Chapter Forty
Al Mahrah Governorate, Yemen
It didn’t take long to hit the first checkpoint.
As soon as the vehicle exited town they felt it slow to a stop.
There were muffled voices in Arabic outside the vehicle, and after a brief interaction the van began moving again.
Amir had warned them there was a militia checkpoint outside town, and that it wouldn’t be an issue as he drove this route every day.
The five of them were crammed in the back, stacked nearly on top of each other.
The crates of fish blocked their view and only a small measure of light penetrated their fishy cocoon.
It was tight and cramped, particularly for the larger Tim and Shane, and there was a near-constant jostling of limbs as one person or another tried to stretch out in any way possible.
The temperature was quickly rising, and sweat poured down Nate’s face, back, and chest. It was unreasonably hot and would only become more so as the day wore on.
Nate found their current predicament ironically amusing.
As Green Berets, they were trained to conduct unconventional warfare, which involved working with a surrogate force of indigenous people to coerce, disrupt, and even overthrow an oppressive regime or occupying force in a denied area.
To remain sharp they continuously trained in the strategy, starting with the Robin Sage exercise in the Special Forces Qualification Course, and repeated it every year or two on their teams in different locations.
These exercises mirrored real life, which meant infiltrating a country in a clandestine manner.
Sometimes they parachuted in, sometimes it was a dive infil, and sometimes it was being crammed in the back of a truck or trailer with animals, which tended to be the most unpleasant way to travel.
While Nate had trained on an infiltration method like this several times before, he had never actually conducted one in real life until now.
He smiled to himself in the darkness. Never in a million years would he have thought he would have been sneaking into Yemen in the back of a fish truck to conduct an archaeological expedition.
They traveled in the cramped confines for nearly an hour before the van slowed again.
Tim readied the AK-47, pointing it at the back of the vehicle while Shane aimed the small Makarov pistol at the side door.
If things went poorly, they would open fire.
It likely wouldn’t matter and they would probably all be killed, but there was at least a chance that some of them would survive.
Being taken alive was not an option. Everyone had seen what these terrorists were willing to do to captives, and it was a fate worse than death.
There was another conversation outside the van that was longer than the last. Suddenly, they felt the engine shut off and heard the driver’s-side door open.
Shit, Nate thought. Something was wrong.
It could be that this checkpoint was more thorough, or it could be that Amir had betrayed them. All they could do was wait to find out.
The talking continued and they heard the crunch of feet walking on the sand outside.
Suddenly, the back door flew open and light spilled into the compartment.
Nate tried to peer through the fish crates, but the light was blinding and he couldn’t get a clear view.
He held his breath, and knew the others were doing the same.
“You see,” Amir said, “a good catch.”
“It is good,” another man agreed. “Can you spare a fish?”
“Of course, my friend,” Amir said, and they could hear him slide a fish out of a crate.
This must have been a military checkpoint, and they were doing a thorough inspection in the hopes of shaking down a poor fishmonger for a free lunch.
The soldiers would likely cook it out here, none the wiser of the illegal aliens hiding behind the fish.
Eventually the door shut and they heard Amir climb back into the van.
The engine started up, and they drove off.
Nate knew that they had traveled for an hour and estimated their speed at about fifty miles per hour, which gave them at least another hour to go, possibly longer.
He felt his right knee start to lock up and attempted to stretch his leg, willing them to get to their linkup location sooner.
Fortunately, there were no more surprises and when the van stopped again, it was at their destination.
Amir opened the back of the van and removed several fish crates.
Tim practically leapt from the van, eager to get away from the cramped space and the suffocating fishy heat.
As he crawled out, he shouldered the rifle and did a quick sweep of the area, ensuring it was secure.
The rest of them followed suit. It felt amazing to stretch his legs again, and Nate sucked in the fresh air as he took a long swig of water and observed their surroundings.
They were in a wadi and should have been several miles west of the Shisan intersection and the border checkpoint.
The lowland hid them from view, and as he climbed up near the road, he was just able to make out buildings in the distance.
Otherwise, the terrain was completely desolate.
There was nothing but sand, stone, and scrub brush in every direction as far as he could see.
The wadi they were in appeared well traveled and was crisscrossed with dozens of tire tracks.
He hoped nobody other than their contacts showed up anytime soon.
“Noon?” he asked Shane.
“Noon,” Shane said, confirming the time for the meeting.
Nate looked up at the blazing sun beating down on them, and then down at his Omega dive watch, which felt strangely out of place in a sea of sand and dirt.
They had four hours until the linkup time.
Better early than late, he thought to himself.
They would need to occupy themselves until then and make sure they were safe from anyone who might show up.
As if reading his mind, Tim began scouting the area with Wally.
“That looks like a good spot to hunker down,” Tim said, pointing at an elevated terrain feature. There was a system of large rocks that looked as if it would afford them a position of cover and at the same time provide a good vantage point.
“Agreed,” Nate said. “Let’s hole up there.”
“Good luck, my friends,” Amir said. “I must leave.” Shane pulled out a wad of cash and stripped several bills off the stack out of sight of the fisherman. He then turned around and handed them to him.
“Thank you, Amir,” he said in Arabic. Amir looked down at the money in disbelief.
“You are most welcome. Take care.” Amir placed his hand over his heart. “As-salamu alaykum.” Peace be upon you.
“Wa alaykum assalam,” Shane replied, and they all moved toward the rocky outcropping as Amir drove toward the border checkpoint.
Once they had found a good spot to settle in, Ana ripped off the niqab, pulling it over her head and holding it in her lap.
Her hair was a mess and she looked exhausted.
It must have been extremely hot in that thing and Nate felt bad for her, though it had provided him an opportunity to ignore her existence, which had been a welcome relief from the continued awkwardness between them. He handed her a bottle of water.
“Are you alright?” he asked. She blew several strands of hair out of her face and glared at him.
“What do you think?” she asked testily. “It’s hot as hell in that thing.”
“I think it looks great on you,” Shane joked, and she ignored him.
“Drink up,” Nate said, indicating the water in her hand. “Dehydration can sneak up on you if you’re not careful.”
He watched as she guzzled the now-warm liquid. “Any regrets about coming?” Nate asked her casually.
“Not a one,” she said defiantly. “If wearing a blanket in the desert is what gets me answers about my father, then I’ll do it gladly.”
“Well,” Nate said, once again appreciating her resolve, “you should only have to wear it a little bit longer. Once we are clear of Yemen it’s going to be less of an issue. We really shouldn’t encounter anyone at all, and if we do, it’ll be Bedouin and they’re not going to care.”
“If you guys want to catch a few ZZZs, now’s the time,” Tim said. He had the rifle lying next to him and was propped up so that he had a view of the desert floor below them. “I’ll take first watch.”
They hadn’t slept much the night before, as the day had been filled with last-minute planning and the night had been monopolized by preparations and their insertion.
It would be wise to get some rest now, since they were sure to have long days ahead of them.
Nate pulled out a tan boonie hat from his bag and placed it over his face as he leaned back against the rock.
“Sounds good to me.”