Part 15 (1/2)
Advance cautiously, came the order.
The recon teams moved out. And out. They encountered nothing human. Birds were singing and squirrels were chattering and barking happily in the timber. And that was a sure sign no Rebels were about. The recon teams began to relax a bit.
But human eyes watched them, watched them from bunkers and deep brush and heavy timber. The Rebels remained motionless, breathing shallow, eyes unblinking. They waited.
From the north the recon teams came, encountering the same thing as the teams who came in from the west.
Nothing. And as their comrades had done, they radioed back to the staging area for instructions, not understanding the nothingness of the deep timber.
Striganov smiled as he turned to Sam Hartline. ”Ben Raines has become what I knew he would, Sam.”
”Oh?”
”Overconfident. I knew it would happen. The man has had things go his way for too long. His people have become lack; discipline has softened. They think we're still falling for the garbled transmissions.”
Hartline agreed with the Russian, but d.a.m.ned if he'd give Striganov the satisfaction of knowing it. ”I'm ordering my people in.”
”It's time,” Striganov agreed. He nodded at an aide. ”No prisoners. Kill them all.
Wipe them from the face of the earth.”
The orders were given and the combined forces of Sam Hartline and the Russian moved out. One force from the north, one force from the west.
But Ben had suspected a trick, and he ordered his people to hold their fire and keep their positions, their heads down. Remain silent and unseen.
Lora stood with Sylvia in Ben's bunker, watching the man.
”What's the hang-up, Ben?” Sylvia asked.
”What are we waiting for?”
Ben listened to his headset for a moment, not immediately answering. ”I thought as much,” he spoke into his mike. ”Let them come on.”
He turned to Sylvia, conscious of Lora's unblinking eyes on him. ”Striganov and Hartline have committed only about twenty-five percent of their troops. They're holding the others back.”
He smiled a warrior's smile; the smile of a hunting tiger about to taste the hot blood of prey.
”We'll let them come; play their game. They'lllearn a hard lesson about me. And I think a very decisive one in our favor.”
”You knew the enemy was going to do this?” Lora asked.
”I suspected it,” Ben replied, looking down at the child.
”You knew,” she said flatly.
”All right; have it your way, then. I knew.”
”How?”
Ben softened his hunter's smile as he looked at the child. ”I'm an old soldier, Lora. There are things one learns over the years.”
She nodded her head. He knew, she thought. He looked through all the silence and knew. She would tell the others about this.
Ben's headset crackled. ”The underground people have halted their advance, General. How in the h.e.l.l did they know to wait?”
”I don't know,” Ben spoke into his mike. ”They sensed it, probably. How many of them have you spotted?”
”Fifty, maybe. If I've seen fifty, there are probably five hundred more I can't see.”
”I agree. Stay with it. Ike?”
”Here.”
”Cecil?”
”Here.”
”Dan?”
”Here, sir.”
All were on scramble, on a high-band frequency. ”Let those few companies come on; let them get deep. When they meet no resistance, the others will be forced to follow. Striganov and Sam know better than to permit too much distance between their forces. Or I'm betting they do, at least. Hold what you've got.”
The commander of the point company of IPF men radioed to Hartline's point company, advancing from the north. ”I have heard no gunfire.”
”h.e.l.l, there isn't anything to shoot at!”
Hartline's company commander radioed back, knowing both Sam and the Russian were monitoring the transmissions. ”So far as I can tell, all of Raines's men are in the compound area. What in the f.u.c.k are we waiting for?”
Sam turned to Georgi. ”We can't let much more distance between companies.”
”I know. I believe your point man is correct. Raines has made a fatal mistake by bunching up his men. Commit your troops.” He turned to his radio operator. ”Go! Go! Go!”
And the rear companies surged forward.
”Let them come,” Ben said, after receiving the message from his forward observers. ”Let them get deep and link up with the forward company. Steady now, people. Keep it steady and cool. Just hold what you'vegot.”
”My people are getting edgy, Ben!” Ike radioed.
”Tell them I'm calm and confident, Ike.
To all company commanders and section leaders, this is Raines. I'll personally shoot the first person who opens fire without my direct orders to do so. Is that understood?”
Perfectly. And they all knew Ben Raines meant every word.
The Rebels waited. The woods-children waited. The underground people waited.