For the next several weeks' nothing happened. Emily spent a lot of time on patrol wandering around in the mountains. She spent more time outside of the FOB than inside it. True to the Colonel's guesses the Captain set up a rotating patrol schedule where there was at least one squad patrolling at any given time. Emily ended up going on most of the Patrols since it was more likely that the patrol would stumble onto the OCS than they attacking the base head-on.

The sun was just setting as Emily made her way up the mountain back to the FOB. She was enjoying the sunset as she entered the FOB when she learned that command was giving the Platoon another couple of days then they were going to be pulled out. She grabbed her dinner from the supply bunker then climb up onto the roof where one of the M240 crews were set up.

“Hey Never. What's going on in the world.” the gunner said smiling as Emily climbed into the gun nest.

“Hey, Troy.” Emily said leaning her rifle up against the sandbags and sitting down. “You hear we are leaving in a couple of days.”

“Yuppers. Three weeks and half weeks and no contact. I am surprised they had us out here this long.” Troy said. Troy was a big guy that was going bald. His arms were bigger than Emily's thighs. He was also happily married to his husband. He had been in the military for twelve years and the Rangers for eight of those years. This was his third deployment with the Regiment but it was his first with the 3rd battalion. He spent most of his time in the 2nd battalion before moving to the 3rd.

“Is it always like this?” Emily asked him.

“What the waiting. Yea it's always like this just before it gets really bad.” Troy said shrugging. “It might not be here and it might not be the next mission but it will happen and you'll be glad for the quiet ones like this one. Hey, I got a care package from Brad today. Here he said to give you this.”

He handed Emily a large can of mixed fruits in heavy syrup. Emily laughed. “He is so bad.” Emily told him smiling.

“Yea he is.” Troy said smiling. “Go eat then get some sleep you'll feel better.”

“Thanks, Troy.” Emily said standing up slinging her rifle over her shoulder. She sat at her usual spot and ate her MREs. She looked at the can of fruit and thought of about eating it right then and there but instead, she decided to torture herself and eat it later. When she finished her MREs she looked up at the clear night sky. There was no moon but a lot of stars and the night was cool so she stayed right where she was leaning up against the sandbag wall. She fell asleep in the cool night air.

According to her watch, it was around one in the morning when a runner found her and told her it was her turn to go out on patrol. She wandered over to where Sergeant Rodriguez was waiting for a few stranglers. While she was waiting she grabbed a few sports drinks from the supply bunker and downed one. She looked up to see if Troy was still manning the M240 nest but he was already gone.

Emily and her patrol all crowded around Sergeant Rodriguez to hear the patrol route. “We’re going to head to two tree rock.” He told the squad meant the two tree’s that were growing together beside a large boulder. It was roughly halfway down the mountain almost a straight shot down from the FOB. They had a lot of stupid names for locations around the FOB. In case of a firefight, it was easier point out a location with a stupid name that everyone knew than trying to describe it with compass locations. “From there we will circle this mountain up over the range and back down. Any questions?”

No one had any questions but there were a few groans. Emily led the way down the mountain. She did not use her night vision goggles because there was enough light from the stars to see although a few people in the squad did use the goggles. While Night vision was not one of Emily’s superpowers there was enough light for her to see pretty well. She walked down the mountain trying to be quiet and listen to the night sounds. She was trying to be a better point person. She had watched a Vietnam movie a few days ago in the bunk room where one of the guys in the movie teaches the newcomers how to become one with the jungle. It was a little game she was playing with herself. Plus it was a good movie.

They got to two tree rock and took a quick five-minute break before moving on. The next leg of their patrol was to walk at an angle upwards towards the second peak in the mountain range. She was almost to the top of the mountain when she heard a boom. “Lighting?” she asked herself looking upwards to the clear sky.

“The FOB has been hit.” Someone yelled in a breach of night patrol protocol. If someone had to say something they were supposed to use the radio on the talk-around channel. It was to keep the noise down to a minimum.

Frowning Emily looked to her right to where the FOB sat on the highest peak. Normally it was hard to see in the dark but tonight it was easy to see since it was on fire. As she watched there was a flash of light and a half second delay before she heard the sound of the explosion. Emily immediately crouched down.

“Where is it coming from?” Someone else called out.

“Use your radio’s.” Sergeant Rodriguez called out over the radio. Then Emily heard him calling the FOB on the command channel of the radio.

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Emily looked around but didn’t see anyone but she was only twenty feet from the top of the second peak of the mountain range. She crept up to the peak and pushing her night vision goggles down on her helmet. She slowly panned around first on the Pakistan side of the mountain and then to the Patsah Melah side of the mountain. She couldn’t see anything on her night vision goggles (NVGs) except the FOB burning. She pushed her NVG’s up in frustration and looked with her eyes. She was panning west when spotted him.

“Enemy spotted hundred fifty to two hundred yards in between my locations and the FOB on the ridgeline hiding behind a tree.” She said into her squad channel as she raised her rifle.

“Don’t fire and spook him.” Sergeant Rodriguez called out to her over the radio. “I am coming up. We have a gunship above us and they want coordinates. We don’t have anything to take him out if he's a Main at this range.”

Emily waited and watched in frustration as the guy behind the tree peeked out around the tree he was hiding behind and made a throwing gesture and immediately another explosion hit the FOB. The Sergeant made his way up to her position. “He’s right there just on the other side of the ridge in that group of trees. He looks like he’s throwing something.” Emily said pointing.

“Can’t see him.” He told her.

“Take your goggles off and see if that helps.” Emily said

“Yup got him.” The Sergeant said once he pulled his NVG’s off. He pulled up his handheld GPS rangefinder pointing the laser on the guy. “Harmon one this is Harmon seven we have eyes on the target. Coordinated as follows.” Sergeant Rodriguez said on the command channel calling out the numbers.

It was quiet for a few seconds before someone came back. “Harmon seven this is Night Angel we have no visual on your coordinates are you sure of your target.”

“Yes, me and one other are looking right at this guy right now. He is hiding behind a clump of trees.” Sergeant Rodriguez said over the radio while at the same time rechecking the GPS. “Coordinates are good.”

There was a long pause, then after the guy threw another bomb at the FOB, The gunship responded on the radio. “Take cover rounds in coming.”

Sergeant Rodriguez made a get down gesture and couched down. Emily moved to the sergeant and using her body as a shield she crouched down over the sergeant. Emily silently counted to herself and when she got to twelve Mississippi there was a bunch of loud cracks and one loud boom. Emily felt her chest vibrate with the explosions. After the loud boom, there was a two-second pause then some more loud cracks. Seconds later a second loud boom announced the arrival of another round.

“Harmon Seven, Night Angel. We request you eyeball the area and see if the target is down.” The gunship said over the radio.

Emily got up off the sergeant and looked out over the range. To her surprise, the man was still alive. He was standing next to a small smokey fire looking upwards. “Night Angel, Harmon seven you're going to have to bring something heavier. Target is still active.” Sergeant Rodriguez said into his radio.

“Harmon seven, Night Angel can your reconfirm target coordinates. We still can’t track the target.” The gunship asked.

“Night Angel, Harmon seven. He is standing in a crater next to some brush that is on fire. Same Coordinates as before.” Sergeant Rodriguez said sounding angry. He took a deep breath then keyed up again. “Coordinates confirmed send it.”

As the Sergeant was talking Emily watched the guy. He was still looking up when he brought his arm back in and threw something upwards. “What's he doing?” Emily thought to herself. “The gunship is more than two miles in the air. No way he can spot it at night from that distance let alone hit it at that distance.”

Emily was still trying to figure out what he was doing when there was a flash of light in the sky followed by a loud explosion a couple seconds later.

Rodriguez curse. “He’s got the gunship.” He said out loud forgetting about his order about using the radios.

The Enemy super raised both his arms above his head like he was holding something. He paused for a second the made a throwing motion with both his hands. For a second nothing happened then the entire side of the FOB exploded.

“He’s not a Brute! he's not a Brute.! Rodriguez screamed over the command channel. “Fire! Fire!” he screamed out loud to the squad and started firing his rifle.

Emily shook off her surprise and raised her rifle up pulling the trigger as soon as the enemy super was in her scope. The enemy super spun around towards them as the bullets started to pepper all around him. If he was worried about the bullets being fired at him he didn’t show it as he didn’t even try to take cover. Instead, he took a few steps towards the squad and made a throwing gesture at them.

Explosions rocked the area around them and people started to scream. Something picked Emily up and threw her backwards into a tree. Shaking her head and she sat up. All around her were high pitch screams and cries of pain. As she watched, someone who was completely covered in fire ran by her only to fall a few seconds later down the mountain. She watched him tumble down the side of the mountain only to stop suddenly as he ran into something.

She looked around for her rifle but she couldn’t find it. She panicked and pulled out her pistol. Turning towards the enemy super she saw him making throwing gestures with both his hands. Explosions rocked the FOB one after another after another.

“Got to get him.” Emily thought as she started to sprint towards the super. She raced across the ridgeline firing her pistol as she went trying to distract him from blowing up the FOB. She was closing in on him when he made a throwing gesture at her.

Emily felt like she had run into a wall. She bounced backward in the air spinning. Everything became a blur until she landed. Shaking her head she sat up trying to clear the ringing in her ears. She looked at the enemy super. She could easily see his face. It was the angry guy from the town. The one that the old lady told her to avoid. The Coward.

He screamed at her called her a whore in Farsi. Emily stood up and raised her pistol at him and he pointed his finger at her. Pain, unlike anything Emily had ever felt before exploded everywhere. She was on fire. Screaming in agony and unable to see Emily tried to run but something tripped her and she landed face first on the ground. She couldn’t think. The fire was too hot everything hurt. Nothing mattered but stopping the pain. She got to her knees to run but her legs gave out and she fell again. The world faded away.