Page 2 of Operation: Sharp Angel

Then Lambchop assigned numbers to each of the four men in front of the hangar. “Ratty cowboy hat-boy with the AR-15 is Tango number one,” Lambchop said. “Green jacket, also carrying an AR is two, and Dirty Harry wearing the plaid shirt with the .44 Magnum is three, and that leaves the man in black with the nice Winchester as Tango number four.”

“Once I’m behind the bird and moved in, I won’t see jack-shit,” Tessman broadcast.

“I’ve got your six,” Mother replied. He’d been positioned furthest out in front of the hangar, so he technically was on overwatch.

“It’s more my three o’clock position I’m worried about,” Tessman said.

“I’ve got that too, honey,” Mother said in a sugary sweet voice.

Several quiet chuckles were picked up on comms.

“Mother, temporarily take over command. I’m going to circle to the back of the hangar and will be blind,” Lambchopbroadcast. “Powder and Kegger, hold at the back door. Mother, if anyone’s detected, give the go order.”

“Roger that, Lambchop,” Mother acknowledged.

After several long minutes, Lambchop finally broadcast. “At the back door of the hangar. The three of us are going silent, going to penetrate the inside of the hangar. I’ll tap comms three times when we’re in position. At that point, Mother and Louisa lay down cover fire in front of the Tangos to distract them when Mother gives the go-order.”

Both Mother and Louisa acknowledged.

Tessman didn’t answer as he’d moved in so close, he would be heard even if he whispered. He was just a few feet from the plane. From his location, still lying prone on the ground with his weapon trained on the space between the plane and the ground, Tessman could no longer clearly see the four men, could mostly see their feet and legs. Nor could he see within the hangar.

Several minutes elapsed as the three men in the hangar moved to take up position. As they waited, Tango number one returned to the Cessna to retrieve another brick of white. Tessman trained his weapon on the man’s feet, but angled his head to view the window on the aircraft to verify the man wouldn’t be likely to see him. He was assured he was invisible.

Then they heard the three taps. Lambchop and the others were in position.

“Go-go-go,” Mother called. His words were immediately followed by automatic weapons fire as he and Louisa peppered the ground a few feet in front of the four men.

Tessman saw the Tangos feet turn towards the hangar. And then there were bullet impacts in front of them as well as behind them.

“Drop them!” Lambchop yelled.

Tessman sprang to his feet and aimed the barrel of his weapon over the tail section of the plane, which gave him a view of the four men while the plane provided him some cover.

Tango number one raised his AR, pointing it into the interior of the hangar. A shot hit his upper right shoulder, knocking him back. Tessman watched him fumble with his weapon so that his left hand grasped the trigger. Tessman squeezed off one shot, striking the Tango in the left thigh, which dropped him to the ground.

“Tango number one down. He’s still armed,” Tessman reported.

Tango number three instantly surrendered, raising his hands above his head, his .44 Magnum dropped to the ground, but his hands held a brick of the white drug.

Tango number four, the man in black with the Winchester, dove to his right and rolled across the ground in an attempt to get out of the active firing zone. He was stopped by Kegger, who stepped from the right side of the hangar and kicked his weapon away from him while pointing his M4 at the man in black’s head. “Stay down,” Kegger warned. “Tango number four, subdued.”

The gunfire stopped as Louisa moved in, but Mother remained in his overwatch position.

Tango number two must not have seen Tessman. He sprinted to the Cessna and jumped inside the open door. He closed the door and settled into the pilot’s seat in the cockpit, firing the engines up immediately. At the same time, Lambchop ran from inside of the hangar and disarmed Tango number one.

“Oh no, you don’t,” Tessman muttered under his breath. He ducked under the wing and came up along the side of the aircraft. He fired a round through the side window glass. It exited through the front cockpit window, narrowly missing the Tango’s head on purpose. Then he opened the cockpit door.“Shut it down or the next one goes in your head!” he shouted to the man in the plane. His weapon was trained on the guy’s head.

The Tango pushed the throttle forward, moving the aircraft forward, while pressing the rudder peddle to initiate a turn.

“No! No! No!” Tessman shouted. “Stop or I shoot!”

The plane was already moving and turning. The Tango’s AK lay across his lap. He fumbled to pick it up as he pushed Tessman’s weapon away. Tessman squeezed the trigger, hitting the Tango in the shoulder. Shepherd wanted them taken alive. Then Tessman climbed inside the bird, disarmed the man, and threw his AR out of the plane before he shut the engine down.

“Tango secure,” Tessman transmitted. Looking over his shoulder, he saw that two of the three remaining Tangos were all secure, face down, and his teammates were securing their hands behind their backs in zip ties. The third, who’d been shot in the shoulder and thigh, was lying on his back, his hands in zip ties in front of him. The team medic, Powder, was tending his wounds with Louisa’s help.

Tessman pulled the hands of the Tango in the plane in front of his body and secured them in zip ties. Then he pulled him from the plane and drew him over and sat him on the ground beside the others. He pushed his green jacket down his arm and then cut his shirt to expose the shoulder wound. There was significant bleeding. He visually examined the shoulder from the front and the back. No exit wound. He then felt around the area, to which the man moaned and cursed in Spanish. It looked like the bullet had hit bone.

“Powder, can I get a pack of QuikClot and some dressing? Doesn’t look like an artery was hit, but I’ve got significant bleeding. The bone’s been hit. This is going to need surgery.” He wasn’t a medic, but he’d seen enough bullet wounds to know. And he knew basic battlefield treatment for bullet wounds to keep this guy from bleeding out.

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