Book One chapter 18

Posted: March 19, 2013 in Uncategorized
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CHAPTER 18

 

“Diesel wake up,” said Gunny.

Diesel woke with a start. His pistol in one hand and his combat knife in the other hand. Gunny did not move, he knew better. He had spent 3 years working with the Diesel. Diesel was lethal and dangerous machine in the field. Always at the ready to go into action at a moment’s notice.

“Easy Diesel. We three need to talk,” continued Gunny.

That’s when Diesel could see Lieutenant Jefferys kneeling behind the Gunny with his eyes as large as saucers, large and unblinking.

“What’s happened?” asked Diesel while resheathing the combat knife and putting the pistol back in his thigh rig.

“I think we may have a problem, and it’s a whopper,” said Gunny.

“How so Gunny?” Asked Diesel.

“I will let Eyes tell his part first. Then I will tell you my part,” said the Gunny.

Donovan looked at Lieutenant Jefferys. “Well?” said Diesel giving the Lieutenant deer in head lights look.

“About 3 months ago I was working at the CIA. I worked mainly at the Pentagon. But I had an office at Langley also. I did some work for the same department the army guys came from. I got to know some of the staff there pretty well. A little while ago I got up to make a head call and ran into the army guys, So I asked them what it was like working with Captain Fahey. To which they both replied that they enjoyed working with him,” explained Eyes.

“So what’s the problem, Eyes?” asked Diesel sitting up.

“The problem is that Captain Fahey is a woman and a complete bitch that nobody likes to work with, Captain Mclean.”

“First in the field you can call me Diesel. Second, what are the chances that there are two Captain Faheys working there?” asked Diesel.

“Virtually none. I had to place a call there 3 days ago, I asked to speak with Captain Fahey. No one asked me which one,” Eyes replied.

Diesel’s eye brows were almost in his hairline with that comment. “Gunny, what’s your part in this?” Diesel asked.

“Well, when the Army boys started to breakdown their weapons for cleaning they didn’t. They just wiped down the outsides. When they eat their mre’s they tried to toss the trash in the brush. I told them that they have to bury it and that they really should clean their weapons. I watched them struggle to disassemble and then assemble their rifles. I had Tag and Greywolf give them a quick class on how to move in the field as I went over the weapons. Lucky for them the weapons are pretty much idiot proof. Just two problems though,” said Gunny

“Just two.” retorted Diesel.

“First the weapons are brand spanking new probable less than a hundred rounds thru each.”

“The other problem, Gunny?”

“They forgot to use CLP.”

“None!”  said a startled Diesel.

“As dry as a bone.”

To a marine, one’s weapon was one’s life. No matter what a marine’s military occupational specialty might be a marine was a rifleman first. In the field marines always cleaned and cared for their weapons before they did anything else.

“Gunny, I need you to warn the rest of the platoon that may have a pair of wild cards in the deck. Ok, Eyes that is our, the platoons, private code for we may have been compromised. Where are the pukes now?” Diesel asked both Eyes and Gunny.

Eyes piped up with the answer out of excitement before the Gunny. “They are on watch now over with first squad’s third fire team, over in that direction,” he said pointing.

“He’s right,” stated Gunny flatly.

“Here is what we are going to do, Gunny I want you to take Eyes here to check the line. Eyes you’re gonna need your rifle and umbilical, and scope. So go get them,” said Diesel.

The lieutenant left and returned a few seconds later with his M31-A3, the umbilical, and the scope.

“Do you remember how this thing works, Eyes?”  asked Diesel.

“I believe I do, Diesel.” Eyes said tentatively.

“Go ahead and make the connections while the Gunny and I watch. Don’t worry we won’t bite your head off if you mess it up,” joked Diesel.

Eyes made the connections; first by connecting the scope to the rifle and then by connecting the umbilical cord from the scope to his helmets data port connection for the flip down HUD.

This rifle had followed the young lieutenant through his entire career since it and other combat gear were issued to him on his first day of officer candidate school.  The rifle’s microprocessor stored the necessary data that kept the weapon shooting straight and on target, either with or without a scope. This data included the weapons history with its user, storing how the user aimed the rifle and the corrections the rifle took to enable its user a clean shot.  When the proper scope was attached to the rifle, the microprocessor was enabled to adjust the scope’s crosshairs in accordance to the data stored about the issued users shooting habits.

Another function of the microprocessor was the acceptance of a new user. Should for any reason somebody other than the person the weapon was issued to, needed to use the weapon, all that was needed was to simply place one of their dog tags into a covered slot in the butt plate of the weapon. The three green LEDs will blink twice and remain unlit when the new user has been accepted.

Eyes stood up after he had made the connections. Diesel handed Eyes the 30mm grenade launcher add on for the M31-A3, plus a magazine of 10 rounds for the launcher.

“Add this to your weapon, Eyes. You have done well so far,” said Diesel.

“Yeah he’s not half bad for a cave dweller,” quipped Gunny with a grin.

When he had finished Gunny motioned that he wanted to look over the rifle. Eyes handed over his rifle and Gunny Riddle gave the weapon a quick yet thorough inspection. While the Gunny was inspecting the weapon, Eyes was putting the magazine with the 10 rounds for the grenade launcher in a pocket of his tactical vest.

“Gunny, I’d like it if you’d please work with the lieutenant, and get him to assemble and disassemble this weapon in 45 seconds. But first you two have some platoon business to address first.”

“Will do, Diesel.” said the Gunny.

“Thanks for giving me a chance to prove myself,” said Eyes.

“I’m happy to have you here Eyes.  Now here is what I want you two to do; first Gunny, take the young man here and show him how to check the line and how to setup some defenses.  While you do that, I want you to warn the squad leaders as to the possible problem that we may have with our two guests.  Second I want Eyes to get a picture of our two guests, one of each please, so I can transmit them to Big Rig,” said Diesel.

“Do you remember how to do that, Eyes?” asked Gunny.

“Yes, Gunny, it’s easy and if you pardon the pun, it’s just point and shoot. Just press the thumb switch and click,” replied Eyes.

As the lieutenant and the gunny left, Diesel laid back down. Gunny and Eyes slowly and methodically made their way around the perimeter of the platoon’s resting place. As the pair crossed paths with each squad Gunny informed the squad leader of the situation with the two army officers. Gunny and Eyes were just approaching first squad’s section of the perimeter when they met up with Sgt. Norse, a.k.a. Loki. The three men were checking that section’s defenses as Gunny informed Loki about the guests in his squad.

“Ok Eyes, do you see that knoll there about 30 meters from this edge of the bamboo?” asked the Gunny pointing to the knoll in question.

“Yes Gunny,” replied the lieutenant, nodding.

“Loki, do you happen to have two more claymores with your squad?” asked Gunny turning to Sgt. Norse.

“Sure do Gunny.  In fact I’ve got three if you need a spare,” replied the sergeant.

“Good, have Boots and the Saint run two of them out here, I need you to get Tweedel Dee and Tweedel Dum engaged in some sort of conversation so Eyes here can get a good clean picture of the two of them,” stated the Gunny.

“Uh, Gunny, which one is Tweedle Dee?” asked Eyes and Loki in unison.

“Very funny wise asses,” Gunny said smiling. “Loki, get me those claymores.” .

As Loki went back to his men Gunny pointed to some trees.“Eyes, set up to take the pictures,” said Gunny.

Eyes and Gunny moved to a better spot where they had an unobstructed view of both Army officers while remaining hidden. The place they moved to was a small stand of pine trees.

“Okay here is a good spot. I can see both lieutenants from here. I want you to zoom in on each one and get a good clean facial picture of each,” said Gunny in a hoarse whisper.

Eyes knelt down on the fallen pine needles and pine cones that littered the ground beneath the large pine tree. He used one of the pine tree’s numerous lower branches and the tree’s trunk to brace his weapon. Eyes was so focused on the task that he did not feel the rough bark dig in to his forearm or the ant that meandered across his left hand as he steadied the rifle and prepared to take the pictures. Eyes gently pressed the thumb switch once and shifted his aim and pressed the thumb switch again. Inside the scope and on the lieutenant’s small flip down HUD, a small icon was now flashing. The flashing icon was telling him that he now had two captured images ready for downloading and transmitting.

“Got ‘em,” Eyes said looking up at Gunny. Eyes grinning like a little boy that just got away with something in church.

“Good, here come Saint and Boots,” said Gunny

Saint and Boots made their way to the location where Gunny and Eyes had been. They where in grossed in a debate as Gunny and Eyes made their way back.

“Cut the chatter. Boots you’re going to show Eyes,” Gunny jerked his thumb toward the lieutenant. “and Saint, how to place and rig a set of two claymores to sweep the backside of that knoll over there,” said Gunny tersely as he pointed out the knoll in question.

“Yes Gunny,” replied Boots before taking a sip from his camelback.

The Gunny continued, “That spot on the backside of the knoll would make a nice spot for someone to sit and call in some support if the wrong people got there. So what we want to do is to make sure that that position is well within our kill zone for these bad boys. Boots where would you place these claymores?” asked the Gunny.

“Let’s see. The first one I would place in those bushes to the right of the mound and the next one I would place in the tree next to the bushes and angle it down and away from our positions,” observed Boots.

“Good call Boots. I want them on separate lines and controllers so they can be blown one at a time. Now make it happen and hide the wires,” said Gunny.

When that task was finished the foursome made their way back to the perimeter toward Loki’s position to finish the connections and hand off the controllers. Gunny and Eyes continued their trek around the site checking and modifying defenses as needed.

While the Gunny was giving the lieutenant a lesson in combat patrol survival, Diesel had fallen asleep and was dreaming about Christine. He had met Christine quite by accident while attending O.C.S. His attention to details and his innate leadership made him a natural officer.  Diesel showed the men and women who served with him the tricks of the trade that he had learned as an enlisted marine. The people in his platoon never failed an inspection or a test. Diesel would split up the work details and various assignments so that the people that needed more time for studying or training got it. Because of this, his platoon had more free time.

It was one of these days when he had free time, Diesel was running the platoons dress uniforms out to a dry cleaners off base when he met Christine. After paying for his dry cleaning, Diesel turned to hastily dart out of the store and literally ran into a very beautiful young lady about the same age as Diesel. She stood about 5 foot 1 inch and weighed about 95 pounds. She was falling backwards due to the force at which he collided with her, but Diesel quick as lighting, grabbed her and kept her from hitting the linoleum tiled floor. He paused momentarily to stare into her eyes. Her eyes were sparkling with life. Diesel could sense the mischievousness and the exuberance that were hidden just below the surface of those blue-grey and green eyes.

Diesel took a deep breath; he was captivated by her eyes, face and hair. He took a deep breath and said, “My mother said that one day a beautiful lady would take my breath away, she was right. Are you okay?”

“I’m okay,” Christine replied blushing deeply.

Diesel inhaled and caught the scent of her perfume, it was Channel number five. The entrance door of the cleaners opened as a new customer walked in and the slight breeze caught her hair, it smelled of jasmine. He was cradling her head and back in his hands and arms,  and felt her light brown, shoulder length hair was soft a silk and the skin of her shoulder was soft and smooth and tantalizingly tanned.

“Are you going to let me up?” Christine asked, still slightly pink.

“Uh, yes I’m so sorry. I did not mean to run you over. Please allow me to make it up to you,” Donovan pleaded as he helped the young lady to her feet. “Please let me pay for your dry cleaning,” Donovan glanced over to where the young woman’s cleaning was lying in a jumbled pile on the floor.  He felt awful about having knocked this tiny woman from her feet and caused her cleaning to get rumpled and dirty.

“I have a better idea, how about you buy me lunch someday,” Christine replied with a twinkle in her eyes and a smile on her lips.

Donovan countered, “How about I do both?” He too was smiling.

“Deal,” she replied.

They exchanged names and numbers.

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