by SJ Hailey
‘We called her already; she is sending two Zodiacs for the heavier gear.’
Jacob left Michael and Evelyn to finish packing, and checked the rest of the camp, sending Katherine and Kevin to assist in any way they could, just taking the equipment and samples leaving all the structures.
The familiar drone of the hovercraft approaching alerted Jacob, and he moved down to the landing pad near the generators, he noticed the bullet holes and scorch marks on the hull, concerned until Archer and Debra disembarked fully armed, as Teddy powered down the engines. Debra waved to Jacob and moved into camp, leaving Archer to greet his father.
‘Hey Dad. Someone put a jammer in your camp, Michael has stopped it now. Military issue.’
‘And how are you Archer? Been a while since I have seen you.’
‘You know why Dad, but I had to warn you about Enzi.’
‘Did you get him?’
‘I went after him to get your precious artefacts, if I had killed him it would have been a bonus!’
‘So he got away?’
‘Yeah, Dad, sorry to disappoint you again!’
Archer marched off, not allowing Jacob to respond, heading towards the dining room, Teddy observed the reunion, ‘Be less hard on the boy, you know that.’
‘I am not hard on him, am I Teddy?’
‘Your tone and face conveys what your voice hide Jacob.
‘I know, but it seems everything I do makes him angry, like when he was a teenager.’
‘Maybe you need to tell him the truth about his mother?
‘I know, I was waiting for the right moment.’
‘If you wait for that, it will never come my friend.’
‘But Archer will be distraught when he finds out.’
‘And that is different to now how Jacob?’
‘You’re right Teddy, I’ll tell him today.’
‘Listen Jacob, I have no kids, but I know that four words will mean a lot.’
‘Like what, I love you son?’
‘No, these four. This pain will pass. Anything you both feel will move into your past, if you let it.’
Jacob moved back to the lab with Teddy following, getting the teams to load the hovercraft for its return trip to Arcadia.
Archer stormed into the dining room to get some water and food, ignorant of its other occupants, Katherine noticed him, ‘So the prodigal son returns?’ Archer turned not realising who had spoken to him, about to shout something, spinning around his eyes blazing, ‘Sorry Katherine, didn’t see you there.’
‘Have you seen Jacob?’
‘Oh yeah, we had a great reunion.’
‘Oh, he has missed you, wondered where you were, Africa wasn’t it?’
‘Yeah Mabalia. He missed me?’
‘It has been almost eight months Archer without even a letter or call.’
Archer calmed down, Katherine’s influence and manner helping, he could never be angry around her.
‘I hear you got engaged? And then un-engaged?’
‘Well yes, got engaged and then he cheated, and I punched him out, and his mistress.’
‘Nice. Glad to see Debra’s influence on you.’
‘Not Debra’s more like yours!’
Katherine blushed, good memories flooding back, ‘Look what is this Enzi guy about and how do you know him?’
‘Let me freshen up and all get back to the Arcadia safe.’
‘Do you think he is coming back?’
‘Oh not yet, we saw him get away in a seaplane, but he could be back later, best not to risk hanging around.’
Archer took his mouthfuls of food and water, and walked back with Katherine to the dock. ‘I have to get my gear from down-river, I will see you on the ship?’
‘I guarantee it Archer.’
With a wave Katherine was gone, Archer watching her run back up to the walkway.
‘Penny for them?’ It was Kevin carrying a large box, ‘Something on your mind Archer?’
‘Just history Kevin, just history.’
Kevin was puzzled, but then Katherine always understood Archer better than he did, kindred Jacob called them.
Within two hours all the gear was loaded, and a procession of canoes, zodiacs and The Wasp transported the camp contents back to the waiting Arcadia. The cranes worked overtime, pulling the gear up in cargo nets while armed lookouts surveyed for Enzi’s possible return. Only after they were underway and sailing south did Jacob relax. Katherine, Debra and Kevin had joined him in the communications room under the bridge. Teddy had left the bridge in the capable crew’s hands.
Jacob addressed his friends, ‘So what do we do about this mess?’ Archer entered the room, ‘Well before you join the game, you need to know all the players. He sat down placing Khan’s memory card in Jacob’s laptop, ‘this is what started me off and almost got me killed.’ The laptop display showed Khan’s files and Archer entered the password and brought up the information. It had surveillance photos, times, dates, names of contacts, copies of documents and memos from the US Department of Defence.
Archer explained the origins of the information flashing before them, ‘This is from an old friend, he got suspicious of our employer and his true interest in Mabalia, it appears that my boss, who runs Protection Incorporated is not who I thought.’
‘So who is he then? This boss of yours?’
‘It turns out that Protection Incorporated is a legitimate company, but also a front for a covert operation called Unit Zero 3. The General runs this, with a Colonel Nathan Briggs, who recruited me, running the legitimate side.’
‘And this Unit Zero 3 does what son?’
‘You name it, arms deals, missiles, guns, biological and chemical weapons on small scales. Assistance with coups and assassinations.’
‘And this boss, The General does he have a real name?’
‘According to this file his name is Vincent Mastasson.’
Jacob looked at Archer, ‘You are sure that is his name?’
Jacob was deep in thought, ‘continue, what else do you know?’
‘Enzi was employed or partnered with Mastasson to find something called the Bow of Yi. There are also dubious connections between Unit Zero 3 and Department of Defence, nothing concrete but Khan thought that stolen arms shipments, or missing containers got back to Unit Zero 3.’
Archer informed the group of who was behind Enzi and the attack on the camp, that they had an insider, now obviously Laurent and not La gente de la luz azul. Jacob told them about Osvaldo Rodrigo’s role, the complex and the amulets. After over an hour Archer asked the question, ‘Who is Vincent Mastasson? How do you know him?’
‘We had a falling out some years ago, before I left Special Ops, of course that was before he died?’
‘Died? no he is alive and kicking, known as The General now.’
‘Well when I knew him, he died in a plane crash along with two teams off the coast of Panama in 2003.’
‘Khan’s info mentioned he was working for Colonel Briggs, monitoring the activities of Unit Zero 3, and Mastasson‘
‘Well your Protection Incorporated is just a front, but Briggs sounds like a more honourable man than Mastasson. So some things don’t change.’
‘So what’s our move?’
Jacob had been pondering this while Archer laid out what they knew, ‘We need to get those amulets back, Mastasson has four of them including the fifth.’
Kevin and Katherine both interrupted, ‘You mean fourth, there are only four amulets needed, Osvaldo you told us.’
‘I said four to initiate it, but the fifth is the true key, and that is what was stolen from your museum in Washington.’
‘So Mastasson has it?’
Osvaldo Rodrigo was unsure, but Jacob had no such reservations, ‘Oh I would bet on it, but he may not know what he has.’
Katherine was first to say, ‘Laurent will know, I bet he found out from Luis Alfredo.’
‘Perhaps, but we cannot be sure, even poor Luis Alfredo would be he
sitant to give out information on the fifth amulet.’
‘Look Archer where would Enzi go? To Mastasson?’
‘Yes, but I am unsure where?’
Jacob smiled, Katherine spotting it first, ‘What have you done Jacob?’
‘Well when Archer called me my phone went dead, so I had young Michael check it, and the phone was fine.’
‘But, I know there is a but coming.’
‘There is, but, he found something else, a small tracker, placed in my phone. It has been forwarding all my calls, and my location somewhere.’
‘For how long?’
‘Don’t know, but I do know who planted it.’
Jacob turned to Katherine, ‘That little French rat! He has been playing a blinder!’
‘That’s right, Laurent. I had Michael check and his fingerprints were on the chip, careless.’
‘So my ex-fiancé has been playing that game!’
‘Don’t worry Katherine, you know I believe in Karma?’
‘Yes, but I cannot see us getting at him.’
‘Michael put a transmitter back in his phone, and wiped out the memory, so it would record all the numbers he dialled manually, I have a list here.’
Jacob pulled out a memory card, and played the recording of Laurent’s call from the powerboat. ‘Yes I have all four amulets now, we can proceed to find the Bow of Yi. No Enzi does not suspect.’
‘You see, we have the number he called, and the tracker will show us where he is going. Michael just got a fix, he is on Isla Joya Verde off the Panama coast.’
The group were impressed with Jacob’s deviousness. Except Archer, he seemed distant.
‘Now we know where he is, we can go in and retrieve the amulets, but Laurent thinks he only needs four?’
‘Exactly, so we can use that to our advantage.’
‘What do you have in mind son?’
Archer was reluctant to talk to his father, but this was bigger than his issue, from what Jacob had told them. ‘We get the amulets back and return them to Osvaldo Rodrigo.’
Kevin was unsure of Archer’s reasons, ‘Why would we do that?’
Jacob responded, ‘Because Kevin, if we do not get the amulets back to that complex in the next twenty hours, the Gulf coast will be a very quiet place tomorrow.’
TWENTY SIX
Enzi landed within two and a half hours at Isla Joya Verde; unusually The General was there to greet him.
‘Hello General, I am surprised to see you here? To what do I owe the honour?’
‘You have valuable cargo Enzi; I just want to ensure it is all accounted for.’
Laurent exited the plane, and began to carry one container to The General, ‘The amulets sir, all of them.’
Enzi was surprised that Laurent knew The General, but did not comment, noting The General’s lack of reaction. The three men walked back to a waiting jeep, while some soldiers loaded up another with the containers from the plane. The General drove, taking them directly to the private entrance of his hangar, passing two helicopters, one black combat, the other civilian transport. The elevator ride up to The General’s office was silent, all men knowing they did not want their conversations monitored, even here.
After securing the room, The General offered the men refreshments, and got down to business.
‘Christophe and Enzi, you are probably wondering how I know both of you, and your connection. You have both been working on the same puzzle from opposite ends, something I have been most interested in. Chui, you discovered an ancient Chinese parchment from the treasure fleets, and Christophe you found an artefact in an Inca city, correct?’
Chui answered first, with a polite nod to Christophe, ‘I was in Moscow on business, looking for leads on a solar energy device that my President had heard of. I was approached by the curator of a museum, he was aware of a solar device mentioned in a Chinese script. He sold me the parchment, and the accompanying translation for two games consoles.’
‘A bargain Chui?’
‘The translation revealed the parchment was from the treasure fleets, which had been in South America in the 1430’s and come across something they called the Bow of Yi. When I researched this I found out about the legend of the Ten Suns, and a Bow of Yi that supposedly destroyed nine of the suns.’
‘What utter rubbish! It is just an old legend, a myth!’
Chui was offended by Christophe’s comments, ‘Maybe so Mr Laurent, but you should know that many myths and legends have an element of truth. The Chinese had found four amulets and with the help of the blue light people had established that the Bow of Yi was real, not a bow, but a device of extraordinary power.’
‘And how does this link to the artefacts?’
The General butted in, to deal with the arrogant Frenchman, ‘The black stone amulet you found in Peru is one of the four amulets we require to locate and operate this device, whatever it is. And I suspect the parchments you have, contain the location of something they call, the complex.’
Laurent began to smile, annoying Chui further, ‘What are you smiling at you arrogant fool!’
‘Because not only do I know where the complex is, but I also know about the fifth amulet.’
Mastasson paused processing the information, and how to play Laurent, ‘Really Christophe, so share this information.’
‘Well General, there is a price, it is vital to you, and I have no concern what you do with the amulets, just the money for my cooperation.’
The General had planned for this eventuality, and confronted Laurent with what he had discovered. ‘Before you attempt to blackmail me, I suggest you listen carefully.’
The General sat down behind his substantial desk, leaning back and staring at Laurent briefly, noticing the Frenchman’s obvious nerves. ‘You have not been completely honest, or loyal have you?’
‘I have, I gave you the location of the black stone object and parchments in the museum in Washington? You got them didn’t you?’
‘Yes, Mr Enzi acquired them for me with some collateral damage.’
Enzi was again concerned by his lack of involvement in The General’s commentary.
‘And Mr Laurent you gave us the ability to locate Mr Mathias, should the need arise. But you have not been honest!’
Laurent attempted to answer, but was cut off by the raising of The General‘s hand, ‘I know you have not, I have recordings of conversations between you and a Chinese gentleman, discussing a price for the amulets and information.’
Laurent was going crimson, the sweat appearing on his brow in the air-conditioned office, just confirming the accusation.
‘You betrayed me Laurent, and that I do not permit.’
Laurent foolishly tried to respond, ‘I did not betray you! I was seeking out other informants to confirm the information I had obtained!’
‘That is bullshit Laurent, and we both know it!’
The General had stood up behind his desk, and moved to stand before Laurent. The Frenchman reacted standing face to face with The General, ‘You thought you could take me for a fool, sell me out! I! Don’t! Think! So!’
With each word he hit Laurent around the head, striking his nose, jaw and eyes. Laurent fell to the floor, face bleeding, snivelling as he looked up at the furious General.
‘I am sorry Vincent, truly I am! Please don’t hurt me again!’
‘That was not hurting you. That was a warning. Oh don’t worry Christophe, I won’t kill you. But you will give me all the information you have, in return for your life.’
‘Yes, yes of course.’ Laurent continued to snivel as The General returned to his seat. Laurent then told them about Luis Alfredo’s information and his dying words, ‘he said we need the fifth. I think he meant the fifth amulet, and the only one that does not appear identical is the black one from Peru, so you have it.’
‘So Christophe, we are only missing one crystal amulet, and where do you suppose that is?’
‘I am sure that the leader Osvaldo Rodrigo has it, I
could not get it from him, but I saw it glowing in his bag.’
‘And the complex? Where is that?’
‘The walled crater the place that Jones picked me up from. Had he not shot the young Luis, I could have him giving us all the information we need.’
‘Yes well, I am not happy with Enzi and his methods, but still we have gained much with his help.’
‘There is nothing else I know, I swear.’
Enzi nodded in appreciation of the recognition, if not the language.
‘You were not going to mention the necklaces then?’
Christophe gasped, fearing further attack, ‘No, no I did forget, we need the necklaces for protection, anyone entering must wear one, I do not know why though, I swear!’
The General stepped back moving back to his desk, ‘Thank you Christophe, now leave us, clean yourself up before you bleed onto my carpet.’
Enzi had remained silent and still throughout, surprised at the violent outburst, and Christophe’s confessions, ‘and what do you need me to do?’
The General waited until Christophe had departed, took a deep breath, ‘Well Chui, I want you to organise a new group of men, as you have lost your previous allocation.’
‘Can I not have some of your soldiers, they are well trained and disciplined?’
‘No you cannot, this is my personal venture, and I do not want Colonel Briggs knowing of it. Taking any men from here would be noticed and questioned, equipment I can explain.’
‘I will get some locals then, how many?’
‘About twenty. You will take boats and go back to this complex, and with the amulets we have we will get control of it.’
‘And Christophe?’
‘He can come along in case there is anything else he has neglected to tell us.’
Enzi left the room, The General, called his contact, ‘Sir, we have them all four of them.’
‘Excellent news General, and your problems all resolved?’
‘They all are; any other loose ends will be appropriated to my African friend.’
‘And his body will be left as agreed?’
‘Yes, his men will all be found killed, local bandits will be blamed.’
‘And how can you be sure of this?’