Bimat--A Vietnamese Adventure

by Robert A Webster

  Kim waved as Ca came to the window. She shouted through the glass about how she couldn’t believe that it was him. Ca made a gesture to suggest that he couldn't hear her.

  “Wait,” she mouthed and motioned that she would come outside and turned, bumping into Lang Duc.

  “Sorry,” she said as Lang grabbed her and steadied her.

  Lang smiled. “No problem, are you okay?”

  Kim smiled, nodded, and went outside.

  Lang sat and grinned when he saw Kim and Ca embracing and speaking to one another.

  ‘That’s nice’ thought Lang Duc as he disassembled Kim’s mobile phone that he’d just stolen.

  After throwing parts in the bins scattered around the airport, he left the airport and caught a taxi.

  Ca’s heart raced when he held the woman that he hadn’t seen for what seemed a lifetime. Kim looked at Ca, although it had been a long time and they had both aged, he still looked like the handsome young boy she’d loved all those years ago. She looked at him wide-eyed and sounding astonished, asked. “What are you doing here?”

  Ca held onto her shoulders, gazed into her brown eyes, and said. “I am here to help you.”

  Kim, although still smiling, furrowed her brow and looked confused. “Help me… how?” she asked.

  “Come with me,” said Ca sounding ecstatic and looking like an excited puppy.

  “Ca, it’s great to see you, but I can’t go anywhere with you, I have a plane to catch.”

  Ca then handed her the letter as per Grimes’s instructions. With the large brown envelope sealed, Ca didn’t know its contents, but it looked official with a government stamp.

  “Read this, it will explain everything,” said Ca.

  Kim stepped back and becoming concerned frowned and asked. “Who gave you this?”

  “You know,” whispered Ca smiling. “Your friend, Julian.”

  Kim furrowed her brow. “Who?” she asked, looking confused.

  Ca smiled, pointed at the letter, and said. “Julian has written down the instructions for his plan to help you escape.”

  Kim, looking bemused, tore open the envelope and removed two A4 sized sheets, one written in English with the same information written on the other in Vietnamese. Kim looked confused as she read the English version:

  Dear Mrs Kim Meesilli /Miss Hern Tangh.

  Please do not be alarmed but your family is in grave danger, which will become increasingly worse if you do not follow these instructions implicitly.

  We know about your Mother’s poisoning and if you wish no further harm to come to your family, you will go quietly with our agent, Ca.

  Kim glanced at Ca and then read on:

  If you try to run or draw attention to yourself you will be killed, as will your family later today. Look ahead at the trees in front of the departure lounge.

  Kim looked at a clump of trees in the grounds in front of her and saw a figure lurking at the side of the tree pointing a rifle at her.

  This had been a cleverly created optical illusion set up by Akhim and his pictographic colleague by using three notice boards, which on the front and from the road it looked like an advertisement. The back had prints of foliage with arranged shadows, appearing from most viewpoints to show three separate boards. However, from the position where Grimes had told Ca to stand with Kim, the pictures came together looking like a 3D image of a man holding a rifle.

  The letter explained that she needed to go with Ca and everything would be explained when they arrived at their destination.

  Kim read on and, as instructed, took several photographs from the envelope. The first doctored shot was of her uncle Lee, sat on a Sihanoukville beach, with a menacing figure standing behind him. Another was of Banti pushing Samnan in a buggy along a Bangkok street and being followed by the same ominous figure. The last one showed her mother in the hospital, showing a doctor administering an Intravenous infusion. She noticed the Doctor was the same menacing figure as in the other photos. Mophi was very photogenic.

  The photographs backed up the letter and warned her that they could get to her loved ones at any time, but assured her that no harm would come to her or her family, so long as she followed their instructions.

  Not seeing her father in any of the photos and knowing Ca’s loathing for Thran, she assumed that her father was the likely target, although for what reason she couldn’t yet figure out.

  Kim, although confused, felt in no danger and thought. ‘These people don’t know who they’re dealing with. My father will have them sorted out in no time.’

  She put everything back in the envelope and returned it to Ca as instructed.

  Ca looked delighted as he folded it and put it in his pocket, ready to return to his good friend and creator of his new happiness, Julian Grimes.

  Ca noticed Kim’s expression change, from one of joy, to sadness and fear. Ca just thought she was putting on a great act, as Julian said she would.

  Kim glared at Ca. “What have you got to do with all this, Ca?” she snapped.

  Ca leant forward and whispered. “Your happiness and freedom. Now come with me and I will take you to a safe house where our friend Julian will be waiting and we can be together.”

  Kim, fearing for her families lives, went with Ca, and got into the car.

  Tuong looked nervous as he started the car and drove out of the airport. Ca smiled and called Grimes.

  The journey to the small airstrip took two hours and Ca relaxed with his thoughts and memories, while Tuong drove, and Kim sat silently in the rear seat glaring at them both.

  Ca thought that once they were in the helicopter, he and Hern could talk, but the noise of the engines made conversation difficult, so they didn’t speak throughout the journey.

  Grimes had flown to the Control Centre and when he saw his guests helicopter landing from the screen in his office, he smirked.

  Ca, Kim, and Tuong were driven down the jungle tunnel and into the Control Centre where Mophi met them. Ca and Tuong, having never been shown the Control Centre, had never seen the imposing giant who glared at them. They glanced at each other and looked nervous as Mophi snarled. “Come with me.”

  They got off the amphibious vehicle and followed Mophi to Grimes’ office.

  Kim furrowed her brow when she noticed how much hi-tech equipment was in the centre and became concerned. ‘What is this place.’ she wondered, ‘and what do they want with my father?’

  Vietnamese technicians milled about and Kim saw several large westerners strutting about and messing around with rifles and knives.

  Tuong’s voice trembled. “Something doesn’t feel right Ca,” he said in Vietnamese.

  Ca smiled, looked at Kim and then Tuong. “Don’t worry; it’s all part of Julian and Hern’s plan.”

  “Be quiet,” snapped Mophi as they arrived at Grimes door and went inside his office where Grimes sat with his arms on his desk with his fingers intertwined, smirking.

  “Sit,” said Mophi pointing at three chairs in front of Grimes’ large desk.

  The three sat and Mophi left the room.

  Grimes congratulated Ca and Tuong on a job well done. The pair looked nervous as Grimes then looked at Kim and smiled.

  “I imagine you are wondering why you are here Mrs Meesilli?”

  Kim frowned and with rage in her voice said. “No, you are after my father, but whatever you want with him you will fail, he is too powerful and he can mobilise the Vietnamese army to find me and deal with you.”

  Grimes sniggered and sounding arrogant said. “My dear girl, if I wanted your father, Minister Thran Tangh, I could have taken him at any time.”

  Kim glared at Grimes. “You are the man who conned my father and poisoned my mother.”

  “Of course I am,” said Grimes boasting, “Duke Phillip of Southerby at your service.” He stood up, bowed, and then sat back down.

  Kim’s nostrils flared as she breathed in and out and she glowered at the smug Grimes. “So what do you want? And why have
you abducted me?”

  Grimes leant forward and said. “I want what your husband stole from my employer many years ago. My employer also wants to punish him and his associates for murdering his friend and acquaintances.”

  Kim gasped and looked taken aback.

  Ca also gasped and looking concerned said. “That’s not what you told us Julian. You said Kim wanted to escape from Thailand and her abusive husband and stay here with me.”

  Kim glanced at Ca who looked puzzled and then back at Grimes as he sat back in his chair and looked at Ca. “Did I say that?” said Grimes and smirked. “I must have fibbed…. Never mind, you are together now.”

  “Yes, you are a Liar. My husband is neither a thief nor a murderer. And who were his acquaintances you mentioned?”

  Grimes smiled opened a folder on his desk and showed them the photograph of Pon, Stu, and Spock leaving the Siam Sawasdee Hotel many years ago and the article about the holy relic.

  Kim frowned and then looked at the pictures and giggled.

  She slid the picture back over to Grimes and said. “They are my husband’s English friends, and they couldn’t kill anyone,” she chuckled, “they are both terrified of spiders and bats. As for my husband, he is a Buddhist monk and a Royal Escort, he is a gentle man and wouldn’t hurt anyone.”

  Grimes smirked and pushed a button on a control panel. Footage from the Dolphin Hotel played on the large screen behind him and the three watched. They jumped back when Abdul sat back in his chair with his scalp removed.

  The footage finished and Grimes grinned at Kim who looked unimpressed. “Huh, I saw neither my husband nor Spock and Stu. You have your facts wrong. Now, if you let me go, I will not have my father hunt you down,” said Kim sounding defiant.

  Grimes interlocked his fingers, smirked, and said. “Well, we will find out the truth soon enough when your husband and his accomplices get here, won’t we?”

  Kim furrowed her brow and said. “My husband won’t be coming, but my father will and make you pay.”

  “We shall see,’ said Grimes smirking. “ While you are waiting, I will make sure you are comfortable.” He pressed a button on his desk.

  Ca and Tuong, realising they had been duped, looked at one another and felt uneasy as Mophi and an armed mercenary entered and Grimes told them to show the three to their quarters. He smiled, looked at Ca and Kim, and said. “I put you two in the same room. Who knows, maybe you can rekindle some old dormant passion, and I did say you would spend time together Ca,” he smirked. “I love a happy ending.”

  ‘Especially when it’s mine,’ he thought.

  Mophi took Ca and Kim to their room next to Grimes’s office and shoved Tuong into the room next door. He glared at the small Vietnamese man and in a menacing tone, said. “I will see you soon.” Tuong trembled as Mophi closed the door.

  With Kim, Ca, and Tuong locked away, it was now just a waiting game, which Grimes was used to in his line of work. He found ways to pass his time, like planning the rest of his life around beach resorts and casinos across the world.

  He looked at his watch several hours later and called Akhim to ensure that everything was set in Hanoi. Akhim told him he was in contact with the gardener at the Tangh’s who kept him updated. He told him Thran was now aware his daughter never arrived in Thailand and mobilising search teams.

  Grimes sniggered. “Okay my friend; everything is going as we planned. I will let Thran stew for a few hours before I call him. Go along to the Tangh’s house first thing in the morning and begin the next phase.”

  Grimes hummed as he read travel brochures for a few hours and then made the initial phone call to Thran. Although his voice would be synthesised, he wanted to make the call personally, which was his egotistical way of letting his victim know that he fooled them and it entertained him.

  Mophi had other ways to entertain himself and his mercenaries.

  Kim sat on the bed and glared at Ca who sat on a chair staring ashamedly at his feet. An awkward silence lingered in the room for the next few hours until they heard a commotion next door as two mercenaries dragged Tuong outside and led him to a large dimly lit space at the rear of the control room.

  Mercenaries stood around forming a human boxing ring, with Mophi stood at the centre.

  The mercenaries laughed as they hurtled the terrified Tuong into the centre of the human ring and the little Vietnamese man stared up at the menacing face of Mophi.

  Mophi grabbed Tuong and smiled as he lifted him off his feet so they were face to face.

  Mophi glared into Tuong’s eyes and saw fear as he growled and said. “So little man, you are a *Vovinam, martial arts master.”

  Tuong trembled and felt his heart pounding but calming his breathing and unable to understand Mophi, he just smiled.

  “Well, let’s have some fun.” said Mophi and tossed Tuong backwards like a rag doll toward the line of hollering mercenaries.

  Tuong righted himself in mid-air, landed on his feet and spun around to face Mophi with the mercenaries cheering this manoeuvre.

  Mophi grinned and charged at Tuong who side-stepped the giant, spun around, and landed a spinning fist to Mophi’s temple, sending him sprawling to the ground.

  Mophi snarled and looked enraged as he got to his feet and glared at the little Vietnamese man.

  Over the next few minutes, a battle ensued, with Tuong’s skills and calmness getting the better of the monster. The mercenaries stopped Mophi getting hurt on several occasions by pushing and grabbing Tuong, which gave the blood splattered, dazed Mophi time to recover. Tuong knew that he stood no chance against these odds, but the brave little fighter held his ground, even attacking the odd mercenary.

  The combat lasted for twenty minutes and Tuong’s skills were masterful. He avoided any blows and sent Mophi sprawling to the floor many times with devastating kicks to Mophi’s head.

  Bruised, bloody and with sweat dripping down his face Mophi looked exhausted. He looked at the mercenary behind Tuong and nodded. Tuong saw this and spun around to attack the man but felt a sharp pain in his side as electricity coursed through his body when the mercenary tasered him. Everything went dark and, when Tuong came around, he was on his stomach with Mophi sat on his back lifting his shoulders off the floor by his neck.

  Tuong choked and felt Mophi’s powerful hands move to his head and chin as he heard men shouting and uproar around him. He felt his head being twisted and he let out a gurgle before his neck snapped.

  Two laughing mercenaries threw Tuong’s lifeless corpse into the amphibious vehicle. Mophi and several mercenaries got in and drove through the tunnel. Mophi bragged throughout the short journey convincing his comrades that he’d had Tuong beaten and told his team of louts that he couldn’t wait to take on his other adversary when he arrived.

  “He will be an easy kill,” he growled, and then postured like the Incredible Hulk. The mercenaries cheered and patted their fearless leader on the back.

  They stopped outside the tunnel and Mophi picked up Tuong’s corpse and threw it over his shoulder. He walked a short way into the hot dark jungle outside and dumped Tuong’s body in a patch of dense foliage.

  Ca looked horrified as he and Kim listened to the commotion outside. When silence came thirty minutes later, he leant forward, closed his eyes, and wept.

  Several minutes later, Ca looked at Kim and in a soft voice whispered. “I am sorry, Hern.” He then buried his head in his hands and with his voice quivering, said, “I’m sure they’ve just killed Tuong.”

  Apart from men mumbling, the Control Centre remained quiet over the next few days. Although they glanced at one another on occasions, Ca and Kim hadn’t spoken. Ca slept on the chair while Kim slept on the bed. Meals were brought in three times a day, other than that they saw nobody else. With the partition walls only thin, they heard Grimes TV in the next room, but they spent most of their time thinking and sleeping. Kim had spoken to the Vietnamese who brought in their meals, but they ignored her. They put trays of foo
d on the table along with a pencil and list to choose from for their next meal, and walked out, returning an hour later to collect the trays and list. Kim knew it was a long shot, but on day three of their confinement she wrote on the back of the menu list in Vietnamese. ‘My name is Hern Tangh and I am Minister Thran Tangh’s daughter. He will pay you a lot of money for my safe return. Please call him on 012892919. Thank you.’

  The man came in, collected the tray and read at the note. He furrowed his brow, looked at Kim, smiled, nodded, and left the room.

  Kim lay on the bed, rolled onto her side and smiled.

  Early the next morning, the sound of weapons being loaded and excited gruff western voices hollering woke Ca and Kim.

  Inside the Control Centre was awash with the noise of mercenaries, shouting, and checking radios and weapons.

  Mophi, along with two of the mercenaries watched a thermal imager, displaying red and orange moving images and Mophi shouted out instructions to his men.

  Grimes, also woken by the noise, and after hearing Mophi and the mercenaries leave, he went to see what was happening. He went over to the mercenary coordinating the attack from the thermal imager and watched over his shoulder.

  The Cambodian commandos outside, unaware that they had been detected by the Control Centres perimeter detectors, lay in their camouflaged positions awaiting daylight.

  The Commander, highly trained in jungle warfare from a young age, felt at home in the jungle.

  After covering himself with cool moist mud from the riverbank away from the tunnel entrance, he climbed a tree, nestled in the cradle of the branches, and waited.

  The jungle was restless as the insects and nocturnal animals fought their nightly battles for food and mating. This racket hampered the commando’s heightened hearing.

  In the Control Centre, the man monitoring the action saw the moving heat signatures of the mercenaries closing in on five targets and then stop. He saw the last group get into position and he gave the order, “Go, Go, Go!”

  He and Grimes watched the thermal imaging monitor, which showed the teams rapidly advancing onto the prone figures.