by JT Sawyer
Mitch could see a glimmer of a weathered concrete structure poking out from the thick foliage around two hundred yards down the trail. The building was old and covered in vines but its right angles stood out amongst the natural features of the forest. He motioned to it with his fingers and then gave the signal for moving through the jungle on a parallel route to the trail. As he went to stand, he noticed a unique tread pattern in the mud amidst the others. It was identical to the boot track he had seen around the Austrian estate and later associated with the mysterious figure at the Munich Airport. The track was older than the rest that were just made, its edges more rounded, and there were some rain pock marks present. This fuckin’ Charlie Brown guy again! How’s he tangled up in all this? Is he running this outfit of mercs here?
Before they moved, he whispered to the rest of the group huddled beside him, their AKs slung at a low ready, “We go in, recon the area, then get the hell out. Clear?”
Everyone nodded and then he led the way, pushing slowly through the thick undergrowth. He heard the patter of raindrops on the canopy while several drops pelted his face. Mitch knew that feeling in the air from time spent in the tropics—that a doozy of a storm was rolling in and they’d soon be hammered. Then an hour from now the sun would probably rear its head again, turning their surroundings into a sauna. For now he welcomed the cool rain, especially given the sound concealment it provided to their foot travel.
A few minutes later, they arrived at the cusp of the semi-developed area. There were four cement buildings situated around a central courtyard that was overgrown. The farthest structure to the rear was dilapidated and had a large palm tree growing through the collapsed roof. Beyond it was a small airfield that contained two old Huey helicopters next to a cluster of fuel barrels.
The other buildings were intact, a testament to the Japanese engineers who constructed them over half a century earlier. Marco had mentioned that the area had been used briefly as a jungle survival training center during the Vietnam War which explained why many of the windows were still intact. Near the back side of the main building was a large array of corrugated tin that was suspended on knee-high posts. At the lower end of the sloped tin was a gutter system for collecting rainwater. This led into a bulbous cistern that was half-submerged in the ground.
Mitch could smell the characteristic odor of diesel from a generator which was humming in the background near the main building. Beyond the structures, opposite their location, was an aerial antenna that was painted two-tone green. Mitch nearly missed it so clever was its disguise. So they’ve got power, comms, fresh water, and a waterway to travel on. Pretty self-contained, it seems—but for what purpose?
The sun began slicing through the canopy again followed by a few sprinkles of rain. The dark clouds to the east indicated that they would be drenched again shortly. As the generator cycled off, he could hear the faint shrieks of a man coming from the building to the right. He reached back, asking with his fingers for Marco’s binoculars, then he peered into the large window at the rear. Strung up from the wooden rafters was a thin man with a dark complexion whose shirt revealed red streaks running from the shoulders to the waist. His head was slumped down and he was semi-conscious by the sound of his groans. The large man encircling the captive was chewing on an unlit cigar, his taut black t-shirt revealing his muscular figure. In his right hand was a crimson-stained bullwhip whose tail was slung over his shoulder.
Mitch grimaced and his heart raced. He passed the binoculars back to the others so they could witness the horror show that he knew they would have to put to an end.
Dev moved forward, elbowing Marco aside as she moved between the two men. “You thinking what I’m thinking?” she said.
“Yep.”
Mitch glanced down at his vest, taking a mental note of his AK and pistol mags, hoping it would be enough. Shit, so much for lying low and doing just a recon mission.
Chapter 29
Mitch gathered the group together a hundred yards away from the main compound. “I want you two to flank out to the right and left and cover our infil,” whispered Mitch to Dave and Petra, who nodded in response. “Dev, Marco, and I will skirt around the back of the first building and head inside.” He looked over his shoulder towards the airfield. “If things turn to shit, we’ll meet up over there. Send a few rounds into the diesel canisters by the generator if things get really bad to buy us some time getting out of the building.”
After they all performed individual weapon checks, the trio broke off from David and Petra, who split up and took positions near fallen trees while covering their friends. Mitch led the way, habitually scanning the ground for any tripwires or buried trail alarms like he’d done in Afghanistan. Making his way to the edge of the forest, he squatted low and studied the route ahead for movement. The mercenaries were concentrated around the front, still moving the crates and sorting through the newly arrived goods. There were two entrances to the L-shaped facility and Mitch used hand signals to indicate he would take the door on the right while Dev and Marco would proceed to the left.
Mitch bolted across the muddy expanse surrounding the entrance, making it to the rusty steel door. What I wouldn’t give for some flash-bangs right now and about twenty more soldiers at my back. He twisted the handle and opened the creaky door slowly, squat-walking as he moved inside. He made his way along the damp floor, centipedes creeping out from the fissures between the old cement flooring.
The door was slightly ajar on the first room on the left and he could see the captive figure still suspended from the ceiling while a guard in camouflage clothing leaned against the wall, his back to the entrance. Mitch rushed through the door, grabbing the man from behind and driving his blade into the back of the neck, piercing the cervical region. The short fighter collapsed instantly in his arms and he lowered the figure to the ground. He moved to the strung-up man, whose eyes had widened with interest, and cut him loose. He fell forward, Mitch catching him before he hit the concrete.
“You OK, buddy?”
The man nodded, rolling his shoulders in circles and grimacing. “I think I’m a few inches taller.” He lifted his head and looked at Mitch.
Mitch’s eyebrows shot up and his face tightened. “Charlie fuckin’ Brown—the guy from the Munich Airport. What kind of blind luck has led me to finding your ass here?”
“Who are you?”
“The guy who’s been tracking you since you whacked Yin and before that. The same guy who saw you tailing me in the bar in Kuala Lumpur? You still gonna play dumb with me?”
Von was rubbing his aching jawline, sore from the numerous centipede bites, and still trying to form clear words through his swollen lips. Both men suddenly turned towards the window at some commotion outside.
Mitch helped Von to his feet as they made their way to the door. “We’ll resume this conversation later. Right now, I need to find my friend if he’s here—an older man in his sixties, balding.”
“Sounds like Schueller—he’s been in and out of the cell next to this one. We talked last night when the guards left for a few minutes.”
“Yeah, that’s him. Is he OK? Where did they take him?”
“Not sure but there’s a small lab in the center of this building from what he said. He’s probably in there with scarface, the motherfucker who strung me up here.”
Mitch rubbed his chin, studying the man’s lacerations and swollen lower lip. “Looks like they did a number on you—anything you want to tell me?”
“They abducted me a few days ago from the city thinking I had some connection to their plans.”
They heard movement in the hallway and pressed against the wall until the sound passed. “We’ve gotta get Schueller and get the hell out of here,” he whispered, then noticed the man extended his hand.
“Name’s Von.”
“Mitch.”
They moved towards the door, Von reaching down to the slumped guard and removing his Beretta pistol. He did a partial chamber check an
d tucked it into his waist then removed the camouflage shirt from the figure and slid it over his blood-streaked torso.
Chapter 30
After she opened the exterior door, Dev secreted herself against the wall and moved inside while Marco covered their rear. Marco tapped her on the shoulder and motioned to her neck then he plucked a leech off her skin before it delivered its anti-coagulant saliva. She gulped and then gave him a nod of thanks. I’ve been shot, stabbed, and blown up but nothing terrifies me more than all these fucking bugs. Christ, let’s finish this mission already.
She took a deep breath while the color returned to her face. Dev crept towards the first room on her right, her six-inch fixed blade in her hand. The last thing she wanted to do was alert the other guards with the sound of gunfire and risk sending rounds down the hallway in Mitch’s direction.
Before she reached the door, it swung open and a tall Suma fighter emerged. He was as shocked by her presence as she was by his and he reached for his holstered pistol. She sprung on him, thrusting her blade into his left jugular then swiftly arcing down across the chest, performing an angular stab into his ribcage. The entire flow of movements was over in a second and the guard staggered backwards, collapsing onto the floor while trying to clutch his leaking throat. Dev looked around the room, grabbing the guard’s keys off his belt, and then glanced back at Marco whose mouth was agape. He moved into the hallway, closing the exterior door and catching up to her.
Chapter 31
Kyle was next to Carlos, his second-in-command, as they stood in the small lab attached to the main compound where Schueller had been working for the past twenty-four hours. The glass-encased containment room was empty inside and the professor was going through a decontamination vapor shower in a sealed plastic walkway that connected the lab to the isolation chamber.
Kyle took the individual canisters which had timed dispersal clocks mounted on each end and gently placed them in eight padded blue daypacks which bore the white logo of a fictitious tourist company.
“Take these to the helo and alert the other men to meet me there in ten minutes.” Carlos slung the backpacks over his shoulders, his face tense as he made certain to avoid clanging the canisters.
Schueller’s eyes hung heavy and his face was taut. He moved like someone thirty years older, his back hunched as he plunked down into the swivel chair next to a steel table. Kyle walked over to him and took the single vial from the older man’s hands. “This is the injectable version, yes?”
The fatigued man just nodded without making eye contact. “Excellent, then your work is done here, my good professor.”
Kyle moved back to the desk near the door and removed a syringe from a plastic container. He filled it with the fluid from the vial and then inserted it into his arm, pushing the plunger down while his eyelids fluttered like a heroin addict elated at the liquid pleasure surging into his veins. He took a deep breath and paced his inhalation then rolled his sleeve down and turned towards Schueller.
“I’ll give this a few minutes to make sure there are no side-effects then we can wrap things up in this musty rathole.”
Schueller looked up as Kyle rested his hands on the pistol in his waistline. “I know you have no intentions of letting me live,” said the older man.
“I’ve never lied to you about what my plans are. I never will. The CIA has lied to you all these years but I will not do that to you.”
“Do you expect me to feel thankful? You’re planning to unleash a deadly virus and you want my gratitude.”
Kyle swiftly withdrew his pistol and aimed at Schueller’s head. “I could’ve killed you a dozen times over by now and had my man mince your precious family so start showing me some goddamned respect.” He lowered the weapon while softening his voice. “I may still need you if this doesn’t work out as planned. Although the other test subjects I used this latest sample on seemed to prove everything is good to go.” He tucked the pistol back in his belt and walked to the door. He paused, tilting his head towards the handle as he heard faint footsteps outside and then saw the rusty gray handle turning slowly.
Chapter 32
Von indicated the location of where he thought the lab was as they made their way through the dimly lit hallway. Mitch slowly moved to the right side of the door, feeling the handle. It was unlocked and he twisted it then flung open the door, bursting through with his pistol extended. He saw his friend Bob sitting in a chair in the corner. Several rounds of gunfire struck the concrete wall above his head, sending rock shrapnel onto his back. He and Von ducked under a steel table, flipping it over and taking cover while the rounds raked their surroundings. Mitch peered around the edge and shot off three rounds, seeing a figure in a gypsum-colored jacket near a cabinet in the opposite corner. The man had a small metal case in his hand and began running for the door while tossing a beaker of fluid on the floor. The glass shattered and sent a plume of acrid gray smoke into the air that smelled like burnt eggs. Mitch heard gunfire in the hallway as he ran to the back of the room to grab Schueller.
His friend was sprawled on the floor, coughing and covering his mouth. “It’s only sulphur,” the man said then looked up at Mitch, his eyebrows scrunching together then releasing as his face illuminated at the sight of his rescuer. “Mitch. What are you doing here? How did…”
Mitch helped him to his feet and they moved towards the exit, gagging on the strong fumes. “We’ll talk later. Can you run?”
The man nodded while coughing. Von was at the doorway and motioned to Mitch that it was clear. They moved into the hallway, sucking in fresh air. When the smoke cleared Mitch saw Dev lying on the ground near the entrance while Marco clutched a bullet wound below her left ribs. A staccato of gunfire rattled off the walls outside the building and Mitch knew their world was about to constrict.
Chapter 33
Rushing up to Dev, Mitch knelt down and inspected her wound. The bullet grazed her right side below the floating ribs and there was a huge swath of skin missing which was bleeding profusely. “Looks like it didn’t pierce any vitals. I just can’t tell for sure.”
She winced and gripped his sleeve. Mitch reached into his vest pocket and yanked out his trauma kit, removing the large wad of gauze at the front and applying it to the entrance and exit wounds. Then he removed his shemagh from his pack and wrapped it around her midsection and tied it off.
A barrage of rifle fire resounded off the concrete walls outside and he looked over at Marco, both of them giving a look of recognition at the noise. “Those sure as hell aren’t AK rounds.”
Mitch glared at Von. “Pals of yours?”
He shook his head to either side and moved towards a window in one of the rooms while Mitch followed him. They both examined the men in black moving through the compound dispatching any resistance with their AR rifles, which were tricked out with red-dot scopes and flashlights. “These aren’t rebels. This is a murder squad sent to eliminate everyone here,” said Mitch.
“Fucking Crenna,” muttered Von under his breath.
“So these are associates of yours?”
“No but I can guess who’s pulling their strings.” Von reached up to the desk and examined the laptop screen, which displayed a scientific formula, and then removed a flash drive from the side, shoving it into his pocket.
Mitch kept scrutinizing Von. “Look, I don’t know who the hell you are but I’m not sure I want you on my six as we’re sneaking out of here.”
“I want out of this place as much as you do. Besides, the guy who shot your lady friend is about to launch a bio-attack somewhere in Jakarta from the little I’ve gathered and I need to get to him before he carries it out. This is my homeland and I’m not about to let a lunatic like Redstrom decimate my country.”
Mitch looked down at the pistol in the man’s waistband and at the lacerations on his face and arms then thought back to his actions at the Munich Airport. He couldn’t figure what Von’s connection was with Yin or what was going down at this remote facil
ity but his gut instincts told him that the man was telling the truth about what he’d just said. Though he wasn’t sure how far his trust would extend with someone who was a killer for hire.
Chapter 34
After he’d fired off several rounds at the man and woman running at him in the hallway, Kyle bolted in the opposite direction. He exited the building and wove between some fuel drums, making his way towards the helicopters a hundred yards away. He saw most of his men engaged in a gun battle to his rear and hoped the other eight mercenaries selected for his mission to the Jakarta Airport were already aboard the helicopter.
He saw several men in black tactical gear sweeping through the southern part of the camp; their precision moves and superior weapons were no match for the Suma mercenaries who were quickly being dispatched. “Crenna sending his cavalry to the rescue. Only it won’t be enough.” He reached into his gypsum-colored jacket and removed a detonator that was connected to several crates of thermite buried under the lab. The steel barrels beside him sparked with gunfire and he looked up to see a large man with a flat nose firing at him from across the field. Just like Crenna, never wanting to get his lotiony hands all dirty and sending another disposable asset to do his fucking bidding.
He could see the man reloading his AR and Kyle used the brief pause to shoot at the jungle vines draped off the trees above. A white viscous fluid sprayed onto the ground below, covering Masala in a caustic shower. He immediately began rubbing his face at the burning irritant. Kyle stood up and sent two more rounds into his head. Then he ran across the field, darting from crate to crate until he reached the airfield. Carlos was inside the first helicopter and the rotors had just begun turning as the engines fired up. Climbing inside, he did a headcount of his men and then gave the thumbs-up to ascend. He ran his hand over the thumb of the detonator, flicking the red switch as the lab and surrounding buildings exploded.
