Drones Page #5

We gotta do this.

- We gotta take 'em all out.

- Okay.

Do it fast...

that's the trick.

Do it fast, get it done.

Select auto-track.

Lieutenant?

Lieutenant.

Sue, don't think about it.

Just do it.

- Hit the switch.

- Okay.

Auto-track set.

Telephoto on, in range,

code weapon.

- Weapon coded.

- Select laser.

Laser set.

Arm laser.

Laser armed.

Fire laser.

Lieutenant, fire laser.

Lieutenant,

fire the motherf***er.

- Fire.

- I can't do it.

Our orders are clear...

liquidate this a**hole

the minute we see him.

Come on.

Lieutenant,

fire the motherf***er.

Pizza!

Just a second!

If you don't put the laser on,

I can't launch my weapon.

I'm not gonna do this.

I'm not gonna kill these people.

You don't have a choice.

Lieutenant, you heard

- what colonel Wallace said.

- That was before all these civilians showed up.

Centcom wants this guy dead.

We need to call the colonel,

inform him, see if there's

a change in mission.

He's not gonna care about

a few extra terrorist suspects.

12 extra, including a baby!

By the time it makes it on TV,

there won't be 12.

And there won't be any babies.

I will not do this.

I will not kill 12 civilians.

We have a chance

to take out kahlil,

and if we don't,

he can potentially kill many other people.

We need to focus on our mission.

That's what I do.

I'm a pilot on a mission,

like every other pilot

in every other war before me.

You need to focus

on what you're doing,

obey orders from and trust the

chain of command like they're God.

My last mission?

I was downtown islamabad.

I had to take out

a drug lord who was

funneling millions

of dollars to Al qaeda.

I had no problem dropping a

hellfire on him, middle of the day

he had no idea what hit him.

Around here I was a hero.

People were buying me drinks,

even though they knew

it wasn't exactly precise.

There was

collateral damage a little.

Took out a mom

and her little girl.

I mean, I dropped a f***ing

hellfire in the middle of the city.

Of course.

But you can't think about it.

You can't.

You just can't think about it.

Focus on the mission,

because our job is but to do or die.

- We have to call him.

- Forget it, lieutenant.

I'm not gonna have him pissed

off at me twice in the same day.

- Jesus, Jack. Really?

- I've never seen the brass

call off a mission against an h.V.T. Never.

Not once.

It's never gonna f***ing happen, okay?

They better be enjoying their cake.

- It's the last thing they're gonna eat.

- Everybody always talks

about minimizing

civilian casualties.

We don't know

who these people are.

We are trying to win

hearts and minds,

not alienate the whole country.

We could be goddamn saints

and we would still

alienate them.

Even if we took out

100 bad guys and one civilian,

the Taliban would just spin it,

make it look like we...

Massacred half the babies

in the country.

All right?

These people... these...

these...

what are they doing

to that goat?

I don't know.

Looks like they're

having a barbecue.

Right.

Oh God, I can't...

I can't see animals

get f***ed up.

Ugh.

Ever since I was a kid,

it messes with me, all right?

I'm calling the colonel.

I'll let him know you're against the idea,

but honestly, I think

you're glad I'm doing this.

Operations command, this is

lieutenant Lawson, reaper 13.

Lieutenant, what you got for us?

Major, I need you to patch us

through to colonel Wallace.

We have eyes on mahmoud kahlil.

You guys got

a v.I.D. This time?

- Affirmative, but...

- Then go ahead and engage the target.

There are now 12 civilians

at the location.

If we engage the target,

the collateral damage

- will be significant and dramatic.

- First of all,

this order has been

confirmed by jag.

Second, the colonel is

in a telephonic meeting

right now getting his

telephonic ass reamed out,

because thanks

to your faulty intel,

he told everyone we have kahlil.

So three, he won't give

a rat's ass about your opinion,

even if you are

a general's daughter.

Engage the target, lieutenant.

That's an order.

- Major, I need to speak to the colonel.

- Listen, lieutenant,

I'm trying

to save you some grief.

By ordering me

to take out noncombatants?

Hey, I've been there.

It's easier

if it's a clear order.

Well, I'm sorry.

I'm not gonna do it.

Okay, sue, your funeral.

Stand by for the colonel.

Good luck, lieutenant...

Im going to pretend that

I don't know you.

Lieutenant Lawson,

I understand

you've made a v.I.D.

Affirmative, sir, but I need

to inform you that...

that you have 12 other

potential hostiles on site.

No problem.

The mission remains unchanged.

Sir, most of the people there

are not potential hostiles.

Kahlil's extended family is

part of his terrorist network.

Now let's get this done.

We've been chasing this h.V.T.

- Way too damn long.

- Sir, one of the civilians is a baby.

You'll have counseling

available after the mission.

I question the wisdom of prosecuting

the mission if it means...

lieutenant Lawson, you of all

people should understand

the importance

of destroying Al qaeda.

I also understand the

importance of human life, sir.

This mission is completely in accordance

with the rules of engagement.

Now I understand

you're feeling emotional.

That's not the point.

There's nothing wrong

with that, but it means

you're not equipped to make cold,

calculated, strategic decisions.

Fortunately,

that's not your job.

That's for men like your father.

Now let's get on with this.

I want you to get off of the radio...

colonel, here's the thing...

we only have 29 minutes of fuel left,

but another reaper's coming to take

over for us when we're done here.

If it's really necessary to take out

kahlil, they can do it when he's leaving.

Your handover won't be there

in 29 minutes.

He won't be there

till two hours from now.

Sir, if he's an h.V.T., then...

we had to divert reaper 9 to

an incident at parwan province

and we can't leave your

hostile naked and unsurveilled

until your new backup arrives.

Still not an issue, sir.

Kahlil won't be leaving the

location in the next two hours.

They just started barbecuing

a goat for his birthday party.

It takes a lot longer than two

hours to cook a whole goat.

Oh really?

How many goat barbecues have you been to?

It's a really big animal.

It's obvious.

I can pull it up on the

monitors and send it to you.

Lieutenant Lawson,

the decision has been made.

We just had seven American soldiers

killed in Afghanistan today,

and unless we've got a dead Al

qaeda leader to give to the press,

those seven dead soldiers

are gonna be

the lead story

tonight and tomorrow.

That will not make

the secretary happy,

that would not make

the joint chiefs of staff happy,

and I promise you,

it will not make you happy either.

- Airman bowles.

- Yes sir.

- Laying low, huh?

- I'm trying to, sir.

Yeah, I don't blame you.

Airman bowles did not want

me to contact you, sir.

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