by Martin Cox
The first part of the journey was simple, a two hour drive to the boats. A calm sea would also make the second part easier. With an exchange of vehicles the equipment was quickly on board the vessels. They set off at a steady speed, leaving the river and heading into the Atlantic, hugging the coastline in search of the cove that would lead them to their third part of the journey, a trek into to the forest and possible dangers. The sea had been calm the entire journey and as the cove approached, everyone was ready to disembark. The boats were secured around the nearby trees with long, strong ropes and the holdalls were emptied as each individual armed them self, filling their belts with extra ammunition. Jack threw on a backpack, adjusting the straps, tightening his load. The party clambered upwards to a level surface and stopped.
‘Are we ready?’ Jack asked.
‘Would it be ok if I checked the boats again? It is our only way back and I want to be sure they are secure,’ Fernando asked. It was a strange request and Jack didn’t like the delay, but it made sense to make sure, as he said, it was their only way back. A few moments later Fernando was back and they were ready to go.
Grimlock had woken late, almost midday, from a fairly heavy sleep, despite an uncomfortable bed. He awoke to the sound of a man screaming in the courtyard outside. He quickly dressed and made his way through the series of heavy wooden doors into the fresh air and daylight. He pulled out a packet of cigarettes from his pocket and took one out. He lit it with a look of wonderment as he watched the rather unusual event in the distance. He observed two men holding, what appeared to be, a large stone slab. Below the stone was a man’s head, the rest of him staked out with thick ropes, inhibiting his movements. There was another man probing him with questions.
‘You can see the fear in his eyes from here,’ said the Texan accent from behind Grimlock. Grimlock turned.
‘Would it not be easier to hold a gun to their head?’ he asked.
‘It is amazing how many people will talk a lot more with a large block of stone hovering over them. You see it doesn’t always kill them straight away. It can be days before they die,’
‘You just leave them there, screaming.’
‘They don’t usually scream. It’s more of a moan. This one here just has to accept that he is a thief and we will spare him the lingering anguish.’
‘Surely, Sperafico can live without whatever it is he has stolen, why not just kill him now and move on?’
‘It is many things. It is the principal of the matter to consider. The man has been tempted, before this, nothing, apparently a loyal employee. Do you think he will do it again? His replacement may get away with it and get away with more. Dead men don’t talk Mr. Grimlock. When you need them to talk, you need them alive.’ Grimlock blew out a large exhale of smoke as Maddox wandered off towards the odd interrogation. In the distance Grimlock could see that the man had calmed. He could hear him admitting stealing some of the shipment and that he would return it. Maddox approached the, now blubbering, man. He dismissed the two men holding the stone. The interrogator wiped sweat from his brow with a white handkerchief and began to untie the ropes. Maybe it was fatigue, sweaty hands or clumsiness, but certainly it was unintentional, that one man lost grip of his end of the stone. Grimlock watched, in horror, as the stone slipped away from their fingers. He quickly turned his head away from the sickening event, as the man’s roaring scream filled the air once more. He turned back to the silence. It was clear to see that each member of the interrogation party was relieved. The stone had landed a whisker away from the side of the man’s face. Not even a scratch. Sperafico exited the fort and approached Grimlock, as he finished the last drag of his cigarette.
‘You see, incompetence.’ He stared Grimlock in the eyes for a second, before blinking. ‘I still cannot fully understand why you have come this far, without any need to do so.’ He paused for a second. ‘I am at the end of my chain with bad deals, missing helicopters and incompetence. I think you should be on your way Mr. Grimlock, I will contact you when I need you.’ Sperafico’s frightening stare again consumed all of Grimlock’s robust traits. From the doorway, a large man passed Sperafico a mobile phone.
‘It is for you,’ he said in Portuguese. Sperafico took it and listened. He said ‘Thank you’, hung up the phone and gave it back to the burly man.
‘Apparently we are receiving visitors,’ Sperafico said calmly, he thought for a moment before he spoke again. ‘Is that why you are here? To help them get in? To help them kill me?’ The calmness exploded into rage as if he was another person. He nodded to the large man who wrapped his strong muscular arm around Grimlock’s neck.
‘You’ve got it all wrong,’ Grimlock choked.
‘Have you been found out like you feared? Is this the nature of your visit, to repay your government of your wrong doings, with my capture?’
‘I came to warn you that he was up to something,’ Grimlock insisted. Sperafico wouldn’t listen to Grimlock’s reasonable plea.
‘Finish him. For all to see.’ The burly man dragged Grimlock away under his arm, the toes of his shoes dragging on the ground erratically as Grimlock tried everything he knew to force his way out of the grip. But it was useless, it was the thickest arm he had ever seen and it was clamped around his neck like it was a metal vice. Grimlock’s eyes began to close and it was at this point that he knew what that noose was for.
‘What the hell is going on?’ Maddox asked, as he returned, watching Grimlock disappear around the side of the building.
‘Take a few men with you, our Mister Harvey is approaching with a small group from the east, nothing to be worried about, they are all from the same family, it’s quite endearing really. Fernando is with them, you will recognise him when you see him. You can let him go.’ Maddox whistled across the courtyard to three guards smoking, waving his hands, beckoning them over.
‘You three, come with me,’ he said and they headed out the gate and into the jungle.
Meanwhile on Ascension Island, the Globemaster had landed promptly. The mass of the Merlin was now being unloaded. Alex sat patiently and watched along with the rest of his unit as the ground staff made final preparations for take-off. The journey had been quiet and the operations strategies had been run through many times, each member fully aware of what they must do. Unlike Jack having to hire helicopters, putting his life at risk, Alex had satellite photographs and images of the site. There was even conformation that Grimlock was already there. It wasn’t long before a man in a hi-vis jacket gave them the all clear.
‘We need to wait for tech support to arrive with a few essentials,’ Alex said. ‘They should be here any moment.’ The man nodded his head, looking to the sky, as a Cessna Citation X flew past, banking in for a landing. It had flown from a facility in Philadelphia, refuelling in Barbados, using its full potential to deliver the help the team would need on time. The ground crew rushed to the plane as it finally stopped. The three small boxes were unloaded and stored in the Merlin. They were now ready to leave. The unit hastened into the fuselage, taking their seats and tightly strapping themselves in. The five immense blades of the Merlin began to rotate. The bird of prey took off with the refinement of a light aircraft, its wheels disappearing into it massive bulk, leaving a sleek and dynamic craft of aviation. They were airborne and heading for the coast of Brazil and a rendezvous with H.M.S Pursuit. Dylan, the field electronics expert, tore through the box, hoping to find what he was looking for.
‘Is it all there, Lieutenant?’ Alex asked. ‘Oh yes, these will be very useful.’ Alex sat back in silence, hoping for a bit of rest and to prepare for the most important mission of his life, to help out his best friend, whether he liked it or not.
It had been a simple trek, each member watching out for the poisonous wildlife and hazardous terrain. Jack’s machete stayed sheathed as they journeyed through a jungle, less dense than he had expected. It had been forty-five minutes of trekking and they were now getting close. Although on a quest of vengeance and the need for
concentration, Jack couldn’t help but admire the surroundings. The diversity of the flora and fauna gave him a sense of unusual well being in a time of expected seriousness and anger. As they approached a small clearing, Jack stopped and turned to the rest of the party.
‘We’ll take a five minute break,’ he said, sliding his bag from his back, placing it on the orange toned floor of the jungle. The air was hot and humid. ‘Please be aware of your surroundings, there are many snakes and insects you don’t want to annoy,’ he said, smiling at Anjo.
‘That’s excellent advice, Mister Harvey,’ emerged a strong Texan voice from the trees. Jack turned to the sound of four guns engaging, followed by four men carrying them, materializing from the trees on the other side of the clearing. There was nothing anyone could do. The unexpected ambush rendered their guns useless and had, without doubt, halted their plan of attack. The man spoke again as the other three took the weapons and bags from the group.
‘You’ve come a long way, what a shame it’s got to end here,’ he chuckled.
‘How did they know?’ Jack thought to himself. He then noticed Anjo directing an enraged stare directly into the unsettled eyes of Fernando.
‘Tying up the boats, you were warning them we were coming. What have you done,’ Anjo shouted, in her native tongue, her breathing becoming erratic. She ran at him. Sweeping his legs with hers and throwing him to the floor. She kicked him hard in the stomach. Fernando let out a cry, along with all the air he had in his lungs. Anjo kicked him again, this time only half-heartedly.
‘That’s enough, Anjo,’ Paulo said, pulling her away from him. Maddox cleared his throat.
‘If we have finished with the family dispute, I wonder if you would be so kind to follow me. I have someone who wants to say a few words before we dispose of you. You may go, Senhor,’ Maddox said, directing to Fernando, ‘when you have regained your breath and a little of your dignity.’ Sperafico’s men tied the prisoner’s hands behind their backs with yellow plasticuffs and marched them into the trees and back towards the fort. This unforeseen draw back had not been thought out, but how was Jack to know that Anjo’s own family would betray her? A man with influence this strong had to be stopped.
The Merlin had landed safely on the deck of H.M.S Pursuit. Alex and his team exited quickly under the noise and draft of the rotors and into the flight deck. Inside the control room, the drone of the equipment and numerous conversations between staff may have seemed noisy to some, but for the team, it was the sound of silence. The captain stepped forward and shook Alex’s hand. ‘Welcome aboard H.M.S Pursuit’. Alex told his team to stand down and grab a coffee. A helpful midshipman showed them the way to the wardroom. The captain took Alex in another direction, down into the ship’s operation room.
‘We have been monitoring the area with the satellites for the last few hours,’ the captain began. ‘Yesterday, your Mister Grimlock arrived at the fort in a car that we managed to trace back to him. It is still in the grounds so we can assume that he is still there. We believe Sperafico is still in the grounds as well’.
‘Sir, I think you should take a look at this.’ On another screen the satellite image showed a party of people heading into the main gates of the fort, followed by three men with guns, ushering them in. Alex knew that it had to be Jack and his party. They watched for a moment and Alex spoke, ‘Is everything ready Captain?’
‘The RIBs are ready and we have our best coxswains standing by. Your equipment should have been loaded by now.’ Alex rejoined his team on deck, swigging back half a bottle of water, before throwing the rest back to one of the crew. They clambered aboard the RIBs and settled in. The smooth winch slowly lowered them into the calm water below. The team prepared themselves for jungle camouflage, applying paint to their faces to prevent light glare from the bright sun. As the small boat left the side of the ship, the coxswains opened up their throttles and headed inland to their drop off point.
The prisoners were marched down a flight of stairs and into the last of four cells, all except Anjo. She had been taken into Sperafico’s study. She was pushed onto one of the large white sofas that were in the middle of the room, her face hitting the soft material as she landed. She sat up quickly, flicking her hair away from her enraged face. The sturdy guard just smiled and left the room.
Jack and the others had been ushered into the cell. Sperafico stood in the doorway.
‘Did you really think that you would succeed in your little adventure?’
‘What have you done with Anjo?’ Paulo screamed at Sperafico.
‘I have her safe, I will not let any harm come to one, as beautiful as her. She reminds me a lot of her sister.’ Paulo lunged at Sperafico.
‘You bastard.’ Sperafico kicked him back into the cell, Paulo landing hard on his backside onto the stone floor. Sperafico laughed.
‘When you all get hungry, I suggest you start with him, he’s got a lot of meat on his bones.’ He stepped backwards, continuing his laughter. The door slammed shut, the mighty lock secured. Jack was trapped.
‘Well, well,’ Sperafico said, as he entered his study, sitting on the white sofa opposite Anjo. He crossed his legs and opened his arms, resting them on the cushions behind him, relaxing his confident pose.
‘Is this really about your sister? Surely you can’t hold a grudge for that long.’ Anjo remained silent. ‘I would have thought by now that you would understand how I operate. I have every eventuality covered. No one is going to take away my livelihood, especially some little bitch out for revenge,’ Sperafico leaned forward and stared Anjo in the eyes. His eyes then lowered to her partly exposed breasts and an iniquitous smile appeared on his face.
‘Though I believe you may have your uses.’
In the cells below, Jack knew that there would be no escape. There was a small window at the top of the walls that let in the light, almost definitely at ground level. Jack thought to himself. The party were still handcuffed and becoming restless. Not much had been said since the capture until now.
‘What will they do with Anjo?’ Paulo asked, hoping for a straight answer. But unfortunately, no one had one. Jack took a look around hopeful of a possible escape. There was nothing but the solid door that they came in and old stonewalls, each thick and immovable. The window, too high to reach and nothing to stand on, except an old rusty bucket in one corner.
‘Say hello to your last resting place,’ Jack said. ‘We might as well make ourselves more comfortable because I doubt their coming back.’ Jack sat on the floor and rolled onto his back, sliding his feet between his cuffed arms. He then removed a small pin that had been concealed in the sole of his boot. He placed the pin in the opening of the cuffs. This separated the teeth on the strap from the lock. Jack them proceeded to undo all of the other cuffs.
‘Thank you, Jack,’ Paulo said, and rushed into the corner to make use of the old bucket.
CHAPTER 10
The RIBs, with Alex’s team, had now reached the cove. The boat slowly made its way up to the rocks and stopped next to the boats that Jack and his party had come in on. ‘We’ll be in contact,’ Alex said, as all men off-loaded their equipment and strapped it securely to themselves. The launch slowly made its exit, as the men headed quickly and quietly into the jungle. The group spread out, keeping one eye on their buddy. It wasn’t long before their equipment picked up a heat source coming towards them. Alex raised his left arm, stopping the unit. They crouched low, poised in silence, imperceptible to the oncoming figure as it came into view. Before Fernando could blink he had been administered a sedative into his neck and was rendered immobile within seconds. He was helped to the ground and propped against a Pacara ear pod tree. The team continued into the jungle and towards the fort.
After having her cuffs removed, Anjo was brought a sandwich and some fruit. She turned away in disgust from the offering, although her empty stomach disagreed with her decision. Sperafico had left the room, leaving her with two guards by the door. She glanced at the door and the
guards, the smaller of the two, smiling back at her. Anjo had to get out of there, but there was no other exit apart from a large window. She thought. Anjo raised herself from the soft couch and stretched her arms above her head and bent down to touch her toes. The guards watched in delight, which was her primary intention. She walked around the sofa towards the bookcase, flicking through the books, looking for some kind of lever. The smaller guard smiled at her again, his thin brown moustache straightening. The other guard slapped his arm.
‘Concentrate on your job,’ he ordered. ‘You won’t find what you’re looking for. Far as I know there isn’t one,’ he told Anjo, with a smile.
‘Great, an intelligent henchman,’ she whispered, quietly to herself.
Below in the cells it had begun to look like a rehearsal session for the circus. With Paulo on the bottom, his cousin Jago on his shoulders, Jack had climbed up them both, barefooted, and was peering out of the window. It looked out onto the courtyard at ground level. Jack could see numerous men wandering around and Grimlock’s car. The window itself was old and had no way of opening. The frame was built into the wall and with a little patience and precision there was hope that it could be removed. Jack climbed down the human ladder and reached inside his boot. He pulled back the inner sole and produced a small knife.
‘Are we ready?’ Jack asked. The men prepared themselves and Jack, once again, climbed up to the small window, and began scraping away at the stonework.
