Lost Voyage (16 page)

27

Making their way cautiously around the perimeter of the compound, Mercer and Vigil placed C4 explosives to be used as a diversion for when they began their assault.

The grounds were being patrolled by a large force of resistance – far more than Mercer witnessed the last time he was at the compound. They placed the final C4 device and pulled back a few yards to huddle for a final briefing. From their viewpoint, they could see the main building where Hunt was presumably being held.

“We only get one shot at this, Pat. Let’s do it right. Silencers only. It’s the only chance we have of keeping the whole compound from bearing down on us.”

“I’ll take as many out of the equation as I can,” said Vigil. “Would be better under the cover of night, but I guess beggars can’t be choosers.”

Mercer kept patrolling the compound with his eyes. “Once Vallejos regains his composure, the Colonel won’t have much time before things go from bad to worse for him. We can’t wait any longer.”

He knew his partner was well aware of the situation, and he also knew that a daytime rescue mission was a lot riskier than one carried out at night. This wasn’t the first time they carried out an operation of this magnitude, but it was the first where they would be rescuing someone so closely related to them. He pointed off in the distance before continuing.

“I’ll swing around to the rear of the building. When I set off the first charge, all hell’s sure to break loose. So, be ready to make your move. That should be enough to buy me some time, and I’ll be able to make my way inside. That should only leave a few soldiers scattered around for you to take out. Don’t get over-zealous. Slow and steady here, Pat.”

“Give me a two minute window before you set off the second charge,” said Vigil. “That should give me enough time to pick a few of them off. After that, they’ll all be too scatterbrained to know what’s going on anyway, so it’ll be like shooting chickens in a pen.”

“Just be careful. This is the easy part. The real fun begins when we get inside. Make your way to the front door and meet up with me there. I should be able to take care of anyone inside before you get there.”

“Just leave some for me,” replied Vigil. “You shouldn’t get to have all the fun.”

Mercer slapped his friend on the back and gave him a nod. He then ran off to put the first part of the plan into motion. It took just under two minutes for him to make his way around the perimeter to the back of the building. Vigil couldn’t see him anymore from his vantage point, but he knew the impending explosion would be coming within a few moments. He hunkered down and waited for the blast to signal it was go-time.

***

Esperanza made his way into the office of his employer. Noticing Vallejos was still infuriated, he decided to keep his words simple and to the point.

“The old man is in the cell with two armed guards posted, and another two at the door in the hallway. His men will not be retrieving him any time soon.”

Vallejos spoke with contempt in his voice. “You have already proven to me you cannot handle these Americans. Put four more men on guard if you must. If he’s allowed to be rescued, I will have your head. Do you understand me, Kervin?”

Esperanza had to bite his tongue in an effort to not respond in a disrespectful manner. He wasn’t accustomed to being talked to in this way, not even from his employer.

“There is no way Mercer can get to him, Andres. I assure you of that.”

“You have assured me of many things up to this point when it comes to Mercer, many of which you have not delivered on. For your sake, I hope your confidence isn’t overshadowed by arrogance.”

With every demeaning word Vallejos spoke to him, he grew angrier and more heated within. He knew his abilities were being doubted as a result of the hassles and inconveniences the two Americans had caused in recent days. He only hoped he would be the one to end their lives.

“I have some matters to attend to. Will that be all?”

Vallejos didn’t even respond. He brushed the question off with the wave of a hand and a disgusted look on his face. As Esperanza turned to walk out of the office, he noticed the portly Geovany Rojas standing in the doorway.

Sensing he was about to be bulldozed by the large brute, Rojas hastily backed out into the hall and waited for Esperanza to make his departure before once again entering the office.

“What is it, Geovany?” asked Vallejos. “I have very little time right now.”

“I think you will want to make time for this, Andres.”

The short, plump man fumbled through his briefcase and pulled out a folder containing several documents. “I was able to ascertain some information from the aircraft as you requested. Not only did they have the proper equipment to locate the gold, but they were able to pinpoint the exact location to within a few yards. It seems that NESA is spared no expense when it comes to what they need for their expeditions.”

He reached across the table and handed the folder to Vallejos, who for the first time up to this point had removed the scowl from his face.

“Excellent work, Geovany. Most excellent indeed. And what about Hunt’s men at the airport?”

“They were disposed of as you requested, but not before one of them was coerced into giving up this helpful information.”

Rojas didn’t like being asked to perform certain tasks by his employer, but knew that sometimes these situations would arise. He knew it was better to simply cooperate and execute the request to the fullest extent.

Vallejos was also aware his consultant couldn’t stomach tasks that required brute force, but since he had always taken his pay in full regardless, it was necessary to test his loyalty from time to time.

He looked out the window and had a determined look on his face when he spoke again. “So, it seems we are only left with three little distractions then. Since one of them is sitting downstairs and locked in a cell, I guess we’ll just wait for the other two to show up and then we can eliminate them all in one swoop.”

“I have already sent a few men out to the coordinates,” replied Rojas. “They are awaiting further instructions.”

“Tell them to hold tight until I get there. I want to be there when the gold resurfaces after all this time. In the meantime, I want you to return to the site as well. Touch nothing until I arrive.”

“Very well, Andres. I will see you shortly.”

Rojas showed himself out and made his way off the compound with a truckload of soldiers.

Vallejos continued to stare out the window overlooking the compound. He sensed it would be just a matter of time before he would see a familiar face in his presence once again.

“Now…where are you, Mr. Mercer?”

28

Mercer was just about to blow the first charge when he noticed an assembly taking place next to the building. A large truck pulled up and the back gate was lowered, allowing about twenty soldiers to climb aboard. Once they were loaded, the truck sped off and left the compound. A Jeep followed momentarily after, but he was unable to see how many were inside.

Unsure of what exactly had just transpired; he was more relieved that the opposing force had just dwindled in size. Hoping his partner witnessed the same event, he prepared to detonate the first explosive.

Setting off the first charge created the instant chaos he had hoped for. Almost every soldier dropped what they were doing and left their current posts to see what was going on. He now had a clear path to the back door.

He leaned up against the building, but before making his way inside, he waited a few seconds in order to be sure no soldiers would exiting from the doorway. With time playing an important role, he decided to set off another charge to create more panic on the grounds. He pressed the detonator, causing the second position to explode in a raucous thunder-like blast.

With his pistol drawn, he carefully moved to the doorway. Peering in, he could see three armed men in the foyer. From his vantage point, he could also see the front door. To his benefit, it was one large room with no structures blocking the front from the back. The only obstructed view he had was the staircase, which went from the front of the building up to the back. The upstairs portion of the stairwell was directly above him, leaving no visual of possible assailants descending upon him.

He made his way through the door, moving as stealthily as he could, and with all the confusion amidst the commotion outside, he made it in undetected. He moved with his back along the wall so he could keep an eye on the soldiers in front of him. There was virtually no option to get around them using non-lethal force and he feared the Colonel’s lifespan was growing shorter with each passing minute. He took aim at the man to the left of the group and fired one round at the back of his head.

Without waiting for the body to hit the floor, he immediately went to the next one on the right and fired another round. The third soldier didn’t realize in time that two of his comrades had fallen by his side. As he turned to see who was responsible for their deaths, he was struck in the left temple with a single shot, dropping him instantly.

Before continuing on, he pulled out the detonator and set off the third charge. There was one charge left and he wanted to leave that one as a possible distraction to aid in their escape off the compound. His military instincts told him to clear the entire area before moving on, which meant making sure the upstairs was clear of any enemy contact. His gut instincts, however, told him he needed to free his employer from the dungeon.

He was just about to make his way down the long hallway to his left, but was halted when he heard someone coming in from the front entrance. He took cover behind a desk up against the wall and pointed his pistol in the direction of the door. With his finger on the trigger, he was poised to pull it and end the life of the person who was about to make an appearance.

***

Vigil did one last scan of the area to get a rough estimate of what he would be facing once his partner detonated the first charge. By his count, there were about fifty soldiers strolling around in the immediate vicinity. He steadied himself for the inevitable blast.

It happened less than a minute later. The sound echoed through the forest and panic ensued immediately as expected. He held his position as soldiers hurried towards the commotion, but he also took note of the few who had remained behind.

The numbers had decreased significantly in his favor, but he knew there was still plenty of work to be done. Moving cautiously towards one particular soldier who was left by himself, he crept through the foliage undetected, reaching him within a matter of seconds.

Before he knew what hit him, the soldier was on the ground and unconscious as a result of a sharp blow to the back of the head. Shortly after that, a second explosion could be heard rattling through the forest, as the next round of C4 was set off. This sent more soldiers scattering in different directions as they tried to figure out exactly what was happening around them.

After dragging the unconscious soldier off into the thick brush, he moved towards his next target. With his weapon aimed directly at the unsuspecting soldier, he took cover behind a pickup truck to do a quick recon of the area for any signs of other assailants.

Assured there was no immediate threat other than the one man in front of him, he moved from his position and towards the soldier. He wanted to refrain from using lethal force until it was absolutely necessary, so he figured he would once again use the element of surprise to knock his unsuspecting victim unconscious.

That plan quickly came to a halt as he witnessed the unexpected arrival of another soldier who was now emerging from around the building. With the one soldier still unaware and looking in the other direction, he saw only one way out of his current predicament.

The solider who had just arrived saw the intruder and instantly went into defense mode. His eyes widened as he went to raise his weapon, but it was too late. He was struck in the throat with one round and fell limp to the ground. The first soldier still hadn’t turned around yet, and he would never get the chance to. The last thing he felt was an arm wrap around his throat, followed by a sharp stabbing pain in his lower back.

He fell lifeless as Vigil cradled him all the way to the ground. Another explosion sent blast waves through the forest as a third detonation was set off. He made his way to the front of the building and took position behind a column in order to survey the area. He noticed no opposition at the front entrance, as every soldier seemed to be preoccupied with the commotion taking place around them.

He was able to make his way up the stairs unnoticed. When he reached the entrance, he took one last look inside before disappearing through the front door. As he entered the foyer, he noticed three bodies lying motionless, and knew instantly that it was his partner who had played a role in their demise.

Hearing footsteps behind him, he quickly turned around and put his knife up to the approaching attacker’s throat. The man standing before him whimsically made a comment.

“Took you long enough to get in here. I began to wonder if I was going to have to send out a search party for you.”

Vigil smiled at the sight of his friend and replied, “Go ahead and laugh it up, buddy. Another second and your throat would have looked like chewed up lasagna.” He lowered the blade from his partner’s neck. “Any visual on Vallejos or Esperanza?”

“Nothing yet, but I haven’t had time to check the upstairs. Since no one came barreling down shooting up the place, I say he’s either up there alone, or not at all. Our first priority right now has to be getting to the Colonel.”

Vigil kept an eye on the long staircase leading to the top floor, half-expecting some sort of resistance to come at any moment. “With all the ruckus you caused outside, I’d say we need to move quickly.”

Mercer nodded and they made their way down the long corridor. Upon arrival to the door, he slowly turned the handle as his partner swooped in with his weapon aimed.

“All clear,” he stated.  “Let’s go.”

Vigil took the lead as they crept down the staircase, waiting for the inevitable assault from any sort of opposition. Making it to the basement door undeterred, they paused for a moment before continuing on.

Mercer removed the backpack from his shoulder and pulled out a smoke grenade canister and two M9 Beretta pistols, handing one to Vigil.

“I guess this is it,” he said. “The moment of truth.”

Vigil quipped back, “All I want is for us to just have one expedition where we don’t end up getting shot at. Is that too much to ask?”

Mercer readied the grenade canister. “You ready?”

Vigil had a more serious look on his face when he answered this time. “Let’s do it.”

He put his hand on the doorknob and turned it to ease it open slightly. Mercer pulled the pin on the canister and rolled it into the dungeon where the cells were located. When he heard the hiss of the smoke deploying, he looked at his partner and nodded for the go.

Storming the room, they took aim and waited for the barrage of bullets that was sure to follow. To their surprise, there was no retaliatory gunfire or any resistance at all. Instead, when the smoke cleared, all they found were two men at the end of the hall on their knees with hands clasped behind their heads. Mercer was still cautious as he made his way towards the end of the hall, and Vigil was right behind him with his pistol pointed steadfastly on the guards.

“Please don’t shoot,” they pleaded.

Vigil descended on the two men quickly and kicked their rifles into the corner. After confirming they posed no threat, he took a set of handcuffs and cuffed them together by one hand each. Taking the remaining set of cuffs from the second guard, he connected them both to one of the cell bars.

“Now, don’t you go running off anywhere,” he joked.

Mercer made his way over to the cell where he had once been held prisoner in. There was a mattress leaning up against the wall, but no sign of Hunt. Suddenly, he noticed the mattress move as it was pushed away from the wall. Emerging from the other side, a familiar individual stood up and brushed himself off.

“For Christ’s sake, Sean, I saw the grenade come through the door and I thought that was it for me.”

Vigil couldn’t help but throw in a playful jab. “It’s good to see there’s still some mobility left in those old bones.”

Hunt raised his eyebrows and glared back him. “You have until this gate opens to get a head start. I would take advantage of it.”

Vigil retrieved the cell door key from one of the guards and threw it to Mercer, who then stuck it in the lock.

“Well, at least you’re not hurt. Let’s get you the hell out of here before any more company drops in.”

As he exited the cell, Hunt looked down at the two handcuffed men who had willingly surrendered and were now prisoners themselves. “What do you suggest we do with these two hooligans?”

Mercer had a wide smile on his face as he looked over at his partner.

“I have an idea. Pat, you wanna play soldier?”