Lost Voyage (11 page)

18

As Hunt canvassed the room, he found very little in the way that could help him regarding his men’s whereabouts. Finding nothing to lead him any further, he sat down to take a moment and consider his options. He briefly blamed himself that they were all in this situation, but he also knew Mercer’s stubbornness would have prevailed either way and he would have ended up staying regardless of the circumstances. The Colonel was a stern leader and displayed a strong presence, but he trusted his Special Operations Director to a fault sometimes. He only hoped his loyalty to that friendship hadn’t gotten him and Vigil hurt, or even killed.

After an hour with no sign of his men, he decided to leave the hotel and return at a later time. Slowly making his way down the stairs, he once again resumed his role as a wounded old man. As he was about to exit the lobby, he noticed the manager talking to another man. They were whispering to one another as they looked over in his direction. He nodded out of politeness, but couldn’t help thinking they were talking about him. His suspicions were confirmed as he saw the manager point in his direction.

He suddenly had an overwhelming feeling that his men’s disappearance was a direct result of getting too close to the cartel's operations. His knew his next step would need to be to determine the location where his men were most likely being held.

***

Esperanza had assembled most of the men in front of the main building. Briefing them on the upcoming operation, he didn’t reveal exactly what they were looking for. He told them they would be trying to locate a lost ship which may have been buried in the jungle, but spoke nothing of the gold that may be with it. He informed them they would be leaving early in the morning, and to be fully armed and prepared for anything. Assured they understood the details of the operation, he dismissed them back to their quarters.

As he walked back inside, something caught his eye. There was a soldier he noticed who had just come through the door at the end of the long hallway. He walked over to confront him.

“What are you doing in here?”

Answering his superior, the soldier responded, “I don’t feel well. I was looking for the doctor.”

Esperanza displayed no patience or sympathy in his voice. “There’s no one in here that can help you. You have no business being in that room. What is your name?”

“Navarro, sir.”

“Well, Navarro, I suggest you rest well tonight. You will be joining the rest of the men tomorrow whether you are sick or not.”

He walked the soldier to the door and then proceeded upstairs to the office of his employer.

Walking hurriedly away from the building, Navarro let out a sigh of relief. His snooping around trying to locate the two prisoners had almost backfired on him. He feared he may have compromised his entire plan and was relieved to get out with only a warning from Esperanza. During his excursion, he was able to find out exactly where the two Americans were being held, as he had located the staircase and the holding cell area without being noticed by any of the other guards. Knowing that any escape attempt would need to be made quickly, he headed back to his quarters to figure out his next move.

***

It was still dark the next morning when Navarro was leaving his tent. Trying to avoid detection, he quietly made his way down the road, staying off to the side so he wouldn’t be seen by anyone. The other soldiers were still in their beds sleeping, except for a few who were on watch detail. He knew if he could stay clear of them, he would have an easy path to the building where the two prisoners were being held captive.

As he scurried through the dark with his AK47 slung over his shoulder, he tried to figure out exactly what he would do once he reached the prisoners, or if he would be able to reach them at all. There would most certainly be at least one guard watching them, and possibly more. He knew there was no guarantee he would be able to help them escape, but he felt like he at least owed them the attempt. He would decide what course of action to take upon arriving at the cell, where he could assess the situation first-hand.

He encountered very little activity as he made his way through the compound in the early morning hours. He had been assigned to his fair share of watch detail and was accustomed to the practices of the overnight guard watch. He also knew the soldiers on duty at this hour were most likely sitting at their posts, trying to sneak in a quick nap before the next shift was due. There usually wasn’t anything to break the monotony of the uneventful hours of silence, so the guards had no reason to patrol the grounds. They saw no need to waste their time and energy walking around in the middle of the night when they could just stay put and get some much needed rest. For the time being, he knew he had nothing to worry about.

Approaching the main building, he took refuge behind a tree to survey the area. Noting there was no patrol in front of the structure, he made a move towards the entrance. Making it without incident, he continued up the steps to the front door. Slowly and quietly, he turned the handle and eased it open just enough for him to slide his body through.

Upon entering, he noticed there was no one patrolling this part of the building. Still, he was cautious with each step he took. He made the walk down the long hallway to the right and approached the door to the stairwell, proceeding with the same amount of cautiousness he had displayed up to this point. Working his way down the spiral staircase, he took each step with care to avoid any creaking that might occur from the worn down and tattered wooden planks. When he reached the bottom of the stairwell, he pressed his ear up against the door to see if he could detect anything on the other side. Hearing nothing, he put his hand on the handle and slowly twisted it. Then, he took his other hand, pressed it up against the door and gently pushed it open.

***

Mercer and Vigil sat silently in their cell. With just over an hour until the seven o’clock guard change, they were finalizing the details of their escape. Mercer was going to fake a stomach illness so the guard would have to come in and check on him. At that moment, Vigil would overpower him, allowing for their escape from the cell. They knew they would have to act fast, as the sun would be rising soon. With daylight came more opportunities to be spotted on the grounds. The plan would have to be carried out in a methodical and tactical fashion in order to be successful.

Vigil was sizing up the guard sitting at the end of the hall. There was no man he feared, and the guard looked to only have about a twenty pound weight advantage. The stocky Irish American had taken on bigger men and emerged as the victor in those instances, so this particular guard posed no threat to him that he could see. They were ready to put their plan into action and Mercer finally broke the silence.

“I don’t know about you, but I’m ready to get some fresh air.”

Vigil was his usual sarcastic self. “If you want, I could punch you in the stomach to make it seem more realistic.”

Mercer snidely remarked, “I’ll take my chances with just faking it, if that’s okay with you.”

“Suit yourself, but I was hoping to take a jab at you for our little king of the hill episode. My back still hurts.”

Mercer laughed softly. “Well, if your back hurts, maybe we should postpone our excursion.”

“Suddenly, my back feels better,” quipped Vigil. “Let’s get on with it.”

Mercer went to his bed and his partner got up to walk to the cell door. He began to moan a little, and just as Vigil was about to call out, the door at the end of the hall opened, causing him to retract his cries for help. Mercer also heard the door open and halted the attempt at faking his condition.

“What’s going on, Sean?” Vigil asked curiously. “I thought shift change was at seven.”

Both men were caught off guard by the sudden arrival of the unexpected visitor.

“This is new,” said Mercer. “It’s been the same routine for days. There shouldn’t be anyone here at this time.”

All hope of an escape quickly vanished as they feared their chance was now dwindling away. Staring at the door and waiting for a figure to emerge, the looks on their faces went from despair to confusion as they gazed at the man who had just entered from the other side. With a look of astonishment, they watched as Julian Navarro walked through the door.

19

The guard sitting at his post didn’t seem to think anything was out of the ordinary. To him, it was just another soldier – his replacement. The only thing that made him weary was the nervous look on the face of the man who had just entered the hallway. 

“You’re early. I’m scheduled until seven.”

Navarro didn’t respond immediately. He stood frozen while he thought about what to do next.

“Well, are you my replacement?” the guard asked.

Still, he didn’t answer. Realizing this was not in fact the man who was supposed to relieve him, the guard stood up and asked, “Who are you and what are you doing here?”

Adrenaline suddenly over took Navarro's body. “Don’t move,” he barked.

His arms were shaking as he pointed the AK47 at the guard. There was a pitch in his voice due to the uneasiness of the situation he found himself in.

“Do what I say and you won’t get hurt.” He was trying to keep an assertive tone, but his voice was being overpowered by the nervousness. “Unlock the gate. Do it now.”

As he guided the guard down the hall towards the prisoners, he could see the two Americans standing and watching the unfolding events. When they reached the cell, he demanded once more that it be unlocked. The guard put the key into the lock and was just about to turn it, when he unexpectedly sprung back.

Navarro was caught off guard and was knocked to the ground. The two men struggled with one another while trying to get the upper hand on their opponent. With the key still dangling, Mercer smartly extended his arm between the bars and turned it, unlocking the cell. The two soldiers continued to grapple as he and his partner exited the cell. Vigil was just about to reach down to separate them when a gunshot rang out.

The blast was deafening in the enclosed hallway. The motionless bodies on the floor began emitting a seeping pool of blood that was covering the concrete beneath them. Finally, the man on the bottom was able to throw the body on top of him off to the side.

Revealing a hand held pistol that had delivered the fatal shot, Navarro looked up with a frightening glare in his eyes. As he sat up, Mercer reached out his hand to help him up.

“Are you okay?” he asked.

Trying to regain his composure, Navarro answered with hesitance in his voice. “I…I think so.”

Mercer was grateful the young man had risked his life for them. “We owe you a great debt of gratitude, son.”

Navarro was appreciative of the statement, but he had his own reasons for risking his life to free the two Americans. The young soldier had every intention of keeping his promise to his parents, and he would return to them with news of avenging the loss of their first-born.

Still dazed from the shock of killing a man, he said, “We need to get out of here. We need to go quickly.”

Mercer grabbed the rifle that was leaning against the desk and Vigil promptly snatched the handgun sitting in its holster dangling from the chair. Fully armed and prepared to fight their way out of the compound, the three men went through the door and made their way up the staircase, unsure of what resistance lay ahead.

When they reached the top of the stairs, Mercer slowly pushed the door open and peered around to see if anyone was present. Not detecting anyone, he ducked back into the staircase. Knowing he and his partner were on the same page, he looked at Navarro.

“Alright, when we get through this door, we keep going. Don’t stop for anything. If anyone comes at us, you have to shoot to kill. Understood?”

The young soldier knew there was no turning back at this point. He was just as much an enemy to the cartel now as the two men he was trying to help escape. With a calm and subdued tone, he said, “Understood.”

Mercer gave a look towards Vigil, who nodded as if to say he knew exactly what the plan was. Taking one last peek out the door, he pushed it opened and they went through the threshold.

The dimly lit hallway seemed eerily quiet as they moved cautiously towards the exit. They thought the shot that echoed through the dungeon would surely have brought anyone who was in the building to investigate the commotion. Mercer was beginning to wonder if they would encounter any resistance at all. His hopes of a conflict-free escape were quickly squashed by the appearance of an armed soldier at the end of the hallway, causing them to halt their advancement.

The guard seemed just as surprised to see the three men as they were of him, and stood in a daze for a few seconds. Navarro, thinking quickly, walked over to the guard.

“These men are with me. I have orders to take them to Vallejos.”

The guard was unsure of exactly what to do. “I don’t know you. What is your name?”

“Julian. I have strict orders to bring these men to Vallejos immediately.”

For the first time, the guard noticed the other two men were holding weapons. “Why are they armed?”

He raised his rifle and pointed it at Navarro, demanding that he back up. “All of you. Lower your weapons!” Reaching for his two-way radio, he warned the intruders, “Don’t move. I will find out who you are.”

Raising the radio to his mouth, he pressed down on the transmitter button. Before he could utter a word, a loud pop rang out. A bullet ripped through the guard's throat, causing him to fall instantly. Mercer looked at Vigil, who fired the fatal shot.

“That’s one hell of an alarm clock you got there,” commented Mercer. “There’s no doubt that woke everyone up. We have to go. Now.”

He looked at Navarro, who was as white as a ghost, and said, “You don’t have to do this. No one knows you tried to help us. You can still walk away from this.”

“I appreciate your concern, Mr. Mercer, but there’s no turning back for me now.”

Mercer nodded at the young man and patted him on the shoulder. “Alright then. Let’s go.”

They reached the front door and were just about to make their move when bullets riddled the wall next to them. Mercer looked up at the top of the stairs and witnessed the unexpected assailant firing wildly. Natural instincts took over and he crouched down behind the beam at the bottom of the stairwell. Leaning to his side, he was able to get a clear head shot on the soldier. He squeezed the trigger twice, dropping the attacker before he even knew what hit him.

“That was close,” said Vigil. “But, I’m glad you have better aim than he did.”

Mercer let out a sigh. “Let’s hope they all have such crappy aim.”

The sun was up just enough to where there would be no cover of darkness to aid in their escape. Standing in the doorway, he peered off into the distant tree line.

Pointing to a certain area, he said, “That spot right there past the brush. It should provide enough cover. Julian, you can show us the way from there.”

Knowing Vigil would need no direction once they were outside in the open, he kept his attention on Navarro.

“Stay close to me and keep moving.”

Assured everyone was in agreement as to what the plan was, Mercer led the way out the front door and towards the tree line.