CHAPTER 38: "Blood In The Sand..."

The hot humid sands of Kahndaq billowed gracefully across the terrain. Kahndaq's terrain was unique with a mixture of landscapes and climates dominating its lands. On its southern border which connected to the Gulf of Aqaba, one could find a small but lush green, even tropical area that boasted a variety of fruit trees. But go north a few miles and you will be in the mountainous region with a variety of Bedouin tribes dominating the peaks. Past those were dry but vibrant agriculture communities that fed the majority of the country thanks to the underground springs at the foot of the mountains. 

Then you reached the main feature of the country, the desert. 

Making up perhaps 90% of the nation it dominated the landscape giving the nation a desolate and empty look. It was not until you reached the capital, Shiruta, that evidence of life reappeared. For thousands of years, the city had been the seat of power in the mostly desolate country thanks to a few rivers it was built on as well as being the perfect waypoint for traveling caravans across the desert. With the beginning of the 20th century, the need for it to be a waypoint for trade diminished significantly. It was easier and cheaper to ship merchandise using the oceans to bypass the desert. As such the economy took a hit and played a factor in the nation being ruled by warlords until Teth Adam returned.

In modern times many had argued to move the capital to the more hospitable southern region but due to the small space, lack of infrastructure, and demands for it to remain an agricultural zone, no headway had been made. There also stood the cultural demand to maintain what has been the seat of power for the region for thousands of years, a demand few in the government wanted to challenge.

As such most business that needed to be conducted in the country, legitimately or illegitimate had to be done in or near the city.

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*Agent 'Green', Outskirts of Shiruta, Kahndaq

As their helicopter made a sweep of the area, Agent Green could not help but enjoy the setting sun over the desert. The slight haze of the sun with a soft wind blowing the sands gave it a mystical sight to behold.

"Landing at the LZ now," the pilot's voice rang in the helicopter headset she wore.

The black hawk made one last swing around the area before lowering itself down onto the sand. Surrounding the area were several military trucks with a couple dozen Kahndaq soldiers spread out.

The soldiers were probably meant to both secure the area and intimidate their team but were found lacking. Most were leaning against the shacks or trucks smoking cigarettes, evidence of the great military training one could expect from Kahndaq.

"Don't underestimate them."

She glanced over to her partner, Agent 'White' who had removed his headset, and she followed suit.

Their protection detail, a squad of black-clad spec-ops, jumped out ahead of them and presented a sharp contrast in equipment and training to the bored Kahndaq military.

Her partner after getting a signal from the lead spec-op hopped out of the helicopter, its blades finally slowing enough for normal conversation to be had without the headphones or shouting.

"What they lack in discipline they make up for in numbers, you should always be careful of that when meeting a new asset." He explained as he looked around the area.

She had been working in the division for almost two years now and still White would lecture her before, during, and after missions. At first, it had been annoying considering her previous service record, but after a while, she learned it was just the way he was. She had even seen him correct his own training officer.

Agent White was the senior operative for their team, as well as her former trainer when she joined the department. He was a rugged-looking man in his 50s, a tall at 6 foot 4 with his black skin marred lightly by acne scars and a few wounds from when he served in the Marines. His looks and knowledge of over a dozen African languages and Arab dialects made him one of the chief operatives in the region. He prided himself on being fluent but also fairly in tune with the accents of the languages he spoke, making him blend in easier with locals.

In contrast, she was caucasian with blond hair, a look probably better suited for Northern Europe or the beaches of California. It didn't help that while he towered over most men he also made her look like a dwarf, though she had a respectable height of 5'9. She did however speak more Arabic dialects than he did, along with Hebrew, Farsi, and a little bit of Hindi which she was studying. She also had the advantage of being the more experienced combat specialist, a fact she displayed proudly and forcefully during their sparring sessions which he preferred not to talk about.

They both wore similar outfits of simple slacks with blue windbreakers, with the typical sunglasses and hats to help hide their identities and affiliations.

"That makes sense," she said gruffly, "But it is also wise to be aware when you hold all the cards."

He nodded approvingly as they walked over to the shack where their contact was. Two of their detail had gone ahead and checked it for threats before standing guard outside the door.

White stopped at the door, leaning down he whispered in her ear.

"Remember this is the last handoff, we are not negotiating anymore with him. Too many concerns from intelligence that he has been compromised."

Her eyes narrowed, "But what if he has more information? We should bag him and take him back to a black site."

White sighed exasperated, "Green, not all problems can or should be solved by a black site."

"Besides," he leaned back and spoke normally, "These gentlemen would surely stop us the moment we tried to leave with their boss."

Green grumbled a bit more but went silent as they walked into the shack where they were greeted by the General and his two lieutenants.

General Kazan had served in the Kahndaq military for nearly 50 years. At the age of 70, he actually looked younger than his actual age. Perhaps it was his hair and beard which suspiciously looked dyed to keep the grey hairs out.

Otherwise, his face had a smashed and scrunched quality that gave the impression he was a bulldog in another life.

General Kazan waved his arm lazily to the two empty wooden stools which they both took silently.

For a solid minute, both sides stared at the other, seemingly daring the other to break the growing silence between the two groups. Whether the General knew this was the end of their arrangement or it simply was a power play, both parties waited for the other.

Cough

One of the lieutenants coughed lightly with a pointed glance at his watch which made the General roll his eyes and Agent White's mouth twitch.

"Let's not stand on ceremony," Kazan's voice croaked in Arabic, the croak evidence of a few decades of nonstop smoking.

Reaching into his uniform's jacket he pulled out a small data tablet and offered it to Agent White.

White kept his gaze on the General and replied in Arabic, "What is the quality?"

"Enough to see to my upcoming retirement."

'That's a surprise to hear,' Green thought.

Kazan in most intelligence circles was considered the cockroach, he was a nasty bug but one that would not be squashed anytime soon. For the last few years, their division had paid him for various military intel of Kahndaq. All of these worked toward the goal of finding a suitable counter of the WMD which was Teth Adam, better known as Black Adam.

While expensive, the information they gained from the grizzled general was accurate and of the highest security clearance. Kazan knew how to toe the line of enriching himself while avoiding the wrath of Black Adam. As such he had accumulated a fortune selling his country's secrets and was willing to take a bribe from just about anyone.

So hearing him remark upon his retirement was a little surprising considering what she knew of him.

Even White was a little surprised, "I would not have taken you as a man to end such a good thing?"

"A man at my age knows that nothing lasts forever," Kazan said leaning back into his chair.

White gave a hum before nodding. Green seeing that knew it was a positive signal and she reached out and took the tablet from the General. Using her finger she began to flip through the data. She kept a disinterested look on her face but with her knee casually nudged her partner's leg.

That was her way of letting him know what they had was good... very good.

Her partner gave no reaction to her nudge but she knew he got the message.

"So what price are you asking for this time, Kazan?" White asked nonchalantly.

Kazan scowled, "It's general!"

White merely smiled, "Oh sorry, I meant general."

Huffing a little, Kazan took out a cigarette and lit it up before taking a long drag.

Breathing out the smoke he growled, "I want 20, no less."

Green looking up from the tablet frowned, "20 is way too much. We will give you 5."

"What I am offering you is worth 50 but I am offering it for 20," Kazan snorted.

"Which is why," White said, his face serious, "We will give you 10 and you will be happy."

Kazan snarled and began to stand but White beat him by standing up and taking a step towards the general forcing him to sit.

White's eyes took a hard gleam, "General... let us not pretend that what you are doing is nothing more than a smash-and-grab job. Your proclivity to sell information is finally catching up to you and the days are numbered before Black Adam incinerates you. This will be the last big deal you will make before retiring or going on the run."

Kazan made a few noises of protest but White held his hand to silence him.

"We are your most trustworthy buyers and the ones with the money to pay the best price for what you have. You honestly think the Russians or Chinese will beat what we are offering?"

White sat back down and crossed his legs getting comfortable.

Seeing the general looking flustered, Green decided to step in to finalize the sale.

"We understand," Green said calmly, "That you have needs and that requires a certain amount of money to make ends meet. So for old time's sake, we will do 12 million and that will be that."

General Kazan stared at the two with utter loathing but also a hint of defeat.

"Fine," he muttered.

White kept a neutral expression but Green knew inside he was shouting with victory as she was. The truth was, if the general had really pushed they probably would have paid him 50 mil for the data he was offering. It really was worth that much and they had just gotten it for a massive discount.

"Well if there is nothing else we will wire the funds and wish you the best on your retirement..." White said cheerfully before the sound of screaming interrupted him.

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*Outside The Shack

"TAKE COVER!!!!"

"WHAT THE F*&K!"

"AHHHHHH!!!!"

Screams of pain and panic rang outside. Men were running around with their weapons or taking cover as they desperately tried to figure out what was attacking them.

On the ground lay three Kahndaq soldiers whose heads were splattered in a gory mess of blood and gore. Their blood and brains leaked out onto the sands giving the rest of the men a horrific sight.

No one knew what had caused their maiming. Only those close to them heard a soft sound of wind whooshing before a distinct squishing and popping noise of the men's heads exploding.

But the three were not to be the last. Soon other men's heads began to explode into bloody mush. Soldiers left and right began dropping causing many to panic and begin firing their weapons.

The black ops team that came with the agents so far had not suffered any casualties and had hidden themselves in whatever shadows and cover they could find.

The captain of the team noticed some of his men near one of the downed soldiers.

"Bravo 3, can you reach the KIA near you and report back," he whispered into his radio.

A quick beep gave him confirmation and the body was dragged into the shadows Bravo 3 was taking cover in.

Bravo 3 sent another beep and then spoke, "KIA has a puncture wound similar to a high-velocity rifle. The exit wound would correspond to that of a 50 caliber but it's weird sir. No sounds of of a discharge from what I heard and the wound looks a little off for a bullet..."

SPLAT

Bravo 3 was still holding his finger to his radio piece when his head caved in and exploded with blood. Slowly his body slumped over and fell to the side, a few body ticks emphasizing his death throes.

"HOLY SHIT BRAVO 3 DOWN!"

The radio chatter of the team became frantic, the captain luckily had a way to silence all chatter so that only his voice could be heard.

"Everyone round up and get the VIPs out... Bravo 9 get the chopper going we are leaving!"

The black ops moved as quietly and hidden as possible with some returning to the helicopter and a few going to secure the agents. Around them, more and more of the Kahndaq soldiers fell with many becoming geysers of blood. The continuous gunfire from them in a desperate attempt to stop their attacker slowed till only a few were left standing.

Seeing so many of their comrades dead broke the spirits of the remaining few survivors and they began running and jumping into their trucks.

But no respite would be given.

One of the trucks managed to get into gear and start moving forward when its windshield shattered followed by the driver's head exploding into blood. The truck continued on its slow path crashing into a few of the huts and tearing into them till finally reaching a standstill.

Meanwhile, the captain and a few of his men had torn a hole in the back of the shed where the VIPs were. Agents White and Green while surprised were quick to follow their lead and slowly made their way to the helicopter.

General Kazan however, whether from pride or simply stupidity had walked out front with his two officers to see the carnage.

A mixture of rage, confusion, and disgust adorned his face as he saw what had transpired.

While examining the blood fest he noticed his 'buyers' quietly making their way to the helicopter whose propellers had begun to swirl at full force. 

'Should have expected them to flee, filthy cowards,' Kazan thought with disgust.

A soft swish of air, a distinct pop, followed by his face feeling wet alerted the general to the status of one of his officers.

Turning to look he saw the man still standing though with a portion of his head caved in and blood splattering everywhere. Almost comically, the man's legs gave out and collapsed in on themselves. 

Seeing his fellow officer in such a state, the other bolted towards one of the trucks. Undoubtedly he hoped he could escape from whatever was happening, but sadly like many others, he did not make it. He reached the door only to have his head explode into gore like the others.

Kazan stood there in shock, whatever was happening was something he had never before seen.

"Shit," A voice muttered in English irritably.

Looking over he saw a man walking down the dirt road covered in a wrapped cloak, its hood up and a cloth covering his mouth. Staring into the hood, it was nearly pitch black yet Kazan felt the eyes of this new figure. They were staring with an intensity that sent shivers down his spine, and despite the coolness of the night, he felt a sliver of sweat fall from his brow.

The mysterious man had what looked like an empty potato sack which he tossed to the side with a huff.

"I spent the entire afternoon tearing out ball bearings from your junkyard and I still didn't have enough."

The man walked right up to Kazan and looked him up and down. Reaching into his cloak he took out a small printed picture and held it up as reference before nodding satisfied.

"You are Kazan correct?" the man asked politely.

Shaking himself from his shock Kazan replied back instantly, "It is General Kazan."

Kazan couldn't be sure, but it felt like the hooded man was raising their eyebrow in amusement.

"Ahh, forgive me... General, yes you are the one I am here for."

Off a few dozen yards away with the helicopter now at full rotor, the black ops and agents boarded the chopper. Immediately it began taking off, it was the practice and policy to get out of the combat area immediately with VIPs, even if it meant leaving behind Bravo 3's body.

As the helicopter began to climb they looked down to see Kazan held against the truck by the robed figure with one hand while the other hand casually made a slow motion of pointing and twisting towards the general's heart. What they didn't expect to see was the general beginning to scream as a growing red spot of blood appeared right where the figure was making a twisting motion. Even with the chopper gaining altitude and the turbines roaring they could still hear Kazan screaming for mercy before going silent.

A look of profound horror and agony etched on the general's face as the figure let him fall to the ground. His uniform was rumpled with a pronounced splotch of blood over where his heart would be.

The captain had seen enough.

"Double time! Get us the hell out of here!" He yelled to the pilot.

The helicopter began turning and was making its way to leave this horror show when it abruptly slowed. The engine groaned and the propellers whirled with newfound pressure as the dashboard began flashing warning lights.

Agent White leaned over to the pilot and shouted to him, "Are we hit?"

"Negative," the Pilot shouted back, "I don't know what's going on! It is like we are snagged of something!"

The captain hearing that poked his head out the main door of the helicopter to look back at the robed figure on the ground. 

It filled him with a sense of dread.

The robed man had both arms up, hands clawed in the direction of their chopper. His feet dug into the sand from the strain of holding the chopper in place.

'Shit... we have a meta here,' the captain thought worried.

'Only one thing for it...'

Tapping Bravo 5s shoulder he leaned in and yelled, "Use the 40MM on him now!"

Bravo 5 surprised at first nodded and pulled out the grenade launcher, taking careful aim at the straining meta on the ground.

BOOMPH BOOMPH BOOMPH

3, 40MM explosive grenades shot out directly toward the robed man who immediately dropped his hands and jumped to take cover. The helicopter which was straining jerked forward and away with internal sighs of relief from everyone on board.

BOOM BOOM BOOM

3 white puffs of explosions rang out where Bravo 5 shot. The robed figure while diving thrust his hand forward causing one of the grenades to fling itself away. The other two hit right next to him sending the man flying into the trucks leaving a dented door where he was thrown.

"Captain... did we get him?" Bravo 5 quietly asked on comms.

The captain had taken out a pair of binoculars and was staring at the dispersing smoke watching the robed figure as it lay on the ground. The shockwave would have killed a normal man, and the force flinging him into a truck door denting it inwardly would have guaranteed it.

Yet the robed man slowly and shakily stood up. He seemed to stare back at the helicopter before limping away.

"No..." the captain whispered, "I think we just made him mad."