The ISIS Gambit

XL

“Mahdi flight, execute!” and with that, the ISIS attack squadron, as a unit, took a new heading of two-two-zero degrees, aiming for a gap in the expected radar coverage.

“Did you hear that?” the communications technician aboard Desert Hawk Two-Six asked his commander. “Archangel was on to something, ma’am. There’s a raiding party out there somewhere — we just can’t see them.”

“Yeah, I know, and we need to find them. Any chance you can locate them based on that last transmission?”

“No ma’am, the transmission was too short but based on the strength of it, they have to be just beyond our range but no telling what direction.”

“Keep looking for them. We need to find them.”

“Abdul, any word on what’s happening?” General Shishani asked his chief of staff.

“Nothing as yet. I’ve lost contact with General Van and I can’t raise anyone at the mosque either, sir.”

“Imam, it might be best to get you to the bunker under the Great Mosque,” Shishani suggested to Baghdadi.

“But if no one knows where we are, aren’t we perfectly safe here?” Baghdadi replied.

“Imam, that’s a big ‘if’,” Shishani replied. “I’m sure the Americans have had their spies here in the city. I would be very surprised if they did not spot us and have simply been keeping watch over the hotel. It’s completely dark out now so we should be able to sneak you out of here. What about our two guests?”

“That is up to you, we can take them or leave them here.”

“Very well, let’s go, and bring them.”

“Ladies, let’s go. We are moving to a more secure location. Since you last preferred to travel as Lady Godiva, we’ll leave the burkas here.”

“Mr. Shishani, do you really believe there is a more secure area right now?” Colonel Marshall asked, continuing to neglect the rank.

“Colonel, shut your trap!” Shishani ordered as he backhanded Marshall across the face once again. The left side of her face received the blow this time and blood immediately began flowing once again from her clearly broken nose. “I’ll deal with you when we get there — and the ride will not be long!”

As the party exited the back of the building, Shishani told Abdul to ride with Baghdadi and he’d ride with the two women in a separate car.

“Chaos, Nightwatch. I’ve got some movement here at the hotel.”

“What’s happening Nightwatch?” Stonewall replied.

“Looks to be something like a VIP motorcade, if something like that exists in this hell hole.”

“Roger that, any idea what direction they’re heading?”

“Looks like they’re going to head south on Highway 6 heading towards the Clock Tower.”

“Okay, we’re about thirty seconds out from the junction with Highway 6. Can you call in some air support and take out the lead escort vehicle? If we can get the convoy stopped, we’ll come in right behind them, pen them in, grab our two friends and get out of Dodge.”

“I’ll see what I can whistle up, Chaos. If you’re that close, you’ll be able to see the results.”

“Viking Two-Six, Chaos. Sounds like our last two are on the move. I want you and team five to stay at the Odessa with Nightwatch. I’ve got Monty and team three with me and we’ll take one of the LAVs as well. We need you to guard that intersection. If they close it, we’re in trouble.”

“Roger that, we’ll keep the door open for ya,” Chief Conti replied.

“Ghostrider Two-Four, Nightwatch. Emergency 1 fire mission. We have a four vehicle convoy headed south on Highway 6. They’ve just left the Odessa Hotel and appear to be headed towards the Clock Tower roundabout. We need the lead vehicle taken out with a thirty mike-mike gun run. Danger Close as friendlies are in the second vehicle. Repeat!”

“Nightwatch, Ghostrider Two-Four. Fire mission for thirty mike-mike gun run on lead vehicle in four vehicle convoy. Danger close as friendlies in vehicle number two.”

“Ghostrider Two-Four, roger that. Fire at will!”

“Whoa!!! Stop!!!” Shishani ordered his driver as they both witnessed their escort Humvee completely disappear in a ball of fire from the impact of the thirty millimeter high explosive rounds fired from Ghostrider’s Gatling gun. “Back up! Take Al Wadi and get us over to Al Mansour Street,” he ordered as they noticed Baghdadi’s vehicle behind them cut across with this route.

“Nightwatch, Ghostrider. We’ve got five people in your vehicle with what looks like a LAV and a truck almost on top of them coming up from behind them very fast. We’ve got three other vehicles taking a cut through route back into the old city.”

“Ghostrider, roger that. Be advised the LAV and the truck are friendlies.”

“Copy that, Nightwatch.”

“Get us out of here, Massoud,” Shishani ordered his driver as he saw the quickly approaching American vehicles.

“We can’t move, sir. We’re boxed in,” Shishani’s driver replied as he valiantly tried to drive around the flaming wreck of what used to be their escort Humvee. “Sir, we can’t get through. There’s just too much debris in the—” was all he got out as a burst of nine millimeter rounds from Arielle’s HK MP-5 submachine gun tore through the driver’s side window, taking out both the driver and the guard in the shotgun seat.

“Chaos, we’ve got ‘em!” Arielle yelled to Stonewall as he approached the passenger’s door on the driver’s side.

“I wouldn’t do that!” Stonewall told Shishani as he reached for his sidearm. “Out of the car! You first!”

“You’ll never get out of here!” Shishani defiantly exclaimed. “You’re sitting in the middle of four thousand of my best troops.”

“We’ll see about that,” Stonewall replied as Secretary Johnson and Colonel Marshall exited the vehicle. Arielle had already taken off her BDU coat and T-shirt — she still had her Under Armour sports bra on — and offered these to both women to cover up. However, Secretary Johnson grabbed Arielle’s holstered H & K VP9 instead.

“Mr. Shishani,” who turned to listen to the secretary, “I have never believed in torturing or abusing prisoners. However, you have completely disabused me of that position. You’ll have to settle for your seventy-two virgins instead of the Colonel or myself.” And with that, she proceeded to pump ten rounds into Shishani’s face and chest. “That oughta’ do it, don’t ya think?” The secretary asked as Shishani collapsed on the dirt road, creating a bloody mud mixture.

“Here’s your pistol,” she said to Arielle as she reached for the BDU coat. However, rather than put it on, she tended to Colonel Marshall. The colonel had received an incredible beating over the past hour and a half but she remained defiant.

“Susan, you’ve got to have a broken nose. I heard something crack the last time he hit you. And, can you even see? The swelling looks terrible,” Johnson said her as she tried to gently wipe away the blood from her nose.

“Sure feels that way… ah, careful,” Marshall flinched as the Secretary tended to her. “Aw, jeez, that hurts! Yeah, I can see fine but my whole face feels like one massive bruise.”

“I can tend to her, ma’am,” Arielle said to Secretary Johnson.

“I’m fine…”

“Arielle. I’m here with Chaos… ah, Colonel Jackson, ma’am.”

“I’m fine, Arielle. My son’s a paramedic and he taught me a thing or two. I’m not really the snowflake many people take me for. Colonel Marshall reminded me earlier that most of this was going to be mental — not all, obviously, but much of it was — and she led the way. She’s a rock star. Once I recognized, and understood that, my whole mindset changed. However, if you don’t mind can you get these damned collars off of us? There’s supposed to be a small charge in the back. Shishani has the remote if you need that.”

“I got it, ma’am,” Arielle said to the Secretary as she removed their collars.

“Thanks, where’s that top at?” she asked as Arielle picked it up off the ground.

“Okay folks, mount up! We need to get out of here,” Stonewall ordered as they all jumped in the back of the truck.

“Just a second, Colonel,” Marshall interrupted Chaos. “Shishani’s launched some type of airstrike out of Batman airbase. I’m not sure of the target but I’m thinking it has to be somewhere in the region as they referred to it as Operation Mahdi.”

“What?!?” Arielle exclaimed in horror.

“All I know is they’re using Turkish F-16s and they have tanker support. Since they’ve called this ‘Operation Mahdi,’ I’d think the target would be Israel, Jerusalem or possibly something in the Peninsula/Persian Gulf region but most likely Israel.”

“Are you sure about this?”

“About the attack? Absolutely, but not at all about the target,” Marshall replied. “They never discussed the specifics in front of us but given the name of the operation, Mahdi, I’d be willing to bet that this is Shishani’s version of ‘Cry Havoc and let slip the dogs of war!’—an ode to usher in the twelfth imam.… Aw, jeez, my nose hurts.”

“Okay, good work, Colonel. Arielle do what you can for her.”

“On it.”

“Archangel, Chaos.”

“Chaos, Archangel Actual, go ahead,” Admiral Fisher replied.

“Archangel, we’ve rescued Secretary Johnson and Colonel Marshall. The rest of the hostages have already flown out. They received some ground fire on their way out but both helos made it out. Sir, we’ve got a bigger problem. It sounds like ISIS was able to get a raid launched from Batman airbase. I think we can assume they’ve got eight nukes on this raid, though we probably need someone up at both bases to check this out. Estimated target: Jerusalem.”

“Chaos, are you sure of the target? We saw the raiding party take off and tracked them for several hundred miles east bound until we lost them.”

“Understood. Be advised they reportedly have tanker support so they might be making kind of a wide ‘end-around,’ sir.”

“Okay, very good. We’ll check it out and pass this on to the Israelis. Now get outta there!”

“Roger that!”

“Desert Hawk Two-Six, Archangel. Any luck finding Raid One?”

“Archangel, negative. We’ve tried boosting our signal but no luck so far.”

“Desert Hawk, what’s your current position?”

“Archangel, we’re currently about one hundred miles east of Kirkuk.”

“Okay, I want you to change course to two-two-zero. I want you south, southwest of Baghdad just as fast as you can get there. We’ve received confirmation that ISIS launched a raid before we took out their bases. I want you watching our southern flank in case they’re trying a wide end-around.”

“Understood. Changing course to two-two-zero.”

“Viking Two-Six, how we looking? We’ve got the last two and are headed back your way.”

“Chaos, you might have a problem. It looks like the street’s been cut at that last intersection there, 23^rd of February Street. From what I can tell, it looks to be about a platoon sized force and they’ve got a couple heavy machine guns in the middle of the intersection. As a guess, they’re probably about a quarter mile from you. As soon as you come around that bend in the street they’ll have you in their sights.”

“Roger that. Nightwatch, can Ghostrider clear that for us?”

“Already working on it, Chaos.”

“Ghostrider, Nightwatch. Fire mission. Thirty mike-mike. Intersection of Highway 6 and The 23^rd of February Street. Be advised friendly forces are four hundred meters due south of this position on Highway 6.”

“Roger that, Nightwatch. Hit the intersection with thirty mike-mike. Friendlies are four hundred meters south. Fifteen seconds. Coming in from the south.”

“Chaos, Nightwatch. Ghostrider’s making a gun run in ten seconds. Get ready to move.”

“Got it. Okay, Monty, Ghostrider’s clearing the intersection up ahead. As soon as it’s clear let’s get outta here. Lead the way!”

No sooner than Stonewall ordered this than the sound resembling an extremely loud zipper erupted directly over them. The devastation just four hundred yards ahead was complete: the heavy machine guns had been completely destroyed and not so much as a whimper came from any of the men who had blocked the intersection, so complete was the carnage. However, the surrounding buildings had not even been touched.

“Let’s go!” Monty ordered his driver, as the LAV lead the two vehicle convoy.

“RPGs!!!” Montoya called out just as they approached the intersection. The 30mm fire mission Nightwatch ordered had completely cleared the intersection of ISIS fighters while leaving all sorts of debris in the street but several ISIS fighters occupied the apartment house ruins on both sides of the street — which is precisely from where the RPGs were fired. One RPG hit just above the left front wheel; the other ricocheted off the slant of the front armor and exploded against the turret. However, the damage was done: the driver and gunner of the LAV were killed outright; Montoya severely wounded.

“SHIT!!! Monty’s been hit,” Arielle hollered out.

“Viking Two-Six, we’ve got a problem,” Chaos radioed ahead as Falcon pulled the truck up just behind the disabled LAV while Arielle jumped out and climbed the LAV to tend to Monty. “Monty’s LAVs been hit and they’re blocking the intersection. We’re going to dismount and shelter in one of these buildings.”

“Roger that,” Chief Conti replied.

“Come on, Chief, we’re going to get you out of here,” Arielle encouraged Monty as automatic rounds pinged off the armor all around them.

“Sniper!” Monty warned as best he could through the pain as Arielle dragged him free of the commander’s perch in the LAV. Arielle heard the snap of the round as it sailed right past her head as she pulled him free of the turret.

“Umph…” Arielle instinctively exhaled as the next round hit her squarely in the chest with her body armor completely absorbing the impact. “Yeah, I think I see him,” she said as she crouched behind the turret looking for the sniper. “I gotcha,” she whispered to herself as she peered through the infrared scope on her HK 417 assault rifle and squeezed the trigger. “That’s one less bastard we need to worry about,” she assured Monty. “Okay, let’s get a couple tourniquets on those legs of yours and then get you out of here. You ready?” she asked as she pulled him towards the edge of the vehicle.

“Moose, you got ‘em?” Arielle yelled to the SEAL she recognized from the Latakia raid.

“Yeah, I have him. Go ahead and let go.”

“Okay, let’s get him out of here,” Arielle said to Moose as she jumped off the LAV. They each grabbed one of Monty’s arms and carried him under his shoulders as they ran towards the two story house where the rest of the team hunkered down.

“Nightwatch, how we situated for CAS?” Stonewall radioed.

“Ghostrider’s still on station. We’ve also got a few Apaches, Hogs and some Bones.”

“Okay, Nightwatch, we’re about seven hundred meters from you. We’re on the corner of Highway 6 and The 23^rd of February Street. We’re in a two story house with bandits in the rest of the buildings around us. There’s a seven story apartment building northwest of us which you can probably see, then there’s a three story building immediately to our west and a two story complex immediately north of us. We’re taking fire from all three buildings — the RPGs are coming in thick has hail!”

“How far are you from these buildings?”

“Thirty meters, give or take. Go with five hundred pound JDAMs. Attack from the northwest. My initials are T J—Tango Juliet — if needed.”

“Roger that, be right back,” Nightwatch replied.

“Arielle, how’s Monty?”

“Not good. The RPG almost took off both of his legs. I’ve got tourniquets on each and we’ll need to carry him. Needs a doc, pronto.”

“Okay, we’ve got inbound air support that’ll be taking down the buildings in front and beside us across the street. That should eliminate the immediate threat. We need to hunker down.”

“What are they using?” Arielle asked.

“Mark 82s.”

“Got a couple extra helmets?” Colonel Marshall asked when she heard this.

“What’s this?” Secretary Johnson asked.

“We’ve got an ISIS force between us and the rest of our team back at the hotel you were at,” Arielle began. “Rather than fight our way through, we’re going to drop a number of five hundred pound bombs on them but we’re a little too close to the target.”

“How close is ‘too close’?”

“Couple hundred yards,” Arielle replied.

“And we’re how close?” Johnson asked.

“About thirty,” Stonewall said as he handed them both the helmets, ear protection and the flak jackets the deceased SEALs had been wearing. “We’re behind a concrete-walled building so as long as the bombs are on target, we should be fine.”

“Chaos, Nightwatch. The Bone pilot wants confirmation from you. Her call sign is Bengal Six.”

“Roger that, Nightwatch.”

“Bengal Six, Chaos.”

“Chaos, Bengal Six. Please confirm your fire mission. Six JDAM Mark 82s, Danger Close,” the commanding officer of the 37^th Bomb Squadron replied. She didn’t make the customary request for the commanding officer’s initials as she fully recognized her brother’s voice over the radio.

“Bengal Six, that’s confirmed.”

“Very well, Chaos. Bombs away. Keep your head down.”

“Everybody down!” Chaos ordered as everyone crawled under the nearest solid object, many of them crouching right up against the stone walls on the near side of where the bombs would be dropped. Seconds later, the entire world erupted around them. The ground shook as if a major earth quake had just struck. Debris from the destroyed buildings rained down on the house collapsing the roof and ceiling of the structure, completely burying several of them. Once the noise of the falling debris subsided, the cries of help could be heard, some clearly in pain.

“Everybody okay?” Stonewall asked as he began digging through the debris from the collapsed ceiling. Arielle had been with Secretary Johnson and Colonel Marshall and a beam from the ceiling lay on top of them.

“Stonewall, can you help get this stuff off of us?” Arielle asked as she tried lifting it off of them by herself.

“Just a sec. I need to clear some of this stuff away. Okay, here we go.”

“Aw, Jeez, that hurts,” Secretary Johnson cried out as they lifted the beam off of her. “I think I’ve got a broken leg.”

Once they had the beam completely removed the fracture to her lower right leg was readily apparent. Arielle and Moose quickly placed a SAM splint on her leg and hit her up with a dose of ketamine.

“Arielle, do you have any water?” Secretary Johnson asked.

“Here ya go, ma’am,” Moose replied.

“Thanks, Moose,” Johnson replied as she took a long swig from the canteen and then dumped most of the rest of it over her face and head.

“Anybody else hurt?” Chaos asked.

“Nothing but a few bruises over here,” Falcon said.

“Okay, Madam Secretary, we need to move as soon as you’re able.”

“We’re going to have to carry her,” Arielle said to Stonewall. “We don’t have a litter.”

“Madam Secretary, we need to get out of here. I’m going to carry you on my back until we meet up with the truck.”

“You mean you’re giving me a piggyback ride,” she asked with a bit of a grin “with my bare ass hanging out for all to see?”

“That’s about the size of it, ma’am.”

“Okay, Colonel, just trying to get the mental picture of it. Let’s do this. This leg really hurts and I’ve already lost all sense of modesty as it is. I’m ready whenever you are.”

“Bengal Six, Chaos, nice work! We’re on the move.”

“Happy to oblige, Chaos.”

“Viking Two-Six, Chaos. We’re on foot crawling over the rubble. Send the last truck this way to pick us up. Take the rest of the team and head up towards the air strip. We’ll pick up everyone that won’t fit in LAVs as we meet up with them.”

“Truck’s on the way. One minute out.”

“Cougar, Chaos. Time to get your team out of here. We’ll be out’a here real soon, ourselves.”

“Roger that, Chaos. Shouldn’t take us too long. We’ve made sure that no one’s crossing the river so we should be okay.”

“Very good, Cougar. Thanks for the assist with this.”