by Bella Juarez
“Aye, captain,” Dan said.
The chaos of bringing together the teams that would be performing and supporting the mission seemed to go by in the blink of an eye. Dan and Shaq soon found themselves free falling toward their objective. There were several techniques for insertion into enemy territory for this mission, and they couldn’t risk the people on the ground knowing that they were flying overhead. The nature of this op would be compromised by the loud noise of parachutes opening and helos close by.
For this mission, they’d need to do a HAHO jump, which would be done at a high altitude, and they’d open their parachutes as soon as they exited the aircraft. They’d be jumping far away and drifting for over forty miles to their meeting point.
Dan looked at his GPS for the coordinates as he drifted and looked at the landscape to ensure he was on the correct path. They’d had fairly good weather, and the calm wind that would allow easy navigation with the parachute as he maneuvered himself toward their meeting area. He watched for Friday who took point as the lowest jumper and the guide they were following. So far, they were dead-on, and their insertion into Mexico had gone perfectly.
The team met up at their designated coordinates and stuffed their parachutes in their rucksacks. They wouldn’t leave anything behind to give away what had happened. He made everyone do weapons and gear checks while he and Shaq did a quick review of what their objectives were for this particular operation. After one more review of what everyone would be doing, they started the five-mile trek to the old silver mine. Within two hours they arrived at the site and waited to watch for activity.
“Where the hell is Friday? Slow-ass bastard,” Shaq said, looking behind him.
“I’m right here, and you try to keep up with fifty pounds of explosives on top of what the hell I was already carrying,” Friday said.
“I’m sorry, Steve. Did you need help carrying your load? I’m carrying the other fifty, remember?” Shaq asked.
“Fuck you, Shaq,” Steve said.
“Country, Rick, did you two find a spot to cover us from?” Dan asked.
“Got it all handled, LT,” Rick said.
“Go now, let me know when you’re there. Head to the tunnel in forty-five minutes. Got that?” Dan asked.
“Roger that,” Rick said as the two SEALs ran into the darkness.
Within a few minutes, the SEALs that would provide cover let Dan know they were in place and that everything looked clear from their vantage point. Petty Officer Connelly “Country” Pentamore was the best sniper in the group and arguably in the entire SEAL command. Rick Brown was a sniper as well, but on this trip he’d act as Country’s spotter and would be keeping an eye out for any unexpected visitors. The SEALs approached the compound with caution because there were guards at the mine. It didn’t seem like there was any activity on the surface, but they knew from intel that had been obtained from the Montenegro compound there were nine people working inside, six scientists and three special operations types acting as guards.
It would be the SEALs’ job to not only take out the compound but kill everyone inside. The scientists might have seemed innocent, but intel revealed that Montenegro wanted to replicate the weapons he had. Dan, Shaq, and Friday would be responsible for taking out all the security, and the rest of the team would be responsible for planting the charges.
The first half of their mission went according to plan, and they were able to dispose of the exterior guards and plant the charges on the outside. Dan looked at his watch and saw they were ahead of schedule by six minutes. He studied the security system at the entrance and found it fairly simple for such a complex facility. There was a trick. If they put the wrong code in, it would still open and signal an alarm to the guards inside as well as to a facility not far from here. Someone in the Montenegro compound who seemed to have the keys to the kingdom had provided this information. They were also advised of when the guards and staff would be at the lowest numbers. Dan entered the code and the doors swung open.
They swept through the facility, killing everything that moved and destroying equipment as they went. By the time they reached the back where the Corps was scheduled to knock through so they could get back, Dan heard an urgent message, and he and Shaq looked at each other.
“What the fuck! Did you put in the right codes?”
“Yes! I put in the one I got from the intel.”
“Are you sure? Because we’ve got fucking company we don’t need. Rick and Country won’t be able to get through that and out of here.”
“Fuck! Go! Get the charges planted inside like we planned, and I’ll get a diversion going, so we can get those two in here.”
“What the hell are you doing?”
“Get Friday to help you cover. I won’t be long.”
“Are you out of your fucking mind? No! Get your ass back here. We have a plan for this. Stick to the plan!” Shaq said, grabbing him.
Breaking the hold, Dan glared at his dive buddy. “That’s a fucking order JG. Get your ass back there, and provide cover for my shooter team.”
“If those motherfuckers don’t kill you, I will when I see you again.”
Dan left without a word. He remembered the plans of the facility where some of the old equipment was located. He had a couple of grenades that he could use to bring down some of the slews that were attached to the ceiling on the opposite side of the tunnel entrance. He glanced at his watch and knew he had four minutes before the charges went off all over the compound. He also knew what direction the security would be coming from because he knew the location of their compound in relation to the old mine. He guessed the compound served as the base of operations for Montenegro’s private army, so these guys would be on point and not easily distracted. He had to time it so that, when they came pouring in, the slews would block their path and allow him to get back to the tunnel before they collapsed it from the other side. They’d be slowed down by the falling metal, and that would create enough of a diversion that his sniper and spotter could get the hell out.
Waiting was the hardest part, and he’d gotten so hyped up from the small battle they’d just had, he willed himself to calm down and focus on this new objective. From his vantage point he saw Country and Rick make it into the tunnel and the hail of gunfire overhead that followed them. He heard the truck skid to a stop, threw his grenades, and ran for the tunnel. He stumbled when fire suddenly ripped through his shoulder. He remembered hearing the first explosion rip through and then the sound of crashing metal before he blacked out.
Chapter 27
Undisclosed Location
Sonora, Mexico
November 10, 2010/1217 Zulu
When Dan became aware of his surroundings, he shook his head. He had to be the unluckiest bastard barely alive. He involuntarily screamed when he was roughly lifted to his feet and blinding pain shot through his left arm. He couldn’t hear because of the ringing in his ears after the explosion. Apparently they’d managed to drag him out before the whole thing came crashing down. When he was thrown into the bed of the truck, someone grabbed him by his neck as he reached for his sidearm strapped to his leg. He managed to get the man underneath him as he punched him in the face over and over again. His left arm was weak, and he could barely hold on to the struggling man as he wrapped his fingers around his throat and squeezed his windpipe in an effort to crush it. A sharp blow to the back of his head knocked him unconscious.
When he awoke, a swift kick to his solar plexus made him curl into a fetal position on a concrete floor. He had a hard time focusing as blinding pain overwhelmed his senses. His left shoulder was on fire, and his head ached, making it so he couldn’t focus, not to mention the ass kicking he was currently getting from some bastard’s foot. When it stopped, he fought to catch his breath and sensed someone close to him.
“I’m taking you apart a piece at a time, and after that, I’m going back for her. This time I won’t fail.”
Dan’s eyes flew open, and his pain faded when panic
set in. What did this son of a bitch just say? Rio was in danger again. He recalled the last thing he’d done before he’d found himself here. He’d been on a mission, and there would be no reason why she should be around. He tried to focus on the face next to him and was roughly lifted to his feet by his injured shoulder. The man spoke in English and had a slight accent but could’ve passed for someone who grew up in a predominantly Hispanic neighborhood in the United States. The blows were designed to create maximum pain with little effort. He fought to remember why he should know this man.
“I want her, and I almost had her until you came along. After my boss is done with you, it’ll be my turn,” the man said with a vicious punch to Dan’s kidneys. “Pray he kills you.”
Bingo! Eli Reyes.
“Who are you?” Reyes asked with a gut punch that sent Dan back on his knees.
The pain almost made him black out, but he dug deep, forcing himself to stay conscious and aware of his surroundings. As much as he could, he assessed how many people were in this space with him and his interrogator. His abused body was racked with so much pain that he had to force himself to put the pain out of his head and find an opportunity for escape. Dan said nothing and was lifted to his feet again by his injured arm. This time he knew what to expect and knew how to deal with it. While he waited for the next blow, he braced himself to avoid falling again. When it came, he doubled over and almost threw up but was able to stay standing and look forward.
“Who the fuck are you?” Reyes asked with another blow to his midsection. “DEA? CBP? CIA? Who do you work for?”
Each question was asked with successive blows to his battered body. He found himself on the verge of passing out again but managed to stay upright. The man moved away, grabbed him by his shirt, and pulled him in close.
“No, you’re not any of those, are you?” he said, releasing him. “So, that’s how she likes it? I knew it. I could tell when we talked,” he said, grabbing Dan’s jaw and focusing his gaze on him. “Don’t worry, I’ll take good care of her.”
The blow to his already abused ribs made his knees buckle, and he couldn’t help but go down this time. Before he could stand, Reyes landed a kick to his midsection. He rolled onto his back, and when the next kick came, he grabbed Reyes’ foot and bring the son of a bitch to the ground. The momentary stun was what he needed to get on top and wrap his hands around Reyes’ throat. Not being able to focus his vision, he couldn’t gauge how effective he was being. He knew he was having some effect because Reyes clawed at his hands and kicked underneath him. Using all his energy to kill this motherfucker took a lot out of him, but he was determined not to let go. One of them would die, and he was resolute in stopping this sadistic asshole from going after Rio again. He didn’t see or hear the guys that came up behind him but had to let go when a sharp blow came down on his injured shoulder and sent him back to the concrete.
The men who’d just entered hauled him to his feet and dragged him out of the room where he’d been. His captors forced him down onto a bench and tied him down. They stretched a towel over his face, and before he could take a gulp of air, he found himself almost drowning from the water being poured over his face. He tried to gauge when the water would come again. Instead he found himself coughing up the water once it stopped. His captors knew what they were doing and measured their torture so he could never catch a breath. He fought for consciousness as his waterboarding continued. He focused on surviving and just breathing.
Finally, they stopped and hauled him to his feet again, this time they stripped him from the waist up and hung him by his bound wrists to a hook. He must’ve drifted because a blow to his left side jerked him awake. This time he stared into the eyes of an older man. In fact, there were two men standing in front of him, one in uniform and one in civilian clothes.
“Who sent you?” the man in uniform asked.
Dan closed his eyes and dropped his head. There would be no way in hell he’d tell them shit. They’d have to kill him, which they clearly planned to do. A sting under one of his arms brought him alive and awake. His heart raced, and he suddenly found it hard to catch his breath. When he turned his head he saw one of his captors back off with a syringe in his hand. They’d drugged him with something that made him experience some sort of rush.
“Make this easy, and tell us what we want to know,” the man in uniform said.
Dan didn’t answer. The man nodded, and Reyes came back into view. With a sadistic smile, Reyes started his beating in earnest. With the second blow, he knew by an internal crunch that Reyes had inflicted serious damage to his ribs, and the drug he’d been given intensified the sensation of the torture. After what seemed like an eternity, the beating stopped. He inhaled, and the pain that followed with the simple act of breathing was unlike anything he’d ever known. Breathing had become the hardest thing he could ever remember doing in his life. The combination of being suspended, and the damage they’d exacted with the steel pipe they’d beaten him with, made it almost impossible to breathe. He tried to swallow and tasted blood.
“Tell me who sent you.” Dan moved his lips unconsciously and the man came closer. “Let’s end this; tell me what I want to know, and then beg me to kill you,” the man said, pointing a gun to his head.
Dan mustered every single ounce of saliva and blood in his mouth and spat in the man’s face.
“Fuck you!”
The man grabbed the steel pipe from Reyes, raised it to swing, and Dan braced himself.
“Caesar! Get him down, and put him back in the cell. I have an idea, and if this man is who I think he may be, he’s more useful alive than dead right now. I’ll know within twenty-four hours. After that, do what you want,” the man said before he turned around and walked out.
Caesar threw the pipe in his hand across the room and walked away to a towel near a sink. He wiped his face and glared at Dan.
“Do you really want to rest for twenty-four hours? It’s only dragging out the pain, and by then she’ll be gone forever,” Reyes whispered close to him.
“Then you’d better kill me motherfucker,” Dan whispered.
Dan mercifully passed out before he reached his cell. When he woke again, he found himself lying on a cot instead of concrete, and someone was tending to him. He wished he could close his eyes and go back to the bliss of blackness that had taken him under earlier because the pain had become unbearable. Thankfully, he was still able to move, but flashes of blinding pain shocked his senses every time he did. Even though his cell was dim, he could still see the man and grabbed his hand when the man got close to his face.
“Be still, hijo,” the man said gently.
“I’m not your fucking son,” Dan whispered, shoving the man’s hands away. The small effort made him groan in agony.
“I’m here to help you. Please be still. We still have some time.”
“Like hell. Get the fuck away from me.”
“Blast Furnace, 4687,” the man murmured as he reached over him. Dan didn’t react even though he’d just heard some highly classified information. This man had just given him the code to the doors of the tunnel and the name of the operation that had landed him here. At first, he thought he was hallucinating, but he realized he wasn’t by the way this man studied him. To his knowledge, only four people knew the code. Two of them were in the United States. He was here. That only left one other person who was the deep cover agent within Montenegro’s compound. “They change the codes every ten days. The one I gave you was the new one. You moved up the timetable without telling me.”
“I don’t know what the hell you’re talking about,” Dan said, closing his eyes.
“Yes, you do. Who do you think has been getting you all your information?”
Dan didn’t react or answer. This could be a trick, and this man could’ve been sent to try and gain his trust in order to betray him later. The man sighed heavily.
“Can you sit up? I think they might have broken a couple of your ribs. Let me wrap them.”<
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“What the fuck for? So they can have a better target for round two?”
The man chuckled. “Eli used you like a piñata while you were hanging there. You’re tough. How is Dixie?”
Dan didn’t want to move, and he sure as hell didn’t want this man’s kindness. He wanted to believe that someone would be here any second now, but the reality of his situation was that he couldn’t rely on anyone but himself. As hard as he clung to his life, he wouldn’t see his next birthday. His biggest regret was that he wouldn’t be walking down the aisle with the love of his life in a few weeks.
It was a sad realization that he’d never see her again. His chest grew heavy with emotion, and a lump formed in his throat at the memory of her smiling at him and them laughing together. He couldn’t afford to focus on Rio and how much he missed her right now. He remembered right after she’d gotten out of the hospital and he’d offered to watch Twilight with her and her reaction. He swallowed hard when he thought about all the little pranks he pulled on her and how good natured she’d been about them. Mostly it was the laughter that made his breath catch and his eyes sting. They seemed to joke around about everything. He even missed that damn dog of hers. How would Schotzie do with him being gone? He recalled how he’d walk through the door, and she’d run to get her ball because it was time to play when he got home at night.
Then he remembered his one-sided conversation with Reyes and how he threatened to go after Rio. What the hell did it mean he’d take good care of her? The way he’d said that had been creepy. Did that sick bastard have some kind of twisted thing for her? If that was the case, Rio was in worse danger than he’d first realized. With renewed strength, he was determined to get out of this hellhole and get back to her before that psycho bastard did. He considered his options in overpowering this man and wondered how much of his twenty-four hours had already passed.