well away from where any of the lads in his platoon could hear, but for some reason, he had allowed Andy to be within earshot. Andy had heard the news, and it wasn’t good.
The battalion had abandoned their permanent camp south-west of the town and pulled back to K2, the region’s main airstrip, where they were holding a defensive perimeter as a steady stream of Hercules C130s were landing and evacuating the British army from this region of Iraq, one company at a time.
Carter had said that the Major was looking into putting together a relief effort of some sort to bail them out, but from the grim look on the young man’s face, Andy guessed the officer had been told this was going to be a very long shot.
‘You okay?’ asked Andy.
‘Why the hell are they leaving?’
Andy shook his head. ‘This situation must have got worse.’
A lot worse if the British army was pulling out.
‘I just don’t get it. Surely they’d be sending more troops here to help calm this thing down.’ Lieutenant Carter wiped dust, sweat and grime from his face with his shemagh . ‘Things have just gone crazy.’
‘I’ve got a feeling there’s much more going on than we know about,’ Andy said quietly. ‘We know it started with a series of explosions in Saudi designed, by someone , to provoke widespread rage.’
‘Someone? You mean like Al-Qaeda?’
Andy shrugged, ‘Possibly, they’re the obvious candidates. This does feel . . . orchestrated , doesn’t it?’
Carter nodded absent-mindedly, distracted with more immediate concerns.
‘Listen,’ he said after a while, ‘I’m not sure they can spare the men to come after us. It sounded like they were stretched thin and getting a lot of contacts around K2.’ He bit his lip again, and then added, ‘We might have to make our own way out of this mess.’
‘Oh Christ,’ replied Andy.
‘But don’t tell anyone. Don’t tell my men. Okay?’
‘Sure.’
Carter squatted down on his haunches and leant against the pink wall, burying his face in his hands.
‘Shit, I don’t know what to do,’ he muttered.
Andy looked around and noticed some of the platoon looking uncertainly at the officer from their stations around the compound wall. He kneeled down beside him.
‘Your men are watching you,’ he whispered quietly.
The young officer immediately straightened up and sucked in a deep breath. ‘You’re right,’ he replied with a nod and a grim smile. ‘I’ll work something out.’
Andy nodded, ‘Sure.’ He wanted to give the lad a reassuring pat on the shoulder, but with those squaddies intently studying their CO, he knew they probably shouldn’t witness that. No matter how screwed up the young Lieutenant thought the situation was, as far as the lads were concerned, this had to look like a momentary operational glitch, that things were in hand and a remedy already on its way. Lieutenant Carter had to look upbeat.
Andy didn’t envy him having to brass it out like that. He stood up and made his way across the compound to where Mike, Erich and Ustov sat in the shade of the parked vehicles and, a few yards away, Farid and the two young drivers sat, watched over by a soldier.
Mike nodded in the direction of the Lieutenant. ‘What’s the news then?’
‘We’re not the only ones with problems.’
‘And what the fuck is that meaning?’ asked Erich.
Andy felt he had to support Carter and throw some sort of a positive spin on things, but it felt crap lying to them. ‘It means it might take them a little while to get round to helping us out. But they will.’
Mike offered a wry smile. ‘Sure.’
Andy’s mobile phone began to ring. He looked down at it with some surprise and checked the number of the incoming call.
‘It’s the wife,’ he muttered with a bemused look, which triggered a snort of laughter from both Mike and Erich, whilst Ustov simply looked confused.
‘I told you honey, never call me at work,’ quipped Mike.
Andy smiled and then answered the
The battalion had abandoned their permanent camp south-west of the town and pulled back to K2, the region’s main airstrip, where they were holding a defensive perimeter as a steady stream of Hercules C130s were landing and evacuating the British army from this region of Iraq, one company at a time.
Carter had said that the Major was looking into putting together a relief effort of some sort to bail them out, but from the grim look on the young man’s face, Andy guessed the officer had been told this was going to be a very long shot.
‘You okay?’ asked Andy.
‘Why the hell are they leaving?’
Andy shook his head. ‘This situation must have got worse.’
A lot worse if the British army was pulling out.
‘I just don’t get it. Surely they’d be sending more troops here to help calm this thing down.’ Lieutenant Carter wiped dust, sweat and grime from his face with his shemagh . ‘Things have just gone crazy.’
‘I’ve got a feeling there’s much more going on than we know about,’ Andy said quietly. ‘We know it started with a series of explosions in Saudi designed, by someone , to provoke widespread rage.’
‘Someone? You mean like Al-Qaeda?’
Andy shrugged, ‘Possibly, they’re the obvious candidates. This does feel . . . orchestrated , doesn’t it?’
Carter nodded absent-mindedly, distracted with more immediate concerns.
‘Listen,’ he said after a while, ‘I’m not sure they can spare the men to come after us. It sounded like they were stretched thin and getting a lot of contacts around K2.’ He bit his lip again, and then added, ‘We might have to make our own way out of this mess.’
‘Oh Christ,’ replied Andy.
‘But don’t tell anyone. Don’t tell my men. Okay?’
‘Sure.’
Carter squatted down on his haunches and leant against the pink wall, burying his face in his hands.
‘Shit, I don’t know what to do,’ he muttered.
Andy looked around and noticed some of the platoon looking uncertainly at the officer from their stations around the compound wall. He kneeled down beside him.
‘Your men are watching you,’ he whispered quietly.
The young officer immediately straightened up and sucked in a deep breath. ‘You’re right,’ he replied with a nod and a grim smile. ‘I’ll work something out.’
Andy nodded, ‘Sure.’ He wanted to give the lad a reassuring pat on the shoulder, but with those squaddies intently studying their CO, he knew they probably shouldn’t witness that. No matter how screwed up the young Lieutenant thought the situation was, as far as the lads were concerned, this had to look like a momentary operational glitch, that things were in hand and a remedy already on its way. Lieutenant Carter had to look upbeat.
Andy didn’t envy him having to brass it out like that. He stood up and made his way across the compound to where Mike, Erich and Ustov sat in the shade of the parked vehicles and, a few yards away, Farid and the two young drivers sat, watched over by a soldier.
Mike nodded in the direction of the Lieutenant. ‘What’s the news then?’
‘We’re not the only ones with problems.’
‘And what the fuck is that meaning?’ asked Erich.
Andy felt he had to support Carter and throw some sort of a positive spin on things, but it felt crap lying to them. ‘It means it might take them a little while to get round to helping us out. But they will.’
Mike offered a wry smile. ‘Sure.’
Andy’s mobile phone began to ring. He looked down at it with some surprise and checked the number of the incoming call.
‘It’s the wife,’ he muttered with a bemused look, which triggered a snort of laughter from both Mike and Erich, whilst Ustov simply looked confused.
‘I told you honey, never call me at work,’ quipped Mike.
Andy smiled and then answered the
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