Interdiction - W.Addison Gast (great novels TXT) 📗

him directly for several seconds before he spoke.
“In my country, a gentleman can smoke in anyplace at any time and that includes our aircraft.”
DJ took the same amount of time to respond and stared back into the cold black eyes of the bearded one.
“Yes my friend, I have been on some of the aircraft and in places in your country and smelled where at one time or another you were there with your cigar but this is not your countries aircraft. This is a Gulf stream 550 aircraft, one of the finest engineering accomplishments of our aerospace industry and it belongs to Brigadier Thomas Jacobs who does not smoke. “
“Lieutenant, I am……..”
DJ cut him short. He looked at the man again and as he spoke in perfect Hebrew this time.
“Out with the fucking cigar Ben Groin. Now.”
As DJ spoke those words in Hebrew, the flight attendant looked around the corner of the bulkhead and watched as DJ reached over and turned on the air jet nozzle to full.
He then reached over and took the half empty glass of scotch the wide eyed companion in the seat across from him and put it in front of the bearded one.
“In here. Sir and the attendant here will assist you in disposing of same.”
The bearded one extinguished the cigar in the glass of scotch and handed it to the attendant who hurriedly vanished with the ill smelling package.
“Thank you sir on behalf of General Jacobs and the crew here.”
DJ returned to his seat.
“You react pretty strong when you get tilted don’t you guy?” Smiling Danny remarked as DJ took his seat.
“Pissed me off man. They are guests on this plane, they don’t own it. Who are those people anyway?”
“Ask Penny. She is you Google-lady on two feet DJ. She can give you the guys mothers name and which side he dresses on.”
“Google-Lady?”
“You know-googlize the question-it returns tons of info—she is that. The guys in the department back at Langley nicked her.”

It was amazingly quiet in the front compartment from that moment on.

The airport at Mazar I Sharif was used by the Russians to launch air strikes against the Northern alliance and Taliban during their conflict. It is the home of the famous Blue Mosque and the second largest city in Afghanistan The name literally means “Tomb of the Chosen One” It is also very dirty and very dry. Dust and debris clutter the streets and only the market areas appear to have any maintenance to the buildings. Many buildings are either vacant or occupied by vagrants who lost their homes to bombs and shelling during wars in the past twenty years. It does have a decent modern airport. The Gulfstream V landed and taxied to a secure area some distance from the terminal. As they taxied into the area and parked, DJ noticed out the window an older turbojet resembling a Short 360. It was secured and several guards were walking around the aircraft armed with automatics. The Star of David insignia was the only bright paint on the aircraft.
Penny had been in the forward section of the aircraft using the secure communication desk. When she returned to where DJ and Dan were just getting their gear together to exit, she gave some last minute instructions.
“Hang tight for a few you guys, this sergeant that has been in contact with these suspects here will join us onboard for an update and then Dan and I will go to the Embassy for the night and return to Langley tomorrow.”
Outside the window on the left of the aircraft, DJ could see three large black SUV parked alongside two humvee. A tall tan master sergeant was walking toward DJ’s plane with two other soldiers in full combat gear. They came up the stairs to the open hatch and looked inside while talking to the flight attendants. Penny looked around the edge of the cubical bulkhead and motioned for the trio to come to the rear of the aircraft.
Penny asked the two soldiers accompanying the master sergeant if they would like a cold drink and they accepted. Penny then politely offered two seats to the men motioning to the center of the aircraft.
DJ’s first question after the intro was to find out what was going down at this moment at the OP.
“We have full stream video on the entire block Lieutenant and a rapid response team on alert if needed.”
“Penny, do you have anymore on those images we sent CENTCOM” Asked DJ
“I have the entire story we have so far in this briefing folder Lieutenant. You can read it as you have time and need. I’ll leave it with you.”
“And what about these two people that left the place last night? Did we track them to wherever they were going?”
Penny looked sheepishly over at Cowboy for a response.
“We got burned Lieutenant. The gal that was in the car or her friend that she picked up evidently found the transmitter and placed it with some Bedouins moving across the desert. “
DJ visualized that story and thought of how this group felt about being outsmarted by a lone, unidentified woman.
Penny gave the group some last minute intelligence that she had received from Langley and they departed the aircraft.
At the bottom of the stairs was the bearded one with three others including the two on the plane. This made the Israeli group six. The three black SUV came around the back of the aircraft and stopped about twenty feet from where DJ and Cowboy were walking. As Cowboy and DJ started to climb into the SUV the bearded one raised his hand and spoke.
“Lieutenant Jacobs wait just a moment please. I am colonel Nygel of the Israeli intelligence agency.”
DJ didn’t lose step and continued to the front SUV in the group. Cowboy was already in the back seat holding an M60.
“You have an observation post that is watching a person that we want to question very badly.”
DJ was climbing into the SUV.
“We would like to join your group and assist in any way possible to apprehend these people alive so they may be questioned. Do you understand me?”
DJ held the door open for just a moment as he looked at the Israeli and replied.
“Colonel, I have no idea who or what you are talking about. I have orders for my group here and you are not included. For you to accompany my unit here you will need specific orders authorized by this area command and if you want to go looking for suspects in the Afghan desert, I could care less. Driver lets move out.”
DJ slammed the door as the bewildered Colonel shouted. “We will follow and talk to your superiors!” The colonel’s face was red.
As they approached the security gate from the airport, DJ asked Cowboy;
“You know anything about this Colonel and who he is talking about?
“The Israeli hard case? -never heard of , or seen before but the guy he is probably talking about has been identified as Raj Al-Akayev by his face image we sent to CENTCOM. Langley put his mug on the system when our group was trying to get feedback and Tel Aviv must have cracked it. This tango is still in the nest so far as I know Lieutenant. The thing that pisses me is what he said about us watching him. How did he know we had an OP here?”
They approached the security gate. It was manned by U S Marines.
A master gunny came to the passenger side of the first SUV as DJ lowered the window. He looked at the gunny’s name badge and at the same time showed him his Langley top security credentials.
“Gunny, I need a little assistance from you and your men here at this post.
The sergeant saluted and stepped closer to the SUV.
“Yes Sir. Lieutenant, what can we do sir?”
“This group behind us-the three vehicles behind the last humvee here,….”
The sergeant looked back at the rear of the departing column of vehicles.
“In my opinion, those people need a real heads-up inspection prior to leaving this airport. I’m going to be moving this group to an operational area and I don’t want these sports fans to follow me to the playing field—got me?”
“Yes Sir-have a good day sir.”
The sergeant stepped back and the security post rose to pass the three SUV and two humvee. It came down again between the last three SUV and the Humvee
Cowboy’s radio crackled and a call sign came over the secure channel.
“Go ahead Scorpion.”
“We have activity here Cowboy
“Describe Scorpion.”
“Tangos have increased the rooftop smokers two in number now and they are at different positions.”.
“Any change in the RF?”
“Not to mention but they seem to be moving around a lot according to the IR we are getting.”
DJ interrupted.
“Scorpion. Are all the same individuals still in the nest?”
“Affirm Sir, no change in that and we don’t see any smoke or anything that would suggest they are burning files or trying to clean the place.”
“Scorpion. You have a direct link to head shed there. Ask them to put Eagle over there to catch any runaways roger?
“Roger, Sir”
“We’ll be there in about ten . Cowboy out.”
DJ ordered the two humvee with the 50 cal to stay back two blocks but ordered the three SUV to come up behind the building where the OP was.
“How many men do you have in this group Cowboy?” DJ was planning as he spoke.
“Six in the other SUV and two on the roof plus two on lookout across the street.”
“Can we take out the nest.? Its your group. If you need assistance let me know now
“I need some cover for my injection team Lieutenant maybe eight more guys. “
Ok, call em and on my command, get the rapid response team here. We’re going to have to take this nest apart before they clean it so bad we can’t read shit from what they leave.—move.!”
Just as DJ instructed, the two humvee dropped back and stayed two blocks from the tango’s nest. The three black SUV pulled up silently behind the house that had the OP on the top. Cowboy brought all his unit together and briefed them on what they were going to do. DJ climbed the ladder to the OP and got down on his belly and crawled over to the op cover with Cowboy.
“Let me have the earphones that are hooked to the RF.” He asked the man who had been manning the op since daybreak.
“DJ was listening to the conversation on their radio. It was in Pashtu and the guy was talking very fast and excitedly. .
Just then Cowboy nudged DJ and pointed up to the sky and then put his hand to his left ear. It was the predator-Eagle had come on station.
“Can I take a look through the glasses from the edge over there? Asked DJ of one of the observers.
“Not a good idea Sir. We have been using the video from the cameras mounted on the corner over there and the building across the street.”
“Let me take a look”
“That house directly across the street-is that where you think this tunnel is?” Asked DJ
“Afirm sir, but cpl stanis and I think there is another entrance or exit to this room where all the activity is going on.”
“How so?”
“We never see any of these guys come or go using that house across the street. Its only the people that come by show up on the IR as entering the