Secret of the Oil: Prequel to the Donavan Chronicles by Tom Haase Read Free Book Online

him? It seemed most likely it was someone from his cell, someone who suspected him of being a traitor. That made sense. Had someone followed him here? She had not seen anyone. Her fears rose on these thoughts.
    Now to take care of one last detail to ensure no one would soon find Mohammed. Tara slowly moved over to the one window in the rear of the building and took out her laser designator code and target identifier module, the latest advance in terminally guided ordinance. Not only did the module send the identification of the user but it also allowed the user to plant it and then to get a safe distance away before the guided ordnance impacted the designated point.
    There could be no mistake in this procedure. Tara switched on the small device and heard the audible beep indicating it was active. Technology sent the message to a receiver unit high above Baghdad.
     
    * * * *
     
    Scorpion One – Lieutenant Colonel Jake Haneline
    9:50 P.M. – F-16 over Baghdad
    Jake had taken off an hour ago from an airfield over two hundred kilometers south of Baghdad. This was a routine night mission to hit a target north of the city. The briefing officer for the flight advised Jake that he was also on call to hit two additional targets if requested. These targets could become active if an electronic request interrogated his receiver unit.
    After attacking and destroying the designated bunker target, Jake was circling over Baghdad at 15,000 feet and waiting until his time on station was up. He would then return to his base and head to the bar. This was Jake’s last flight in Iraq. He was going home tomorrow. One year away from the wife and kids was enough. Sure, when he got home there would be mixed emotional memories of the missions, the jokes, the losses, and the people of Iraq. However, in one more year, he would be able to retire. No more tours in this rat hole of a country.
    As he slowly banked the F-16 fighter toward the south, Jake could see all of the capital arrayed below. The approach paths for the Baghdad International Airport were just ahead, so Jake pulled a hard turn to the left to stay clear of the civilian airport arrival corridors. Civilian airliners came in high over Baghdad and then dropped in a circling descent to the runway. This minimized their low-level time exposure over built-up areas where shoulder-fired missiles could attack them.
    As Jake completed his turn, the transceiver light on his display panel glowed red. His LCD display indicated a strike request designated AAR-551. Jake reacquired the sender by pushing the recycle button on the panel. The signal came back as before. This was an authenticated target identifier by someone on the ground.
    “Scorpion base, Scorpion One. I have an AAR-551 hit on my system.”
    “Scorpion one, wait one,” came the reply from his ground controller, who then opened his codebook for the designator corresponding to AAR-551. He searched the book at the flight center and found the code verifying that it was a covert operation authorized by Central Command. A 500-pound bomb was the requested weapon with a two-minute delay on firing, he returned to his seat in the control tower.
    Since it was pre-approved, the controller said to the fighter plane, “Scorpion One, after you verify the contact, you are authorized to employ a 500-pound Joint Direct Attack Munitions. Allow two minutes from target lock on to firing. I repeat a JDAM. Over.”
    “Scorpion One, acknowledge JDAM. Out.”
    The F-16 was traveling at a slow 250 knots. Jake moved his right hand to the selection panel and pushed the button for the JDAM laser-guided weapon. Then he pushed his red fire button halfway down to activate the seeker inside the guided bomb. Jake heard in his helmet the shrill beep of the weapon lock on. At the same time Jake heard the beep, the unit sent a signal to the ground unit.
    As directed, Jake now hit his stopwatch to count down two minutes. He figured from this altitude and speed the bomb