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As Joe pulled a weapon fro turned Kurt He spun just in ti down the side of a dune made of red Australian soil He crouched and drew a bead with the rifle, but no one came at them

Joe crouched beside him “What do you think?”

Kurt’s eyes were on the dune “Cover me”

Joe nodded, and Kurt eased to a new spot and then dashed toward the small dune He scrambled up the side and popped up over the top, ready to blaze away at whatever ht be there

The tension in his body vanished Replaced by remorse

Down below lay a pile of bodies Men and woedly, but they were clean-cut Their gear and clothing looked almost identical

Kurt slid doard the a series of marks in the sand made by someone who’d tried, and failed, to climb out He arrived beside a burly man with a buzz cut who looked all too familiar

“Bradshaw,” Kurt shouted, crouching beside hi him faceup

As Kurt checked for a pulse, a slight groan of pain escaped Bradshaw’s lips

“Joe, get over here!”

Joe came over the top of the dune

“Check the others”

As Joe slid down, Kurt ripped a piece of fabric fro where the worst wound seemed to be He spotted two other wounds, but they looked superficial

With the tourniquet cinched up, Kurt pulled out his canteen and splashed some water on the ASIO chief’s face

“Bradshaw can you hear me? What happened?”