ARISEN, Book Twelve - Carnage Read Online Free PDF

radar signature?” Juice knew the carrier’s Seahawks were equipped with multimode radar, which had inverse synthetic aperture (ISAR) imaging and small target detection capability. He only hoped like hell the system was intact on that ravaged bird – and that it wouldn’t see anything.
    There was a short delay before Handon came back. “Affirmative. We see it. UCAV is still up, and it is maneuvering.”
    “Motherfuckers,” Juice said, though he didn’t key his mic for that. The UCAV had been headed at the ground, and fast, but the Russians had somehow managed to regain control in the tiny window between when they abandoned the crash site and impact.
    Juice took a breath. “Cadaver One, be advised. The Russians have control of that asset. Repeat – the UCAV is lost. And it’s most likely going to go after you guys up there. And then come kill us here. Over.”
    “Copy that. One out.”
    * * *
    Handon wasn’t particularly worried about the UCAV coming after them in the Seahawk. The Spetsnaz or other Russian personnel flying it would know they had Patient Zero on board, and were extremely unlikely to shoot them down. Handon also knew the only remaining armaments on the UCAV were Hellfire missiles, which were seriously blunt objects. The UCAV would be doing no trick shooting in the style of Thunderchild, taking out a tail rotor and making them autorotate to a forced landing.
    But when Handon popped back up into the cockpit and looked out ahead, the pilot, Cleveland, was already speaking to him on ICS.
    “Uh…” he said. That was it. And he pointed straight out the cockpit glass. Handon followed his finger – and realized he could make out another aircraft on the horizon. It was the UCAV. It was coming in fast. And it was coming nearly straight at them.
    Cleveland stole a look over at Handon. “I’m going to go evasive and try to run.”
    “Negative,” Handon said. “It’s a bluff. Trust me.”
    Cleveland seemed to be trying to decide whether to trust Handon – with his life. With all their lives.
    “Maintain course and heading,” Handon said.
    But five seconds later, it was all over. The UCAV blasted right by them, not fifty feet off the right edge of their rotors. It was pretty obviously a flyby – someone wanted a good look at them. But they were also on their way somewhere. Namely, south.
    And Handon knew Juice had one thing right. The guys piloting that drone wouldn’t hesitate one second before killing them .
    He wished them well. They were on their own.

Not Comfortable with the Mission
    Nugal River Valley
    The Spetsnaz Team 2 convoy rumbled to a stop on the covered forest road that ran through the river valley, even as Badger and Warchild emerged from the forest, the former having mostly dried out from his swim across the river. They were both unhurt, operational – and mission complete. And as Misha waved them over from the passenger-side window of his vehicle, a third figure unexpectedly emerged behind them – a little smaller, and a little muddier.
    It was the Runt – the weakest link in the Naval Spetsnaz unit known as Mirovye Lohi . And, after having demonstrated that the swollen river could not be forded, he was supposed to be out in the Indian Ocean.
    But Misha was on the radio with the drone operator on their Akula , so he held up his hand to put these three on ice while he finished the call. “An SH-60 Seahawk? What was the point of origin?”
    “Assuming straight-line flight, point of origin was the edge of the river valley where you had your fight.”
    “And you think this is the crew who took our fucking zombie?”
    “You tell me. Data-link streaming you video now.”
    Misha put his hand over his shoulder and the RTO in back put a handheld mobile data terminal in it. Misha squinted as the video resolved, showing a hooptie-looking Seahawk coming up fast. The video froze just before the two aircraft passed. And sitting in the left-hand seat and staring stonily into the camera