Chapter Twenty-Seven
August 30, 2021
Hamid Karzai International Airport
Kabul, Afghanistan
It was even more dangerous in Afghanistan than he’d ever thought it would be, and Eric was exhausted, having flown back and forth from Kabul to Ramstein multiple times to transfer U.S. citizens and way too few Afghan refugees. ISIS K had been responsible for numerous terrorist attacks during the last week here at the airport, and they’d constantly had to watch their backs. A lone bomber had been responsible for the death of thirteen U.S. service members and over one-hundred and seventy Afghan citizens four days earlier.
“Lieutenant?”
“Colonel,” Eric replied, saluting. “I was told to report to you.”
“Walk with me,” the Colonel said softly.
Once they were closer to the plane, which was frantically being boarded, he spoke quickly. “We have an asset we need to remove from an isolated area of the country, along with his family. I’ll need you to prepare as soon as you return to Ramstein. This will be a special operation.”
“I’m on it, Sir,” he responded gruffly.
The Colonel nodded his approval.
* * *
Eric’s biggest concern was that the asset and additional family members wouldn’t be able to reach their designated meeting place after Eric was dropped in his chute. It was an isolated area as close to the Pakistan border as possible, where there’d been arrangements made with government officials to land on a designated isolated airbase to pick up assets.
Another twenty minutes later, Eric found his evacuees—a U.S. embassy man along with his wife and young child.
“Be as quiet as possible and be prepared to run,” Eric whispered. “It’s going to be tough going.”
The embassy man nodded. “We haven’t been allowed to leave, which leads me to believe that the Taliban has something in mind for us since we have dual citizenship.”
“I understand,” Eric replied. “Your baby will need to remain quiet at all costs.”
“I’ll be sure he is,” the wife answered.
“Alright. Let’s go,” Eric muttered, heading down along the path through the rocky terrain. He just hoped they’d be able to keep up at a decent pace. Hopefully, there would be no guards along this edge of the border since it was rarely traveled because of the terrain. They had less than two hours to get to the modified airbase, which was relatively close to the border.
They were safe for the first hour, but when they began crossing, Eric realized that they were being trailed before being shot at, apparently spotted from high above.
“Go, go, go,” he yelled out, motioning with his hand and plucking the baby from the mother’s arms and into his father’s. “You two move quickly. We’re almost there. I’m right behind you.”
Sliding the assault rifle he was carrying over his shoulder into his hands, Eric began shooting back at the insurgents.
Suddenly, the chopper was hovering above—the pilots must have heard the gunfire—and they were landing nearby. Luckily, they’d discovered a relatively flat clearing.
Eric kept shooting until the family was loaded on the chopper before running for his life to join them.
But what he feared most was happening, he realized, glancing upward. Someone had approached the chopper and flung an IED.
One of the men from the chopper was shooting back at the insurgents now, although they could have been members of the Taliban, he supposed. The group’s organization was far more chaotic in this area of the country.
A little closer to the chopper as the IED hit the ground exploding, Eric was flung through the air.
And that was all he remembered.
* * *
When he woke, it was in a prone position in a bed somewhere, a familiar voice babbling nonstop into his ear.
“Shut up for a while, will you, Brian,” Eric growled hoarsely. “I’ve got a hell of a headache.”
For a moment, there was silence, and then Brian was standing over him, staring at him in disbelief. “You did it. You snapped out of it. I was really beginning to get worried there.”
Through the corner of his eye, Eric saw Brian rush to the door of the room. He realized that he must have been in a hospital somewhere because he had a bunch of tubes going in and out of his body.
Brian called out loudly into the hallway, “ Nurse. He’s awake. ”
“Where’s Anya?” Eric asked hoarsely.
“She’s waiting for you back in the States, Eric. She had to set up a room for you with special equipment so that you could be released into her care,” Brian said, standing over him again. “At least you had enough sense to update your power of attorney before you left the States.”
“Where in the hell are we?” he mumbled, feeling drowsy again.
“Germany,” Brian answered.
“What the hell are you doing here with me when Ashley’s going to have a baby?” he growled.
“She’s still got a few weeks. It was the only way they were going to let me take you home as opposed to admitting you into Walter Reed to recuperate. Since we have the wounded warrior home nearby, they’re signing you over to me, now that you’re awake that is, with a little bit of help from Jake Loughlin, of course.”
“Of course. Is there anything that that guy isn’t involved in?”
“Not much,” Brian agreed.
“How long have I been here?”
“Less than a week. And your mission was successful, I’m supposed to tell you.”
“What’s wrong with me?”
“Along with a concussion, you’ve got some broken ribs from being flung through the air. Actually, you got off easy. It could have been so much worse. How’s your hearing?”
“Fine, as surprising as it is to admit,” Eric replied. “I don’t think I can keep my eyes open.”
“Okay. When you wake again, we’ll call Anya together and tell her the good news.”
“Call her now. I can’t wait to go home,” he mumbled, suddenly out for the count as the nurse rushed into the room.