Chapter Two - part ten

   The meeting had been going on for less than an hour when suddenly radios came alive just as gunfire started outside. They barely had time to react before an explosion shook the entire building. The building had been selected because it had a secure, reinforced basement. That was where they had been meeting. James and the girls had weapons as did everyone in the meetings, but light arms against rockets wasn't a fair fight. Both Shadid and Najjar were getting reports and neither looked happy with the other, but Shadid suddenly turned all of his attention to James. He was clearly furious, but he also looked shocked as he spoke directly to James. "My people say that it is none of us! It is actually NATO ground troops and they have heavy armor moving in behind them now! We are pinned down and will soon be overrun! What have you done to us and why?" Before James could recover and speak Najjar spoke up. "Don't be a fool Khebat! He had nothing to do with this! My men confirm it is NATO, but I have people inside who swear that NATO hates this one worse than they hate us. I think we need to save our fury for Omar! This has his smell upon it!"

   Khebat hesitated and then with a nod turned away. He began giving orders to his people as Sargon did to his. They were about to try and fight their way out... separately! Now James spoke. He shouted to get their attention. "WAIT!" When they both looked at him; he quickly continued. "Both of you will be fools if you try dealing with this alone. I don't know who is behind this or why, but I do know we have to face this together. We are surrounded and by superior numbers, with superior arms from what I can tell from you. If you two each try to get out alone you will both be captured or killed. We have only one choice left! We fight together or we all lose! Either way we will all end up together. I say we fight together! Then at least we won't die alone if we do die." The others in the room looked at James for a long moment as the battle raged outside. Sargon spoke first. "You speak with wisdom once again, young warrior." Turning to look at Khebat he continued to speak. "This place was your choice, tell me that you chose well and it has another way out?" Khebat actually smiled and nodded his head. Then he began to move quickly as he called for everyone to follow him.

   There was indeed a passage hidden behind a stack of boxes and other clutter. Khebat turned to speak to them after sending two men ahead to make sure it was safe. "This leads two streets over. It comes out is a small shop. The back room has a trap door. Only I and two others know of it and they are both here with us. We can slip out and should be somewhere close to the advancing NATO forces, perhaps behind the ground troops and in front of the armored units. We should be able to fight our way out if we do it suddenly enough and fiercely enough." Sargon spoke up once more. "Perhaps we could, but I say we need to do more than simply escape. I want the names and the heads of those who have done this. Perhaps there would never have been peace between us, but this was a chance. It was a small chance, but still a chance. Many of us will also die here along with that small chance for peace. I say we make those responsible pay dearly for this treachery."

  Once again James stepped forward. "We will make them pay, but only if we can hold onto the chance for peace. If we let that chance die, then nothing we do will be enough to pay back the cost of the peace lost for your nation. We need to find out who is responsible, but we must do it with wisdom and care. If we just rush out in search of vengeance, then I fear we will lose far more than just a chance for peace. I fear the people may lose all hope for peace as well. If that happens then nothing we have done, or may yet do, will matter. Stop and think before we rush out in search of vengeance. Sargon, they call you 'The Lion of Syria', but as ferocious as a lion is what makes it truly dangerous is the ability to outsmart its prey. Khebat has given us a chance at surprise. Can you use that to give us a chance to not only escape with our lives, but keep a chance for peace alive as well?"

   Sargon stood there in silence for a moment and then nodded slowly as he spoke. "Perhaps, perhaps... but only with all the help I can find." He looked at Khebat. Khebat frowned for a just a moment and then simply nodded.  Sargon immediately returned his nod and moved to spread out something on top of a pile of boxes. It was a simple sketch of the meeting site and the surrounding area. It had several places marked. When Khebat saw it he swore softly as he gave Sargon an appraising look. James just smiled. The markings showed not only where Khebat had stationed guards, but also where Sargon had stationed guards as well. The difference was that Sargon had two lines of guards. One in close, just barely beyond those Khebat had positioned and a second one much farther out. Sargon was paying no attention to any of them. He was listening to reports from two of his own men, who had just arrived. He quickly began to mark more positions on that sketch as he listened. He was marking locations of NATO forces, both troops and armor.

   He soon began to speak to those gathered around him. "Our best chance is to appear to do what they would expect us to do, but do the unexpected instead. We could just try to escape or to fight, but I don't think they will expect us to do both. Khebat I want you to gather your people and those among mine who are not the best fighters. You will make a run as if to escape. I will let you choose the way you will go, you know this area far better than me. Show me where you will try to run and I will plan my attack to draw them from you and provide as much cover as I can too. They will likely expect 'The Lion ' to attack with everything he has available. I don't think they know how much I do have though. I have spent days working people into this area and hiding them. NATO doesn't have the strength of numbers that they think they have. Once you are clear Khebat I will still need your help. Turn on them and attack them from behind. That will divide them and give me a better chance." He stopped and looked at James. "You and yours will go with Khebat, but once you are clear I expect you to keep going to the secure NATO area. You can do more good by talking of what has happened here than by fighting here. Besides we will be fighting NATO and you are allied with them. It wouldn't be good for you or for us, if you fought against your allies. Better that you leave this battle to us."

   This time it was Aadila who spoke. "I won't run from this! I may be able to get the NATO units to listen to me if I can reach them. I will try to do that." Before anyone else could object James spoke up. "NO! That won't help in the end, even if it did work, which I doubt it would. Sargon, are any of those NATO units from America?" Sargon glanced at one of those who had brought him the information he was using. The reply was a shrug and a shake of the head. Sargon shook his head as he replied. "I don't think so, but I cannot be certain. You should all just go! Even if there are Americans I doubt any of you have the rank to change their orders." Aadila clearly wanted to say something, but what could she say?  Sargon was probably right. A NATO force this size was likely commanded by a Lt. Colonel at least. None of the soldiers would listen to a mere Captain that demanded they do something different than they had been ordered to do. They might check in, but the odds of changing anything were very slim and if there were no American units out there it was even less likely.

   James stepped forward and looking at the map began to talk. "Your plan looks good Sargon, but I think I can do more good here than I can by leaving. You seem to be planning a two pronged attack. I suggest we make it a three pronged attack. You take the side you have chosen with your men and I will take some men from Khebat and hit the opposite side. I suggest we not stand and fight at all. I think we should just charge them and not stop, you from one direction and me around the other. I think we should fight our way around the entire perimeter and try to join up. Khebat I suggest you try to make a flanking attack in much the same way. The only difference should be that you do it in short jabs. Hit them hard and fast, then withdraw and hit somewhere else. Forget about the armored units unless you have to face them. They will be too hard to take out. We must try to wound as many of the troops as possible too, without killing them. That will tie up their forces faster than killing will. They won't leave wounded men to continue the fight, but they will leave the dead." Turning to the girls he spoke directly to them next. "I won't tell you to leave, but I will ask that you do. We need to get word out about this. Sabella, I hate to say this, but it would be best if you did that. Aadila could be accused of favoritism, because she is Muslim. I won't order either of you to go, but I am asking both of you to go. Jesus said in book of Matthew that we should have two witnesses to establish proof of a sin and if this attack wasn't a sin I don't know what would be."

   Everyone was looking at James. Sargon slowly shook his head and then started to give orders. "You have heard the Ironman warrior speak and his words are indeed wise. We will do as he says. I have my men. Khebat, you give him the best you have to fight with him. I would like to see if he fights as well as he speaks. Tell everyone to try to wound rather than kill. That will be better for all of us in the end. These men aren't our enemies, they are merely following orders. We will need to find out who gave the orders, and who had them given, before we will know for certain who our true enemy is. Though I think that rat, Omar, will be the one behind all of this." Aadila suddenly spoke again. "That isn't true! Uncle Omar isn't a rat and he would never do this!" Once again Sargon and Khebat turned on Aadila in stunned disbelief. James quickly spoke up as Aadila began to turn red at what she had just done. "Omar isn't her uncle! He was a close friend to her grandfather though. He looks at Aadila as his own granddaughter. I don't think he is to blame for this. He wouldn't have been willing to risk her life, no matter how great the gain."

   Sargon and Khebat said nothing, but they both nodded and slowly went back to preparing to carry out the plan. The tunnel was just wide enough for two people and a tall man would have to duck. The other end was a small room with a set of stairs leading up to the surface. The trap door was in a tiny room. In fact the entire center of the room floor was the door. As people went up they moved out and huddled down in the small building. Sargon did a quick check over his radio and soon knew exactly what was going on outside. The NATO forces had found themselves unable to get past the inner defense rings that Sargon and Khebat had in place. They were also unable to bring in the heavy armor they had been counting on. Sargon's second ring of defense had stopped those dead with simple vehicle blockades and small explosives. Once everyone was safely up and ready it was time to start the plan. They were in a perfect position for the plan to succeed. The small shop was right along the back of the NATO ground forces and in front of the armor. Once clear it should be simple for those trying to escape to slip away. It would also give those about to engage the NATO forces the perfect opportunity to do that. They were almost in a flanking position and should be able to easily squeeze the unsuspecting forces between them and the original defenders position.