Echo Six: Black Ops 5 - Strikeforce Syria by Eric Meyer Page B

Lod Air Base in Israel.
    "Beckerman said something about a man in a village close to Sheikh Najjar, called Marran. It would be better to talk to him first.”
    She interrupted him. "Mahmoud Khalil, yes, he works for us."
    "A Muslim?" Talley asked, surprised.
    "Of course. Fortunately, he is a Muslim with a liking for Israeli gold. We pay him well."
    "Right. Can you get us to this place, Marran?"
    She grinned. "The name is on the signpost. It says Marran is the next left, three kilometers down the road."
    He looked at the sign again, which was a collection of squiggles. The Arabic language was weird, something of a mystery to those who'd never learned it. He was one of them. When he served in the Seals, he learned a number of stock phrases parrot fashion. Stuff like, ‘stop or I shoot’, or 'I need to search your car'. The rest was incomprehensible.
    Rovere nodded. “I’ve got it.”
    He looked back at Rebecca. "You can locate this guy Khalil?"
    "I saw his street address during the briefing. I'm sure I can find it. Marran is only a small village, and he runs the vehicle repair shop, probably the only one."
    "Let's hope so. I don't want to go knocking on the wrong door," he said dryly. "Especially as it'll be dawn soon. If they see soldiers on the street, we'll have the Syrian Army down on us. I guess we have a half-hour at best before it gets light."
    Rovere restarted the engine and scorched away in a shower of sand, saw the turnoff for Marran at the last moment, and almost overturned the vehicle as he lurched into the bend. The road went downhill, and he got the speed up to almost a hundred kph as they careered into the village. The place consisted of five streets, with the inevitable mosque in the center. They found Khalil's repair shop in a backstreet, which lay behind the mosque. There was an archway at the side of the building that led into the premises at the back. He didn't stop. The gates were wide open, and he drove through into a walled courtyard. It resembled a car scrapyard, with a dozen or so vehicles in various states of disrepair. There were only two that looked functional. One was a huge recovery truck with a big crew cab. The other was a vintage bus, painted bright orange. At least, those parts that hadn't surrendered to the rust were bright orange. It was an antique, and the bodywork sagged to one side on tired and worn springs. Everything else was derelict.
    Immediately the UAZ stopped they tumbled out, and Talley told the girl to locate the owner. The men fought with the heavy gates to close them against the shrieking protests of the rusted hinges. Guy detailed two troopers to mount guard, Jesse Whitefeather at the front and Julio Garcia to cover the rear. Then they waited for her to return. Several minutes later, she descended a flight of stone steps with an obese, nervous-looking man wearing torn pants and a black T-shirt with Coca-Cola printed on the front. She introduced them.
    "This is Mahmoud Khalil, Commander. He speaks English."
    Talley stepped forward, his hand outstretched. "Mr. Khalil, we need your help."
    The Arab's hand was damp with sweat, although he looked calm enough for someone who’d been awoken by a group of armed soldiers. He shook his head.
    "I have done everything I was paid to do. Anything more would be a risk. Come back tonight when it is dark."
    “I'll make sure they give you a bonus,” Talley told him. “I need current intel on this Sheikh Najjar place, so you'll have to launch an Albatross. Do you have an electronic pad to view the video downlink?"
    "Yes, yes, I have an epad, of course. But what you ask is impossible. It will be dawn in a few minutes, and a daylight launch is a huge risk, one I cannot take. If the soldiers see it, they'll surround this place with troops, and we'll all be killed. Come back tonight."
    He was unsure about how to persuade the man in the short time they had left, but Rebecca had other ideas.
    "Mahmoud, you’ll put Albatross in the air!" She