Lost Voyage

by Chris Tucker

  It happened less than a minute later. The sound echoed through the forest and panic ensued immediately as expected. He held his position as soldiers hurried towards the commotion, but he also took note of the few who had remained behind.

  The numbers had decreased significantly in his favor, but he knew there was still plenty of work to be done. Moving cautiously towards one particular soldier who was left by himself, he crept through the foliage undetected, reaching him within a matter of seconds.

  Before he knew what hit him, the soldier was on the ground and unconscious as a result of a sharp blow to the back of the head. Shortly after that, a second explosion could be heard rattling through the forest, as the next round of C4 was set off. This sent more soldiers scattering in different directions as they tried to figure out exactly what was happening around them.

  After dragging the unconscious soldier off into the thick brush, he moved towards his next target. With his weapon aimed directly at the unsuspecting soldier, he took cover behind a pickup truck to do a quick recon of the area for any signs of other assailants.

  Assured there was no immediate threat other than the one man in front of him, he moved from his position and towards the soldier. He wanted to refrain from using lethal force until it was absolutely necessary, so he figured he would once again use the element of surprise to knock his unsuspecting victim unconscious.

  That plan quickly came to a halt as he witnessed the unexpected arrival of another soldier who was now emerging from around the building. With the one soldier still unaware and looking in the other direction, he saw only one way out of his current predicament.

  The solider who had just arrived saw the intruder and instantly went into defense mode. His eyes widened as he went to raise his weapon, but it was too late. He was struck in the throat with one round and fell limp to the ground. The first soldier still hadn’t turned around yet, and he would never get the chance to. The last thing he felt was an arm wrap around his throat, followed by a sharp stabbing pain in his lower back.

  He fell lifeless as Vigil cradled him all the way to the ground. Another explosion sent blast waves through the forest as a third detonation was set off. He made his way to the front of the building and took position behind a column in order to survey the area. He noticed no opposition at the front entrance, as every soldier seemed to be preoccupied with the commotion taking place around them.

  He was able to make his way up the stairs unnoticed. When he reached the entrance, he took one last look inside before disappearing through the front door. As he entered the foyer, he noticed three bodies lying motionless, and knew instantly that it was his partner who had played a role in their demise.

  Hearing footsteps behind him, he quickly turned around and put his knife up to the approaching attacker’s throat. The man standing before him whimsically made a comment.

  “Took you long enough to get in here. I began to wonder if I was going to have to send out a search party for you.”

  Vigil smiled at the sight of his friend and replied, “Go ahead and laugh it up, buddy. Another second and your throat would have looked like chewed up lasagna.” He lowered the blade from his partner’s neck. “Any visual on Vallejos or Esperanza?”

  “Nothing yet, but I haven’t had time to check the upstairs. Since no one came barreling down shooting up the place, I say he’s either up there alone, or not at all. Our first priority right now has to be getting to the Colonel.”

  Vigil kept an eye on the long staircase leading to the top floor, half-expecting some sort of resistance to come at any moment. “With all the ruckus you caused outside, I’d say we need to move quickly.”

  Mercer nodded and they made their way down the long corridor. Upon arrival to the door, he slowly turned the handle as his partner swooped in with his weapon aimed.

  “All clear,” he stated. “Let’s go.”

  Vigil took the lead as they crept down the staircase, waiting for the inevitable assault from any sort of opposition. Making it to the basement door undeterred, they paused for a moment before continuing on.

  Mercer removed the backpack from his shoulder and pulled out a smoke grenade canister and two M9 Beretta pistols, handing one to Vigil.

  “I guess this is it,” he said. “The moment of truth.”

  Vigil quipped back, “All I want is for us to just have one expedition where we don’t end up getting shot at. Is that too much to ask?”

  Mercer readied the grenade canister. “You ready?”

  Vigil had a more serious look on his face when he answered this time. “Let’s do it.”

  He put his hand on the doorknob and turned it to ease it open slightly. Mercer pulled the pin on the canister and rolled it into the dungeon where the cells were located. When he heard the hiss of the smoke deploying, he looked at his partner and nodded for the go.

  Storming the room, they took aim and waited for the barrage of bullets that was sure to follow. To their surprise, there was no retaliatory gunfire or any resistance at all. Instead, when the smoke cleared, all they found were two men at the end of the hall on their knees with hands clasped behind their heads. Mercer was still cautious as he made his way towards the end of the hall, and Vigil was right behind him with his pistol pointed steadfastly on the guards.

  “Please don’t shoot,” they pleaded.

  Vigil descended on the two men quickly and kicked their rifles into the corner. After confirming they posed no threat, he took a set of handcuffs and cuffed them together by one hand each. Taking the remaining set of cuffs from the second guard, he connected them both to one of the cell bars.

  “Now, don’t you go running off anywhere,” he joked.

  Mercer made his way over to the cell where he had once been held prisoner in. There was a mattress leaning up against the wall, but no sign of Hunt. Suddenly, he noticed the mattress move as it was pushed away from the wall. Emerging from the other side, a familiar individual stood up and brushed himself off.

  “For Christ’s sake, Sean, I saw the grenade come through the door and I thought that was it for me.”

  Vigil couldn’t help but throw in a playful jab. “It’s good to see there’s still some mobility left in those old bones.”

  Hunt raised his eyebrows and glared back him. “You have until this gate opens to get a head start. I would take advantage of it.”

  Vigil retrieved the cell door key from one of the guards and threw it to Mercer, who then stuck it in the lock.

  “Well, at least you’re not hurt. Let’s get you the hell out of here before any more company drops in.”

  As he exited the cell, Hunt looked down at the two handcuffed men who had willingly surrendered and were now prisoners themselves. “What do you suggest we do with these two hooligans?”

  Mercer had a wide smile on his face as he looked over at his partner.

  “I have an idea. Pat, you wanna play soldier?”

  29

  Vallejos was startled as an explosion ripped through the halls of his base of operations. The deafening sound made him jump from his chair and rush over to the large window overlooking the compound.

  He was unable to pinpoint where the explosion had taken place, but was able to discern its general location from the direction his men were running in. Sensing this was the work of a certain adversary, he walked back over to his desk. Pulling out the top draw, he retrieved a revolver, and as he checked to make sure it still had all six rounds loaded, there was a second explosion. This one brought upon panic, as he could hear the compound being destroyed all around him.

  Knowing Mercer would make an attempt to get to Hunt, he decided to use the one advantage he still had in order to keep the upper hand. Killing his prisoner now would put a damper on any heroics taking place.

  He made his way out of the office and slowly crept down the hallway towards the staircase. Reaching the top of the stairs, he was astounded as he witnessed three of his men dropping before his eyes. Unable to see the person responsible for thei
r deaths, he fell back a bit to remain hidden.

  As he was about to take another look around the corner, a third explosion from outside echoed through the corridors of the building. This caused him to retract further and take solace in his office. Locking the door, he went to his chair and sat down while pointing his revolver in the direction of the entryway.

  About ten minutes had passed, and with no signs of anyone attempting to make their way through the door, he decided this might be an opportune time to make an exit before someone came looking for him. Unlocking the door, he once again made his way down the hallway to the stairs. Seeing no opposition, he slowly made his way down to the lower level. There seemed to be no resistance preventing him from exiting the building unscathed, so he started towards the front door.

  Seconds away from being in the outside air, he heard the door at the end of the hallway begin to open. He quickly took cover behind a desk that was propped up against the window and waited for whoever was on the other side of the door to emerge.

  He was unable to tell exactly who it was at the end of the hall, but was relieved when he saw two men wearing soldiers’ uniforms. He had just gotten up from his hidden position and was about to call out to his men, when a third person exited through the doorway.

  Something seemed out of place, so he decided to retreat once again in order to assess the situation. When the three men walked into an area of the hallway that provided more light, he suddenly went from being secure in the presence of his own men to an instant state of rage when he was able to see the faces of the two men wearing his uniforms.

  ***

  Mercer and Vigil had taken the lead up the stairs as Hunt trailed closely behind. Vigil was still fidgeting with the clothes he was wearing. Mercer turned to look at him.

  “Should we stop at the local tailor and get you properly fitted?”

  “Next time we rob someone of their clothes, I’ll try and be a little more selective,” quipped Vigil. “At least your guy was a closer match to you. I can barely breathe in these pants.”

  Hunt couldn’t resist the chance to take a revenge jab from earlier. “Cut back on the sweets, doughboy. That’ll help too.”

  Mercer chuckled as Vigil tried to conceal the smile he didn’t want to outwardly reveal. But, his own sense of humor got the better of him and he was unable to contain it any longer, letting out his own laugh.

  Mercer reached the top of the stairwell first. He knelt down near the door and waited for his comrades to join him just a few seconds later. Hunt took position at the door and gave his men a nod to let them know he was about to open it.

  When the door opened, there was no activity in the hallway, giving them a momentary pause from the tense situation. Still on high alert, they began the journey down the hallway to the front entrance.

  Before they could get far, a shot rang out, stopping them in their tracks. With no cover to be found in the hallway, natural instincts took over and Mercer began firing blindly in retaliation.

  With cover fire being provided, Vigil and Hunt were able to make a dash back to the door and to a safe destination. Mercer also retreated while still firing down the hallway and, once back inside the stairwell, he made his statement simple and to the point.

  “Whoever that is will most likely be calling for backup. I say we have about thirty seconds before the cavalry arrives.”

  With a full understanding of the situation, the door was flung open and they began their assault down the hallway. They were met with a barrage of bullets as they exited the stairwell and were forced once again to take cover. This time, they were able to make it halfway down the corridor to a column protruding from the wall. Ducking behind it, Mercer fired blindly to push back the opposition. When the firing subsided from both sides, he heard a voice call out.

  “There is nowhere for you to go, Mr. Mercer. You would be wise to lay down your weapons and surrender.”

  He knew who the voice belonged to and responded in kind. “Is that my good friend Andres? Well, since you put it so politely, I guess I have no choice but to comply. I’ll be right there.”

  Vigil looked up at him, smiling menacingly. “Well, let’s not keep him waiting.”

  Mercer was the first to expose himself from behind the column. With no intention of surrendering, he pointed towards the end of the hall and fired five rounds. The final shot connected with the left bicep of Vallejos, making him wince in excruciating pain.

  This caused him to retreat behind a wall for safety, giving Mercer a chance to move further down the corridor. Peering over his left shoulder, Vallejos could see him advancing and decided on making his own escape at this point.

  He bolted towards the stairs and made it to the top without looking back. Continuing down the hallway, he barricaded himself in his office and looked for something to wrap around his arm to control the bleeding. Then, he positioned himself in the corner and waited to unload his revolver into the first person who came barreling through the door.

  Mercer was surprised to find no sign of anyone once he reached the end of the hallway. “Pat, you and the Colonel head back to the Jeep. I’ll catch up with you once I take care of Vallejos. This ends here and now.”

  Hunt intervened. “Sean, there’s no time to go searching for him. We need to take this opportunity to get ourselves out of here. You don’t know what’s waiting for you up there. Don’t risk it when we’re this close to finding the gold. You’ll have your chance with Vallejos, but now is not that time.”

  Mercer looked up the stairs, pondering if he should heed the advice or just make a mad dash to the top to find the dictator and end his life. His better judgment prevailed and he gave in to Hunt’s words.

  “Okay. You’re right.”

  “You’ve got one more C4 charge,” stated Vigil. “Now seems like as good a time as any to use it. It would take the attention off the three guys trying to make an escape, don’t ya think?”

  “Alright, but when I blow this, we move and we move fast. Colonel, stay on our six once we’re outdoors.”

  Hunt nodded in acknowledgement as Mercer pulled out the detonator and pressed the trigger switch, setting off the final explosive. As expected, the remaining soldiers ran towards the direction of the blast like moths to a flame, giving the NESA team a chance to make a hasty exit. When it looked like it was all clear, they made their move. Once out in the open, Vigil pointed in the direction of the pickup truck he had taken cover behind earlier.

  “Sean, over there. You and the Colonel hop in the back. I’ll take the wheel.”

  Trusting his friend’s instincts, Mercer hopped into the bed of the pickup and Hunt followed suit. Vigil hopped in the front cab and much to his delight, he noticed the keys were already in the ignition.

  “Well? What are you waiting for?” Mercer asked through the back window. “Put this thing in gear and let’s get the hell out of here!”

  Needing no further encouragement, Vigil threw the truck into first gear and sped off. With all the surrounding chaos, none of the soldiers gave the man driving off the compound a second look, especially since he was wearing the same uniform they were.

  30

  Geovany Rojas was struggling to make his way through the thick brush, and the blistering temperature was doing even less to help the overweight man as he trekked to the location on the map. When he finally arrived, he nearly collapsed from exhaustion. He was under strict orders to wait for Vallejos to arrive and he welcomed the chance to recuperate from the hardened exercise regimen he had just endured.

  He found a large rock to lean against and had dozed off lightly. He was shortly thereafter brought out of his slight slumber by the rustle of foliage nearby. Expecting it to be Vallejos, he stood up to greet his employer, but was instead confronted by Esperanza.

  “Ah, Kervin. I was expecting Andres. Is he with you?”

  “Sit back down and keep quiet. I’m the one in charge now. Tell the men to start digging and not to stop until they reach the gold.”


  “Andres gave me very specific instructions…”

  Esperanza became enraged. “Andres is not here! I am here! And if you value your life, fat man, then you will do as I say!”

  Rojas sensed something was out of the ordinary with the demands Esperanza was making, but he decided not to question the giant brute. He told the men to begin the excavation and to carry on with the orders that were given.

  As they began to dig, Esperanza stood over them as if he was the ruler of the land. The blatant pompousness gave Rojas an uneasy feeling in his stomach. With all eyes on the men digging, he decided to take a few steps back and out of earshot. Pulling a hand held radio out of his coat pocket, he turned it on and was just about to call for Vallejos on the other end. He would never get the chance to speak the words.

  He looked down to see a machete protruding from his chest as he began to spit up blood, causing him to struggle with each gasp for breath. The blade was retracted through his backside and he summoned just enough strength to make the one hundred and eighty degree turn to see who had delivered the fatal blow.

  Esperanza stood in front of him with a blank expression on his face. Rojas figured this was the same exact look many other souls had seen as their last sight before meeting their demise. Falling to his knees, he leaned forward and into the legs of his assailant.

  Esperanza took the blood-drenched machete and wiped it on the back of Rojas’s jacket. With the same meaningless expression on his face, he kicked the lifeless body of the cartel’s consultant to the side and turned to walk back to the dig site. There was no remorse or guilt from the actions that had just taken place. The only thing he was thinking was that there was now one less distraction in his way.

  ***

  The pickup truck made its way down the winding dirt road as Vigil maintained a constant speed on the way back to the airport. Hunt needed to get back to the NESA jet in order to procure the coordinates to the gold’s location. From there, they would bring the remainder of the team and begin the digging process.