The Siege Of Apuao Grande

by John Muir

CHAPTER 30

  THE GREATER CAUSE

  APUAO GRANDE

  Heidi's gave Helmut his w/t and was pleased Helmut's group looked very relaxed. Then, back past the tennis court prison, she took the path through the rain forest by the court toward the pump house. She had walked this path several times with Helmut in the previous days as they familiarised themselves with the island's geography in readiness. She remembered slipping once near the pump-house on the wet area where the pumps were leaking. The inefficiency of the resort owners in allowing leaks to remain unfixed amazed her. It was a waste of resources.

  She noticed many different sandal tracks around the pump-house and wondered if any belonged to Pater. She was sure that if he was still on the island he would be around this area somewhere. She felt Pater was a veteran of some conflict somewhere else. There were too many footprints to try and analyse now.

  Several less used paths ran off the main path. Some she had followed with Helmut. Most seem to lead to nowhere in particular and many were reclaimed by the rain forest through lack of use.

  Pausing as she cleared the last of the trees at the steep approach to the ridge, she looked up toward the defensive positions she had chosen to be dug out. It took her a few seconds to spot some. Set just below the top and both sides of the ridge, to avoid any silhouette against the horizon, they had been well prepared and disguised. She felt pleased. Presumably those on the other side of the ridge had been as well prepared. Each of the pits had been dug a metre below the ridge-top so they did not break the skyline. Preparations spotted from out to sea would not reveal those immediately over the ridge. Each was near enough to the top to give support cover over the ridge if required.

  It was a steep climb after they cleared the rain forest. Each side of the ridge was covered in knee high cogon grass.

  As she neared the first position a black hooded figure emerged from the grass.

  "Everything all right?" asked the figure.

  Heidi recognised the voice as Mohammed's.

  "You've done well here," she replied, despising the fact that she had to concede that they were well prepared. She turned to one of her crew who had anticipated her request and handed her a walkie-talkie. She passed it on to Mohammed.

  "You are number six on the call buttons. I don't want them to be used except for emergencies or if you see anything happening offshore. You be the judge of when to call. Here is a list of everyone's numbers." She handed him a copy of the list.

  Mohammed looked at it, nodded, folded it and put it in his rear pocket.

  "I don't expect anything to happen in our area for a while. I still want us to be alert. One of the European hostages got away last night. So keep an eye out. After I drop off the last of the portable radios, I'll arrange for a launcher and some stingers to be brought up."

  "Good," replied Mohammed. "We should've been properly ready before. If I see your lost prisoner he will be sorry when I shoot him."

  "No, he is not to be harmed," replied Heidi.

  Mohammed ran his finger across his throat in a cutting motion.

  Heidi let it pass. Each meeting with these Libyans made her start thinking if she could arrange for them to have fatal accidents.

  "Domingo," Heidi turned to her little group interpreter, "tell the Filipinos that breakfast will be here shortly."

  She turned back to face Mohammed, "Your's too, but it will only be the same as all the others."

  Mohammed said nothing.

  "I'm sorry about your friend Mahmood 1," said Heidi.

  "I heard about it," Mohammed replied without any obvious emotion in his voice. "He was a hothead and a fool. At least his life was lost in the greater cause. Anyway there are still five Libyans to make the operation succeed."

  Heidi wondered what greater cause he was referring to and wondered if there was a hidden meaning or threat in what he was saying.

  They stood in silence while Domingo gave the brief message to those nearby. She saw each of those spoken to pass the message on to another. Heidi was surprised from where some of them appeared. They were very well hidden, though probably sleeping.

  Aziz arrived, after scrambling up from the steeper seaward face of the ridge. Heidi gave him his walkie-talkie and the paper listing the call numbers.

  "Your number is on the paper along with everyone else. Is everything all right?" asked Heidi.

  She noticed Aziz look at Mohammed and obviously decided not to say whatever had entered his mind. Heidi sensed an enmity had built up between the Iranian and the Libyan.

  "Yes, we're all set up. Where is Raji?"

  "Covering the staff hostages held in the Simpson house. Call him later on your radio and talk to him," replied Heidi.

  She hoped that Aziz would get the hint. She wanted Aziz to contact Raji and hoped that Raji would pass on any message to her. Heidi felt she could trust the Iranians.

  When Domingo returned to the group Heidi walked on below the ridge toward the golf course, her little group following. As she started on the down-slope, Domingo came up to her shoulder to walk beside her.

  "I don't trust that first man," he said.

  "Neither do I." replied Heidi.

  She quickened her pace to move ahead of Domingo. She did not want the topic to be carried any further.

  ----------

  "Gunther, shouldn't we be trying to do something rather than sitting around on our arses?"

  "I been thinking about that," replied Gunther.

  "Any thoughts?"

  "Too many guns. Jesus I could do with a beer though," said Gunther.

  That last sentence, thought T.A., was one reason he felt he could not count too heavily on Gunther. His dependence on alcohol seemed to be a craving during all his waking hours. As he thought about it, it was the first time he had seen Gunther without a beer either in his hand or nearby, apart from when he was water-skiing. He even had beer on the hobie-cats and took a six-pack on their round of golf.

  "What are the Japanese talking about?" said Gunther, nodding toward them.

  T.A. saw the Japanese sitting in a circle in mid court suggesting that they wanted to talk out of earshot of the guards. It was unlikely any of the guards understood Japanese but it was a good precautionary measure. Many Filipinos' had worked in Japan, but they were mostly women. The Japanese were deep in discussion about something. From the occasional group "Hai" or "Eeay," he could tell of group agreement or disagreement.

  It seemed typically Japanese to organise resistance by committee. Not individual originality, but group consciousness. As a group decision, one individual could not be blamed if things went wrong. Therefore no one individual would lose face. If the plan did not work, it would never be thought of as a bad plan. The failure would be thought of as having happened through circumstances beyond their individual control.

  "Good luck to them," said T.A.

  The two Swiss tourists were talking to the Swiss diving instructor. T.A. noticed that generally each nationality congregated within their national groups with the exception of Gunther and him, and he did not really want Gunther for company. Perhaps he was more of a loner than he had thought himself to be.

  The Swiss group looked over at him and nodded. He nodded back. T.A. wondered what they were planning.

  Each time he tried to think of some way to escape, his mind drifted to Malou. If he did get out, should he try to get her out as well, or would that put her at risk? If he did get out, would her being with him reduce his chances of remaining at liberty? If he did not get her out, what might happen to her? How long was all this going to last? From the continual movements past the tennis court by various groups of hooded guerillas, they seemed to be organising themselves for a long stay.

  ----------

  Heidi sensed something in the back of her mind was trying to force its way to her conscious mind, but the nagging thought would not emerge. As she left Rico and Lorna's group and walked along the well-worn track to the restaurant, she wondered if the body of the little girl ha
d been recovered. She would check after visiting the beach machine gun site.

  It seemed the nagging thought surfaced each time she thought of the beach siting of the machine gun. Was it badly sighted? No. Now it had been shifted onto the grass under the tree, and camouflaged, it was virtually invisible to anyone offshore. The tree gave it invisibility from over flight from aircraft. Was that it? If it was required to shoot at aircraft it would be hindered by the overhanging branches. No, she had considered that. The thought would eventually surface. She tried to ignore it and concentrate on more pressing items.

  She realised her group might be feeling hungry. They had not complained. She was used to skipping breakfast, but that did not mean those in her group felt likewise. Perhaps she too should eat before checking the machine gun crew, and ask about the little girl's body. Otherwise she might be put her off her food.

  Near the southern-most and sea-side end of the ex-pats' houses she stopped. She turned to her little group following behind her.

  "Anyone hungry?"

  A short burst of interpretation followed and all the group members nodded their heads vigorously in the affirmative.

  "Thank you ma'am," said Domingo.

  "Domingo, get two of the group to go to the restaurant and get some food for all of us. We'll wait inside this house here for them," she nodded toward the beach-side house.

  Domingo gave instructions, and two of the group handed their weapons to their compatriots before setting off at a run toward the restaurant. They stopped briefly to exchange a few words with another group moving along the path toward Heidi.

  Heidi's curiosity about which group they were, was soon solved when she recognised Dandan's voice.

  "Good morning," he said directly to her.

  Heidi could not understand how she was easily picked out from the others. She was the same height as most of the group and the loose fitting garments hid her feminine shape. Most European women were about the same size as the average Filipino man.

  "Hi Dandan," she responded. "Dandan," she asked with an inquiry in her voice, "how does everybody know which one is me in the group?"

  "Lots of different things. Close up it is easy, even with the mask on. You have blue eyes. And you stand differently from the way a Filipino stands."

  "Oh, I thought it might have been something more obvious than that."

  She noticed that Domingo and one of the others subdue a little laugh. She was not annoyed that there was a little joke at her expense.

  "Come on Dandan, what else, my tits are not that large that they stick out."

  This caused more laughter amongst from those who understood English.

  "It's really quite easy. You are the only one of us wearing a pair of pink Reeboks."

  Heidi instantly looked down. Below her track suit pants were the now very dirty pink Reeboks she had bought in Manila on her first day. The ones she found so comfortable but had kept hidden since she had been on the island so as she could wear them during the mission.

  When she realised her obvious exception to the group, she burst out laughing, and was joined by the others.

  "Dandan, does it make me seem to be non-Filipino?"

  "No. A Filipino is a man. A Filipina is a woman. A Filipino would only steal them to give to his wife maybe. Or, if he was a gay Filipino he'd keep them for himself."

  "That obvious eh?"

  "No. It's just that I noticed them while we were waiting for the bancas to arrive last night. I told all the other Filipinos that if they wanted to know which one was you, then look for pink Reeboks."

  Another group came toward them from the restaurant.

  "It's Boy's group," said Dandan, "they had their breakfast after we did."

  Boy stepped away from his group and walked directly toward Heidi.

  "Did you recognise my pink Reeboks?" asked Heidi.

  She noticed Boy cast a quick glance in the direction of Dandan.

  "No," he replied.

  "My blue eyes then?" Heidi enjoyed this light interlude, especially when members of all three groups giggled.

  Boy seemed a little embarrassed.

  "Well yes," Boy stammered, "it made it easier for all of us."

  "It's OK, Dandan told me after I asked him."

  "Oh. I came to tell you that they got the little girl's body out," said Boy.

  "Have you hidden it?"

  "Sort of. One of the men in our group used to be a doctor in his other world. I asked him to take a look at the body."

  "Why?"

  "I don't know why, I'm just not sure about something. I feel something isn't right about it. It may be nothing."

  Heidi was going to pursue the point then decided to let Boy tell it in his own way. Besides if there was anything else she did not want it discussed with so many others around.

  "Tell me about it later when you've talked with your doctor. And anyway, why wasn't I told that there was a doctor among the men here."

  "I didn't know there was one. It was him who pulled the body out. He told me then, he thought there was something wrong, but wouldn't say what."

  "O.K., what was it?" asked Heidi, now curious.

  "For a start the body had no clothes on."

  "Oh shit! What are you suggesting?"

  "I don't know yet, I'll let you know as soon as he finishes. He said he had to wait until most of the seawater flowed out of the body," replied Boy.

  "I want to know straight away."

  Heidi knew she would not eat breakfast now. At least the others would be fed.

  "Dandan, I want your group to take a launcher and some missiles to the ridge."

  Dandan nodded a response and headed toward the beach. Boy lowered his head in a submissive fashion and called something to Dandan as he departed.

  "What was that you said?" demanded Heidi.

  "I said I would let him know what happened when I find out. He thought the little girl was a little sweetie. She reminded Dandan of his little girl that died."

  Heidi had not even considered that some of the guerillas might have children. The natural Filipino look made them all seem too young to be fathers.

  "We all thought she was special," replied Heidi.

  Boy nodded in agreement.

  "After you've checked with Rico and Lorna, take another launcher and missiles to Helmut to set up with a small group on the north side of Litttle Apuao. We don't want to have a sneak attack from that side. O.K?" she asked.

  A feeling of uneasiness and mystery seemed to encompass them all.

  Boy turned to his group and after a nod they headed off in the direction of the barrio.

  The something that had been nagging in Heidi's mind seemed to want to be recognised with such strength that it was almost giving her a headache. Whatever it was, it would not reveal itself. For now it had to wait. She cursed the distractions. She had forgotten to ask about the radio contact with Swagman Office in Manila. When her group had eaten she would get the mission radio transmitter/receiver for her group from the beach and listen in to see if anything was being reported from the other groups.

  "C'mon Domingo, let's go inside the house and see if there is anything worthwhile in the fridge. I'm feeling thirsty."

  Once inside, the group sat on the chairs while she rummaged through the refrigerator. It yielded several small packaged fruit juices. She spotted beer, but left it where it sat. She did not want her group drinking alcohol. She passed out the fruit drinks to the eager recipients and put two aside for the Filipinos who had gone to the restaurant.

  She sat in a seat arranged to look out through the tinted window at the panorama of the bay. From here she could see about seventy percent of the bay. Her armchair was swept by a large fan swinging through a 90 degree arc. It was the coolest and the best she had felt for hours.

  "Perhaps we could set up our little Headquarters and the radio here?" she said to Domingo.

  He nodded in agreement.

  Heidi knew it was exposed. Technically not a good choice,
but she could see a lot from here and not be seen from outside. It was only fifty metres from the nearest rain forest cover. It would do for now. At least it would keep her out of the heat of the sun. If she was indoors, even in front of the window she could remove her mask. The mugginess, even though it was only mid-morning, had been making her sweat more than usual, up until she sat in front of the fan. The mask had been reducing natural heat loss. She rationalised her choice as one of necessity of having to remove the mask to prevent heat exhaustion. It would only be a split second operation to put it back on again.

  As soon as the food bearers arrived it was being snatched off them by the others, apparently ravenous. The food carriers were carrying out a fast conversation with Domingo. Heidi realised that something had happened and waited until Domingo had the full story before asking.

  "They found out about what's been reported from Swagman in Manila," said Domingo.

  "Yes, yes, go on," Heidi impatiently responded.

  "A lot of confusion. The boatload of extra tourists to the island were delayed by the news of a national uprising and decided to stay put in Mercedes."

  "Good, less for us to worry about," interjected Heidi.

  "Yes, but funny. It's a little like hiding in the lion's house. Mercedes is a strong NPA area. They probably would've been safer here. At least here there is some discipline."

  "Do they know that we're on the Island?"

  "No. The only reason they didn't come was because they don't yet know what the national situation is. Military and police bases were hit right throughout the country, including the local militia in Daet. There was even some bombardment from the sea, so Swagman thought it safer that the tourists stay put for the moment."

  "Go on, go on."

  "There was no news about us," Domingo looked almost dejected about it.

  "Domingo, we're only a part of this whole thing."

  Domingo looked at her curiously.

  "We are one of dozens of tourist facilities taken over," Heidi went on.

  "Why?"

  "To get world publicity, without mass murders. Then to get out as quickly as possible, without getting caught."

  "You mean we're not trying to take over Government?"

  Heidi began to think maybe she had said too much.

  "That will depend on the people's reaction to what has happened." That, thought Heidi should cover her loose tongue.

  "But I want to know what was heard on the radio, so go on," she insisted.

  "Well, apparently there were calls on cellular phones to radio stations in Manila from some people on Boracay. One balik-bayan claimed hundreds of NPA had taken over the resorts on the island. He was hiding. Other mobile phone calls have been made to hotels in Manila that Americanos or balik-bayan had stayed in, before going to Boracay. They phoned from different resorts telling what has been happening."

  Heidi knew that Filipinos called all Europeans "Americanos." Her captives had little chance of grabbing a phone before being incarcerated.

  "What has been reported?"

  "Well," Domingo went on, "the Air Force was going to send a helicopter to Boracay to investigate. Normal telephone and radio links throughout most of the country have failed."

  "Gee, they'll be in for a welcome," commented Heidi.

  "Do they have the same weapons as us?" asked Domingo.

  "Yes, and I imagine a lot more," replied Heidi with a grin.