Chapter 15: Underwater Nerves

A Breath of Water is Like No Breath At All

Perched against the near vertical face, Al and Tom caught brief glances of the man with the radio. He leaned out over the edge, the radio pressed to his face like every other time he spoke into the mic. This time, when he leaned forward just beyond the ledge, a breathless voice yelled a short, fast sentence.

In the valley, green tracers sought targets, the tracer fire racing across the moonlit night sky, burning out mid-flight. He could see the light show in his peripheral vision, but Al had more immediate problems. Gunfire reverberated through the valley, bouncing off the rocky wall and reaching upward to the helipad. Al moved closer to the rough surface of the rock as a voice from above grew louder. Someone extended their arm over the edge and pointed downwards. A small fire had started. The flames vigorously rose towards the sky, rapidly spreading outwards and casting a bright glow over the surrounding hills. The flickering firelight created a mesmerizing dance with the trees as the interplay between light and shadows battled for supremacy.

The arm withdrew, and the helipad became silent. Al glanced over at Tom. They lifted their barrels and readied themselves. No one in the valley could see them against the rock face. Only if one of the men above looked down would they be detected. If that happened, it'd be on. Both of them could easily take these three out, but then what?

The fire spread faster in search of more fuel. An automatic burst of gunfire reached outward from the bamboo. A dashed line of green searching for an unwary body.

Another message from the valley came through the radio. The man in charge issued an order to the man with the radio, who relayed it to the men below. The conversation with those in the valley continued for several minutes. To Al’s ears, it sounded like the soldiers below were not happy. Another man with a raspy voice joined the conversation. He gave definitive orders to them. The rest responded with servile-sounding responses followed by silence. The three men on the helipad spoke, laughed, and walked back across the helipad and into the hangar bay.

“What do you think?” Al said as the door closed and the helipad returned to darkness.

Tom dropped down from the edge of the pad. “I think if one of them had decided to take a piss off the edge, we’d have been seen for sure.”

“You got that right. What about Mike?”

Tom pointed down at the now much more massive blaze below. “Last time we were here, Hotak escaped through a well hidden in a bamboo grove in what I’m guessing is where that fire is.” He dropped his arm. “I’m hoping Mike made it to that same well and started that fire.”

“Hmm, you think they’re alive and on the move? I don’t know.”

“I don’t know either. I am worried, but unfortunately, we can do nothing for them, and we can’t get distracted.”

Al felt it, too, and hoped Mike and Julia were alright. He glanced at Tom, but the distant fire drew his eyes back to the high, smoky flames. He sighed. “I guess, for now, we’ll blindly hope they’re alive and well. That leads to my next question, what do we do now?

“I’ve been thinking about that.” Tom faced the flames as they leaped into the sky, then fell back, leaving drifting smoke and embers. “If they are in the well, we can’t help them.” He lifted a hand with one finger up, then raised a second. “If they aren’t in the well, there’re too many bad guys down there, and we’re too far away, we won’t be able to help them.” Finger three lifted. “They’re on alert, so going down and finding a hiding place seems like a good way for us to get caught.” Four fingers. “Staying here isn’t going to work.” Tom made a fist.” That leaves one option.”

“So much for a Recon.”

“No, it’s still a Recon. We’ll stay here for a while to make sure no one else comes out here. Then we’ll see what’s behind door number one. And then? We’ll figure it out as we go.”

“Figure it out, he says.” Al shook his head.

Tom raised his shoulders. “You got something better?”

Al gave him a crooked frown. “I always shoot first and ask questions later."

“Works for me.”

"And maybe we take the heat off Mike and Julia.”

“All the commotion probably has them all focused down below. Maybe they won’t even notice us.”

“Oh yeah, I’m sure they won’t.”

Tom slapped Al on the arm.

Al lifted into a crouch and faced the personnel door. “Well, what, wait about half an hour? Then, it will be time to do some stupid shit.”