Clay took Zach’s moment of reflection as an opportunity to talk about what he had learned. In a matter of fact way, he said, “I don’t see how we can penetrate the door short of using high powered explosives.” He then went on to explain that a door’s most vulnerable spot was typically the seam between the door and the frame. In this instance, the seams were covered with added steel plates to eliminate that weakness. Almost as if accepting defeat Clay finished, by saying, “I would rule out getting inside the compound.”
“Right now I don’t want to rule out anything, but the real question is do we need to get in?” Zach responded.
It was Phil’s turn to speak up, he said, “That depends on what we want to accomplish. As far as finding his arms suppliers I think we have that covered by tapping into his communications. The destruction of his munitions cache depends on how the air defense system is set up. If the laser requires a person to activate the weapon, then we can use that to our advantage. On the other hand, if it’s an automated system and a small drone can be detected, then we can’t just do a kamikaze dive to blow up the building.”
Zach said, “There are still a lot of unanswered questions about that weapon.”
Phil continued, “The problem is I don’t know how we can test the sensitivity without alerting Rafael. Finally, I have to say your new requirement Zach, is the real issue. To obtain the weapon intact would mean access inside the compound is mandatory, if retrieving it mutilated or, not at all, is an option then we have more flexibility.”
More questions than answers Zach thought, and said, “I’m going to talk to Jake about the weapon’s retrieval. It seems the more we discover. The more fluid our plan becomes. So much for a solid plan. Right now, let’s focus on the communications and find the arms suppliers.”
Linda said, “I could use some help listening to the recordings.”
Zach said, “You’ll have help, Linda. Everyone needs to think up ways to accomplish the other two objectives, remember no idea is stupid. We all need to hear even the most far-fetched possibilities. You all decide how you want to split up monitoring Rafael’s communications and I’ll go give Jake a call.”
Zach sat in his room and felt frustrated. For a fleeting moment, he thought the military should drop a big ole bomb on the compound and be done with the man. But he knew why that wasn’t an option. There would be no way of keeping a military attack secret for any length of time. The ramifications of dropping a bomb in a foreign country and targeting one of that countries citizens would cause a diplomatic nightmare. Tossing aside his ‘easy way out’ thoughts Zach placed a call to Jake.
“Jake, Zach. I need to talk to you about the weapon you want us to get.”
“Hey Zach, how’s the mission coming along?”
“That depends on how you answer my question. How critical is it we retrieve the weapon intact?”
“It’s not critical if you think it means a high probability of your team suffering casualties. Once the Charlie team heard there was a possibility of the Chinese weapon being deployed, they began an operation to retrieve it at the source.”
“Glad to hear you say that. Based on our current assessment of the compound I’m almost certain an intact retrieval would cause casualties. That may change as we learn more, but at this time, that’s the way I see it. I’ll keep you posted, thanks, Jake.”
A week went by, during which the team logged an encyclopedia worth of information. At the same time, Zach spent the week preparing for his climb. He had to complete the adventure to avoid questions regarding the team’s activities. Zach knew if anything significant came up, he would have been informed, but thought it was time for a review anyway.
The team broke down what they had discovered over the past week into two categories; communication logs, and compound details. As far as Rafael’s contact with the outside world was concerned, there was little to report. There were a couple normal, for Rafael, drug-related business calls. And Rafael spent a lot of time connected to a gambling site where he liked to play blackjack. Chris had volunteered to ‘mess with him’ by tweaking the data coming down from the gambling site but was voted down. Unfortunately, there had not been a single conversation about purchasing weapons. However, on a positive note, Rafael had no immediate plans to use what he had already acquired. At least that’s what it sounded like from conversations picked up on the house monitoring device. The only other piece of information they had regarding communications was that Rafael did get confirmation Zach and Linda were indeed whom they said they were.
While no information regarding arms deals was intercepted, they had gained a fair amount of insight into the compound itself. The most surprising find was the size of their forces. There was a minimum of forty-five soldiers, for lack of a better term, permanently housed there. They were comfortable with the wall as their primary defense. There were no regular patrols or lookouts, but they had regular drills defending against a breached door or an aerial assault.
An assessment of the compound’s weaponry included a surface to air battery in the yard, and two Kord 12.7 mm heavy machine guns defending the door. They were well equipped to handle any attack. The assessment did not include the new laser weapon that had been used on the helicopter. The consensus was the boxes mounted at regular intervals around the wall were related to the laser, but they had no concrete evidence. What had become crystal clear was any direct assault on the compound would result in heavy casualties.
The team had also watched a contingent of ten men leave through the tunnel system to return the following day. When they returned, they were laden with crates and packages. Most of what they carried into the compound ended up in the house, but two boxes were deposited in one of the two storage buildings. The same storage buildings where the munitions stockpile were thought to be stored. That observation might be useful in planning the munitions demolition, Zach thought. Once the review was finished, Zach suggested they break for lunch.
Two more days passed without anything of significance happening, in fact, there was a growing consensus to let Chris mess with Rafael’s gambling site to break up the monotony. Outside, Zach packed all the equipment he needed for the climb into the back of the SUV. At the same time, Linda was going over last minute details with the rest of the white team. Though the adventure would never make its way to television, they needed to film enough to satisfy the Venezuelan government.
Justin came running outside, shouting, “Jackpot, we’ve got something.”
Chris walked out with a grin on his face that stretched from ear to ear. Chris had followed Justin out but at a much more leisurely pace. Feeling triumphant by his accomplishment Chris said, “You know when someone thinks they have a secure connection they will say the darnedest things. What’s funny is how easy it was to decrypt the conversation. If people only understood, as long as there are people like me, there is no such thing as a secure conversation.”
With Chris’s self-promotion complete, except for literally patting himself on the back, Zach said, “Let’s hear what you got.”
It seems Justin was the one that intercepted the conversation, but it was garbled, and Chris stepped in to do his magic. Despite Chris’s help, Justin felt he deserved some recognition for finding the conversation in all the noise. “Well I,” with an emphasis on the I, “uncovered a conversation between Rafael and an arms dealer,” Justin proclaimed.
“Look, you both did a great job, okay. Now let’s hear what you got,” Zach said, impatient with their need for accolades.
Chris deferred to Justin to describe the conversation, “There is a German international arms dealer named Amadeus Werner. It appears Amadeus is a fairly new associate of Rafael’s and did some name dropping to bolster his credibility. You’re not going to believe the names we got, Trey Porter, he’s a retired US army general, then there is Sergei Sokolovsky, he was the Russian defense minister, and finally Xun Zhao, a Chinese businessman. The way Amadeus makes it sound, all Rafael needs to do is make a ‘grocery l
ist,’ and Amadeus can get any weapon Rafael wants. I’m not sure how true that is, but that’s three high powered people he claims to know. I think Rafael decided to test him because off the top of his head he asked Amadeus to get him; one FIM-92A Stinger-RMP Block I Weapons system along with twenty-five missiles, five M240 machine guns with one thousand rounds; and ten FGM-148 Javelins. All of those are standard US military weapons, so I guess Rafael wants to test Amadeus’s US connection. Amadeus said he needed ten days, so I guess we’ll be here for a while.” Justin had to stop and catch his breath after talking so fast and so long.
Zach said, “So, the Stinger is a surface to air unit, the Javelins are rocket launchers, and those are big ass machine guns. What the hell is Rafael up to? Makes you wonder if he is planning a coup or maybe taking out all his competition.”
Chris said, “As Justin said, it could just be a test.”
“Right now that doesn’t matter. Chris, I want you to work with Bigfoot on getting taps on the trio of suppliers. Justin, continue to listen for updates.”
Justin said, “You got it, boss.”
“Remember to focus on ideas for destroying the stockpile. I’ll be hanging around on the side of a cliff for the next few days, so the green team, as a whole, needs to handle anything that comes up. We should be back in four or five days, depending on the weather. See you on the flip side, oh, and excellent work you two.”
The members of the white team climbed into the SUV and headed south on highway ten. After half an hour on the road, the silence was starting to bother the men in the back seat. Barry, Shawn, and Phil decided to take up their game of ‘I Spy,’ but each of them wanted to make changes to the rules. A heated and at times intense debate ensued, as the three men tried to come to a consensus. Zach appreciated the banter that was taking place because it provided a needed distraction. He wasn’t worried about the climb. This would be one of his less challenging adventures. What bothered Zach was the excitement was gone. With no idea how long this agency job would last, he was afraid the mission might permanently dampen the enthusiasm he used to feel when starting a new adventure.
Linda glanced over and could tell by Zach’s expression something was wrong, and said, “Are you okay, Zach?”
“I’m fine. No, that’s a lie, I’m not fine. Something is missing.”
“Just turn around and go back, we have time. What did you forget?”
“No, I’m not talking about missing equipment, I’m talking about the fact I am dreading having to do this show.”
“I know what you mean. I know it can’t compare to what it feels like for you, but this feels different.”
“Exactly, it feels like an unwanted distraction rather than a new conquest. I would much rather be back at the house working on the mission.”
“So what do you want to do?”
“There’s nothing we can do. If we don’t film me climbing the cliff, it will raise all sorts of unwanted questions.”
“Zach, I’m worried. You are always so mentally prepared, and I don’t get that impression this time. Are you sure you can safely do the climb?”
“Oh, don’t worry about me.” Once I start climbing, I’ll be focused on the climb. I just wish I was looking forward to it. Anticipatory excitement has been stolen from me. I almost wish I hadn’t joined the agency.”
“I tell you what. Once this mission is over, why don’t you and I take time to have our own adventure?” reaching over Linda squeezed Zach’s thigh.
Zach looked at Linda and absentmindedly nodded.
The three men in the back had finally agreed on the rules of the game, and Shawn got to go first. Before he could even come up with an object, Zach turned on the blinker. They had reached San Francisco de Yuruani.
“What the fuck, oh sorry, mixed company, what the frick,” Shawn exclaimed.
“Hey, it’s not my fault it took you three over an hour to come up with rules for a silly game. I don’t understand how it could take that long, especially since you’re only talking about a ten dollar bet,” Zach responded.
“We’re all very opinionated,” Phil said, then laughed.
“That you are. We should be in Paraitepuy in thirty minutes. Hope everyone is ready for the six-hour hike to the base camp.”
Chapter 18
Venezuela
The adventure had gone well, and plenty of footage had been recorded to validate the authenticity of the climb. When Zach was climbing, he managed to keep focused on the task at hand. He didn’t want to end up on the news as the adventurer that missed a hand-hold and fell from the cliff. In the evening, while resting in his tent suspended on the side of Mount Roraima, Zach had plenty of undisturbed time to process everything the team had learned over the past two weeks. The one conclusion he made, despite the label of a failed mission, was he would not endanger the team by retrieving the laser weapon intact. With that decision coming early in the climb, he spent the rest of his time focused on the demolition task.
Zach was anxious to hear everyone's ideas and also share his own. He had deliberately not discussed anything with the white team, as they made their way back to the house. A robust all inclusive and spontaneous debate was what he wanted to accomplish. With the group gathered at the kitchen table, Zach did the obligatory recap of his climb for the green team members. He only spent a few minutes on the topic and made it clear they were here to discuss mission plans. To start things off, Zach explained his decision to not go after the laser weapon and wanted the team to discuss demolition options.
That news was well received considering no one had come up with a reasonable solution to get the laser. There were several ideas on how to blow up the stockpile and each was discussed at length.
Clay said, “I think we can keep it real simple. We all shoot grenades at the storage building at the same time. I don’t see how that laser thing could take out nine grenades at once. All we need is one to make it through, and the job is done.”
Zach listened to the banter until it slowed to a crawl, then summed up the discussion, “It would be great if it were that simple, but there are a few key points to consider. First, we don’t know what the laser can do, and if it can take out all nine, then we’ve probably blown our only chance. Second, we don’t know how reinforced the building is, so we don’t know if a grenade on the outside of the building would even be effective. While it would have been an easy solution Clay, unfortunately, there are too many unknowns.”
Phil said, “Why don’t we just tunnel under the wall and come up either inside the munitions building or next to it.”
Everyone thought that was a great solution, that was except Zach, “Again another good idea. Since we don’t know enough about the munitions building’s construction, I would say the tunnel would have to come up outside the building. A couple things are bothering me, though. Because the tunnel ends outside the wall, and they don’t have regular patrols, tells me they aren’t concerned with someone tunneling in. Either they have a way to detect someone digging, or the task must be formidable. Do we know how deep into the ground the wall goes?”
There were no answers and no other suggestions, so it was Zach’s turn, “My plan is a little more complex, but if we can pull it off, we wouldn’t have to worry about how deep the wall is or how reinforced the building is. We blow up the stockpile by setting off a bomb inside the building.”
“Well duh,” came the chorale interruption.
“Let me explain. We attach a bomb to any crate we know is going to the munitions building. The bomb has a remote control trigger, so we set it off from wherever we want to be. Before you say anything, I know that’s easier said than done, but I’ve been thinking about that. I’m sure the weapons team back at headquarters can build us an adhesive sheet made out of explosives and embed a receiver in it. Then all we have to do is attach the sheets to the crates. Of course, this relies on Amadeus coming through and shipping arms to Rafael.”
“So what are we supposed to do? Just walk up and say
excuse me I want to put this explosive sheet on your crate,” Justin asked.
“No. The way I see it, there are only two delivery options, either by helicopter or through Rafael’s tunnel. So we need to focus on the best place to intercept the crates and apply the sheets without being noticed.”
Shawn said, “If they were going to use a fuckin’ helicopter it would have to come from less than two hundred miles away. That means if the weapons are coming from the States they would need to use an airport for the transfer to a helicopter,” doing a quick check on his phone, “the most likely place for a transfer would be Guayana City. The airport there has all the services they would need, unlike the airstrip in El Dorado.”
“Good point Shawn. Are there any other airports they could use?”
Shawn said, “The only other option would be Ciudad Bolivar, but I would damn well place money on Guayana.”
“Okay, find out everything you can on both of those. Now, let’s say Rafael’s men are going to bring the weapons in through the tunnel. That means they would need to move the weapons by truck to the tunnel entrance. So we need to verify if the tunnel starts where I think it does and also get a look inside the tunnel. Well, for what it’s worth that’s my idea. I’m going to go give Jake a call, start thinking of ways to get in the tunnel.”
Zach headed to his room and placed a call to Jake. He explained his position on the laser weapon, and Jake understood for a team to deal with casualties on their first mission would be devastating and backed off that order. Jake assured Zach the success or failure of the mission would not include obtaining the weapon. Grateful, Zach explained the plans for the munitions and described the explosive sheets they would need. Coincidentally, Jake had seen a demonstration a few weeks ago of a new adhesive that could be activated electronically.
Beyond Top Secret: A Zach Taylor Adventure Page 15