by JT Sawyer
“You OK, buddy?”
The man nodded, rolling his shoulders in circles and grimacing. “I think I’m a few inches taller.” He lifted his head and looked at Mitch.
Mitch’s eyebrows shot up and his face tightened. “Charlie fuckin’ Brown—the guy from the Munich Airport. What kind of blind luck has led me to finding your ass here?”
“Who are you?”
“The guy who’s been tracking you since you whacked Yin and before that. The same guy who saw you tailing me in the bar in Kuala Lumpur? You still gonna play dumb with me?”
Von was rubbing his aching jawline, sore from the numerous centipede bites, and still trying to form clear words through his swollen lips. Both men suddenly turned towards the window at some commotion outside.
Mitch helped Von to his feet as they made their way to the door. “We’ll resume this conversation later. Right now, I need to find my friend if he’s here—an older man in his sixties, balding.”
“Sounds like Schueller—he’s been in and out of the cell next to this one. We talked last night when the guards left for a few minutes.”
“Yeah, that’s him. Is he OK? Where did they take him?”
“Not sure but there’s a small lab in the center of this building from what he said. He’s probably in there with scarface, the motherfucker who strung me up here.”
Mitch rubbed his chin, studying the man’s lacerations and swollen lower lip. “Looks like they did a number on you—anything you want to tell me?”
“They abducted me a few days ago from the city thinking I had some connection to their plans.”
They heard movement in the hallway and pressed against the wall until the sound passed. “We’ve gotta get Schueller and get the hell out of here,” he whispered, then noticed the man extended his hand.
“Name’s Von.”
“Mitch.”
They moved towards the door, Von reaching down to the slumped guard and removing his Beretta pistol. He did a partial chamber check and tucked it into his waist then removed the camouflage shirt from the figure and slid it over his blood-streaked torso.
Chapter 29
After she opened the exterior door, Dev secreted herself against the wall and moved inside while Marco covered their rear. Marco tapped her on the shoulder and motioned to her neck then he plucked a leech off her skin before it delivered its anti-coagulant saliva. She gulped and then gave him a nod of thanks. I’ve been shot, stabbed, and blown up but nothing terrifies me more than all these fucking bugs. Christ, let’s finish this mission already.
She took a deep breath while the color returned to her face. Dev crept towards the first room on her right, her six-inch fixed blade in her hand. The last thing she wanted to do was alert the other guards with the sound of gunfire and risk sending rounds down the hallway in Mitch’s direction.
Before she reached the door, it swung open and a tall Suma fighter emerged. He was as shocked by her presence as she was by his and he reached for his holstered pistol. She sprung on him, thrusting her blade into his left jugular then swiftly arcing down across the chest, performing an angular stab into his ribcage. The entire flow of movements was over in a second and the guard staggered backwards, collapsing onto the floor while trying to clutch his leaking throat. Dev looked around the room, grabbing the guard’s keys off his belt, and then glanced back at Marco whose mouth was agape. He moved into the hallway, closing the exterior door and catching up to her.
Chapter 30
Kyle was next to Carlos, his second-in-command, as they stood in the small lab attached to the main compound where Schueller had been working for the past twenty-four hours. The glass-encased containment room was empty inside and the professor was going through a decontamination vapor shower in a sealed plastic walkway that connected the lab to the isolation chamber.
Kyle took the individual canisters which had timed dispersal clocks mounted on each end and gently placed them in eight padded blue daypacks which bore the white logo of a fictitious tourist company.
“Take these to the helo and alert the other men to meet me there in ten minutes.” Carlos slung the backpacks over his shoulders, his face tense as he made certain to avoid clanging the canisters.
Schueller’s eyes hung heavy and his face was taut. He moved like someone thirty years older, his back hunched as he plunked down into the swivel chair next to a steel table. Kyle walked over to him and took the single vial from the older man’s hands. “This is the injectable version, yes?”
The fatigued man just nodded without making eye contact. “Excellent, then your work is done here, my good professor.”
Kyle moved back to the desk near the door and removed a syringe from a plastic container. He filled it with the fluid from the vial and then inserted it into his arm, pushing the plunger down while his eyelids fluttered like a heroin addict elated at the liquid pleasure surging into his veins. He took a deep breath and paced his inhalation then rolled his sleeve down and turned towards Schueller.
“I’ll give this a few minutes to make sure there are no side-effects then we can wrap things up in this musty rathole.”
Schueller looked up as Kyle rested his hands on the pistol in his waistline. “I know you have no intentions of letting me live,” said the older man.
“I’ve never lied to you about what my plans are. I never will. The CIA has lied to you all these years but I will not do that to you.”
“Do you expect me to feel thankful? You’re planning to unleash a deadly virus and you want my gratitude.”
Kyle swiftly withdrew his pistol and aimed at Schueller’s head. “I could’ve killed you a dozen times over by now and had my man mince your precious family so start showing me some goddamned respect.” He lowered the weapon while softening his voice. “I may still need you if this doesn’t work out as planned. Although the other test subjects I used this latest sample on seemed to prove everything is good to go.” He tucked the pistol back in his belt and walked to the entrance. He paused, tilting his head towards the door as he heard faint footsteps outside and then saw the rusty gray handle turning slowly.
Chapter 31
Von indicated the location of where he thought the lab was as they made their way through the dimly lit hallway. Mitch slowly moved to the right side of the door, feeling the handle. It was unlocked and he twisted it then flung open the door, bursting through with his pistol extended. He saw his friend Bob sitting in a chair in the corner. Several rounds of gunfire struck the concrete wall above his head, sending rock shrapnel onto his back. He and Von ducked under a steel table, flipping it over and taking cover while the rounds raked their surroundings. Mitch peered around the edge and shot off three rounds, seeing a figure in a gypsum-colored jacket near a cabinet in the opposite corner. The man had a small metal case in his hand and began running for the door while tossing a beaker of fluid on the floor. The glass shattered and sent a plume of acrid gray smoke into the air that smelled like burnt eggs. Mitch heard gunfire in the hallway as he ran to the back of the room to grab Schueller.
His friend was sprawled on the floor, coughing and covering his mouth. “It’s only sulphur,” the man said then looked up at Mitch, his eyebrows scrunching together then releasing as his face illuminated at the sight of his rescuer. “Mitch. What are you doing here? How did…”
Mitch helped him to his feet and they moved towards the exit, gagging on the strong fumes. “We’ll talk later. Can you run?”
The man nodded while coughing. Von was at the doorway and motioned to Mitch that it was clear. They moved into the hallway, sucking in fresh air. When the smoke cleared Mitch saw Dev lying on the ground near the entrance while Marco clutched a bullet wound below her left ribs. A staccato of gunfire rattled off the walls outside the building and Mitch knew their world was about to constrict.
Chapter 32
Rushing up to Dev, Mitch knelt down and inspected her wound. The bullet grazed her right side below the floating ribs and there was a huge swath of skin
missing which was bleeding profusely. “Looks like it didn’t pierce any vitals. I just can’t tell for sure.”
She winced and gripped his sleeve. Mitch reached into his vest pocket and yanked out his trauma kit, removing the large wad of gauze at the front and applying it to the entrance and exit wounds. Then he removed his shemagh from his pack and wrapped it around her midsection and tied it off.
A barrage of rifle fire resounded off the concrete walls outside and he looked over at Marco, both of them giving a look of recognition at the noise. “Those sure as hell aren’t AK rounds.”
Mitch glared at Von. “Pals of yours?”
He shook his head to either side and moved towards a window in one of the rooms while Mitch followed him. They both examined the men in black moving through the compound dispatching any resistance with their AR rifles, which were tricked out with red-dot scopes and flashlights. “These aren’t rebels. This is a murder squad sent to eliminate everyone here,” said Mitch.
“Fucking Crenna,” muttered Von under his breath.
“So these are associates of yours?”
“No but I can guess who’s pulling their strings.” Von reached up to the desk and examined the laptop screen, which displayed a scientific formula, and then removed a flash drive from the side, shoving it into his pocket.
Mitch kept scrutinizing Von. “Look, I don’t know who the hell you are but I’m not sure I want you on my six as we’re sneaking out of here.”
“I want out of this place as much as you do. Besides, the guy who shot your lady friend is about to launch a bio-attack somewhere in Jakarta from the little I’ve gathered and I need to get to him before he carries it out. This is my homeland and I’m not about to let a lunatic like Redstrom decimate my country.”
Mitch looked down at the pistol in the man’s waistband and at the lacerations on his face and arms then thought back to his actions at the Munich Airport. He couldn’t figure what Von’s connection was with Yin or what was going down at this remote facility but his gut instincts told him that the man was telling the truth about what he’d just said. Though he wasn’t sure how far his trust would extend with someone who was a killer for hire.
Chapter 33
After he’d fired off several rounds at the man and woman running at him in the hallway, Kyle bolted in the opposite direction. He exited the building and wove between some fuel drums, making his way towards the helicopters a hundred yards away. He saw most of his men engaged in a gun battle to his rear and hoped the other eight mercenaries selected for his mission to the Jakarta Airport were already aboard the helicopter.
He saw several men in black tactical gear sweeping through the southern part of the camp; their precision moves and superior weapons were no match for the Suma mercenaries who were quickly being dispatched. “Crenna sending his cavalry to the rescue. Only it won’t be enough.” He reached into his gypsum-colored jacket and removed a detonator that was connected to several crates of thermite buried under the lab. The steel barrels beside him sparked with gunfire and he looked up to see a large man with a flat nose firing at him from across the field. Just like Crenna, never wanting to get his lotiony hands all dirty and sending another disposable asset to do his fucking bidding.
He could see the man reloading his AR and Kyle used the brief pause to shoot at the jungle vines draped off the trees above. A white viscous fluid sprayed onto the ground below, covering Masala in a caustic shower. He immediately began rubbing his face at the burning irritant. Kyle stood up and sent two more rounds into his head. Then he ran across the field, darting from crate to crate until he reached the airfield. Carlos was inside the first helicopter and the rotors had just begun turning as the engines fired up. Climbing inside, he did a headcount of his men and then gave the thumbs-up to ascend. He ran his hand over the thumb of the detonator, flicking the red switch as the lab and surrounding buildings exploded.
***
The plume of flame resembled a green tadpole swimming skyward on Crenna’s laptop as he studied the low-resolution image sent from his aerial drone. He squinted, examining the small object flying away to the northeast. Crenna glanced down at his radio, waiting for a signal from his man on the ground. Wonder if that’s Masala or Kyle? He thought for a moment, rubbing a finger along his pudgy chin. “Better assume it’s the latter—guy just doesn’t want to stay dead.”
Chapter 34
After Mitch exited the building, he and Marco laid down a suppressing fire towards the treeline where the battle was unfolding. A few of the men in black were strafing them with rounds while trying to keep the remaining Suma mercenaries from advancing. As they ran for the treeline, he saw Von perform a long-distance headshot with his pistol, taking out a Suma mercenary who’d crept out from a nearby building.
Petra and David had swung around and killed four of the men on both sides and regrouped with Mitch and the others near the edge of the jungle. Once he was certain they had gained some distance, Mitch told the group to halt near the airfield. He knelt down near a fallen tree whose massive root system resembled the petrified tentacles of a squid. Mitch studied the area around the remaining Huey helicopter, a carryover from the Vietnam War. Miles away in the cloudy sky, he saw another helicopter heading away. Then the base behind them ignited in a fiery explosion, shaking the ground and sending a blast of concrete and body parts throughout the skyline.
He leaned back, looking at Dev, who was slightly conscious, then down at her wound. Her breathing was shallow and her skin ashen. Mitch knew her wound was severe and hoped she’d be able to hold on a little longer. He crept out a few feet and went through the vest of one of the dead mercenaries lying in the grass. He remove a grenade and some magazines but the man’s AR had a jagged rifle round through the damaged chamber and he tossed the now useless mags aside.
He put his hand on Marco’s shoulder. “You still remember how to fly one of those birds, I hope?”
“Yeah, no sweat, amigo. You cover my ass while I zip across this open area and fire that bitch up.”
Mitch nodded then both men studied the surrounding jungle treeline again for any movement.
“Here we go,” said Marco. He squat-ran across the ankle-high rice grass.
Once the engines sputtered to life, Mitch raised his hand for the group to move forward. The two Israeli warriors carried Dev while Mitch and Von provided rear cover support. They quickly retreated inside the cabin and strapped themselves in, the barely conscious Dev leaning against Mitch’s shoulder.
Mitch leaned forwards and handed his canteen to Schueller, who was in the front seat, then shouted above the rotor wash at Von, who was inspecting a comma-shaped cut on his shoulder.
“Better patch some of those lacerations up. Things go septic here in the tropics fast though I’m guessing you already know that.” Mitch tossed him what remained of his trauma kit.
“Yeah, will do.”
“So, you wanna tell me what the hell you were doing strung up from the ceiling back there?”
“I work with Interpol. I conduct training on how to identify smugglers for different government agencies. I was abducted a few nights ago while returning from a visit to the coastline. Thank God you found me when you did. I don’t know how much longer I would’ve lasted.”
Mitch’s expression went stolid and he slowly raised the barrel of his AK towards Von’s chest. “One thing a cowboy like me can’t stand is a dishonest bastard who’d lie right to your face. Because you sure as hell look like the guy I saw at the airport in Munich a few days ago and then later in Kuala Lumpur, not to mention that I haven’t met too many Interpol workers who can make sixty-yard headshots. So, try again, because if I think you’re a serious threat to me and my friends, I got no problem having you go airborne.”
“Alright, alright,” Von said, placing his hands up in the air. “One can’t be too safe with who you’re divulging information to. I work for a task force that’s been trying to track down terrorist groups operating out of remote jungle tra
ining camps in Indonesia. I was on the trail of Jessica Yin in Europe, a known associate of Kyle Redstrom, the man who kidnapped me from my hotel in KL a few nights ago.” Von patted the red welt on his neck. “A blowgun dart with sedatives can undo most of your training pretty quick.”
“Uh-huh, task force, eh—got it.” Mitch shook his head. This guy seemed like a slick con-man who was used to sliding in and out of multiple personalities and cover stories. He’d worked with a few guys involved with clandestine agencies over the years and they always had a certain oily approach to the way they fielded every question. “You’re a spook’s more like it—a fucking assassin trained by our government.”
Mitch gave him a stern look before Von could respond. “So were you sent here to extract Schueller and kill that leather-faced thug in the Banana Republic suit back at the lab or just eliminate everyone involved?”
“Schueller has been a person of interest from the beginning but I didn’t know he was involved with Redstrom until I was abducted and taken to the facility.”
“Bob wasn’t involved with that lunatic. His whole life has been about bettering the world not bringing it to an end.”
“Sounds like you know the man—well.” Von sighed, his vision fixating on a small brown beetle sliding underneath the seat, then he looked back up at Mitch. “Sometimes the people we think we know well possess a wealth of masks. Redstrom wouldn’t be able to weaponize a virus by himself though he had most of what he needed. Schueller was the missing link.”
“And who the fuck is this Redstrom? Is he a former Interpol guy too?”