Mission debrief

Lieutenant David Meyer stretched and moaned. Every muscle ached. He gingerly felt his crotch. Correction. Everywhere ached, not just his muscles. He felt more like a raw recruit after his first assault course than a seasoned special forces officer.

He turned his head and checked the time: 09.08. The normal routine was for an immediate debrief on return from a mission, but the Commander had taken one look at his shattered men and announced: ‘Debrief, tomorrow morning, you’ll be called when the officer’s ready for you,’ before spinning on his heels and marching away.

How long did he have? He decided to skip breakfast. Just time for a shower, a shave and to get into a clean uniform. Time too to get straight what he had to report. He was buckling his belt at 09.22 when an orderly knocked and entered.

‘The debriefing officer is here, sir.’ The man’s expression was so controlled, the lieutenant was sure he was suppressing a laugh. ‘She’s talked to the others and is eager to talk to you as soon as you’re ready.’

That was all he needed, having to report on what had gone wrong was going to be bad enough, but telling a female officer would be just plain embarrassing. He straightened his back and hurried to the debriefing suite. Was it his imagination or did he hear a snigger as he passed a squad drilling on the parade ground? Once at the suite, he was sent him straight to room 4. He had entered and saluted smartly before he took in who was sitting behind the desk. Captain Rachel Goldberg. They’d met on a course a couple of years before and got to know each other well before their postings kept them apart.

Shit, this was going to be even worse than David had imagined.

‘Right, lieutenant,’ Captain Goldberg snapped, ‘let get down to business.’

The sight of his tortured face softened her voice.

‘OK, David,’ she managed a smile, ‘let’s do this methodically. How much notice did you have of the mission?’

‘A week,’ he replied crisply.

‘And what were you told?’

‘It was going to be a simple extraction. A straightforward job.’ He gave an ironic laugh. ‘One of the insurgent leaders – we weren’t told which one, but the hints were that he was one of the top guys – was going to be spending time at a remote compound– some birthday or anniversary or something. He’d be there alone with his family – wife and two daughters – and maybe a couple of guards at the most. We had to land, take out the guards, grab him and bring him back. Simple.’ He laughed again.

‘Who made up your unit?’

‘Sergeant Zimmermann with Privates Pensak and Sherman. All experienced at this sort of operation in enemy territory and at night.’

‘What training did you do?’

‘Basic fitness stuff. Plus we studied the detailed maps of the compound. And there was a mock up built for us so we could practice finding our way around in the dark. It was the sort of stuff we train for all the time.’

‘How were you inserted?’

‘By chopper. We abseiled down and would signal the chopper to land when we had our captive?’

‘How did that go?’

‘Perfectly. Zimmermann actually landed on one of the guards. He must have broken his back, because I heard a loud crack. The other guard walked round a corner right into Sherman. Pensak got him in a throat hold from behind and Sherman knifed him.’

‘So both guards were out of action right from the start. Which just left the leader and his family.’

The lieutenant nodded. The captain left him dangling, letting him tell his story in his own words. He swallowed and made a start.

‘The maps were spot on. We made our way upstairs towards the sound of a radio and burst in. They were all there. The guy was lying on the bed and the three women were standing around dressed in burkas.’

‘Who went in first?’

‘Zimmermann. That was our plan. He’d go in first and make for the leader. Pensak and Sherman would follow to keep the women out of the way and I’d come in last to help subdue the insurgent guy. The Privates would cover our retreat. We didn’t expect the women to give us any real trouble.’

‘But things didn’t work out like that.’

‘No, they didn’t work out like that.’

‘Tell me what happened. Take your time, David. We’ve got as long as you like.’

‘The women reacted instantly. It was like they were a team of bodyguards. Zimmermann was still in the doorway when they set on him. One woman pushed his rifle up, a second kicked his legs from under him and the third stamped on his crotch and then kicked him in the face.’

‘Did he react?’

‘He had no time. He just went down, moaning, stunned, bleeding and, of course, blocking the doorway. Pensak acted fast. He jumped over him, followed by Sherman. But before Pensak was in the room, the women had stripped off their burkas. That was when I realised we had underestimated the opposition.’

‘How so?’

‘Well they were in their underwear and you could see even in the dim light that they were super fit, like body builders, even the mother. They were in as good a shape as anyone in our unit. It was obvious that we had a fight on our hands.’

‘I imagine Pensak was the one they attacked first.’

‘That’s right. One of the girls knocked his legs away as he was landing and he went down on his elbow, loosening his grip on his rifle. Sherman was jumping over the sergeant by this time, but the other girl chopped him in the groin in mid-air. He landed in a heap and the mother gave him a backhand chop across his throat before turning on Pensak and kicking him in the crotch.’

‘Let’s see if I’ve got this right. These three women took out three of our seasoned special forces in a few seconds.

The lieutenant nodded.

‘Yea. They were all still conscious but in a lot of pain. They’d lost their weapons too. The women had wrestled them away and tossed them into a corner.’

‘Which just left you. How did you feel?’

‘I was confident. We were still alive and conscious. The mission wasn’t lost. All I needed to do was give the squad a chance to recover and we’d be on our way.’

The captain stared at him coldly.

‘Come on, David, remember who you’re talking to. How did you feel?’

There was no point pretending.

‘Rachel, I was shit scared. I mean I’d seen what they were capable of and then there was the way they were looking at me, like I was some sort of prey.’

The captain didn’t reprimand him for using her first name.

‘Did you feel that you were going to get some special treatment as the officer?’

David nodded.

‘Like what, David?’

‘Isn’t it obvious, Rachel? They’d gone for the guys crotches, every time. Poor Sherman,’ the lieutenant felt his own crotch, ‘the guy’s due to get married next week, but now … We weren’t wearing any protection, you see; that hadn’t been part of the risk assessment for the mission.’

The captain laughed.

‘Risk assessment? Why do guys never think a girl will kick them in the balls? This happens all the time. I hear it after nearly every mission – some guy gets his tackle trashed and it comes as a surprise.’

The lieutenant wasn’t in the mood to hear about other guys. He struggled on with his story.

‘Anyway, I figured I had to get into the room and cover the guys while they recovered. The women weren’t going to use the weapons and I didn’t even have authority to shoot the guy, let alone fire on unarmed women. This was supposed to be a straightforward grab and run. So I sprayed the ceiling to cover my entry.’

‘How did they react?’

‘Like they didn’t care. They seemed to know I wouldn’t shoot them. They just stood there waiting for me to come to them.’

‘Which you did?’

‘Yea, which I did. I put myself between them and the guys, hoping they have a chance to recover and back me up when they recovered.’

‘What did the women do?’

‘They just fell on me. Each of the girls grabbed one of my arms and the mother tackled me round the ankles. I had no chance of holding on to my rifle and before I knew it, I was on the floor, pinned down by all three of them.’

‘Is that when …?’ the captain hinted after consulting some notes.

‘No, not then, no. They just set about beating me. I tried to react, but the kicks and punches came so fast and from all sides. I tried to protect myself as best I could, but whichever way I twisted, there was always someone in a position to land a blow somewhere. I did manage to land a kick on one girl’s thigh and a punch to the mother’s face, but I didn’t stand a chance. They just beat me up systematically – legs, arms, back, stomach.’

‘Except,’ hinted the captain.

‘Except in my crotch,’ the lieutenant confirmed.

‘Was that a relief, that you weren’t getting the same treatment as your men?’

‘Not really. I didn’t have time to think, which was probably just as well.’

‘How long did this last?’

‘It’s difficult to say. It seemed like ages, but probably just a few minutes. The other guys were still moaning from their blows, so it couldn’t have been that long.’

‘And then,’ the captain consulted some notes, ‘there came a time when the blows stopped. Tell me about that.’

After a long pause, the lieutenant spoke softly.

‘They were all over me, all three of them, pulling at my boots, my belt, my tunic and trousers.’ Another pause. ‘They stripped me.’

The captain tried to lighten the atmosphere.

‘If I remember, David, you’ve nothing to be embarrassed about.’

He grinned sheepishly at her.

‘I don’t think that were interested in me like you were, Rachel.’

‘What about your men? Weren’t they able to come to your aid by this time? I know it hurts to get hit in the balls, but the pain doesn’t last for ever.’

‘No,’ the lieutenant agreed sourly, ‘it doesn’t. I got the impression that they didn’t want more of the treatment they’d had already and were happy to let the women concentrate on me.’

‘You call them women. How old do you think they were?’

‘The mother must have been in her early 40s, and the girls looked like they were in their late teens. The man was probably in his late 70s or 80s.’

‘So what did they do to you, David?’

‘What you imagine, Rachel. What the guys have told you already. Each of the girls grabbed me by an arm and a leg and pulled, leaving me exposed for the mother. She just set into me, kicking at my crotch. I was too weak from the blows to put up much of a struggle. All I could do was try to twist and turn, but that didn’t afford me much protection. Most of her kicks landed. I was howling by the time she stopped.’

‘Which was when …?’ the captain prompted.

‘I see you’ve had a full report already. She knelt between my legs, took hold of a ball in each hand and started massaging them. I don’t know why it happened. I was in so much pain, it should have been impossible, but somehow or other I went hard, rock hard, like I’ve never been before.’

‘Your men say it was like you were getting off on the pain. Perhaps that’s something we should have explored. You’d better give me the full story, just for the record.’

‘Well she went down on me, the mother. Started sucking me off. The girls were shouting at her. I didn’t understand what they were saying, but it sounded like they were encouraging her or something. After a while she stopped and let one of them have a go and then she gave way to the other until the mother pushed her away and finished me off.’

‘You actually came?’

‘Yes, right down her throat. She just sat back and licked her lips.’

‘And with the women distracted your men still hadn’t come to your aid?’

‘No, they left me to my fate. What do they say about it?’

The captain glanced at her notes.

‘Just excuses, no real explanation. If you want my guess, they enjoyed seeing their officer getting roughed up. How did you feel about what happened?’

‘Let down to be honest. I’m sure the guys had enough strength by then to overpower the women.’

‘I meant about what the women did to you, David. How did you feel about that?’

‘Well. it’s supposed to be a guy’s fantasy isn’t it, being used by a group of women like their toy or something. But it wasn’t like that. I felt humiliated that I couldn’t fight off a couple of girls and middle aged women. And of course there were the men watching, which made it worse, knowing they’d report every last detail when we got back. It was like I’d been raped.’

The lieutenant stopped and sat back.

‘And that’s about it. They just bundled us down the stairs and threw our rifles after us. We called in the chopper and got the hell out fast.’

But the captain wasn’t satisfied.

‘That’s not quite all, is it? Not according to the men.’

Reluctantly the lieutenant finished his tale.

‘Well, the guys each got another kick in the balls to send them on their way down the stairs. Did they tell you that?’ The captain’s expression was unreadable. ‘And they put one of those burkas over my head and literally threw me down the stairs. The last I heard was them laughing.’

‘So they dressed you as a woman. The final humiliation?’

The lieutenant nodded.

‘And that was how you climbed into the chopper?’ the captain prompted.

The lieutenant nodded again.

‘Well, it was that or climb in butt naked. Fortunately, the crew had some blankets that I used when I got back to base.’

The lieutenant hung his head and waited.

After a long silence, the captain leant forward.

‘Lieutenant, David, there’s something I have to ask you. It’s a request, not an order. Intelligence says the leader is still there. Our assessment is that it’s worth sending in another raiding party. Differently equipped this time, of course. Zimmermann’s got a broken nose, so he can’t go, and Pensak may need surgery on his elbow. Sherman, well like you say he’s due to be married shortly. The medics say he’ll be OK physically, but he’s just had his balls trashed by a couple of teenage girl and that hasn’t done anything for his self-esteem. Hopefully the counsellors will get him in full working order by his wedding day. So that leaves you, David. Are you prepared to go back in with a new team and get that guy? Like I say, it’s entirely up to you. If you don’t want to go, no one will think the worse of you after what happened last night, although,’ she paused and proceeded slowly, choosing her words carefully, ‘it will help to re-establish your authority after what’s happened. Take your time to make your decision.’

She sat back and waited.