What greeted them when they exited the tunnel looked and sounded like an old U.S. Vietnam war movie.
They shielded their eyes from the bright sunlight and saw military helicopters taking off, landing, and unloading personnel and equipment for the clean-up operation.
Kim rushed over to the amphibious vehicle and hugged Pon. She noticed Captain Ca nursing his broken arm and Ca holding a field dressing to his ear with blood soaking through as Vietnamese army field medics helped the pair.
Kim never thought for a moment that it had been Pon who had inflicted the Tho’s injuries, as they held each other, kissed, smiled, and looked relieved.
Spock and Stu got unsteadily out of the vehicle and after sitting down, medics attended to their cuts, bruises, and splinters.
The pair saw the bodies of the dead mercenaries and technicians, bagged, tagged, and put into a helicopter.
Grimes, Akhim, and the surviving mercenaries were ushered onto another chopper, along with army guards, which then took off.
The injured commandos from Ca’s team were put onto stretchers and loaded into a helicopter. Captain Ca gave search parties the locations of his murdered commando and Tuong within the jungle. He then told Ca that he would contact his older brother, Phaol, and see what they could do to help him.
An armed soldier took Fisherman Ca to a helicopter and put him in with the captured Vietnamese technicians.
He looked back at Kim and Pon as he boarded the chopper and smiled. He waved goodbye to his brother as the aircraft took off. Captain Ca, his arm now in a sling, got into the chopper with his men.
A soldier standing near Spock and Stu had a two-way radio that sprang to life. The Vietnamese soldier then gave an order to the amphibious vehicle, which sped back down the tunnel.
After a while, the commotion died down as helicopters had either taken off or stopped their engines and were waiting for the ground force to finish the clean-up.
The team of Vietnamese army investigators brought in were processing, searching, and examining the scene.
Spock, Stu, Pon, and Kim waited for their transport. They all had relief etched over their faces. Kim told Spock and Stu that they would stay at her parent’s house after physicians at Hanoi checked them all.
Spock nudged Stu and whispered. “Physicians, does that mean women matey?”
“No mate, it means Doctors,” said disappointed Stu with spots of yellow iodine on his face.
“Escape plan?” Spock asked as he’d now almost sobered up.
Stu nodded and concurred. “Yep, escape plan.”
A White Jet Ranger helicopter landed 50 yards in front of them and an army officer came over, saluted Kim, and escorted them all into the helicopter.
The helicopter was about to leave when the amphibious vehicle returned.
Mophi stumbled out and hobbled over to the medics at gunpoint holding his groin and looking in discomfort. (Just as you would expect to look with your knackers chopped off and stuck in a wet, humid, dank, black muddy tunnel.)
Mophi watched the helicopter taking off and frowned when he saw two English, and one Thai face, at the windows, pointing, laughing, and sticking up clenched fists with middle fingers extended. Spock blew him a kiss as the helicopter rose into the sky and headed north toward Hanoi.
They touched down ninety minutes later on the landing pad at Bach Mai hospital. Thran and Nga ran over, hugged Pon and Kim, and said hello to Spock and Stu. Doctors and nurses came out and led them all inside to a private wing.
****
Grimes, Akhim and the mercenaries, were flown to the hospital wing at Trai Giam Chi Hoa prison in Ho Chi Minh City. Shackled together and under constant guard, they were put in the hot, humid, clammy detention facility with stained walls and infested with insects.
The mercenaries looked forlorn as they stared at the dirty concrete floor with flies buzzing around them and landing on their wounds.
A beaten and bloodied Grimes and Akhim looked at one another. “What do we do Julian?” asked Akhim.
A guard glared at them and snapped. “Be quiet.”
Grimes stared down at the floor as Akhim said to the guard. “I am a Muslim. I have to kneel and pray.”
The English speaking guard came over, bent down, and with his face inches from Akhim’s, sneered at him and said. “You killed Vietnamese people and are now prisoners of Vietnam, coi ai chang ra gi… nobodies.”
The guard smirked when a team of scruffy orderlies came carrying bowls of dirty water and scrubbing brushes.
They all looked terrified and squealed when the orderlies washed and scrubbed their cuts and bruises.
When Mophi arrived, they took him under guard to the prisons operating theatre to have his wound tended. The Vietnamese nurses chuckled and with none of the medical staff speaking English, Mophi lay strapped to the theatre table wincing as a Doctor put a rubber mask over his mouth and sent him into a pain free sleep.
Ca and the Vietnamese technicians were flown to Ho Chi Minh airport and driven under armed escort to the main police station.
A Vietnamese Doctor examined Ca’s ear wound and knowing there was nothing he could do without the ear, cleaned and sutured around the remaining skin flap under local anaesthetic.
Ca lay on his side while the doctor stitched his wound and looked at the stern faces of his police escorts glaring at him. The side of his head pounded as the Doctor tugged and pulled.
With a large gauze pad applied, he could hear little and given antibiotics before being taken and put into a small dank holding cell along with the technicians.
****
Spock and Stu felt exhausted as they lay on beds in the quiet two-bed hospital room. Although only suffering minor cuts and bruises, the Doctors gave them a thorough check-up.
They dozed, with their plans to escape to a bar long since vanished.
The medical staff told them that they would be monitored before going to Thran’s house.
Pon walked into the lad’s room with dabs of iodine on his face. He and Kim had only minor cuts and splinters from flying debris.
Spock and Stu stirred and sat up.
Pon brought in his folded monk’s cassock draped with his red sash, and sat on the edge of Spock’s bed and asked him if he could have the Holy Relic.
The lads noticed how nonchalant Pon seemed about the Holy Relic, unlike before.
Spock took the Holy Relic from his pocket and handed it to Pon, who removed his sash from his bundle and placed the jewelled box in the centre of his cassock and secured the sash, making a parcel.
Spock and Stu’s curiosity got the better of them.
“That was nice of the King to trust you with the Holy Relic,” said Spock smiling.
Pon smiled, thought for a moment, and in a soft voice said. “My brothers, what I am about to tell you must remain a secret.” He looked at Spock and Stu who nodded, so he told them. “The box was a fake.”
“Really!” gasped Stu as both he and Spock tried to look surprised as Pon explained. “About a year ago, the Royal Family decided that because the Holy Relic had already been stolen twice, they had no intention of letting it happen again.
They had a replica made by master jewellers, goldsmiths, and specialist technicians. The copy went on display at the Temple of the Sacred Light for the first time last year. Nobody noticed the difference, not even the Tinju guards, and they viewed the spectacle every day. Only a handful of people know this my brothers, so it must remain secret.”
The lads grinned and felt a large weight lifted off their shoulders.
“Don’t worry,” said Stu. “It will be our secret. We won’t say a word... will we Spock?”
Spock smiled and shook his head. “No matey, we’ll keep it to ourselves,” he said and thought, ‘We kept the other one secret long enough.’
“So where’s the real Holy Relic?” asked Stu. “And what was the stuff inside. It looked convincing.”
‘Well a damn site more convincing than sand and ceram
ic dentures.’ he thought, as Pon divulged more details.
“The Holy Relic is at Salaburi guarded by the Tinju. Because nobody knows it’s there, it remains protected and secure. The Holy Relic must never be opened because the contents are not only sacrosanct, but their age and exposure to air after all this time would cause great damage.”
‘Flushing them down the sink didn’t do them much good either,’ thought both Stu and Spock, relieved that their guilty secret would now be concealed forever... Hopefully.
Pon continued with the story. “Taksin suspected that these people would open it and test the contents. The box itself would pass any inspection, but he knew that they would carbon date the contents. Taksin had the replica filled with charcoal ash and fine brown talc. When opened, wisps of the mixture would escape, and look like the box had been unopened for generations. The experts crushed in some pig's teeth and the scientists at the palace sprinkled on *Ryo... something, which they told me would make carbon dating impossible.”
Pon finished his explanation as the relieved lads complimented him and Taksin on their ingenuity and wisdom.
Pon then chatted about Kim, feeling unsure what to think about her and Ca. He looked concerned as he told Spock and Stu that Kim promised to tell him everything, but only after they’d rested and things had quietened down.
As Pon spoke, Stu thought about Dao and something played on his mind. Spock glanced over and saw Stu looking miserable.
“Oh well, you don’t want to worry about it too much now matey,” said Spock. “I am sure there will be a simple explanation, and Kim wouldn’t do anything to hurt you… what do you say matey.”
“What?” said Stu snapping out of his thoughts. “Oh, yeah, Spock’s right, Kim wouldn’t hurt you, so I wouldn’t worry about it too much now.”
Spock looked at Stu and smirked. Stu nodded at him and then smiled.
Kim then came into the room, smiled, kissed and hugged Pon and said. “We have all been given a clean bill of health and are being discharged, so we can go home for a good night’s sleep.”
They arrived at Thran’s large house, and while staff showed Spock and Stu to their guest rooms, Thran, Nga, Pon, and Kim chatted.
The next morning the lads woke early and went downstairs to join the Tangh’s and Pon in the dining room discussing the day’s activities.
Thran wanted to make sure harsh justice was carried out for the people responsible for kidnapping his daughter and putting the lives of his Son-in-law and friends at risk. He would use all his power and influence to make them pay for the terrorist attack on the neighbourhood that had killed two army snipers and fatally wounded four others. “These people will pay dearly,” he said sounding angry.
Pon called Taksin who sounded relieved. He told Pon that now was not yet the time to return to Thailand until they were cleared of their fugitive status. He said that he would call the Bangkok post and arrange it.
Pon and Kim then called Banti and spoke to her and Samnan.
With the family engrossed in their lives and thoughts, after breakfast, Spock and Stu went outside into the large grounds at Thran’s. They listened to the banging and crashing of men and machines demolishing and clearing debris from unsafe buildings which had been rocked and damaged by the explosions.
The pair spent a chillaxing morning by the pool and amusing the staff, except for the gardener who looked shifty and miserable. Kim had told the lads he had answered the phone and released her father. However, Spock and Stu couldn’t understand why he had the phone in the first place, but never mentioned it.
Pon and Kim, having spoken to Banti and Samnan, decided they should talk and went to their room.
The couple sat on the bed holding hands. Kim told Pon that he and Samnan were the most cherished and important people in her life. She then told him the story about her, Ca, and Colonel Tighe. She spoke for an hour with Pon listening, with different thoughts and emotions running through his mind.
Kim then told him of the abduction and what Grimes had told her about him not coming, and the feeling of hopelessness and despair she’d felt.
Pon looked at Kim with tears in her eyes.
His mouth felt dry and with his voice trembling, he said. “I saw you and Ca kissing on the video and getting into bed together naked, and other raunchy scenes.”
Kim looked at Pon, gasped, and shook her head. “No,” she said with a quake in her voice, “It’s true we kissed, but nothing else… I swear. What you saw was faked.”
Pon felt his heart beating faster as confused thoughts swum around his head. He thought he could trust Kim implicitly, but had trouble believing the film was fake. Pon knowing nothing about Ca or her past, felt hurt and uncertain; this was a completely new set of emotional guidelines.
Pon then asked the question he never wanted to ask but felt he had to and, with his voice quaking, looked into Kim’s eyes. “Did you and Ca ever make love?”
Kim squeezed him tight, kissed his head, and said, “The past should stay in the past. Please Pon, let’s move forward. I apologise for deceiving you with all my heart and soul, but what happened was an unhappy lifetime ago, before I met and fell in love with you.”
After an awkward silence, Pon gazed at his wife, wiped the tears from her eyes, and said, “I love you.”
The couple smiled at one another and hugged. They stayed in a silent embrace for several minutes, before Kim sat back, furrowed her brow, and said. “Do you know why this happened? The Englishman said that you, Spock, and Stu, stole the Holy Relic and killed someone.”
Pon, knowing it was the time he explained about his past and the secret he had kept from Kim, shook his head and said. “No, they were wrong.” He sighed and said. “I have never lied to you when you’ve asked me about my past life; I told you I was a monk.”
He then explained about the Tinju, their demise, and subsequent resurgence, along with his first duty and his brother, Dam. Without going into detail, he told her what he sometimes needed to do in order to conclude his duties. He then gave her a copy of ‘Siam Storm’ and told her to read that, as it explained everything.
Vehicles arrived at the Tangh’s during the morning with officials from the military and law enforcement, who gathered to deal with one subject.
Thran issued commands and then gave orders to reconvene that evening. The house went quiet around lunchtime while Spock and Stu still lounged poolside.
As Pon and Kim sat in tearful silence in their room, a familiar voice shouted for them to come downstairs.
They went downstairs and greeted Lee and Captain Ca, whose arm, now in a surgical sling, wore his military dress uniform.
Lee explained that he had flown in from Cambodia the previous night to see his wounded soldiers. He told them he had arranged for the surviving commandos and the dead soldier’s body to be flown back to Cambodia.
Captain Ca had debriefed Lee on the mission, although never mentioned how he had broken his arm.
“And now,” said Lee. “I’ve come to visit my favourite niece.” He smiled at Kim.
Spock and Stu came inside and said hello to Lee and Captain Ca. With Thran and Nga already in the dining room, they all sat around the dining table chatting and eating a buffet of Vietnamese food.
Lee told them the story of how he’d first met, trained, educated, and mentored Captain Ca after discovering Sereypheap village many years earlier. Lee sounded like a proud father as he told the tale.
They listened intently and when he’d finished his story, they all gazed at the embarrassed Captain, who quietly said. “Thank you sir. You taught me everything and took care of me more than I can ever repay.” He looked at the others and said, “During this mission, I also found some answers about my past.”
He looked at Pon who smiled at the Captain before he told them about meeting his brother, Ca, who unbeknownst to him, was the man Thran hated and loathed, more so now after the recent events.
Lee detected tension from his brother Thran as the Captain to
ld his story and said he wanted to help his brother.
Thran glared at Captain Ca before he got up and went outside.
A silent tension lingered in the room as the others looked at one another.
Captain Ca looked embarrassed and confused. “Did I say something to upset Minister Tangh sir?” he asked Lee.
Lee looked puzzled and wanting to find out what had made Thran angry, went outside, and joined him.
“What is it brother?” asked Lee looking concerned.
While the brothers spoke outside, the bewildered Captain and the others wondered what had just occurred and sat in silence.
Spock and Stu finished the bowls of Pho Bo beef noodles and fish soup, which they found tasty, considering that it wasn’t lathered in grease and wrapped in a bread roll.
Pon then received a phone call from Taksin, which broke the tension.
After several minutes, the conversation ended and Pon smiled and said. “Taksin set things in motion to clear our names, so we can return to Thailand tomorrow.”
He looked at Kim trying to judge her reaction. Kim took his hand, smiled, and said, “Let’s go home darling and see our family.”
Pon smiled and kissed her on her forehead. ‘Everything will be fine,’ he thought as he recalled the teaching of Buddha. ‘Holding onto anger is like grasping a hot coal with the intent of throwing it at someone. You are the one getting burnt.’
Spock then imparted his wisdom as he nudged Stu and whispered. “We’d better go out and get a shag tonight, matey.”
****
Grimes, Akhim, and their band of collaborators thoughts were a long way from getting a shag.
They were transferred to holding cells within the prison, which came as quite a shock to their system. They were well beyond their imagination of the horror that a Vietnamese prison would be like. They thought it would be modern with facilities similar to Dulles prison in Vegas.
The mercenaries, Grimes, and Akhim, were shackled together in a small cell with a hole in the floor for a toilet and a stone container with filthy water to wash their hands after wiping their sphincters. There were no beds, just a hot wooden floor to sit or lie on while shackled to each other.
Bimat--A Vietnamese Adventure Page 22
