CHAPTER 64
I decide to take Harley and Bos along. We may need all the firepower we can muster. I call Rick and tell him to contact Harley and Bos and tell them they’re in and I need bank account numbers to deposit their money. Rick hesitates and then replies, “Harley, Bos, and I have decided we will wait until we get back to get our money. Is that all right with you?”
This time I hesitate, “Sure, sounds fine to me. We go in Monday night. It will be a full moon and looks like clear skies over the compound. Does that work for everyone?”
“One day is as good as another. What time do we meet you at the airport?”
“Let’s meet Monday morning at 9 a.m. and wear normal clothes to the airport. We’ll change in Panama. Do you have to file a flight plan?”
“Yeah, but I’ll fudge it. Don’t worry.”
“Hey, tell Harley and Bos to bring everything they have weapon and ammo wise. You never know what we may run into.”
“No problem. See you at the airport.”
*****
Along with Colonel T, I spend most of Sunday cleaning weapons and getting my shit together for the trip. I take time to type out a short will on the computer and ask Colonel T to witness it.
“Damn, Mickke D, you’re not giving me a very positive feeling about this trip. It sounds simple enough to me. We land, blow up the main house at the compound along with the copters, and leave.”
“I know. It sounds too simple. I hope it ends up that way.”
I make a call to the office and leave a message that I won’t be in until Wednesday. I say I have company in town. Jim will be able to verify that.
Sunday evening, I take Colonel T to dinner at The Parson’s Table in Little River. We both enjoy our slow roasted prime rib dinner with a bottle of DeLoach Cabernet. While there, I go over our game plan for the attack.
The remainder of the evening is quiet and we both go to bed early. I don’t know about him, but I have a hard time falling asleep. I keep thinking about all of the things that can go wrong. Thank goodness, my sleep proceeds without my recurring nightmares from the past.
CHAPTER 65
Everyone arrives 20 to 30 minutes early carrying duffel bags filled with a change of clothes and weapons. Our plane is still in the hanger, which makes it easier to load everything on board without roving eyes checking on us. There seems to be plenty of room to stow all of the baggage onboard. Rick uses a handheld scale to weigh everything and determines total weight seems to comply with weight limits for the AeroStar. We leave the airport right on schedule and head southwest to Panama.
The plane is a real jewel and doesn’t seem to labor with all the weight onboard. I brought along a cooler with sandwiches and water for the trip down and another cooler with beer for the trip back. I sure hope we get to the cooler with the beer.
I hand everyone a radio for communication with each other and I give everyone a rough sketch of the compound as I remember. Colonel T and I go over our plan of action with Harley and Bos and they seem to confer with our assessment and game plan. Our main ploy is to eliminate the guard at the old guard shack at the airstrip before he can contact the main guard shack and the main house.
Our plan is to touch down around 0300 and leave by 0400. I hope we can get in and out while the roving guards are out on patrol and before the guards at the guardhouse on the road leading into the compound can react. The only unanswered question is how many guards will there be at the main guard house at the gated entrance of the compound. If it happens to be during a shift change, there could be five or six more guards than usual.
Thank goodness, Colonel T brought along four LAWS (light anti-armor weapon) instead of just two. I plan to use one LAW on the main house, and, if need be, one on the main guardhouse at the entrance. If that one is not needed, I’ll use both on the main house. That will leave two for the copters. As a last resort, we’ll use the grenades and small arms fire on the copters, hopefully enough to at least cripple the rotor blades so they can’t fly.
The first 30 minutes of the flight is full of conversation and banter, but then we all get quiet and try to catch some shuteye. The realization of the trip is setting in, and everyone knows it could be his last rodeo. It’s time to make final preparations.
About an hour before landing in Panama, Rick and Colonel T both make calls to the airport. Rick gets clearance to land and Colonel T secures an available private hanger where we can conceal the plane. We can change clothes and get our weapons ready for our final assault on the compound.
We arrive at the airport just before 11:00 p.m. local time. Rick has the plane filled with petrol while I go to the fuel office and pay the bill. I enter the office and go up to the counter where a very attractive young lady with dark hair is smiling at me. She asks, in perfect English if she can help me and I reply, “I would like to pay for the fuel you just put in to that AeroStar out there,” pointing to our plane.
She pushes some keys on her computer and says, “That will be $615. May I have your credit card, please?”
I give her my best wish I had more time smile and reply, while gazing at her nametag, “Rosanne, I would like to pay in cash,” as I pull my money clip from my pocket.
She gives me a strange look and finally says okay. I notice her hand disappear slowly under the counter, and then quickly return. She takes my money and hands me a receipt. “Would you like this made out to you or a company?”
“Neither. That is fine just like it is.” I turn and leave the office.
Rick taxis the plane into the private hanger. We all get out and stretch our legs, eat some sandwiches and change our clothes. All is going according to schedule. That is until a Panamanian jeep and a truckload of soldiers pull up in front of the hanger. I immediately say to Colonel T, “This is not good.”
“No shit,” he replies, as the soldiers disembark with weapons at the ready.
“Any idea what this is about?” I say to Rick.
“Hell no, but someone had better have a good story for why we have all of these weapons.”
Colonel T jumps in, “Let me handle this.”
With hands raised, he walks over to the jeep where a soldier with braids all over his sleeves gets out and asks in broken English, “I am Major Ortega. Who are you, why are you here, and why do you have all of those weapons?”
Half-whispering, Colonel T replies as he shows him his Army ID, “I’m Colonel Townsend with U.S. Army Special Forces, and we are here for a special jungle training mission. You weren’t notified we were coming?”
Looking almost embarrassed, he says, “Special Forces, huh. Sure, I was notified. I need to call my superior and tell him you have arrived. Wait here.”
Before he can turn away, Colonel T continues, “Major Ortega. I wouldn’t do that. This is supposed to be a secret mission and we are on a tight schedule. If we don’t get on our way, the mission will be a failure. Why don’t we just get back on our plane and continue on our way. I will make sure that your superiors know how helpful you were after the mission is over.”
Colonel T can tell he is thinking about that last statement. Major Ortega looks around and then motions for his men to get back on the truck. “Be sure and let my superiors know I was very helpful, Colonel, and good luck with your training.”
He salutes Colonel T and shakes his hand. We watch as the jeep and truck move out. Colonel Townsend yells out as he trots back to the plane, “Get back on the plane and let’s get the hell out of here.”
CHAPTER 66
Once in the air, we all breathe again. However, Rick quickly reminds us, “Hey, if they put up a fighter, we’re toast.”
After about 30 minutes, we finally feel safe again, but now we’re going to be two hours early. We’re going to arrive about 1:00 a.m. instead of 3:00 a.m.
Rick slows down the plane a bit and it looks like a 1:15 arrival. We go over the plan again and even add a Plan B and Plan C. We hope to avoid using them.
As soon as we get close to Colombia
n air space, Rick takes the plane down on the deck and under radar. We turn and head toward the compound. The sky is clear with a brilliant full moon, but this could be the scariest part of the entire mission.
Within what seems like only a few minutes, Rick says, “Okay guys, hold on. I’m going to shut her down. The trees are going to make it hard to see what’s left of the runway, so I’m going to turn the running lights on for a few seconds just to get us lined up. Let’s hope the guard is looking the other way.”
We feel the plane lose altitude as Rick turns off the engines and it begins to waver from side to side. He then hits the lights and we all see the runway in front of us. However, there is one big problem. There is a huge limb lying on the runway near the end where we are planning to land.
Rick exclaims, “Damn, we can’t hit that!” He pulls the nose up a tad bit and just barely clips the branch with the plane’s wheels. He then turns off the lights, touches down with a thud, and hits the brakes. The plane begins to slow down as we see the guard shack coming up on the right. Thank God, it is a long runway, built for the cartel’s jet.
The plane comes to a stop about 100 yards short of the guard shack, and everyone in the plane finally takes a breath of air. We see no activity from the shack. I motion for Rick to open the door, and Colonel T and I climb out of the plane and disappear into the trees. We stay in the tree line and advance toward the guard shack.
Harley and Bos get off and jog back up the runway. They are going to try to pull the branch off the tarmac, because we will need to take off from that end of the runway.
Colonel T and I stop when we get to within 50 feet of the guard shack. We see no activity, but we do hear music. I motion for him to go around the back and I’m going to the front. I am having a hard time getting used to giving Colonel T orders. He was always giving me orders before, and I am finding the whole situation rather difficult. As he disappears around the building, I slowly reach the window and carefully gaze in. The guard is asleep in his chair. I doubt if he could have heard us over the sound of the music. With gun in hand and silencer in place, I slowly open the door and walk inside. I point my gun at the soldier but can’t seem to pull the trigger.
All of a sudden, he opens his eyes and reaches for his weapon. I hear the sound of a silenced gunshot over my right shoulder. The soldier slumps in his chair. He will not be calling anyone to say we have arrived. I turn as Colonel T says, “Losing your edge, Mickke D? This is not the time for that. Let’s move on.”
I reply, “I had it,” and move quickly out the door and toward a four-wheeler parked out front. I get on the radio and call Harley and Bos. “The guard is down and we are going in. We’re taking a 4x4 and there’s another one here for you guys. Are you ready?”
I recognize Harley’s voice, “Yeah. We’re just working on getting the limb off the runway and then heading back to the plane.”
Colonel T pulls a muffler sound suppresser from his backpack and hands it to me. It looks like the same one he gave us on our initial visit here. I smirk and jam it on the muffler pipe. He hands me a second one and I place it on the second 4x4.
I get back on the radio, “Left you a noise suppresser on the seat of the 4x4. Stick it on the muffler pipe.”
“Roger that.”
I jump in behind the wheel and Colonel T takes the passenger seat with his M-16 at the ready. The four LAWS are on the back seat. The full moon makes the trail back to the compound easy to navigate. As we get closer, we can make out the lights on the wall facing out away from the main house. We are about to leave the concealed confines of the jungle and are heading into a cleared open area.
I stop and look at Colonel T. “They have to have added cameras on that wall. Let’s ditch the 4x4 and get close to the wall. What do you think?”
“I think you’re right. Grab two LAWS and I’ll get the other two.”
I get back on the radio and whisper, “We’re ditching the 4x4 and going in along the wall. Believe they have cameras. Wait at our 4x4 until we blow the guard house and then move on up.”
“Roger that.”
Harley and Bos arrive back at the plane. Rick is standing outside with weapon in hand. He says, “Call me as soon as you start back. I’ll fire her up and we’ll be ready to get out of here. It’s way too quiet. I don’t like this.”
He no more than finishes his sentence when several men step out of the tree line with weapons drawn and pointed. They converge on the plane.
Rick automatically hits the voice key on his radio four times, which is the code for we’re in deep shit. He then nods at Harley and Bos to let them know what he has done. All three men drop their weapons and raise their hands.
CHAPTER 67
Just as we get to the wall, we both hear the code at the same time. I whisper, “Damn, there’s a problem at the plane.”
Colonel T whispers back, “I think you’re right. Let’s head back. No, I’ll head back. You blow the guard house and we’ll catch up with you.”
“Are you sure?”
“I’ll handle it. Go blow the guard house.” He hands me his two LAWS and trots back toward the 4x4.
I now am carrying four LAWS, three grenades, an M-16, and my .45, plus ammo. I think I should have gotten in better shape before I decided to do this.
*****
Colonel T navigates the 4x4 along the path until he catches a glimpse of the lights on the guard shack. At that point, he gets off the 4x4 and moves forward on foot, staying just inside the tree line. He finally gets close enough to see the problem.
Rick, Harley, and Bos are standing next to the plane with hands raised. There are two pods of security guards around them, four on the left and three on the right. He lays prone on the ground and lines up the first guard on the left. His silencer spits out the round and the guard drops. He fires again and the first guard on the right falls as well.
The other guards are dumbfounded and for the slightest moment, they turn and look behind them. Harley, Bos and Rick seize the opportunity, bend over, grab their ankle weapons, and fire at the remaining guards who all of a sudden are in limbo. Colonel T sees one remaining guard with rifle pointed at Rick and sends him to the ground. The guards never get off a shot and all are either dead or badly wounded.
Harley, Bos and Rick do not have silencers on their weapons and for about one minute, it sounded like a war zone. Colonel T runs over to the plane and checks that everyone is okay. He then tells Harley and Bos that they all need to get back to the compound and back up Mickke D.
Rick gathers up all of the weapons and tosses them into the jungle. He retains two AK-47s, which he keeps with him in case he has company before the guys return. He is alone to guard the plane.
*****
I hear the gunfire as I ease myself along the compound wall toward the guardhouse. So much for the element of surprise, I think to myself. Then reality sets in. What if Colonel T, Harley, Bos and Rick are dead? What if I’m out here alone with no backup? Then I remember, never allow negativity to set in while you are on a mission. I stop, take a deep breath and change my attitude. Finish the mission and if it’s my last stand, then I will take a lot of bad guys along with me.
I proceed along the wall until I can see the road leading into the main compound gate. I don’t hear any more gunfire or any new sounds coming from the compound area. The sounds of the jungle disappeared following the gunshots, but have since returned, which is another good sign. My confidence is beginning to return.
I know the guardhouse is on the corner, so I pull off one of the LAWS and pull the pin, which arms the weapon. I nonchalantly walk out in front of the guardhouse, look directly at the camera, smile, wave, and press down on the trigger. Womp! The weapon kicks and sends the projectile into the side of the building. There is a large explosion and the guardhouse disappears in a cloud of dust and rubble.
I’m not sure what to expect next, so I quickly move through what is left of the gate into the dusty, darkened space of the inner compound. After
a few seconds, the dust clears and I can make out the two copters and a faint view of the main house. Then the lights come on in and around the house. I can now see the entire bold outline of the estate.
I get down on one knee, pull the pin on the second LAW, aim and press down on the trigger. Thank goodness, the house is as large as it is. I really don’t think I aimed that well, but there is no way I could miss. A large explosion erupts from the house as a ball of flames tops out at about 50 feet.
All of a sudden, I hear sounds behind me and as I turn with my M-16 at the ready, I recognize Colonel T along with Harley and Bos coming my way. I wave and yell out, “Take one of these LAWs and use it on the copters, I’m going in to use the last one on the house.”
With adrenaline flowing and anger taking over, I take off toward the main house. I don’t go any further than 50 yards, pull the pin, and just as I place the weapon on my shoulder, I hear an explosion and a large ball of flames light up the entire compound. I look back at the house, aim at an area still standing and press down on the trigger. I watch as the missile leaves a tracer-like path across the compound grounds before slamming into the house. The sound and explosion corresponds with the sound of a grenade exploding and the ensuing explosion and ball of fire coming from the copter pad.
I stand up and watch as the estate erupts into flames. There are no sounds coming from the house, and my only thought is, I warned you to leave me and my friends alone. I turn and go back to where Colonel T, Harley, and Bos have assembled. They are facing me and I yell, “Get down!” as I point my M-16 at them. They drop and I fire a burst of bullets over their heads at two guards who must have come from the guard position on the road leading into the compound. The guards drop. I get a thumbs up from the group.
Terror Grips the Beach Page 13