by Ben Brown
“Zac, you did a good job, as usual,” Jason said as his cousin finished. “All of them are dead; I searched all their bodies, and I found this on the big guy.” He held up a piece of paper. “I’m not sure if it’s important, but I thought you better take a look.”
The piece of paper had a list of names on it. About half way down the list, Zac saw the names of both women.
They all looked at the two traumatized sisters as Matt returned to their side. He offered them some water.
Zac turned to the others. “These two are terrified; hang back while I try to talk to them. I think if we all get too close, they’ll clam up.”
Martinez and Jacobson nodded as Zac walked over and knelt by the two women. He gestured to Matt to leave, which he did after handing the two a canteen and a small ration pack of food.
“Thank you, you saved our lives. They were going to rape and kill us,” Mary said as she began to cry.
Zac took her hand and rubbed it gently.
“Thank you, thank you,” she sobbed, uncontrollably.
Zac let her cry for a minute or two. He thought she needed it, and then asked as gently as he could, “We found a piece of paper on one of the men; it has a list of names on it. Both, you and your sister’s names are on the list. Do you know why?”
She nodded, as she gained control of her tears. “Our father is the head of our village. He and many of the other local leaders have been approached to supply workers to that big man’s boss.” She nodded in the direction of the bearded thug.
Zac looked at him, and then turned back to Mary as she continued.
“My father refused to help, as did many of the surrounding villages. So they started kidnapping people in an effort to force our leaders’ hands. It’s been working. Many of the surrounding villages now work for the man known as Dominic. We were the latest to be kidnapped; all the people on the list have been taken or will be taken.”
Zac looked back towards his team; all were listening intently. This was good news; it confirmed that they were on the right track.
Zac could feel a weight lift from his shoulders; he had made the right decision.
He turned back to Mary and said, “Do you know if there’s an easy route to Dominic’s village?”
“Yes, if you head down the mountain in that direction.” She pointed off to her left. “About an hour walk from here you’ll reach a path, it will lead you to his village. It will take about four hours in all to walk.”
“Thank you. I’m sorry, but we can’t help you and your sister to get back to your village. We have a mission, and if we’re successful, it will help you all.”
She smiled at him and said, “You’ve saved us both; that’s enough. We can make it back to our village on our own.
“We will rest here for a while, and then we will make our way back to our home. My father’s men can then take my sister down the river to the hospital. She is strong; she’ll be okay until then.
“We owe you a debt that we will not forget. My father is a man who honors his family’s debt; your help will not go unpaid.”
She took Zac’s hand and raised it to her mouth; she kissed it gently.
After a few seconds, he stood and led the way in the direction she had indicated.
They were moving quickly, and it took far less time to reach the path than Mary had said. They then headed off, as fast as possible, in the direction of Dominic’s base. They still had a good lead on him, and if they made it to his camp without further incident, they would have enough time to position themselves in the best vantage points.
They reached the outskirts of the base after only three hours of hard hiking. The team came to a halt near a clump of trees. Zac motioned at the others to head for the thicket and take cover.
Martinez and Jacobson lay on the ground, facing in the direction of the base. The Platt boys knelt a few feet behind them to keep a look out as Martinez and Jacobson began surveying the camp through binoculars. Once the four were ensconced in their positions, Zac looked around one last time then joined the group, lying down next to Martinez. He offered Zac his binoculars.
Zac shook his head and said, “Thanks, I’m fine. I can see quite clearly from here.”
Martinez shrugged and put the binoculars back to his eyes.
“What do you think, Zac, did we beat him here? We should have at least a couple of hours to play with, if we’re lucky.” Martinez looked from building to building.
“Dominic definitely isn’t down there yet; I’d be able to sense him if he was. Lea isn’t here either; hopefully, they’re still both en route. One thing I’m certain of though, that place is heaving with subjects. There are hundreds down there, I can sense them all.”
Both Martinez and Jacobson were looking at him.
“This is beginning to look like a suicide mission,” Jacobson said. “How do you propose we proceed?”
“Good question, the truth is I’m not sure; I think, maybe the Platt boys should take up sniper positions ready to apply cover for us. Once the boys are in position, we wait. If, or when, I sense Dominic, then we decide how to proceed. Until that point, we stay concealed.”
Jacobson nodded and turned to his men. “Matt, you head to the north. Jason, you head south. Find positions that will offer the best coverage possible and then wait for further orders.”
The two young men saluted and headed off in search of the best vantage points.
“If you can sense Dominic, won’t he be able to sense you? If that’s the case, then we’re screwed.” Jacobson returned his attention to the base. “We may as well shoot ourselves in the head now.”
“He may be able to sense me, but I don’t think he will. You see, Dominic and his subjects are pumped up on the nanites; it makes their bodies loud, if you get me. I can sense them long before they sense me. Everything about them is running at 100%, their emotions, their heart rate, their adrenalin; everything is at maximum all the time. Whereas, I can slow everything down to a minimum, it’s like I’m whispering in a room full of shouting people. They can’t hear me until I’m right on top of them, but I can hear them from a mile away.”
Jacobson nodded with a smile. “That’s good to know, and it’s a real advantage for us.…”
Martinez interrupted; his eyes had scarcely left the base. “Look, down there — the largest hut. Look at the window next to the door; do you see the man at the desk?”
Jacobson and Zac looked at the hut.
“I see him, who is he? Do you know him?” Zac asked.
Jacobson answered before Martinez could speak. “Well I’ll be damned, if it isn’t General Jin-Ho. If Dominic is mixed up with him, then we are in real trouble.”
“Who is General Jin-Ho? I’ve never heard of him.”
“I’m not surprised you haven’t. After all, he’s not a mad ranting Muslim extremist. You know, the kind you see plastered all over the news; the western world is so focused on Muslim extremism it’s easy to miss the real threats to the world. And one of the biggest is right there, sitting in that hut.”
Martinez gestured with his head in the direction of the base. “General Jin-Ho was one of Kim Jong-Il’s most trusted military advisers; in fact, Jin-Ho was one of the men responsible for initiating North Korea’s nuclear weapons program. Then he started other programs, often without the knowledge of his government. The programs ranged from developing biological and chemical weapons to experiments on humans to enhance certain abilities. It was at this point that the North Korean government lost faith in Jin-Ho and ordered his arrest. Well, he and a handful of his most trusted and elite soldiers managed to escape. Up until now, no one has seen hide or hair of him, or his men.
“Jin-Ho is potentially one of the most dangerous men on the planet. For that reason, a worldwide order was given to all U.S forces and agencies stating, ‘If contact is made, then he must be killed’. He must not be allowed any chance of escape.”
“Now it would seem he is involved with a man who can make all his dream
s come true. That order is even more relevant now, and it must be carried out; he must not be allowed to leave this place alive,” Jacobson said, continuing from where Martinez had finished.
Zac pondered the situation for a while before answering their concerns. He now saw these men as his friends as well as his comrades, and he needed to respect their decisions in regards to any mission they carried out.
“Okay, I think we should still wait for Dominic to arrive. It must only be a matter of hours now. Once he has arrived, you two go after Jin-Ho, and I’ll go after Dominic. The Platt boys can cover us, and if we’re lucky, either Matt or Jason can put a bullet between the eyes of either target. Are we agreed?”
Both men nodded.
“Okay then, you two stay put; I’ll see if I can get any closer for a better look.”
Zac headed off towards the village, staying low and close to the tree line for cover. Soon he was close enough to Jin-Ho’s hut to hear the conversation between him and a woman who sat out of sight on the other side of the room.
“When will Dominic arrive? I have been kept waiting for too long, I grow tired of your empty promises.” Jin-Ho sounded impatient.
The woman’s voice was low, calm, and collected. She was neither threatened nor impressed by this man. In fact, Zac could feel all of her contempt towards him.
“General, I will tell you one last time,” she said, “Dominic is on his way, and he should be here in less than three hours. Now, if you’re finding the waiting hard to endure, then may I suggest you review your offer as I am sure Dominic will refuse it.”
Her voice sounded familiar. She had an upper class English accent; she was very concise. There was something oddly familiar about her.
“How dare you talk to me like that? I will have you punished for your insolence!” As Jin-Ho shouted at the woman, Zac heard his chair slam into a wall.
“Please, General, sit down; there is no point in becoming irate. You have no power in this camp, so your threats are quite empty. Once again I would suggest you recheck your figures, because your offer is significantly short of what Dominic will accept.”
“Kill her, take her head!”
There was a sound of fast moving feet, then the sound of fighting. Zac managed to get alongside the window and risked a glance. Two soldiers, clearly Korean, were attacking the woman. She handled them both with ease, snapping their necks in a split second. She moved in on the General, grabbing the man as he backed away from her. She had him dangling by his throat in one fluid move; his hands gripped her wrist.
“Now, General, this will be the last piece of advice I offer you, so listen very carefully. You are nothing to us but a tin-pot wannabe dictator. There are hundreds like you in the world, and we can do business with any of them. You are simply the one with the lowest public profile. You are attracting the least attention, so you will be our first of many customers. That is, if your offer is right, which I am telling you, it is not.”
She dropped the man; he fell to the floor in a crumpled heap. He was surprisingly small; Zac had expected a much larger man. After all, according to his companions he was extremely dangerous.
She, by comparison, was tall and willowy with long blond hair and an amazing figure. She was absolutely beautiful. Then it occurred to him why he knew her; he’d seen her on the TV. She was Jane Sinclair, one of the best war journalists the BBC had ever had. In the past few years she had managed to get interviews with the most dangerous terrorists, warlords and dictators. She had even interviewed the pirates who plagued the coasts of Africa. Had she been the head sales person for Dominic all this time? Had she been using her press privileges just to gain access to the world’s most evil and dangerous minds?
“So, General, I will leave you to yourself until Dominic arrives. Please consider carefully what I have said. After all, what we have to offer you will ensure your return to power. Surely, you can’t put a price on that? However, we can, and it is at least twice what you’re offering.”
She reached the door and turned to look at Jin-Ho. Zac ducked down below the window, out of sight.
“I will reconsider my offer, I apologize for the misunderstanding,” Jin-Ho said in a hoarse voice.
“Not at all, General. I take all of this as part of the cut and thrust of a lively negotiation. At the end, both parties should walk away pleased by the results of this healthy debate.”
Zac heard the door shut as she left the room. He had to force himself not to laugh; she had just completely demoralized one of the most wanted men on the planet. In doing so, she had never lost her cold, professional edge.
Zac headed back to the others to pass on what he had learned. He now knew they only had a few hours until all hell would break loose.
19
Dominic watched Lea wake with a start. The young Russian air-hostess stood over her, tapping her on the shoulder.
“I’m sorry to wake you, Miss, but we’re landing soon, and you need to put your seat belt on.”
“Oh — thank you, I’ll do that. Could you bring me some water please?” Lea replied, as she looked at Dominic.
The young hostess smiled and tilted her head slightly as she headed off to the galley.
“How is your headache my dear? Is it any better?” Dominic asked.
Lea had slept for many hours, and in that time, Dominic eyed her hungrily. His nanites had never caused such long lasting side effects before; he was concerned, not with Lea’s health, but with his nanites. The fact that they may prove to be ineffective on such a strong subject worried him. The nanites were struggling to take full control of her. The resulting headaches were the side effect of the ongoing battle within her brain. Every time the nanites reconstructed her synapses, her body would repair it. A war was going on in her head and Dominic was unsure of who, or what, would win.
“It’s a little better, thank you. Once we’ve landed, how long will it take to get to the base?”
Dominic looked at her for a considerable length of time before he answered. He could feel her discomfort.
“By road it would take quite a few hours, but I have a small chopper waiting for us. It should take no more than an hour by air.”
Lea nodded uneasily.
Dominic couldn’t take his eyes from her. “How do you feel about seeing my father again?” He waited to measure her response; this first mention of his father should register some emotion in her. Her response would indicate how effective his nanites were. He was testing her, whether she knew it or not.
“Why should I feel anything? He is nothing to me.”
Dominic was pleased by her answer. Finally he turned to the hostess.
“Where’s that water, my dear? One could die of thirst up here.” He looked back at Lea with a smile, which she returned.
The Bombardier Global Express XRS touched down on the dirt runway and taxied to a small, corrugated tin building. As the engines began to spin down, several men pushed a large set of mobile stairs up to the door of the plane.
The door opened and Dominic surveyed the airfield, which was all but deserted, only a few ground crew running around as they tended the plane.
At the bottom of the stairs stood a young man with long blond dreadlocks, which he wore tied back with a piece of ribbon. The man was muscular and well tanned. He looked like a surfer who had lost his way to the beach.
Dominic left the plane, leading the way down to the waiting man. Lea stepped into the doorway and instantly halted.
Dominic stopped halfway down the stairs; he turned to look in Lea’s direction. Dominic could feel her physical pain; he could feel her eyes burning under the intense sun. He put the feeling out of his mind and continued down the stairs.
She turned back to the hostess and asked, “Do you have any sun glasses? I forgot to pack mine.”
The hostess smiled and reached into her bag; she pulled out a fake pair of Prada shades and handed them to Lea.
“Thank you. I will make sure you are reimbursed for them.” Lea put t
hem on and headed down the stairs.
Dominic was already at the bottom, shaking the young man’s hand. He turned and beckoned to her; she hurried down the steps to join the two men.
“Ah, Lea, there you are. This is Oscar; he will be flying us to the village. He runs a small helicopter charter service from this airfield. He has been most helpful in dropping our volunteers out to the mission.”
With a single glare, Dominic made it clear to Lea that this young man had no idea what was really happening. Dominic clearly wanted Lea to collaborate with his deception.
Oscar offered her his hand; she took it, and he shook it vigorously.
“G’day, pleased to meet ya, Lea. It’s hot as hell today luv; hope you’re ready for it. It can get to a lot of people, but not Dominic here; every time I see him, he never has a sweat on.”
Lea seemed taken aback by the man’s open and friendly nature.
“Pleased to meet you … your accent — is it Australian?”
“Yep, I’m Aussie all right. Been in Africa for ‘bout two years now. I love it here. It’s a real challenge just staying alive, let alone making a living. Africa really gets the blood pumping, know wot I mean? Anyway, we need to get a move on. The chopper’s warmed up and ready to roll, that is if you’re both ready.”
Dominic looked at Lea; she looked pale. He turned back to Oscar and said, “We’re as ready as we’ll ever be. We have no luggage, so let’s go.”
The three headed off down the airfield, Oscar leading the way.
In the distance, Lea could see a small helicopter. It looked remarkably like a dragonfly, and it looked far too small for the three of them.
“Is that it? Are you taking us up in that?” Lea sounded more abrupt than she had intended.
Oscar stopped in his tracks and turned to look at her. He was clearly offended. “That, luv, is a Hughes/Schweizer 300. It’s one of the safest choppers in the skies today. It’s light, easy to fix and best of all, it’s tough as all hell! I’ve been flying one of those babies since I was fifteen years old. I used to use one to muster the cattle on me old man’s station back home in Western Australia.”
