The Maverick Experiment (13 page)

Thursday, January 28
Kabul, Afghanistan
CIA Station
1632 Hrs

Bell sat with his branch chiefs in a last-minute staff meeting. “I am disappointed that we don't have anything on Agha Jan's
killers. The president is about ready to cut me off from seeing him because he is so angry, and the Brits aren't any happier. Do we have any leads? Anything, people?”

“No, sir,” replied Grant. “We even tasked some assets in the area to ask around and see if anyone saw anything. NDS has done the same, but no one saw anything. So unless the whole neighborhood is coordinating this and covering it up, these guys were good. Real good. In and out.”

Bell placed his head in his hands, showing his frustration over the past several days. Nothing had gone his way, and despite a major bad guy being out of the picture and Malawi Rafiq's key deputy being arrested, the chief felt helpless. “OK. Dave, what does NSA have on Habib? Please tell me something. We have to make some progress here on something.”

“Well, sir, it's actually a point of concern. We have been getting chatter about this attack on Pol-e-Charkhi pretty constantly now for the last thirty-six hours or so, but all communication has ceased. I haven't heard anything in over ten hours. Maybe that's good, maybe it's not. I don't know.”

“What are you suggesting? The lack of communication indicates the attack is imminent? Or is it postponed? What are you saying?”

“I don't know, sir. That's just it.”

“Great. How about that Stevens character? Did we ever get any word on him from back home?”

“No. He is apparently a ghost, because no one can find him, but his wife claims he is out working right now.”

“Maybe he is here working,” laughed Dave. “Wouldn't that be ironic?”

“Wouldn't it be,” responded the chief in a dry voice, not amused by Dave's humor. “Well, we don't have him. Wherever this guy is, we aren't going to have any input in time if they are going to strike tonight, so we have to do what we can. Dave, work with liaison to get a tear line together and pass a threat warning to the Ministry of Justice about a possible attack. They should heighten security at the prison and all their facilities. Maybe not a bad idea to move Habib, either, until this all dies down.”

“Will do. We'll get something out soonest and make sure they're prepared.”

Thursday, January 28
Kabul, Afghanistan
Pol-e-Charkhi Village
1803 Hrs

General Mohibullah entered the compound alone. As he walked in, nearly a dozen men across the courtyard were arming themselves and preparing for the evening's events. They stopped momentarily to see who had arrived and returned to their activities as Omar yelled at them to remain on task. Khaled stood in the far corner, chatting with his wife, instructing her to finish the food for their guests.

Fahim again welcomed the general. “Right on time, sir. Thanks for coming.”

The general lightly smiled and shook Fahim's hand.

It was obvious to Fahim that the general was nervous. Managing bribes and assisting in the cases of imprisoned
Taliban was one thing, but tonight he would be involved in the deaths of many Afghans, some of whom were his friends and subordinates at the prison.

“What now?” asked the general.

“We eat. Khaled's wife is preparing food, and we will eat together before you go.”

“Before I go? Are you not coming?”

“No, General. My job is only to facilitate such things and ensure we have men to do the job. Khaled and I will be here but only getting updates of tonight's activities. We will send you and your two-car convoy soon, and then a third car, which will enter with more fighters. A fourth and final vehicle will film the attack from afar.”

Te general took a deep breath and acknowledged the plan. “I see. And you are sure the vehicles will work? What if I get nervous and the guards notice?”

“You cannot. Besides, Allah will be with you. All you have to do is get the vehicles in the gate, and then you can cash in on your new life in Pakistan or wherever you want to live.”

The general again sighed heavily, but conceded. Fahim led him to meet the men and sit down at the table for dinner.

Khaled's wife had spent the afternoon preparing food and had made quite the feast. For many present, it would be their last.

The general loved local lamb kabobs and rice. It was an Afghan favorite, and he had grown up on it. Tonight, however, his stomach was in knots, and the last thing he wanted to do was eat. His only desire was to finish the job, earn his money, and be on his way. There would be more than enough money for kabobs after tonight.

Thursday, January 28
Kabul, Afghanistan
Safe House
1851 Hrs

Derek sat quietly with the men as dusk began to settle in and the evening calls to prayer rang out in the distant villages. He couldn't believe what he and his men were about to attempt. Breaking into the country's most secure and dangerous facility seemed crazy. And breaking in would be the easiest part of the plan. Inside waited thousands of angry, anti-Westerner prisoners, many of whom were armed and would attempt to overwhelm and kill Derek and his team before he could even say Pol-e-Charkhi. It was not going to be an easy task, by any stretch of imagination. It was clear to all the men, and certainly to Derek, that this could easily become the team's last mission. Knowing the Taliban were planning a breakout as well didn't help settle their minds.

Carson broke the silence. “So aren't the fucking Brits gonna be pissed when they find out we killed their source and broke into their cell block to get a high-value target out of prison?” he asked.

Derek smiled and laughed. “Yeah, I am thinking so.”

The team and Shafi laughed, which lightened the mood somewhat.

The table in front of them was lined with the gear they would use to complete the operation. They studied a drawing on which they had game-planned their positions.

“OK, so we are good on all this? Miller, you know where you need to be, right?”

“Sure do. Can't wait to be there.”

“Carson, do you and Randy have our entry package ready?”

“Yeah, we're good to go. It's gonna be loud, though. From what Randy said, this is a thick-ass wall. We're using a shit load of our explosives.”

“Well, save some for the cell block.”

“Check. We're on it.”

“Grimes, bud, you're with Miller the whole time. Got it?”

Grimes patted Miller on the shoulder and nodded.

Miller looked to him. “You and me, brother,” he said, and nodded as well.

“Shafi, you don't leave my side. You, Randy, Carson, and I will hit that building hard and fast and get out. If this takes more than a couple of minutes, we are all done, I can promise you that. The compound is massive, so it will take the guards from other sections a while to get to us, meaning if we work quick, we only need to take out the ones in Habib's block and egress the fuck out of there. I want this done right, but most importantly, I want everyone coming home. Let's gear up and get ready to move.”

The team put on their kits and prepared to depart the safe house. They would take two vehicles: Shafi's Corolla, which Derek had already put to use quite a bit, and the stolen Hilux from Pakistan. Miller and Grimes had outfitted the Hilux for travel and ensured they had chambered rounds in each of their weapons. Miller carried his suppressed Maverick Series SASS 7.62 sniper rifle and glock pistol. He had packed his SASS 7.62 for a lighter load, but the rifle still had a maximum effective
range of one thousand meters and was one of the most capable and effective sniper rifles. Tonight it would be used to initiate the most dangerous mission any of the men had ever been on.

Miller and Grimes were to head north on Jalalabad Road and cut through Pol-e-Charkhi village en route to the northeast staff entrance, near the Drug and Poppy Block. Once in range, Miller would fire from the darkness and eliminate first the guard in the northeast tower, then the guard in the southeast tower. Miller and Grimes would then eliminate the checkpoint guards, make their way to the northeast tower, ascend the back wall, and take an overwatch position for the approaching team. The team would only have seconds to breach and move on the cell block after receiving word from Miller that he was in position.

Derek and the rest of the team would be coming from the southeast. After exiting the safe house, they would head southeast of Arzan Qimat and Pol-e-Charkhi prison to get around the back, which was the most vulnerable side. After parking their car a few hundred meters from the prison, they would move in on foot and wait for Miller. If all went well, getting into position would be the longest portion of the mission. Once the charge was set on the wall and detonated, the team expected to be in the prison for only about two minutes while Grimes and Miller covered them from above.

Thursday, January 28
Kabul, Afghanistan
Pol-e-Charkhi Prison
2034 Hrs

Strong gusts of wind blew as Miller and Grimes cut their vehicle lights and began to creep over the dirt mounds that surrounded much of Pol-e-Charkhi. The dirt was hardened and frozen from the dropping temperatures. Snow f urries began to fall as they moved into position. Yellow lights lit up the skies hundreds of meters away. Pol-e-Charkhi was the only thing that seemed to be illuminated in the area; the rest was an abyss of darkness. Flurries continued to fall; it seemed almost peaceful and serene at the prison, for now. Conditions were perfect for the team; the only question mark for Miller was the wind.

Miller reached for his throat piece. “One, this is Three. We are in position and have eyes on objective one.”

Randy responded as Derek drove. “Three, this is Two. Good copy. Please notify when you're ready. We are approaching our vehicle drop point. Over.”

“Roger, Two. Will advise when ready.”

Miller and Grimes crawled over another hill and positioned themselves for the first shot, which would be the longest and had to be precise. If he missed, the team would instantly be compromised. If he succeeded, he and Grimes would move in closer and get ready for the second shot on the southeast tower. Fortunately, Miller was good–really good.

Grimes peered through his long-range night-vision binos as Miller lined up his shot. “Looks like they have some pretty beefed-up security here, boys.”

Derek came in over the radio as he pulled over and parked the Corolla a few hundred meters of the main road. “Five, this is One. Describe beefed-up security.”

“Well, based on what we discussed, it seems they are ready for something. There are multiple people on the primary towers near the main entrance with binos and men ready on the big guns. Not to mention the fact that the visitor checkpoint has some serious additional manpower.”

Derek turned to the others. “Shit. They must be stepping things up because of the threat. Five, proceed as planned and notify if you encounter unexpected resistance.”

“Roger. Five out.”

Grimes turned to Miller. “You good, man?”

“Good to go.”

“Two, this is Three. I have target one in sight.”

Miller stared through his long-range scope and breathed easily as he watched the tower guard peering out over his sector while trying to stay warm.

The Ministry of Justice had provided some coats and warm uniforms for their staff; however, as with most things in Afghanistan, the leadership, who would not need it, had taken most of the gear for themselves. Most men continued to wear their Soviet-era green military uniforms and had to resort to scarves and blowing on their hands to stay warm.

“Ready when you are, buddy,” responded Derek. “We are on foot now and moving toward our initial objective.”

“Copy,” whispered Miller as he focused in more on his target. Grimes patted him on the shoulder, and he inhaled one last time before squeezing the trigger.

The shot ripped through the guard's chest, and he fell to the tower floor. Surviving a round from the SASS 7.62 was not even a remote possibility. Step one had been a success.

“Tango One down,” Miller said.

“Two, this is Three. We are moving.”

Miller and Grimes gathered themselves and crept further in toward the checkpoint so Miller could get a shot on the second tower.

“Roger. We are in range of the southeast tower and standing by,” whispered Randy into the team's comms unit.

Miller readied himself again and fired. Te second guard was leaning out over the southeast wall of the compound when the round entered his back; he flipped over the edge and fell to the ground.

“Tango Two down,” said Miller, smiling.

“Roger, Three. Nice work. Advise if you have trouble reaching your objective.”

“Will do. We are moving. Three out.”

Miller and Grimes used their scopes to view the status of the guards at the staff checkpoint; they were no more than ffy meters away.

“Alright, we got three dudes. Head right and stay low. I'll stay back and take out the first and last. You move in for number two. Let me know when you're there.”

“You got it.”

“Be safe, bud.”

“Always.” Grimes crept even closer and kneeled along a hill as he locked in on a target. “In position.”

“OK, I'm locked on the far lef. You start right and we will meet in the middle,” responded Miller.

Both men knew if any one of the guards got a shot of, the team was done and the two of them would be in a world of hurt. But both were professionals and knew what was at stake. Besides, from the sight of things, it didn't appear these guards would put up much of a fight.

All three men stood apathetically with their rifes slung over their shoulders. Whether the rest of the compound was on high alert or not, these particular guards didn't seem to care. It was cold, and they had no one watching over them.

Grimes stared at his target as the man took one last drag on his cigarette and threw it onto the snow-covered ground. Just as he did, Miller chimed in, “Ready to fire in three, two, one.”

A shot whizzed through the air just before he downed his third target of the night. Grimes stood and eliminated the
guard standing far right at the drop arm gate, and both men put a round into the final wandering, middle guard before any of the men could reach for their radios or weapons.

Grimes peered through his binos one more time to make sure both teams were clear to move and then grabbed his throat piece. “We are moving to our objective now. You guys are clear. See you soon.”

Grimes and Miller hustled over the snow-covered dirt and rocks all the way past the vehicle checkpoint and then rushed toward the base of the northeast tower. They slammed into the wall and took a second to catch their breath.

Miller slung his rife over his shoulder and pulled the grappling rope from his bag. He fung the rope up and over the edge of the tower and gave it a firm pull. “Ascending now.”

Grimes kneeled and readied his weapon to provide cover for Miller as he climbed up the rope and into the tower.

Once in the tower, Miller looked for the first time into the massive compound and set up to cover the long road between the Drug and Poppy Cell Block beneath him up to the main entrance, where most of the activity was.

Grimes followed up the rope and called in to the others, “We are in position.”

Derek looked to the others and nodded as they began to sprint through the snow toward a section of the wall not far from Miller and Grimes.

After several seconds, the crunching of snow ceased and they were directly behind the cell block. All they had to do was blow through a two-foot-thick wall and then another wall at the rear of the Drug and Poppy Cell Block.

Grimes scanned the compound with his binos for unusual activity and stopped as he peered out past the front gate. “Guys, be advised we have some sort of convoy approaching. Looks official. Two blacked-out Land Cruisers.”

Derek acknowledged the advancing cars as he and Randy covered Carson, who placed the explosives on the prison wall and armed the device. “OK, keep your eyes on the convoy, but continue to scan your sector.”

“See you in hell, bitches,” mutThered Carson as he sprinted back to the men and kneeled.

“Get ready for some shake, boys,” Derek whispered into his throat piece.

The detonation was loud. Dust and debris few over the heads of Derek and his men as they stood and rushed toward the newly created opening.

Miller and Grimes sat and hugged the wall with their mouths agape, trying to spare their eardrums from the compression of the detonation, then quickly returned to their feet to provide cover for the rest of the team.

The team hustled to the Drug and Poppy Cell Block's rear cell wall. Derek scurried down toward the northeast corner of the structure where he could see down the main alleyway and provide cover.

The guard force was confused by the loud bang but remained equally concerned about the approaching convoy. A small group of men hustled through the darkness toward Drug and Poppy to see what happened as several people within the cell block began to peer out to see what had nearly knocked them from their feet and sent debris flying through the windows of their complex.

“Guys, we are getting a lot of activity out here. We have tangos moving in fast from the main gate, and there are folks coming out the front entrance of the cell block to see what 's up.”

“Roger. Carson, let's pick up the pace, brother. Hold on …”

One of the cell block guards crept around the front corner of the building on Derek's side only to be welcomed by a 5.56 round that drove straight through his head.

“Tango down.”

“We're set,” said Carson.

Derek turned and sprinted toward the second breach point as the second detonation of the night occurred … only it wasn't theirs.

One of the Land Cruisers detonated inside the compound just beyond the main entrance. The percussion had knocked Derek clear of his feet.

“Fuck!” Miller screamed. Te detonation nearly blinded him as he stared at the vehicle through his night-vision goggles. He scrambled to grab his throat piece. “Guys, we have a VBIED detonation inside the compound just inside the front gate.”

The blast doors of the prison, as well as the guards in the immediate vicinity, had been ripped into pieces and spread throughout the compound. Meanwhile, the second Land Cruiser had dropped Mohibullah at his office, where a driver waited.

“You said you would wait!” yelled Mohibullah as he jumped from the vehicle and ran toward his driver. Te Land Cruiser sped away toward the Drug and Poppy Block.

Meanwhile, detainees throughout the compound began to shout and scream in excitement, hoping a jailbreak was imminent. Te scene was getting bad quickly. Derek regained his composure and screamed at Carson, “Fucking blow it!”

Their breach ripped through the wall, and the team entered the rear of the small compound.

Miller chimed back in, “Guys, be advised we have a vehicle heading this way at high velocity and people feeing the main prison compound.”

The guards had been on the take, as in Qandahar, and all the prisoners in Cell Blocks Four and Zoon had been released from their cells. The prison chaos that all major intelligence agencies had feared for years was happening–all around Derek and his team.

As Derek sprinted around the front of the cell block toward the entrance, he said, “Three, take out the driver!”

“On it,” responded Miller as he locked in on the driver and fired. The windshield shattered, and the car, now out of control, sped toward the cell block, flipping as it hit a large rut in the dirt-and-rock path. It slid to within ten meters of the building.

Randy and Carson fired two quick shots, downing the first guards inside the cell block, as Derek tossed a grenade through the window in the adjacent guard building.

Screams continued to echo from the cells as the excitement on the compound intensified. Te detonations had knocked out the already suspect electricity in the cell block, and the guards rushed blindly toward the stairs. Derek and his men ascended halfway up and tossed a flash-bang over the upper-level railing, where the guards waited with their weapons drawn.

The flash blinded and disoriented the guards, and the team quickly eliminated the remaining opposition and made their way to Rahman's cell.

“We are about to pick up the target. How are we doing out there?” said Derek.

Miller responded calmly, “Te approaching vehicle is down. We have a lot of dead bodies out here.” Miller paused and fired on an official sprinting down the main alley toward the cell block where Derek and his team were. “Add another.”

“Wait,” chimed in Grimes as he scanned the area. “We have a truck approaching quickly with some armed men in the back.”

“How far out?”

“They are about to enter the–”

Another detonation ripped through the already chaotic night.

Miller was thrown hard against the tower wall as Grimes was thrust up and over the edge.

As the approaching Hilux pickup entered the compound, its occupants fired on Mohibullah's exiting vehicle, killing both the general and his driver and sending the vehicle into the stone wall directly ahead.

Miller slowly regained consciousness only to see that Grimes was no longer in the tower. “Grimes! Grimes!” he yelled. He looked down the front side of the tower to see where the flipped vehicle had detonated. The blast had completely destroyed the front side of the cell block where his teammates were, as well as the northeast corner of the motor pool and storage area. Small fames and large pockets of smoke were all Miller could make out.

The passenger of the vehicle, not the driver, must have been in charge of the device, Miller reasoned groggily. He had lived through the crash to detonate and at least partially complete the mission.

Meanwhile, about one hundred meters from the prison, yet another Hilux had pulled up, and a man in the truck bed was filming the entire chaotic attack sequence. All the camera could capture was several loud bangs and the now huge plumes of smoke that floated up from within the prison walls. The cackle of gunfire raged inside as prisoners fed and fought the remaining guard staff. It was poetry to the Taliban and would be on DVD for sale within days at the local bazaars.