"Yes, Kildar."

"If we could just get out of this f.u.c.king scrub," Mike snarled.

"This d.a.m.ned scrub is slowing us down," Bukara snarled.

"We are still catching up to the Keldara," Sayeed pointed out.

They'd been forced to leave their vehicles behind. The local guides had known a path that was vehicle capable for part of the way but about ten kilometers back they had had to dismount and follow on foot.

However, they were also being followed. Bukara had been using his satellite phone lavishly and every commander in the area was now headed towardsGuerrmoPa.s.s to try to stop the Keldara.

If they could catch them. And then there was Haza. The old mujaheddin was good, but could he cut the triangle fast enough to cut off the Keldara? And if so, could he hold them?

"f.u.c.k," Mike said as firing broke out to the rear. They were, at least, getting out of the d.a.m.ned scrub.

But that just meant they were high enough that breathing was becoming difficult. The whole group had slowed and now they were going to have to slow more.

"Dafyd?"

"No casualties," Dafyd replied. "Some of their point caught up to us. Can we speed it up, please?"

"Negative," Mike said as a stretcher team pa.s.sed him. The Keldara were breathing so hard they sounded like winded horses. "Time to change tactics. Keep moving to the next hilltop then hold that until I tell you to move."

Mike took the larger BFT device from Vanner and looked at their position.

"Team Padrek, hold in place," Mike said, starting to sketch on the touch pad. "Take up firing positions in support of Dafyd. Oleg, take position on this hilltop.Adams to Oleg's position. Yosif, Sawn, you're stretcher bearer detail and command security. Pavel, keep pushing forward to...here," he added, pointing to another hilltop. "Take up security positions. We're going to have to shift to retreat under fire."

A retreat under fire is one of the most difficult maneuvers to effect. As one group slows the pursuing enemy the other groups have to get into a position to bring the first group's position under fire. And they have to movefast . They have to get into position before the pursuer can flank the rear party.

On command, the rear party evacuates their position, usually bounding all the way to the front of the overall unit. The unit behind them then takes their position under fire since the enemy theyhad been fighting would generally a.s.sault the position as soon as it was evacuated.

Then the group had to do the whole thing all over again.

Casualties, which were inescapable, added to the complexity. They slowed everyone down. But the Keldara weren't about to leave anyone behind. Not to the Chechens.

Dafyd crested the hill then turned around and flopped on the slope next to Oleg.

"This is fun, no?" he asked, gasping for air.

"I'd rather be headingat them," Pavel said. "I hate running away."

"Frankly, I'd rather be back at home, drinking a beer," Dafyd replied. "There."

One of the Chechen point men had appeared over the next hill. He was clear in Dafyd's NVG.

"Do we wait until they get close?" he asked.

"I don't think so," Pavel replied. He touched his throat mike. "Braon, take him," he called to the team sniper.

There was a crack from Dafyd's right and the Chechen dropped.

"Team," Pavel continued. "Fire as you bear. Snipers, try to find the commanders."

Bukara paused, panting, as fire broke out to the front.

"We have them," Sayeed said.

"Maybe," Bukara replied. "We have to move forward."

"Dafyd, Pavel."

"Go Kildar," Dafyd said, firing to his left. He could see some of the Chechens moving down on the side of the hill, trying to flank their position.

"Get ready to leave," the Kildar said. "Pull straight south. Oleg is to your southwest. Skirt the edge of his hill then check your pads. They have your positions. Move as soon as you are sure you're ready."

"Yes, Kildar," Dafyd said. He quickly switched to the team frequency. "Antoniya, status?"

"All here," Antoniya replied. "No casualties."

"We're good, too," Pavel said. "You go first."

"Right. Team, retreat to the streambed and form on me. We areleaving ."

"Can I shoot, now?" Shota asked as the first Chechen crested the hill where Pavel and Dafyd's people had been. Pavel had almost pa.s.sed their position but Dafyd's team, Padrek's really, was still at the base of the hill.

"One round," Oleg replied. "The new one."

"Yes!" Shota said, happily. He already had one loaded and the range to the hilltop. "Clear!"

"They're retreating under fire," Bukara said. "Doing it well so far."

They were in the streambed on the back side of the hill, just starting to ascend. It was clear that the Keldara had abandoned it.

"Perhaps Haza Khan will stop them," Sayeed said as the hilltop was enveloped with fire. "What in Allah's name?!"

"f.u.c.k their mothers!" Bukara shouted, shaking his head to clear the ringing. The back of the hill was suddenly pelted by rock, dirt, twigs and wet things. "Thermobaric round! Send the rest of the men around the hill."

"Oooo! Pretty!" Shota said, pulling another round out of the rack on his side and sliding it into the rocket launcher. "Can I do that again?"

"No," Oleg said. "Not yet, anyway. Stay under cover. If they see that thing you'll be fired at by every Chechen. I'll tell you if we need it." He touched his throat mike. "Where are they?"

"Coming around both sides of the hill," Jitka replied. "They don't seem to like the top anymore."

"Fire as you bear," Oleg said, spotting one of the Chechen fighters on the east side of the hill. "Snipers, look for leaders."

Sveryan Shaynav was normally a spotter for Juris. But Juris had been hit by the f.u.c.king Russian sniper at the raid so now he was the boss man. He'd grabbed Gregor Makanee, one of the regular riflemen, and given him a very brief cla.s.s in using a spotter scope. But it was the first time the kid had spotted for a sniper so Sveryan wasn't hoping for much.

"Left side of the hill," Gregor whispered. "Range...five hundred thirty-two meters. Guy waving his arms."

Sveryan swung the scope back and forth and finally spotted the guy he was talking about. Sure enough, he looked as if he was in charge of the group. He adjusted the scope for the indicated distance, took a breath, let it out, stroked the trigger.

"Target down," Gregor whispered. "Thirty meters uphill. Guy carrying a big gun of some sort."

"PKM," Sveryan said, stroking the trigger.

"Whatever... He's. .h.i.t but not dead. You wanna finish... Okay. Right side of the hill, think it's one of their snipers. There's two rocks near the top of the hill. Just down from them. Range... four seventy."

"I'vegot to give you a cla.s.s on spotting," Sveryan sighed...

"Oleg, got your little pad thingy working?"

Oleg touched his throat mike without taking his eyes off the approaching enemy.

"Go, Kildar."

"Next position," Mike said. "How you doing?"

"Whisky, one," Oleg replied, indicating one casualty. "Mobile. Ready on your command."

"As soon as you're ready," Mike said. "Pavel is to your southeast. Head due south. Your next position is on the chart."

"Roger, Kildar," Oleg said, switching to the team net. "Team, prepare to pull out. Everyone mobile?"

"Yes," Dmitri replied. "Mikhail took a round through the arm, but he's good otherwise."

"Can I fire now?" Shota asked.

"No," Oleg said. "Save your rounds. I think we're going to need them. Team, pull out...Now!"

The temperature was dropping again, the rain had turned to snow, but that was fine. It meant the f.u.c.king Chechens had to dig to stay warm.

Haza knew how to put in a defensive position. He had fought theNorthern Alliance , off and on, for years. That had been a war of attrition and no-man's-lands towards the end, trenchlines that stretched sometimes for miles. Occasionally one side or the other, usually the Taliban, would get an advantage and the lines would shift. Then it would be time to put in another defense. He had done it over and over again.

He, therefore, wasn't just letting the Chechens dig shallow sc.r.a.pes and be done with it. That seemed to be the way around here. But that wasn't good enough for Haza. He had had them build a zigzagging trench across the brow of the hill, with fields of fire in both directions and to the sides. Machine gun teams had finally straggled in, nearly exhausted, and he already had positions dug for them with sweeping fire covering the front and sides of the hill. If the Keldara tried to pa.s.s to either side they'd be taken under a withering fire. And a.s.saulting straight at the position would be suicide.

Haza could hear the guns, now. The Keldara were retreating under fire, that was pretty clear. And it was also clear they were heading right towards the pa.s.s.

Let them come. Then it would be much warmer.

"Thank you for coming to the White House," the president said, smiling at the president of Burundi and shaking his hand. The two men were turned slightly sideways so that the White House photographer could get a good picture of them.

"Thank you for your hospitality," the man said. "It has been my pleasure to meet you."

"And I you," the president said, ushering him out of the Oval Office. "I wish you well on your return trip."

"And many wishes to you, Mr. President," the Burundan said. He was quite pleased with the visit. His country had picked up a bundle in aid, which would please his cousins no end since most of it would go in their pockets. Well, that which he didn't skim. He could probably buy that chalet in Switzerland he'd had his eye on.

The POTUS walked back to the Resolute Desk and slumped into his chair. He looked at the doc.u.ments on his desk, pulled one over and picked up the phone at the same time, hitting a b.u.t.ton with his pinkie finger.

"Keldara?"

"They're retreating under fire, Mr. President. Weather is breaking and the Predators are starting to get some observation. They're about fifteen kilometers from the Chechen side of the pa.s.s. However, their intercepts, and ours, indicate that somewhat more than four thousand Chechen fighters are closing on their position, many of them carrying heavy weapons such as mortars and heavy machine-guns. If they are slowed much more, the main force will catch them. In that case, sir..."

"They'll be wiped out," the president said.

"Probably, sir," the major replied, unhappily.

"Major, you're a good man," the president said. "But I want someone with ground combat experience to start answering the phone. I want someone who can make calls based on that experience."

"I understand, sir," the major replied.

"Call Office of Special Operations Liaison," the president said. "See if Colonel Pierson can come by."

"Tiger One this is Tiger Two."

"Go," Mike said, looking at the map.

The command group, with the wounded just ahead of them, were in movement to the next position and Mike was trotting while watching the pad and thinking about the terrain ahead.

"Valkyrie is inbound. We need an LZ."

"It's gonna have to be a fly-by," Mike replied. "She got ammo?"