Stone Soldiers 00.2 - Catching Fire by C. E. Martin

Author:C. E. Martin [Martin, C. E.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Goodreads: 18071139
Published: 2013-05-31T17:00:00+00:00

Five hours later, after two air-to-air refuelings, the MF-12 was in position over the Middle East. The nose began to drop and the TTV scrolled out a message about an approaching drop zone.

Despite all his briefings on this tried-and-true rapid transport the Detachment had been using for years, Smith cringed when the twin passenger tubes were jettisoned at speed- plummeting earthward like guided bombs. At a thousand feet, large parachutes in the tails of the tubes deployed and slowed their descent. Just a minute later they dropped onto the pre-dawn sand of the Iraqi desert.

Explosive bolts sounded and Smith knew he could climb free. He pushed the heavy lid of his tube open and sat up.

The large parachutes attached to his tube billowed in a gentle wind. A hundred feet away, the Colonel was already out of his tube, folding up his parachutes and tucking them inside.

"Rise and shine, Smith- we have a schedule to keep!"

Smith climbed from his tube and quickly packed up his own parachutes, then grabbed his duffel and headed over to meet the Colonel.

Kenslir already had all his gear on now- a six color desert camo combat vest, low-hanging thigh rigs on each leg, and a USAS-12 autoshotgun with underbarrel grenade launcher slung across his back.

"Get your gear on," he directed, watching the area around them. So far, only the desert wind showed any life in the open desert.

"I thought we were supposed to have transport?" Smith asked, opening his duffel. He quickly put on his own vest and gear. He carried an M-60E2 machine gun as his main weapon- one with solid steel grips the Colonel had hastily fabricated in a machine shop before they left the States.

"Damn zoomies," Kenslir growled. "Can't read a map to save their lives."

"Sir?" Smith asked, wondering if the Colonel was talking about their pilot in the MF-12.

"USAF patrol was supposed to put a Sandrail here," Kenslir said. "Their GPS probably went out and they got lost. Hold on a sec."

The Colonel quickly tapped into a satellite network with his TTV. Using a dedicated satellite reserved for their mission, he quickly located the ground vehicle.

"Two klicks," he said, pointing.

Kenslir then set off at a run, heading toward the distant military dune buggy. Smith fell into step behind him, running along at a pace he knew no normal flesh and blood soldier could manage.

After a good run, they finally reached the sandrail- an Army vehicle equipped with a grenade launcher and machineguns. Smith relaxed a little when he saw the car- he'd used one before. He slid in the front passenger seat as Kenslir got behind the wheel.

Their TTVs now displayed a distant beacon on the horizon- their destination.

"Why do we even need a buggy?" Smith asked.

"Because if we come running up on foot, someone's bound to get suspicious," Kenslir said. Then he punched the gas and they shot off across the sand.

***

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