by Geoff Wolak
‘When we open that crate back at the house -'
‘Yes, gas masks on.’
Rifles were made safe, and no one had a grenade on them. All had been told to use the toilet, and all had been told not to drink anything before we left, and not to drink too much before we landed. Tomo rushed off for a monster shit, our toilet block now with a handy hole in the roof for escaping smells.
I split British and American Wolves on the first Hercules, with Running Bear and his small team. Echo was split across the second and third Hercules with the remaining Wolves and my spies, and I soon waved goodbye at Major Morgen and Colonel DeHavilland, the news crews warned not to report this deployment – or else.
Max had wanted to come along, but this operation would be denied, unless it all went horribly wrong – in which case it would definitely be denied. He handed me two disposable cameras, 35mm. I told the CNN crew we were off to Nicaragua.
A long four hours later we received in-flight refuelling, even though we had enough fuel to reach the Texas coastline well enough. But over Texas we turned northwest, and we headed to Tucson, so by time we landed we were all glad to get the hell off and walk, the dawn not far off.
Franks, Dick, Moran and Ginger, and a few others had benefitted from a Gulfstream, Salome cheekily getting a ride, and they were stood waiting for us. Flanked by local police, the teams were led to the toilets, and by time the last man had made use of the toilets those toilets were in no fit state for anyone else to use for a few weeks.
Buses arranged, drinks downed, we set-off with a heavy police escort for the same border I had crossed before, the police manning roadblocks close to the border. At the border, the dawn coming up, I had men leave their crates on the buses, plus spare kit and backpacks, empty water bottles. The new night sights we would carry.
I gathered all the teams together and warned them about using the Wilco name, or ‘sir', I was simply Petrov.
Handing in ID cards, plus rank shoulder flashes, I said goodbye to Franks and Dick, and in one very long line I led them south, through the shallow stream, and up the other side – weapons cocked ready, soon met by a familiar keen young face in uniform, his M16 held ready.
‘Hello again,’ he keenly offered.
‘How is your uncle?’
‘He is fine, up the hill.’
He led us up that hill as we chatted, his team coming in from the sides, and at the start of the tarmac road we found that buses and green army-style trucks were sat waiting with escort jeeps.
I shook hands with Rada. ‘We got you out of bed early?’
He shrugged. ‘I work all night and sleep in the day, so … I go sleep soon.’
Boarded, the convoy finally set off, the sun rising behind us, and we soon trundled into the hilltop position, ‘The Alamo’, holes in walls still visible, but the floor was now even, new buildings in place.
Down from the vehicles, I shouted for Echo to disperse in teams and to reclaim old positions, and fast. ‘Get set-up, get a brew on then rest. Rizzo, you know the positions, spread them out. Take the British Wolves.’ I pointed at my four spies and gestured them to follow Rizzo.
The teams were led out the north gate by Rizzo, Slider and many others not having been here before, Monster to reclaim his former happy home on the east side, Parker in tow.
I had Running Bear reclaim his trench south, the American Wolves to hide away inside the walls for now, many of them to rotate the guard duty, Wolf Murphy soon up on the wall and peering out. Salome had a nose around, questions asked as American Wolves claimed beds and lay down, just about enough beds.
Carlos drove in an hour later. Down from his large jeep, he smiled and we shook.
‘You are up early,’ I noted.
‘I went to bed early.’
‘How's your boy?’
‘He now studies the stock markets.’
‘Maybe a few wise investments in the future, yes.’
We sat on outside furniture, coffee made for us.
‘So what is your plan here?’ he finally asked.
‘To wipe out the Tiujana influence in that town, and hope they get mad at us.’
‘I have grown since the Lobos lost face, but Tiujana are still ten times bigger,’ he cautioned.
‘The entire American military is after them. Don't worry.’
He pointed past me. ‘And these men?’
‘British mercenaries as before, and American special forces from the CIA.’
‘And this lady I saw as I came in?’
‘Israeli.’
‘Israeli? What interest do they have here?’ he puzzled.
‘None, but she works with me sometimes.’
‘Tomsk lost his villa..?’
‘Yes. They knew they would never get close, so they fired a large and very expensive missile from a ship.’
‘They spent a great deal of money to try and kill him...’ He waited, and I wondered what was on his mind.
‘He controls the Panama corridor, and makes two billion dollars a year. He also has oil in West Africa worth just as much.’
‘They wanted his businesses,’ he noted. ‘Medellin and Tiujana Cartels, two big cartels.’
‘But Tiujana is not a cartel, it is a collective of ten small groups who cooperate,’ I pointed out.
‘Yes, and not so much the cooperation sometimes. They agreed a new leader and then killed him after four months.’
‘You have men inside their ranks?’
‘I have men close to them, some information. In the town they occupy I have several sources. You were seen there -’
I shook my head. ‘They have a man that looks like me, and they hope to kill Tomsk and me, and the convince people that this man is me … and is in control afterwards.’
‘My god.’
‘I need a map, and a diagram of the town, strongholds and roadblocks.’
‘I can get that, yes.’
‘How many armed men?’
He shrugged. ‘Every man is armed.’
‘How many well-trained men?’
‘Say … two hundred men that work full time for Tiujana. How well trained they are … I don't know, but against you they have no chance - I have seen what you can do. Around here they tell tales of a cold night, of you hanging out a helicopter door and shooting down a plane.’
I smiled. ‘I keep telling people, it is just a matter of luck.’
‘And to be crazy enough to do it. When will you move on that town?’
‘Tonight, have the buses and trucks ready. We hit them before it is reported we are here.’
‘Few locals would talk to them, they are worse than Lobos, difficult to deal with.’
‘And the cost of the aircraft we shot down?’
‘The owner of the aircraft was shot dead, a feud with Lobos. He lost sixty men to Lobos, they lost the same number. Tell me, that barbed wire at the border we laid...’
‘How far did it go?’ I asked with a grin.
‘About two miles west and ten miles east, but it has already been cut by migrants.’
‘It was a joke, and it caused a smile to someone I know. The Americans were confused. Oh, those two Huey helicopters still around?’
‘Yes.’
‘Hire them for a few days, base them here, we'll use them for wounded men. Get a doctor or surgeon you can trust to be in the town and waiting a call, Tomsk will pay.’
With Carlos gone, I checked ammo and supplies, but we all had plenty and would steal more as we shot people.
Up on the wall I joined Wolf Murphy. ‘You drew the short straw for first watch?’ I asked.
‘No, sir, I slept well on the plane, so I'm awake now.’
‘Slept well on a Hercules? What planet you from, Murphy?’
His buddy laughed.
‘I always sleep well on a plane, sir. And in a car, a bus, a train...’
‘You sleep well in a bed?’
‘Not as well, sir, no. What is this place, sir?’
‘A drug d
ealer's staging area, Carlos the Jackal. But he's OK.’
‘Never figured we'd cross the border here,’ Murphy noted.
‘I've been here before, don't worry.’
‘And the mission, sir?’
‘The Tiujana Cartel have a town they run, west forty miles. And that cartel was pissing about with cruise missiles. When we get to the town we shoot any armed men, destroy jeeps, and make them mad.’
‘Like Panama, sir. We shot us a load,’ Murphy noted.
‘You did well, Murphy, keep it up. Fewer dirtbags out there, keep the civilians safe.’
‘And these fellas firing missiles, sir?’
‘A former Russian defector, who hates us, a Hong Kong billionaire who hates us, and some nasty drug cartels mixed in. They wanted to take over the drugs trade in Panama. But now, now they just want to hurt us.’
‘They damaged some cruise ship, sir?’
‘They did, but it was empty, or we'd have a few thousand dead American tourists.’
‘Why target the ship, sir?’
‘Anger, rage, a desire to hurt Americans. We're still piecing it all together.’
‘Fella must be a bit loco to want to hurt folk he ain't never met.’
‘Well said, Murphy, and very true. Why hurt people you never met or have no row with? It’s the mind of the child, and when a child is hurt they want to hit back at anyone and everyone. In a child's mind, hurting someone is a good thing if others have hurt you. Doesn't have to be the same people, just people.
‘A man is rejected by women, has no friends, so he goes into a bar and shoots everyone. He's striking back against those that won't be his friend, but in reality it’s a child screaming at his mother for not enough attention. A child will hurt anyone, a mature person would only ever focus their rage at the cause of that rage.’
‘You ain't like our officers back in the unit, sir, you never shout for no good reason, just when there's some incoming.’
I smiled. ‘Well when there's incoming it’s good to shout. But I do have anger, lots of it, but against these idiots we're fighting.’
‘Some said that when you was a young soldier you was treated right bad an all.’
I took in the distant horizon. ‘I was, yes. I did well, I won medals in sports, but some men were jealous and wanted to attack me. The more I did well, the more people wanted to attack me. I had a good reputation, and other men didn't like that. If you're the top dog, others will always be jealous, so don't get to be top dog, Murphy.’
His buddy laughed loudly. ‘Us hillbillies ain't gunna be top dog, sir.’
‘Don't sell yourself short. I've seen a lot of soldiers come and go, special forces, the best, and you two are level with them. And you remember what I said about calling me sir?’
‘Sorry, sir.’
I shook my head at him. My phone trilled.
‘It’s Franks.’
‘You up early?’
‘Got a call from the Deputy Chief, and I think he now lives in his office. CEO of Northern Pharma flew down to Washington overnight and handed himself in this morning after he was offered the electric chair. If he cooperates then he faces trial in Canada for breach of license in buying the cocaine, a few years.
‘He never knew what Terotski was up to, and HTZ had something to do with persuading him that he would get away with the drugs. It wouldn't have been the first batch, he had been getting them for six months and testing them.’
‘Sold by Tomsk to the Canadian, Chanon, who worked with Debonet. We wondered where the drugs were going because they were not being sold to drug dealers in Toronto.’
‘Northern Pharma had no interest in terrorism, and now they've handed over all they know about Terotski and the others.’
‘He met Terotski?’
‘A year back, not since.’
‘Well, it doesn't help us find Terotski -'
‘It may do, because Terotski was being fed a radiation sickness drug by Northern Pharma. Terotski has leukaemia.’
‘He was a missile designer, so where did he get exposed to radiation?’
‘Ukraine, Chernobyl. His sister lived there, and he was there during the accident. We got that from Moscow a day ago. They're suddenly very keen to cooperate.’
‘Jesus. So he glows in the dark, and should be mad at the Russians maybe.’
‘Wasn't the Russians fault,’ Franks suggested.
‘When he defected he knew he was sick, so maybe that helped make up his mind to defect. And he has nothing to lose by trying to get some money, but what would he do with all that money?’
‘Maybe hand it to victims of Chernobyl, still thousands out there, kids sick.’
‘Might be his motive, yeah, but if he's that kind hearted - why target a cruise liner?’
‘If that was him and not the cartel.’
I shook my head, thinking. ‘Why would the cartel get themselves so much shit publicity? Makes no sense.’
‘Someone trying to discredit the cartel?’
‘Ah, maybe, yes.’
‘What..?’
‘Talk later.’ I checked my watch and decided to wake up the Bolivian.
He was already awake. ‘Yah?’
‘It’s Petrov.’
‘Ah, and how is the diminutive Tomsk? Still alive unfortunately?’
‘Yes, I got him out the villa before the missile hit. Listen, I'm going to ask a question, and if you lie the penalty will be severe, you and your son in a shallow grave holding hands. Do you understand me?’
‘I understand you. Major. What is the question?’
‘Have any of your people been active in Nicaragua, Costa Rica or Panama, taking revenge for the loss of your drugs?’
‘Will I be in trouble if they were?’
‘No, I just want some pieces to a puzzle. How fractious is the Tiujana Cartel?’
‘Very.’
‘And you've been stirring trouble between them...’
‘Perhaps. Cholos wants to be top dog, but he's an idiot. There are more amenable men, and I have contact with one. He may have paid men to pay other men to attack the Americans and blame Cholos.’
‘That explains it. And the cruise missiles?’
‘A shock to him, where they came from. The men were well prepared and moved like ghosts, the trucks not stopped. He knew nothing of the missile fired at Tomsk, or the cruise ship.’
‘So the evidence from Panama will lead back to Cholos?’
‘Yes. What will you do?’
‘We're happy for Cholos to get the blame. We won't be coming after you.’
‘Politics,’ he scoffed.
‘You knew I was in La Ninga, Panama?’
‘Yes, not least because it was all over CNN. But I figured you would easily win against the gunmen. And if you wish to hide, don't give interviews to CNN!’
I forced away a smile. ‘And the two small planes attacking me?’
‘That I don't know. If it was my contact then he has better resources than I figured; they must have cost a great deal. And after being destroyed, a further large sum. Someone has deep pockets, those planes worth far more than the drugs I lost.’
‘Tonight I move on Tiujana towns near the American border, if you can use that information to unsettle Cholos.’
‘Yes, maybe.’
‘If you have any information on the location of Cholos, call me.’
‘I will do, you kill the idiot.’
I called Tinker. ‘You got a ship track for the attack on the cruise liner?’
‘We think so, it has a kink, a few hours drifting off Nicaragua. But the ship is clean, not linked in.’
‘It was chosen because it’s clean. So, there's someone hanging about in Nicaragua, east coast. Do a phone survey of the east coast. It’s sparsely populated, bare-arsed tribesmen, so it should be easy for you.’
‘Will do. And we have a pattern for the town of Tiujana, as with the Cali Cartel. We think we have the leadership.’
‘Well go back to the draw
ing board, because there are ten separate groups, all cooperating when it suits them. There are ten leaders.’
‘Ah, we'll have to think about that then.’
I call Major Harris, getting a petty officer. I asked for the senior officer on duty, getting a commander. They were still at general quarters.
‘Major Wilco?’
‘Yes. When the captain is awake, ask him to blanket the Nicaraguan coast, all cargo ships, and to fly recon inland, look for trucks. It’s sparsely populated, the east coast, mostly just swamp, few roads, so we need the roads observed.’
‘We could insert SEALs or Marines.’
‘Yes, do so. Intel will look for phone use. Make a nuisance of yourselves and shadow any ship that passes close to shore.’
‘Understood. And we have half the damn fleet here now, two French warships as well.’
‘Any transport ship that slows down or stops, get F18s on it fast.’
‘I'll update the radar teams.’
‘How far are you off the coast?’
‘Carrier is thirty miles, destroyers are closer in.’
‘Keep your distance, you might be targeted like that cruise ship.’
‘Missile would hit one of three destroyers before it hit us.’
‘Unless it’s been modified to hit a big lump of a ship. Be careful. Wilco out.’
I got a fresh coffee from the small canteen here, familiar faces greeted, and they had a sandwich for me. Back up on the wall in a cold breeze I stared out, my British men hidden, a few heads seen, ponchos up. We were all in greens, but the land was brown dotted with green bushes, so we were half camouflaged.
Tinker called. ‘We got a phone hit, and an odd track. Ship's name is Elisa III, and it’s sixty miles east of Nicaragua. It had an odd kink that matches to the Princess Ora, which we suspect might have fired the missile at the cruise liner, but the ship was eyeballed by an F18 according to Major Harris, no missile ramp, crew listed as American – the F18 had them on the radio.’
‘Some wrong intel somewhere then,’ I noted.
‘We don't have a phone hit to the Princess Ora, but we do have to Elisa III; they called that camp you went to in Nicaragua.’
‘When did they call it?’
‘Before you were there, a week ago. And yesterday they called a place on the east coast of Nicaragua that has nothing showing on the map.’
