would be departing shortly and asked the men to return to their seats.
“Hey, Derek, when you going to sack up and get into this card game?” called Randy.
Derek laughed. “I'll play a bit once we get in the air. There should be just enough time for me to take your money before we need to discuss our plans.”
“Oh, it's on, brother.”
Randy was a big-time gambler. Everyone in the intelligence community had a pet vice. For most, it was alcohol, and some preferred both alcohol and gambling, a nasty combination.
The jet took off. At this point, the mission was only seven hours away. What the hell is wrong with us? Derek wondered as he watched his men joking mercilessly with one another as if they were about to hit up a bar on Friday night.
It wasn't as though Derek was lacking a healthy level of anxiety, and there was little doubt that most of the men werenervous, but they had all learned over time to just be confident and trust themselves and their teammates. Operating nervous only got people killed. Things would work out; they always had.
C H A P T E R 6
Sunday, January 24
Turkmenistan
40,000 feet
0130 Hrs
The jet glided above the desert and mountains of Turkmenistan. The team was now a little more than two hours out.
Derek threw down his cards and said, “Eat that, bitch.”
Randy's face looked shocked. Derek had dropped four jacks, easily beating his full house. Derek reached across the table and pulled in his winnings.
“I hope you have that kind of luck on this mission, man, because I will be in your hip pocket the whole time,” joked Randy.
“Me too. OK, time to get serious. Everyone listen up. We are getting close, so let's get together back here and go over this stuff.”
The men gathered in the rear of the plane.
“It's 0135 right now. We should be jumping at approximately 0320 according to the crew, so get your minds right. The rock-star fight is over; it's time to get ready to do our job. We all know where we are jumping. It's not pretty. It's extremely unlikely that we'll avoid resistance, so stay focused, and let's all look out for each other. Remember, we are not here to fight these guys, we don't want to. That's not our job. Leave that to the Pakistani military. Our objective is to get to Kabul and set up camp for a few days. Perhaps we will be back in the FATA to play at some point, but step one is find a home and wait for our next objective. Understood?”
The men nodded as Derek continued, “Now, we packed light for a reason. We don't plan on being here too long, and we need to be mobile. So if there is anything in your pack you don't need, take it out and leave it here. Cool?”
The men nodded again.
“I know we are doing it no matter what, and that's cool,” said Grimes, “but why, again, are we jumping into the FATA, if our objective is to get to Kabul?”
“We can't land in Kabul. Te agency and military know everyone who lands there, and we have no explanation for why we are here. Te FATA has no US presence and far less visibility than anywhere in Afghanistan. I can't answer beyond that because I tend to agree with you. I am not 100 percent certain as to why it's being done this way. My only guess is we will get hands-on experience in the FATA, something hardly anyone has, and we may go back there for something. Who knows?”
Randy chimed in, “So wait, back to the packing, do I need my bathing suit or not? I am confused.”
Derek stared at Randy, trying not to laugh. “Yes. Bring it. Alright, let's get ready.”
The drop zone was in a snow-covered, mountainous region. From past experience Derek knew that while certain regions of Afghanistan and Pakistan got extremely hot in the summer, Afghanistan was rife with steep hillsides and towering mountains. The Hindu Kush mountain range, home to K2, the world's second highest peak, ran through the region.
The team dispersed and began to open their packs and put on the necessary gear. The majority of the men put on their
“Hey, Derek, when you going to sack up and get into this card game?” called Randy.
Derek laughed. “I'll play a bit once we get in the air. There should be just enough time for me to take your money before we need to discuss our plans.”
“Oh, it's on, brother.”
Randy was a big-time gambler. Everyone in the intelligence community had a pet vice. For most, it was alcohol, and some preferred both alcohol and gambling, a nasty combination.
The jet took off. At this point, the mission was only seven hours away. What the hell is wrong with us? Derek wondered as he watched his men joking mercilessly with one another as if they were about to hit up a bar on Friday night.
It wasn't as though Derek was lacking a healthy level of anxiety, and there was little doubt that most of the men werenervous, but they had all learned over time to just be confident and trust themselves and their teammates. Operating nervous only got people killed. Things would work out; they always had.
C H A P T E R 6
Sunday, January 24
Turkmenistan
40,000 feet
0130 Hrs
The jet glided above the desert and mountains of Turkmenistan. The team was now a little more than two hours out.
Derek threw down his cards and said, “Eat that, bitch.”
Randy's face looked shocked. Derek had dropped four jacks, easily beating his full house. Derek reached across the table and pulled in his winnings.
“I hope you have that kind of luck on this mission, man, because I will be in your hip pocket the whole time,” joked Randy.
“Me too. OK, time to get serious. Everyone listen up. We are getting close, so let's get together back here and go over this stuff.”
The men gathered in the rear of the plane.
“It's 0135 right now. We should be jumping at approximately 0320 according to the crew, so get your minds right. The rock-star fight is over; it's time to get ready to do our job. We all know where we are jumping. It's not pretty. It's extremely unlikely that we'll avoid resistance, so stay focused, and let's all look out for each other. Remember, we are not here to fight these guys, we don't want to. That's not our job. Leave that to the Pakistani military. Our objective is to get to Kabul and set up camp for a few days. Perhaps we will be back in the FATA to play at some point, but step one is find a home and wait for our next objective. Understood?”
The men nodded as Derek continued, “Now, we packed light for a reason. We don't plan on being here too long, and we need to be mobile. So if there is anything in your pack you don't need, take it out and leave it here. Cool?”
The men nodded again.
“I know we are doing it no matter what, and that's cool,” said Grimes, “but why, again, are we jumping into the FATA, if our objective is to get to Kabul?”
“We can't land in Kabul. Te agency and military know everyone who lands there, and we have no explanation for why we are here. Te FATA has no US presence and far less visibility than anywhere in Afghanistan. I can't answer beyond that because I tend to agree with you. I am not 100 percent certain as to why it's being done this way. My only guess is we will get hands-on experience in the FATA, something hardly anyone has, and we may go back there for something. Who knows?”
Randy chimed in, “So wait, back to the packing, do I need my bathing suit or not? I am confused.”
Derek stared at Randy, trying not to laugh. “Yes. Bring it. Alright, let's get ready.”
The drop zone was in a snow-covered, mountainous region. From past experience Derek knew that while certain regions of Afghanistan and Pakistan got extremely hot in the summer, Afghanistan was rife with steep hillsides and towering mountains. The Hindu Kush mountain range, home to K2, the world's second highest peak, ran through the region.
The team dispersed and began to open their packs and put on the necessary gear. The majority of the men put on their
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