Into Darkness by Richard Fox Read Free Book Online

simpler and more eponymous terms like “missing in action” or “prisoner of war” weren’t officially used.
    “It’s been almost three days since our Soldiers went missing.” Townsend kept his tone level as he looked over the room. “Three days that this brigade has used to move heaven and earth to find them, without any success. Now we finally have a solid lead on their location.” Murmurs of surprise rippled across the room.
    Joe canted his head toward Ritter, doing his best to appear focused on Colonel Townsend, and mumbled from the side of his mouth, “You know anything about this?”
    Ritter shook his head.
    The screen behind Townsend changed to an aerial shot of a decrepit industrial building that hugged the bank of the Euphrates River. Bare girders and mounds of concrete wove through the building like graffiti. Ritter couldn’t decide whether the building was falling apart or had never been finished.
    “The Russians never managed to finish this power plant, but that didn’t stop al-Qaeda from moving in and setting up shop,” Townsend said, smacking the screen for emphasis. “Our sources are certain that al-Qaeda has our men in one of the few completed buildings. These same sources assure us that al-Qaeda won’t move them until our lockdown is over.” The slide show switched to an overlay of the power plant, complete with unit symbols, axis of advance, and the myriad of graphic symbols used in Army operational planning. The brigade was going to attack the power plant—and soon.
    Colonel Townsend stepped aside as Lieutenant Colonel Reynolds approached the screen and dictated the operations order to the assembled officers. Ritter turned his attention to Major Hibou, who sat hunched over in his chair. Coupled with his small stature, Hibou looked like a scolded child next to the rest of the brigade’s senior officers. He looked like a man life had defeated.
    Jennifer leaned across her husband and whispered to Ritter and Davis, “I’m just a captain, but aren’t we supposed to get a rundown on the enemy before the maneuver instructions?”
    “That’s right,” Ritter said.
    “Hibou doesn’t have his notecards. What’s he going to say?” Jennifer asked. After enough operations orders, the briefing habits of every senior staff officer were well known.
    “Maybe he isn’t going to say anything,” Ritter mumbled as a sickening realization crept over him.
    Cindy leaned over, pressing her shoulder against Ritter. “We don’t know how many al-Qaeda are waiting for us in there or even where they’re hiding. What kind of plan is this?”
    “A bad one.” Ritter exhaled slowly and stared at the disinterested Major Hibou.

Chapter 8
    Ritter knocked on the door to Major Hibou’s office. He tolerated the silence in Hibou’s office for three deep breaths before raising his hand to knock again.
    “Come in,” Hibou said.
    As he let himself in, Ritter had to lift the entire door by its handle to realign the hinges. Like most of the brigade headquarters, office construction was haphazard. The overriding belief that the war would end sooner rather than later was a wet blanket on any major construction project. Why take the time and spend the money to build a respectable workspace when it would all go back to the Iraqis? Hibou’s office—Ritter thought of it as more of a broom closet—had enough room for a plywood two-foot-by-four-foot desk, a small bookcase stuffed with unused Army manuals, and two computer screens. Hibou sat at the desk, bathed in the cloud-gray light from his screens. A small pyramid of empty energy drink cans kept a precarious balance at the end of his desk.
    Hibou sat back and motioned to an empty folding chair. “Hello, Eric. Help you with something?” Hibou rested a forearm across his eyes and crossed his ankles.
    Ritter opened the chair and sat. “Sir, it’s the sources for this mission.” Ritter pulled several folded sheets from his cargo pocket and laid them on the desk.