OUTCAST Ops: African Firestorm

CHAPTER FORTY-ONE

Despite the dire situation they were in, Narsai couldn't help but feel a sense of excitement when Masood ran up to him and shouted, "It's ready to launch!"

The cacophony of battle from both the bow and stern told him that the enemy had them surrounded, but he knew that his men would fight as true soldiers of Allah would. In the meantime, he would launch the nuclear missile. Once airborne, the infidels would have a hard time tracking it, and there would be little chance of destroying it over the sea, especially at night.

To stay and fight would mean his life, because of the missile's back blast, but it was worth the sacrifice if he could kill hundreds of infidels.

He snapped at Faisal. "How much longer?"

The engineer and two of his men were splicing together a launch switch. The primary launch station had been in a cabin on the deck below the bridge, but it was lost in the inferno consuming the superstructure along with the three-man technician team. Fortunately, there was enough electrical equipment lying around for Faisal, with his Master's degree in Electrical Engineering, to cobble together a switch to ignite the missile's engines and enable a launch.

"A minute!" Faisal did not look up from his technical work.

Narsai grabbed his radio. "Warriors of Allah!" he intoned. "The time of vengeance is at hand! Keep the enemy at bay, but stay clear of the missile's back blast! You have fifty seconds!"

Men were running everywhere, but Masood and a couple of his team stood there, looking confused. "What are we supposed to do?" the doctor asked. "We are not soldiers!"

"Now is the time to learn," Narsai said. "Or do you think the infidels will care if you are a soldier or not? They will kill us all to prevent us from completing our mission and future missions. It is best you try to kill them first."

Masood wiped his brow with a handkerchief. "Captain, we have no weapons."

Narsai shot him a cold glare. "Then find some!”

Faisal stood and shouted, "We are ready!"

The ICA captain ran over to the table and eyeballed the device sitting on it. The hastily constructed object consisted of two toggle switches and a button. They were surrounded by a mass of wires and two cables that led to the missiles.

Faisal pointed to the new components. "Throw both of these switches and push the button."

Narsai made eye contact with Faisal. "Are you certain this missile will launch?"

Faisal nodded. "I am sure of my work."

Another round of explosions from both sides of the ship was followed by intense gunfire. Narsai flipped the first switch. "Go. I will launch the missile."

Faisal picked up an AK-47. "I will stay with you sir.”

Narsai placed his hand on the engineer's shoulder. "Thank you, my brother. Guard my back."

"Captain!"

Narsai turned to look at Masood. "What?"

The Pakistani's expression was grim. "I will launch the missile," he said. "You are a soldier — lead your men. I will do my part."

Narsai stepped back and motioned toward the launch station. As Masood stepped forward, Narsai caught something out of the corner of his eye. He turned as the object bounced off the catwalk of the frame securing the containers, flew over the rail and fell to the deck. He experienced a brief flash of recognition before a blinding light and deafening sound overwhelmed his senses.

Tanner and Liam crouched on top of the container staring down at the missile launcher and the nuke itself. The rest of the team was ten feet behind them, hidden in the shadows.

Illumination from portable work lights lit up the area, reflecting light off the containers and the tarps that covered the overhead gap to help shield the missiles from overhead observation. The space was only fifteen feet wide, and bordered by the containers on the long sides and a four foot drop-off to the deck on each side of the beam.

Tools, equipment, crates and tables were set up all around the missile, and a number of people occupied the immediate vicinity. A new set of odors mixed with the faint aroma of gunsmoke — sweat, food and machine oil combined with the humidity to assault Tanner's nose.

Gunfire from the bow and both the port and starboard sides indicated the battle was still raging.

The launcher occupied the center of the space, and was little more than a u-shaped platform wide enough and long enough to hold the nuke five feet off the deck. The launcher was supported by a number of steel-tube braces welded to plates that were in turn bolted to the deck itself to support the missile.

Tanner judged the missile to be about twenty feet long, two feet in diameter, with a pair of folded wings in the middle part of the body. It was painted a dull gray, with no identification marks anywhere that he could see.

"I can see ten gunmen," Tanner said. "The rest look like civilians."

"Confirmed," Liam replied. "Looks like they're moving out." The men were leaving the space, some of them armed and looking determined, while the rest were unarmed and looked fearful.

"How do you think they're going to fire this thing?"

"Look near the nuke — the man in overalls and two of the crew."

Tanner's eyes flicked over to where the former CIA agent indicated and he saw the men there. One was older, shorter, and deferring to the other. The younger crewman wore a white shirt, dark trousers and boots. An AK was slung over his right shoulder and he was studying something on a table near the launcher. Another man in blue overalls was explaining something to the first man. The third man, a rotund individual wearing brown overalls, stood a couple of feet away.

Liam noticed the ladder leaning against the container they were lying on and tapped Tanner on the shoulder. Tanner saw it and stuck his head over the side to look at what was below them.

The ladder led down to a catwalk similar to the one they had used on the other side of the stack. The cables next to Liam ran down the container next to the ladder, across the catwalk and down onto the deck where they snaked their way to the nuke.

Tanner gestured and both men pulled back. "Javelin, this is OUTCAST.” "We've reached egg number two, but it's getting ready to fly. We're moving in to stop them. What is your status?"

"Near Egg number one," Javelin replied. "Resistance is stiff, but crumbling. You have to stop egg number two from flying."

"That's the plan. OUTCAST out."

Tanner motioned the rest up. "Stephen, Liam, Naomi," he said softly, "take your two flash-bangs and throw them starboard. Dante, Danielle and I will toss our grenades portside. Once they go off, shoot the tangos nearest the missiles first, then any gunman you see. When we've eliminated the nearest tangos, Liam and I will go down the ladder and secure the catwalk. The rest of you, stay up here and give us cover fire until we're down, then follow in the direction where you threw your grenades. Axiam, stay here on overwatch and take out anyone we miss."

Each OUTCAST member pulled the flash-bangs from their harnesses and snuck forward. On a nod from Tanner, they pulled the pins on their first grenades and threw them. Tanner lobbed his toward the crewmen and the man in overalls. A pulled pin later, and the second pair of grenades were on the way. As soon as the second grenade left their hands, the entire team, including Axiam, dropped to the container's surface and shut their eyes tightly with their hands over their ears.

Despite the precautions, the crack of the grenades was still loud and the bright light still penetrating. Tanner blinked to clear his vision, then quickly rose to his feet. With the exception of Liam, who had gone through extensive demolition training as a SEAL, the rest of the team were a little slower to respond, but they were quick on their feet.

Tanner stepped forward to the edge of the container, his MP5 in the ready position. As soon as he saw the man in blue overalls by the missile, he fired, the lead projectiles slamming into the blinded and deafened terrorist. The man spun and slipped to the deck.

Before Tanner could track the other two targets, an ICA gunman stepped out from behind some crates to Tanner's left, his AK rising toward the OUTCAST leader. Tanner spun toward the assailant, his MP gripped tightly in his hands. Before either could fire at each other, the heavier thud of an AK firing from behind Tanner registered. The ICA gunman's head and throat exploded with blood and brain matter as a clutch of 7.62mm rounds penetrated them. He stood still for a second, then toppled over backwards.

Tanner looked back to see Axiam lower his AK and nod at him. "I said I was looking for scalps," the Somalian replied.

In seconds, seven of the ten ICA soldiers were down. Tanner made it to the ladder, and placing his hands and feet on the outside, slid three quarters of the way down before jumping to the catwalk. As he landed, he heard shouts and gunfire. Bullets sparked off the container to his left. Tanner quickly spotted the gunman, near the end of the catwalk, and fired. The ICA soldier spun and fell to the deck, his AK-47 cartwheeling into the air and falling to the deck below.

Tanner felt someone hitting the catwalk behind him. He glanced back just long enough to make out Liam on the other side of the ladder, his back to him. Dante was on his way down the ladder, using the same technique as Tanner.

The OUTCAST founder speed-walked along the catwalk until he was even with the mid-section of the missile. The crewman and the man in the brown overalls who had been standing by the weapon of mass destruction were nowhere to be seen. He continued forward, his MP5 swinging in a ninety degree arc.

"On your Six, Prime," Dante said over the radio.

A ladder was coming up on Tanner's right, leading down to the deck. When he was next to it, Tanner stopped and dropped to one knee. As he swept the deck with the MP5's muzzle, Dante came up and knelt beside him.

With Dante covering him, Tanner stepped onto the ladder and slid halfway down before leaping to the deck. As he landed, Dante laid down fire, cutting down a gunman who had popped up from behind a pile of crates near the opening leading to the deck. As Tanner made his way toward the nuke, three more gunmen rose up from behind the drop-off leading to the port-side deck, aiming assault rifles at Tanner.

He fired on the move as he ran toward a jumble of stacked crates to the front and left of the missile. The first part of his full-auto burst chipped the deck as he walked the bullet hose into the head and chest of the ICA thug in the middle, splattering his comrades with blood-laced gore. As the dying jihadist sunk out of sight, Dante's MP5 burst ripped apart the terrorist on the right. The third foe ducked just as Dante fired again, the burst stitching across the deck near the edge of the drop-off.

Tanner reached the crates and crouched behind them. He glanced around to make sure he was alone, then switched magazines for the MP5.

"Prime to all, status check."

Dante reported first. "Portside is clear for now. Three's here with me."

Then Liam. "Starboard side is secured at the moment. We're moving to cover the opening, but they could still rush us."

Tanner rose and moved rapidly toward the nuke. He detected movement on the other side of the launcher's framework, but the steel pipes and beams were too tightly arrayed to shoot through.

"Five," he whispered, "tango on the other side of the missile. Do you have a shot?"

"Negative," Dante returned. "And be aware that there's two tangos behind that missile."

Naomi joined in over the comm system. "Three to Prime. Moving to your position."

"Copy. Five: stay on overwatch. Two: status?"

"Starboard's quiet," Liam replied. "But I don't think that'll last long."

Tanner halted near the missile’s nose. The precision-guided rocket itself towered above him, sleek and deadly. He tried not to think about the ridiculous amount of destructive force next to his head, but instead crouched and waited for Naomi.

"Tango to your left!" Dante's warning and a flash of movement in that direction alerted Tanner to the danger. He turned to face it.

Before he could fire, he was tackled and thrown back into the launcher's metal framework. His Dragonskin Armor absorbed most of the impact, but Tanner's head slammed into the steel with enough force to make him see stars.

He lost hold of his MP5 and darkness encroached on his vision.