by J. M. Madden
Oh, shit. It’s an arms deal. They’re using the aid workers as cover.
TJ scowled, obviously hearing Fontana’s words.
What do I do?
Finesse them, Fontana snapped.
TJ smiled at the two army men and said a few words, keeping a friendly expression on his face. The men looked at each other, then back at TJ. He said the same thing again and the men turned to walk away. TJ tried to turn casually to return to the bush, but the man in charge spotted him and screamed at his men. They snapped out of whatever TJ had told them to do and started after him.
TJ broke into a run, backpack thumping on his back as he got his feet moving. The villagers hadn’t even noticed what was going on, they were so focused on receiving food, until the first weapon went off. Screaming, the villagers scattered. TJ took advantage of the pandemonium and plowed into the crowd.
Aiden was ready to run in if he needed support, but it looked like he was going to make it back. Then a fifth soldier they hadn’t seen before circled the back of the aid truck. Taking aim with his sidearm, he fired. TJ went down like a ton of bricks. Aiden wasn’t sure where he was hit, but he jumped out of the brush to go to his teammate. Wulfe was right beside him, weapon already firing. They took out the soldier at the rear of the truck, then the other two about to reach TJ. The commander in charge drew his own weapon but he was too far away to have any effect.
Fontana, the jeep!
Oh, God yes, transportation. If they were making this kind of ruckus they might as well go all the way and steal a jeep.
Wulfe circled the trucks and went toward the gun deal in progress. The man in khaki disappeared into the bush, following his porters, but the commander and his assistant still stood at the boxes, obviously reluctant to lose them. Wulfe took them down without hesitation.
The gunfire stopped. The aid workers and several villagers were huddled around the truck, a grim stoicism to their expressions. Gunfights happened and they knew enough not to choose sides. Aiden skidded to a stop beside TJ and rolled him over. There was blood on the guy’s arm and a line on his temple, which was bleeding pretty well, but otherwise he looked intact. “Wake up, dude!”
TJ blinked his eyes open, looking a little dazed. “What happened?”
“You danced with bullets,” Aiden grinned, brushing dirt off his face.
TJ sat up, then got to his feet, looking around. “Oh, hell, did we do that?”
“Yeah.”
They jogged to the jeep Fontana was climbing into. “Aiden, take the second jeep.”
Immediately understanding Fontana’s plan, Aiden headed for the other jeep, veering into the bush to grab their packs. If they took both of the jeeps no one would be able to report them unless the aid worker’s truck had a radio. Even if they did it wouldn’t be Army quality. TJ hopped in beside him. Wulfe jumped into the front jeep with Fontana, and they tore out of there.
Aiden had known that the rutted road was treacherous. Hell, just walking on it had been hard enough. But in a jeep, going as fast as it could go, the road turned downright deadly. They went through several rutted streams, around downed logs and through overgrown patches. In the middle of their escape it started to pour the rain down, making the slogging even that much harder.
Barrage and shield!
With that one warning Fontana started beating at their minds. What the ever-loving fuck! Aiden felt his mind being struck and he had to focus like he never had before. Twice he almost veered into the brush from the strength of the attack, but after a while he figured out how to compartmentalize what he was doing. Then he turned the tables on Fontana and started mentally hammering on his shields. Aiden was gratified to see Fontana lose control as well before he got his vehicle in line.
After about an hour of hard driving and only passing one other vehicle, Fontana found them a place to hide within the trees.
“We’re about to hit a larger village,” Fontana told them when they jumped out. “We need to strip everything out of the second vehicle we need and just take one. We’re more likely to blend in that way. TJ, you okay?”
The Ranger nodded. He’d wrapped his head to get it to stop bleeding, and managed to patch his own arm, all while going eighty miles an hour over rutted Amazon roads. “I’m like an old dog, I guess. I take a licking and keep on hunting.”
Aiden laughed. “We’re all old dogs.”
“No,” TJ corrected. “We’re Dogs of War.”
They all looked at each other. That had a decent ring to it, and it applied to them in several different connotations. They nodded. Dogs of War, they agreed.
Chapter Eight
They disabled the stripped-out jeep and left it in the jungle, then drove hell-for-leather to the east. At some point they had to reach civilization.
I think when we get to Belém on the coast, Fontana said, broadcasting to them all, you can turn on that sat phone and contact your brother. Then we turn ghost until he can make arrangements for us.
Agreed.
Fontana nodded once. It sounded easy enough but Aiden knew it wouldn’t be.
They traveled for miles, until they ran out of gas. They refilled with the twelve gallon can on the back of the jeep, and he prayed that their destination would be within the next hundred and fifty miles or they’d be in trouble. Wulfe took over driving for a while, until the sun went down, then Aiden took over.
Driving in the barely lit dark through the Amazon was a bit of a trip. It felt like he was driving through a tunnel, the trees and bushes crowded around him so tight. It was so much better to drive at night, though. People couldn’t see what you were in, and when you’d stolen a jeep from the Brazilian Army, that was priceless.
It gave him time to think about everything they’d done. He had no idea how many miles they’d traveled on foot, but it had to be a huge number. The orderly shoes were barely straps of fabric held together, and his clothes weren’t much better. They’d used everything they had hard, including the urban outfitter’s camping gear. He glanced in the rearview mirror. Fontana and Wulfe were barely awake in the back and they were all exhausted.
Houses started to pop up at the side of the road, and the road became smoother. Then they came to a crossroads, but Fontana waved him straight through. It was the first secondary road Aiden had seen.
He’d been driving an hour when he realized there was a bit of an orange glow to the east.
Think that’s the city? he asked TJ.
The other man shrugged, not even wincing. The wound on his head was all but sealed, so Aiden assumed the one on his shoulder was as well.
The road started to become more crowded, then it dead-ended into a paved road. Following the glow, Aiden turned left, along with most of the rest of the traffic, and they crossed a huge bridge over murky brown water. There was a river to the left of them now as well.
“Fontana, get that map out and see where the airport is.”
The other man did, and told him where to turn left, but Wulfe waved him on, into the heart of the city. Aiden wasn’t prepared for the massive expanse of the city, and the amount of skyscrapers reaching for the sky. It was a tiny spot on the map, but he should have expected more. This was the port at the mouth of the Amazon and close to the Atlantic. From the looks of things they did brisk business in both river and ocean going cargo.
“Find busy shopping area, Will. We will leave jeep and call my brother.”
Aiden nodded and continued to head toward the coast, assuming that there would be some type of busy commercial center. And he was right. Actually, they got into a touristy section and it just seemed to go on and on.
“Stop! Pull in there.”
Wulfe pointed into a busy parking garage next to a massive shopping mall. They took the ticket the machine spit out and left it on the dash for the Brazilian Army to take care of. Aiden wound his way up through the floors of cars to the least crowded floor, parked in the far corner and they got out.
“We should go through the packs and at least
try to clean up,” Aiden said. “There are plenty of people here, but we need to not draw attention to ourselves.”
They all agreed and started pawing through their things. Aiden decided that the black outfit he was wearing was the best he had, in spite of the dirt. The shoes would just have to stand out, until he could get something else. If he’d been smart he could have taken the boots from the dead men when they stole the jeeps but they had been kinda rushed. As it was, he’d have to wear the damn nurse shoes, which weren’t even slightly decent. Aiden doused one of the t-shirts with water, then used it to scrub his face and over his head. Their hair was growing back in, but it would take a while.
By the time they were done they were as clean as they could make themselves, which wasn’t very. It had been weeks since they’d had any type of shower other than a waterfall, and even longer than that since they’d used any kind of soap. They all had a manly funk to them that they’d gotten used to but would probably get them banned from any public places. Normally he’d have been embarrassed as hell to even think about walking out into public, but he was too desperate to get out of the country to care.
Once they were clean they started going through the rest of the equipment they had and consolidating the packs. The rifles wouldn’t do them any good anymore, so they disabled them and piled them in the back seat. They did take all the handguns, as well as the shells for them. Once they were ready, Aiden handed Wulfe the plastic bag with Dr. Shu’s satellite phone and battery in it.
Anxiety surged in his gut. What if he didn’t get through to him? Did they have a backup number to call?
Putting the pieces of the phone together Wulfe punched in a telephone number from memory. They all waited in silence, listening to the sound of the phone ringing on the other end. Finally, a man answered, sounded aggravated and pissed off.
Wulfe was the stalwart one of the group, but when he heard the sound of his brother’s voice, his eyes teared up. He turned away from the men and they allowed him that peace. If they’d been in the same position they would want privacy as well.
Aiden knew enough German to understand that Wulfe was giving Nikolas a truncated version of events. He reported to his brother where they were and what they needed, and Nikolas didn’t hesitate. Wulfe kept the call under a minute long, but Aiden knew that they had just put a target on their backs.
“It will take him twelve hours to get plane here. He was in Miami on business and is refueling now. We have to stay out of sight until then. We have money coming to the Western Union across the street. It was why I had you pull in,” he grinned.
Wulfe was happy to finally talk to his brother, it was there in his expression and voice. He’d spoken about the man as if he walked on water. If Nikolas could get them money and out of the country within a day, Aiden would be forced to believe it as well.
The phone beeped in Wulfe’s hand and he looked at the screen. A message had come in dated two weeks ago, about a week after they’d broken out of the camp. I don’t know who you are yet, but I’m going to kill you.
They all saw the message, and knew exactly who it was from. Wulfe powered down the phone and removed the battery, then wrapped the two pieces in the plastic bag it had been in for the trek through the jungle.
With a final shared look they headed down the stairs. Being in the city like this would test the shielding they’d been practicing, but it had to be done. The jeep was no longer an option. Aiden didn’t know how long it would take for the Collaborative to find them after the phone call, but he had a feeling it wouldn’t be long. Fontana left the keys to the jeep on the front seat, if some enterprising thief did them a solid and kept it out of the army’s hands for a bit longer, that was all to the good.
Wulfe headed into the Western Union to retrieve the money his brother sent, with TJ acting as interpreter. Fontana and Aiden stood outside the little grocery, trying to look less conspicuous than they felt. Wulfe returned with several bottles of water, handing them out, and several packaged sandwiches.
Aiden didn’t even remember what was on the bread, but he ate it, then wished he had four more. The others ate their food just as fast, then looked around, trying to decide where to go. He felt like a rat in a maze and he wanted out of it.
Nikolas wants us to meet him at a small airport on the east side, not the main airport. As long as we’re there within about ten hours, we should be good. I suggest we find some hot food as well as a way to clean up.
Sounds good to me, Fontana agreed.
They headed down the street, looking for a street food vendor. Wulfe handed each of them a wad of money and Aiden stared at it. It had been so long since he’d even seen any kind of money much less held it in his hand that it felt strange.
They wandered down an alley and when they came out, they were in the middle of a bustling street market. It was after eight in the evening, but that apparently didn’t matter to the Brazilians. When he heard the live music playing, he understood. There were a lot of people here and if they’d come for the music there was a very good chance they would shop as well.
Aiden stopped at the first street food vendor he saw. A man sold skewers of meat. Aiden held up two fingers and the man started getting the food from the grill.
Even after he paid and took a bite, Aiden had no idea what he was eating and he didn’t care. It was damn good, he knew that, and he almost went back for a second helping, but there were other food stalls.
They ate their way through the market, picking up clothing items here and there. They all found decent boots or shoes to wear and just having something on their feet that was so solid a feeling they had to pause to look at each other in satisfaction. Fontana handed them ball caps and sunglasses for the next day.
With the crush of people around them Aiden worried they would have to shield like crazy, but the entire crowd was projecting a good mood vibe. They picked up a few grumblings from individuals, but nothing so strong that they couldn’t control it.
And whether they realized it or not, the four of them settled into a classic fire team wedge formation. Fontana took point, then came Wulfe and Rector, and Aiden brought up the rear. They moved through the crowds like they’d done it many times before.
Watch the drunk on the left.
Badges to our six.
Aiden couldn’t believe how much he’d come to admire these men. They’d each given their all in every part of their escape. You guys are awesome, he thought to them.
Fontana reached out and gripped his shoulder. You’re not so bad yourself, Will. Thank you for digging in my ass.
Aiden choked out a laugh. It was one of the highlights of my life.
They ate enough food for an entire platoon of men, then paused to listen to the live band. It was surreal to be here, knowing that less than five hundred miles away there was a camp where men were being tortured. They stopped at a magazine stand and looked at the pictures. TJ read them some of the highlights. Who’d have thought that a being gone from their world for nearly a year could change so much.
What day is it? Anyone know?
They all shrugged and he guessed it didn’t really matter. As long as they were together and safe.
For hours they moved through the streets like they had a purpose, moving away from the location where Wulfe had made the call on the sat phone. The further they were away from that mess the better. If they could hang out somewhere for the night, in the morning they could get a taxi to the airport. After a while they found a riverfront park and they looked out over the mighty, muddy Amazon. It was like looking out onto the ocean. They couldn’t see the far side bank, only lights from the ships. Even this late at night the ship traffic seemed busy. In between the heavy carrier ships were smaller fishing vessels. It was a beautiful sight.
When they came to a small stretch of beach, they settled onto their asses to watch some night trawling. Fontana stretched out his leg in front of him and Aiden knew it was hurting him, but he hadn’t complained a bit. He’d moved like
it hadn’t bothered him at all, until now.
“What are we going to do after your brother gets here?”
Wulfe shrugged, arms propped on his knees as he looked out over the water. “Not sure.”
“We have to tell someone,” TJ said.
“But who?”
They all knew that their governments were complicit with what had gone on. Aiden would like to think that the United States thought more of their military, but there were enough shady characters in Washington that they might have slipped something through without outright saying what the exercise was. At least, that’s what he hoped. It would be seriously fucked up if a group of his commanders got together and decided to just hand him over to that.
“I think we need to explore the information we’ve stolen and investigate,” Fontana said. “We can’t go public outright because right now it’s our word against the Collaborative’s. They have such a sterling reputation that I don’t think anyone would believe us.”
“I don’t think so either,” TJ agreed. “They’ve damn near cured cancer. I can see them spinning it around to where they get support for using us like they did.”
“We did, after all, agree to take part in the experiment,” Fontana reminded them.
And didn’t that burn all of their asses.
“But the conditions changed,” Aiden argued. “They voided the agreement when they made us prisoners.”
“We need to go underground for a while,” Wulfe told them. “Investigate. Find out what is on the drives. Study the journal. Get our health back.”
The thought of eating normally and sleeping normally seemed like a dream.
“If we stay under radar, use cash, stay mobile, they won’t find us.”
Wulfe seemed sure of his words but Aiden just wasn’t. Imagining staying that far underground gave him a headache. They would have no life. “How do we survive?”
