Without hesitation, Waller began feeding Jerry much-needed intel on the objectives in a low voice.“I confirm eleven bandits.I spot six on our declination.From your right.Bandit one is three six zero meters.Male, tactical vest, comms, AK slung, pacing near the east dock.Bearing zero-nine-zero from your position.Wind from nine o’clock, four knots full value.Dial elevation minus one point five MOA.Hold center mass, favor left edge for wind.On target?”
Jerry felt himself relaxing and completely focusing on the task.Waller knew the work.“Confirmed.Set next.”
Waller called wind, distance, declination, and bearing on four more targets before Talon Strike hit the beach on the far side of the Island.
In their ears, they heard, “Go, go, go!”
Through his scope, Jerry watched the facial expression of one of the baddies keeping watch.He could tell the moment he realized something unstoppable was coming for them.Jerry zeroed in and fired before he could sound the alarm.Then, he moved quickly and found the next obvious target, then the next.
“Turkey!”
Waller said, “Friendlies on the field.Check left.”
Through his scope, Jerry identified a Fourteenth Special Forces Group team member emerging from behind a building on the island.At the very same time, three heavily armed F-16’s flew low and fast over the island, hitting afterburners and causing multiple sonic booms from perhaps 30 feet off the ground.This caused a panic among the thousands of passengers, but also badly demoralized the enemy.
Jerry didn’t realize the heaviness in his chest until the sight of support made everything feel lighter.He whispered a prayer of thanksgiving and continued to support the Team from his position—though he never had to fire another shot—until Peña called him down.
Olive wheeled Daniel out of the operating room and into the main triage room.She had no doubt Phil could have done it alone, missing leg or not.
Phil broke open the pharmaceuticals cabinet and said, “Monitor vitals every ten minutes.Keep fluids running, saline, 100 cc per hour, no overhydration.He’s got a liter of blood loss, maybe more, but I won’t be able to do anything about that until the team gets to a stopping point.”
He fished through the medicine cabinet, checking labels and doses.“Push 500 mg ceftriaxone IV now if you can find it.That should hold the infection off.Give him morphine, 4 mg IV push.In four hours, we’ll do it again if we have to, though my prayer is he’ll be outbound to a genuine no-kidding hospital by then.Watch for fever or tachycardia.”
Olive made notes on an index card she’d found in a drawer, nodding as he spoke.He hadn’t said anything she didn’t already expect.
From outside the ship, they heard tremendous explosions and the ship vibrated.Phil nodded.“Fast movers.Prolly 18s or 16s.”
After she finished writing, Phil held out his hand.She hesitated, then handed him the pencil and card.He set them on the counter and slipped on a fresh pair of gloves.“Let’s have a look at that jaw.”
She shook her head.“It’s not so bad.”Her voice sounded even more slurred, as if she had just had a teeth cleaning and the Novocain hadn’t yet worn off.
Phil raised an eyebrow.“Nurse Duncan, sit down and let me examine your jaw.Now.”
Chagrined, she settled onto the triage chair and folded her hands in her lap.Phil prodded the left side of her face, from the temple down to her jawline.When he pressed a specific way, she gasped and winced back.
He centered himself in front of her and said, “Open your mouth just a little.”When she complied, he put his thumbs in her mouth and gripped her jawbone with his hands.He made eye contact and said, “This is going to hurt.”
Before he finished the word, “hurt,” he pulled and adjusted her jaw.Pain exploded behind her eyes and her field of vision became a field of solid red.She nearly missed hearing the popping sound.As the pain subsided, so did the residual pain she’d suffered since regaining consciousness in the brig.
“Wow,” she whispered, gingerly touching her jaw.“Wow.So much better.”
His frown darkened his face.“He hit you hard enough to knock your jaw out of socket.”
She shook her head.“She.”
With a raised eyebrow, Phil said, “She?”
“Yeah.A woman punched me in the jaw.A man punched me in the head.”She carefully felt around her temple.“Knocked me out.”She prodded her jaw again.“I had this happen once before.A boyfriend…” At the dark cloud that crossed Phil’s face, she stopped talking.“Anyway, that was a long time ago.”
Phil pulled out his cellphone and turned on the flashlight feature.“Look right at me,” he said, then moved the light toward her eyes, then away.He nodded.“Slight concussion.You might do well to go to the hospital with Pie when we’re done here.”
She screwed her nose up at him.“I’d rather not.”
He patted her shoulder.“My hospital would be best.I’ll make arrangements as soon as I have comms.”
He unmuted his phone, still on speaker, and said, “Pot Pie is recovering nicely.Needs medevac soon for volume.What’s the news, boys?”
She recognized Travis Fisher’s voice.“Medivac is seven mikes out.Heisman will guide you to the helipad.”
