Echo Six: Black Ops 7 - Tibetan Fury by Eric Meyer
Authors: Eric Meyer
Tags: thriller, Literature & Fiction, Action & Adventure, Mystery, War & Military, Genre Fiction, Mystery; Thriller & Suspense, War, Men's Adventure
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country would be burning oil lamps at this time of the night. It would invite a visit from the police."
So much for the Christmas card scene.
They marched another kilometer, and then the back marker, Heinrich Buchmann, called up.
"I can hear helos coming in from the north, three, maybe four. Wait, I can see them. I can't be sure, but they look like troop carriers."
The aircraft were downwind of them, and they hadn't heard them until they were almost on top of them. Soon, the roar of the engines shattered the quiet of the snow-covered landscape. Talley glanced back and saw a flight of four helos heading toward them at speed. They were medium-sized troop carriers, probably Harbin Z-9s. The craft wouldn't be mounting machine guns or missiles, although they'd carry something far more dangerous. Troops. Nine or so in each machine, and they were dropping toward the ground in front of them ready for a landing. Which meant more than thirty men would be deployed between their position and the nunnery.
Further away, about three kilometers to the east, trucks were moving along a highway.
"These guys mean business," Admiral Brooks said quietly to him.
"They must have found those men we killed. We won't make our destination, not until we're able to work out a way to slip past them." He turned to Grace again, "We need to take shelter, now! Until they've cleared the area."
She thought for a few moments. "There's a Buddhist shrine about a kilometer ahead of us. You should be able to see it soon with your NV goggles. It'll show up as a hump in the ground, about two meters high and a little less than a meter square. You can get inside. There’s a hidden entrance."
"It doesn't sound large enough to take more than one or two men."
She nodded. "What isn't visible is an underground room beneath the main shrine. It was dug shortly after the invasion so that priests who were worshipping at the shrine could hide from those who would do them harm. As I recall, it will be large enough for all of us."
He nodded and looked ahead. The helos were even lower, and then they landed about two and a half klicks away. He could see the shrine too, a solitary shape that stuck out above the flat landscape. It was on almost a direct line to the helos, which were now discharging their troops. It was going to be a close run thing, but being caught out in the open would be the end of them all. He called Guy to him and pointed out the shrine. His number two had already spotted the troops.
"That's where we're headed," Talley told him, "There's a place to hide. We'll go single file, and I want two men in the rear to camouflage our back trail. It's going to be close."
Guy didn't reply for a moment. He was studying the ground intently. Then he turned to Talley.
"There's a narrow irrigation ditch a few meters away, and it goes right past the shrine. If we follow its course and brush over our back trail, we may be okay. May be."
Grace nodded eagerly. "Yes, that's right. The ditch runs as far as the nunnery. In the rainy season, it helps to water their crops and gardens. We could follow it all the way in when the troops have moved on."
"That's the way we'll do it. Lieutenant Rovere, you heard?"
"Roger that. I'll make sure Heinrich has some help with the back trail."
"Put Jesse Whitefeather with him. Indians are good at that sort of thing, or so they tell me."
He grinned. "Let's hope so."
It took them thirty seconds to assemble in the bottom of the ditch, which was less than a meter deep. But they were almost out of sight, and they could drop flat to be invisible if the enemy came near. Talley took the point once more, with Grace behind him, followed by Guy leading the rest of the men.
He led off at a crouching jog. It would be a near thing. The enemy troops had already formed a skirmish line and were starting to march across the landscape, shouting to one another as they walked. The helicopters took off, and he was in no doubt they'd be back soon with a
So much for the Christmas card scene.
They marched another kilometer, and then the back marker, Heinrich Buchmann, called up.
"I can hear helos coming in from the north, three, maybe four. Wait, I can see them. I can't be sure, but they look like troop carriers."
The aircraft were downwind of them, and they hadn't heard them until they were almost on top of them. Soon, the roar of the engines shattered the quiet of the snow-covered landscape. Talley glanced back and saw a flight of four helos heading toward them at speed. They were medium-sized troop carriers, probably Harbin Z-9s. The craft wouldn't be mounting machine guns or missiles, although they'd carry something far more dangerous. Troops. Nine or so in each machine, and they were dropping toward the ground in front of them ready for a landing. Which meant more than thirty men would be deployed between their position and the nunnery.
Further away, about three kilometers to the east, trucks were moving along a highway.
"These guys mean business," Admiral Brooks said quietly to him.
"They must have found those men we killed. We won't make our destination, not until we're able to work out a way to slip past them." He turned to Grace again, "We need to take shelter, now! Until they've cleared the area."
She thought for a few moments. "There's a Buddhist shrine about a kilometer ahead of us. You should be able to see it soon with your NV goggles. It'll show up as a hump in the ground, about two meters high and a little less than a meter square. You can get inside. There’s a hidden entrance."
"It doesn't sound large enough to take more than one or two men."
She nodded. "What isn't visible is an underground room beneath the main shrine. It was dug shortly after the invasion so that priests who were worshipping at the shrine could hide from those who would do them harm. As I recall, it will be large enough for all of us."
He nodded and looked ahead. The helos were even lower, and then they landed about two and a half klicks away. He could see the shrine too, a solitary shape that stuck out above the flat landscape. It was on almost a direct line to the helos, which were now discharging their troops. It was going to be a close run thing, but being caught out in the open would be the end of them all. He called Guy to him and pointed out the shrine. His number two had already spotted the troops.
"That's where we're headed," Talley told him, "There's a place to hide. We'll go single file, and I want two men in the rear to camouflage our back trail. It's going to be close."
Guy didn't reply for a moment. He was studying the ground intently. Then he turned to Talley.
"There's a narrow irrigation ditch a few meters away, and it goes right past the shrine. If we follow its course and brush over our back trail, we may be okay. May be."
Grace nodded eagerly. "Yes, that's right. The ditch runs as far as the nunnery. In the rainy season, it helps to water their crops and gardens. We could follow it all the way in when the troops have moved on."
"That's the way we'll do it. Lieutenant Rovere, you heard?"
"Roger that. I'll make sure Heinrich has some help with the back trail."
"Put Jesse Whitefeather with him. Indians are good at that sort of thing, or so they tell me."
He grinned. "Let's hope so."
It took them thirty seconds to assemble in the bottom of the ditch, which was less than a meter deep. But they were almost out of sight, and they could drop flat to be invisible if the enemy came near. Talley took the point once more, with Grace behind him, followed by Guy leading the rest of the men.
He led off at a crouching jog. It would be a near thing. The enemy troops had already formed a skirmish line and were starting to march across the landscape, shouting to one another as they walked. The helicopters took off, and he was in no doubt they'd be back soon with a
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