Page 3 of Hearts Under Fire
The threat went unsaid, but everyone in the room heard it.Don’t be late.Colonel Williams snapped the phone shut and directed Lt. Cross and Lt. Cole toward the conference table with a stab of her fingers.
“Sit. We don’t have a lot of time to go over this as quickly and efficiently as possible. You’ve got gear to collect, your kit to pack, and very little time to prepare for what is basically a shitshow.”
They sat, and Kate put an extra chair between her and Lieutenant Cole for safe measure.
“I understand you two haven’t been introduced and that sending you on a mission of this importance without field testing you as partners isn’t ideal. However, I have no choice. Lieutenant Cross, you’re my best nurse, and you’re combat trained and ready. Your new partner happens to have a long and distinguished record of successful retrievals.”
Digesting that information, Kate nodded and recalled that Lt. Cole’s file had been impressive and extensive. She’d successfully completed several missions on record, and Kate assumed there were even more impressive feats in her off-the-record file. There had been a two year stint she’d spent with special forces assigned to Afghanistan. Kate had looked for more specifics within the file but none had been forthcoming. That was an answer in and of itself, and Kate hadn’t bothered looking any further into it.
Continuing in her usual no-nonsense fashion, Colonel Williams pinned them in place with a fierce gaze. “You two are my best, and we have a serious situation to remedy.”
She grabbed a remote off the table from atop some maps and clicked a button that brought a projector screen down from the ceiling.
The screen came to life, and they stared at a map of the border between Syria and Iraq.
“Thirty six hours ago, one of our supply convoys began its regular route. It was ambushed near this area.” Colonel Williams tapped an area on the map with a perfectly manicured and closely-cut nail before Lieutenant Cole’s voice chimed in, making Kate jump at her proximity. Lt. Cole must have moved closer to inspect the map that sat in front of Kate and was hovering over her shoulder.
“Is this a desert valley surrounded on all sides by rocky outcroppings and cliffs?” Lt. Cole’s voice expressed some of the concern Kate felt at the prospect of having to go through a valley literally surrounded on all sides by enemies.
The colonel shook her head. “Not exactly. Check out these photos and the topographical maps.”
Kate and Lt. Cole leaned forward to see what they’d be dealing with. Photos covered the screen depicting a dry, barren desert with rolling hills and sharp perilous cliffs that were likely impassable. Any attempt at climbing would likely result in serious injury.
“Those rocky outcroppings are really non-traversable vertical cliffs with the occasional cave. Intelligence says there may be multiple caves and tunnels in the area, but they aren’t tracking anything large enough to be of suspicion.”
Williams clicked through a few more slides, confirming that the ambush happened toward the northern side of the valley. They studied the photos and maps, trying to connect the dots on where the survivors were most likely holed up.
“Once in the valley, it’s a wide open space of over a hundred acres. There’s very little cover, and it's all desert. As you know,there are only two ways out of the valley—the north and south exits. If you take the northern exit, you’ll be forced to hike around to a safe extraction point. This area has been buzzing with activity. We have Syrian rebels, Syrian military, Iraqi rebels, civilians, and our own boots mixed in. We’ve got several reports of injuries ranging from minor to severe, but no word on any casualties. Six of our own went into the ambush, but there are still a few of our soldiers unaccounted for.”
The reality of what they were facing sank in, and Kate let her eyes fall on Lt. Alexis Cole. No matter how the woman made her feel, she’d have to put it aside. Kate wouldn’t allow her partner to distract her on such a critical mission. She’d have to find a way to put her trust in Lt. Cole despite her reputation and casually flirtatious nature. As long as Cole didn’t expect to get anything out ofKate, they’d work together just fine.
“You’ll need to plan your entry and exit and follow my template for drop and pick up zones as close as you can. I’ve marked off all the best places we know of to get in and out undetected. Once on the ground, you two and your team are basically on your own. You’ll have to get in, find our boys, patch them up, get them out, and don’t die in the process. We leave tomorrow at 0600. Any questions for me, or are you ready to stick your heads together and make this happen?”
Lt. Cole stood, her face grim. “Ma’am, can I get our supply inventory, records of all available personnel for the team from which to choose, copies of these maps, and the file on our troops who are trapped?”
Williams turned on her heel and gathered two large folders. She held one out to Lt. Cole and one out to Kate. “These are the copies of everything you should need.”
Kate didn’t ask how Colonel Williams had accurately guessed which documents they would prefer, but one look at her ownfolder proved nothing important had been left out. The woman had an odd knack forknowingthings.
Lt. Cole excused herself and stalked off to complete the monumental task set before her. Kate didn’t envy her.
“Lt. Cross, let me know if you need anything that isn’t on the list. Pack light. There’s a good chance you’ll be walking most of the way, and you’ll need to be able to carry most of your medical supplies on your own. Lt. Cole can provide you with a medic and possibly spare one of the rescue ops soldiers to be a pack mule for you. In your dossier there’s a list of all known injuries. I’ve had the supply guys gather everything I could think you’d need for those specific injuries.”
Flipping open the file again, Kate found a section with cauterization tools, and she glanced at Colonel Williams in awe.
“How did you get your hands on this? These aren’t even available commercially until next year.” Kate breathed out in excitement and shock.
A triumphant smirk painted Colonel Williams’ face, transforming the severe facade into a beautiful, sharp profile worthy of canvas.
“That’s the phone call you walked in on. The portable cauterization toolisungodly expensive, but I have a friend in R&D who managed to ship me two for the price of one. One has been used before, so use that one to practice with tomorrow on the flight. Then prep the new one for use in the field. I’ll leave you to get everything together.”
Kate’s head swam as she checked the reported injury list. There were several minor injuries that would be easy to address and some more severe reports that concerned her. Patient mobility would be difficult to coordinate in such a hostile environment.
“I’m heading back to my computer. Call me at my desk if you need me, Colonel.”
The only response was a dismissive wave off, and Kate hurried back up the stairs to her office, taking the steps two at a time. The dossier clutched in her left hand felt radioactive. She was itching to get moving and save who she could. Adrenaline surged through her as she mentally cataloged the procedures she’d need to complete in a deployed setting. An ongoing checklist of all the equipment she needed to gather got longer and, determined to finish preparing and get a minimum of six hours sleep before departure, Kate pushed herself to walk faster as the medical ward’s door came into her line of sight.
Chapter 2