Secret of the Oil: Prequel to the Donavan Chronicles (18 page)

STRIKE TEAM ONE

AL-HANBALI’S COMPOUND

2:05 PM – 28 OCTOBER

Bridget followed the three vehicles for two miles. She kept a close eye on the dust cloud ahead and stayed back far enough to be out of their sight. As she reached the bottom of one gulley, she saw that the plume of dust coming from the road ahead had stopped. Bridget slowed down, waited a minute, and confirmed the absence of the telltale dust. She pulled her vehicle to the side of the road, stopped, and got out. It was blindingly hot outside of the air conditioned SUV. Matt’s vehicle was approaching from behind and she waved him down.

"I think they stopped somewhere over the crest of that dune just to our front,” Bridget reported. “There’s no dust trail going over the top of the next hill. I can see a few buildings on the left side of the road on a hill. I suggest that we go up there and take a look and see what's going on."

"Okay, just a sec while I get my binoculars. Have you heard from the guys?" Matt asked.

"Yes. They’ll be here in about thirty minutes using the main roads. We can do a reconnaissance before they get here," Bridget said.

Together Matt and Bridget climbed, stopping short of the top of the hill, being sure to keep their heads low. They crawled the last few yards and peered over the sandy crest.

“God, it’s sweltering out here,” Matt said.

“Yeah. Here’s some water. You’d think most sane people would be inside taking a rest at this time of day,” Bridget added, while handing him a plastic bottle of water.

On the road ahead of them to their right, the three cars they’d followed were parked on the side and men were getting out—all armed. One was giving directions, moving the others into a semicircular tight formation; it looked as if they were going to conduct an assault against the buildings on the top of the hill. Through his binoculars Matt could clearly see the face of the leader.

"I think we just found the bastard's hide out. That is definitely our boy Faisal giving instructions to his men down there. It looks like these Hezbollah creeps beat us to it and they’re preparing to assault the house. I think that would definitely make it al-Hanbali’s place. We don’t have enough firepower to do anything right now. But if they are going to have a firefight, we might be able to take out what's left over after the killing stops."

"I'll go back to the vehicle and call the others to bring them up to date on our situation. Are you going to call the center?" Bridget asked.

Matt nodded.

She crawled backwards and started down the hill towards the SUVs.

Matt punched in the numbers on his satellite phone and got directly through to Lieutenant Commander McDonald. “We have eyes on the compound that I am sure al-Hanbali is using. Right now it looks like the Hezbollah boys, under our friend Faisal, are going to attack the compound. How’s that for a twist? I guess they’re going to try and take the weapons. What do you make of that?”

“That is a new dimension. I’ll get it to the general ASAP,” McDonald said.

“We are on the high ground to the west of the compound. We can observe the whole scene. They seem to be dallying around before going up the hill and they don’t seem to know that the men who went up on top of the roofs of the compound have been alerted to Faisal’s presence. I can see them from up here on this high ground, but they have no way of knowing the men in the compound seem to be expecting the attack. Here are my coordinates to get me some overhead.”

McDonald said he would give a call back in a few minutes after he talked to the General.

****

As soon as he hung up, Glenwood made the call.

“General, Matt says he has the terrorists under observation and they are going to be attacked by another terrorist group that just appeared on the scene. It’s led by the Hezbollah leader, Faisal.”

"The situation has dramatically changed. Does it look like this attack by Faisal is going to take place before we can do anything?" the general asked.

"I’ll ask him. What do you want me to tell him to do?"

"There doesn’t appear to be a thing he can do in the present situation, especially if the attack is imminent. For the moment, just have him observe. I want him to report anything that happens and prepare to intercept any vehicles that try to leave that location. If the situation is as he paints, I assume that there will be some type of firefight, and then the winner will have the bombs."

****

Five minutes after Matt’s initial call to the center, McDonald returned the call and relayed what the general had ordered. The general’s instructions were specific. Matt’s greatest concern at this point was that the situation could escalate out of his control. He didn’t have the manpower or firepower to take on both sides.

He watched the defenders in the compound as they arranged their positions on top of the roofs. The attackers down in the valley were clueless about this development. It appeared from the placement of the men on the roofs that they expected the attack to come on the blind side of the house. It was clear to Matt that they were preparing some form of ambush.

Matt saw Faisal signal to his men. The attackers started to move up the incline toward the main house, spreading out in a skirmish line. They were a rag-tag group devoid of any semblance of military discipline. It had taken at least twenty minutes for them to get ready to start the assault.

"Hey, Captain, what we got here?" inquired Sergeant Peter O'Leary, as he crawled up beside Matt.

"It looks like those guys going up the hill are trying to do a surprise attack on that compound up there. I think the attackers are Faisal’s band of cutthroats and the defenders are al-Hanbali and his henchmen. The only thing is al-Hanbali seems to know that they're coming and is preparing to ambush them."

"What you want us to do?" Lucien asked as he joined the huddled group concealed below the crest of the hill. Gary just listened.

"The general gave me specific orders to get those weapons. I don’t think we can do that right now, but maybe after the shooting stops. I want the three of you to drive down the road as if nothing has happened and get on the other side of the compound. We know what's behind us, but we have no idea what's over there. Go and secure the road. Bridget and I’ll stay here.”

The three soldiers returned to their vehicle and drove toward the compound. Faisal’s group could obviously see the truck as they passed by the attackers starting up the hill behind the main house. Reaching the far hill, completely out of sight of al-Hanbali’s men, the three soldiers set up positions to cover the road and to observe the compound. Lucien took his 50-caliber rifle and positioned himself on a small knoll to cover the road. Peter and Gary covered the frontal approach to their position. The team could observe both directions and cover them by fire.

After he observed his men set off for the other side of the compound and then set up their positions, Matt dialed the center. In a few seconds, the Brigadier came on the line.

“What’s your current situation?”

“The assault on the main house is starting. I can only observe. I’ve sent the rest of the team on the other side in case anyone attempts to get away by road. I won’t try anything till this is over. Then I’ll make a new assessment of the situation. I hope they whittle one another down to where I can take action.”

He waited for her response.

* * * *

Mary Jean recalled the conversation she had just concluded with the Directors of DIA and NSA on a conference call.

“Mary Jean what in the hell are you doing with that team of yours in Saudi Arabia?” the Director of DIA, Lieutenant General Raymond Hill, USAF, asked.

“Sir, I have sent over to you the scenario we were given after NSA translated the encrypted text. I moved our closest asset into the area to intercept. It is only a small team and the Saudis have no knowledge of their presence. I want to get that bomb and take the terrorists out before the bomb can leave that area. I don’t want the Saudis involved because of the complications that would generate, and I don’t want those weapons on American soil.”

“I called the National Security Advisor, who was not in,” interjected Admiral Kidd, “and I’m waiting on him to return my call.”

“You mean you haven’t informed the President about these terrorists with atom bombs in their possession?” the Director of DIA queried. “For fuck sake,” he bellowed into the phone and the phone then went silent for a few seconds. “No, on second thought, I sense a scheme here. I suppose you are delaying by that tactic, giving Mary Jean’s team time to complete the mission and nip it in the bud. Is that it?” No one answered him. “If that is your purpose, then I think I have no choice. I’ll support your decision, at least for now. I’ll have to keep the Secretary informed.”

“I’ll use whatever assets I need to get it done,” said Mary Jean.

“Keep both of us informed. I would hate to retire early over this. I figure that by tomorrow morning I’ll be obligated to call the President on this matter and to let the Director of National Intelligence in on this whole scenario if something doesn’t break before then,” the Director of NSA said as he ended the call.

* * * *

At last, Mary Jean coughed into the phone, and mumbled an, “Excuse me.” Matt heard this comment as he waited with his hand thumping on his knee. The general was not talking, so he bided his time. Finally, she spoke, “Matt, there is nothing you can do while this assault is going down. When it’s over, we’ll make a plan for our next move. We’re under pressure from above to get the weapons. Call me with the results of the attack. Have your team ready to act. Out.”

FAISAL’S ATTACK ON AL-HANBALI’S COMPOUND

3:45 PM – 28 OCTOBER

Faisal thought the plan to steal the atomic weapons from al-Hanbali was simple. All he had to do was sneak up the hill behind the house, take out any guards, use the RPG’s to blast the interior of the house, kill the defenders inside, and take possession of the bombs. He deliberately arrived early at the compound hoping to catch them in an afternoon rest period. He looked around as he got out of the car. There was no one in sight, no movement anywhere. He had caught them just as planned. His men were undetected and in position on the blind side of the house with no apparent security measures to give them away. Faisal realized he had taken too long to get his men in the positions he wanted—at least twenty minutes had passed since their arrival. Any further delay and he would lose the surprise he counted on. He ordered his men to start up the hill.

They made unimpeded progress to a point halfway up. There he turned around to check that the two with the RPGs were in position and signaled them to get ready. Faisal waved his hands warning the men to move away from the direct line of fire of the rocket propelled grenades.

When all were ready, the rockets streaked toward the house. In less than a second, the missiles went through the two windows on the back of the house and exploded.

One rocket entered the control room where all the security controls were. The explosion destroyed everything in the room. The second rocket detonated in an empty room. The force of the detonations shattered all the windows in the house. A large fireball burst out from the front windows and rolled up the front façade of the house.

“Move. Get going. We have to get up there before they can react,” Faisal shouted. His heart was pounding with excitement and he gasped for breath. He kept yelling for his men to move forward. They fired indiscriminately and at no visible targets, only the building. They reached the top of the hill in a disorganized formation and converged haphazardly on the front of the house, weapons pointed at the entrance door. One of the men started firing into the house and the others followed his lead. They emptied their magazines and started to reload.

* * * *

From his position on top of the adjacent building, al-Hanbali watched this pathetic attempt on his house. He could see that the attacker had failed to do any reconnaissance before launching this half-assed attack. If they had, the attack would have come from the higher ground behind him and not up a hill. No wonder the Israeli Army had inflicted so many casualties against these amateurs.

Al-Hanbali looked to his left to check if any of the attackers had made their way to the workshop. It looked all clear. Basam would be there, hiding. Looking down at the attackers gathered around the front of the house, he decided it was the moment to initiate his own retaliation against the Hezbollah fighters.

The firing of his AK-47 into the group of attackers was the signal for his men to open fire. Instantly, four claymores detonated as prearranged. Thousands of pieces of steel the size of small pellets ripped through the Palestinians at a speed of hundreds of miles per hour.

There was total carnage among the attackers who were in front of the house. The defenders of al-Hanbali’s house fired hundreds of rounds into the attackers and then turned their attention to the two at the bottom of the hill. They let loose a fusillade of bullets into their position where the RPG’s had originated. Three of al-Hanbali’s men jumped from the roof and rushed down the hill. They found the bodies punctured with multiple bullet wounds. The ground around the corpses was soaked with blood.

They raised their hands, thumbs up in an all-clear signal. Al-Hanbali looked down from the roof at the bodies of the dead around his house. Anger raged in his heart. All of these bastards had to be killed. Every one of them. They had tried to kill him and take his weapons.

He took a series of deep breaths and the adrenaline from the firefight ebbed. Where was Faisal? Looking at the carnage in front of his house, he didn’t see Faisal among the slain. Where was he? He scanned the area—no Faisal.

* * * *

Faisal had slipped away when the group had reached the top of the hill. He had noticed the separate building a short distance away and thought it might be his real target. Reaching the small building unobserved, he hid behind it as the firefight raged at the main house. After a moment, he looked around the corner and witnessed the massacre of his men. He felt no emotion on their loss, they were expendable. He needed to preserve himself and to put distance between himself and this debacle. Faisal went inside the building seeking a hiding place, attempting to gain time to plan the next move, and possibly let himself escape from this trap. He did not see or hear anyone in the building. Tewfik’s men were all concentrating on the slaughter. No matter what, he had to get out of this area as soon as he could. Right now he would hide and let the dust settle. They would not look for him since they had no idea he was here. He wasn’t supposed to arrive for some time.

He crouched as he moved to the front entrance, pushed the door open, and held the silenced 9mm pistol out in front. The two technical assistants who had worked with Yuri on the assembly of the weapons were standing huddled in the corner consumed with fear from all of the weapons fire coming from the house. Sweeping right to left with the outstretched weapon, he saw them and fired two rounds into each, and cautiously lowered his weapon. Turning around, he pushed the door closed.

“Freeze. Don’t even breathe. Don’t turn around. Put both hands in the air. Now, you piece of shit. Now, or I’ll kill you just for the fun of it.” Basam pointed the AK-47 directly at Faisal as he stepped to the edge of the lead-shielded wall that separated the small section he hid in from the rest of the room.

“I’m here to protect the weapons from those men out there,” said Faisal. “They came to steal it and I got here just as they attacked the house. I’m your friend and we must get to Tewfik.”

“If you move a muscle you die. Slowly drop your gun.
Now!
” Basam stayed behind the wall. “I’m behind a concrete wall and have an AK-47 on full automatic pointing at your back. Go ahead, do something stupid.”

Faisal dropped the weapon.

“Now get on the floor facedown,” Basam ordered.

“You are making a mistake,” was all Faisal could say as he complied with the instruction.

Basam stayed in his position and raised his weapon to the ceiling and fired a three round burst. Faisal could not use that moment to escape, as he was prone on the floor with a closed door in front of him.

Up on the rooftop, al-Hanbali heard the gunfire from the workshop. He climbed down from the roof and raced toward the building, waving his arm for the others to follow. When he burst into the building, the door slammed into Faisal’s head in his prone position causing him to scream.

Tewfik pointed the gun at the prone figure and kicked the handgun out of the way. He saw that Basam had a rifle pointed at the prone body and the terrified face of Yuri peeking around the lead containment wall.

“Who the hell is this?” Yuri asked before he saw the face of Faisal.

“That is the leader of the traitors who attacked our house and the ones intending to steal our weapon,” Tewfik said.

“Tewfik, do not say such a thing. I came to warn you of this attack,” Faisal protested, “I’m here to help you as I promised in Beirut.”

“You’re a liar. I saw a close-up of you on the video camera. We watched your approach. You were in the cars with the attackers. You’re here to steal the weapons,” Tewfik said as he waved his pistol at Faisal’s head.

“No, no. I came to help you.”

Al-Hanbali shot him in the left leg, just below the knee.

“Why did you attack me?”

“Okay, okay. We need the bomb to attack Israel. They are our enemy. You have the means we need to get our land back. We can bring Israel to its knees with an atomic weapon and the threat to use more.”

Tewfik put his foot on Faisal’s head and said, “You moron. Your little battle has for decades embarrassed the rest of the Arab world and held back our rise to power. You blithering idiots are after the impossible. You lost the war. That is what happens to losers. Now, you are intervening in our goal to bring down the entire western civilization in order for Islam to conquer the world. You would destroy everything by your actions. You think I care for your little petty grievance? You are trying to kill Israel, the flea on the dog. I plan to destroy the dog. You can’t understand that. No dog, no flea.” Tewfik walked to the back of the room.

“Out, everyone out,” he ordered.

After they left, al-Hanbali walked over to Faisal and leaned over his prostrate body. He placed the barrel of his pistol against the head of the traitor and said, “You’re the worst form of vermin. You lied to an Islamic brother who treated you as an equal to achieve the goal we all professed. Kemal gave his life for this end. He died honorably, you will not.”

He stared at Faisal with cold black eyes. His pistol remained steady and without any sense of regret, he squeezed the trigger. The weapon recoiled, while hurling the projectile into Faisal’s brain.