GEMP Chapter Twelve
GEMP
Author: J Carrell Jones
Table of Content
Chapter 12
Chapter 12
Codper stared at the cave entrance through binoculars. His Humvee was about 50 yards away hidden by several trees. He sent five soldiers to the cave opening as advance guard and another six to the back entrance. He knew there was a third entrance but it was unmarked. In passing some time ago, Grenier told him it was on top of a hill.
Grenier sat at the command station and checked the displays. Two soldiers slowly made their way to the front of the cave. Three soldiers came up to the rear entrance. None on the mountain top or the jungle entrance. He remembered telling the Colonel about the hill top entrance but not the one deep in the jungle. “Steve, Kelly, you two set?”
They both nodded.
Grenier turned to his small band of soldiers. “Remember, avoid head shots. Tutu, you lead. Steve and Kelly will be our eyes. They’ll help as best they can from inside. Feme, you take the rear. Oscar you keep soldiers busy.”
Oscar grinned teeth and signed, “Busy.” He made a “B” with his right hand and bumped its wrist against the wrist of his left hand several times.
His Gemps. Grenier took a deep breath. His Gemps. Chances were good that they could come out of this alive. Though they had about two hours training they took to handling weapons and communication gear at a scary fast pace. Uncle Sam got his monies worth.
Codper watched as his advance guard disappeared through the cave entrance. His walkie-talkie crackled. “Entrance cleared.” A minute later, “Rear entrance cleared.”
Tutu stepped out of the exit first. It was a disguised rotting tree trunk centered amongst a cluster of tall leafy trees. One by one the Gemps slowly slipped out of the hole with Grenier taking up the rear. He had to improvise a LBE harness and belt for the Gemps at the last minute, but the look was impressive. They all wore goggled eye protection, a communications earpiece, the LBE and belt. They all held their weapons pointing to the ground, as instructed, trigger index finger on the barrel, safety on. Each Gemp demonstrated they could click the safety off, effortlessly, before squeezing the trigger.
Codper listened to the comm chatter. All doors accept one had the access code changed. Codper lifted the binoculars to his eyes and started scanning all the mountain tops. Oscar popped out of one. He checked his map. The chimp was about 60 yards from the cave entrance. He picked up his walkie-talkie. “Golf-one, mountain three, about 50 meters, chimp.” He waited a second.
The walkie-talkie crackled, “Alpha-one, target spotted.”
Codper watched, through his binoculars, Oscar rocking back and forth. Nasty beast he thought. Hope he hits you first shot. He counted to three when he saw the chimp flinch. He was so close.
A nearby rock exploded inches from Oscar’s feet. The little chimp disappeared down the backside of the mountain. “Golf-one, maintain visual on spot. Shoot at your discretion, out.”
Tutu signaled the other Gemps to fan out. Mos and Kiri took right with Hela and Feme taking left. Grenier checked their six. He heard Steve’s voice of the comm. “Bad guys about 50 feet forward and left of G-1.”
Tutu stopped and scanned the area toward his left. He saw movement crossing in front of him. He moved three steps to his left and saw a soldier walking toward the cave entrance. He heard a shot and paused.
Kelly said over the comm, “Miss. Sniper tried for Oscar.”
Tutu took another step forward and to his left, clicked the gun off safe, and aimed. He controlled his breathing as Grenier instructed and squeezed the trigger. The gun barked loudly but the dart hit the mark.
The soldier’s right arm jerked wildly away from his body. A second later he collapsed.
Tutu smiled. A flood of hormones hit the young Gemp. He had a hard-on.
Codper heard several shots. All of which did not sound like M16 rounds. He clicked the walkie-talkie talk button several times. “All teams, report in.”
“Team six.” Crackled in.
“Team 10.” Came next.
“Team five.”
“Team . . .” A gun barked through the tiny speakers.
Codper said, “Fuck!” He pulled his sidearm out and stepped away from the Humvee.
Grenier made his way to an area that had a good vantage point. He spotted two soldiers hiding in the foliage. Amateurs he thought as he aimed his pistol and barked out a round for each. Grenier moved further into the bush. He checked his six and saw movement. He was being shadowed. Stepping to the right he squatted down behind a tree. His shadow stopped a moment then moved to the left. He heard, “G-0, I’m to your left.” He peeked around the tree and saw Mos with Kiri moving toward the Humvee. “Roger that. I see you.”
Mos spotted Grenier first. He signed to Kiri, “Over there, G-0.”
She nodded and followed Mos.
Both had been about twenty feet from Grenier when they saw him aim his pistol and double tap his trigger. He moved another six feet when he stopped for several seconds. He looked back and darted behind a tree. The two moved left of his position and transmitted they were near.
Kiri noticed that Grenier let out a slight sigh.
Oscar scampered down the side of the mountain after a small rock exploded near his feet. He made his way to the jungle floor and worked his way to the Humvee. He never liked the Colonel. Steve said he could bite him now and that was what he was going to do. A real nasty bite. One that would show blood, maybe bone. Oscar was happy with that thought. Very happy.
Codper thought he heard a twig snap. Two more teams stopped reporting and now he was worried.
Oscar had worked his way through the jungle around the long way to the Humvee. He could smell the Colonel’s fear. It was thick and sour.
Codper turned around and saw the little chimp seconds before it leaped at him.
Tutu had taken out several other soldiers. The thrill of hunting Humans was almost too much. It was like a high he had never felt before. It was better than sex and the buildup was unbelievable.
Grenier had followed Mos and Kiri. Intuitively, the Gemps understood that Codper was the head of the snake. They moved through the jungle bush quickly, almost like they were borne from the land. It was uncanny he thought. Hours ago they feared God. Now they instilled the fear of God. If only he had the Gemps during Iraq and Afghanistan.
Mos and Kiri moved quickly through the bush. Grenier was behind them, but at a distance. Mos knew the human was capable of keeping up at this pace. Any faster and he would be further behind, out of sight. As Mos gave a quick side glance to Kiri he heard Steve’s voice over the radio.
“Oscar just jumped the Colonel . . .”
Then he heard a distant gunshot.
“Oscar’s down,” Steve said. “Don’t know how bad. Someone hurry!”
Tutu heard the shot and picked up his pace. The Elder down he thought. The bad human was going to hurt for this one.
Mos emerged from the jungle line in time to see Tutu on the other side of the Humvee. Codper had his left hand over what was left of his ear. His entire left side bloodied with a remnant of the ear exposed. Oscar bit through the cartilage and for that Codper shot him.
Codper screamed, “You fuckin’ Monkey!”
Oscar slowly got up holding his right arm. It was a flesh wound but deep enough to matter. He hissed at the Colonel.
Codper aimed his pistol. This time he thought, this time you die you piece of shit goddamn fuckin’ little beast. I hate you.
Tutu aimed his pistol and squeezed off a round. Grenier said no headshots. Tutu didn’t obey.
The round struck Codper just behind the right ear. It shattered and knocked Codper to the ground unconscious. Unfortunately, the slow velocity bullet hit bone and disintegrated without penetrating. Codper would live.
Grenier wished he had been faster. When he entered the clearing it had already been too late. Codper was face down in the dirt. He walked over and felt for a pulse. The bastard was still alive. Pity. He resisted the urge to double tap some rounds into the back of his head, but the bastard needed to face military justice. He needed to spend life in a prison making big rocks out of little rocks until the day his ghost left his miserable pathetic hypocritical body. So much pain and suffering this one man caused. All for a belief. Grenier did what he thought a fitting punishment on his part. He spat in the Colonel’s unconscious face. “Bastard,” he said, backed up ten feet from the Colonel and shot him in the leg. He then picked up the walkie-talkie. “This is Colonel Grenier. Lieutenant Colonel Codper has been incapacitated. A SEAL team has been dispatched to assist us and will arrive soon. You get one chance to surrender. This is it. I will not be making a second offer. Colonel out.” He placed the walkie-talkie in his pocket and turned around. His Gemps had assembled around him. Oscar was between Hela and Feme. They were smoothing his head and making him feel better. Grenier’s Gemps he thought. God help this world now.
The End