First Strike by Ben Coes

was better than getting shot. Now, reading about ISIS gave Dewey that same sick feeling he had whenever he was back. It was the feeling of lacking control, of being at the edge of chaos, of being among people who wanted you dead.
    It was the same feeling he had when he climbed into the back of a truck in Afghanistan two years before. The memory made his heart race and his stomach clench.
    Dewey had spent a tumultuous three days executing the overthrow of Omar El-Khayab, a radical Islamist who’d been elected Pakistan’s president and was threatening nuclear war with India. After successfully executing the coup, Dewey had been double-crossed, taken hostage, and sent to the terrorist Aswan Fortuna, nearly dying on a blood-soaked tarmac in Beirut.
    Israel had saved his life. Now he was back.
    *   *   *
    The Gulfstream landed at 2 A.M . Israel time, touching down on one of the runways at Ramat David Airbase. Of the Israeli Air Force’s nine bases, Ramat David was one of the busiest, largest, and most vulnerable, sitting just a handful of miles from both Lebanon and Syria.
    The plane came to a stop near a white brick building at the end of the runway. Dewey walked to the front of the plane and stepped into the cockpit. He leaned forward, between the two pilots, trying to get a look out the front window.
    In the distance, a door at the front of the building opened and a small group of men stepped out. They moved directly toward the plane. The first two were Israeli soldiers, each clutching a submachine gun trained away and at the tarmac. They were followed by an older man, slightly overweight, also in uniform. A fourth man stepped out right behind him. He wore tan camouflage tactical gear. He was young and walked with a slight limp. He had brown hair and a beard and mustache. What skin on his face was visible was painted black.
    â€œWhat are your orders?” Dewey asked the pilots.
    â€œWe’re to wait for you, sir,” said the pilot on the left.
    â€œCan you check COMMSPEC for any messages from Hector?”
    â€œSure.” The pilot swiveled to his left to a small screen. He typed into a keyboard, waited, then looked at Dewey.
    â€œThere’s a SPEC SHEET alteration, sir,” he said. “You want me to send it to your phone?”
    â€œPrint it,” said Dewey.
    A moment later, a printer on a shelf came to life. It stopped after printing one page. Dewey grabbed the end of the piece of paper and ripped it off the printer. His eyes quickly scanned the sheet.
    SPEC SHEET: MISSION ARCHITECTURE V.14s

    1. ANDREAS to infiltrate Syria via IAF/S13 joint task force, drop off Tishreen Park approx. 2 miles from Damascus central and RV one.
    2. ANDREAS moves to east central Damascus ON FOOT to neighborhood Karsbi. Meet-up will take place at café DIRECTLY ACROSS FROM STATUE (photo #1).
    3. [Seychelles UAV tactical Group 14: LIVE]
    4. MALLORY (photo #2) arrives between 0830 A.M. and 0900 A.M.
    5. *ALTERATION* AL-JAHEISHI (photo #3) arrives and will exfiltrate with MALLORY.
    6. PARAMETER 4: MALLORY acquires SIM card from AL-JAHEISHI prior to exfiltration .
    7. ANDREAS, MALLORY, AL-JAHEISHI move on foot to Passahq Park. Exfiltration to Ramat David IAF Israel.
    *   *   *
    At the top of the sheet was a black-and-white photo of a café. The photo showed a collection of half-empty tables, with Arabic writing on the café’s signage. The statue was visible across a sidewalk.
    The second photo showed Mallory. He was a white man in his thirties, good-looking, with short-cropped blond hair. The third and last photo was al-Jaheishi. He looked young, in his early twenties. He had black hair combed neatly to the side, olive skin, and a kind smile on his face.
    Dewey folded the paper and stuffed it in the pocket of his jeans. He made eye contact with both pilots.
    â€œThey’ll put you up somewhere,” said Dewey. “I’ll be back sometime tomorrow