Chapter 1

 

It's so hot! Courtney lay on her back staring at the darkening blue of the sky above, her naked body covered with sweat. How long are they going to keep me here? She sniffed and shook her head. As long as they damn well want!

Courtney knew that it was her own fault she was in this mess. Her own fault she had been taken so easily. I did something really stupid! The thought roared venomously through her brain. Something I never should have done. Her father had always warned her not to volunteer for anything-and never without being sure whatever she was doing would do some good. I knew that the plan was stupid, she told herself for the thousandth time. Trading weapons with Libyan rebels was definitely a bad idea-especially after that Benghazi fiasco!

But despite those feelings, she had gone. I didn't want the others to think I was being a coward. She shook her head again. As if that mattered!

So she had taken her usual seat, co-piloting the helicopter that was supposed to make the transfer run quickly and easily. In and out, they told us, she thought. In and out...

They had had gotten in just fine, landing within a few yards of an abandoned apartment on the edge of the city-the place chosen for the exchange. The rebels were there and, soon enough, they had the weapons.

Weapons that were quickly turned against their benefactors.

As soon as I saw them aiming the RPG's I knew we were screwed!

Courtney and her pilot friend had attempted to get them back in the air-but there wasn't nearly enough time. The first RPG blew out the main rotor assembly before we could get enough revs to lift off the ground-and then the second one blew the tail section apart.

The rebels had then opened up with all the other weapons they had just received.

I rolled out of the ship and tried to get cover behind the skid. Courtney had only her 9mm handgun to fight back with-and even that was soon gone, kicked away by rebel fighters coming up from behind.

By then the rest of the 'mission' was dead, their bodies littering the interior of the chopper and the ground immediately around it. Most of the rebels had busied themselves with grabbing anything of value the dead men had on them.

Two ignored the carnage and took charge of Courtney.

They stripped me down, tore off my fatigues, flight suit-everything!

When she was naked, they forced her own panties into her mouth and secured it with strips cut from her clothing. More strips secured her wrists, ankles and elbows.

Helpless, Courtney was lifted onto a rebel shoulder and taken to an ordinary panel truck at the edge of the landing area. There she had been tossed into the back and covered with a canvas sheet.

I kept hoping that someone would stop the truck and find me.

No one did.

That drive seemed to go on forever. First they went over paved roads, then hard-packed sand. Finally, after what seemed days, Courtney felt the truck pull over and heard the door open.

"Out you come, bitch!" The canvas was gone and rough hands gripped her by the ankles, dragging her out of the truck and dumping her on the ground. "Your new home is over there," the hard-faced man standing over her pointed to her right. "Crawl!"

Courtney stared at him, unbelieving.

"I said," he struck her ass with a length of cable. "Crawl!"

Courtney shrieked into the gag-the pain surprisingly intense-and began to wriggle in the direction the man indicated. She fought her way over the hard-packed sand, tears running down her face until...

"Right there."

She stopped, unsure of where she was or how far she had gone.

"Now," she felt a blade slice through the bonds on her ankles. "Don't move." Her wrists were suddenly free.

And then she was falling, kicked into nothingness until: THUNK! She landed hard on her butt.

"Get some rest." The hard man pulled some kind of cover over the hole she found herself in, fastened it on four sides. "We'll talk again in the morning."

That hole was actually a trench. One Courtney estimated to be about four foot deep and six foot long. Razor wire had been nailed to the frame which her captor had fastened over the trench. I'm not going anywhere, Courtney decided after testing how secure everything was. Nowhere at all.

Now, sweaty hours later, she lay on the bottom of the trench, looking up at the emerging stars. I wonder what they want. She looked down at her naked body. Whatever it is, I'm damn sure not going to be able to stop them from taking it.

Courtney Baker sighed and forced herself to relax. She needed sleep if she was to have any chance at all to escape. Sleep... She looked at the bright stars overhead and shook her head. Sure, that's going to happen!

Chapter 2 - KHANDAHAR AIR BASE

 

Carole Jacobs looked up at the star-filled sky and sighed. I wish Michael was around, she shrugged and shook her head. But he didn't want to miss the donut dollies. She grinned, looking down at herself. Carole was wearing her clamshell armor-and nothing else--above the waist. He doesn't know what he's missing!

SP-5 Michael Collins wasn't a guy she'd think about dating back in the world but here, in the dustbowl of Afghanistan where decent men were at a premium, things were different. He's a jerk, she told herself. And I'm better looking than any of those damned Red Cross girls! She ran a hand through her thick, naturally red hair-cropped short now to make it easy to clean-and he knows it! She sighed and turned toward the vast emptiness in front of her post. I'm a lot more fun, too!

Carole had drawn the midnight to four guard shift-something she rather enjoyed. Quiet with lots of stars, she took a moment to glance up again. Nice and peaceful! Carole was thinking of making the Army a career-maybe putting in for one of the Combat arms. More money there, she thought. Tons of proficiency bonuses. She grinned. Not like us Helo-maintenance types. Carole knew that she could beat any test the Army could toss at her-even if it involved something other than a Blackhawk. I can tear this M-4 down in the dark! She grinned. And, unlike a lot of the grunts, I can put it back together too!

She looked out over the emptiness. Wish I was a better shot...

There was a noise to her right. She shifted position, pushed her night-vision goggles down and scanned the desert landscape...

Is there anyone out there? She scanned slowly, side to side, back and forth, looking for...what? Should I call it in? She bit her lower lip. I don't see anything...

She lowered her weapon, leaned forward...

And was shocked as strong hands gripped the barrel of her weapon and yanked hard, pulling her forward, half out of her firing pit. As she fought for the gun it was rammed back into her belly-the butt hitting just beneath her clam-shell armor.

Air whooshed out of her lungs and she collapsed to her knees, fighting for breath, the rifle falling to the ground. She gasped once, twice...

While she was gasping, strong hands grabbed her by her web gear and pulled her up and over the sand-bagged emplacement. She found herself on the hard-packed sand fighting for breath as the stars stared down at her...

Then something was yanked over her head and she was blind-unable to breathe, unable to fight as the world swirled around her...