east and increased the interval between them. The pace also slowed, stopping often to look and listen. There was no conversation, no cutting up. While this was more than likely to be as uneventful as the previous patrols, all three took it seriously.
The area was thickly covered with palmettos and scrub pines. The brush made everything invisible from their waists down. All three were wearing NVGs flipped up on their helmets. It wasn’t totally dark yet, but the light was fading fast. They’d made their way along the southern border of the neighborhood and were just turning to the north to walk the eastern side when Doc saw movement. His head snapped around as his weapon came up, and he flipped the NVG down to get a better look. Through the green murk of the device he could clearly see the side of a head, an ear and part of a black clad shoulder.
“Contact right!” Doc shouted as he squeezed the trigger on his weapon, at the same moment he was dropping to the ground. The world closing in around them as they dropped into the palmettos, Ted and Mike both swiveled, taking one step forward to pivot while dropping down as well. Mike opened up with the short machinegun; soon all three men were firing.
Ted rose up to his knees, “Moving!” He shouted.
Almost in unison, Doc and Mike screamed, “Move!”
Ted jumped up and ran forward thirty or so feet, firing as he did, before dropping down. Once on the ground, he called out, “Check!”, letting the other two know he was changing mags.
“Okay!” Doc replied, then turned towards Mike, “Moving!”
Mike paused on the trigger for an instant, “Move!” At the same Ted’s rifle re-entered the fight.
Mike could see Doc, and waited for him to reach his new position. As Doc dropped out of sight, he called out, “Check!” He was answered with an “Okay!” from Ted and Mike.
Mike continued to work the brush with the machinegun in short bursts. As soon as he heard Doc’s weapon begin firing, he rose to his knees, “Moving!” Ted and Doc acknowledged the call, and soon Mike was up and rushing forward as well.
Ted’s radio crackled in his ear, “ What the hell’s going on out there?” Sarge asked.
“Wait one,” Ted replied.
During the encounter none of the men noticed the sporadic, ineffectual return fire. As Mike was moving forward, two men broke cover, trying to run. Mike shouldered the weapon and let out a long burst cutting down both men. Seeing the two men fall, Mike scanned the area and noted that Doc and Ted were still firing slowly into the bush. Mike didn’t see any other movement or hear any return fire, so he called out, “Cease fire, cease fire!”
Doc’s head appeared above the palmettos, like a prairie dog coming out of its hole. He looked around, then at Mike, “Clear?”
“I don’t see anyone else; there are two down up there,” Mike jutted the muzzle of the weapon forwards.
“Change the belt on that weapon before we move up to check them out,” Ted said.
Mike dropped to his knee and pulled out a green plastic container with a belt of ammo for the weapon. He pulled the leading end out and connected it to what was left of the other one. With the weapon now ready, he rose to his feet, “Ready.”
The three men moved up, Mike staying a little behind them to provide cover should it be needed. Ted found the two men, lying face down. As he approached them he put a round into the head of each of the bodies, he wasn’t taking any chances. When in doubt, gray matter out. Doc came up and flipped the first body over, “Oh shit; this isn’t good.”
“Nope; if they’re already sniffing around, we’re behind the eight ball,” Ted replied.
“What is it?” Mike asked.
“They’re DHS goons,” Ted replied. He then knelt down and gripped a subdued DHS patch on the shoulder of the corpse and ripped it off.
Doc quickly searched the two bodies. As he was doing so, Ted called Sarge, “Hey Swamp Rat.”
“ What’s up?”
“We made
The area was thickly covered with palmettos and scrub pines. The brush made everything invisible from their waists down. All three were wearing NVGs flipped up on their helmets. It wasn’t totally dark yet, but the light was fading fast. They’d made their way along the southern border of the neighborhood and were just turning to the north to walk the eastern side when Doc saw movement. His head snapped around as his weapon came up, and he flipped the NVG down to get a better look. Through the green murk of the device he could clearly see the side of a head, an ear and part of a black clad shoulder.
“Contact right!” Doc shouted as he squeezed the trigger on his weapon, at the same moment he was dropping to the ground. The world closing in around them as they dropped into the palmettos, Ted and Mike both swiveled, taking one step forward to pivot while dropping down as well. Mike opened up with the short machinegun; soon all three men were firing.
Ted rose up to his knees, “Moving!” He shouted.
Almost in unison, Doc and Mike screamed, “Move!”
Ted jumped up and ran forward thirty or so feet, firing as he did, before dropping down. Once on the ground, he called out, “Check!”, letting the other two know he was changing mags.
“Okay!” Doc replied, then turned towards Mike, “Moving!”
Mike paused on the trigger for an instant, “Move!” At the same Ted’s rifle re-entered the fight.
Mike could see Doc, and waited for him to reach his new position. As Doc dropped out of sight, he called out, “Check!” He was answered with an “Okay!” from Ted and Mike.
Mike continued to work the brush with the machinegun in short bursts. As soon as he heard Doc’s weapon begin firing, he rose to his knees, “Moving!” Ted and Doc acknowledged the call, and soon Mike was up and rushing forward as well.
Ted’s radio crackled in his ear, “ What the hell’s going on out there?” Sarge asked.
“Wait one,” Ted replied.
During the encounter none of the men noticed the sporadic, ineffectual return fire. As Mike was moving forward, two men broke cover, trying to run. Mike shouldered the weapon and let out a long burst cutting down both men. Seeing the two men fall, Mike scanned the area and noted that Doc and Ted were still firing slowly into the bush. Mike didn’t see any other movement or hear any return fire, so he called out, “Cease fire, cease fire!”
Doc’s head appeared above the palmettos, like a prairie dog coming out of its hole. He looked around, then at Mike, “Clear?”
“I don’t see anyone else; there are two down up there,” Mike jutted the muzzle of the weapon forwards.
“Change the belt on that weapon before we move up to check them out,” Ted said.
Mike dropped to his knee and pulled out a green plastic container with a belt of ammo for the weapon. He pulled the leading end out and connected it to what was left of the other one. With the weapon now ready, he rose to his feet, “Ready.”
The three men moved up, Mike staying a little behind them to provide cover should it be needed. Ted found the two men, lying face down. As he approached them he put a round into the head of each of the bodies, he wasn’t taking any chances. When in doubt, gray matter out. Doc came up and flipped the first body over, “Oh shit; this isn’t good.”
“Nope; if they’re already sniffing around, we’re behind the eight ball,” Ted replied.
“What is it?” Mike asked.
“They’re DHS goons,” Ted replied. He then knelt down and gripped a subdued DHS patch on the shoulder of the corpse and ripped it off.
Doc quickly searched the two bodies. As he was doing so, Ted called Sarge, “Hey Swamp Rat.”
“ What’s up?”
“We made
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