Tag | Previous Challenge Entry

how it works

TITLE: Tag | Previous Challenge Entry
By Keith Henry III
05/19/16
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“This is crazy!” thought David as he watched his four lifelong friends checking their gear. “What was I thinking?” he thought as the time to execute their plan drew closer. He had to admit that what they were about to do was unprecedented; it was definitely crazy, but they had no other choice. The Taliban in Syria had captured his brother Tommy, an aid worker, a year ago and nothing was being done. The official word from the State Department was that they were in negotiations; the truth was that Tommy had no real bargaining value and he would be a hostage until they could trade for him.

“Guys, a little prayer before we start,” Dave broke the anxious silence.

“Really Pastor Dave?” Moose replied as he slid the last tranquilizer into the clip of his modified rifle.

“Really Gerald” Dave sarcastically responded knowing how much his friend hated his given name. Dave led the team of five in a short prayer to assure all of them that the mission they had trained the last three months for was in the hands of God; mainly Dave prayed to assure himself that the mission was not as insane as it sounded.

The rescue mission would have been a relatively simple one if carried out by professional soldiers, but these guys were slightly out of shape, thirty somethings who had been out of the military for a few years. All but Donald had served in the military; all the others had tours in Operation Iraqi Freedom, Marcus and Timmy recently finished their careers in Afghanistan. Tommy, according to intelligence gathered through a few friends in the military, was being held in a known Taliban compound in a small village in northeast Syria. Fortunately for the team Tommy was not a prize hostage; in theory it should be a simple snatch and grab rescue.

The mission was conceived one night as Dave stared into the wooded area behind his childhood home. He remembered the countless days that he, his brother, and the four friends used to spend in those woods; in particular the game they used to play; Tag. Tag was the crew’s version of Capture the Flag; the boys would split into two teams and hide their respective flags somewhere in the large wooded area. The objective was then to find the opponents flag without being tagged. They relied only on their hunting skills in tracking, camouflage, and stealth, which were almost second nature to the group of small town teens.

“Amen,” Dave finished the prayer as Timmy settled in behind the scope of his sniper rifle; being the best shot of the group of friends he would be the team’s eyes and protection.

“Team One in position” Dave announced as he and Moose hid in an alley across the street and to the left of the compound’s main entrance.

“Team Two in position” Marcus and Donald stood at the bottom of a rope at the rear wall of the compound.

Timmy took a deep breath as he took aim at the first of two targets positioned in the courtyard of the compound. “Tango one down.” The first guard dropped to the ground as the fast acting tranquilizer almost immediately took affect. “Tango two down, execute!”

Marcus and Donald scaled the wall, once on top the announced the all clear. Moose easily broke through the wooden door. Tommy, they believed, was locked in a room at the center of the compound. Marcus and Donald silently dropped to the courtyard floor and immediately surveyed the compound for potential threats.

“Freeze” Donald quietly commanded as the light from a match suddenly broke the darkness just in front of him. Stealthily he walked up to the threat, covered his mouth with his hand and stabbed him with a tranquilizer he held in his other hand. “Tag, Tango down”

Dave and Moose cautiously opened the door to the room where Tommy was being held. Tommy lay sleeping on a mat in the corner of the room. “Tommy,” Dave shook his emaciated brother, “Lets go home.”

Moose picked Tommy up and put him over his shoulder. “We got Tommy, lets get out of here.”

“Your exit is clear,” announced Timmy as he covered the team’s exit.

“Thank You Father,” praised Dave as his team, his close friends left the compound with his brother in hand; the mission was successful.

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