Rise Once More (3 page)

“
There is one more thing... Eve goes with me...” Alex says.

“
No, that is not going to happen. Besides what good is she going to be to you?” Reese asks.

“
You said blank check and my offer came with demands. This is one of those demands. It's not on the table for negotiation.” Alex replies.

“
I give you an inch. You walk an entire mile.” Reese clenches his knuckles until they turn white in color. He knows that he is in no position to argue with Alex. He was the one who asked him to come out of retirement and there isn't a soul on this planet he would trust with a  mission of this importance. Reese has no choice but to give in to Alex's demands. “She goes. But I want to speak to her personally before she joins you.” Reese replies.

CHAPTER THREE

The Risen

“
OmegaWak squadron, this is Harpy drone, do you copy?”

“
Copy Harpy... This is Lance Leader Roger.”

“
Copy that, Roger. Aerial surveillance of the extraction zone is all clear. You are clear to proceed to Nav point as requested.
”

“
Thank you Harpy, we will arrive at Epsilon ETA-13 minutes.” Roger replies.

“
Returning to base and good luck Omegawak.
”

Roger looks over his shoulder to the land below. Just south of Rapid City, the terrain looks almost alien to him, although he grew up here. The view from above, paints the mountains below in a very different light. The chopper continues west, crossing over his former stomping grounds and childhood memories. The pine trees sprawl out over the landscape and overcome the hillside.  The smell of crisp mountain air forces Roger to take a deep breath and savor the sweet smell of pine. It has been a long time since he was back home and so far away from the suffocating air at Omega Phi.

“Listen up, boys, this mission is very straight-forward and shouldn't take us long. I know this is not our typical seek and destroy mission but it is still critical that we accomplish it professionally. I will go over the mission one more time, just so we are all clear on the objective. We are here to retrieve the body, or what remains of Agent Haus. We anticipate that rocks have caved in blocking the first few feet of the ventilation shaft. We will clear this debris and make our way inside. We are to destroy any documents or possessions that might be traced back to Haus or his association with our organization. The director has personally requested that we not leave without the agents Dlink and this is considered the primary objective.” Roger says.

“
Roger, we are less than a mile out from Epsilon. Permission to land, sir?” The pilot asks.

“
Take us down, Don!” Roger orders.

The men all look outside of the chopper's open doors at the land below as they descend back to the Earth's surface. The entire area is covered in craters, resulting from the many bombs detonated that night. Each crater varies in size and color, resembling the surface of the moon with some scattered vegetation thrown about. The chopper touches down and the men file out of the bird in a uniform line. The pilot Don kills the engine, allowing the blades to slowly wind down. Roger walks over to the former entrance to the ventilation shaft and assesses the situation. The remaining members of the lance stand huddled together talking back and forth.

“You know, I heard this is the first time Reese has lost an agent in the field?” Frank says.

“
Like it matters... We are still the official clean up crew.” Stan says.

“
Hey Stan, seems like you got a little sand in your vag. Tell ya what, when you are ready to take your dress off, let us know. In the meantime, we have a job to do.” Jerry says.

“
Blow me Jerry!” Stan says.

“
Over here boys!” Roger yells like a drill sergeant calling his men to formation. The lance members waste no time, each one scrambling to Roger's side. Roger drags the heel of his boot in the dirt, making a large diameter circle in the loose soil. “This is what was known as ventilation shaft five. As you can see, it's been collapsed due to the bombing run. This is the last known location of our target objective. Intelligence tells us his body should not be far from the entrance. So start by clearing the debris from this shaft.”

“
Are you kidding me, sir? We don't have any equipment for dirt work.” Stan says.

“
Thank you for volunteering Stan. I was wondering which one of you maggots was going to whine first. Jerry, go get that wood crate from the chopper, while I tell the rest of you flower sniffing jack wagons about the old days.” Roger takes a deep breath and steps directly in front of Stan. Roger's dark brown eyes stare Stan down. A bead of sweat forms on Stan's brow, not knowing what to expect next. Roger is normally a very laid back leader, that rarely squeezes the choke chain and Stan knows his words have struck a chord with their leader.

“
In the beginning God created man. It was good. Then God told man to work the land. Man did the best he could for years but was not getting the job done well enough for the Lord. So the Lord sent an angel and the angel said unto man.
The lord has given you everything you need to succeed, yet you make excuses, out of laziness.
” Roger yells, all the while, staring directly into Stan's eyes. Roger watches as Stan's resolve crumbles. Roger turns abruptly and walks away from the group, while Jerry returns with a large wooden crate and lays it at Roger's feet. Roger bends over, unbolts the crate and opens the lid.

“
You see, boys. You know what separates mankind from any other animal? Some would like to say it is the ability to reason. But I beg to differ. The difference is the use of tools. And, as you can see here, we have plenty of them. You have a brain. You now have tools. So grab one and use your chevro-legs to get the damn job done!” Roger says, as he tosses a shovel towards Stan.

The hot sun beats down on the members of Omegawak, as they work tirelessly to open the shaft. Roger paces back and forth watching over his men, as they toil the earth, hauling rocks and soil in an ever-growing pile. Hours pass by, the hole deepens, and the pile of overburden becomes larger.

“Come on out, boys! Take a break and reassess your hydration level.” Roger orders.

Roger opens a cooler and distributes bottles of ice cold water to his men. The men sit upon boulders while they rest, wishing that the unforgiving sun would set for the day. Roger knows his men are giving it everything they've got. He regrets having to whip them into shape. But he knows it was needed to maintain the chain of command.

“Don't get me wrong here, but looking at all the damage done to this shaft, how can you hold out hope of retrieving a body?” Jerry says.

“
Who said I had any hope?” Roger replies.

With that being said, the gravity of the mission descended unto their shoulders. The briefing they all had received gave them all a small spark of hope-a single burning ember in a vast sea of sand and nothingness. Each one of them had a different idea of how the mission would unfold. They would go rescue a fallen soldier, who had valiantly fought to the bitter end, and just as he clung to the last of his energy, they would free him from his nightmare, return him home in the last second and receive a hero's welcome back at the base. Without the confidence of their leader, Roger, it was confirmed. They are just the clean-up crew.

“You guys hear that?” Stan says.

“
You forget to take your medication again?” Jerry says.

“
No! I hear someone talking.” Stan says.

“
Look out boys! We got ourselves a ghost whisperer here.” Jerry says.

“
Shut your pie hole. Jerry I think I hear something too.” Roger says.

Roger stands up and begins walking towards the air shaft. He slowly descends into the excavation site, moving carefully like a predator masking its movements from its prey. Roger reaches the base of the dig and leans his ear close to the ground. He listens attentively, waiting for a response, but is only rewarded with silence. Roger stands, motions for his men to join him and resumes searching for the source of the sound.

Soon all of the squad is hunched low to the ground, listening for any signs of life. Could it be possible that Agent Haus actually survived and was trying to let them know he is ready for rescue? Stan surveys the ground below him and a low muffled sound resonates from below. He begins to dig with his hands, slowly removing rocks and sand with each handful. After a few minutes of frantic digging he lowers his head to the ground to confirm the sound. Once his head nears the ground, he can hear the muffled sound growing louder and a few inches in front of his face an arm breaks through a crack in the rocks.

“
SHIT! GUYS GET OVER HERE NOW!” Stan screams, as he positions himself next to the flailing arm. The arm grabs hold of his battle fatigues and grips his uniform tightly. Stan and the rest of the crew scramble to clear away the debris. Each scoop slowly opens the hole below them.

“
FASTER BOYS! We got to get him the hell out of there!” Roger orders.

The men are overcome by adrenaline and work with the strength of ten men as they struggle to free Haus from his earth-work tomb. The men have cleared an entrance to the shaft almost large enough for a body to fit through and suddenly the arm lets go and retreats inside the shaft. Stan looks to Roger for his next course of action.

“He must have fallen further down the shaft. Stan, your are the smallest of the group. Go inside and keep him calm, while we clear the entrance for evacuation.” Roger says. Stan quickly obeys and slides his small body into the crack in the rocks. Jerry holds on to his boots, to prevent him from falling down the shaft.

“
Roger, I cant see a damn thing in here.” Stan says.

“
Hang tight. Let me get you a flashlight Stan.” Roger replies.

“
Let go of me! HELP! JERRY!” Stan screams.

Jerry tries to pull Stan out of the hole, but he is held fast in place. Jerry is by no means a small man. His upper arms are solid and he is known for his massive bench press. The other members watch on helplessly, as Jerry plays tug of war with Stan's body. Jerry lets out a massive grunt, as he pulls with all of his might but it is no use. Stan's boots fly off and Jerry falls back onto the rocks. The opening collapses as Stan's body disappears in the darkness, kicking and screaming down the shaft.

Jerry is silent, looking down at his hands in disbelief. He still has an iron grip on Stan's combat boots. Roger returns to the air shaft with a flashlight and looks around at the shocked faces of his men. Roger is unaware of the events that unfolded minutes before and demands explanations.

“
Where is Stan? Did he fall? Why are you maggots just standing there? Answer me!” Roger yells.

“
Something got him, Sir!” Frank says.

“
What do you mean got him?” Roger asks.

“
Something grabbed Stan... Jerry tried to pull him out...it was stronger than him... His boots came off...the hole opened up... Then Stan went down the hole....” Franks says. Roger was about to come unglued, until he saw the boots still gripped in Jerry's hands. Roger rushes to the opening of the shaft, which is now the size of a compact car and yells out to Stan.

“
Stan! Are you OK?” Roger yells. His voice returns nothing but echoes from the dark shaft. Roger feels uneasiness in his stomach and knows that something has gone horribly wrong. Roger reaches for his flashlight, presses the button and shines the beam down the corridor. Light bounces off the quartz crystals lining the shaft walls, each a tiny star in its own right. Roger turns to face his men, placing the flashlight at his side and walks away from the shaft.

“
Boys, you know what we have to do. This has become a rescue mission. We got one of our own down there and to hell with our original assignment. Stan comes home... or none of us do!” Roger says.

The men rush over to the tool crate, each selecting the items they feel will help them best to rescue Stan. Coils of rope, flashlights, and anchor points are all placed around  the shaft. Jerry takes several foot-long glow sticks in his hands, snapping each one to activate the phosphorescent chemicals inside. He then throws each one into the shaft. He varies the distance of each one to produce sufficient light for the descent. Once the final stick is in place Jerry scans the tunnel for any signs of their fallen soldier, but the greenish light is obscured, by a black shadow advancing towards the entrance.

“Somethings moving down there...” Jerry says.

“
Stan is that you?” Roger yells.

“
I don't think its Stan... He would have answered your call.” Frank says.

“
Do you think it's Agent Haus?” Jerry asks.

“
I doubt that... Even if he suffered shell shock, he would be rushing towards the light of day and screaming for help. Who-ever it is, has some questions to answer. And, if I don't like the answer... I have the solution to the problem right here.” Roger draws his side arm and loads a round into the chamber. “Weapons hot! Let the lead do the talking!” Roger says.

Roger aims the handgun towards the dark entrance and slowly retreats back several yards. His finger never leaves the trigger, constantly scanning the shadows for a possible threat. His men stand ready, each flanking his sides, with guns at the ready and willing to fire at a moments notice. Roger can hear the rocks tumbling down the shaft and knows his target is getting close to exiting the shaft.

It begins with a single bloody hand reaching out from the darkness, followed by an entire body entering into the light of day and it doesn't slow down from there. Their bodies are pale, mottled with purple splotches and yellowing skin. The air is tainted with the smell of death, feces, and rancid urine. Their clothing, mostly battle fatigues are torn, or stained with some bodily fluid, more often than not blood.