by John O'Brien
“Exactly,” I reply.
“Wait, so the stake in the heart is a real thing?” McCafferty questions.
“I think so. If it’s slammed hard enough, it jams into the surface underneath. They’re pinned so can’t just pull it out, and if there’s a cross bar, that prevents them from rising. The wound is continuous. They eventually run out of energy and bleed out. At least, that’s my hypothesis,” I answer.
“That’s not very feasible in a combat environment like we were in,” Greg states. “And, I don’t think the crossbow would do much better—too slow to reload.”
“All true,” I respond.
“Jack, are you suggesting explosive rounds?” Lynn interjects.
“Possibly. They wouldn’t have as much punch to them, but they’d definitely deal a lot more damage. They’d have to be designed to have a split-second delay so they’d explode internally instead of on contact,” I answer.
“You know those are illegal to use in combat,” Lynn says.
“I’m not sure the Strigoi were signers to the Geneva Convention, nor do I think the convention covers warfare with vampires. I think we’d be good to go. I pinky swear we won’t use them against people.”
“I’ll look into it and see what we can figure out,” Lynn replies.
“While you’re at it, see if we can get any bolts that would have extensions that lock into place when they hit. I’ve thought about a few designs, but nothing really useful so far.”
“This isn’t Men in Black,” Lynn comments.
“Could have fooled me,” Denton mumbles.
“Kind of along the same lines—does anyone else here think that perhaps Vladmir wasn’t completely honest with us? To me, it kind of seems like we were being interviewed instead of the other way around,” I say.
“I’m pretty damned sure he wasn’t entirely truthful. I mean, I wouldn’t be if I were in his situation. I’d be definitely holding some information back,” Greg answers.
“Did you notice him hesitate when I mentioned biological agents?”
“Yeah, but that could just have been him contemplating the answer,” Henderson replies.
“We haven’t found anything they couldn’t dispel, Jack. So, I’m inclined to think Henderson might be right,” Lynn adds.
“Okay, okay. Maybe so. But, I’m going to put on my tinfoil hat here for a moment. It seems a touch odd that a large pack of vampires would suddenly materialize like they did,” I say. “Why now?”
“What are you getting at? Are you saying they were placed there on purpose?” Gonzalez inquires.
“Maybe…just maybe, they were placed to observe our reactions and our ability to deal with them. I mean, don’t you think we’d have heard something about them prior? To me, it seems like they sprang up out of nowhere.”
“There’s a lot of jungle out there, Jack. They could have always been there and only now made their way to civilization,” Lynn counters.
“I suppose so. Call me paranoid, but I just have the feeling like we’re being played. I keep going back to Vladmir’s demonstration of that rift thing. He didn’t need to do it that way, coming directly at me. Again, I get the feeling he was looking for a reaction and that pack was supposed to analyze how we operate, along with our effectiveness. If they can get a measure of that, they can alter their own tactics accordingly.”
“We’ve checked Vladmir extensively. Now, I’m not some naïve little girl, and he certainly has his hand in a lot of ventures…not all of them legit. He’s rich, there’s no hiding that fact, but they pay a lot for their privacy,” Lynn responds.
“How far back can you check? They’re like a thousand years old or more,” Gonzalez pipes in.
“True. What we’ve found out about their activities has nothing to do beyond accumulating wealth: they’re not gaining power within any governmental entity. There aren’t any ties to foreign governments or private military corporations. There aren’t any signs of having an army in waiting or access to one. They covet wealth, which pays for and allows them their secrecy. The only links with any government are through the pact made generations before,” Lynn responds.
“I assume you’re monitoring their lines of communication,” I ask.
“Jack, we’re not amateurs,” Lynn comments.
“Okay, okay,” I say, holding my hands up in surrender. “Shit just seems fishy, that’s all. And ol’ Vladmir could just be the front man.”
“Do you believe that after meeting him?” Lynn questions.
“No, not really,” I answer. “So, what do you have in those files of yours?”
“Two things, actually,” Lynn replies, pulling a folder from on top and flipping open the cover. “The first piece of news is that we received word that a Sayeret team was taken out in the same manner as the other units.”
Lynn pauses and glances up to look directly at me. Anticipating my inquiry, she acknowledges that includes Calhoun’s team—the one that precluded my involvement in all of this.
“All right, let’s see,” she says, looking back at the paper in her hands. “They were stationed in Syria; it’s confirmed that they didn’t get off a single shot. Autopsy and lab results indicate they were hit in the same fashion as the others. Their foreheads were also carved with the same Hajal bird.”
“Have we found out more about what that might signify?” Greg asks.
“As I believe I mentioned before, the Hajal bird was the icon for the Hashashins. I won’t go into detail about them except to say that they were prevalent in the Islamic world during medieval times. They held reign for more than 130 years before they were nearly destroyed by the Mongols. Before being totally annihilated, they scattered across what is now Syria. Supposedly, there’s a mystical society that’s still around, waiting patiently and biding their time until their Imam calls them forward.
“Their original leader was a man named Hassan, but the real prominence of the group came years later under…I’m going to butcher this name…Rashid ad-Din Sinan. That doesn’t really matter other than he was also referred to as the ‘Man in the Mountain.’ Now, here’s the interesting part. We’ve picked up some chatter over the airwaves mentioning a man in the mountain. So far, we haven’t been able to pinpoint anything specific or provide locations other than some of the communications are originating from Syria, with others in northern Iraq and southern Turkey. We’ve also been unable to fathom any clear intent. The only way we found what we have is that I put in a notice to monitor that phrase when we first began investigating,” Lynn briefs.
“So, if that link holds true, then on the basis that they seem to originate in the Middle East and the fact that they’ve hit Special Air Services, the KSK from Germany, the DoD contract unit, and now the Sayeret, I think it’s a safe bet that they’re going after those operating in the Middle East,” I respond.
“Don’t forget the Spetznaz unit,” Lynn adds.
“That could have been a cover to hide their involvement, or it could have been real. I don’t know that I would trust that information. What about China? Have we heard of any units being targeted there?” I inquire.
“Not that we’ve identified. But, that might not mean anything as they’re being even more secretive,” Lynn answers.
“I’m sorry, but all of the arrows point to a Middle East origin,” Greg grumbles.
“While that may be true, their ability to track and coordinate as they have speaks of some kind of state assistance. Without that sponsorship, no group would have the tech to manage what they’ve accomplished. Sure, they can train, but they lack any reasonable kind of aerial reconnaissance. There’s no country in that area I know of that has satellite capability. Not even drones worth mentioning. Someone is hunting special op units and taking them out. That takes a lot of coordination,” I say.
“What about the Chinese? They surely don’t have any love for us. It could be in retaliation for impeding their Pacific expansion and doing it with third parties,” McCafferty chimes in.
“If it’s i
ndeed the Chinese, or anyone for that matter, why carve that symbol into the foreheads?” Gonzalez questions.
“Maybe to throw us off? Or it could be some religious sect that they’ve contracted for their dirty work,” Denton answers.
“I suppose that makes sense,” Gonzalez responds.
“Lynn, is there any back-channel chatter coming from Russia or China that might give a clue to their involvement?” I ask.
“Nothing that we’ve heard.”
“So, this really leaves us nowhere. If the Russian hit is true and you take into account the recent Israeli one, that rules out an internal leak on our end,” I say.
“I’ve thought along the same lines, Jack. Without the Israelis sharing their internal operations, there’s no way we’d know about an op that low-level. Perhaps if it was part of a larger operation, sure, but we don’t get any intel on small teams staking out airfields,” Lynn responds.
“This brings us back to the amount of intel they’d have to compile to do what they’ve managed. First, they’d have to know about an operation. Then, they’d have to pinpoint the targeted team, and get into position. Identifying any one of those alone would take considerable resources, especially if there isn’t a leak. In some of those cases, they not only identified a team, but then they had to track them and set up one of their teams along the path. That speaks of satellite coverage to me. And, seeing it’s happened worldwide, a network of them. So, unless they’ve managed to sneak some into orbit, there’s a larger agency at work here…most likely a first-world state player,” I add.
“Okay, while that may be true, I’m not convinced that it’s the Chinese or Russians. The fact that the Israelis were hit kind of rules out the Chinese in my opinion. If it were NATO forces alone, then okay. If the Chinese wanted to retaliate, they have plenty of different avenues available. Taking out special ops units would accomplish nothing,” Greg says. “The Russians I can see more than the Chinese, but I still don’t think they’d target special ops units. The Israelis, sure, that’s plausible, either to hide their involvement in Syria or supplying the Iranians. Hitting the Germans, sure, also plausible given their history. But weren’t the Brits just training? And even though they probably loved it when the senator’s daughter was kidnapped, I don’t see them being involved in that mess and then covering it up.”
“I happen to agree with Greg,” Lynn states. “Services could have been purchased, seeing who they were going to target, but I have my doubts that the Chinese are involved.”
“Okay, so we’re back to this being a Middle East thing,” Gonzalez responds.
“If that’s true, then what message could they possibly be sending?” Henderson inquires. “The way I see it, if it’s the usual ‘get out of the Middle East,’ then they would have started bombing or their usual rhetoric. Why target special ops units? What leverage could that possibly give them?”
“It may not be about leverage, but to send a message that we can’t operate with impunity any longer. They can hide out from larger forces, which they can see coming miles away. That’s aside from operational leaks. But, they’ve been vulnerable to special ops units,” Gonzalez offers.
“And, it could also be that they’re letting us know that they’re now coming into action and there’s nothing we can do about it. After all, they’ve taken out how many teams without any losses to show for it? It’s both psychological and giving notice that we no longer rule that realm,” Greg says.
“But, still, we aren’t going to pull out of the Middle East because a few teams were taken out; they have to know that. So, I have to wonder what their true goal is,” Henderson questions.
“Perhaps this is just the first phase of a larger campaign. A new terror, perhaps? Bombing a marketplace turns world opinion against them, but no one is going to raise their arms with vengeance about a few military teams being wiped out. It could also be a recruiting tool, ‘see, they aren’t that badass after all,’” Gonzalez muses.
“This isn’t getting us anywhere. The bottom line is we have to watch our asses out there…even more than usual,” I say.
“The fact that no one is taking credit is worrisome and speaks of an agenda that we have no way of truly knowing,” Lynn responds. “I’ll keep an ear to the airwaves and see what pops up.”
“Well, I think we’ve beaten that subject into submission and are still nowhere. You mentioned two things; what’s the other one?” I inquire.
Lynn places the paper she was holding aside and spreads a few more sheets in front of her.
“Jack, you remember the hostages you and your…well…former team pulled out in Mexico,” Lynn says, her eyes flickering to mine.
“The senator’s daughter, right?” I say, feeling a tremor of guilt and sadness run through me.
“Yeah, that’s the one.”
“I’m not sure I could ever forget that vacation.”
“Well, as you can guess, the cartel responsible wasn’t happy with how that turned out. The note you left at the first location, along with the other planted evidence, sent vibrations through the cartels. There’s likely a war brewing,” Lynn states.
“When isn’t there? I mean, isn’t there always one going on?”
“Yes, but this is larger than a few slayings here and there. However, that isn’t the important part for us. They’re looking for revenge for the recovery of the hostages. With the rumor that American soldiers were involved, there’s valid intel that they’re going after Americans as retribution. This time there won’t be hostages taken, but people gunned down at resorts,” Lynn briefs, her blue eyes narrowing.
“So, issue warnings and get them out of there,” I state.
“The State Department already put out a travel advisory, but there are always those who don’t listen. It’s not like we can force them away from their pools and suites,” Lynn replies.
“And the Mexican military or police forces can’t be trusted, right?” Gonzalez inquires.
“Not with this one. Seeing we put American soldiers on the ground without informing them, they’re steering clear for fear that they’ll be caught up in the blowback,” Lynn answers. “They’ll have their normal patrols and such, but they aren’t willing to provide direct intervention.”
“So, send in the Marines and let them earn some pay,” Greg says.
“We can’t do that given the political situation. The Mexican government can’t really invite American troops after we went in without asking,” Lynn replies.
“Isn’t it always political? Why do we always have to work with handcuffs on?” Greg’s baritone voice is filled with disgust.
“There’s also the fear that the sight of troops may spur the cartel into worse actions.”
“But, it could also hold them back,” Greg counters.
“It could. But these are the rules we’re working with and there’s nothing we can do about it,” Lynn says.
“I’m guessing that the reason you’re telling us all of this is that we’re slated to take this on,” I say.
“Department of Defense or State isn’t going to do anything, so Cyrus thought we might go down to lend some assistance,” Lynn responds.
“Okay, I guess our vacation is over. Does your intel indicate a more exact when and where?” I ask.
“It’s all here,” Lynn replies, retrieving more folders and passing them around the table. “You’ll be flying out tomorrow to Coronado and then it’s commercial down to Puerto Vallarta. Passports and IDs are inside.”
Chapter Two
Opening the folders, we push the IDs to the sides—we’re interested in the details. Two days isn’t a long time to plan, especially as much of the time will be taken up with travel. The lucky thing is we’ll have the couple of hours in the air on the way to San Diego aboard the AC-130. Other than a shuffling of papers, the minutes are filled with silence as the intel is absorbed.
“How sure are we that this is the hotel that’s going to be hit?” Greg asks, breaking the silence.
“As sure as we can get,” Lynn answers. “Besides, it’s the one with the most Americans still in place. The cartel has its own intel, so I’m sure that they’re aware of this.”
“And I’m guessing that no US agency is touching this one,” I comment.
“Other than issuing advisories, that would be a nope,” Lynn replies.
“What are the other countries doing?”
“Pretty much the same, although there are several that have issued actual travel bans.”
“So, no support. What about locally?” I inquire.
“Don’t expect any help from the local military, police, or government agencies. They don’t know that we’ll be there, sooo…” Lynn responds.
I chuckle, seeing as how our lack of notification landed us in this spot to begin with. “If something happens and we’re discovered, they’re going to be a bit pissed.”
“Then don’t get caught,” Lynn responds.
“Fair enough—but how will you explain our involvement afterward if something goes down and we’re dragged into action?”
“The United States has plausible deniability, so the confusion will be on both sides. However, the world won’t believe a word of it, so we’ll let it leak that the resort hired additional protection following the initial abductions. They’ll deny it, but we’ll have planted those seeds of doubt,” Lynn answers.
The talk around the table quietens as we go back to studying the folders.
Hotel Layout
Looking at the satellite shots of the hotel, I’m struck by how large it is. The resort consists of a slightly curved main building about thirteen stories tall, overlooking a courtyard centered around a large swimming pool directly next to the beach. A secondary building, nearly as large but taller, is L-shaped and surrounds a secondary pool and courtyard. The two pools are separated by a restaurant.
There are also a couple of bungalow-style buildings situated near the beach. The secondary pool is also near the beach, but access to it requires heading up a small path. Nestled throughout are a number of palm trees. On the town side, a parking lot fronts four two-lane avenues that cut through rows of other resorts.