Pandora's Legion

29

Ali was pleased with his purchase.

The older boy, Sial’s son Hazrat, was the more devout. Obviously he had given some thought to what was expected of him. “Doctor, The Word prohibits us from suicide, does it not?”

The veterinarian was well versed on the subject. “Truly. Surah An-Nisaa, Aayah 29 says, And do not kill yourselves. Surely, Allah is Most Merciful to you.’ Furthermore, a noted scholar said that one who intentionally kills himself will suffer the Fire of Hell. However, most of our warriors are already fatally stricken. They will die regardless of what happens, which is why I have selected them.”

“But, Doctor…”

“But you are different, my brothers. You have chosen to die while you still may live.” He smiled benevolently. “Yours is the shortest and truest path to Heaven.”

Sial mused upon that information and seemed satisfied. “Have others done so?”

Without mentioning the American, Ali cited an example of those who chose self-destruction. “Only one other, and he came to us from a foreign land.”

The twenty-year-old farmer had a good mind for such an apparently simple boy. “But he — and we ourselves — have chosen our end. Therefore, how do we attain Heaven?”

The veterinarian was well versed on that point. “There is scholastic evidence that one who sacrifices himself in a jihad may be accepted into Paradise. The choice was Brother Ibrahim’s, for example. Because he chose to die in our cause, I believe it is nothing against the rest of us.”

Ahmed, reticent by nature, ventured a question. “Doctor, can you tell me — tell us — how our sacrifice will serve the holy war?”

Ali almost smiled. A naive question from a naive young man. “We are blessed to participate in the origins of this jihad. None but God knows where it may lead, but we may feel kinship with those who brought The Faith to the doorstep of the Crusaders and abided in Spain for eight hundred years. May our efforts lead to success so that eight centuries from now, the true faith will have spread over the earth.”

Enough philosophizing for now, he told himself. Let us address the main points. “You know what is required of you?” He looked both young men full in the face.

Ahmed nodded solemnly. Sial almost smiled.

“There must be no doubt. Say it!”

“To sacrifice ourselves in the jihad, and with our deaths inflict a greater loss upon the enemies of The Faith.”

Very good, young man! Ali was so impressed that he neglected to pursue the question with the younger man. He took each by the right hand in turn, welcoming them to the holy war. “My brothers, permit me to explain how you will ascend to Paradise.”

“That’s gotta be the place.” Foyte glassed the farm from a safe distance, noting the layout of the house, sheds, and pens. “Goats and some other animals. The VW bus also fits the description.” He passed the Zeiss to Lee, who adjusted the focus.

“No visible security, Gunny. You’d think they would have a sentry. At least a rover.”

Foyte completed his range card and closed the olive drab notebook. “I don’t think many places around here have generators, but that one does. You can hear it running. We’ll talk to Major Khan and see what he says, but I think this is our target.”

Both men bellied down the shallow hummock and jogged the quarter mile back to the dirt road.

Foyte and Lee returned to the staging area and convened a meeting with the rest of the brain trust. Leopole conducted the session but deferred to Foyte, who explained the layout based on his sketch and laser distances.

Leopole turned to Khan. “Major, what’s your assessment? Is this likely Sharif’s place, and if not, will we alert him if we break in there?”

“It is unusual for a small farm to have a generator, and the vehicle looks promising. Therefore, I believe it is his current location,” Khan said in his precise English. “But we should not act hastily. There is a way to confirm if he is there.”

“Yes?”

Khan tugged at his uniform shirt. “I will change into my peasant garb. I can stop there and ask for ‘Doctor Ali’ on behalf of ‘my’ animals. Even if he is not there, the other people may have information.” He shrugged. “It should do no harm and may save us time and effort.”

Leopole looked toward Foyte and Lee, who both nodded.

“Major, I like it.”

Khan stood up. “I should return in less than sixty minutes.”

Lee poked his head in the rude doorway. “Khan is back.”

The SSI leaders crowded around the Pakistani as he stepped inside the building that served as temporary headquarters. He nodded decisively. “He has been there most of the day. He was called away shortly before I arrived but he is expected this evening.”

Mohammed interjected. “How will we know if he’s back? We cannot risk going before he returns.”

Khan took a swig of bottled water and replaced the cap. “He is driving his van with the refrigerator unit. He keeps veterinary medicine in it, so we will wait for him to complete his rounds.”

Leopole inhaled, held his breath, then exhaled. “That’s it, then. We go tonight. Briefing in three-zero mikes.”

At that, Leopole motioned to Lee. They walked several paces, then stopped. “Steve, who’s your rear entry team?”

“Ashcroft, Green, Henderson, Jacobs, Olsen, and Pace.”

Leopole thought for a moment. “Okay. Ashcroft and Green are top shooters, though I think Green’s slightly nuts.” He shrugged. “But that’s okay with me if it’s okay with you. Henderson and Jacobs are solid; Olsen and Pace seem pretty laid back.” He looked his old comrade in the eye. “We just don’t need any hotdogging on this job. There’s too much at stake.”

“Yes, sir, I know. And so do they.”

The briefing began before sundown. Thirty operators crowded the building where Leopole had set up an easel with a blackboard. He preferred a modern whiteboard that accepted different colors, but that might draw attention. Besides, he could still erase the briefing points and wash the board clean of any residual markings.

“People, this is why we came. This is what our friends died for.” He took time to scan the room, taking in each man’s face, reading the owner’s demeanor. Most were impassive; two or three already had their game faces on. “One thing this is not is payback. We need the doctor alive and talking, and it may not be possible to pick him out of a crowd. So it’s Roy Rogers time. If you have time, use a Taser. If not, shoot to disable if possible.”

It was obvious that nobody liked the ROE, but most understood the need.

“For this mission to work, we need to surprise those people.” He paused, then added, “No, that’s not quite right. We need to astonish them. Here’s how we’ll do it: White Team is the entry team with Red on security. The Whites in the entry team will wear bio suits. You may not need ‘em, but we just don’t know what’s in there.”

Leopole turned to the blackboard. “Here’s the setup. A small house with a couple of outbuildings and some stock pens. There are goats and sheep, and probably some dogs. Expect them to cause a ruckus. If we can get close enough without them smelling us, we’ll use suppressed weapons to take them down. Otherwise, the security element will neutralize them as quickly as possible.”

“We’ll take a quick look at the situation before we deploy, but right now we don’t expect many bad guys. Sharif doesn’t seem to have much of an escort, apparently to avoid drawing attention to himself. You have his description. I wish we had a current photo but the sketch is close. He’s tall, thin, late forties, reportedly with a full beard. Just remember that info may not be current. Things could have changed since Johnson saw him.”

Leopole drew the perimeter he wanted. “Red, you’ll deploy in a 360 around the farm, about hundred meters out. Even with part of White, that means a lot of open space between each man. But our bird may fly the coop, and if he gets out, we need to shortstop him ASAP.”

Foyte raised a hand. “Colonel, I was discussing the arrangement with Major Lee. We risk friendly-fire casualties with the full-circle perimeter.”

“I know, Gunny. But it’s unavoidable. Besides, that’s why you get the big bucks.” Leopole waited for the perfunctory laughter to abate, then added, “If you have to shoot into the compound, try to hold low. That’s the best we can do.”

He turned back to the board. “Okay, whatever happens inside, we want to get out as quickly as possible. We’ll take any prisoners by air to avoid interception in case they have backup in place. When I give the word, our primary bird will land here in the open just south of the house.” He drew an X on the board and circled it. “It’ll fly to a spot I’ve arranged with General Hardesty before returning to base. That way, any unfriendlies at Quetta won’t see anything except night helo ops.”

Breezy whispered to Bosco, who nudged him hard. The minor feud prompted Leopole to interject. “Something we need to hear, gentlemen?”

Breezy looked at the floor. “Ah, nosir.”

Bosco shot his partner a frosty glance. He chose not to respond to Breezy’s observation that people accidentally fell out of helicopters all the time.

“Okay, one other thing,” Leopole added. “If there’s any reason to believe the house is a hot zone, we’ll get the entry team out as soon as possible. At that point Dr. Padgett-Smith will look at the evidence and make a determination. We have some biosafe boxes to transport any cultures or other lab items. In the unlikely event there’s more than we can handle, we’ll notify the Pakistani Army, which will take over.”

Padgett-Smith rose to speak for the first time. “Colonel Leopole, we may need decontamination measures.”

“Yes, ma’am. The helos will bring in the equipment, including chlorine and portable pumps. We’ll bag all suits and clothes and triple wrap them in the bags you brought, Doctor.” She nodded and sat down.

Leopole erased the blackboard and dusted his hands of chalk. “Any more questions?”

There were none, as he expected. “Right. We have this one shot, gentlemen. Let’s make it work.”

“Maqsad and Badlah are ready, Doctor.”

Ali looked up from the wood table. He was triple-checking the boys’ travel documents when Kassim interrupted. Glancing at his watch, the veterinarian reflected that, as usual, his colleague was punctual. The timetable for transit to the departure point had been computed with forty minutes to spare.

The doctor tapped one of the passports upon the table. “Truly, I hope that they are ready, Kassim. This is the most complex plan yet. It requires some people we do not know to fill their part of the bargain in three other countries.” He leaned toward his friend. “What do you think?”

The veteran shrugged. “The boys are as prepared as time has allowed. As for the others, I believe they will serve us through faith or money.”

Ali nodded slowly, visualizing the young warriors abroad in a foreign, hostile land. “Yes, I would prefer another month of English language and instruction on travel and security procedures. I believe that Badlah will be satisfactory. Maqsad will rely heavily upon him.”

Both men had taken to calling the recruits by their noms de guerre. It made for better security among the other cell members, let alone any strangers who may pass within earshot.

Kassim asked, “When do you expect them to start showing signs of the virus?”

“Based on the usual dormant period, no more than one week. However, Badlah’s poor health may cause him to break out sooner than that. I would prefer it otherwise, as Maqsad will not function as well without his adopted brother to rely upon.”

“It would be preferable to send them to different destinations, but I understand the need to keep them together.”

“There are several things I would do differently, Kassim. But time is short. The Crusaders are certainly still hunting us. We would know if they had left Quetta. This may be our last opportunity to dispatch biological warriors against the Zionists, so we must do what we can while we can.”

Kassim shifted his weight onto his good leg. “You believe they will find us?”

“Almost certainly. I am mildly surprised that we have not been betrayed from within.’ Ali raised a cautionary hand. “I mean no disrespect to any of your men, but it has always been a risk.”

“Yes, I know.”

Ali stood up. “We should send our couriers on their way with their message. When do you expect to return?”

Kassim had the schedule well in mind. “Probably no later than one in the morning. My contacts in Islamabad will inform me when both fighters have boarded their airplane. With two changes of vehicles and drivers, it should be nearly impossible for anyone to track the boys.”

“Good. Then we only need wait two days before they board their plane.”

“Yes, Doctor.”

“Then let us send them on their way to Paradise.”