Page 7 of Hearts Under Fire
“So what was the final solution? Did he have them transported, or did you pick them up yourself?”
Maloy launched into an explanation that Kate couldn’t focus on and didn’t hear. Lt. Cole had spun her around and slipped the vest over Kate’s head. Kate closed her eyes and froze as pain shot through her neck again.
Lt. Cole secured the vests’ Velcro, then applied pressure with her thumb to the knot in Kate’s neck. Her vision swam as darkness creeping in and stars exploding. She let out a soft yelp at the equally pleasurable and painful sting of the pressure from Alexis’ hand. Alexis pushed into the knot and kneaded, Causing Kate’s brain to go haywire.
Suddenly, the knot released, and Kate gasped and stepped out of Lt. Cole’s grasp.
Kate nodded and thanked her, then walked away to check her weapon to be sure the safety was on and there wasn’t a round in the chamber. She triple-checked her supplies again and touched base with her medic, Sergeant Garcia. Before long, Lt. Cole was rounding everyone up and going over the mission plan again in earnest with all their team gathered together for the first time.
“I’m Combat Rescue Officer Lieutenant Cole. We have six possible victims and a handful of injuries and unknown conditions. The goal is to get Lt. Cross here to our boys.”
Lt. Cole motioned for Kate to join her at the head of the group.
“She and Garcia need to get to our wounded as fast as possible. As soon as we get eyes on the patients, Lt. Cross is in charge.”
Silence descended as everyone digested this. “She will best know which individuals need what, and we don’t have the time or the luxury for anyone to be questioning her expertise. Are we understood?”
A resounding “Yes, ma’am,” put Kate at ease.
Kate stepped forward. “Time is our biggest factor. We’re going to have to move quickly, and there are only so many of us. The status of our wounded may prevent us from moving them without extensive treatment first. We may need to split our exfils into two groups. All possible scenarios are in your binders, but I assure you, I’ll lead you and give you direction as new situations arise. I’ll need all of you if we’re going to get as many of our people home as we can.”
Smiles greeted her, and Kate felt she’d won a few of the CRO’s over.
Lt. Cole finished covering mission basics, and when the darkness fell, they loaded up into the helicopters and headed out of Iraq and into Syria toward the site of the ambush. The helo ride felt short, but Kate knew it was over twenty minutes. As they lowered to the ground and touched down, they quickly filed off the helicopter, their boots sinking into the sand as they moved forward as a unit.
Kate and Garcia were surrounded in moments, the team tactfully cocooning them from danger. The darkness of nightfall was offset by the luminescent moon and dappling of stars that illuminated the desert before them. It was cold, the temperature biting in contrast to the extreme heat of the day, and Kate shrugged her shoulders to generate some warmth.
The unit moved forward as one, and the helicopter rose behind them, hovered for a moment, then turned around andreturned the way they’d come. Kate padded along next to them in silence with her pistol drawn. The mission plan said they’d need to cover more than five miles, which would take them over an hour with all the possible obstacles. They’d have to maintain speed and stay out of sight of possible enemy combatants.
Kate was hoping to get to the wounded and get out of Syria as fast as possible without any encounters with the locals. Lt. Cole’s detailed navigation plan had impressed her, and Kate realized just how much time and conflict they’d saved due to Alexis's careful planning.
They rucked for an hour, alternating walking and jogging as they constantly surveyed their surroundings. The terrain was rougher than Kate had expected, even though she’d seen the photos of the cliffs. Craggy peaks jutted into the sky on the far sides of the valley, a warning to any who’d attempt to stray too close. The ground was made up of sand, sandstone, and rock, and Kate tried her best to maintain her footing. The others didn’t seem to be struggling with the sand, but then, they’d spent time in the desert, while she’d mostly spent her time in hospitals. This mission was certainly within her expertise but also completely out of her comfort zone.
As they approached the northern end of the valley, Lt. Cole drew them to a slow trot before they came to a complete stop, tucked away out of sight in the basin of a dried riverbed.
The others were surveying the area for enemies, but Kate’s eyes were immediately drawn to a tiny ray of light coming from what appeared to be a riverbed. Kate wondered if it was a cave. She reached out and tapped Alexis's shoulder. Lt. Cole turned and Kate drew her attention to the light, pointing out the possible cave.
Kate was apprehensive. She could be leading them to an enemy encampment in a cave system. Then again, she might be leading them to their wounded soldiers.
Lt. Cole approached the light, determined to make out whether its source was friend or foe.
Following behind, still encapsulated by her guardians, they approached from the riverbed, easing toward the light. As they drew closer, it became clear that it was a well-hidden cave near the bend in a dried riverbed, an ideal hiding place.
Lt. Cole led them forward and into the mouth of the cave. The light grew brighter, and they turned a corner into a larger cavern. Kate let out a breath of relief when Lt. Cole called out, “Clear!”
The wall of military muscle separated, and Kate peered out to assess the situation. The medic, Bowie Krantz, knelt next to a man with a bloody stump for a left arm that had been amputated above the elbow. He tended to the wound. Kate saw at least two others lying down in her peripherals, but they weren’t moving.
Kate wasn’t sure if it was because they were sleeping or if they were casualties.
“Sergeant Krantz. It’s good to see you, I’m Lieutenant Kate Cross. We’ve met before, actually. You came through when we did the skills rodeo last fall.”
Krantz’s eyes flitted to Kate, and a small smile of recognition lit up his handsome face. He spoke in a thick southern accent.
“It is good to see you again, Lieutenant.”
“Can I get a status report on personnel?”
Krantz swallowed hard, and Kate pulled a pair of gloves from her pocket, tugged them on and began fishing out the supplies to debride and clean the amputation wound.