The Moscow Cipher by Scott Mariani

Author:Scott Mariani
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2018-05-30T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 29

The insertion of the commander and a twenty-man assault team into the vicinity of the target had had to be carried out fast and covertly, using a hastily scrambled trio of Kamov Ka-226T utility helicopters carrying seven troops apiece. Once the exact position had been pinpointed, the Mission Chief back at base had established a suitable drop zone 4.5 kilometres to the north: close enough for the commander and his team to make their way cross-country once on the ground, far enough away for the helicopters to make their pass unheard by the occupants of the farmhouse. A survey of the local topography had revealed a ridge of forested hillside that would mask the lights of the aircraft from view, if the pilots made their final approach to the DZ at sufficiently low altitude.

The drop had gone without a hitch. Moving silently in seven squads of three men each, the team covered the four and a half kilometres like the skilled, experienced operatives they were. Once they reached the target zone, every man knew his role. For this mission they had been issued a mixture of non-lethal weaponry in the form of the latest extended-range wireless Taser guns intended for the capture of Petrov and the girl, as well as the more usual hardware associated with their work: 9mm Glock pistols for the Taser crew, and compact AEK-919K Kashtan submachine guns as used by Russian Special Forces, fitted with silencers, tactical lights and lasers, for everyone else.

The lethal firearms were primarily intended for the purpose of eliminating the British ex-soldier called Ben Hope who posed the most significant threat to the success of their mission and had been the sole reason for deploying such a large force of men in the first place. If not for his presence, the idea of sending three helicopters loaded with twenty-one combat operatives to take care of two amateurs and a little girl would have seemed like madness. But Hope’s involvement, whatever the reason for it, changed everything. The team had been briefed on his background and level of ability. What they had been told about this man made them rightly nervous. Nobody would hesitate to shoot to kill on sight.

Arriving at the target zone, the team had spread out to more closely reconnoitre the operational area from various angles and finalise their assault plan. Other than a barking dog and a few nervous goats, all seemed quiet and calm at the farmstead. The team leader had been in frequent radio contact with the Mission Chief who, sitting in his command centre far away, was watching the entire show via live satellite feed on his big screen. It was the satellite that had picked up on the dark shadow on the rise overlooking the farmstead from the south. When the commander sent a squad to investigate, they confirmed that it was the same black Mercedes they’d been looking for.

The remaining troopers, meanwhile, carried out a final weapons check and prepared themselves for the breaching entry of the farmhouse.

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