The first two weeks in Afghanistan the Rage hand been camped on the upper most part of the hook near the border of China. They were collecting information on three encampments in a valley. Taking surveillance pictures and videos, they flew the Whale cloaked over the camps and scanned them. All of the information that they gathered they sent to General Richards on a daily basis. On the third week they were given the command to eliminate all three camps and to collect weapons, prisoners, and documents, and by eliminate they meant they were to completely destroy everything (except the prisoners) and cleanup the land as if no one had been there.
Two of the camps were small: less than fifty people living in them. The largest was in the center with approximately two hundred and fifty soldiers plus their women and children. The camps were within ten miles of each other.
Ben had decided that they would attack the largest camp first. Rueben wanted to make sure they were well hidden so he parked the Whale five miles away from the camp over a river. Its legs stood soundly on the shore of both sides of the river. The water flowed a foot from its belly as the river rushed on under it. Their strategy was to use sleeping gas and dart guns as they were to take everyone prisoner with no casualties.
Ben, Dan and Rueben spent the entire day planning out their attack. Their scans gave them a detailed map of the area and also of a tunnel that ran underneath it out into a group of tall trees where a helicopter was hidden. They decided that they would strike in the evening.
“Only take your dart guns, gas masks, zip cuffs and a couple extra clips,” Ben commanded. “This is a silent operation. We will strike two hours after the sun goes down.”
That afternoon Gad stood on a rock with a bird perched on his arm. It was one of his favorite robots and he treated it just like a real bird. He called it a sky hawk. This bird sent live pictures to the Whale’s computer or to Gad’s head gear. Even up close you would not be able to tell it was a robot. Gad checked its wings, feathers and lenses. His microscopic eye piece contracted and expanded as he examined it before releasing it into the air. The sky hawk flew high and circled, as a normal bird of prey would do. It swooped down on the camp perching on top of a roof. Gad’s mission was to record where the majority of women and children where located.
Everyone sat around the monitor watching Ben. “Our first objective is to capture the helicopter and load it into the cargo bay, it would be nice if we could fly it out, but we are going to have to carry it.” They all moaned. “We will all have to work together to do this and everyone will be helping.”
“Why can’t we just wait and move it last so we can fly it?” Ash asked
Ben stared at Ash for a minute hoping the answer would come to him. He gave up and explained, “Because I don’t want to take a chance on someone escaping or using it against us. Ash and Simeon you will take out the guards at the tunnel. Rueben and I will take care of the guards by the helicopter. And wear black full body protection.”
The full body suit had a hood, gloves and socks all made out of the same material as their protective garments. They could still get hurt but the garment was impenetrable. The gas mask was made out of a stretchy plastic like material that looked very much like a dog muzzle with two circles on either side and had goggles that covered the eyes as well. It was hard to see and breathe so they would lose their sense of smell while they were wearing them and no one liked that.
Ben growled as he watched the camp members separate into families and bunk down for the night.
He shook his head and growled to Rueben. “I would never have my family with me.”
“It’s like they are hiding behind their wives and their children,” Rueben snarled. “I can’t wait to take them down.”
“Three more hours Rueben and you will get your chance,” Dan said as he touched a screen with a metal tube attached to it. The map rolled into the tube. It was a map of the tunnel and the camp. Dan handed it to Ben.
“Gad you stay here, as always and keep us informed of what they are doing and if anyone is coming our way.” He nodded his head and clicked his teeth and took his place in front of the monitor.
“Zeb you carry the spiders,” Ben said.
“Why am I the one who always has to carry stuff,” he complained. Ben growled at him. Zeb grabbed the bag of metal eggs that Gad was holding out to him.
“Be nice to my babies,” Gad said squinting his eyes at Zeb and growling.
Ben turned and looked at Dan. “Get the Whale as close to the helicopter as you can so we won’t have to carrying it very far.” Everyone moaned again at the thought. “When we get close enough, open the cargo bay doors. Izzy will fold up the props before it’s loaded into the ship.”
Ben looked around the room and smiled. “We have a message from home. It‘s a short video clip,” he growled at the computer and a video of Tia’s unborn babies played on the screen. Rueben bent over and covered his face with his hands a low growl resonating from him as he remembered his unborn children lost to him so long ago. Ben walked over to him and touched him on the back. Izzy and Levi pointed out the babies’ heads, hands and feet. It was exciting for all of them to see the twins. Then Ben spoke with confidence, “This is our hope and our future, that we can all find joy in our children and live on through them. A new generation of the Rage will soon be born into this world even though we are strangers here,” he continued and spoke softer with reverence. “For all those we have loved and lost we owe it to them to live on and rebuild our lives.” They all clicked their teeth in agreement bowing their heads.
“You each have one hour to meditate, clear your minds and prepare before we strike,” Ben said.
The ship was quiet as each Rage sat calmly in thought. Some closed their eyes; others just stared straight ahead or at the ground. When they were done meditating their faces looked focused and sure. Each stood when they were ready and dressed in their black garments. They threw their gear straps--a sash made of thick leather that had all kinds of weapons attached to it--over their heads. It went over the right shoulder and down to their left hip. A thin leather strap attached in the back of the sash and ran round their hip line to the front and buckled to the leather sash. The gear strap carried their gas mask, dart guns and two clips. Some had daggers, or swards attached. Izzy’s had six shuriken stars. He played with one of them by twisting it between his fingers with one hand. With a swift flick of his hand he tossed it at a dart board hanging near the cargo bay door. It flew through the air just barely missing Zeb’s ear.
Zeb growled a complaint and turned to scowl at Izzy. “You know if I would have meant to hit you, it would have sliced off your ear,” Izzy hissed back in his native tongue.
Ben growled his disapproval and said, “Save it for the later.” He opened the cargo bay and pointed at the bulldozer. “Dan we’ll need all the room in here for the helicopter and prisoners so please drive the bulldozer out and leave it on the shore somewhere after we leave.
“Are we ready to go?”Ben asked. They all bowed their heads and clicked their teeth. He gathered them in a circle and they stood arm in arm and bowed their heads in silence. Ben spoke in his native tongue.
“We gather together again as Warriors ready for the fight. May we fight with honor and complete our assignment with precision, stand bravely and aid each other as we go that we may all return safely home,” Ben said.
“Be swift, be strong, be silent,” they all shouted and clapped their hands once. They started down the ramp of the cargo bay and stepped onto the bank of the river. Zeb and Izzy activated six spiders as soon as they left the ship. Everyone waited until Gad gave the okay to proceed. The spiders notified Gad and Dan of any bombs planted in the ground, and sent him a heat sensor scan of the area. His sky hawk robot circled the sky above them sending night vision pictures to the ship’s monitor. The only light they had was coming from the moon. Their pupils were full circles making it easy for them to see clearly in the dark. They quietly walked off into the forest turning into Warriors as they headed full run towards the helicopter.
Ben was the first to reach the black Comanche followed closely by Rueben. The two shape-shifted into their human forms before leveling a slim tranquilizer gun at a pair of guards in front of the helicopter. Like mirrors of experience the Warriors fired their weapons simultaneously. The darts flew silently through the night towards the guards. Rueben’s dart struck one guard in the neck and he fell unceremoniously to the gravel below. The other guard had chosen to bend over and examine he’s shoes at just the right moment. Ben’s dart flew over the top of his head and pinged off the door of the helicopter.
“Were you planning on taking him out before we reach the helicopter?” Rueben growled softly. Ben just groaned in response. The guard stood looking at his assailants with his eyes wide, but before he could call for help Ben shot at him again hitting his throat before he could react.
To the north, Ash and Simeon silently took out the guards at the mouth of the cave with tranquilizer darts to their backs. Together the Warriors made quick work of securing the area.
“We have to move fast before they wake up,” Ben whispered, “Everyone push.” They all moved behind the helicopter. “One, two, three,” they huffed and pushed the machine. The ground was smooth as they pushed it to the edge of the small group of trees without any problem. The Whale was briefly visible just several yards away from them. They breathed heavily as they began to push it onto the uneven surface.
“It would be a lot easier pushing this thing if we were at full strength,” Ash whispered his complaint between breaths.
“You must have missed one.” Gad called on the intercom. “A guard is coming up on Levi to the left.”
Levi grabbed the dart gun holstered to his gear strap. Like a gun slinger from a western movie he pulled the gun from it and quickly turned towards his attacker. He shot at the approaching guard without missing a step. The soldier raised his gun to fire but the dart struck him in the chest, he fell face forward as if he were a puppet whose strings had just been cut. His gun went off as he hit the ground and made a muffled noise as the muzzle fired into the earth.
“It’s frustrating when they come at you and you’ve already got your hands full,” Levi sighed.
As they stepped into the clearing, Dan lowered the cargo bay ramp to load the helicopter. The light inside the ship illuminated the ground alerting their enemy of their presence.
“Stop pushing the helicopter,” Gad warned. “You’ve got incoming. About five soldiers are headed your way. Can you see them?”
“Yes, but can they see us?” Ben asked.
“I don’t think so. You’re still out of their range, but they can see the ship and the helicopter. It’s going to get noisy down there real fast if you don’t move it,” he warned.
They quickly left the helicopter and took cover. Like lions watching their pray they waited in the rocks and grass. Their dart guns aimed at the approaching soldiers. The darts flew at the soldiers like a horde of black flies. It seemed as if the earth had reached up and grabbed them by the feet as their body’s tumbled one by one to the ground. Carefully, the Rage moved forward towards the small sleeping group. They quickly stripped the men of their weapons and drug them one by one into the cargo bay. Then each soldier was bound with zip cuffs.
They only had about ten yards left to go and they would have the helicopter to the ramp of the cargo bay. Quickly they resumed their positions and pushed the machine again. They pushed hard and fast like football players on a training field. Every muscle in their arms and legs screamed for them to stop. The earth beneath them was rocky. It made it hard to get any traction. Dan came out and removed as many rocks as he could to make the path smoother. The helicopter teetered a little as they pushed it up to the ramp of the cargo bay. When it was in rang, Levi quickly grabbed a tow hitch and hooked it to the helicopter. Izzy skillfully climbed on top of the machine and folded up the blades of the propellers. They quickly pulled the machine into the ship.
Gad sent the spiders into the tunnel as they finished loading the helicopter into the Whale. The spiders scanned the earth and walls as they crept along inside the tunnel.
“The males that attacked you must have come from the tunnel,” Gad said, “Their heat signatures are still on the floor.”
Everyone was now waiting at the entrance of the tunnel for Gad to give the okay to enter. Ben commanded everyone to put on their hoods and gas masks at the mouth of the tunnel. They shape-shifted into their Warrior form and helped each other adjust their gear straps as their bodies changed.
“Okay, you’re clear to go.” Gad said. Ben slowly entered the cave flanked by the twins and then the others. Rueben followed in last. The dirt floor of the tunnel was packed down hard, but their claws easily dug into it as they picked up speed. Their eyes stared cautiously into the dark tunnel at a light to the left as they ran along. In the middle of the tunnel was a room and the spiders were already there. Four men sat at computer screens.
“This is their base communication head quarters. They may know your coming,” Gad warned. “The spiders aren’t picking up any unusual movement though.”
“Gas them,” Ben growled into his mask. The spiders quickly entered the room unnoticed and each went to a corner of the room. Two crawled under the computer tables. When they were in position they sprayed a small amount of sleeping crystals up into the air. When mixed with oxygen the microscopic crystals expanded and broke apart and repeated the process several times until a white mist hung in the air. The crystals entered their bodies through the eyes, nose and mouth. Once the chemical had entered the blood stream, even the largest man fell into a deep and would be out for several hours. Soon everyone in the communication room was asleep. Their heads crashed onto their keyboards. The air turned white as the crystals saturated the air.
Zeb and Izzy stopped and dumped more spiders onto the ground. They carefully pushed the green buttons on all of them with their claws and they sprang to life, scattering up the tunnel before them. The red light on them glowed in the dark. The spiders stood watch over the sleeping crew as the Rage Warriors sped quickly through the tunnel to the other side.
On Gad’s screen each Rage Warrior appeared as a blinking light colored specifically to the Rage it went to. Ben was red, Rueben orange, Ash and Simeon, blue and green, Levi yellow, Izzy purple, and Zeb white. He kept a close eye on all of them.
The spiders slowed and crawled one by one out of the other end of the tunnel into bushes growing a foot behind the opening. A guard saw one of the metal spiders and picked it up. He examined it curiously. It sprayed sleeping crystals into his face. He stumbled back with a look of surprise in his eyes and dropped the spider. The spider quickly scrambled out of sight. The guard’s eyes rolled up into his head and he fell to the ground without a sound like a man who had been shot by a silent gun. The other guards scrambled to their feet and looked into the bushes above the tunnel. They looked out into the vast darkness of the hills and rocks for an attacker. Ben, Ash, and Simeon, now in their human forms, assessed the situation inside the shadow of the tunnel. Then they shot a spray of tranquilizer darts before they stepped out. They struck the guards in the chest. The guards’ eyes filled with surprise and they fell forward with a thump. The rest of the Rage changed back into their human forms as they exited the tunnel.
Ben and the twins grabbed the tranquilized soldiers, searched them and took their weapons.
“Simeon and Ash help me carry them into the tunnel and zip cuff them,” Ben commanded. The others took the lead position and Zeb dumped the rest of the spiders out and activated them all. Ben and the twins split off to the left following a group of spiders as they navigated around the tents with sleeping soldiers in them. Rueben took the rest of the group to the right following spiders also. The whole outer perimeter was covered with tents. One spider entered each tent and sprayed a quick shot of sleeping crystals into the air. They waited until the tents were filled with white mist. Then the Rage entered each tent searching for females and children. The crystals were harmful to children and could cause birth defects if a pregnant woman was overly exposed to them so when they found them they immediately moved them out into the fresh air to minimize their exposure.
The Whale was now visible on the camp’s edge. Rueben carried two children in his arms and laid them on the floor of the Whale’s cargo bay and hopped on an electric four-wheeler with a trailer. Silently he drove it out of the cargo bay and down the ramp. Then he began to load it with women and children and brought them into the Whale’s cargo bay as the others worked to secure the area. They continued to lay the children and their mothers on the ground outside the tents as they found them.
Izzy took over for Rueben, loading children and women into the cargo bay. Dan helped Izzy unload the trailer each time he returned. They left the men where they lay in their tents with zip cuffs on their wrists and ankles. They removed all of their weapons, placing them in a pile outside the tent. When the men woke they would walk them into the ship. The spiders made the job easy and they quickly secured the outlining perimeter of the camp.
Rueben followed Ben to the center of the camp while the others were working on the perimeter. They stood at the door of one of the two large buildings. Slowly Ben opened the door just enough to let in six spiders. Light flowed out of the building into the night. Rueben opened the door to the other building and also let in six spiders. From the windows he could see the white mist beginning to form. Ben and Rueben waited as the others joined them. Ben and the twins took the right again and Rueben and his team took the left. They burst into the buildings at the same time.
Ben and the twins searched through the front part of the building. It was an office. They zip cuffed four men inside it and collected all the weapons they found. They cautiously opened a door that lead to the back part of the building. The spiders had not been able to get into that part. They scampered ahead of Ben and his team, but did not spray any gas. The team walked silently through the door. A shower was running; they moved in closer. A man stepped out of it and wrapped a towel around his waist. Ben darted him in the back. He fell face forward onto the wood floor asleep and they zip cuffed him. Farther down towards the end of the building were toilets and urinals. They checked each stall. All they found was the one man in that part of the building. They dragged him up to the front and left him with the others, asleep.
Rueben’s building was a mess hall and it was empty for the most part. He found only two men and a woman inside. He quickly zip cuffed them and moved them outside the building. Izzy took the woman to the whale and laid her with the others.
“You have about twenty-five incoming from the lower camp. I’m sending the spiders to meet them.” Gad called on the intercom.
“Don’t worry about that.” Ben whispered in growls. “Get the females and children out of here. Take them to the nearest city and release them before they wake. We’ll finish up here. Let us know when they are within striking distance,” he growled quietly.
“They are surrounding you as we speak.” Gad said urgently.
“Get out of here now then.” Ben commanded. The sound of rushing of air filled the silence of the night as the ship took off.
“We are secure in this building.” Rueben reported as he moved the men from the building into a nearby tent. Rueben and Ben talked just outside the building. The camp was silent. Gad moved the spiders into the buildings. They stood there still as statues waiting for a command.
Dan flew the ship over Kabul and found a park. It was early morning and no one was in sight. They quickly moved the now-waking children and women onto the grass of a park and laid those who were still sleeping on the ground together. They kept the ship cloaked as they worked to unload their passengers. When they were finished they quickly flew back to the others.
As the soldiers approached, Ben and Rueben moved their teams inside the buildings again.
Rueben could hear them talking in Arabic outside his building. He motioned for his team to back away from the door and to lay low.
Gad quickly got back on the computer and saw that the communications crew was starting to wake up. He gave a command and the spiders air filled the air with sleeping crystals again sending the soldiers back to asleep before they realized what had happened to them.
Back in Ben’s building he let out a low hiss, which meant be quiet. No one spoke. He grabbed his dart gun and Ash and Simeon followed his example. They moved quietly to position themselves around the entrance so they could shoot as soon as anyone opened the door. They wanted as many to enter the building and let the sleeping crystals take care of the, allowing them to remain unseen. As they waited in the dark for the door to open, sweat dripped down their faces. Their senses were clouded by the gas masks. It wasn’t a feeling any of them liked.
Watching the video feed from his spiders, Gad had them spray sleeping crystals into the air just before the leader and six soldiers started to enter Ben’s building. They slowly walked in single file, covering their noses and mouths. The first three fell to the ground as the crystals came in contact with their eyes and the sleeping serum entered their blood stream. Their bodies lay prostate in the entrance way. The other three wouldn’t enter when they saw the others fall to the floor in front of them, but it was already too late for them because out of the white mist flew four darts that struck them on the arm, back, and neck.
Rueben’s team grabbed their weapons and moved closer to the entrance of their building as group of four soldiers slowly opened the door to Rueben’s building. The first soldier put his gun in the door and began shooting randomly. Quickly, Rueben’s team lay on the floor, trying not to get hit. Breathing heavily they fought the urge to remove the gas masks. The masks made them feel as though they were suffocating, as it purified the air slower then they needed it. Their hearts pounded, pumping adrenalin throughout their bodies as they were about to fight. They worked to slow their breathing and calmed their bodies. Izzy counted softly out loud to keep his breathing regular so he didn’t pass out-it had happened before. The spiders sprayed sleeping crystals into the air as the soldiers entered the room. They covered their faces with a scarf, but as the serum entered their eyes, they soon fell to the floor asleep. The soldiers retreated and started to just shoot at the building.
Ben growled a thunderous growl. The soldiers backed up looking fearfully at the building and whispered back and forth to each other in Arabic.
Ben and the twins all rushed out the door into the open, shooting darts at any soldier in their line of sight. Ben darted the arm of the first soldier he saw. The soldier’s gun fell to the ground and shot a round of fire, wounding two of his fellow soldiers. Ben tore his gas mask from his head so he could see what he was shooting at. Ash flanked his right side and Simeon his left as they peeled off their masks also grateful to be free of them. They darted two more soldiers.
Rueben sprang from the door of his building changing from a man into a Warrior. He allowed his mask to burst from his face as his body changed. His team followed him outside as he leaped forward and hit the first soldier he came to with his huge paws, knocking him to the ground with a great thud. The soldier was out cold. Rueben lunged for another soldier his claws extended and tore into the flesh of the soldier’s leg as he scrambled to flee. Several soldiers moved back and began shooting at Rueben. Izzy sent a dart to the center of the group hitting one of them in the head and he fell backward into the group. Zeb flanked Rueben’s right and shot a dart at the nearest man. Levi was on Rueben’s left. He shot his dart into the group of now charging soldiers. They both ripped their gas masks off so they could see and smell. Levi shot at another advancing soldier and struck him in the leg. The soldier stopped to pull the dart from his leg, but it was too late. He hit the ground head-first and fast asleep.
Ben and the twins became Warriors and the remaining soldiers dropped their guns in fear, seeing them change. Then Rueben stood on the last soldier and he surrendered as Rueben stared down at him, his large teeth bared and snarling in his face. Ben called him off, growling in his native tongue. The four lion-like creatures held the soldiers in a group; snarling and baring their teeth to keep them under control as the others zip cuffed them. Levi marched them to the ship, which was now waiting for them again on the edge of the camp.
Those who had been sleeping in their tents began to wake, which made it easy for the Warriors to gather them quickly and load them into the cargo bay. The last to be loaded were the soldiers in the communication room. They used the four-wheeler to load them into the ship. Izzy, Levi, Gad and Zeb went back and loaded up all of their equipment. Inside the communication room Levi found what looked like two very small nuclear warheads. He examined then carefully.
“They are only partially assembled. I think they planned on using these two small planes to carry the warheads. Look at all of the ammunition and guns they have in this room. It goes all the way back.” He walked over to a gun and picked it up. “I would like to keep a few of these guns.” He mused out loud to Gad who was looking the planes over with his goggles.
“These planes can be controlled by satellite,” Gad said.
“The whole top is solar paneled. No need for fuel, just glorious sunlight.” Levi pointed out.
“They can travel great distances and can be programmed to release a warhead without guidance.” Gad swore. “These would be deadly if they would have been successful.”
“Can we keep one to study?” Levi asked Ben who had just entered the room to see what was keeping them. Gad wanted to study them just as much as Levi did.
“No they’re too dangerous to have on base. Let Richards take care of them.” Ben said.
Everyone had to help load all the weapons and ammunition into the ship. It was standing room only in the cargo bay by the time they were finished. Then they flew the Whale to an aircraft carrier one hundred miles off the coast of Florida and reported to General Richards. They left him everything they found except the helicopter and one gun Levi managed to store in his sleeping chamber without Ben seeing.