Assassins

By Richard V. Alley

In Assassins, you will meet interesting characters that have a tough job. The Alliance for Trans-Jurisdictional Justice is a multinational organization that brings international criminals to justice, in absentia, if necessary, in The Hague. If evidence provided is compelling enough to warrant conviction, then their sentence will be carried out by a select set of teams who are sent to where the criminals are hiding. The Justice System only functions when all are held to the standard of the law.

• Language: English
• Publisher: BookBaby
• Release date: Nov 24, 2023
• ISBN: 9798350931709

Book preview

Chapter 1

Sniper Team 4:

Priya Patel: Scope

Suzi Johnston: Weapon

33° 43’ 36.05" S

18° 57’ 7.91" E      Southwest of Paarl South Africa.

As Suzi Johnston looked through the optics, attached to her rifle, on the scene below, she searched each face looking for the one that would match the photograph she had memorized.  It appeared that the goons had somewhere to go as they were readying the vehicles below.  The house had been quiet for the first two days after she, and her spotter, Priya, had arrived at their current roost.  She was glad it was spring as there was at least some ground cover between their spot and the target area.  She keyed her mike and whispered, Looks like they’re taking the big Rover. 

Yeah, maybe our guy.

Range to the target?

Two Zero Five

Wind?

Negligible

With it being a down angle shot, Suzi made the proper allowance and continued to glass the target area.

She saw the one they called Salty open the back door and her finger applied pressure to the trigger.  Through her scope she saw a person in a light charcoal suit appear and then just as quickly disappear from her view. The door shut and the vehicles started to move.  With the window tint, she had no possible shot and she removed her finger from the trigger.  The three vehicles sped away, and Suzi felt her whole body relax.  She whispered into her mike, Since the target is gone, I’m going to get some sleep.

Priya looked over at her, and replied, Roger, I’ll continue to look over the target area.

Suzi kept her position but rolled her head to the side and before Priya finished speaking, she was asleep.  One of the things that Priya envied was her partner’s ability to take power naps, whenever and where ever the opportunity arose.  She had seen Suzi sleep in just about any position imaginable, including standing up.  As Suzi slept in the cool morning air, Priya continued to look through her spotter’s scope at the target’s compound.  From her vantage point, she was able to look down on the grounds and red tiled roof.  She thought to herself, If I was in his business, I would have a more defensible position.  She knew that 200 M for someone of Suzi’s skill was like shooting fish in a barrel.  As she continued to look upon the target, she saw the glass door that opened to the pool area begin to move.  A long legged blonde stepped out of the house and onto the pool deck.  She was about six feet tall from what Priya had seen, comparing her to the men whose heights they knew.  She was wearing a micro-kini, and was barefoot.  She and Suzi had named her ‘The Valkyrie,’ because she had very strong Nordic features. Although she couldn’t hear what was being said, she noticed that ‘The Valkyrie’ was speaking to someone.  Priya thought, Who is she speaking to? All the important people are gone.  They had noticed how the security staff was ignored like they were invisible by those they guarded.  ‘The Valkyrie’ turned around and said something else and then threw her towel across the chaise.  She walked purposefully to the deep end of the oddly shaped pool and dove in.  She came up out of the water with the grace of some mythical sea creature, and walked to the lounge.  She lay down on her stomach and yelled something back at the house.  The glass door again opened and Priya flinched.  It was their target.  She calmly reached over to Suzi and squeezed her arm. Suzi was immediately awake and alert.  She spoke into her microphone in the soft practiced voice, I’m awake, what’s wrong?

Only that our target is out by the pool and no one is around.

What?

Look!

Suzi blinked hard to clear her vision and when she opened her eye the optics put her right there on the pool deck.  The chaise was only about 5 feet from the coping of the pool.  The target came out and sat down on the pool side of the lounge. He squeezed some tanning oil out into his left hand and placed the bottle on the concrete below the lounge.  He vigorously rubbed his hands together and began to rub the oil into the back of his girlfriend. 

Suzi asked, Range to target?

Two-One-Five Meters.

Wind?"

Looks to be 2 knots from the East."

Suzi calmly adjusted her scope to allow for the wind and started to depress the trigger. Her plan was to wait until the target stood up, and then to the take the shot.  With a shot to the chest he should fall backwards into the pool. With her finger poised in anticipation, she knew that she was right at the edge of her trigger break.  As he stood up, she exhaled and squeezed the trigger. Priya saw the round strike him in the chest and watched as he fell backwards into the pool.  The protective vest he was wearing provided no protection from the .45 caliber Teflon coated Titanium bullet.  The round went through his vest, hit his sternum and reduced it to boney shrapnel that tore through his cardio-pulmonary system before exiting out through his shoulder blade.  After striking the concrete on the opposite side of the pool, it was redirected to further flight until it depleted its energy, and landed unceremoniously at the base of some brush about 100 M from the kill site. ‘The Valkyrie’ heard a thump and thought, What was that?  Then she heard the splash as her now deceased boyfriend’s body hit the pool.  She thought, He just ruined that suit.  She stood up and looked at the pool and noticed that something was wrong, as her boyfriend wasn’t struggling. Then she saw the blood.

As soon as they saw the body hit the pool, they radioed in for extraction, and started moving slowly at first, then more rapidly toward the extraction point. They were almost finished with their backward creep, when they heard the scream.  Suzi said, That girl’s got quite a set of lungs.  Priya answered, That’s what he said. They both laughed at the joke. Once out of sight of the property they began to run at a fast pace and within fifteen minutes they had traveled nearly three kilometers, it was good time for the type of terrain.  They then slowed to a more moderate pace and tried to stay off open ground.  Suzi knew that, with him falling into the pool and the spatter mostly going into the pool, they would have a difficult time locating their shooting position.  By then, she and Priya would be feet wet.  This was the part of every mission that was the most dangerous.  She asked Priya over their closed intercom, How far?  Her partner answered, Seven klicks or so, just over that ridge.

Over their commlinks, they heard some static and then, "Spectre-One, Lasso,

Spectre-One, Lasso.  Lasso is Four Zero Mike out, Over"

Priya switched her set to transmit, and keyed up, Roger Lasso, Spectre-One confirms. Priya, then switch the transmitter off and spoke to her partner, Can you make seven klicks in forty minutes?

With this ground, we’ll have to pick up the pace.

Agreed, let’s step it out.

Within another twenty minutes, the two experienced operators had covered four and a half more kilometers and topped the ridge.  Looking down, they could see the extraction point.  They couldn’t just stand out in the open like they were waiting on a bus, so they angled down the defile and used a large kopje to shield them from casual observation.

Priya looked at her watch and spoke to her partner, They should be…

Her earpiece crackled and they heard Spectre-One, Lasso we are One Mike out, advise condition of LZ.

Priya switched the transmitter to on and replied, We’re puffing smoke.

She looked at Suzi, and Suzi pulled the pin on the green smoke grenade and tossed it toward the clearing.  Within seconds, they heard the turbine whine and then the pulse of the eight bladed ducted fans. The silhouette of the craft broke the horizon and came toward them rapidly, the vectored thrust nozzles engaged and the craft flared and stopped directly over the puffing canister of smoke.  The vehicle was stealthy in every possible way.  It was equipped with exhaust gas vent coolers, low visibility paint, and it was built with radar reflective materials.  Additionally, it used advanced flying software that allowed the crew to fly a Nap of the Earth (NOE) profile of less than fifty feet, in nearly any conditions. As it began its hovering descent, Suzi and Priya ran in a low crouch toward the rear of the craft.  The ramp/door was already opening. By the time they reached it, they ran straight aboard.  As they cleared the ramp, the crew chief keyed his mike on the aircraft’s internal comm system, Two friendlies aboard, clear to rotate. The vectored thrust nozzles jumped from fifty percent output to 125% in less than a second and the craft was rocketing past the low-lying hills and outcroppings as it exfiltrated the country maintaining its stealth while achieving its mission. 

Thirty minutes later, Priya and Suzi stepped onto the deck of USS BATAAN, LHD-4.  The Chief Petty Officer that greeted them said, Welcome Aboard, I’ll show you to your quarters, and then the CO needs to speak to both of you.

Do we have time to clean up, Chief? asked Priya.

I think that will be fine, he didn’t say it was urgent.

Good, said Suzi as she hoisted her pack over her shoulder, Almost a week without a real bath, I know I need a shower.

As they stepped into the small stateroom, the chief said, The Marine outside your door will be able to escort you to the CO’s Quarters, when you’re ready.

Thank you Chief, said Priya.

No problem, Ma’am, welcome aboard.

When the door to the stateroom closed, they both sighed loudly and Priya said, I call dibs on the shower. 

Make it quick, I feel disgusting.

Hey, it’s the NAV, no Hollywood showers allowed.

You squids are all the same, quipped Suzi.

I was a Marine, but we have to learn the rules on the boat just like everybody else.  Suzi, d’you know what you call an Army Ranger that is smart enough to swim, and a better marksman?  …..A Marine.

I suppose that is why you are on the scope and I am on the weapon, Suzi jibed back.

I’m just better at math than you are, you are just better at breathing and squeezing the trigger, Priya laughed.

By this time Priya was already stripped down and ready for her shower.  She opened the stainless steel door and stepped into the shower stall that was barely big enough for her to be able to turn around. She grabbed the sprayer and held the button down long enough to wet herself thoroughly.  Then she hung the sprayer up and lathered her hair and body down, really scrubbing the extra dirty places.  She then took the sprayer and rinsed all the grime away.  She stepped out and found Suzi ready to take her place.  Suzi repeated the process and within ten minutes of getting to the stateroom they both were cleaned and redressed in clean BDU’s provided for them.

The White House

Oval Office

22Jan2081

President:  Daniel Musashi

Vice President:  Marco Estaban

The day after the inauguration the President and Vice President sat down to discuss the mess that they had inherited. 

Daniel, have you really looked at this stuff?  I didn’t realize the country was in such a condition as this.

You can let the people know that we have gotten to this point as the result of the previous administrations.

Marco, you know that I can’t do that.  I am a man, and a man, as my father taught me, doesn’t blame others, he just accepts his situation and does his best.

… But Daniel, we have to get a handle on the crime.  We have these people in our society that are beyond the currently perverted version of our justice system.

Who are the people that you are most concerned with?

I think that the ten most important problematic cases are the four remaining leaders of Jihadist United, Jesus Salvatore, Willie MacDonald of the United States Militia for Freedom, his top Lieutenant, and finally the three members of the TRI-opium consortium, and the Lady Dragon of the Orient who is responsible for most of the human trafficking from Asia.  I doubt anyone in America would question the guilt of these people, because they all represent a very clear and present danger to this country and its way of life.

Marco, you know that the law says that these people need a trial and due process.

I know that, but you know that these people have made themselves untouchable by the law through fear and intimidation.  They own judges, and have their tentacles firmly in place throughout our ‘justice system.’  They are rigging the game in their favor and we have to move to prevent them from undermining the whole system, or we will fall victim to the same ailment that moved Mexico backward into the third world.

That’s true, but we need to seriously think about the best way to accomplish this.

"Maybe we should talk to Tom Smythe, over at CIA, before we do anything.

Okay, but I’d like to get Patty Jackson over at Homeland Security in on the discussion too.

I don’t know about that Daniel, she was appointed by the previous administration, I think we should talk to Tom first and get his take on Patty.  We can’t have this thing get out of hand too quickly and you know as well as I do that the more people who know a secret, the less likely it is to remain a secret.

Okay, Marco, just Tom for now, I’ll see if he can sit down with me to discuss things this afternoon

Do you want me here for that?

No!  I think that he may feel a little freer to discuss the situation if there are just the two of us.

That is probably true.  I only met Tom once before and he will probably be cautious if you propose anything too radical.

I will get back in touch with you tomorrow, and let you know where we stand.  Also, think about the economy overnight.  It is hard to believe that it is so bad and that the truth has been kept from us.

I will, and with your permission, I’d like to speak to my friend from Stanford.

Just be careful, if word of this catastrophe were to be publicized, it would really send our economy into free fall. 

Daniel, it still hasn’t sunk in.  We won.

I just hope it isn’t a Pyrrhic victory.

I think that once we start getting the truth about where we are, we will be able to find some solutions.

I certainly hope so.  It is so hard to believe that all this has been going on since 2010, and we have been kept in the dark.

I’ll see you tomorrow.

Until then, Mr. President.

Thank you, Mr. Vice President.

Sniper Team 1

Djoram Helfinger: Scope

Leif Batson: Weapon

51° 52’ 27.70" N

5° 37’ 21.59" E    Just SE of Druten, The Netherlands

As Djorma looked through the scope, he could easily see the target area.  He knew that Leif could make the shot from this area.  He keyed his mike and said, Range to target 940 meters.

Leif questioned, Wind?

One-Point-Five, from the south.

      Leif doped his scope and looked steadily through the optics at the target site.  He was watching alertly as the target emerged from the doorway. His security preceded him blocking Leif’s view.  As they walked down the steps, he kept his scope on the target.  Anticipating the next step, he took the slack from the trigger, and then took the shot.  The round was fired downrange as the last security guard was still blocking his view.  Leaving the barrel at 835m/s as it traveled the 940 meters, it took only 1.135 seconds to reach the target.  It passed above the head of the last security guard missing him by only four inches.  It took the target squarely in the face, and immediately blew out the back of his skull. He was thrown back and fell dead on the steps of the villa before his men could react or even bring up their weapons.  As the target collapsed, Djorma and Leif started their decent from the transmission line tower.  Since they were operating in The Netherlands, their egress was to be via commercial aircraft.  They finally reached the bottom of the ladder, and walked calmly to their vehicle.  The vehicle was white with green and blue and the Tenne T logo emblazoned on the sides.  They stowed their gear in the rear of the vehicle and pulled onto the service road which would lead to the motorway.  While the target’s personnel were still scrambling to come to grips with what had happened, the sniper team was well on its way toward their vehicle change, and then on toward Arnhem for the short flight to Frankfort, and then back to San Diego. 

      When they boarded the flight from Frankfort, Djorma and Leif found their seats and continued to remain in their cover personas.  Djorma was a software developer who was traveling to the United States on business. He was seeking a business partner for his new energy monitoring software.  Leif’s cover was as a shoe salesman from Denmark who was traveling to a sales convention in Los Angeles.  Since he was fluent in Danish and English, his cover was easy to maintain.  This mission had been a short one since their target had made the mistake of traveling to a country that was part of the alliance.  His biggest mistake had been being found in contact with elements of a group that was not friendly to the government of The Hague.  He had been dealing weapons across the globe for the majority of his adult life and was recognized as a profiteer in more than one conflict.  He was a wanted man in more than one country, but no one was willing to arrest him, because four policemen and two judges had paid for that mistake with their lives.  He was no longer a threat and if anyone on his staff tried to take over his business, they would find themselves either arrested and incarcerated, or suffering his fate. 

      That was the purpose of the Alliance for Transjurisdictional Justice (ATJ.)  The ATJ had come into being, after the ill-conceived UN Gun treaty of 2012 had been passed and ratified.  Soon crime was up across the globe and the criminals were enjoying unprecedented success in countries where they had previously been held in check by the armed citizenry, and local law enforcement.  The Pollyanna views on human behavior spewed forth from the media and from those who wore rose-colored glasses, were soon destroyed as they realized too late that guns were not the problem.  Criminals, with guns, were the problem.  After the internal Mexican narcotics war of the 20’s, criminals realized that brutality could win the day.  Once the UN disarmed those who would stand up to them, they merely had to intimidate or bribe those who were supposed to find justice for their victims.    The ATJ was formed by countries whose former leaders had lead them down the path of pseudo-utopian socialism, only to find that it worked no better in the 21st century than it had in the 20th century, because man was still the same greedy creature that he had evolved to be.  Although he often camouflaged his more predacious nature, it was still there.  The ATJ was formed with a single mission; to eliminate those whose deeds were criminal in the World court’s view. After having been tried and sentenced in absentia, their sentences were carried out by ten select sniper teams.  These teams had eliminated many people that were employing themselves in the destruction of others for either personal power, financial gain or both.  They had eliminated War Lords in Africa, Opium Lords in Afghanistan, Terrorist Cells and Weapons merchants across the globe.  The result was that with these corrupt individuals eliminated, the people, who did not want to be bullied or were being eliminated by these people, were allowed to prosper and for the first time in recorded history, the Horn of Africa was stable; as was Palestine.  The evil people of the world realized that if you were the leader of a nefarious organization, be it for profit, religious zealotry, or simply hate, you could find yourself at the business end of a sniper’s rifle.  The ATJ made the assignments and assessed each team’s effectiveness after each mission.  They currently had ten active teams, but one was about to retire and their replacement team was being trained at the facility in Scotland.  To quote an American statesman on the formation of the ATJ, It is in times like these that we, the many law abiding citizens of the planet, must take a stand against those who would use our very rules of law and compassion to bring us under their thumbs of violence and death.  We must stand together to defeat these people, who make a mockery out of our society’s reluctance to mete out justice to those, who most assuredly, and truly deserve it.

The White House

Oval Office

22-JAN-2081

President, Daniel Musashi

Director of the Central Intelligence Agency, Tom Smythe

The President’s inter office intercom came on and the President’s Secretary announced, Mr. President, Mr. Smythe is here to see you.

Please show him in, Carolyn.

Just seconds later, the door opened and Carolyn Turner, Secretary to six Presidents escorted the Director of the CIA into the President’s office.  As the two men exchanged pleasantries, she asked, Can I get you anything Mr. Smythe? 

A cup of tea please.  Orange Pekoe with a cube of sugar and a splash of cream.

It will just take a few minutes sir.  Mr. President?

I’m fine Carolyn, thank you.  That will be all.

With that said, Carolyn knew that it was time to go, so she left to go give the kitchen Mr. Smythe’s order.

Tom took his seat and said, Mr. President, I want to start out with congratulations on your victory.

Taking his seat the President said, Funny you should use that word, Tom.  I have been reviewing the briefing materials that came over yesterday, and I must say I am astounded at the state of the country.  Oh, and when it is just us, I prefer Dan.  When I was reading it last night, I felt that I had been kicked in the stomach.  Unemployment 16%.  GDP down again for the 20th consecutive year.  Crime up an average of 40% in the last ten years, Prison populations that are so fat that we could build ten more prisons per state and we would still have overcrowded cells.  Winning the election, I felt that I had inherited a great country with unbelievable potential and a few problems.  Now, I feel that I just found out I inherited a 1958 Edsel, with no engine, no tires, rust through all the body sections and no interior.  I realize that all of these issues are domestic in nature and your agency is tasked with non-domestic influence.  That being said, I want to hear your input on the country and see if you have any ideas on any specific areas.  The word on the street is that you are a pretty bright guy, so I would be foolish not to at least seek some input from you.

        Mr. President, I thank you for the compliment, and I’ll admit I was surprised when I received your call.  I immediately wondered what could be pressing enough to get you to worry about it the day after the inauguration.  The facts that you spoke of are only known to a few people, and it all started with the Fahli Presidency in 2020.  He inherited such a mess from the two previous administrations that he too was overwhelmed.  He was more about social engineering if you read the files on him.  I know that in history class we were all taught what a great man he was, but you have to remember that until  2050 people were taught things about Former President Ndigwe that were finally revealed as not true.  Remember when the Freedom of Information act finally released all the documents that he had had seized using Executive Privilege.  They proved that he was born in Mali, had attended Brown, and Yale while in the employ of Sheik Al Khaheimani.  That he was a Muslim.  He authorized Weapons for Drug Lords, and then covered it up, and that he had deliberately tried to wreck the U.S. economy through excessive debt spending.  By the time Fahli came to the office it was so out of control that he made sure that it would never see the light of day while he was alive. 

      Tom, it seems to me that we are on the very edge of societal collapse, something has to be done with the crime in this country.

      Mr. President, the crime is all being controlled by the gangs.  There are many different types, but they all play a part.  There are the prison gangs, the street gangs, the outlaw motorcycle gangs.  Remember when they tried to legalize marijuana under the Paul presidency?  What happened?  Crime didn’t go down, in fact, it went up, because when the gangs lost revenue from marijuana they turned to more blatant crime to fund their enterprises.  Unless you do something about the gangs in this country, you will not be able to accomplish anything.

      That is why you are here, Tom.  I realized exactly what you just said, last night while reading the threat report.  I agree we must do something, but what?

      Mr. President, I mean, Dan, there is no easy way to proceed.  Most of these gangs have the people in their areas of control so scared that no one will testify against them, or they won’t even call the police when they see a crime committed.

      It sounds like we need to submit a long list to the ATJ.

        Why would we want a bunch of bureaucrats involved in a domestic matter?

Dan, what if we had our own ATJ type group, to eliminate these people?  The police know who they are and in most cases where they can be found.  I say let’s take care of our own problems.  This cannot be an agency operation though.  It is well outside of our area of influence.  I would tell you to take it to my counterpart at the FBI, but he is so far to the left, for him to make a right turn, he has to do a U-ee.

You might want to talk to Mike Peterson at NSA.  He might be able to give you some ideas."

      What about Patty Jackson at Homeland Security?

      Patty?  I’d have her in my foxhole anytime.  She is tough as nails, not the least bit squeamish and a real patriot.

      Tom, I appreciate your input and know that I can count on you to keep this between the two of us.

There was a knock at the door, and the President said, Enter!

It was Carolyn with Tom’s tea.

Thank you, Ma’am, Tom said as he tasted his tea, it is perfect.

After she left and closed the door, he looked at the President, and said, Absolutely, Dan

While you finish your tea, let me hear about what you are doing with these people in Afghanistan.

      We are trying to build some bridges, both physically and metaphorically, but it is slow going.  I think that we should keep trying, but I doubt we will ever be very successful in that part of the world until they have a religious awakening and get some Imams with some balls that will step to the plate and work to rid their faith of the fundamentalists.  In Palestine, things are much better since Nahzir and Al Ba’al found ATJ justice.  One of Nahzir’s boys started to take over the Al Hub, but found a 45 caliber reason not to.  Since they are not causing problems, the area has seemingly found some semblance of peace."

      What are we doing in South Africa?

      Sir, that whole country is one big shit storm.  You have Zulus killing whites, whites killing Matabeles, Matabeles killing Ndongas.  I would rather go back to Syria or Venezuela twice than go back to South Africa once. 

      Any reason to hope anything will change it there?

      Mr. President, the ATJ just took out Hiram Apthar last week, and without his ready source of new weapons in the region, it might help a little.  In my opinion, they need to go after Chaka Bloemfontin, because he is the one that is really keeping the Zulu nation stirred up.  I’m sure you saw his broadcast last week where he told everyone in South Africa, that ‘… All of Southern Africa was Zulu Land and that it was stolen by whites and given to inferiors like the Matabele’s and Ndonga’s as a reward for betraying the Zulus.’  After his speech they had those two massacres in Johannesburg and Cape Town; 200 killed, nearly double that wounded.

      You mentioned Venezuela, how is it down there?

      …Still rough, but getting better by the day.

As he finished the last of his tea he set the cup in the saucer on the edge of the desk, he asked, "Will that be all Mr. Presid…Dan?

"I think that is enough for a day, don’t you.  I may invite you back if this goes anywhere, are you okay with that?

Sure, Dan, whatever I can do to help.

The President stood up, and Tom took the cue.  He stood up and they both walked toward the door. 

They shook hands at the door and Tom said, Thank you for seeing me, Mr. President, and again congratulations.

Have a great day, Tom, and don’t be a stranger.

You too, Mr. President.

With that, the President turned and walked back toward his desk and Carolyn came in before he could get seated. 

Can I get you anything before we leave for the day Mr. President?

No, thank you, Carolyn, I’m headed over to the residence in just a second.  I just want to type up some notes in my journal.  The day after inauguration is a big page in my personal journal.

I imagine it is, sir.

Only in America, Carolyn, can a man be born to a family of fishermen and rise to the power of the Presidency.

Yes, sir.

If you had asked the little boy on the fishing boat with his dad and three brothers what he wanted to be when he grew up, he likely would have said, A fishermen like my dad.  Have a great night and I’ll see you in the morning."

You too, Mr. President.

After she shut the door, he sat there for a few minutes and thought about his conversation with Tom Smythe.  He seems to be a straight shooter, he thought.  Then he pulled up his journal on the computer and typed away.  He typed in some facts, a few reflections and then some personal observations.  He closed his journal and headed in the direction of the residence.  When he arrived, his wife Keiko greeted him with a kiss.  It was a tradition that went all the way back to their days on the Big Island.  When they had first gotten married they agreed that they would never go to bed angry, and always greet each other with a kiss.  It had been working for twenty-five years so there might be something to her mother’s wise words.  It had worked for her parents.  They had been married for sixty-five years before her father died of lung cancer.

Sniper Team 3

Roland Schmitt: Scope

Yevgeni Ivanovich: Weapon

9° 06’ 31.84" N

38° 46’ 07.48" E    Outside of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

The hot equatorial sun continued to roast sniper team three as they lay there in their ghillie suits.  They had been in Ethiopia for two weeks and it had taken three days to creep to this position.  Thankfully they had been able to find water each day, although a couple of times it was from animal troughs.  Technology had purified it so they were able to stay hydrated sufficiently.  Laying there, Roland was looking down from their hilltop position on the large military compound.  Past the two barracks buildings, he could see what looked like an administration building.  The place was filled with soldiers and trucks.  The warlord that controlled this base was there, they had seen him, and the drones had confirmed his