A speaker was set up for the observers to follow command communications on. It crackled to life, alive with the static of real-time encryption/decryption.
"Status check."
"Snuffers in place."
"Bears in motion."
"Falcons in place."
"Affirmative. Commo is five by five. Wait for go code."
A hush descended over the area. Through the night vision, the observers could see the assault team moving up a small fold in the land that lay in the shadows between two perimeter lights. To the naked eye, they were almost invisible. To the nightscopes, they were green hazy ghosts, cutting the wire and moving up to the control building for the Rograth facility.
"Bears in place." The assault team was stacked up outside the door. The lead one gently tested the door. "Access two is locked. Prepared det charge." A few moments passed. "Access two is hot. Bears in place."
"Affirmative. Falcons begin the run-in, signal at thirty seconds."
"Roger that."
A few minutes passed. The only sound was the wind.
"Thirty seconds."
"Snuffers go go go!"
The lights went out across the Rogarth facility. A loud coughing sound signaled the start-up of the backup generator. Suddenly, a streak of fire ripped out the tree-line into the generator. The night-vision equipment went white as the blast overwhelmed the sensors. A boom rattled across the night.
For the observers, there was just enough time to form a thought - that was a live missile - when three helicopters roared in at tree-top level. They came in right over the observer position, and the prop-wash threatened to throw the watchers to the ground. A second, softer explosion marked the end of the doorway into the control building.
"All teams, go go go!"
The ground assault team was already in the building. The distant ripping of automatic weapons fire filled the night. One helicopter was hovering over the command building, and OSO soldiers were fast-roping to the roof. The other two had stopped over the chlorine storage tanks and were also disgorging fast-ropers. The command net had become a confusion of cross-talk.
"Tango down, tango down!"
"Sights are hot, taking the shot, tango down!"
"Bear leader down!"
The symphony was reaching its crescendo. From the open doors of the helicopter, gunners were spraying open windows of the command building, but always aiming high enough to miss any targets on the ground. Demolitions experts were fiddling with black boxes at the base of the chlorine tanks, while their comrades broke into fireteams and moved through the maze of pipes.
"Stay down! Stay down! Bear seven and eight, escort them out!"
"Flash 'em and slice the pie!"
One of the choppers had gone high after dropping its men and was orbiting, the chain gun scanning for targets. The other had gone into a hover in front of the command building, waiting for movement.
"Tank one secure!"
"Tank two secure!"
Another volley of firing from in the command building. Then silence.
"Target secure. Repeat, target secure. I need ambulances at the front for wounded."
"Negative. I need live ambulance for real injuries by tank one, and I need them now!"
Order was coming back to the night at Rogarth.
* * *
"Sonar contact, Captain! I mean Admiral, sir! I am designating unknown submerged contact S-1, Admiral. It's close; 1500 meters at 34 degrees, sir!"
The referee on Unapproachable quietly walked up behind Admiral Tulp. "Admiral, I am authorized to tell you that, within the bounds of the exercise, there are no friendly vessels within this area that you know of. This may be a stray friendly, this may be OPFOR."
* * *
His helicopter finally arrived. Levarge was speeding toward the next objective. Rogarth wasn't important anymore. He finally got on the exercise net.
"Give me the run down. OK, two real injuries, neither too severe. All tangos dead, three hostages dead, five wounded, six OSO dead, 4 wounded. Not too shabby, Colonel."
Levarge smiled. "He's nervous, you say? Not suprised. Alarico's a good scout, always jumping at shadows. That's what'll kill him in a higher command. Tell him that he has nothing to worry, the situation is well under control. But don't tell him what the situation is. That'll drive him nuts. Then get them all to the next location."
