Chapter 30 - Ambiguity

“I wanted a perfect ending. Now I've learned, the hard way, that some poems don't rhyme, and some stories don't have a clear beginning, middle, and end. Life is about not knowing, having to change, taking the moment and making the best of it, without knowing what's going to happen next. Delicious Ambiguity.”

Gilda Radner

“I want you to stay here and wait for them to pass us over Jack.  I can act as the decoy and draw them off.” Len said.

He was invisible sitting deep within the snow crouched beneath the rock outcropping with only the top of his head exposed.  They both wore winter sunglasses with horizontal slits that only let in so much light and had no refractive properties.  Their white hoods were such good camouflage that very few would ever notice them.

“We’ve talked about this before.  I don’t in any way condone or agree with what you‘ve done.  I also know I can’t take back the past and at this time with what is happening you might actually be the best option for our country, as insane as you are.  I will stay loyal.  Because in the end, my relationship with you trumps the atrocities you’ve committed.  You must know that they will not have a single collapsing front but multiple waves.  They will not let us escape.  The resources applied against what you have done will be infinite.  Jesus, over a million dead or injured.  What the hell were you thinking?”

As they whispered in the wilderness the sounds of 10 battalions, 10,000 of the best trained soldiers in the world collapsed their circle around Len and Jack.  There would be no escape.  There was only one possible exit strategy where they would survive.  The military must believe that with them dead the United States would be crippled.  The military knew the stakes.  There wasn’t a single round, not a single propellant weapon held by any of the military personnel.  Every soldier knew the stakes, that if their targets should die, another major city or perhaps multiple cities would fall to nuclear conflagration.

“Then we stick with the plan, Jack.  They won’t attack with weaponry.  We will wait for them here with our backs to the wall and give up when they discover us and press.”

“They will torture us.”  Jack said.

“I know.” Len said.

In the non silence of the canyon amidst the gentle frozen breeze and the gurgling stream the sound of crunching and snapping reached their ears.  It was the cumulative sound of the first wave of soldiers approaching their position.

“Make them find us.”  Len said.

Both of them disappeared beneath the snow leaving only a breathing tube visible.  Above their position framed by a dreary sky a crow cawed flapping its wings to gain altitude.  A drone silently focused its infrared camera from just below the cloud cover on the canyon below.  Nothing.  A thousand well trained men walked, crawled, and rappelled towards Len and Jack’s position beneath the overhanging rock wall with no awareness they were there.  Each unarmed soldier plunged their six foot pole deep into the snow fearful of explosives.  Each soldier had collapsed within arms length of each other.  For Len and Jack there was no escape.

Jack heard the rope fall on the snow in front of his position and the distinct sound of rope sliding through a set of karabiners.  The repelling soldier landed lightly directly above Jacks body his feet landing squarely on Jack’s head.  Jacks head plunged deep into the snow and cracked resoundly on the rock directly in front of his position.  The soldier fell backward loosing his balance from the unexpected movement of the surface beneath his feet.

“Jack.”  Len screamed and rose from the snow.

Three startled soldiers jumped back in surprise.  One reacted without hesitation tackling Len.  Len fell over Jack’s body.  Two more soldiers jumped in securing Len. The soldier who had fallen over Jack had unclipped and dragged Jack’s body from its hiding spot beneath the snow.  Len looked on in horror seeing the blood running from the wide gash running down Jacks white flaccid face.

“Oh Jack.  Christ, Fucking get  a medic on him.”  Len screamed. He was hit so hard the air escaped his lungs and he doubled over.

“Bind him, hood him, and ship him.”  The sergeant in the detail surrounding Len ordered.

“Medic!” He screamed.

A stretcher was brought forward and Jack’s head and back were stabilized, he was bound, bagged, wrapped in blankets and strapped to the sled.  Ropes were thrown down from the top of the cliff and tied to the stretcher.  Jack was hauled up and helivaced for medical attention.  From start to finish, once discovered, the United States best had secured their targets in less than ten minutes.