PRIMAL Reckoning (Book 1 in the Redemption Trilogy, the PRIMAL Series Book 5) (19 page)

He kicked
the rubble and spotted something trapped under a collapsed beam. Kneeling down,
he tugged it out from under the piece of wood and held it up. It was a battered
New York Yankees cap. “I think that’s the end of Aden.”

He turned
and walked back to where the men were sitting around the fire. He warmed his
hands and looked out over the mountains to the east. A faint tinge of pink glowed
on the horizon. “A good night’s work, boys. Time to get back and find out what
Mr. Roberto Soto knows.”

The first rays of sunlight reflected off
the mining camp’s tin roofs as the convoy led by the black Chevy arrived. Pershing
had the battered Yankees cap in hand when he strode across to one of the
transportable buildings. There were two Black Jackets standing guard. “Open up,
I need to talk to him.”

Inside, Roberto
was lying on a thin mattress in the corner of the room. His hands were shackled
by handcuffs and a length of chain ran through them around one of the building’s
metal uprights.

Pershing
grabbed a chair, spun it on one leg, and sat. He took off his Stetson, ran
fingers through his thinning hair and placed the hat on his knee. “I hope I
didn’t wake you.”

Roberto
sat up and stared.

He tossed
the battered New York Yankees cap onto the ground. “You recognize this? Belongs,
sorry I should say belonged, to your buddy, Aden. Seems him and your pretty journalist
friend had a little accident in the old mine out near Digger Canyon.” Pershing
watched the rancher’s face for any sign of emotion.

Roberto
glanced once at the hat, then returned his gaze to Pershing.

“I’m a
reasonable man, Roberto. If you tell me who else is helping your little band of
renegades, I’ll give you the chance to talk them down.”

The
craggy-faced farmer remained silent.

“Here’s
the deal. If you work with me, I’ll make it very lucrative for you and your
friends. Convince the other farmers to leave their land peacefully, and I’ll
make sure you’re generously rewarded.” Still no response.

“Tomorrow,
you and me are going out to the Veda farm. Perhaps then you’ll reconsider your
position on all of this. The mine’s gotta expand, buddy, and those people are
in the way of progress.”

Pershing stood
and put his hat back on. “I’ll let you sleep on it.” He was about to leave when
the rancher spoke.

“You’re
going to pay for this.”

He tipped
his Stetson. “We all do in the long run.” Slamming the door behind him, he
headed to the accommodation block the Black Jackets used. He opened the door
and stuck his head in. Burro was asleep in an armchair in front of the TV. “Hey,
dip shit.”

The
Mexican woke with a snort and got out of the armchair.

“You want
to make ten grand, son?”

Burro rubbed
his eyes and nodded.

“I need
you to find Roberto Soto’s family.”

“You want
me to kill them? Extra ten.”

“Not yet,
just find them.”

***

LASCAR ISLAND

Frank,
PRIMAL’s British watchkeeper, yawned as he finished a chapter of his book. He
was three hours into a particularly uneventful shift in the Bunker, PRIMAL’s
command center. He glanced up at the personnel tracker and confirmed nothing
had changed. The map was zoomed out to show the location of their personnel
across the globe. Aleks was in Thailand tracking down Kurtz, the rest of his
team were on a beach in Spain, Mitch and Mirza were in New York, Saneh in Bali,
and Bishop in Mexico. He noted the icons were green, meaning the iPRIMALs had
checked in recently. All except Bishop’s. His was still amber.

“How thing’s
tracking, Frank?” Vance asked as he stepped out of his office. “Anything from
Bishop?”

“No, the
last location we got from him was four hours ago.” Frank zoomed the map down to
where the chess piece icon was hovering. Switching to satellite imagery
revealed it was located in a deep canyon. “He’s been powering down
intermittently to conserve batteries. I’m expecting him to check in sometime
soon.”

Vance
walked across and sat in the command chair. “How far is that from the mine?”

Frank
activated the touch screen on his desk and measured the distance. “About four,
five kilometers.”

“And
they’re mounted on horseback.”

“Correct.”

“Hell, he
should have wrapped up his recon by now…” He paused. “When are Mirza and Mitch
due down there?”

He
checked his notes. “Tomorrow, they’re finishing the New York piece at the
moment.”

Vance
drummed his fingers against the leather armrest of his chair. “Couldn’t hurt to
push forward their infil. Can you ask Chua for an update on their op in
Manhattan?”

He hit a
button on his screen and connected to the intelligence chief’s desktop. “Chen,
Frank here, need a quick SITREP on Mitch and Mirza’s job.”

Chua’s
voice came in over a speaker. “They’re almost finished. Flash is handling the
hack from our end now.”

“OK,
thanks.”

“Anything
going on I need to know about?” asked Chua.

“I’ll
come have a chat in a few minutes,” Vance boomed from his chair.

“Copy
that.”

Frank
terminated the call.

“What
gear is on the Gulfstream?” asked Vance.

He opened
a menu on the tablet. “Fairly comprehensive loadout, boss. Clothing and armor
for four, small arms, some tech gear, comms, sniper rifle, and some heavier
stuff. More than enough for Mitch and Mirza to wage their own little war.”

Vance
grunted. “That ain’t gonna happen. This is still an intel collection op, we’re
not getting sucked into a goddamn war.”

Frank
nodded. “Understood, boss.”

“Good,
now let’s get them down there as soon as we can.”

CHAPTER
22

CHIHUAHUA

Bishop
switched off the AK’s flashlight to see if there was any ambient light.
Nothing. It was total darkness. There was just the sound of their breathing and
the steady drip of water falling from the ceiling.

He
wrapped his arms around Christina in an attempt to stave off the cold and
reassure her.

“Are you
afraid, Aden?” Her voice was low and soft.

He considered
the question. Long ago he had come to terms with death, although he was not
particularly thrilled with the current situation. “No, I’m not afraid.”

She
shivered. “Good, because I am.”

They had
emerged from their hole in the wall to a tunnel on the edge of collapse. A
solid wall of rubble blocked the exit. They had pushed deeper into the mine but
only a hundred yards further they reached the end. Other shafts split off from
the junction but none of them tunneled very far into the rock.

“We’re
going to be OK.”

“Do you
believe in God, Aden?” Christina’s voice sounded distant.

“I did
when I was a boy.”

“Why not
now?”

“I guess
I’ve seen a lot of things, things that make me think if we do have a god, he
doesn’t care.”

“So what
do you think will happen when we die?”

Bishop
pulled her in close. “We are not going to die. Not here.”

“Nobody
knows where we are. The only person who even knew we were out here is probably
dead by now.”

“That’s
not true. What about Emilio? What about Miguel and Gerardo? They all know we’re
out here. They’ll come looking for us.”

“Let’s be
realistic. Even if they did come here, we’re trapped.” Her voice trailed off.
“We’re alone.”

“There
are others, Christina, others who’ll notice I’m gone. They’ll send people to dig
us out.”

“And how
long will they take to get to us, Aden?” She started crying. Her body shook as
she sobbed. “I’m never going to see my family again. I’m never going to see my
sister or my niece. I’m never going to see my mom or my dad.”

Bishop
just held her tightly. After a few minutes she broke the silence. “Do you have
any family, Aden?” She sniffled.

“My
parents are both dead and I was an only child.” He swallowed, almost choking on
his words. “But I guess you might say I have a family of sorts.”

“Who?” she
whispered.

“The men
and a woman I work with. We’re a close team. We rely on each other and we understand
each other. They’re my family.”

As they held
each other it dawned on Bishop that if he didn’t get Christina out of the mine
he was going to be responsible for the death of another innocent woman. In the
darkness his memories came flooding back. Karla, the teenager in Japan, Jess,
the doctor in South Sudan, and the dream of Saneh shot dead on the ground. He
didn’t realize he was crying until he felt a tear run down his cheek. “No.”

Christina
jolted. “What?”

He
released his hold on her and felt around for the AK. “No, we’re not going to
die in here.” He activated the flashlight, illuminating the mineshaft. “There has
to be another way out. An air shaft, a drainage tunnel, something.” He flashed
the light down one of the side tunnels. “Come on, we’re sticking together.”

Christina
climbed to her feet and they explored the tunnel. The walls were solid rock.
Bishop inspected them with the flashlight, looking for any type of opening.
They searched every inch of the short tunnel.

“There’s
nothing here, Aden.”

“Let’s
check the other end.”

As they
walked back down the tunnel Bishop stopped. He heard something over the sound
of water dripping from the roof.

“Can you
hear that?”

“What?”

“It
sounds like running water.” Bishop knelt down and put his ear to the floor.
Sure enough he heard water rushing behind the rock. “Lots of running water.”

“Why is
that good?”

“This may
be our way out of here.” He reached for a metal bar he had found in the tunnel.
He started smashing it into the floor and prying away chunks of stone.

“That’s
going to take a long time.”

“I only
need a small hole.”

He
managed to wedge the bar between two slabs of rock. Working the metal back and
forth, he forced it down through the rock. When he pulled it out, the end of
the bar was wet.

“The
miners didn’t dig any lower because there’s an aquifer below. An underwater
stream that probably leads to the river.”

“Probably?
What if it doesn’t?”

Bishop
took one of the grenades out of his vest. “Go to the end of the tunnel and wait
for me around the corner. Put your hands over your ears and open your mouth,
same as before.”

He waited
till Christina was clear and pulled the pin from the grenade. He wedged it six
inches down with the handle jammed against the rock. Stepping back, he pulled
the pin on another grenade. Reaching as far as he could he pushed it into the
hole and released the handle. “One thousand.” He sprinted away. “Two thousand,
three thousand.” He took cover with Christina. “Four thou…”

The explosion
blew rock and dust through the air, and nearly deafened them.

Bishop
tentatively approached the hole the explosion had blown in the floor. It was
about two feet wide and shaped like a triangle. He shone the light from the
rifle down the hole. There was a drop of about three feet then crystal clear
water.

He used
his knife to unscrew the flashlight from the weapon.

“That
looks like it might be a way out.” He slung the AK before lowering himself into
the icy cold water, flashlight in hand. Crouching, he shone the light down the
stream. There was an air gap that ran for twenty yards before the rock ceiling
met the water.

“Is there
a way out?” asked Christina from above.

He
shrugged. “It’s not great, but it’s all we’ve got. It might be a good idea if I
go ahead. When I get out I’ll come back for you.”

She shook
her head. “No way. If you die on the way out, no one will ever find me. I’ll
die alone in the dark.” She lowered herself into the hole. “I’ll take my
chances in here with you.”

***

Bishop checked his watch. They had been
in the underground stream for over an hour, ducking underwater between the air
pockets. Christina was shivering. The ice cold water had leached the heat from
her body. First she had lost all feeling in her hands and now her speech had
started to slur. Bishop knew if he didn’t get her out soon he was going to lose
her.

They’d only
managed to move a few hundred yards downstream. The problem was he had no idea
if and when the stream reached the surface. He didn’t want to tell her, but it
was highly likely they were not going to get out. He tried not to dwell on the
thought, but it was a harsh reality that lurked in the darkness.

He
considered going back to the mine. At least there they could get out of the
water. He might even build a small fire from some of the snapped shoring. He
pushed the idea from his mind. Christina would never make it.

Shining
his flashlight at the cave ahead, he saw the ceiling had started to rise and
the stream was widening and becoming shallow. He waded forward pulling
Christina. They pushed through a gap and came out into a large cave. He climbed
out of the stream pulling her from the water.

He hugged
her. “I need you to keep moving, OK?” Her teeth chattered.

She
nodded slowly then started marching on the spot.

“That’s
my girl. Keep moving, and wait here. I’m going check out where the stream goes.”

There were
tears in her eyes. “No, don’t leave me.”

Bishop
hugged her. “I’ll be back in a minute.”

He shone
the flashlight around the walls of the cave. It was roughly a dome, about
thirty yards in diameter. A pocket of soft stone that had been slowly carved
away by the ground water. He switched off the light. It was pitch black. There
was also no breeze or any sign air was coming in from the outside.

He shivered
and walked back to the stream. It disappeared through a hole in the rock. He
was in no hurry to climb back into the freezing water but it was the only
possible way out. He ducked down under the slow flowing current and aimed the
light downstream.

His heart
skipped a beat. At the very edge of the light he saw a tinge of green.
Photosynthesis needed one key component, sunlight. He turned off the light.
Everything was pitch black. As his eyes adjusted he thought he saw the faintest
spot of light through the water. He blinked. Was his mind playing tricks on him
or was there actually a glow?

Turning
he pushed back against the stream, activating the flashlight. The first thing
he heard as his head broke the surface was Christina’s frantic voice.

“Aden,
ADEN!” she called from the water’s edge.

“It’s OK,
I’m here.” He shivered as he climbed out of the stream.

She latched
on to him. “Don’t go again. You left me in the dark”

He hugged
her. “It’s OK, I think I’ve found a way out.”

She shook
like a leaf as she clung to him. He grasped her face in his hands. Her cheeks
were like ice. “We need to go underwater again. Can you do that for me?”

She shook
her head. “I can’t go back in there.”

Bishop
rested his forehead against hers and hugged her. “Christina, I’m not going to
let you die here. I’m going to get you home to your family.”

She shook
her head. “No, no, I can’t do it.”

“It’s OK,
it’s OK.” He sat her down.

“Tell me,
what’s the story with your tattoo?” he asked, trying to keep her mind occupied.

“I, I had
a birthmark when I was little. The other kids used to make fun of me. When I
turned eighteen my mother took me to a tattoo parlor.”

“That’s
one cool woman.”

“Yeah,
she is.”

“I need
to get you back to her, Christina.”

She
swallowed. “It’s sad that you don’t believe in God.”

“I have
my own beliefs.”

“Like
what?”

“I
believe we get once chance at life. I’m trying not to make a complete mess of
it.”

Bishop
put his AK aside, and threw off his chest rig and jacket. He stuffed the chrome
.45 in the front of his pants. Then he took the memory card from her camera and
slipped it in his pocket.

“You’re
going to be fine,” he said as he helped her out of her jacket. “I’m going to
tie you to me, OK?”

She
nodded.

He
stripped the sling from the AK and wrapped it around both her wrists. “I need
you to hold on to my belt.” He looped the strap around his thick nylon belt.
Now even if she let go he could still drag her through the water. “You just
need to hold on and kick, OK?”

She
nodded as he started running her through breathing exercises to expand her
lungs. Then he leaned forward and kissed her gently on the cheek.

She
managed a feeble smile.

Bishop
turned toward the hole in the cave wall and counted. “One, two, and three.” He
put the flashlight in his mouth as he ducked underwater and swam forward with
long powerful strokes. He felt Christina’s hands pulling on the back of his
belt as he swam. Stroke after stroke he powered forward towing her to what he
hoped was safety.

Time seemed
to slow as he used up the oxygen in his system. He exhaled slowly through his
nose, keeping his strokes smooth. Christina let go of his belt. Then he felt
the tug as the strap wrapped around her wrists jerked on the back of his belt.
He knew she’d passed out as she went from being heavy in the water to dead
weight. The flashlight slipped from his mouth as he struggled to maintain
forward momentum. His lungs burned and he realized he had made a fatal mistake.
He fought the urge to inhale as his body screamed for oxygen.

Then he
saw it, a faint glow coming from ahead. It seemed so far away. In his mind he
heard a long dead friend’s voice. “Get the hell out of here, Bish.” Ice had
given his life for another, and drowning in a cave was no way to honor that
sacrifice “Go! Get the hell out of here.”

The
underwater stream spat Bishop into a deep pool with light streaming from above.
He pushed off the rock floor and dragged Christina to the surface. As his head
burst through he sucked in air. The bright sunlight assailed his eyes. He
fumbled for the clasp on his belt, managed to unlock it, and pulled it through,
freeing Christina’s hands. Then he rolled over, pulling her head to the
surface. His boots made contact with the riverbed and he dragged her from the
water.

The world
spun and he collapsed next to her on the sandy bank. In a daze, he struggled to
his knees and fumbled as he tried to check her pulse with his numb fingers. It
was faint. Her lips were blue, her mouth half open. He turned her onto her side
and green water drained from her mouth. Then he flipped her onto her back and
started pumping her chest with his hands.