Seal Team Seven #19: Field of Fire (36 page)
Read Seal Team Seven #19: Field of Fire Online
Authors: Keith Douglass
Downfield snorted. “One shot and there’ll be a dozen cops swarming all over this place.”
“Maybe so, idiot, but you’ll be shooting blanks out of your cock for the rest of your life. You want that?”
Downfield squinted at Lam. “Hell, you’d probably do it.” He shrugged and started to drop the bar, then he charged forward swinging the deadly steel shaft. Lam sidestepped but not far enough. The end of the bar hit his right hip and glanced off. That gave Lam the opening he needed. He surged forward and hit Downfield in the chest with his shoulder, blasting him backward. The two fell with Lam on top, driving the other man into the pavement. Downfield gasped and then gagged trying to get his breath. The fall had knocked the wind out of him and he writhed on the pavement trying to suck air into his lungs. Lam pulled plastic riot cuffs out of his pocket and bound the biker’s hands in front of him.
It had all happened fast, in thirty seconds, Murdock figured. Not time enough to gather a crowd. One man going to his car stopped and looked at the scene.
“Saw the whole thing,” he said. “Them bikers were trying to steal that Harley Hog. You want that I should call the cops on my cell phone?”
Murdock walked him away from the scene. “Thanks, sir, but we’ve got them down. They can’t hurt anyone now. We’ll take care of it, thanks a lot.”
By the time he got back to the group, Jaybird had cut off half of Cooley clothes. “Turn these bastards loose bare assed and running,” Jaybird said. “Serve them right.” He
slit the biker’s shirt and pulled it off, then cut off his pants and shorts.
He tossed the captured blade to Lam, who did the same to Downfield. He came partly out of his lack of breath and yelled.
“What the fuck you doing? I paid fifty bucks for that shirt.”
“Fortunes of combat, asshole,” Lam said. “You start a war, you gonna get splattered by some of the fallout. Have a nice time naked in Coronado.”
Five minutes later they had the three naked bikers hidden behind Murdock’s car. By then all of them were conscious and swearing.
“You can’t do this,” Cooley bellowed. “Our car is a dozen blocks from here.”
“Car won’t help you, man,” Lam said. “Because you don’t have any car keys. Now, get out there and get running or I’m gonna call the cops.”
The three looked at each other, then headed for some shadows in the alley behind the bar. Lam looked at his bike. It didn’t seem damaged. They’d been trying to jump-start it without the key. He slid into the saddle, turned the key, and the Hog started on the first try.
Murdock walked up. “I’ll call my JAG friend tonight and see if he knows of any top local criminal lawyers. We’ll find one. Then tomorrow I’ll get him to come over and we’ll go over the situation and see what he thinks we can do.”
When Murdock arrived at his apartment, Ardith had dinner waiting.
“You must have been held up in traffic,” she said.
He smelled the cooking and lifted the top off the big cooking pot. “Stew, oh yeah, you can’t miss with a great stew.”
“I’m trying to win you over to buy that condo. I’ve got forty thousand I can pull out of my 401K retirement plan. You said you had some savings. If we can get sixty thousand down, that would make a much lower monthly mortgage payment.”
Murdock shivered. “Hey, lady. I’ve never owed anybody more than five thousand dollars in my life. You’re talking about a debt of two hundred and sixty thousand dollars?”
Ardith reached up and kissed him, then again. She looped her arms around his neck and pushed hard against him. “Something like that, maybe a little more with the points. But we can handle it. I earn more than enough to make the mortgage payments.”
“And I’m not going to be sensitive because you make twice what I do, right?”
“Yes, right. You’re terribly adult and sensible about that.”
“I convinced you about that, right?”
“Convinced yourself. Now, let’s have some stew. I made it nice and soupy so you can put it on a plate and mash up the potatoes in the juices. I have eight kinds of vegetables in there. Some of them are so cooked up you can’t tell what they are.”
After dinner they sat in the living room and looked at the pictures of the condo. “If we buy this place, does that mean we’re getting married right away?” Murdock asked.
Ardith moved over on the couch and kissed his cheek, then his lips. “Actually I was thinking about one step at a time. The condo so we’ll have enough room. And then, later …” She grinned. “Like a week later we get married.”
“You are one sneaky female.”
“It’s in my genes.”
Murdock held her with her head against his chest. “Hell, an officer is supposed to be able to make decisions, sometimes in the heat of the moment. Like now. Okay, Ardith, okay. Let’s buy the condo. I can come up with about thirty thousand. I had some good stocks and got out just before the last crash.”
Ardith stood and grabbed his hand. “Let’s seal the deal,” she said, pulling him toward the bedroom.
The next day, Murdock and his JAG lawyer friend, Commander Lewis, talked with Lam for two hours. At the end
of that time the commander put his notepad away.
“Yes, I’d think that the right lawyer can get you total immunity to prosecution for your testimony. It has to be good. It has to be enough to put these three away for a long time.”
It took Murdock a week to find the right lawyer, J. Bascomb Tretter. He said if he could make a deal with the DA for total immunity, his fee would be $4,000. If the DA wouldn’t go for the deal and charged Lam with the others in the murder, his fee would be double that. Jaybird did his figuring again.
A week later lawyer Bascomb and Lam went to talk with the DA. The assistant DA had been briefed and knew what it was about. The lawyer leaned heavily on what Lam did for a living, all of the covert operations they went on, that they were directly assigned by either the president or the chief naval officer in the Pentagon. Even the assistant DA was impressed.
Lam told his story and said he would testify against the three. When they got approval of the deal from the DA, Lam gave the names of the three bikers. The DA said the cops wouldn’t have any trouble finding them. The next day Lam gave a formal deposition in front of a judge, a court stenographer, and a video camera. In case he was out of the country when the case came up for the preliminary hearing to see if it would be bound over for trial, they would use his deposition.
It had been three weeks since they came back from Israel. Prescott had blended in nicely with Bravo and with the platoon. He was strong and funny and easygoing, an expert marksman and swam like a salmon going upstream. The condo was a done deal. They would move in when the current owner moved out in a month. Ardith was starting to look at furniture. They’d take what they both had but they would need something new for a new house. He thought about it just after they sweat their way through a tough training schedule.
The phone rang. “Seal Team Seven, Third Platoon, Murdock.”
“Get your buns over here, Commander,” Master Chief Petty Officer Gordon MacKenzie said. “We’ve got orders and I don’t think you’re going to like this mission even a little bit.”
“What is it, Master Chief?”
“Get over to the Quarterdeck and you’ll find out.”
Murdock grabbed JG Gardner and they hurried up to the Quarterdeck.
MILITARY GLOSSARY
Aalvin:
Small U.S. two-man submarine.
Admin:
Short for administration.
Aegis:
Advanced Naval air defense radar system.
AH-1W Super Cobra:
Has M179 undernose turret with 20mm Gatling gun.
AK-47:
7.63-round Russian Kalashnikov automatic rifle. Most widely used assault rifle in the world.
AK-74:
New, improved version of the Kalashnikov. Fires the 5. 45mm round. Has 30-round magazine. Rate of fire: 600 rounds per minute. Many slight variations made for many different nations.
AN/PRC-117D:
Radio, also called SATCOM. Works with Milstar satellite in 22,300-mile equatorial orbit for instant worldwide radio, voice, or video communications. Size: 15 inches high, 3 inches wide, 3 inches deep. Weighs 15 pounds. Microphone and voice output. Has encrypter, capable of burst transmissions of less than a second.
AN/PUS-7:
Night-vision goggles. Weighs 1.5 pounds.
ANVIS-6:
Night-vision goggles on air crewmen’s helmets.
APC:
Armored Personnel Carrier.
ASROC:
Nuclear-tipped antisubmarine rocket torpedoes launched by Navy ships.
Assault Vest:
Combat vest with full loadouts of ammo, gear.
ASW:
Anti-Submarine Warfare.
Attack Board:
Molded plastic with two handgrips with bubble compass on it. Also depth gauge and Cyalume chemical lights with twist knob to regulate amount of light.
Used for underwater guidance on long swim.
Aurora:
Air Force recon plane. Can circle at 90,000 feet. Can’t be seen or heard from ground. Used for thermal imaging.
AWACS:
Airborne Warning And Control System. Radar units in high-flying aircraft to scan for planes at any altitude out 200 miles. Controls air-to-air engagements with enemy forces. Planes have a mass of communication and electronic equipment.
Balaclavas:
Headgear worn by some SEALs.
Bent Spear:
Less serious nuclear violation of safety.
BKA, Bundeskriminant:
Germany’s federal investigation unit.
Black Talon:
Lethal hollow-point ammunition made by Winchester. Outlawed some places.
Blivet:
A collapsible fuel container. SEALs sometimes use it.
BLU-43B:
Antipersonnel mine used by SEALs.
BLU-96:
A fuel-air explosive bomb. It disperses a fuel oil into the air, then explodes the cloud. Many times more powerful than conventional bombs because it doesn’t carry its own chemical oxidizers.
BMP-1:
Soviet armored fighting vehicle (AFV), low, boxy, crew of 3 and 8 combat troops. Has tracks and a 73mm cannon. Also an AT-3 Sagger antitank missile and coaxial machine gun.
Body Armor:
Far too heavy for SEAL use in the water.
Bogey:
Pilots’ word for an unidentified aircraft.
Boghammar Boat:
Long, narrow, low dagger boat; high-speed patrol craft. Swedish make. Iran had 40 of them in 1993.
Boomer:
A nuclear-powered missile submarine.
Bought It:
A man has been killed. Also “bought the farm.”
Bow Cat:
The bow catapult on a carrier to launch jets.
Broken Arrow:
Any accident with nuclear weapons, or any incident of nuclear material lost, shot down, crashed, stolen, hijacked.
Browning 9mm High Power:
A Belgian 9mm pistol, 13 rounds in magazine. First made 1935.
Buddy Line:
6 feet long, ties 2 SEALs together in the water for control and help if needed.
BUD/S:
Coronado, California, nickname for SEAL training facility for six months’ course.
Bull Pup:
Still in testing; new soldier’s rifle. SEALs have a dozen of them for regular use. Army gets them in 2005. Has a 5.56 kinetic round, 30-shot clip. Also 20mm high-explosive round and 5-shot magazine. Twenties can be fused for proximity airbursts with use of video camera, laser range finder, and laser targeting. Fuses by number of turns the round needs to reach laser spot. Max range: 1200 yards. Twenty round can also detonate on contact, and has delay fuse. Weapon weighs 14 pounds. SEALs love it. Can in effect “shoot around corners” with the airburst feature.
BUPERS:
BUreau of PERSonnel.
C-2A Greyhound:
2-engine turboprop cargo plane that lands on carriers. Also called COD, Carrier Onboard Delivery. Two pilots and engineer. Rear fuselage loading ramp. Cruise speed 300 mph, range 1,000 miles. Will hold 39 combat troops. Lands on CVN carriers at sea.
C-4:
Plastic explosive. A claylike explosive that can be molded and shaped. It will burn. Fairly stable.
C-6 Plastique:
Plastic explosive. Developed from C-4 and C-5. Is often used in bombs with radio detonator or digital timer.
C-9 Nightingale:
Douglas DC-9 fitted as a medical-evacuation transport plane.
C-130 Hercules:
Air Force transporter for long haul. 4 engines.
C-141 Starlifter:
Airlift transport for cargo, paratroops, evac for long distances. Top speed 566 mph. Range with payload 2,935 miles. Ceiling 41,600 feet.
Caltrops:
Small four-pointed spikes used to flatten tires. Used in the Crusades to disable horses.
Camel Back:
Used with drinking tube for 70 ounces of water attached to vest.
Cammies:
Working camouflaged wear for SEALs. Two different patterns and colors. Jungle and desert.
Cannon Fodder:
Old term for soldiers in line of fire destined
to die in the grand scheme of warfare.
CAP:
Continuous Air Patrol.
Capped:
Killed, shot, or otherwise snuffed.
CAR-15:
The Colt M-4A1. Sliding-stock carbine with grenade launcher under barrel. Knight sound-suppressor. Can have AN/PAQ-4 laser aiming light under the carrying handle.. 223 round. 20- or 30-round magazine. Rate of fire: 700 to 1,000 rounds per minute.
Cascade Radiation:
U-235 triggers secondary radiation in other dense materials.
Castle Keep:
The main tower in any castle.
Cast Off:
Leave a dock, port, land. Get lost. Navy: long, then short signal of horn, whistle, or light.
Caving Ladder:
Roll-up ladder that can be let down to climb.
CH-46E:
Sea Knight chopper. Twin rotors, transport. Can carry 25 combat troops. Has a crew of 3. Cruise speed 154 mph. Range 420 miles.
CH-53D Sea Stallion:
Big Chopper. Not used much anymore.
Chaff:
A small cloud of thin pieces of metal, such as tinsel, that can be picked up by enemy radar and that can attract a radar-guided missile away from the plane to hit the chaff.
Charlie-Mike:
Code words for continue the mission.
Chief to Chief:
Bad conduct by EM handled by chiefs so no record shows or is passed up the chain of command.
Chocolate Mountains:
Land training center for SEALs near these mountains in the California desert.
Christians In Action:
SEAL talk for not-always-friendly CIA.
CIA:
Central Intelligence Agency.
CIC:
Combat Information Center. The place on a ship where communications and control areas are situated to open and control combat fire.
CINC:
Commander IN Chief.
CINCLANT:
Navy Commander-IN-Chief, atLANTtic.
CINCPAC:
Navy Commander-IN-Chief, PACific.
Class of 1978:
Not a single man finished BUD/S training in this class. All-time record.
Claymore:
An antipersonnel mine carried by SEALs on many of their missions.
Cluster Bombs:
A canister bomb that explodes and spreads small bomblets over a great area. Used against parked aircraft, massed troops, and unarmored vehicles.
CNO:
Chief of Naval Operations.
CO:
Commanding Officer.
CO-2 Poisoning:
During deep dives. Abort dive at once and surface.
COD:
Carrier Onboard Delivery plane.
Cold Pack Rations:
Food carried by SEALs to use if needed.
Combat Harness:
American Body Armor nylon-mesh special-operations vest. 6 2-magazine pouches for drum-fed belts, other pouches for other weapons, waterproof pouch for Motorola.
CONUS:
The Continental United States.
Corfams:
Dress shoes for SEALs.
Covert Action Staff:
A CIA group that handles all covert action by the SEALs.
CP:
Command Post.
CQB house:
Close Quarters Battle house. Training facility near Nyland in the desert training area. Also called the Kill House.
CQB:
Close Quarters Battle. A fight that’s up close, hand-to-hand, whites-of-his-eyes, blood all over you.
CRRC Bundle:
Roll it off plane, sub, boat. The assault boat for 8 SEALs. Also the IBS, Inflatable Boat Small.
Cutting Charge:
Lead-sheathed explosive. Triangular strip of high-velocity explosive sheathed in metal. Point of the triangle focuses a shaped-charge effect. Cuts a pencil-line-wide hole to slice a steel girder in half.
CVN:
A U.S. aircraft carrier with nuclear power. Largest that we have in fleet.
CYA:
Cover Your Ass, protect yourself from friendlies or officers above you and JAG people.
Damfino:
Damned if I know. SEAL talk.
DDS:
Dry Dock Shelter. A clamshell unit on subs to deliver SEALs and SDVs to a mission.
DEFCON:
DEFense CONdition. How serious is the threat?
Delta Forces:
Army special forces, much like SEALs.
Desert Cammies:
Three-color, desert tan and pale green with streaks of pink. For use on land.
DIA:
Defense Intelligence Agency.
Dilos Class Patrol Boat:
Greek, 29 feet long, 75 tons displacement.
Dirty Shirt Mess:
Officers can eat there in flying suits on board a carrier.
DNS:
Doppler Navigation System.
Draegr LAR V:
Rebreather that SEALs use. No bubbles.
DREC:
Digitally Reconnoiterable Electronic Component. Top-secret computer chip from NSA that lets it decipher any U.S. military electronic code.
E-2C Hawkeye:
Navy, carrier-based, Airborne Early Warning craft for long-range early warning and threat-assessment and fighter-direction. Has a 24-foot saucer-like rotodome over the wing. Crew 5, max speed 326 knots, ceiling 30,800 feet, radius 175 nautical miles with 4 hours on station.
E-3A Skywarrior:
Old electronic intelligence craft. Replaced by the newer ES-3A.
E-4B NEACP:
Called Kneecap. National Emergency Airborne Command Post. A greatly modified Boeing 747 used as a communications base for the President of the United States and other high-ranking officials in an emergency and in wartime.
E E:
SEAL talk for escape and evasion.
EA-6B Prowler:
Navy plane with electronic countermeasures. Crew of 4, max speed 566 knots, ceiling 41,200 feet, range with max load 955 nautical miles.
EAR:
Enhanced Acoustic Rifle. Fires not bullets, but a high-impact blast of sound that puts the target down and unconscious for up to six hours. Leaves him with almost no aftereffects. Used as a non-lethal weapon. The sound blast will bounce around inside a building, vehicle, or ship and knock out anyone who is within range. Ten shots before the weapon must be electrically charged. Range: about 400 yards.
Easy:
The only easy day was yesterday. SEAL talk.
Ejection seat:
The seat is powered by a CAD, a shotgun-like
shell that is activated when the pilot triggers the ejection. The shell is fired into a solid rocket, sets it off and propels the whole ejection seat and pilot into the air. No electronics are involved.
ELINT:
ELectronic INTelligence. Often from satellite in orbit, picture-taker, or other electronic communications.
EMP: ElectroMagnetic Pulse:
The result of an E-bomb detonation. One type E-bomb is the Flux Compression Generator or FCG. Can be built for $400 and is relatively simple to make. Emits a rampaging electromagnetic pulse that destroys anything electronic in a 100 mile diameter circle. Blows out and fries all computers, telephone systems, TV broadcasts, radio, streetlights, and sends the area back into the Stone Age with no communications whatsoever. Stops all cars with electronic ignitions, drops jet planes out of the air including airliners, fighters and bombers, and stalls ships with electronic guidance and steering systems. When such a bomb is detonated the explosion is small but sounds like a giant lightning strike.
EOD:
Navy experts in nuclear material and radioactivity who do Explosive Ordnance Disposal.
Equatorial Satellite Pointing Guide:
To aim antenna for radio to pick up satellite signals.
ES-3A:
Electronic Intelligence (ELINT) intercept craft. The platform for the battle group Passive Horizon Extension System. Stays up for long patrol periods, has comprehensive set of sensors, lands and takes off from a carrier. Has 63 antennas.
