10 minutes
flight time away two RAF Boeing CH-47 Chinook twin-rotor helicopters and two USAF
stealth modified UH-60 Black Hawk. Captain Roger “Tactics” Tackle was pacing
the leading Black Hawk. He hated aircraft and he just wanted to get down on the
ground and fight. He was mainly a true soldier, wanting to get down into the
dirty work. He needed to get down and start fighting, and he could do so as
soon as the sniper contacted him.
There was a
crackle of static as the two-way received a message from the sniper. The
message was news. Bad news. He opened up a line to the pilots and told them to
bank hard right.
As the
stealth helicopter banked he opened up a line to the other helicopters and
briefed them on the current situation. He enunciated strongly in his southern
English accent what the sniper had told him: “I have just received intelligence
from the sniper. He screwed up. When he shot the first man, the next man was just
coming round the corner so he didn’t have time to scope his next man properly.
He hit him in the chest. Whilst this was a kill shot he cried out as he went
down. Another guard raised the alarm and now we are facing a fully fledged, if
small, army. So that is why we are putting into place Instructions Beta. All
aircraft will open hatch and door gunners will advance to position. Aircraft
will remain in a tight circle above Takana and primary targets are as follows:
Anti-Aircraft guns, turrets, although unlikely to exist, must also be taken
into account for, along with Tanks and RPG-wielding enemies.” As if to
accentuate the need for the anti-aircraft guns to be taken out there was a dull
thud as an explosive round embedded itself into the strengthened metal skin of
the aircraft. He made his way to the opening hatch as people around him rushed
to obey his commands. He was a powerful person in this section of the army and
he was well liked by most of the people he leaded. He sat down on the seat and
took aim at a particularly nasty looking anti-aircraft gun.
In one of
the two Chinooks, the highly trained, if gun ho, marine gunner .He sat down on
the seat and took hold of the dual handles of the door gun. He wheeled round in
the chair and, with the aid of one of the UH-60s, took out one of the anti
aircraft guns. He watched as the ammunition ignited and sent the Taliban
fighters surrounding it were sent flying. A tank turned its ugly great turret
towards the helicopter. He let loose a lethal stream of tracer bullets, ripping
the tank apart with a deadly tattoo and igniting the fuel tank, killing anyone
in the vehicle instantly. As the satisfying sound of the Gatling guns glowing
bullets slamming into the useless armour of an un-expecting tank died away the
gunner saw a rapidly advancing plume of smoke and fire heading towards them. An
RPG had been fired at the helicopter. He swung the heavy machine gun around and
tried to shoot down the explosive but he knew it was too late. He felt the heat
of the device fly past him as it continued along the inside of the dual-rotor
helicopter towards the cockpit. The last thing that he thought before the helicopter
was ripped open was that it was all his fault that they were going to die, but
then it was gone, like his body, into the whirling desert wind.