"Okay," she said, "but General Madid and his troops will come into the village in the morning, so you want to be out of here before they arrive."
"Thank you," I replied.
I thought to myself, I hope the asshole is on time, because I've got a present for him.
I laid there for a few hours just catnapping until it got light. Occasionally, I would look out the blanket covering the door and nothing, there didn't seem to be many people out and no women at all.
*****
"Captain! Skyspy, are you watching your TV display. The general and his troops have just left their village."
"Roger Skyspy, I see them."
"Launch officer!"
"Yes, Captain."
"Get the fast attacks in the air."
"Roger Captain."
On the flight deck of Global Rescuer, "Red Dog moves into position."
"Roger."
"Red Dog," announces the launch officer, "drop your tail hook."
"Roger…tail hook down."
"Okay Red Dog, pull a little forward."
"Okay," announces the launch officer, "you're latched."
"Roger," replies the pilot.
"Flight computer," commands the pilot
"Flight computer!"
"Do a system checkout," commands the pilot
"Roger," replies the Flight computer. The Flight Computer begins a system checkout of all its gunship computers, and microcomputers, and then surface flaps all the way back to wagging its tail.
"Flight computer!"
"Roger Flight computer," replies the pilot, "Ready for take-off."
"Launch officer, we are ready for take-off," announces the pilot.
"Roger," replies the pilot.
The engine doctor and weapons crewmember, both complete their checks and move out of the launch area for safety.
The launch officer raises his right hand and begins to twist it to indicate to the pilot to bring the engines on the gunship up to speed.
"Flight computer," commands the pilot.
"Flight computer!"
"Switch to automatic launch sequencer - execute."
"Roger," replies the Flight computer.
"Launch sequence started," announces the Flight Computer.
The Flight computer has now taken over all procedures in the launch phase.
The wings on the weapons pods have now fully extended.
The pilot can now hear the engines start to accelerate as the gunship pulls forward on the tail hook.
"Launch in 5 seconds 4, 3, 2, 1," commands the flight computer.
The tail hook reaches its max pressure and breaks.
The pilot is pushed back into his seat as the gunship starts accelerating down the 100 foot runway picking up speed. By the time the gunship reached the ski ramp, the wings had lift and it accelerates off the ski ramp and airborne.
"Airborne, Airborne," announces the flight computer.
"Flight computer, call up preprogrammed location.
"Roger," replies the flight computer, "software loaded and heading for target."
"Roger," replies the pilot.
"Global Rescuer, Red Dog's on autopilot."
"Roger Red Dog."
Just as soon at Red Dog left the runway, Jack Flash moved into position and took off.
Right behind Jack Flash, Black Witch moved out onto the runway and took off.
All three fast attacks rendezvoused at a predetermined location several miles south of where the troops had parked the convoy last Wednesday.
It's now 8:00 AM and Thunderbrit and Lightning are taking off the flight deck. They will head to a predetermined location near the landing zone where they will wait for Global Rescuer discussion to pick up the team.
It was about 8:30 AM and my hut lady seemed to be awake, as were the kids, but she didn't seem to be interested in moving. Then, I realized that I had a partner beside me. In the night, the little boy had come over to me and cuddled up to me…I guess I had a new friend.
Then all of a sudden in my ear piece…"Jimmy, this is Global Rescuer."
I keyed my mike, "roger Global Rescuer."
"We see on Skyspy, you have company coming."
"Roger, how many?"
"We see the normal two trucks and one motor vehicle."
"Roger."
"Is the general in the motor vehicle?"
"Roger Jimmy, we see him in the back seat."
"Roger!"
All my radio talk had caught the attention of my hut lady as she rose up and looked over at me.
"I see you have a friend," she replied.
"Yes, I do."
"He likes you. You were nice to him and gave him something to eat and you didn't chase him away."
I looked down at my new friend who by this time was looking up at me with two beady eyes.
Then, we were disturbed by the sound of trucks.
"That's General Madid," she yelled, "you're too late to leave."
"That's ok," I said.
"We women have to go out to be selected for his troops."
"I must go," the woman announced.
"You stay right here in this hut…you're not going to be raped today."
"But, he will kill me."
"The only person who is going to get killed today is General Madid."
She looked at me with a strange look. I said, "You don't want to know who I am." I paused, and then said, "In my part of the world, I am known as your worst nightmare."
I picked up my RPG and slide a rocket into the launcher.
"Whatever happens, you lay right here on the ground and hold your kids and my little friend."
"Okay," she replied.
"Jimmy! Global Rescuer, the trucks are entering the village."
"Roger!"
I leaned my AK-47 rifle up against the wall next to the doorway and put the RPG rocket launcher on my shoulder.
I keyed my mike…"Roy! You ready with the other RPG?"
"Roger Jimmy, I'll hit the last truck."
"Ok guys, here we go."
The sounds of the trucks got louder and louder as I pulled the blanket to the side and slipped out the edge of the door.
The first truck was right in front of me at about 100 yards and I could visibly see the drivers.
I pointed the RPG towards the first truck and looked down the barrel and took aim through the site.
I squeezed the trigger.
Bang goes the RPG as smoke came out the back of it.
Boom goes the rocket as it slammed into the cab of the first truck, blowing the cab apart, killing the two drivers instantly.
As I took the launcher off my shoulder, I hear another explosion as Roy took out the last truck.
Ratatatat…..ratatatat…..ratatatat of AK-47 fire as the team started shooting into the trucks.
Over my radio I hear, "Wolf Pack Charlie, this is the Captain."
"Yes, Captain."
"Take out the convoy.'
"Roger Captain…attacking now."
I grabbed another rocket and loaded it into the launcher and put it back on my shoulder.
This time I took aim at the engine compartment of the vehicle and pulled the trigger.
Bang goes the launcher.
Boom as the rocket hit the vehicle, blowing the hood off and smashing it into the driver. The explosion flipped the vehicle ten feet into the air and it crashed down to the ground with a loud boom as parts raining down on the driver and passenger.
I looked at the driver who seemed to be knocked out or dead. Behind the driver was the general, who was still moving his arms about and seemed to be shaking himself to regain his composure from the blast.
I threw the launcher down on the ground and grabbed my AK-47 rifle.
I took aim at the stunned general sitting in the back of the vehicle and fired….bang goes the gun as I see the bullet hit him in his right shoulder.
Ratatatat….ratatatat….ratatatat….goes my rifle as I fired a burst into the first
truck to kill the soldiers in the back of the truck.
Then, things got quiet.
I stood up in the doorway of the hut and walked over to the truck as did James while we both looked all around for anyone still alive in the trucks.
I walked up to the vehicle and looked at the general, who was still alive.
He looked back at me, still stunned from the explosion and jabbering in his Somalia language.
I said to him in English, "General Madid, I presume."
"Yes," he said as he looked at me.
I said, "General your games are over here and this is going to be the last time you rape these women in this village."
"What have they paid you? I will pay three times as much….name your price."
I reached into my shirt and pulled out the picture of Mary.
I said, "Do you remember her" as I showed him Mary's picture.
"Arghhhh," he replied, "the white nurse in the village hospital."
"She got into the way of my troops one day."
"It was a shame."
Boom, boom…ratatatatatatat….sounds of gunfire.
I said to the general, "Do you hear the explosions and gunfire."
Then, there were more ratataatatataatatat…."Yes, he said that's my army and they are going to destroy you."
"No general, that's your army being destroyed by my gunships."
I looked directly into his eyes and said to him, "Do you believe in God."
"Yes," he said.
I said, "Well, when you see him, tell him you have been a bad boy."
With that, I pulled out my 9 mm….bang, bang, bang, bang, bang, bang goes the gun as I can see the bullets hitting him in the chest, killing him where he sat.
When I finished firing, James was standing right beside me.
"Man! That's the worse case of lead poisoning I have ever seen in my life."
By this time, some men of the village and women had gathered around.
I pointed to some of them, I said, "you…you….and you… throw this piece of shit upon the truck with the rest of the other assholes."
Then, again, Jimmy can hear large explosions in the distance. Then, lots more gunfire. Jimmy thinks to himself, the fast attacks must be still attacking the troop convoy.
"Global Rescuer, this is Jimmy, I hear canon and gunfire in the distance."
"Roger Jimmy, the fast attacks are taking out the rest of his troops that we caught in the open."
"Roger."
Again, boom, boom, boom….ratatatatatatatatatat ….gunfire coming from Gatling guns and 105 mm cannon fire on the fast attacks.
As I turned around to walk away, I hear a female voice to the side of me say…"It's you….You’re the one," she replied.
"Yes," I responded as I looked at the lady I had stayed with part of the night in her hut.
"Are you Aisha?"
"Yes," she said, "that's my name."
"She loved you and when she died in my arms, she told me, she loved you and had never forgotten you."
"Yes," I replied…"I loved her too."
Then, she motioned with her hands, "Come with me," she said as she walked behind her hut.
I followed her around pass the back of her hut for about 100 yards, or so, to what looked like a small cemetery of crosses.
She put her hand on one of the crosses and said, "This is where I buried Mary that night."
At that time, I heard in my ear piece…"Thundebrit's landing" as I can see the dust brewing up.
I knelt down and said… "Hi Mary….I have come to see you."
In Aisha's letter, "she told me your dying words were you still love me and had never forgotten about me."
"I want you to know that I still love you too and have never forgotten about you either."
As I knelt there, looking over her grave. I thought to myself, this is a hell of a place to be buried. But again, I thought, this is what Mary wanted… to be a humanitarian.
I silently studied her grave a few more minutes.
"Mary," I said, "I had a dream about you the other night, one of many dreams I have had about you and us. In that dream, I saw us married with kids just like we talked about many, many times and I often wish we still lived together. But, then I woke up from the dream on the ship to the reality that I was coming here to see you."
"I have to go Mary, maybe I will get the opportunity to come back to see you again….We will see."
"I know you are in a better place now, but I still want you to know that I still love you."
"Goodbye Mary."
Thunderbrit is now on the ground, engines and rotor blades running, collecting the other team members.
"Where's Jimmy," she replied.
"Jimmy has followed the lady over to a grave…I suspect its Mary's."
Thunderbrit keys her mike, "Jimmy, this is Thunderbrit, we need to go boy."
"Global Rescuer, I have everybody, but Jimmy."
"Roger, Thunderbrit…we see him, he's with a village woman and kneeling at what we think is Mary's grave."
"Roger Global Rescuer….at the present, I am not being shot at, so we are okay for now."
"Thunderbrit, we don't see anything around you right now."
"Roger."
After a few more minutes, Thunderbrit is getting worried, she has been on the ground for over five minutes and that makes her a sitting target.
Thunderbrit keys her mike…"Jimmy, Thunderbrit…we need to go."
Thunderbrit yells, in the back…"hay guys, does Jimmy have his rescue harness on."
"We think so Thunderbrit," they all replied.
"Thunderbrit, Global Rescuer…Jimmy is standing up."
"Roger!"
"Jake, get ready to repel down."
Thunderbrit rev's the engine and takes off.
"Thunderbrit's airborne," she announces.
Thunderbrit is now 30 feet above the ground.
She flies over the hut and sees Jimmy and a village lady.
She keys her mike, "Jimmy we got to go boy."
She has now moved the helicopter directly over Jimmy's head.
Jake hooks his harness to the first rappel line and grabs the second rappel line with his hand.
"I am repelling down Thunderbrit," yells Jake.
Jake slides himself out of the helicopter door and lowers himself down until he hits the ground and runs over to Jimmy.
"Jimmy!" Yells Jake.
"Jimmy, we got to go."
"Roger, Jake."
Jake takes the second rappel line and hooks it to Jimmy harness.
"Ok Jake, I am about ready."
"Aisha, thanks for taking care of Mary."
Jimmy reaches into his shirt pocket and pulls out the one dollar bill.
Aisha's eyes got real big.
"That's the money, I paid you to help our village," exclaims Aisha.
"Yes, I know," replies Jimmy.
Jimmy takes her hand and says "here" as he puts the one dollar bill in her hand…."You over paid us Aisha."
She takes the money, but has a very confused look on her face.
Jimmy steps back a few steps, "take care of Mary's grave for me Aisha, I may come back to see you and my new friend."
"Ok," she replies.
"Do you need anything….any food?" Asks Jimmy.
"No," she said…"we will be fine."
Jimmy keys his mike…"Thunderbrit, let’s get the hell out of here."
"Roger," replied Thunderbrit.
As Thunderbrit pulls away, Jimmy and Jake lift off the ground and into the air. Then the rappel line starts reeling in both of them to the helicopter.
Off in the distance, Jimmy can see the fast attacks, blasting the hell out of the remaining troop camped just outside the village.
As Jimmy and Jake board the helicopter, glad to see you could make it Jimmy.
"Thanks Thunderbrit."
"No problem Jimmy, we weren't being shot at and there was no rush. Besides, I wanted you to say goodbye to
Mary."
"Thanks."
"Global Rescuer, we have everybody and heading home."
"Roger Thunderbrit."
"Wolf Pack Charlie, Global Rescuer, you guys can break off combat any time you want to."
"Roger Global Rescuer, breaking off now" as they pull away.
"Skyspy Operator! Yes, Captain, tell Skyspy to come home."
"Roger Captain."
#### End
Author’s Biography.
Since 2014, the author is creating the "Afternoon Book," a series of novelettes or short novels that can be read on a smart phone or reader in an afternoon. This series is known as "Global Rescuer Stories" and includes ebooks titled: "The Majorca Egyptian Affair," "Rape Day Wednesday," "Darlene Darlene" and "The Tubers Daughter."
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