Engagement

a/n
Glossary is now at the end of every chapter....


I held my team back near the temple entrance as we waited to see which route the horde was coming from. The storm kept building overhead until we were in this strange kind of twilight. If you looked up you could see sand and grit being whipped around by insanely strongand noisy winds, but down where we were it was perfectly still. It was still loud as hell, and a faint rain of dust was falling, but the winds weren't touching us.

We sat waiting for the attack. Fossey came over and joined us, "So what do your guys need?" he asked.

"This to be over sir," Big Bob joked. Fossey gave a thin smile in agreement.

"Seriously Lieutenant? Water and a couple of mortar tubes would be nice."

"Any artillery support would be nice. At least we have the Mark 19s and Ski brought a shit-ton of ammunition for those and the .50 cals. Oh and he scrounged up five cases of M34s."

I was surprised, "Wasn't white phosphorus banned for use in Iraq?"

"Only in cities. It can still be used as a marking and smoke screen producing agent. I think we have some of the only WP hand grenades in the country though. Some of my guys are running those and claymores along the attack routes as booby traps. They're kind of obvious as apparently intelligence isn't in this particular shambling horror's skill-set."

Slayer snickered, "Ya got an adaptable mind sir, just saying."

"And you are...Sergeant?"

"Sergeant Faith Lehane, Alpha Company, 118th Area Support Medical Battalion Massachusetts National Guard. Oh yeah, I'm also a Slayer like Captain B."

"There are two like her?" Fossey looked at me accusingly.

"Hey, I didn't make the rules and according to Summers, she isn't shy about breaking rules when necessary."

Fossey sighed and Slayer pointed at me, "He speaks the truth sir."

Fossey just groaned and mumbled something about AARs and hell. I felt for him...for maybe a second.He then shrugged and left us on our own.

"Poor guy. Reality shattering on ya is a bitch," she said as she lit a cigarette. Big Bob, Bunny, and Phantom pulled out their snuff for Phantom, and chew for Big Bob and Bunny and took their dips.

Muggsy and Top looked at them disdainfully while I found a comfy rock to sit on and wait. When it was time to move, we would have to move fast. So I figured I might as well save my energy.

We had been chilling out for about an hour when Muggsy tapped me on the shoulder and pointed that Delarosa's Stryker was backing into the cavern. I nodded, stood up, and checked to see if team comms and short range comms with the infantry and Summers were up.

Team comms were good and clear and Phantom handed Slayer a spare headset which she accepted gratefully. I briefed her on our call signs again and she nodded when she had got them. Comms to the infantry was filled with static but usable and I asked Fossey for immediate callouts on any sightings so we could get there ASAP. He responded that he had two man scout teams down each approach and we would be the second to know. I couldn't reach Summers at all because of the interference. She must have been sitting on ground zero of the source.
Slayer stubbed out her current cigarette and looked at the cavern entrance, "He's arriving. I can feel him."

I looked over at the cavern entrance and saw all the MG teams were at their weapons.

"Okay. There's probably going to be a couple of feints to misdirect us on the actual route," I said, "But we can't afford to let any through. What we're going to do is hang back here until we have a positive ID on the target group."

"I might be able to help with that," Slayer said. "This bowl is going to be feeling a lot like the dude it's calling. It's pretty distinctive and powerful, so I should be getting a sense of where and when it's entering the AO."

I suddenly felt much better, "Slayer, I could kiss you! You and Chatterbox didi up the central passage as far as you can in a fifteen minute run. Hang out there and hide up on the canyon wall. Let any mooks go past and sing out when you pick up the party favor on your radar. Then get back here in one piece. That should give us enough warning to arrange an ambush."

Slayer grinned and waggled her eyebrows, "Just a kiss? Ya sure know how t'tease a girl Boss," she said as she licked her lips while giving me a serious once over."

"Yeah just a kiss," I tried to ignore my team laughing at me. "I'm not that easy..."

Slayer laughed and nodded at Chatterbox. He nodded back and the two of them started running off at a slow lope.

"She's kind of scary," I said mostly to myself.

Muggsy patted me on my shoulder, "It also sounded like she was serious..." she whispered.

"Yeah I got that impression too..." I had to reply.

We kept waiting until about an hour forty-five later we got a call out from Fossey, "Be advised, Mountain, Stryker and Echo forces. Two groups one on the south-southwest passage and one on the southwest! Be here in thirty at their estimated rate of travel."

"Hey Cowboy, I've been thinking," Top spoke up, "These things are seriously old school mob fighters right? Are they going to use waves or a constant semi-endless horde or two? I mean they don't need to withdraw and they can't rout."

"Good catch, I'm going to guess mindless nearly-endless horde. That means...Slayer, Chatterbox, this is Cowboy! Reposition same parameters on the southern passage. We're on our way to join you!"

"Roger," was Chatterbox's response and, "Gotcha Boss," was Slayer's.

"Let's move," I yelled at the rest of my team. We started running for the entrance of the southern route and I called Fossey, "Mountain 6 Local, this is Cowboy, be advised the two forces approching are a feint and overwhelming attack combined. The package is coming down the southern route with a security element, I'm sure of it!"

"Roger Cowboy. I'll see if I can shift an MG team or two to keep you from getting hit from the rear when the two hordes arrive. I'll also let Paladin 6 know."

"How Mountain 6 Local?" I asked.

"We ran a field phone line in. The wired connection is still up and you really don't want to know what's happening inside."

"Roger Mountain 6 Local, this is Cowboy out."

"Good Hunting Cowboy. Mountain 6 Local out."

It took about twenty minutes to get to the position. Chatterbox and Slayer joined us in another ten.

"Okay," I gasped, "We need to advance and find a choke point. Watch out for our side's booby traps. Chatterbox, you and Muggsy find us a site with decent lines of fire. Got it?" the two nodded and set off at a sprint.

"Whoops!" Slayer called out, "Yo Chatter! Is that a 7.62?" my sniper nodded. Slayer fished into a cargo pocket and pulled out what looked like an ammo box. and tossed it to him, "Brought these for Captain B's toy. Blessed silver, there's twenty in there if they laugh at lead." Chatterbox nodded again and pocketed the box before starting to sprint off again.

"Blessed silver?" Phantom asked.

"Yeah, only by a Bishop though. I've been trying to get my knives blessed by a Cardinal, but the paperwork is a pain in the ass."

"Cowboy. This is Mountain 6 Local. Engagement starting," I could hear weapons fire and explosions.

"Understood," I answered, "Muggsy, any luck?" I sent on the team push.

"Oh yeah Cowboy. Chatterbox is moving into his perch and we have two good emplaced autogunner positions about a hundred meters ahead."

"Roger that," we moved up and Big Bob and Bunny set up their M240s. Muggsy, having rejoined us, and Phantom unslung extra belts of ammo from their rucks and set up as assistant gunners and security, while Top and I readied our M203s. Slayer slung her M4 and began free climbing a smooth looking wall some distance ahead until she was sitting on a shadowed small ledge about forty feet up. Above and behind me, Chatterbox was laying on another ledge; his M24 on its bipod setup in front of him. We were all in place and waiting for the fun.

It was about two and a half hours since Delarosa had backed his vehicle into place and we could still hear rifle and machinegun fire coupled with the rapid fire booming of Mark 19 grenades going off when they impacted. I hadn't heard any radio chatter from Fossy or Malinowski due to building interference so I had no idea what the situation behind us was.

Then Slayer came over the comms, "Three guys headed this way. Humans two of'em are 10th Mountain thirds dressed like a civilian."

"Stay cool everybody," I ordered, "Phantom, you do the intercept. Everybody else stay hidden."

I heard the string of Rogers come over the radio except for Chatterbox's grunt of agreement. Phantom got up and stood in the center of the canyon. Soon three figures rounded the bend and slowed when they saw him.

"Don't shoot, we're not dead!" they were two of the scouts Fossey had sent out.

"Stand down!" I yelled. "And you are sir?"

"Ethan Rayne, Captain Ledger. The bowl is about a half a kilometer behind me on this path guarded by a hundred or so of the walking dead as well as six abominations of science."

"Yo Rayne! Giles wants to chat with you after this winds up."

Rayne didn't even turn to look at Slayer, "I am very sure of that. You must be the other slayer?"

"Got it in one!"

"Okay, you two," I pointed at the two infantrymen, "We're going to do an ambush. One of you next to each 240. Rayne, what can you do to help?"

The Englishman thought for a second then spoke, "Do you have any pepper?"

One of the 10th Mountain guys fished an MRE pepper packet out of one of his MOLLE pouches, "This enough?"

"Oh excellent! And it was developed for use by soldiers as well? Even better. Captain give me your hand."

I put my hand forward and quick as a shot Rayne had jabbed me with a small dagger and scraped the welling blood off onto the blade, "Sorry, needed some from a leader of men." He then pulled out a lighter and some scraps of paper and squatted on the ground. He quickly built a small fire and heated the blood smeared blade in the flames while chanting. A greasy red smoke began to emerge and wafted its way into the air. Then he poured the pepper into the dying blaze and shapes started appearing of men walking towards the approaching enemy. Rayne stopped chanting for a second and spoke, "These are illusions nothing more, but the creatures that approach will be compelled to attack them. I will keep this up as long as I can." He then started chanting again and the figures regained their solidity.

"Damn," Bunny muttered as the shapes, now quite recognizable as US infantry, kept appearing and marching.

"Here they come," muttered Slayer as the the 12th gen horde arrived.

GLOSSARY

AO -- Area of Operation.