The wadi suddenly angled to the left. Dima tried to make the turn, but he was going too fast. The jeep ran up the embankment, became airborne, and landed hard. After a loud metallic snap, it abruptly stopped. All the men were thrown forward, and Nir barely missed hitting the windshield face first.

“Everybody out!” he yelled.

They all piled out of the jeep and took a position behind it. The jeeps and trucks came closer and closer. Ten meters out, they hit their brakes in a cloud of dust. To the roar of the diesel engines were added to the shouted orders and the sound of soldier after soldier jumping from the trucks and taking position.

Nir and his men were in a hopeless position. This was it—no way out.

“Blaze of glory, chaveret!” he shouted into his com.

“Blaze of glory!” everyone repeated.

Music began playing through his communication system. Nir was so surprised that he didn’t recognize what it was at first. Then it hit him—“Ride of the Valkyries” by Richard Wagner. That’s when he realized that the commotion he heard wasn’t just coming from the trucks in front of him. Turning around, Nir saw a Huey cresting a ridge. The mini-guns mounted on either side of the chopper opened up, firing at a rate of four thousand rounds per minute. First the bodies began falling, then the vehicles began exploding. Only 45 seconds later, not a single IRGC soldier was left alive.

The Huey angled around and put its skids on the ground. Nir waved his team to the helicopter, and they climbed in. Once he’d counted all five, he jumped in himself. Immediately, the chopper took to the air.

Nir moved to the cockpit and put his hand on Captain Marks’s shoulder.

“If I had external speakers like in the movie,” the captain said, “I would have really made an entrance.”

“No, it was perfect. Duvall had nothing on you.” After a moment, he added, “I heard you guys stopped taking our calls.”

“Had to maintain radio silence. President didn’t want to take a chance of anyone discovering our little Persian soiree.”

Nir was surprised that the decision for their rescue had reached all the way to the Oval Office. “Could have at least let our side know you were coming.”

“What? And spoil the surprise?”

Nir laughed. “Well, thanks. First round is on me back in Erbil.”

“We’ll take you up on that.”

“Oorah,” said First Lieutenant Bader.

Moving back to the cabin, Nir sat down. Imri was checking Doron’s arm. Yaron was cleaning blood off his face. Dima was watching Nir with a stupid grin, and Lahav was sitting and shaking.

“Lahav, secure and holster your weapon,” Nir said.

Lahav looked at his hands as if just now realizing he was still holding his pistol. He obeyed.