another setting.

"Lucy give him our 'just trying to help' song and dance," I suggested.

The two of them conversed in some Arab dialect. While they did that I looked around the room. Two things happened at the same time. Lucy said, "He is calling to check our papers," and I heard a man scream from the floor above us.

Since I had no desire to join the man in screaming, I popped the razor sharp utility knife open then opened the Jugular vein for the OIC. The guard by the door tried to swing his AK47 toward me, but Lucy easily removed it from his grip. Then she struck him hard with it. He just went down in a heap. I watched as the OIC bled out on the floor. I did manage to kick him in the head once before he died.

I took the OIC's AK47 from where it leaned against the corner of the wall. Lucy still held the AK she took from the guard. "So can you shoot that thing?" I asked.

"I can't use this on humans," she said.

"Lucy honey, anyone who pops up is going to be trying to kill me and destroy you. I will try to protect you, but you need to decide what you are going to do when they jump out at us. Either way, we have to do it now." I said.

Since there had been no firefight, I removed a large knife from the unconscious man's utility belt,. then I used it to cut his throat. I couldn't afford for him to raise the alarm. Two skinny women without hijabs worked their way up the stairs. When we reached the top, I was surprised to find no one in the hall. I had expected the firefight to begin in that hallway.There four doors, three of them were closed.