Dawn of Deception

by Dan Fletcher

  David smiled briefly as he unfolded Scott’s map and laid it on the ground, the men huddled around him to get a better view. The decisions to have Koinet brought there and use it for the showdown with Commander Abasi hadn’t been made randomly. Nor was the list of confiscated items he had asked Damo to bring

  “I’m expecting them to arrive in two, possibly three, helicopters. As you can see the four huts back onto the waterhole making them easily defendable from the rear,” not many men would be willing to cross the crocodile infested waters. “The only real place to land is here.” David pointed to the circle he’d drawn.

  “Chege, I want you to take one of the rocket launchers and hide in these trees here,” he pointed to the one just north of their position. “Rashid, you hide to the east of the clearing with the other RPG. Wait for the shooting to start and then take out the helicopters. Then I want you to come at them from the rear.”

  Both men nodded but bore opposing expressions, a look of disbelief on Rashid’s face, a smile on Chege’s.

  “Before they get here we’re going to put down some perimeter defences to make sure that they can’t outflank us. I want you to space the snares out in two rows either side of the clearing. Between the trees and our position.” He pointed to the lines he’d drawn between the corners of the furthermost huts and the trees.

  “Then the land mines need to be divided up and placed in these two areas outside the snares. We’re going to funnel them down to our position.”

  By doing so, David hoped that he would reduce the effectiveness of their superior numbers. His men would be able to concentrate all their firepower on the neck of the funnel. With Chege and Rashid surprising them from the rear it might just tip the balance. David rehearsed the plan with them a couple of times until he was sure that every man knew the details off by heart.

  “Right, their ETA is about an hour from now so we’d better get the snares and mines in place and take up our positions. Remember, nobody is to fire a shot until I do. The key to this succeeding is drawing them onto us before they know that we’re here. Good luck gentlemen.”

  Even Chege was strangely silent as the men dispersed and went off in pairs.

  The butterflies started to flutter in his stomach, as they always did when a mission got going. David walked with Damo up the stairs between the piles of munitions into Scott’s lodge.

  CHAPTER FORTY-ONE

  Spencer Scott’s Lodge, Maasai Mara

  August 20th, 1996

  The seconds ticked by agonisingly slowly. Minutes became an hour, then two, eventually dragging into three. Inside the lodge the tension mounted between them as the waiting took its toll. Outside the light started to fade.

  “This is crazy,” muttered Damo. He was staring out of the window towards the gates. “It will be dark soon.”

  “Why don’t you relax and sit down, you’re starting to get on my nerves.” David instantly regretted snapping at his friend, “I told you before, this might be the only chance we’ll get to stop him.”

  “And that’s so important that you’re willing to risk all of our lives, including your own?” Damo shook his head, “You don’t even know who he really is.”

  Bernstein must have told him that part of the story. David was about to ask when he heard the drum of rotors in the distance. Seconds later a pair of Bell helicopters appeared over the brow of the hill in the distance.

  “They’re here.” David took charge, “You’d better get in position.”

  Damo mumbled something under his breath but made his way over to the window.

  As the ungainly glass-fronted beasts got closer the noise of the double-rotors became deafening. They hovered over the clearing. So close that David could see the manifold of the exposed Pratt & Whitney engines housed in their tails. Ponderously they descended into the clearing, creating a huge cloud of dust.

  David rested his rifle on the edge of one of the armchairs that they had dragged near the window and adjusted the scope. The hatch located behind the cockpit of the nearest helicopter opened and a figure in combat fatigues appeared. His finger tightened on the trigger but it wasn’t Abasi. He released the pressure and let the GSU officer disembark, followed by nine others, also armed with machine guns and wearing bulletproof vests. They fanned out from the Bell and dropped to their knees in the grass, forming a semi-circle facing the lodge.

  Another squad emerged from the second helicopter in tight formation, protecting someone in their midst, using their bodies as a human shield. David guessed that it must be the Commander but there was no way of telling through the mass of camouflage uniforms. The second troop stopped behind first and crouched facing the lodge.

  In unison the first squad of officers rose to their feet and started to advance towards the huts. They held formation well, about five meters apart.

  He centred the cross- hairs on one of the faces in the middle of the line and waited. When the man was about a hundred meters away he took a deep breath and pulled the trigger. His head snapped back and the GSU officer was thrown backwards. The air was instantly filled with the sound of gunfire as David’s men started shooting from the other buildings. Three more GSU officers were riddled with bullets and collapsed.

  A couple of Abasi’s troops started to return fire. Aiming at the hut that Bernstein and Scott were in. There was a whooshing sound followed by an enormous explosion that shook the posts supporting the lodge.

  The helicopter furthest from them burst into flames and sent a huge mushrooming fireball up into the sky. Black smoke started to pour from the back of the Bell as what was left of the fuel continued to burn. The force of the blast had broken the beast’s back, the hull torn open below the main rotors. The flaming metal carcass groaned and rolled over onto its side with a crash. Still spinning one of the huge rotors buckled as it dug into the ground. For some reason Rashid didn’t fire at the second helicopter. David could only assume that there was something wrong with the rocket launcher.

  Not that it mattered. The group that had previously been guarding Abasi picked themselves up and started running away from the Bell. Dry grass around the downed helicopter had caught fire and a wall of flames was spreading rapidly towards the second. Unfortunately the group were heading straight for the snares and landmines to the west of the clearing. There was a dull pop as one of the anti-personnel mines went off and the man at the front disintegrated in a spray of blood and tissue. The man behind him was caught by the shrapnel and went down howling in agony.

  David caught sight of Abasi running not far behind him but suddenly he fell to the ground and disappeared from sight. The rest of the squad turned back towards the lodge and started shooting.

  The rotors of the other Bell started to turn and the noise of the engine built to a crescendo. The weight was slowly taken off the wheel’s suspension and it lifted off the ground. He kept his rifle trained on the spot where Abasi had fallen just in case he tried to make a run for the helicopter. But there was no sign of him. The pitch of the single engine increased steadily as the huge beast climbed, creating a dust storm that enveloped the clearing. After hovering for what seemed like an eternity the Bell turned 180 degrees, tilted forward and thundered away from them.

  The cracking sound of automatic weapons being fired resumed once the cloud of dust had settled. Abasi’s men regrouped as a single unit, lying on their stomachs firing controlled bursts. David ducked behind the armchair as the lodge was strafed and wood splintered off the window frame.

  There was some shouting out in the field. Four of Abasi’s men got to their feet and started running towards the buildings. They were taken down in a hail of bullets from the Ranger’s inside the huts.

  After a couple of minutes the number of shots fired by Abasi’s men tapered off until they stopped altogether. Then one of them decided to make a run for it and bolted for the creek that connected the two waterholes. He made it through the line of snares but not the landmines. One of the smaller payloads exploded beneath him and he was
thrown in the air. Shock must have stopped the pain, he tried to stand up but both his legs had been severed below the knee. The man toppled over without a sound, blood pumping from the tattered stumps.

  Chege and Rashid sent a volley of fire at the GSU officers from their positions in the trees. That was enough for the remaining eight men, rifles raised above their heads they got to their feet. Rashid came out from the trees and started walking towards them and then Chege appeared. David heard one of the doors to the huts being slammed as someone went out.

  David didn’t wait. He left the lodge and started running towards where he had seen Abasi go down. He reached the clearing and was forced to walk as he navigated his way through the few remaining booby-traps. Billowing smoke from the helicopter and burning grass were making visibility difficult.

  He could hear someone whimpering and followed the sound. The smoke cleared for a second and he could see a figure sitting in the grass ahead of him.

  Abasi was too busy struggling with the elephant snare to hear him approach, trying to loosen the barbed wire with his fingers. The wire was connected to a stake buried in the ground a few feet away. It had cut through his muscle to the bone. Elephants had no way of removing the wire and would instinctively pull until eventually they collapsed with exhaustion. Or it cut through their leg completely.

  David fired a shot into the ground near Abasi’s feet to get his attention, “Put your hands where I can see them.”

  Abasi twisted towards him and glared but did as he was told. That was when David noticed the golden amulet lodged between his chin and his tunic. He took a step forward to get a closer look and a shiver ran down his spine. The two-headed figure from his nightmares glowed in the sunset, just as it had in the headlights the night that his father was murdered.

  “You?” the blood seemed to drain from his arms and legs, David was rooted to the spot.

  “Of course it’s me, you idiot!” the Commander sneered and the scarred side of his face went into spasm.

  David’s lifted his rifle so that it was pointing at Abasi’s chest, “You don’t even recognise me do you?”

  Abasi frowned, “What do you mean?”

  “Five years ago on a small farm outside Kisii you murdered my father and then raped my mother.” David struggled with the words, his voice choked up with emotion, “You made us watch when you shot him in the back of the head! You bastard”

  “What the hell are you talking about?” The smirk disappeared and David thought that he saw a flicker of comprehension in the Commander’s eyes.

  “Well, my mother didn’t die. When I dragged her out of the fire she was already pregnant with your child. Nine months later she gave birth to your daughter...my sister,” his arms trembled with rage. “I’m going to kill you for what you did to my family, and to Caitlyn.” David’s finger tightened on the trigger but Damo’s voice stopped him.

  “Wait! Don’t do it David...please put the gun down.” There was a momentary pause, “He’s my brother.”

  Abasi stared past David in disbelief, “Damo?”

  “Yes Maliki it’s me. I see that you are more of a disgrace to the family now than ever. I was devastated when you left. I see now that it was a blessing. At least our father died without knowing what kind of a monster you have become. How could you kill so many people? They say it was tens of thousands.”

  “They were all Kikuyu bastards and they deserved to die, every last one of them!” screamed Abasi. “Our beloved father was the monster! He made me what I am! How can you turn your back on your own son? Send him out into the bush with nothing?”

  “Maybe he knew that you were consumed with greed, envy of his title. It was you who insisted on trying to make the passage into manhood early. You were always pushing to be the Chief.”

  “Damo.” David glanced over quickly but kept the gun on Abasi, “What the hell is going on? Why did you call him Maliki?”

  “Because that’s his real name,” Damo nodded towards Abasi. “I’m sorry. I should have spoken to you sooner. When you first told me about the night your father was killed and described the amulet. I knew then it could only be my brother. Only two of them were ever made and I own the other one. They were given to us by our mother.”

  David turned the gun on Damo. A seed of doubt had been sown in his mind, “You’ve got thirty seconds to explain why you never told me any of this before. Are you the one who has been supplying information to him?”

  Damo shook his head and walked a few steps closer, “You’ve got to believe me, I didn’t know that my brother was Commander Abasi until I spoke to Bernstein and put two and two together. I haven’t seen him for over thirty years.”

  “So why didn’t you tell me that you knew who my father’s killer was?” David was shouting, “Were you trying to protect him?”

  “I was selfishly protecting myself.” Damo’ voice broke, “Because I knew how you would react. I can see it in your eyes now, the hate…the doubt. I didn’t want to lose you as my friend.”

  At that point in time David didn’t trust either of them and wasn’t sure who to shoot first. Out of the corner of his eye he saw a blur of movement from Abasi’s direction.

  “No!” screamed Damo.

  Time stood still and he was frozen to the spot. Damo threw himself at David and knocked him sideways. In the same moment there was the deafening sound of a gun being fired twice in quick succession. Abasi had a smoking pistol in his hand and an insane grin on his lop-sided face. The madman started swinging the gun in David’s direction. David instinctively reacted and pulled the trigger as his shoulder hit the ground.

  The bullet went through Abasi’s arm above the elbow and the gun flew from his hand. Then there was the sound of other voices as Chege and Rashid arrived on the scene.

  “Cover him, I’ll get the Captain,” shouted Chege.

  “Lie face down on the ground with your hands behind your head,” Rashid walked over to Abasi and kicked him in the back, so that he fell forwards. Then he pressed the muzzle of his rifle against the Commander’s neck.

  “Are you OK,” asked Chege, taking hold of David’s elbow as he got to his feet.

  “I wasn’t hit,” he looked down at Damo. He was clutching his chest with both hands trying to stem the flow of blood. His machine-gun discarded on the ground next to him and a wide-eyed look on his face.

  David glanced up at the sky where a few of the brighter stars were already visible. The light was fading fast and night would soon be upon them.

  “Chege, help me bring him inside. Rashid, make sure that the Commander is secured along with the other prisoners,” David shouldered the rifle. He grabbed Damo’s collar and pulled him to his feet.

  Between them Chege and David shepherded him over to the lodge. Abasi’s men had been rounded up and were kneeling in the dirt. Half of them with hands on their heads. The other GSU officers’ arms had already been zip-tied behind their backs by a Ranger who was working his way down the line. David did a quick head count of the rangers watching over them. By the looks of it Damo was the only casualty they had suffered. Scott and Bernstein walked over to intercept them.

  “Where’s Commander Abasi?” Bernstein looked past him towards the clearing but David didn’t stop walking.

  “Rashid’s got him,” he called over his shoulder. “Go and give him a hand.”

  They propelled Damo up the rickety steps to the lodge and lowered him onto the wooden floorboards in the lounge.

  “Chege, get headquarters on the radio and ask for Deputy Director Tanui, refuse to speak to anyone else. Let me know when you’ve got hold of him.”

  “Yes sir,” the ranger went over to the desk and started twiddling with the dials of Scott’s equipment. The sound of static invaded the room.

  “You’ve got some serious explaining to do when you get better,” David knelt down beside his friend and unbuttoned his shirt. One of the bullets had penetrated his lung, pink frothy liquid bubbled out when he exhaled. The other slug’s pass
age was marked by a puckered hole two inches to the left that was spurting bright arterial blood.

  David went over to the counter and retrieved the med kit they had left there. He opened it on the floor next to Damo and found a padded bandage.

  He put it over the wound and applied pressure, “What the hell did you do that for?”

  “I should have told you before that my brother killed your father,” Damo’s eyes closed for a second and then fluttered open again. His voice was hoarse, little more than a whisper when he spoke. Tears were running down his cheeks. David had to lean closer in order to hear him, “I’m sorry David.”

  Imagining Abasi without the scars David realised now why he had looked so familiar the first time he saw him, “Why didn’t you ever try to contact him?”

  “Maasai tradition forbids it...he was expelled from the tribe for failing the lion hunt.” Damo gasped like he was fighting for breath, “Besides he’s pure evil, he always has been, ever since he was a child.”

  Those were Damo’s last words, his eyes glazed over and the life went out of him.

  EPILOGUE

  Nairobi War Cemetery, Ngong Road

  August 27th, 1996

  A week later nearly all of the Rangers on active duty gathered at Langata Cemetery for Damo’s funeral. As his coffin was lowered into the ground David and the rest of the honour guard fired a single shot to mark his friend’s passing. The sound reverberated through the gravestones like rolling thunder and then the heavens opened and it started to rain. To David it seemed only fitting that the weather reflected the sombre mood, raindrops ran down from his brow and mixed with the tears.

  As the bugler finished his reverie the crowd began to disperse. David instructed the squad to shoulder arms and then dismissed them. Chege, Rashid and Makori embraced him before they left and David hoped that he didn’t have to witness so many grown men crying ever again. Everybody he spoke to said the same thing, albeit in different ways. They simply didn’t come any better. David was devastated by his death but there was a lot about Damo that he didn’t know. He understood now that most of the time people only let you see what they want you to. Both Caitlyn and Damo had taught him that.