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."Yes," Kellan said shortly, jaw tight.Jonah realized Kellan was angry.Whatever thecause of these suspicious items showing up in Iraq, itpissed Kellan off.Given Kellan's level of anger, Jonahalmost felt sorry for the assholes responsible for thisinvestigation.Almost.Jonah keyed his mic."That's affirmative, Diyala.Give me the grid."* * * *They rolled slowly down the wide street.SeveralArmy Humvees lined the sides, and two blocked progresswhere they were parked nose-to-nose.Jonah's Marinestatus got them far down the line, but it was the FBI thatfinally got them past the roadblock.They used the guntruck as a meager shield, those not riding walking beside itat a steady pace.118Brothers in Arms Kendall McKennaReaching the lone Army EOD Humvee, they founda Sergeant and a Specialist on high alert."Due respect, sirs," the Sergeant said, not lookingaway from where his weapon was pointed."I don't knowwhat kind of juice you have to get past all that security, butmy Team Leader is currently suited up and disarming anIED.I gotta keep eyes on all the unfriendlies that think thisis a spectator sport."Written on the side strap of his helmet, Jonah sawthe Sergeant's name: Whitcomb."Sergeant Whitcomb, I'm Gunnery SergeantCarver," Jonah said, understanding Whitcomb's anxiety."I'm providing security to an FBI team that needs access tothat IED once your Team Leader has cleared it."Both of the EOD soldiers froze momentarily.Jonahknew the look; they were listening to a radio transmission.Whitcomb keyed his shoulder mic and responded,"Roger that, Haines.Be advised, you got FBI here thatwanna see the device when you've cleared it, so don't keepany souvenirs."Whatever Haines' response had been made theSpecialist, whose helmet strap identified him as Buress,snort a brief laugh."Yeah, you can tell them yourself when you'reclear.Their security is a tall-ass Marine who looks like he119Brothers in Arms Kendall McKennacould handle even your brand of crazy," Whitcomb spokeagain into his mic."Sergeant Whitcomb, I got three on a roof, eleveno'clock," Buress stated, lifting his weapon higher.Jonah and his Marines lifted their weapons, too."Hurry it up, Haines," Whitcomb said.After a pause, Whitcomb addressed himself toJonah."Haines says he's sorry for the delay, but he's foundadditional devices and would appreciate it if the FBI wouldfind a way to keep American components out of the handsof the enemy."Jonah felt the entire FBI team tense at Whitcomb'swords.Kellan gripped Jonah's arm tightly."Sergeant Whitcomb, please advise Sergeant Hainesto neutralize all the devices, but otherwise, do not touchthem," Jonah ordered, knowing the Army was not requiredto follow his order."Haines don't take too well to bein' told what to do,"Whitcomb responded."Your best bet is to get to hislocation quick as you can.""I'll leave some of my men here on the outerperimeter if you'd be so kind as to escort us to SergeantHaines."* * * *120Brothers in Arms Kendall McKenna"This guy is a diabolical motherfucker," Haines saidwith something akin to respect."How so?" Milagros asked.Haines gestured with a multi-functional tool thatresembled a Marine's Leatherman."This one here's thedecoy.Oh, it was a live device.It woulda done somedamage.But, it was designed to be disarmed.See how thedecoy is wired to the other six devices? That's what makesthis bastard extra evil.If he managed to lure some poor,unsuspecting EOD team into disarming it, and theadditional devices go undetected, then the next group ofHumvees that roll through what they think is a securedarea& " Haines mimicked the sound of an explosion,emphasizing his point with expansive hand gestures."So simple, yet so devastating.Have you beenseeing this type of thing more frequently?" Milagros asked."Not really.""What about American military components?""Yeah, more and more all the time.""Meaning?" Kellan interjected."Stuff's showin' up out here I've read about beingmade by companies like KNG, Eros, and Deepwater.Hell,I blew up a whole warehouse of stuff just the other day.But121Brothers in Arms Kendall McKennait's always showin' up in the hands of the enemy, never anyof ours."There was a long silence."Tell me about this warehouse," Keef demanded.Haines shrugged."It was your typical enemywarehouse in the center of the city.They'd obviously beeninterrupted in the middle of putting together whatever theywere up to.There were primers, detonators, det cord, and abunch of other stuff, obviously American made, but waybetter than what a bunch of insurgents should be able to gettheir hands on.Way better than most stuff I can get myhands on."Sergeant Haines stowed his tools and lit up acigarette, as calm and casual as if he hadn't just faced downdeath or dismemberment.There was definitely somethingjust a little cold and a little crazy behind his eyes.The Feds were talking amongst themselves.WhenMilagros mentioned a certain type of detonator,manufactured by a defense contractor she carefully didn'tname, Haines interrupted their conversation."See, that's what I'm talkin' about.Com'ere." Hegestured for her to take a closer look at the disarmed IEDs [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]