Read Target Deck - 02 for Free Online Page A

hidden cove tucked inside the coast or there isn't. Search and destroy. Any questions?”
    Deckard's Russian had improved to the point that he could struggle through a mission brief.
    “Good. You've got five minutes for final Pre-Combat Inspections.”
    The mercenaries quickly applied gun oil to their AK-103 rifles, checked magazines, refilled hydration bladders from five gallon water cans on the trucks, and made ready to initiate movement to the objective.
    “Cody, this is Six,” Deckard spoke into his radio. “Radio check, over.”
    “I READ YOU LIMA-CHARLIE.”
    The kid was smart but it would take some time for him to get used to Cody's halting use of the English language.
    A hint of daylight was just beginning to break on the horizon when Deckard put the men into a single file and they began marching towards the distant sounds of ocean waves breaking on the shore. The smell of sea salt clung to the breeze, a welcome relief from the stifling summer heat.
    Leaving behind the low lying shrub land, the mercenaries had to break bush. Moving single file, Deckard eventually found a game trail to walk on and pushed through. Weaving through the jungle foliage and interspersed palm trees, they covered as much ground as they could, moving about a kilometer. Checking the Garmin GPS device that he wore on his wrist like a watch, Deckard could see that they were about halfway to the objective.
    Sweat beaded on his forehead as he led the mercenaries through the jungle. He had thirty two assaulters total which should be enough for the kind of attack he had in mind. He hoped.
    Driving on, they crept forward until the jungle opened up at an outcropping of smooth gray rock. Looking over his shoulder, he motioned the Kazakh assault element forward. In the jungle, it would be difficult, if not impossible, to maneuver if they came under fire and he was glad to be out of it.
    Staying low, he leopard crawled over the rocks, eyes scanning in the early morning light. Blinking, his senses were not, in fact, deceiving him. The terrain in front of him was perfectly uniform other than a slight sagging in the middle.
    “So that's how you make an ocean bay disappear,” he said under his breath.
    A massive tarp had been stretched from the rocky cliffs all the way across the cove. Large metal pickets had been hammered into the dirt or metal hard points drilled into the rock itself where the ends of the tarp were secured with thick metal rings. The fabric itself had a photo realistic printing etched across its length and width showing a beach front. The cartel obviously had it done professionally by one of the defense firms that printed up special camouflage sheets to hide military vehicles and facilities.
    “Six this is Frank,” his OPCEN leader crackled over the radio in complete disregard for the correct verbiage that was supposed to be used on the assault net. “What's your progress, over?”
    “We just arrived at the target,” Deckard whispered into the microphone attached to the headset he wore. “It looks like the bay we are looking for has been camouflaged over. I'm going to get in close to do a leader's recon before the assault.”
    “Roger, Frank out.”
    Turning around, Deckard crept back to his men waiting in a skirmish line right where the jungle receded from the rocky area. His Russian had improved in leaps and bounds since he first took command of Samruk International but it still left a lot to be desired. Repeating himself for clarification a few times, he got his point across. The assaulters would maintain their security position while he and Sergeant Fedorchenko did a leader's recon.
    Whenever a maneuver element knew it was going to perform a raid on an enemy target it was important to be as deliberate as possible and plan out each phase of the operation. In this case they were dealing with an irregular target, it wasn't as simple as an enemy compound or camp. No one knew what they were really facing at this point.
    They