by Chris Tucker
“Smartass,” Vigil replied as he laughed at the remark. “Any luck on reaching the Colonel yet?”
“You’ve been sitting next to me the whole time. You would have heard it if I had. I’m sure it will be just a matter of time before we hear from him. Just try and be patient.”
***
Forty five minutes later, Mercer finally let his anxiousness get the best of him. Pulling the transmitter radio from his backpack, he tried to reach Hunt on the other end.
“Colonel, ya there?”
Silence.
“Colonel, it’s Sean. Do you copy?”
Still nothing.
He looked at Vigil, who just shrugged his shoulders.
He tried one more time. “Colonel, this is Sean. Do you copy?”
This time there was a voice on the other end, but it wasn’t that of the Colonel's. Instead, it was another voice he had recently become familiar with.
“Ah, Mr. Mercer. I was wondering when I would hear from you again.”
“Well, well, well. If it isn’t my good friend, Andres Vallejos. If you would be so kind as to put my boss on so I can continue this conversation with him.”
Vigil moved closer to listen in on the conversation.
“Let us dispense with the pleasantries, Mr. Mercer. I am sure you are well aware by now that I have your employer in my presence. If you want to see him alive, then you should listen very carefully.”
“I’m all ears,” replied Mercer.
“I know you have discovered the location of the gold. I offer a very simple proposal. You give me the gold and I will let Mr. Hunt go free.”
“That’s all?” Mercer asked sarcastically.
“You are in no position to refuse my offer, Mr. Mercer. I could very easily kill all of you and take the gold for myself either way. I am offering you a way to walk away from this unharmed.”
Mercer kept his sarcastic tone. “Your plan to kill me last time worked out so well for you, didn’t it?”
Vallejos had anger in his voice when he responded. “I will not be as hesitant this time. Your boss will not be so fortunate if you do not cooperate.”
Vigil asked for the radio to give his input. Mercer decided against it as to not instigate things further.
“I want to talk to my boss. I need to know he’s okay before I agree to anything.”
“Very well. He has already assured me he has no intention of cooperating. You have ten seconds to convince him otherwise.”
Mercer waited for a second to hear a voice.
“Sean, don’t give him what he wants. He’s going to kill me either way. You and Pat get the gold and get the hell out of there.”
“Come, on, Colonel, you know me better than that. Just play nice with the big bully until we get there.”
When a voice responded, it was Vallejos once again. “Time is running short, Mr. Mercer. Do not test my patience. I will give you one hour to give me the coordinates of the gold or the next time you see your friend, it will be at his funeral.”
Mercer didn’t respond. The radio went silent and it was just him and Vigil alone in the jungle with their thoughts.
“Well, what are ya thinking, buddy?” asked Vigil. “Should we just storm the gates and bring the Colonel home?”
Mercer shrugged his shoulders in a nonchalant manner. “That’s exactly what Vallejos expects us to do. So, why disappoint him?”
***
Vallejos sat calmly in his oversized chair staring at his prisoner. “You do not strike me as a man who would be foolish enough to tell his men not to come for him.”
Hunt stared back with the same menacing glare that was being imposed upon him. “Perhaps. But, you on the other hand, do strike me as the type of man who would not honor his word about letting all of us just walk out of here once you have the gold.”
“Mr. Hunt, I assure you that you and your men will come to no harm if you simply lead me to the gold. That is the real prize here.”
Hunt wasn’t buying into the dictator’s lies. “So you say. But make no mistake…you have opened up a door you are not able to close at this point. This will not end well for you and your men.”
Vallejos scoffed at the comment. “You Americans are so arrogant in your ways. You think you can get yourselves out of any situation. Well, this is one ordeal your friends will not be able to get you out of, my dear, Mr. Hunt.”
Hunt smiled like a child without a care in the world. He didn’t feel the need to respond to Vallejos’ comment. Instead, he audaciously leaned forward and took one of the cigars from the box on the table in front of him.
“I’ll take my chances. Now…may I have a light?”
***
Less than thirty minutes remained of what Vallejos had given as his deadline for Mercer to respond. Vigil sat in the passenger seat of the Jeep as his partner drove hastily down the dirt road. The large black bag in the backseat contained C4 explosives, automatic weapons, and other firearms they had taken with them from their makeshift bunker, and they wasted little time gathering supplies for the trip back to the cartel's compound.
“Two more miles then we head into the woods and ditch the Jeep,” stated Mercer.
Vigil looked over the map. “That still leaves four miles to go, but I guess I could use some exercise.”
“I can buy us some time with Vallejos, but not much. We already know the route in. Odds are that the Colonel is being kept in the same cell we were in. That should make it easy for us to find him.”
Vigil chuckled. “And then what? You think he’s just going to let us walk out the front gate after a hug and a handshake?”
“You know damn well that’s not going to happen,” retorted Mercer. “But look at the bright side. You may finally get to tango with your buddy, Esperanza.”
“Well, it’s a good thing I brought my dancing shoes.”
A few minutes later, Mercer took a right turn off the main road, where he drove for just over half a mile before bringing the Jeep to a stop. Two minutes later, they were traversing their way through the thick brush towards the compound.
Surprising to even themselves, they covered the four mile trek in a very short span of time. They were within eyesight of the compound, but stayed back in order to contact Vallejos before continuing on with their plan.
Vigil kept an eye out while Mercer waited until the last possible minute of the hour to contact the cartel leader. Grabbing the radio from his backpack, he called out to the dictator.
“Paging Mr. Vallejos. Are you there?”
The voice on the other end was not a humorous one. “Have you thought about my proposal, Mr. Mercer?”
“I have. And I don’t really care for it. I have a counter proposal for you instead.”
“Do not test me. My patience is running low at this point and I am in no mood for nonsense.”
“But you haven’t even heard my offer yet. You’re going to love it. I propose to you that you release my employer and resign from your post within the cartel. If you comply with this, I will let you and your thugs live. Do we have a deal?”
Mercer had to hold the radio away from his ear due to the incessant screaming on the other end. It was barely audible, but he and Vigil could discern the displeasure with the counter-offer they had proposed.
“I don’t think he liked your offer,” Vigil quipped.
“Ya think? I thought it was a very heartfelt proposal. You can’t please everyone, I guess.”
Vigil did a quick scan of the area. “Looks like there’s quite a bit of opposition. Plus, I’m sure your last transmission didn’t do much in the way of postponing the inevitable for the Colonel.”
“That was the point. Vallejos is so hot-headed right now that he’s scrambling trying to figure out what to do with us. I just bought the Colonel some extra time from that sadistic bastard.”
“Well, what are we waiting for then?” replied Vigil. “Let’s get in there and take care of business.”
27
Making
their way cautiously around the perimeter of the compound, Mercer and Vigil placed C4 explosives to be used as a diversion for when they began their assault.
The grounds were being patrolled by a large force of resistance – far more than Mercer witnessed the last time he was at the compound. They placed the final C4 device and pulled back a few yards to huddle for a final briefing. From their viewpoint, they could see the main building where Hunt was presumably being held.
“We only get one shot at this, Pat. Let’s do it right. Silencers only. It’s the only chance we have of keeping the whole compound from bearing down on us.”
“I’ll take as many out of the equation as I can,” said Vigil. “Would be better under the cover of night, but I guess beggars can’t be choosers.”
Mercer kept patrolling the compound with his eyes. “Once Vallejos regains his composure, the Colonel won’t have much time before things go from bad to worse for him. We can’t wait any longer.”
He knew his partner was well aware of the situation, and he also knew that a daytime rescue mission was a lot riskier than one carried out at night. This wasn’t the first time they carried out an operation of this magnitude, but it was the first where they would be rescuing someone so closely related to them. He pointed off in the distance before continuing.
“I’ll swing around to the rear of the building. When I set off the first charge, all hell’s sure to break loose. So, be ready to make your move. That should be enough to buy me some time, and I’ll be able to make my way inside. That should only leave a few soldiers scattered around for you to take out. Don’t get over-zealous. Slow and steady here, Pat.”
“Give me a two minute window before you set off the second charge,” said Vigil. “That should give me enough time to pick a few of them off. After that, they’ll all be too scatterbrained to know what’s going on anyway, so it’ll be like shooting chickens in a pen.”
“Just be careful. This is the easy part. The real fun begins when we get inside. Make your way to the front door and meet up with me there. I should be able to take care of anyone inside before you get there.”
“Just leave some for me,” replied Vigil. “You shouldn’t get to have all the fun.”
Mercer slapped his friend on the back and gave him a nod. He then ran off to put the first part of the plan into motion. It took just under two minutes for him to make his way around the perimeter to the back of the building. Vigil couldn’t see him anymore from his vantage point, but he knew the impending explosion would be coming within a few moments. He hunkered down and waited for the blast to signal it was go-time.
***
Esperanza made his way into the office of his employer. Noticing Vallejos was still infuriated, he decided to keep his words simple and to the point.
“The old man is in the cell with two armed guards posted, and another two at the door in the hallway. His men will not be retrieving him any time soon.”
Vallejos spoke with contempt in his voice. “You have already proven to me you cannot handle these Americans. Put four more men on guard if you must. If he’s allowed to be rescued, I will have your head. Do you understand me, Kervin?”
Esperanza had to bite his tongue in an effort to not respond in a disrespectful manner. He wasn’t accustomed to being talked to in this way, not even from his employer.
“There is no way Mercer can get to him, Andres. I assure you of that.”
“You have assured me of many things up to this point when it comes to Mercer, many of which you have not delivered on. For your sake, I hope your confidence isn’t overshadowed by arrogance.”
With every demeaning word Vallejos spoke to him, he grew angrier and more heated within. He knew his abilities were being doubted as a result of the hassles and inconveniences the two Americans had caused in recent days. He only hoped he would be the one to end their lives.
“I have some matters to attend to. Will that be all?”
Vallejos didn’t even respond. He brushed the question off with the wave of a hand and a disgusted look on his face. As Esperanza turned to walk out of the office, he noticed the portly Geovany Rojas standing in the doorway.
Sensing he was about to be bulldozed by the large brute, Rojas hastily backed out into the hall and waited for Esperanza to make his departure before once again entering the office.
“What is it, Geovany?” asked Vallejos. “I have very little time right now.”
“I think you will want to make time for this, Andres.”
The short, plump man fumbled through his briefcase and pulled out a folder containing several documents. “I was able to ascertain some information from the aircraft as you requested. Not only did they have the proper equipment to locate the gold, but they were able to pinpoint the exact location to within a few yards. It seems that NESA is spared no expense when it comes to what they need for their expeditions.”
He reached across the table and handed the folder to Vallejos, who for the first time up to this point had removed the scowl from his face.
“Excellent work, Geovany. Most excellent indeed. And what about Hunt’s men at the airport?”
“They were disposed of as you requested, but not before one of them was coerced into giving up this helpful information.”
Rojas didn’t like being asked to perform certain tasks by his employer, but knew that sometimes these situations would arise. He knew it was better to simply cooperate and execute the request to the fullest extent.
Vallejos was also aware his consultant couldn’t stomach tasks that required brute force, but since he had always taken his pay in full regardless, it was necessary to test his loyalty from time to time.
He looked out the window and had a determined look on his face when he spoke again. “So, it seems we are only left with three little distractions then. Since one of them is sitting downstairs and locked in a cell, I guess we’ll just wait for the other two to show up and then we can eliminate them all in one swoop.”
“I have already sent a few men out to the coordinates,” replied Rojas. “They are awaiting further instructions.”
“Tell them to hold tight until I get there. I want to be there when the gold resurfaces after all this time. In the meantime, I want you to return to the site as well. Touch nothing until I arrive.”
“Very well, Andres. I will see you shortly.”
Rojas showed himself out and made his way off the compound with a truckload of soldiers.
Vallejos continued to stare out the window overlooking the compound. He sensed it would be just a matter of time before he would see a familiar face in his presence once again.
“Now…where are you, Mr. Mercer?”
28
Mercer was just about to blow the first charge when he noticed an assembly taking place next to the building. A large truck pulled up and the back gate was lowered, allowing about twenty soldiers to climb aboard. Once they were loaded, the truck sped off and left the compound. A Jeep followed momentarily after, but he was unable to see how many were inside.
Unsure of what exactly had just transpired; he was more relieved that the opposing force had just dwindled in size. Hoping his partner witnessed the same event, he prepared to detonate the first explosive.
Setting off the first charge created the instant chaos he had hoped for. Almost every soldier dropped what they were doing and left their current posts to see what was going on. He now had a clear path to the back door.
He leaned up against the building, but before making his way inside, he waited a few seconds in order to be sure no soldiers would exiting from the doorway. With time playing an important role, he decided to set off another charge to create more panic on the grounds. He pressed the detonator, causing the second position to explode in a raucous thunder-like blast.
With his pistol drawn, he carefully moved to the doorway. Peering in, he could see three armed men in the foyer. From his vantage point, he could also see the front door. To his benefit, it was one large room with no str
uctures blocking the front from the back. The only obstructed view he had was the staircase, which went from the front of the building up to the back. The upstairs portion of the stairwell was directly above him, leaving no visual of possible assailants descending upon him.
He made his way through the door, moving as stealthily as he could, and with all the confusion amidst the commotion outside, he made it in undetected. He moved with his back along the wall so he could keep an eye on the soldiers in front of him. There was virtually no option to get around them using non-lethal force and he feared the Colonel’s lifespan was growing shorter with each passing minute. He took aim at the man to the left of the group and fired one round at the back of his head.
Without waiting for the body to hit the floor, he immediately went to the next one on the right and fired another round. The third soldier didn’t realize in time that two of his comrades had fallen by his side. As he turned to see who was responsible for their deaths, he was struck in the left temple with a single shot, dropping him instantly.
Before continuing on, he pulled out the detonator and set off the third charge. There was one charge left and he wanted to leave that one as a possible distraction to aid in their escape off the compound. His military instincts told him to clear the entire area before moving on, which meant making sure the upstairs was clear of any enemy contact. His gut instincts, however, told him he needed to free his employer from the dungeon.
He was just about to make his way down the long hallway to his left, but was halted when he heard someone coming in from the front entrance. He took cover behind a desk up against the wall and pointed his pistol in the direction of the door. With his finger on the trigger, he was poised to pull it and end the life of the person who was about to make an appearance.
***
Vigil did one last scan of the area to get a rough estimate of what he would be facing once his partner detonated the first charge. By his count, there were about fifty soldiers strolling around in the immediate vicinity. He steadied himself for the inevitable blast.