Obstacles Read online

  LONE STAR ODYSSEY -Obstacles

  By David Wilson

  This book is for wife, without your support it never would have happened. THANK YOU!

  Lone Star Odyssey - Obstacles

  David Wilson

  Copyright © 2019 by David Wilson

  Contents

  LONE STAR ODYSSEY -Obstacles

  Dedication

  Copyright

  Prologue

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Prologue

  Captain Ardashir cussed his driver again as the driver pulled into a driveway to turn the van around. Their target was getting away as they drove around in circles, lost in western Maryland, attempting to find the location his superiors had transmitted to him. To make matters worse, the model of GPS he had was not compatible with the coordinates his contact had supplied.

  Telling the driver to turn into the gravel drive and stop, the young captain stepped from the van, thinking to himself that this could not possibly be right, either. If the young fool driving were not the only one that could speak fluent English, he would have already shot him for his incompetence. There was not a river or any large body of water anywhere near here that would require a ferry. His superiors had been very clear that Captain Farrokh and his entire team had been under siege by an unknown number of individuals at his staging point, the ferry crossing on the Potomac River. His team had been pulled off their assigned mission and had been dispatched to assist Captain Farrokh with eliminating whatever force had him under attack.

  The distress call had reportedly come in at the headquarters over six hours ago, and his team had received the tasking a little over three hours ago. His superiors in Iran had not given him a choice but had ordered him to drop whatever he was doing and link-up with Farrokh’s team. The Captain cursed silently again. His targets, which he had meticulously planned for over the last three years, were still operational and should have been taken care of today. Now they would have to wait until he relived Captain Farrokh’s team even though that would mean that some of his targets would have additional security by the time they got to them. Although he wasn’t supposed to know the makeup of the different groups, he did know that Farrokh’s team was twice the size of his and more powerfully armed. This puzzled the young officer. What had Farrokh encountered that required assistance from another team?

  While the sign at the end of the driveway declared this was the White’s Ferry Corporation, it could not be the physical location of the ferry. The Captain stuck his head back into the van and ordered his senior enlisted to join him and bring one other team member. As the two exited the van, he told them to leave their rifles in the vehicle and only carry their suppressed sidearms. Once they were ready, he led the way to the front door of the small building.

  Not bothering to knock, the three men opened the door and immediately spread out inside. The building was small, approximately 25 feet by 50 feet, and Captain Ardashir realized he could see all of the building from where he was standing. The main room was divided by a waist tall counter that ran the width of it. This separated the main room into a small waiting area with chairs against the outer front wall and the area behind the counter occupied by three desks. Along the back wall was a series of small rooms with closed doors, a bathroom with a sign marking it, NOT FOR PUBLIC USE, a storage room, and the manager’s office.

  The Captain, walking over to the counter, was greeted by a middle-aged woman with a smile on her face. “Can I help you?” she asked.

  Smiling back at the woman, the Captain replied in heavy accented English, “Where is the ferry?”

  The woman smiled again and replied, “Due to the power outage and most of the vehicles not working, I doubt Vic is running the ferry. I’m sure he would run it if you have to cross, but it would be $38.00 if you are the only vehicle.”

  Frowning, the Captain replied, “I do not care about the fees. Where is the ferry located from here?”

  “Oh, that’s easy. As you are leaving, take a right at the end of our driveway and follow that road for eight miles. You will see the signs.” Her smile faded as the Captain stepped back and nodded to the senior NCO and private. The women barely had time to comprehend what was happening before the senior NCO drew his suppressed .22 from inside his jacket and put three rounds into her forehead. Her body slumped to the floor behind the counter, as if her bones had all turned to jelly.

  Before her body had settled on the floor, the private had casually placed one hand on the counter and gracefully vaulted over. Moving quickly but with practiced ease, the Private moved across the room to the manager’s office. Pausing for just a second, the private listened at the door, then grasped the knob and stepped swiftly inside. He was back out of the office in a couple of seconds and signaled to the Captain that no one was there. The young officer indicated the other rooms with a slight motion of his hand. The private moved down the inner wall towards the supply room. Quickly checking that room and the bathroom, it turned out that the woman had been the only person in the building. Motioning to his men, they all turned and exited the building without a backward glance.

  Walking to the utility van, the Captain instructed the senior enlisted that they needed to hurry and get to the ferry without wasting any more time. The older man acknowledged the order, and as he re-entered the panel van, he began issuing commands in Farsi to the driver and the rest of the team. The Captain sighed as he settled back into his seat and buckled his seat belt.

  Chapter One

  Everyone was moving slow, and Talon knew they were not going to get far today or the next day. Watching each member of our small group, Talon realized he had been pushing them hard, taking it for granted they would adapt to this new environment. Beth was still a total wreck, while Mat was too worried about her to be thinking about anything else, and Ben was just pissed off at the world in general over the death of Jeff. They all looked exhausted, both physically and emotionally.

  Leaning his bike against the starboard bulkhead of the ferry, Talon turned to the group. “I know it has been a stressful day, but I need everyone to hang in there for another couple of hours. Once we are across the river, we can find a place and hole up for a day or two to get our heads together again. So please be careful and pay attention to what you are doing and where you place your hands. We are going to be working with pulleys and cable that will take off fingers or even hands if you mess up. Right now, we need to secure our bikes and trailers in case the crossing gets bumpy; that way, we don’t have bikes and gear going everywhere.”

  Ben raised his hand with a puzzled look on his face, “Sir, I don’t understand your use of the word secure?”

  “Sorry,” Talon explained, “Secure in the Marine Corps means to make fast, to lock up, or tie something down, so it does not move. Also, everyone needs to pull out their packs from the trailers and tie a life jacket, make that two life jackets to their packs. That way, if for any reason we have to abandon this boat, we can throw our packs over the side and swim them to shore.”

  Don walked over and asked, “So what’s the plan?”

  “First, we see if we can get this tub to run. I really wish we had been able to search the store for the keys, but, hopefully, we won’t need them to get this going.” Walki
ng over to the control tower of the ferry, they both paused and looked at each other. Talon motioned for Don to go ahead and climb the three steps into the control tower, “Go for it Chief, you are our naval representative anyway.”

  Don laughed and slid open the booth door to the control tower. Climbing the short ladder inside, he slid into the one mounted chair behind the controls of the ferry. Talon meanwhile climbed to the top rung of the ladder and looked over his shoulder at the control panel. He didn’t really know what he was expecting, but he had been hoping the controls would be self-explanatory. Talon had also somewhat steeled himself if it was a mess. What they ended up with was something in-between. The control panel consisted of a small control wheel and throttle surrounded by a dozen or so buttons, dials, and lights but with nothing to indicate what each item was for. The control wheel and throttle were easy to identify, but the other systems were, at best, a guess.

  They both stared at the control panel for several seconds, then at each other before they both broke into laughter. “Why in the fuck would a small barge have so many controls? I’ve seen fewer buttons and lights on a submarine control panel then this!” exclaimed Don.

  “Let’s first take a look at the engine to see if we are dealing with gas or diesel,” Talon said. “We might have to use this tug like a reaction ferry. But either way, let’s start with the engine.”

  “What the heck is a reaction ferry?” asked Ben from behind him, as Talon climbed down from the control tower. Turning to Don, Talon asked him to grab a marker from the collection of pens and markers stored in a coffee mug on top of the control panel. Don handed him a large black Sharpie as he too climbed down. Talon motioned for Don and Ben to follow him as he walked over to where Mat and Beth were sitting. Talon observed that Mat had Beth calmed down, at least, to the point she wasn’t crying anymore. He bit his tongue, still feeling the need to punish her for her screw up in getting Jeff killed, but also knowing she didn’t have a clue and also knowing that part of his anger was at himself for putting her on point in the first place. Cursing to himself, he pushed the anger away, knowing he would have to deal with it later.

  Walking over to the bulkhead, Talon quickly and crudely drew out a diagram of how a reaction ferry works. Stepping back from the drawing, he looked it over to make sure he had not missed any essential parts. “I apologize for the rough drawing, but it is the best way to describe how a reaction ferry works. Reaction ferries have been in operation for several centuries and are still used to this day in remote areas of the world. Reaction ferries are based on a single cable system, and the cable can be either above the water, which is the most common, or below the water, such as we have here. The trick is to turn the ferry upstream at about a 45-degree angle creating water pressure against the side of the ferry, which in turn tries to push the ferry downstream. In this case, the ferry is attached to a cable by a pulley, so instead of pushing it downstream, the force of the current is redirected and pushes the ferry forward along the cable towards the other side. The faster the current, the faster the crossing. The only reason I’m showing you this is in case it ever comes up again, or we have to do it today if we can’t get the engines started. Any questions? Ok, first we need to figure a couple of things out, and then we can get moving. Mat, you and Beth find out if there is a toolbox aboard this tub. Ben, I need you to keep a watch out to make sure we are not surprised by any unwelcomed guests. Occasionally, use your binoculars to check out the other side of the river. Let us know the second you spot anything. Don and I are going to try and get this tub running.”

  Everyone started moving towards their tasks, just happy with something to do other than thinking about what had happened earlier. Don found the refueling point and let Talon know they were dealing with a diesel engine. Walking over to Don, we un-dogged the butterfly fasteners on the engine cowling. Pulling out his flashlight, they both examined the engine for any start or the on switch. Locating nothing, Talon asked Don to stay put, and he climbed back up into the small control tower. Sitting down in the operator’s chair, Talon studied the control panel carefully. Ignoring the switches, for the time being, he attempted to remember everything he knew about diesel engines, which by the way, wasn’t much.

  Talon did understand how diesel engines worked but did not have much experience in operating them. Almost all of their farm equipment had been gas. Taking a guess, he figured the first series of buttons were for the glow plugs, start button, and the kill button. Reaching out he pushed and held the amber button down. After about 15 seconds, he released the button when nothing happened. Moving on to the next button, he repeated his actions with the same result. Pausing and thinking, he flipped the top row of switches and called out, “Everyone take a look around and see if you see any lights on.” Within seconds everyone confirmed that no one could see any lights on anywhere on the ferry. At that point, Talon figured there was no point in holding back, and he began pushing every button on the console, holding each down for a few seconds.

  With no results, Talon called out to Don, “Don, get up here and see if you have any luck,” as he climbed down from the tower. Don climbed up and took a seat to begin his examination of the controls. Talon asked him if his radio was still on and got a head nod. He jumped down to the deck and walked to the land end of the ferry. He ended up having to walk down the ramp before he could see the top of the rudder. Calling Don on the radio, Talon told him to turn the control wheel all the way to starboard or the right for all you non-naval types. Relief flowed over him when he saw the rudder turn with the manual controls. Letting Don know he could stop turning the control wheel, Talon walked back on board and saw that Mat and Beth had found a large and apparently heavy toolbox.

  Motioning Mat to carry the toolbox over to where he was standing, Talon showed him the two sets of pulleys they would have to unbolt to turn the ferry into a reaction ferry. There were three sets of pulleys on the upriver side of the ferry. For Talon’s idea to work (hopefully), the mid-section and aft (or rear) section of pulleys had to be detached from the cable. As there was too much tension on the pulleys to simply unbolt just the pulleys’ eye-bolts, they would have to unbolt the entire pulley assemblies as they only needed this to work once.

  Thanking Mat for bringing over the toolbox, Talon walked over and examined the mechanism holding the pulleys to the ferry. He really didn’t want to spend much more time in the area as the sounds of their gunfight, and the smoke from the burning building must have caught the attention of the locals. They needed to get moving as soon as possible. Squatting down, Talon examined the metal enclosures covering the pulley system. After a quick once over he could see the enclosure was not load-bearing. It was merely a protective enclosure to keep passengers from getting their clothes or body parts caught up by the cable and pulled into the pulley system. Each of the enclosures appeared to be held on by a series of quarter twenty bolts and nuts. Turning to Mat, Talon didn’t see Beth and asked, “How is Beth doing?”

  “She went to lie down for a few minutes. She really is taking this whole thing hard, blaming herself for what happened to Jeff,” he replied. Looking at him closely, and seeing his body language, Talon realized he didn’t know that she was to blame for what happened. He decided to let it pass for right now but would have to address it with him later. Mat needed to help Beth come to grips with her actions, not attempt to alleviate the guilt by telling her it wasn’t her fault. She knew damn well it was her actions that had directly led to Jeff’s death.

  Shaking his head, he replied, “We can all sit down and discuss today’s events tonight when we stop. Right now, we need to get these pulley covers off so we can get to the actual pulleys. Open up that toolbox and see if you can find me a ¼ inch socket and ratchet.”

  Mat nodded and dropped down to open the toolbox. The same instant that he squatted down, there was a higher-pitched clank and whine of a bullet striking the port bulkhead, and exactly where Mat had been standing a moment ago, followed by the echoing boom of a high p
owered rifle. Reaching over, Talon grabbed Mat’s combat vest and pulled him over to the starboard side bulkhead. Keying his radio, Talon shouted, “Everyone get against the starboard bulkhead and keep your head down. Ben, do you have eyes on the shooter?”

  “No, but I’m fairly sure it came from over by that shed that sits behind the ferry building,” replied Ben.

  “OK, just keep your eyes peeled, but don’t expose yourself. We cannot let whoever is out there to move and get an angle on us to shoot straight down the centerline of the ferry,” Talon instructed.

  “Roger that,” Ben replied.

  Leaning against the bulkhead, Talon’s mind raced, thinking of ways to get the shooter to reveal his position. His first thought was to use the old hat trick but disregarded the idea, thinking no one is that ignorant. Just as he was dropping that idea, an accented voice rang out over the muted roar of the burning building, “All of your infidel souls will burn in hell!”

  Reconsidering his idea immediately, Talon motioned Don, Mat, and Ben over. As they huddled together, he asked, “Which of you two,” pointing at Mat and Ben, “is the faster sprinter?”

  Mat immediately raised his hand. Ben just looked at Talon and frowned, started to say something, but ultimately just shrugged his shoulders and pointed at Mat.

  “So this is how this is going down. Mat strip down to just your battle gear, rifle, pistol, ammo, vest, and radio. We need you to be able to move as fast as possible. Once we pin down this asshole, you have to be up and moving like you have never moved before. You’ll have to sprint off the ferry, get over to the riverbank, and head upstream. Be sure and keep below the river bank. Move upstream about 300 yards before you low crawl up over the river bank. I would recommend coming down behind that shed to outflank whoever this is. Be careful and move slowly. Stop every ten feet or so and look and listen. We will try and keep the shooter's attention and get him to talk so you can zero in on him. If you get a clean shot, take it. We don’t have time to mess around with this guy. He is obviously one of the terrorists that we missed somehow. Remember, he will kill you in a heartbeat if he can or anyone of us. Do not try and take him captive. Take the shot as soon as you get the chance. Be sure and take your night scope with spare batteries in case this drags on until dark. You ok with this?”