Steve and Chip had been somewhat surprised at the delays that cropped up on their trip to Iraq. They had to switch aircraft three times and the trip wound up taking several hours more than they would have expected.
"Doesn't it seem strange that they were in such a hurry for you to get to the airport, but sent you on such a round-about way to get to Iraq?" asked Chip as the two men prepared to land in Baghdad. "This whole thing seems odd. Why are they bringing you in, even if the terrorists insisted that they negotiate only with you? We don't negotiate, so what's the sense of involving you?"
"I've been wondering the same thing," admitted Steve. "Maybe they'll want me to stall them so we can get some special forces involved. Plus, these kids are European, and some of those countries do negotiate. They may actually want me to talk to the kidnappers."
"Yeah, it's possible, but if it looks like a dog turd, smells like a dog turd....." began Chip before the pilot interrupted him with the announcement that they'd be on the ground in ten minutes.
Steve and Chip were ushered into a small office as soon as they exited the aircraft. "Thanks for coming," began a smiling man as he extended his hand to Steve. "And who is this man with you?"
"He's a friend that wanted to tour Baghdad, so he caught a ride with me. You might as well go see your friends now, Chip. I'll meet up with you when this is over."
Chip studied Steve's face for a few seconds and nodded. "Sure, Steve. Good luck. I'll be at the hotel, so look me up when you're finished with your assignment. We'll have a few beers and tour the city."
"You've been told that 17 kids have been taken by terrorists," began the smiling man as soon as Chip left the room. "We're going to take you to where the families are gathered while they wait this out. The state department thinks that your experience in dealing with terrorists will help reassure the relatives."
Steve was suspicious of the explanation, but still climbed into a black sedan with the man. Once he was seated, the driver pulled into traffic. It took almost an hour to reach the facility where the families were gathered. As soon as Steve stepped into the room, he realized that he had not been told the truth about the situation.
A man that appeared to be in charge quickly approached him and began speaking in French. "Steve Hammer! Everyone in this room is extremely grateful for your incredible sacrifice. We were so worried that you would not arrive in time, or that you would refuse the terrorists' demands."
Confused by the man's greeting, Steve asked the obvious question. "Exactly what are the terrorists' demands?"
"They have threatened to kill the children unless you are turned over to them. There have been no other demands since that one was made. We have just an hour before the deadline," replied the man.
Steve struggled to conceal his surprise as he turned to look at the man who had escorted him from the airport. He refused to meet Steve's eyes as he suddenly felt the need to study his shoes.
"Has anything been done to secure the safety of the children? Are there any plans for military operations?" asked Steve as he returned his attention to the French speaking man.
"Our governments felt that it would endanger the lives of the children. They determined it would be best to wait to see if you would be willing to save them. Your reputation for unparalleled courage allowed those of us in this room to hope and pray that you would come."
"Had it occurred to any of you before this happened that simply by bringing your children to this area of the world, you would place them in danger?" asked Steve somewhat tersely. "If you, and your governments were so concerned about their safety, the only sensible thing would have been to leave all non-essential civilians home. Now you want me to give my life to save theirs? Does that make any sense? Why would I ever agree to give my life when this situation was so easily preventable?"
Just then a woman stepped forward from the group that had been listening to Steve speak with their leader. "You're known as the most daring of men; and you're the only man in the world that can save our children! My cousin, Michelle D'Anjou, asked me to not place you in this position. She told me that you would feel honor-bound to make the trade, but that it was morally wrong of us to ask. It's to my shame, that I beg this of you. But it's for my daughter, not for me!"
Steve looked at the woman before turning his attention to the other parents and relatives. The anguish they were feeling was tangible. What parent wouldn't be suffering at a time like this? Now it was all on his shoulders. Steve quickly made his decision, but didn't reveal it immediately.
"So tell me this," he began calmly. "Will any of you go with me if I agree to this? I hate to do this alone."
Steve found it interesting that so many of the women looked to their husbands in response to his question. Slowly, reluctantly, six men raised their hands, while the woman that had identified herself as Michelle's D'Anjou's cousin once again stepped forward.
"I'd be proud to accompany you! For my child, no sacrifice is too great. I couldn't ask this of you if I were not willing to suffer the same fate. Take me with you. Together, we will save these children."
Steve nodded as he looked at the assembled group. Human nature was a curious thing. These people had no qualms about asking him to give his life to save their children, but showed great reluctance when they were offered the same opportunity. The six men that had volunteered did so because they felt that they had no choice. They were motivated by fear of being labeled a coward, or accused of not loving their children. Only the one mother demonstrated a true willingness to give up her life to save her child. She needed no persuasion or nudging.
"This woman has saved your children," stated Steve as he embraced the lady briefly. "The rest of you were less than eager to share my fate in order to free your kids. I'll do this because this woman has demonstrated the depth of a mother's love. I'll go alone. I just hope you're all able to live with what you're asking of me."
Steve turned and left the room. He had no desire to hear the words of encouragement and appreciation from the distressed parents. He had traveled to many dangerous places with his father over the years. His father had made it very clear that he was to obey all instructions he was given, and if things went south, it would be up to the two of them to find a solution. They would not be putting others in harm's way simply because Steve wanted to be with his father, even in dangerous parts of the world. Steve had understood what he had been told and never looked for someone else to pull him out of trouble. It was the chance he took when he remained close to his father. He had seen the wisdom in it and had accepted it.
The people he had just met had willingly brought their children into danger, yet acted surprised when the actual danger materialized. They wanted, expected even, that someone else would make the sacrifices necessary to save the kids that they had placed in harm's way. While Steve felt some compassion for them, his overriding emotion was contempt. Only the mother of one child seemed to understand her duty as a parent.
Several French soldiers approached Steve and explained that they were assigned to accompany Steve to the site where the exchange was to be made. Steve simply nodded and climbed into a small bus with the men. He realized that the bus was going to be used to carry the children back to their parents.
Steve considered trying to contact Gwen, but had no idea what he would say to her. She certainly knew how he felt about her, but speaking with her at that moment would only increase the pain she would experience. His thoughts turned to Chip. Would he be able to bail Steve out of the mess he was headed for? Would the state department have operatives in place? Would SEALs or Rangers be used? He had nagging doubts about getting help from the government. They didn't even explain the situation to him before they sent him into the room with the parents!
The night was pitch black, with no moon, and a heavy cloud cover. Steve was told to slowly walk toward a building in a surprisingly busy part of whatever urban area he was now in. The headlights of the bus supplied the only illumination. Steve watched the children walk in single file toward the bus. When about ten of them were more than half way, he was given the signal to walk toward the dark area from which the kids were emerging.
As soon as he stepped into the shadows, his hands were pulled behind his back and cuffs were placed over his wrists. Then he was stunned by a blow to the back of his head which caused him to drop to his knees. A second blow rendered him unconscious.
Steve slowly regained his senses. The first thing he realized was an intense pain coming from his left arm. He forced himself to mentally go over the rest of his body to determine what other injuries he might have. His chest felt extremely tight and his breathing was labored. It felt very much like it did when he had been beaten by the terrorist that had taken him into the snow storm years before.
Steve barely had time to consider the extent of his injuries before he was pulled onto his knees and a dark hood was yanked off his head. The light momentarily blinded him before he realized that he could only see out of his left eye. Now that he focused on the feeling in his face, he discovered that the right side of his head felt swollen and very sore.
A hand grabbed his short hair and held his head up as a man spoke in Farsi. Steve realized he had probably been trained in Iran or Afghanistan, much like the terrorists that had attacked Sparta High School. The man held what felt like a very sharp blade against his throat as he promised he would soon be downloading the beheading of Steve Hammer. About that time, Steve squinted one eye open and detected a camera on a tripod a dozen feet in front of him.
