SS1 2.4 – Uneasiness

The plan I had on my mind was simple. We would use car bomb to wipe out the Minotaur pack. After hearing the detail, Mike and the rest agreed with it. We then went into the plain on east of Karmen and started the work to build the car bomb.

For the car, Mike bought me a nice second-hand Toyota Hilux pick-up model 2019 for USD 15.000, along with the kit to turn it into remote-controlled car for USD 3200. When I was in IDF, I was often being tasked with the work to build remote-controlled car.

It was part of program to train our troops on how to counter suicide car bomber in highly-realistic training environment. Now I used this very same knowledge, and it took me about an hour to turn the Hilux pick-up into a remote-controlled car while also modifying it into a more silence car. Mike and Tim then learned how to drive it using remote control.

As for the explosive, I didn’t use mil-grade explosive. If I could buy the basic compound unrestricted, I preferred to mix my own explosive and customized the detonation into my need. Once I got everything inside the working tent, I asked everyone to guard the perimeter from 1 km away. That way, if something went wrong and the bomb went off, only one idiot would die.

I then started the bomb building and it took five hours to finish it. In summary, I used several hundreds of 600 ml stainless thermos as the shell and attached three thick skewers on it. After securing a board of 18-cm-thick Styrofoam on the Hilux’s flatbed, I arranged the shells with skewer on it, facing all direction in 35-90 angles. This way, once we put the Hilux in the middle of nest center all we had to do was pressing the detonation button.

Usually, I would make some simulation using computer and build a miniature of the system to check my calculation. Unfortunately, time was not in our side. In two days another team would hit the nest one more time. We had to carry out our raid tomorrow or never.

And so, I could only do the math one more time before calling Sanchez to explain the procedure to detonate the package.

“So, basically, we can use the procedure on RDX to detonate it,” Sanchez asked me after I finished the explanation.

“Yeah,” I replied while handed over the remote-detonator set.

Sanchez put everything into his inventory and then asked me another question, “How stable the package?”

“Very stable,” I firmly replied. “It won’t detonate even if the car crashed. Fire will turn it into a fierce bonfire, but won’t ignite the detonation chain. You can detonate it only using the detonator.”

Sanchez nodded and said, “And after we trigger the first detonation, the shells would simultaneously burst out to all direction, hit the ceiling, fell to the floor, and then the second detonation will produce fireball. It will spread over 1500 degree Celsius extreme heat up to 3 meters radius and last for 5 minutes.

“The second detonation will also produce flash bang effect that will cause the target temporarily losing their sight and hearing,” I added. “That way, they will hardly be able to escape the nest to evade the heat until it’s too late.”

“That’s one of hell detonation for effect.” After a short pause Sanchez continued, “Most of all, this is the first time I see someone build a massive package using basic compound in matter of hours, and spend only about 3500 dollars.”

“I have built it once, so I already know the math and don’t need to start from scratch.”

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“I see.”

“Well, let’s pack the tent and go back.”

“Copy.”

Actually, one thing was bothering me deeply. The car we used as the carrier was too good in my opinion. We could just use older and cheaper ones. But in the end, I kept the thought for myself.

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We had our dinner while driving back to House of Hunter. Therefore, when we arrived we could go straight to our room. Tomorrow, we would depart at 06:40 in the morning, so we had to rest our body and mind as much as possible.

After taking a bath, I immediately laid down my body on the bed. However, my eyes refused to shut. I then took my tablet. Mike told me that I could switch the time setting to follow the calendar system and 12-fixed hour system on earth.

Without delay I immediately changed it, and while doing so I remembered that today was Jewish New Year on earth. Since I was child, my father would take me to welcome it by attending services in synagogue, fasting from daybreak to nightfall, attending service in synagogue, and reflected on the year we have had while pondering how we would improve it.

Honestly, the fasting part was too hard for a child like me, but my father would secretly gave me a small piece of Choco bar and let me leaned on his side while sleeping. And so, when I woke up it was already in the final moment before the celebration.

Once the rabbi finished blowing the ram’s horn, we then ate apples dipped in honey, and greeted each other with, “For a good New Year.”, and then enjoy a festive meal.

Even when I couldn’t go home and had to stay with my unit in the base or forward post, I never failed to carry the tradition my father taught me. The only exception was when I had to carry a 36-hour combat tracking in Golan height with a squad of paratroopers, just a day before the New Year.

It didn’t end well. We were ambushed, lured by a trail of explosive. Our tracker became the first KIA, followed by our squad leader a few seconds later. Then, in the middle of chaos, our paramedic was taken and we found his body a few days later, full of torture remarks. All of that was my fault. I ignored the sign of ambush because I was too eager to find the explosive.

It was already four years since that disastrous afternoon, but it still gave me nightmare and heartache sometimes. I also still clearly remembered the expression of the fallen paratroopers’ family when they came to the base trying to find out what had really happened to their love ones.

Those families didn’t look for me because chain of command didn’t release the detail of the event and spared me from the blame. However, it made my sense of guilt became heavier and almost drove me crazy.

After letting out a sigh a few times, I lit a candle and recited a pray for every Israeli fallen serviceman and servicewoman. Then, I heard someone knock my door lightly. I immediately snuffed out the candle, wiped out my tears, and opened the door.

“What the…” Mike looked at me for a while before asking in low voice, “Did you just cried?”

“A little,” I honestly replied.

“Don’t tell me you already homesick?”

“I don’t. I just remembered some fallen friends.”

“I see.” After a short pause Mike said, “I did say we should rest as much as we can, but it doesn’t mean you should lock yourself in your room and force yourself to sleep. If you don’t mind, join us in the lounge.”

“Okay.”

Wasting no time I closed the door and followed Mike. In the lounge, I found Matt and Tim were playing chest, while Sanchez and McKay were watching soccer match from earth.

“In this quarter, the curfew is at 22:30, so we still have around 70 minutes,” Mike casually said. “Feel free to enjoy whatever hobby you have, or if you want to talk to me or asking whatever you want to know about our job, I will gladly answer.”

I nodded before turning my gaze to the soccer match. “Is this match new?”

“It’s a live match,” Mike replied. “We can buy things, watch movie, TV show, or sport match, read book, newspaper, or magazine, or access the internet from earth. We just can’t communicate with anyone from earth. To people from earth, we already leaved their world for good.”

“I see.”

“Well, I will continue read my favorite manga.”

“Okay. Happy reading then,” Mike said before joining Sanchez and McKay watching the soccer match.

As for me, I immediately sat and used my tablet to access my favorite manga. Actually, what we did right now was pretty similar to what I did with my unit every time we have free time in the base. So, it brought some familiarity to me.

It’s just that right now, deep down I felt a strong uneasiness. Today was the second time I skip the tradition to welcome the New Year just before a mission. Yesterday I was on a hunt and then went to a heavy sex party, while today I used my time to build a car bomb.

I really had a bad feeling about this, but I didn’t know how to tell it to everyone.

*****