by Alex Howell
Prompting Mason to grin ear to ear, since he always loved it when he could get no-nonsense Raina to laugh at him.
Benton ploughing right ahead however, continued to instruct Mason “Yeah, its sensitive to the movement of your eyes. Look to the corner of the lens and you will see a toggle switch.”
Sure enough, Mason looked to the corner of his right eye and saw a tiny pinpoint of red light in the corner of the lens.
Benton then instructed him, “Just focus on that toggle switch and move your eye from left to right—when you do, everything will zoom out.”
As Raina and Nelson waited on the sidelines, Mason did as he was instructed and the lens dutifully picked up his ocular movement as the scenery zoomed out a degree when he moved his eye left to right on top of the toggle switch.
Mason continued to zoom out, as Benton informed him, “And if you need to zoom back in, just do the opposite—just move your eye right to left. ”
Doing as directed, Mason found himself being halfway fascinated, yet halfway disgusted with the technology. It seemed to exemplify his entire love/hate relationship with much of modern life. He often longed for the day that man was not quite so augmented with tech, but had to rely on his own natural God-given senses.
Nevertheless, he appreciated the edge that the extra vision provided as he scanned the horizon all the same, as he remarked to Benton, “Alright man, nice toy.”
It was just then that Nelson decided to speak up, “Are you guys just going to leave me handcuffed, sitting in the dirt?”
Mason turned to Nelson and stared at him through his glasses, as he snapped, “I really don’t think you are in the position to be giving orders.”
Nelson then warned, “Okay tough guy. Do what you like but I know the longer we stay here the greater the chance that we get ambushed again—this place is crawling with narcos.”
Hearing this, Mason then abruptly stood the man to his feet and asked, “Alright then, well what about you? Can you walk?”
Nelson muttered, “I can manage.”
Raina put her hand on Nelson’s shoulder, a sudden expression of comfort that the man did not expect, and told him, “But as soon as we get you to higher ground we are going to have to see about that injury.”
Nelson, a bit overwhelmed by this one small act of compassion. answered softly, “Okay…”
Mason then led them back to the opening of the trail toward the house, and zooming in, took a look at the building, as he cursed, “Shit the kid’s right—we’ve got some bogies up there right now.”
Raina peering over his shoulder then asked, “Mason what do you see?”
Mason nodded, “I saw two guys just walk into the house.”
Mason then turned to Nelson and asked, “What exactly was this house used for?”
Nelson looked in the distance but with his natural vision wasn’t able to see anything but his own tortured memories. It was in the midst of this sad introspection that he answered, “Yeah—it’s a kind of outpost command center.”
Mason echoed, “Outpost command center? What the hell is that? What do they do there?”
Nelson replied, “It’s where they keep track of the main trail back and forth to the main compound. It’s like a nerve center and main hub for the whole drug enterprise.”
Mason looked over to Benton and grunted, “Then what are we waiting for? Let’s take them out!”
5
Clara Walker’s Day Off
A SHORT TIME LATER IN CLARA WALKER’S DORM ROOM AT STANFORD UNIVERSITY.
Serena sank back into Clara’s beanbag as she encouraged her friend, “Oh come on Clara—why don’t you just go ahead and rip the band aid off and call him already?”
Clara remembering how Serena had once said the same words to push her into the arms of her former abductor Ben Walters, groaned, “Now, where have I heard that before?”
Serena realizing as much, sheepishly corrected, “Oh—sorry. Bad choice of words.”
Clara nevertheless, picked up the phone and started to dial Travis’s phone number, as she entreated her friend, “Anyway…. wish me luck.”
To which her friend nodded, “Of course. You need a break from the books Clara. Everyone needs a day off sometime.”
Serena then made the oddball pop reference—as she had a penchant to do from time to time—exclaiming, “It could be just like Ferris Bueller’s day off! Except without a pesky Dean trying to catch us and ruin all of our adolescent hijinks!”
Clara rolled her eyes, “Whatever Serena…” before putting the phone to her ear.
Clara literally crossed her fingers as the phone began to ring Travis’s number. He didn’t pick up immediately and as the phone reached its fourth ring, she thought that he wasn’t going to pick up at all, but then sure enough the ringing ceased as she heard Travis’s voice answer, “Hello?”
Clara took a breath, before responding, “Hi Travis, this is Clara—”
Before she could even finish Travis exclaimed, “Clara! You called!”
Clara taken in by his enthusiasm, laughed, “Yes—yes, I guess I did.”
Travis dryly chuckled, “I’ve been waiting.”
Clara sarcastically quipped, “Really? Well—sorry to keep you on my waiting list.”
She looked over to Serena who gave her an encouraging smile. Clara then cut through the chitchat and went ahead and dived right in, “Hey Travis, I’d like to meet up with you sometime.”
Ever since the beginning of the phone call, Travis had been trying to think of a way to lead up to just that same statement, but when she foisted it upon him first, he felt himself taken a bit aback, as he sputtered, “You… you do?”
Serena gave her the thumbs up, as she continued, “But could you do me a favor?”
Travis replied, “Sure—what is it?”
Clara requested, “Could you make it a double date?”
Travis echoed, “A double date?”
Clara grinned at Serena as she answered, “Yeah—I’ve got a friend whose here from out of town. She doesn’t get out much—.”
Serena feigned offense at being portrayed as a shut-in and quietly muttered, “Well gee—thanks’ a lot Clara!”
But Serena and Clara both knew that her being referred to in this manner was all just a ploy. In the past Serena was the one with the more robust and adventurous social life whereas she was the one who probably would have labeled the more bookish Clara as someone who “didn’t get out much”.
In fact, it was only her recent close call with the sex trafficking ring last semester that had given Serena enough pause to slow down and be a little more cautious. But even now, to say that she didn’t get out much was clearly a misstatement, which of course was what made it so funny coming from Clara, whom such words more readily applied to.
It was really just a convenient backstory for her urgent need for a double date. As Clara continued the ruse, “Yeah—her name’s Serena. We’ve been good friends for a while now and I just feel sorry for her because she’s so shy. It’s hard for her to go out on dates without my encouragement.”
Serena was trying hard not to laugh as Clara waited for Travis’s response. Travis thought about it for a minute, and concluding it could be done told her, “Yeah—I understand. I’ve got a couple buddies that are a little like that too.”
Clara replied, “Okay…”
Mark then remarked, “Yep, I think I have just the right guy for her.” He then quickly added, “Only one question—do you guys like Indian food?”
A FEW HOURS LATER AT A LOCAL INDIAN RESTAURANT. Clara and Serena sat in a booth in the back of the restaurant waiting for their dates to arrive. For seemingly the second time in less than five minutes, the same waiter came up to Clara and asked, “Would you like to order some Naan bread ma’am?”
Clara shook her head, “I’m sorry—but we’re waiting for someone. We’re not going to order anything until they arrive.”
The waiter seemed almost disappointed as he scurried off to
fill glasses of water for patrons at a table on the other side of the room. Serena looked over to Raina and sighed, “Do you think they’re even going to show up?”
Clara showing a bit of hubris, remarked, “I have never been stood up—and I don’t plan to start now.”
Serena laughed, “Wow—well aren’t you special?”
Clara then happened to catch movement out of the corner of her eye and looked up just in time to see Travis walking right toward her. She elbowed Serena, “Here he comes!”
It was then that they noticed who Travis was with. To Clara’s horror it was Mark, the former TA that had sabotaged her grades during her first semester at Stanford!
Mark didn’t seem to recognize her at first and as Travis sat down and addressed them, with an enthusiastic, “Ladies!” Mark simply quietly followed suite, sitting down next to him.
Travis seated directly across from Clara motioned toward her, telling his friend, “Hey Mark, this is the girl I was talking about, here name is Clara…”
At the mention, Mark’s otherwise subdued features suddenly became fiercely alert, as his eyes widened and his mouth dropped. Clara too was equally perturbed as she muttered, “Oh my God….”
Mark agitatedly stuttered, “You—you’re that stuck up bitch!”
Travis shocked at his friend’s reaction, gasped, “Mark! What the hell’s gotten into you?!”
Pointing at Clara, Mark shouted, “She nearly got me kicked out of Stanford!”
Clara finding her voice, raised it in indignation, “Yes I did! And you deserved it—after you tried to sabotage my grades!”
To which Mark hissed, “Oh—you’re full of it! I’m a freaking TA it’s my job to adjust grades!”
Alarmed at the sudden escalation in the verbal onslaught, Travis shouted, “Mark seriously! Don’t talk to her like that!”
Clara knew Mark was the one that was lying anyway, and she charged right ahead with the accusation, “You didn’t just adjust my grades—you altered them!”
Mark turning red under the pressure, shot Travis an angry look as he asked him, “Is this why you brought me out—to get the third degree from Miss Goody Two shoes over here?”
Serena meanwhile was in a state of shock, not sure which direction to run. Travis not sure how to proceed either, asked his friend, “Well—is it true Mark? Did you change her grades?”
Mark realizing, he couldn’t lie, sighed as he finally admitted, “Yes I did.”
Travis asked, “Why?”
Mark looked down at the table as he revealed, “I just wanted her to retake some of the tests. I figured she could use the extra practice.”
Clara obviously not buying this ridiculous response snorted, “Extra practice huh?”
Mark defensively stammered, “Yes! That—that’s what good TA’s do!”
As he continued to rationalize his ill deeds, he sighed, “I also figured it would be a good excuse to get to know her a little better.”
Serena interjected, “And you figured that was a good reason to put the knife in someone’s academic career? To get a date? Somehow there is some flawed reasoning involved in all this. Can’t you see that?”
Mark suddenly erupted into a spasm of unexpected anger as he stood up from his seat and shouted, “I don’t need this! I don’t need to answer to you or anyone else!”
Mark then wheeled around to dash out of the restaurant but in his effort to do so accidentally caught the arm of one of the waiters carrying a tray topped with a glass pitcher of water.
The pitcher came flying off the tray and crashed down on the table below shattering in an explosion of glass and ice-cold H2O. Both Clara and Serena were drenched by the unexpected water bomb.
Mark meanwhile, bolted right out of the restaurant, not even looking back, as the startled waiter was left to literally pick up the pieces. The poor restaurant employee seemed more than willing to take the blame, and kept repeating to both Serena and Clara, “So sorry—so sorry. Are you alright?”
Travis whose socially inept friend had just bailed on him, appeared to be completely mortified, and unsure of what else to do he quietly helped the waiter clean up the glass shards and desperately tried to dab up the water with a multitude of napkins.
Serena grabbing some napkins herself to wipe off her drenched shirt exclaimed, “And this—this is why people should never go on blind dates!”
6
Getting Ready for Business
M EANWHILE BACK IN THE AMAZON.
The group stood transfixed at the edge of the wilderness with Mason the only one able to see what was going on by way of his sight enhancing optical glasses. Raina straining her eyes across the horizon complained to Benton, “Too bad they didn’t make a pair for all of us huh?”
Mathew Benton shrugged, “Well—it doesn’t matter.”
Benton then slapped Mason on the back as he added, “As long as Mace here can be a good set of eyes for both of us, it doesn’t’ matter one bit.”
Raina putting a hand on Mason’s back, even while keeping an eye on the handcuffed Brian Nelson beside her, softly spoke into the ear of their fearless leader, “Alright Mason, so what do you see?”
Mason replied, “Okay their both inside the house.” He then stepped forward and motioned for them to follow as he instructed them, “Now’s the time—let’s move to a closer vantage point.”
Mason already getting the hang of the glasses, automatically began toggling the lens with his right eye to zoom back out, even as he was boldly traversing back through the brush. Following Mason’s lead, the group then ran in a somewhat crouched position, a classic maneuver that was taught by the SEALS, that served to significantly lower a person’s profile while sprinting across a landscape.
No one was quite sure after all, just what kind of “eye in the sky” the drug lords might us to spy on them. They could have drones lurking in the jungle, or even their own helicopters sent out on patrol to peer down into the rain forest canopy for potential intruders. If any of these were tipped off to their presence it wouldn’t be long before a small army of narcos would be sent to their position to take them out. Being spotted was simply a risk they couldn’t afford to take.
Fortunately for them, they managed to make it back to the house just in time to take cover behind the back wall before another narco stepped outside. The guy was apparently on a satellite phone and was busy airing his dirty laundry and grievances to whoever was on the other end.
Mason heard the man inform the other party, “Yes, Carlos—I’m well aware of the danger I signed up for. But you are not seeing what I’m seeing. There’s a whole freaking deer stand over here that was blown to pieces. and two men that were ripped to shreds. This isn’t paranoia—this is war, and somebody is out to get us for real.”
The man then paused as if listening to further instructions, before issuing a solemn, “Alright…”
He hung up the phone and called to the other man inside, “Reuben! What you doing in there brother?” He then rather unceremoniously asked, “Are you taking a shit?”
Prompting the man referred to as Rueben, to step out, as he announced, “Hey—I’m here Juan. What’s up man?”
Juan shook his head, “I don’t know brother you see what happened out here don’t you?”
The carnage was undeniable, Rueben had no choice but to answer in the affirmative, “Yeah—I do.” Rueben then quickly asked, “Are they sending anyone else over or what?”
To which Juan answered, “Not yet—but they will.”
Rueben asked, “When?”
Juan scowled at the thought, “Probably in the morning.”
Reuben questioned, “The morning? Really?”
Rueben then looked up at the decimated tree stand upon which the remains of their fallen comrades had been smeared, and sighed rather presciently, “Who knows what might happen by morning.”
Upon hearing all this Mason gave Raina and Benton a knowing look—there was no way they would wait until morning before taking t
hese guys out. What the men said next then got Mason’s attention.
They listened in as Juan complained, “Yeah—it’s just unbelievable, first they take our whole cadre of drugs and now this.”
Mason and company didn’t take anyone’s drugs. Were the narcos under attack from someone else in the Amazon? Juan then all but confirmed this thought as he provided, “Yeah brother, I feel like a hunted animal out here. They’ve already killed nearly all my men, and have taken almost all my money.”
It was this last bit of information that tipped Mason off to the fact that he most likely wasn’t talking about law enforcement. Because even as corrupt as Bolivian police could be, the days of them wholesale robbing drug dealers of their drug money were mostly a thing of the past.
Whoever was after this group of drug banditos was most likely another gang of drug runners. Now this was interesting.
The men then heard a third man calling from inside, “Hey hombres! Get in here!” The two then dutifully went back inside the house and shut the door behind them.
Once they were in the clear Mason then grabbed his ear piece and asked Kyle on the comm link, “Hey Kyle buddy, did you get all that?”
Kyle came on the line loud and clear, declaring, “Affirmative.”
Kyle then added, “Both the visual input from your optical glasses as well as your commlink made me a veritable eyewitness to the scene.”
This was the first Mason realized that Kyle was able to look through the very lens he looked out of, as he muttered, “Shit—you see everything I see?”
Kyle although intimidated by Mason, couldn’t resist the opportunity to tease him, as he quipped, “Yeah man—and boy, do I ever see how you look at Raina!”
This was followed by Raina shouting into the comm link, “Hey Kyle! I know you get bored manning the control center all by yourself, but just try to keep your mind out of the gutter okay?”
