Alpha Threat

by Ron Smoak

  Maas reached into his waist and pulled out a Glock 45 automatic pistol and aimed it at Manolo. The shot was deafening. The bullet slammed into Manolo’s forehead and his brains spattered the wall behind him. A ghastly huge stream of blood spurted from the gaping hole in Manolo’s head spraying both Dana and Randall with his warm blood. It was like a fountain. Randall vomited. My God, this was Hell.

  Maas stepped back. “I will only ask you this once. I expect truthful information. Do you understand?”

  Randall wiped his mouth with tears still streaming down his face. He was covered in blood and vomit. He could see that Dana was breathing but was out cold. He looked up at Maas, his eyes drilling a hole through Maas’ head. “Yes,” Randall answered. He figured he better talk or he and Dana would not be alive in five minutes.

  “Who are you and why are you here?” demanded Maas.

  “I am Dr. Randall Finley and this is my wife, Dana. The man you killed was Manolo, our guide.”

  “Very good,” smiled Maas. “You are very correct. Now, why are you here?”

  “You already knew that,” cried Randall, “then why all this?” He looked directly at Maas and glanced at the two huge guards. There was no emotion from them.

  Maas glanced over at one of the guards.

  Randall saw this. “Wait. We are searching for lost Amazonian tribes. We are part of an expedition from Princeton University in the United States. We are United States citizens and demand to be released and returned to our base camp,” explained Randall, hoping Maas would not turn on Dana again.

  “Your base,” Maas’ interest renewed. “You have a base near here?”

  “No,” answered Randall. “Our base camp is at Cotriguacu. We trekked back into the jungle from there.”

  “So you are U.S. citizens?” Maas said. “That does you no good. You are in Fortress Alpha, the headquarters of the Fourth Reich.”

  Randall looked stunned. The Fourth Reich? What in the hell is that, he thought. Are these people Germans? Now he was really confused.

  “We found you with a radio and a GPS. Who were you communicating with?” demanded Maas, staring directly at Randall.

  “Our base camp,” answered Randall tiredly. “They know where we are at all times. The GPS goes back to base camp and Princeton, New Jersey.”

  “That is what I thought you might say. Not good for you, I’m afraid,” hissed Maas, his fears now confirmed. “Do you expect someone to come after you?”

  “I don’t know. I think they will if we don’t turn up soon,” answered Randall.

  Maas said something in German to one of the guards. The guard reached over toward Dana with a huge knife.

  “Wait,” screamed Randall. “I told you everything. Please don’t hurt her again; please don’t.”

  The guard cut the rope and watched Dana fall to the floor. He reached down, placed her over against the wall and untied her hands.

  “You see good things can happen when you cooperate,” Maas said with a smirk. “If you do not, well, I will personally kill you. It will be a slow, excruciatingly painful death, I assure you.” Randall stared at Maas…if eyes could kill.

  “Please help her. She’s badly hurt,” begged Randall. He glanced over at Manolo’s body. His eyes were wide open and blood was still oozing from the finger-sized hole in his forehead. Randall had never see anything like that, just old films of executions during the Vietnam days. There was no helping him. Poor Manolo probably never knew what happened. He may turn out to be the luckiest one of us, he thought to himself. Manolo’s hell was over.

  Maas stepped over to Dana. His prurient mind led his hands to Dana’s body. Randall could only watch as Maas ran his hands over her body as he smiled. Randall closed his eyes tightly.

  “Leave her alone, you pig!” Randall shouted, figuring he would pay dearly for his statement.

  Dana moaned and turned her head slightly. Maas stepped back and smiled broadly. Randall was thankful she was still alive.

  “I will send a doctor and some food in a few minutes.” Maas turned to the guards again and spoke to them in German. The two stepped over and picked up Manolo’s body and dragged him from the room. Randall was amazed at the amount of blood around them on the floor.

  Maas saw him looking at the blood and yelled something else out in German to the guards outside. Two other guards came into the room. One picked up Dana and the other helped Randall to his feet.

  “I will move you two to more comfortable accommodations on Level 8 so you can recover,” said Maas. “Bringen Sie die Beiden zum Wartebereich auf dem 8 Stock.”

  “We can talk again after you have eaten something and your wife wakes up. Maybe she and I can have some private time.”

  Randall seethed at Maas’ comment. But trying to placate Maas, Randall only said, “Thank you.”

  CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE

  Sunday, July 10, 2011

  Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; 10:35 p.m.

  The TAM Airlines flight touched down minutes ahead of time at the Galeão Airport in Rio. Both Dane and Hugo traveled light, each using only a carry-on bag. While this concerned Hugo, Dane explained Ben could get them what they needed. They raced through the airport trying to get to an information counter as quickly as possible to secure their next flight.

  At the information center, Dane and Hugo found the best route to Caceres was to fly to Cuiaba, Brazil. Once in Cuiaba they could charter a small plane for the flight to Caceres. The only problem was the flight to Cuiaba was scheduled for the next morning. They booked the morning flight and decided to grab a cab to a nearby hotel for some sleep.

  The cab driver was a gregarious Brazilian. Hugo and the cabbie talked the entire way to the hotel. Hugo tried to see what action was close to the hotel. Dane shook his head. You can’t change Hugo.

  At the hotel the two grabbed a bite to eat. Dane succeeded in persuading Hugo not to hit the bar but hit the sack instead. Both slept well and were ready to go the next day, arriving at the airport for their Cuiaba flight with time to spare. The Boeing 737-400 was an old craft but seemed to be in reasonably good shape.

  “Thank God we are not flying some prop puddle jumper,” cracked Hugo as they hustled aboard.

  “Wait until you see what we have to fly in to get to Caceres,” laughed Dane.

  “Speaking of getting there, what are your plans?” asked Hugo, being serious for the first time in a while.

  “I’ve been thinking about that,” said Dane, studiously. “I figure we first need to locate them and then survey their situation. If they are dead, well, there’s nothing we can do about that but I do want to know what happened and who’s responsible. And whose ass we have to kick. On the other hand, I truly believe they are alive but in the hands of those men they reported. Ben was unable to find out anything about them but I had an ace in the hole.”

  “Uh-oh, what did you do, Boss?” asked Hugo. He was wondering who Dane talked to. With both Dane and Hugo being ex-SEALS, they had several friends who stayed in the Navy and had moved up in the ranks. They both kept in touch with many of them, usually by way of SEAL group reunions. The “Once a SEAL always a SEAL” adage was true.

  “You remember Davis Engle?” asked Dane, knowing full well Hugo knew him well.

  “Sure I know Davis. He’s somewhere in Washington, isn’t he?”

  “Yeah, you could say that,” explained Dane. “Davis is over at the CIA these days. Let’s say he is in a position of authority that could help us. Two nights ago I contacted him and explained my situation and filled him in on what was going down. Officially he can’t help us, as you might imagine. However, being a close friend, he was able to get me some information from his cohorts responsible for the South American area.”

  “That sounds good so far. What did he come up with?”

  “Officially nothing,” Dane said with a smile. “But let’s say some interesting side information was discovered.”

  Hugo grinned. “I like discovering things.”

  As the pla
ne rumbled down the runway and took off, the warm, humid air caused a bumpy ascent. Dane looked out the window and was struck by how fast they had left civilization and seemed to be over endless jungle. Finally the plane leveled off.

  Dane continued, “It seems there are increasing reports and comments of people disappearing in this part of the Amazon. Nothing big, nothing noted on the national news anywhere in the U.S. but all the same, people are reported missing. There was the University of Pittsburgh thing back in the seventies but nothing ever became of that. The Brazilian government is not well known to follow up on these types of reports and, frankly, neither is the U.S. government. My guess is the government figure you are on your own when you decide to go deep into these uncharted areas of the Amazon. Remember, Randall and Dana decided to trek into some of the most uncivilized regions of the Amazonian basin. Evidently these disappearances over the past forty years were few and far between with no more than a total of thirty to forty people during those years. In the grand scheme of things these days, that’s small stuff.”

  “Okay. I can see where that would be under everyone’s radar but what does that have to do with us?” a puzzled Hugo asked. “Or do you think Dana and Randall are victims as well?”

  “Well, on the surface I would say no,” explained Dane. “But here’s where it gets interesting. On the first hand, thirty or so folks disappearing in the Amazon jungle are a drop in the bucket. The Amazon jungle is not the place where any dumbass can walk in and think everything is beautiful. There are animals and, for that matter, natives that will kill you and eat you. No traces left. You are simply gone. But there is one bit of info that has been dismissed. There have been several instances where men dressed in black have been mentioned. Not in all reports but many more than just a few.”

  “Whoa, you don’t think…”

  Dane looked back out of the window and across the vibrant green jungle below. “I can’t say but it does make me wonder especially after hearing Nathan Nader’s story. Let’s say some Nazi nutcase has created his own little world out there and doesn’t want to be bothered. So much that he kills anyone that is unlucky enough to discover them.”

  “Sounds a bit far-fetched but I guess that’s possible,” said Hugo, not totally convinced. “It seems to me that it would be harder and harder to stay undiscovered especially these days with satellites and stuff.”

  “Well, that’s what I thought until I dug deeper and found that many of these disappearances have occurred in one general area.”

  “The same area that Dana and Randall disappeared…” said Hugo, catching on to Dane’s idea.

  “Bingo,” said Dane. “It’s also the same area that Nathan says his father mentioned.”

  “Damn. So you think Dana and Randall did run across these Nazis out in the jungle and were captured?” questioned Hugo.

  “I can’t prove it, but it does fit with the whole gold, Amazon and Nazi story.”

  “Still loosely, my friend,” said Hugo. “But without anything else to go on I think it’s as good a theory to run with as any.”

  “So when we get to the base camp I don’t want to share this info with Ben or anyone else, at least yet. But here’s what I think we need to pull together when we get there.” Dane pulled a piece of paper from his shirt pocket and handed it to Hugo. “I hope Ben or one of his buddies can give us a hand with this stuff.”

  Hugo studied the list intently. “Hmm, looks like you want to go in hot,” he said, looking over the list that included many firearms and other military equipment. “You think they can get this stuff for us?”

  “I certainly hope so. Unless you packed away something I was not aware of.”

  “Well, as a matter of fact, I did bring along some extra cash.” Hugo grinned at Dane. “I figured we would be in procurement mode. Especially for let’s say items that are not normally standard fare for Princeton University doctors who are in town to look for artifacts.”

  Dane laughed and looked back out of the window again. “Hugo, I can’t ask you to foot the bill for this.”

  “Ah, hell, Dane, it’s only money,” Hugo said with another big grin. “Besides, I would probably spend it on women and booze anyway.”

  “No, man, I’m serious. This is going to cost a pretty penny before it’s over. I have some savings that I will dip into.”

  Hugo’s face turned serious. “Listen to me, Dane. You are the only family I have on this earth. You and I have been through a lot both at home and over there in the Mideast. We have saved each other’s asses many times. I consider Dana and Randall my family as well. I want you to know that whatever I have is yours and that’s no bullshit.”

  “Damn, you’re gonna make me cry,” Dane said smiling. “Thanks, man. I really mean it. But you and I are not rich men. I’m not sure how I’m going to swing this one. I guess I could borrow the cash I need.”

  Hugo sat quietly for a few minutes. “There’s something I should tell you that I’ve never told anyone about my family.”

  “What do you mean? You’ve told me about your parents back in Texas,” said Dane.

  “Yes, I have but not the whole story.”

  “Which is?”

  “When my parents were killed, I inherited a rather large sum of money,” Hugo explained, looking sheepishly.

  “I thought your dad was a mechanic in a garage,” asked Dane.

  “Yeah, he was. But he also invested in a few wildcat oil ventures. My uncle was one of those Texas oil tycoons you read about that ran around Texas buying up small oil fields and drilling for oil. Most of the wells were busts but several wells netted Dad and his brother quite a large amount of money.”

  Dane looked at Hugo. “I normally would not ask someone this question, but how much money are we talking about here?”

  Hugo paused for a few seconds and then answered quietly, “Let’s just say tens of millions.”

  “Tens of millions?” exclaimed Dane, turning to Hugo totally astonished. “Hugo, are you serious?”

  Hugo grinned. “Yeah, millions and millions. At my parents’ death I inherited it all as well as their share in the oil fields back home. Some of those fields are still money-makers. They give me a pretty good income from the wells alone.”

  Dane was stunned. He had no idea Hugo was a rich man. “Why in the world didn’t you tell me about this? What the hell are you doing working as a lifeguard?”

  Hugo looked down at his feet, embarrassed. “Dane, I wanted to tell someone, especially you, but I was scared to death it would change my relationship with you and my friends. I mean, I had finally achieved the life that I wanted. I didn’t want money to get in the way,” he explained.

  Dane sat there for a few seconds. “I guess I understand that point of view. It’s your life, your money, and you have to do whatever you think is right, but damn, what a surprise.”

  “Well, anyway, let’s agree we have a nice bankroll for this rescue mission. I can’t think of any better way to spend some of this stash.”

  “Wow,” Dane said, shaking his head. “Wow!”

  “So I think we can agree that we shouldn’t have any problems getting what we need to get Dana and Randall back,” stated Hugo. “No problems.”

  CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO

  Monday, July 11, 2011

  Fortress Alpha; 11:00 a.m

  The doctor had come and gone. A nurse cleaned and attended to their wounds. They showered and were issued a pair of gray overalls which they happily donned. They both felt much better after the cleanup. Dana and Randall were able to get some sleep after a few pain shots. Randall looked over at Dana, who was just waking up.

  “Hey, babe, how ya feeling?” he asked quietly as to not startle her. He tried to run his hand through her hair but it dried a bit tangled after her shower.

  She tried to sit up, grimacing and holding her stomach and side as she arose.

  “Whoa now, let’s not have you moving around so much. You took a really bad beating,” said Randall in a soothing voice as
he sat up and eased her back down. Randall bit his lip trying to hide the intense pain of his own injuries.

  Dana looked at Randall. “Who the hell are these people? Why are we here?” she asked. “Are you all right?”

  “I’m a bit beat up but I’m okay. How do you feel?”

  “Everything hurts,” replied Dana. “My God, I’ve lost teeth!” Dana was suddenly realizing some of her injuries. “And my face hurts like hell.”

  “Yeah, I would think it would. They beat the hell out of you. I think you have broken ribs and I know your nose is broken,” explained Randall, beginning to choke up. “I thought they were going to beat you to death. I was so scared.”

  Dana looked around the room. Vastly different than cells they were in before, this room looked like a normal, simple bedroom. It was sparsely furnished with two cots and a chair and painted a pale yellow color. There was only one door, steel, and no windows. The ceiling was solid. It looked like painted concrete. The floor was linoleum, not bare concrete. And the room was heated or air conditioned. She could not tell other than it was somewhat comfortable as opposed to the cold, dank cell where they were earlier.

  “Where’s Manolo?” she asked, suddenly realizing Randall was the only one there with her.

  Randall’s face went serious. “I’m afraid he’s dead, Dana.”

  “Dead? They killed him?” she gasped.

  “Yeah. Thank God you were out. It was not pretty,” said Randall.

  “But why kill Manolo?” she asked, tearing up. “He didn’t hurt anyone. Why kill Manolo of all people?”

  “Shhh… I don’t know. I thought they were going to kill us too.” Randall put his arm around her to console her.

  “What day is it?” Dana asked, suddenly realizing the concept of time.

  “I have no idea,” answered Randall standing. “I could not tell you what day it is or for that matter how long we have been here. If I had to guess, I would say we’ve been here several days. Actually, I could not tell you we are still in the Amazon. This place cannot be in the jungle.”