RENDEZVOUS -
PART 3
By Archana
Vinod
IN
THE CHOPPER - NIGHT
Siddhant
keels over and begins to gag throatily, but nothing comes out!
CHARLIE 2:
(helps him up) You alright, Captain?
He can see
nothing but a solo shade of irritating, dull grey. He hears nothing but a low
humming sound. Lightning flashes around them at spots. The chopper's deafening
noise begins to take over.
SIDDHANT:
(faintly) Stop... I can't take it anymore.
CHARLIE
2: Hang in there, sir. We're almost there.
And sure
enough, they fly through a dense tower of thick grey clouds into a hot
cloudless afternoon sky.
The humming
disappears. The grey disappears. Now all what surrounds them are the deep blue
sky and an endless desert of flaming yellow sand below. Siddhant looks around,
dumbfounded.
SIDDHANT: Wait...
what just happened?
ALPHA 1:
(winks) Cheats employed.
CHARLIE 2:
Welcome to the city of Tikrit. We're ten kilometers away from the insertion
point.
Siddhant is
impressed. They had just gone through a portal into another country!
PILOT:
Approaching the insertion point. Prepare to land.
Sid and his
team equip themselves quickly and wait at the door.
In a couple of
minutes, the chopper makes a touch-down. The whirling blades sweep up a torrent
of dust and sand into the air.
The men jump
down and move in as the chopper rises into the air and disappears. They shield
their exposed noses with a scarf and eyes with dark goggles as they make their
way to the enemy camp.
Siddhant begins
to trudge along the desert dunes with his team. It's damn hot! The sweltering
breeze hits the men hard on their faces and almost scorches them alive. He
looks up at the blazing sun briefly and is instantly hit by another wave of
nausea and blindness.
ALPHA 2: It's
around 43.6 degrees Celsius.
Occasionally, a strong gust blows up a wallop of sand
into the air.
As they close in on the hill, their wireless devices
sputter and crackle softly. It's Col. R.B. Singh.
COL. R.B. SINGH: Company leader calling team Raven.
Come in please.
The men respond: "Team Raven reporting, sir."
COL. R.B. SINGH: Excellent. You are now approaching
the enemy camp. Be wary, the Iraqis are heavily armored and extremely hostile.
Charlie 1 and Charlie 2, I need you to go around the perimeter and cover up for
Bravo and Alpha 1.
"Done sir," they respond.
COL. R.B. SINGH: Alpha 2, you will stay ambushed on
top of the hill. Take down the watch tower.
ALPHA 2: Yes sir!
COL R.B. SINGH: Bravo and Alpha 1, you will proceed to
the enemy camp, rescue the hostages and lead them to the extraction point.
ALPHA 1: Yes sir!
COL R.B. SINGH: Bravo, do you read me?
Siddhant is lost. All these instructions give him the
chills. Just like in the game! He can't imagine what's waiting for him down
there. Anything could happen.
COL. R.B. SINGH: Bravo! Come in please!
SIDDHANT: Yes sir.
COL. R.B. SINGH: Stay awake, Captain! It will cost
you.
SIDDHANT: Yes sir. Sorry sir.
COL. R.B. SINGH: And remember, Bravo, you need to get
the hostages to EP unscathed. If you or any of your hostages get killed in the
process, you die for good.
SIDDHANT: (after a brief pause) Understood, sir.
COL. R.B. SINGH: Excellent. All the best, boys!
~End of wireless transmission~
The team proceeds to the camp.
Charlie 1 and Charlie 2 go around the hill as
instructed.
Alpha 2 scales up the hill and stays ambushed with a
silenced sniper rifle.
Alpha 2's point of view: Down the hill, he can see an
array of small tents around a much larger one. Two manned watch towers stand
across the perimeter. Four jeeps are stationed at another corner. Four armed
devilish looking soldiers guard the camp.
ALPHA 2: (whispers into his wireless) Team Raven, I
have my eyes on the target. Taking down the manned towers!
He comes to focus on Tower 1.
A clean silent shot escapes Alpha 2's sniper rifle and
SPITS into the soldier on Tower 1. The man collapses without a sound.
ALPHA 2: (whispers into his wireless) Tower 1 down.
The next one falls quietly.
ALPHA 2: (into his wireless) Both towers taken.
It's their cue. Siddhant and Alpha 1 go around the
hill and advance in on the camp from both sides.
The spirit of the game begins to kick in for Siddhant.
Take it easy, he tells himself, just calm down. This is not real. It's a game.
And you're going to win this game as usual. You're going to make it. He takes a
deep breath. He feels like a real Captain now. A real soldier.
SIDDHANT: (to Alpha 1 on the wireless, quietly) Alpha
1, take down the men from the other end. Proceed with caution.
ALPHA 1: Yes, sir.
Siddhant stays low as he quietly advances in on the
camp.
A hefty Iraqi soldier prowls around cradling a heavy
rifle.
Siddhant withdraws his knife as he closes in
unnoticed. He grapples the soldier, clamps his mouth shut and slashes his
throat. He falls to the ground with a bloody gag.
Iraqi Soldier #2 turns around at his companion's fall.
He spots Siddhant and raises his rifle to shoot him down!
... TO BE CONTINUED
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