Ambush

21

Murdock had done everything he could think of. Juan had continued to question the prisoner until he died, but had learned nothing more.

“Happens,” Juan said.

Murdock ignored it. He checked with the hostages again, and all were excited about being rescued and at last getting on with their travels. Now it would be straight home for most of them. They had loved the tuna sandwiches and fruit, and Jaybird had another meal for them made from some canned meat he’d found in a storage closet. He soon found flour and potatoes, and relaxed and got ready to fix another meal for the hostages.

They had complete security. If any of the rebels had survived and run into the jungle, they were heading somewhere else and not trying to attack the compound. Murdock found a radio in one of the upstairs bedrooms and caught up on the news. The government was still pressing the rebels trying to get the hostages released, informed sources in Manila reported.

Murdock laughed. They had no more casualties. The pilot of the chopper was feeling better. Khai’s broken arm wasn’t so good, and Mahanani said it might have to be rebroken if it had started to heal crooked.

It was after 1300, and Murdock was starting to wonder if the general and his team had had any trouble getting to Lebak. If they had, he and the platoon might have a few days to sit here waiting for a chopper.

He was in the backyard of the place, trying to figure out if a forty-six could land in the area, when he heard the familiar whirling and churning sound of a helicopter.

Half the SEALs appeared as if by magic when the bird came closer. Then it was right overhead. Murdock grabbed a red flare off his shoulder and lit it and tossed it in the middle of the open space behind the hostage structure.

The pilot circled the area again, then came in upwind and gently settled the giant windmill to the ground. A cheer went up from a dozen hostages who had crowded out the door when they heard the helicopter coming in.

The pilot let the bird run, and came out to talk with Murdock.

“Commander, I’m Captain Jonas Virac. I have some messages for you. First the general and your two men are fine and safe. They are in Lebak. One of our birds was rerouted to Lebak. The general says that they think they know where the rest of the hostages are. In the Eagle’s Nest, which is about twenty miles south of you and ten miles north of Lebak.

“We are supposed to take the thirty-one hostages and transport them ASAP to Davao. You will remain here for transport by the bird that is now in Lebak. Any questions?”

“Your chopper pilot Captain Samar is a little shaken up, but in good shape. We were shot down by a sniper on the ground. He’ll go back with you on this run.”

“Good, we’ve been worried about him. Commander, we can leave as soon as you get the people loaded on board. We have doors on the sides so we can close them and not lose anybody.”

Murdock went into the hostage area and began sending the people two at a time out to the helicopter.

“Take anything with you that you have. I don’t know about luggage, but I haven’t seen any.”

“The damn rebels stole everything we owned,” one woman yelled.

“There will be thirty-two of you and it will be close quarters, but even if you have to stand up, the flight is only for a little over forty minutes. Please help us all you can, and we’ll get you all out of here and home safely.”

The loading took almost twenty minutes. One little lady had to be carried, and they put in a small chair for her to sit in during the trip. The thirty-two fit in snugly, but some of them found places to sit down.

“Commander, we’re buttoned up. I may be back, not sure. All hell broke lose back at the base when we found out that other bird was overdue and unreported and that the general was on board. Then the S & R guys found the burned-out hulk and we didn’t know what to think.”

“All’s well.”

“Oh, the bird that went to Lebak will probably be up to get you shortly and transport you down there. That will be the staging area for a shot at the Eagle’s Nest. Good luck, Commander.”

The CH-46’s rotors spun faster, and it lifted off smoothly, gained altitude, and turned gently so it wouldn’t upset any of the very important cargo it carried.

Murdock waved, then looked to the south. How long would it be before the forty-six from Lebak came to haul them out south so they could look for the next eighteen hostages?

Murdock was heading back to the main house when he heard the shots. Rifle shots from a distance. He sprinted for the corner of the rock and wood house.

“Anyone hit by those shots?” he asked on the net.

Jaybird shouted a warning into the mike. “More incoming,” he said, and then Murdock heard the new shots. A submachine gun chattered off a dozen rounds.

“Where are those shots coming from?” Murdock asked.

“From the south side of the compound, in back of the guards’ quarters,” Jaybird said. “May be two shooters. We’ve got one man down. I think it’s Train. I’m into the woods to circle those bastards.”

“Take another man with you,” Murdock said.

“Nobody here. I’m gone.”

Murdock ran toward the guards’ barracks. He was shielded from the shooters. He paused at the side of the place and peered around the corner. He saw Tran “Train” Khai sprawled near a chair that had tipped over. The chair was in a patch of shade. He watched closely. Train wasn’t moving.

“Anybody else see where those shots came from?” Murdock asked. For the first time he realized he didn’t have his weapon. He’d been too quick to decide this was a secure area.

“Yeah, to the south somewhere,” Van Dyke said. “Heard them, but didn’t see any flashes. They must be deep inside the bush out there.”

“Two of them?” Murdock asked.

“My guess. Or one guy and two weapons.”

“Everybody go to ground and stay out of sight. Can anybody see Train?”

“Yeah, I have him,” Howard said. “He’s down and I don’t see him moving.”

“Who has weapons?” Murdock asked. Four men sounded off. “I want you to give me some cover. Fire into the brush to the south. Jaybird, get behind a big tree for a minute.”

“Roger that,” Jaybird said.

“Cover me, now,” Murdock said. He waited for the first shots, then charged around the corner of the guard building and raced the forty feet to where Train lay. He scooped him up like a sack of wheat and pounded back the way he had come and around the corner.

Murdock put Train on the ground and looked for the hit. He didn’t find it at first. Then he looked closer, pulled open his shirt, and there it was, one small turning-purple hole right over his heart. He’d died in the microsecond that the bullet hit him.

“Cease fire,” Murdock said. “Tran is gone. Took one round in the heart. Every man with a weapon, now, and stay under cover. Get the bastards, Jaybird.”

Jaybird came out from behind the large mahogany tree and worked forward. He moved like a ghost, not making a sound, edging under, around, and through the growth, not fighting it, accepting it and passing it by. He stopped to listen. Nothing. He worked ahead again toward the spot he had picked out as most likely to hold the snipers.

Again he stopped. He listened, but heard nothing. He worked ahead for twenty yards and stopped. This time he heard whispering. Two of them. He angled to the right, worming his way through heavy growth flat on his belly, his H & K MP-5 sub gun cradled on his forearms. Jaybird stopped and listened. More whispers. Then a clicking sound. A fresh magazine sliding home into the receiver.

Jaybird headed directly for the whispers now. He figured he was still twenty feet away. Then he edged around a tree trunk and saw them. Both had settled down behind a mahogany tree that had fallen long ago and was three feet thick. They must have lifted up and fired over the trunk, then dropped down.

Jaybird was behind the log. He sighted in on single-shot and drove one 9mm Parabellum through the side of the farthest man’s skull. He jolted to the side. The other man fell to the ground and began to squirm away. Jaybird watched him, pushed the lever to three rounds, and sprayed the rebel with twelve rounds. Jaybird waited a minute, then moved in and checked the weapons. A sub gun and an AK- 47. He took them and extra magazines and hiked back to the compound.

“Scratch two in the first race,” Jaybird said on the net. “Two down and dirty. Is Train really gone?”

“Afraid so, Jaybird,” Murdock said. “A heart shot. Nothing we can do.”

“Fuck!”

“You can say that again,” Van Dyke said.

“Fuck again,” Jaybird said.

It was almost a half hour later before they heard the sound of the chopper coming in. They had raided the big house for all the good food they could find. Mahanani found a bottle of whiskey that he confiscated for “medical purposes only” and put in his pack. Four men covered the south area in a defensive line as the bird landed in the backyard. General Domingo was the first one out of the craft, and he grinned.

“Got us some airpower,” he said. “You get our guests off all right?”

“No problem, General. Only we had a sniper attack by two of the guards we flushed out when we came. They caught one man in the open and he’s KIA.”

“Sorry, Murdock. I know how close you men become. A damn shame. You track down the snipers?”

“Jaybird did and they paid the price. You know where the other hostages are?”

“It’s a probable. Maybe the leader of the rebels too. I’ve got twenty Army Rangers coming in and two more birds. We’re going to have a shot at this place bright and early in the morning.”

“Why not tonight?”

“We’re not sure where we’re going, and we don’t want to tip him off with a recon flight. We can talk about it. We’ll get you and your men out of here and in some quarters in Lebak, and take him at dawn.”

“We need to get Tran on his way back to the States.”

“Yes, we’ll do that as soon as we get to Lebak. A chopper will take him to Davao. I’ll have the Army provide a casket and do preliminary work, then get him on a flight to the States as quickly as possible.”

“I’ll need to call San Diego in California and tell my CO. He’ll notify the family.”

Senior Chief Sadler had the men police the area. When they were done, no one could prove that the SEALs had been there, except for the line of corpses by the barracks. They left the two in the jungle where they had fallen. The men put Train on the chopper first, then the rest filed on, looking more serious than usual.

Murdock gave the general a thumbs-up, and the general spoke to the first lieutenant flying the chopper and it lifted off, on its way down the coast as the afternoon shadows began to lengthen.

The first thing Murdock did when they landed at Lebak was go to the police station and use their telephone. It took fifteen minutes to get the right operator and get through to San Diego.

Commander Dean Masciareli was not pleased to take the call. He knew it was Murdock.

“This better be damn important, Murdock. It’s two A.M. here.”

“We lost a man today, Tran Khai. One bullet right through his heart. He’s on his way home. Somebody has to tell his folks. This is an open mission, so you can tell his mother exactly what is going on, how we just rescued thirty-one hostages. The boy’s a hero and should get a medal. I’ll leave that up to you.”

Masciareli scowled, then let out a long sigh. “Yeah, Murdock, I’ll make the phone call, and somebody nearest his home will send out a chaplain to tell them. Least we can do. You done there?”

“No, sir. We still have eighteen hostages we need to find. But we think we know where they are. We’re eating a lot of bananas.”

“Fine, let me know when you close that operation. I’ll call the CNO, but this should be an open newsworthy mission. Then I’ll call the closest base to Khai’s family. Out.”

Murdock snorted and hung up the phone. Yeah, out. That’s how he felt at that minute. Another KIA. That was ten or eleven? Christ, he couldn’t even remember. He had the number back in Coronado.

By the time Murdock came out of the police station and walked two blocks over to their barracks, the next two choppers from Davao had landed. The ten Filipino Army Rangers who charged out of each bird looked fit and combat ready. They bunked with the SEALs in a warehouse where cots of all kinds had been hurriedly set up by the local police.

The men filed through a local restaurant for a late lunch, and were served large portions of adobo. It was a dark, saucy stew of chicken and pork, flavored with vinegar and soy sauce, garlic, and chunks of liver. There were stacks of rolls and butter, coffee, and a big fruit salad served family-style in huge stainless-steel bowls.

“Better than MREs,” Ching said.

General Domingo had been busy. He called Murdock, a lieutenant from the Rangers, and Murdock’s brain trust of DeWitt, Sadler, Jaybird, and Lam to a conference at the end of the warehouse.

“I’ve found two men who know the Eagle’s Nest,” Domingo said. “It was built about ten years ago by a reclusive millionaire. He lived there for two months, then his wife died and he left the place and sold it. We’re not sure who owns it now, but we do have a sketch of the place, the road, the buildings, and something of the inside of the main house.

“It may have been changed a lot by now. We do know that there has been a large barracks and mess hall built to serve the fifty guards that the leader has up there. He never comes into town. He sends someone for whatever he needs. The guards up there are not rotated. They are his permanent private guard team. Which means they know the landscape, the weak points, and the spots where someone could try to get in. That makes it a lot tougher.”

“Where might he have the hostages?” Lam asked.

“Our guess is in the barracks building. Part of it could be used for the eighteen.”

“What about access?” the Ranger lieutenant named Quezon asked.

“There’s a good road up from the highway on the coast. It’s about six miles, the locals say. There are no trails or any other easy access from the sides or back. In back of the place there is a four-hundred-foot vertical wall that geologists have had trouble explaining. So it’s possible to get someone in from both sides.”

“What kind of a schedule are we talking about?” Murdock asked.

“Sooner the better for the hostages,” Domingo said. He had on a different shirt now, one with gold stars on the shoulders. Murdock had grinned at him when he saw the Rangers two hours ago. “General, you’re back in command. You have more men than I do.”

“We’ll work it together. But with my men here, I better wear the stars.”

“I’m wondering how long it would take to hike up on each side of the place and hit it from both sides,” Murdock said. “The road is out as access. He must have it well defended.”

Juan spoke up. “General Domingo, I like the idea of hitting them from the sides. It will take a little more time, but if we took off from here by truck and came within a mile of the road up the mountain, then jumped off and one half of us went straight up the mountain, and the other half hiked a mile the other side of the Eagle’s Nest road…”

Heads nodded all the way around.

“Seems to be a consensus,” General Domingo said.

“We’ll take the far side,” Murdock said.

“No,” Domingo said. “You’ve been in the field for three days. I’ll take the fresh troops the extra two miles. What’s your ETA on the attack site, Murdock?”

“Up that hill six miles?” Murdock scowled. “Jaybird?”

“Two hours, sir.”

“Should work,” Lieutenant Quezon said.

Domingo rubbed his face. “We won’t be able to use the twenties until we’re sure where the hostages are. However, we can use the EAR. Commander, I’d like to have you attach one of your men with an EAR to Lieutenant Quezon’s unit.”

“Done. We’ll need communications with all parties. We’ll send six Motorolas to the Rangers to use for coordination.”

“Range of the radios?” Quezon asked.

“Five to six miles, depending on the line of sight,” Jaybird answered.

“What advance planning do we need to take care of?” General Domingo asked.

“Not much else we can do, General, until we see the layout,” DeWitt said. The others nodded.

“Agreed. Juan, can you find transport for us? A big stake truck or five or six vans. Tell the owners it’s a temporary confiscation. I’ll have a portable radio that I can use to contact the three aircraft. I don’t want to use the choppers to take us down the road so we won’t alert anyone.”

“Roadblocks,” Jaybird said.

“Two of them between here and ten miles,” Domingo said, looking at Jaybird. “Did you talk to Franklin?”

“Yes, sir. He said one about a mile out of town, and the other one was more than seven or eight miles away from here.”

“So we could have two of them, if they have been reestablished. We put the twenties in the lead cars, side by side down the roadway. If the blocks are there, the twenties can do the job and we crash on through just at dusk. Get to our objective and hike up the hill. The transport will return to Lebak.”

“Anything more about the target?” Murdock asked.

“Reports say the jungle comes within a dozen feet of the buildings in many places,” Domingo said. “There is an open area we can land a chopper in. There are four buildings there: garage for three cars; big house; one large building that might be for machinery or recreation, we’re not sure; and the barracks.”

“Suggestion,” Murdock said. “We put one EAR and two twenties with the Rangers. Then we both get into position, say a hundred yards from the site, and do any last-minute planning by radio. We’ll hit them tonight. We can take out the guards outside with the EAR. Then work a couple of EAR shots into the main house and one into the garage and the building we’re not sure of. If we put to sleep some hostages, it won’t hurt them. When the EAR shots are done, we move in and try not to shoot each other.”

“The leader up there must know that something is happening,” Juan said. “Roadblocks blown apart, choppers flying over. A runner or a man on a bicycle could have gone to the mountain by now and told him who we are and how many men we have. What I’m saying is that the rebels could be on a fifty-percent alert.”

“The safety and welfare of the hostages has to be our first concern,” Sadler said. They all nodded.

There was a pause. General Domingo looked around. “All right. We’re done here. It will be dark in two hours. Get your men ready and we’ll move out at that time. A half hour to our point of departure and then we hike. Two hours for the hike and positioning. We’ll keep track of each other by radio as we move.” He paused. “Any chance that the rebels could monitor the Motorolas?”

Jaybird shook his head. “No, sir. Not unless they have a greatly sophisticated scanner that checks all frequencies. Doubtful.”

They broke up and went to an early chow at the same restaurant they went to before. Domingo said the Philippine Army was picking up the tab. The food was good, different this time, roast pork with lots of vegetables and ice cream for dessert.

An hour later they left the village in two large trucks, and drove past the first roadblock, which had been burned out and not replaced. The second one came up soon, and they could see a new truck across the road. It was just dusk and the roadblock truck turned on its lights shining down the road. “Twenties,” Murdock said. “Two only, Lam and I.” They fired.

The truck erupted in flames and rolled off the road.

“Clear ahead,” Murdock said, and the trucks raced ahead and rolled past the former roadblock, which showed two bodies near the truck.

Five minutes later they stopped where Domingo decided was about a mile from the road that led up to the Eagle’s Nest. They had been driving with lights out, and now the trucks stopped side by side on the roadway. Murdock’s radio came on and they all listened.

“Murdock, not sure what to make of this, but there is a lot of firing up front there about where that next roadblock should be.”

“Hear it. My guess is that they’re green troops shooting at shadows and ghosts of their ancestors. They are now in a combat situation, maybe for the first time, and getting nervous.”

“Should we send up a patrol and check it out?” Domingo asked.

“No,” Murdock said. “Let them have their fun. Then they won’t spot your troops going across the road as you move on north of them.”

“Yes. Let’s dismount, troops, and get ready to move out.”