Insurgency Read Free Page B

neck, “he bit me!”
    “Love bite?” Flagon asked.
    “He must have mistaken you for a SEAL.” Eaton added.
    “There was no one else in the cave, no one else alive that is.” Styles paused as if realizing that the team was one short. “Where’s Peter Pan?”
    There was a moment’s silence, Gonzalez spoke first. “Brad didn’t make it.”
    “What?” Styles sat up.
    Miller nodded gravely. “There was a secondary explosion that brought down part of the roof. I saw him get buried. Nothing I could do. You were lucky I got you out. It missed us by inches.”
    “But I can feel him…” Styles’ voice trailed off.
    Gonzalez looked at his team. “We’re going to go back there and find him. I’m not going to leave a man in the field.”
    Styles swung his legs out of the bed and stood. For a moment he swayed unsteadily before regaining his balance. “Did any of you bring me a steak?”
    ***
    It was night. There was a firm knock at the door. Rockbridge looked up not expecting anyone, annoyed at being disturbed and weary from a long day. “What?”
    “May I come in?” The man with black hair asked in accented English.
    “And you are?”
    “Vladimir Dratshev, GRU.”
    “Russian military intelligence?”
    “Yes.”
    Rockbridge stood. “Please come in.”
    The Russian entered. “Thank you. From your expression I sense that you were not expecting me?”
    Rockbridge noted the man’s rank insignia. “No General. But that is nothing new; my small team here is ignored by ISAF. We just do the dirty jobs and are not important enough to know what else is going on. But it is always a pleasure to meet our international colleagues.” Rockbridge extended his hand, Dratshev shook. The grip was firm but the Russian’s hand cold.
    “I am afraid that the reason for my intrusion is a serious matter.”
    “Oh? Please take a seat, General.” Rockbridge nodded at a small fridge in the corner of what was laughingly referred to as his office. “Can I get you a drink, a coke perhaps?”
    “No, thank you.”
    “So what is so serious that warrants a visit from a General of the GRU?”
    “War crimes.”
    “What?” Rockbridge was puzzled and somewhat concerned. “Please explain.”
    “Of course. A team of your ‘operatives’ recently discovered a cave within a Taliban camp.”
    Rockbridge felt the hair on the back of his neck stand up, the mission was classified no one outside of his chain of command should have known of its existence. “I’m sorry General; I really can’t discuss any operational details with you, without express permission from the Pentagon.”
    “Here.” Dratshev handed Rockbridge an envelope. “I think you will find this is in order.”
    Rockbridge opened it and read the letter inside. “Ok. It seems that they want me to offer you ‘every assistance’.” He placed the envelope on his desk, placated but slightly annoyed. He looked at his guest, he’d let him ask the questions but he was dammed if he was going to offer up anything extra.
    “In the cave network your men entered, a man-made chamber was discovered. Is this the case?”
    “Yes.”
    “Can you describe what was found therein?”
    “Bodies.”
    “Were the bodies dressed in Soviet uniforms?”
    “Yes.”
    “How many?”
    “From memory, six.”
    “Could you tell what the cause of death was?”
    “I’m not a homicide detective General.” The Russian remained silent, gaze fixed on Rockbridge waiting for him to answer the question. “Two had been decapitated.”
    Dratshev nodded. “That is as I feared.”
    “General I will offer you all the assistance I can, but can you please tell me what this is all about?”
    “During the Soviet operation in Afghanistan...”
    Rockbridge cut him off. “Occupation.”
    Dratshev shrugged. “Let us not get bogged down by semantics. During the Soviet, occupation, there were reports of local people being abducted and tortured by Red Army soldiers. Now you in the West may have thought of us