No Man's Land

by Roland Fishman

  The stranger in turn raised his AK-90 to his shoulder and pointed it at her chest.

  Djoran spun around on his heels. “Muklas, what in God’s name are you doing? These people are our friends.”

  Muklas kept his weapon trained on Erina but directed his reply to Djoran, speaking in English. “You think everyone is your friend. How do you know you can trust these two?”

  Djoran waved his arms and shook his head. “No. You are wrong about them. They are here to help Kemala. Their friends are in grave danger.”

  “So what? By coming here, they put us and our operation in more danger.”

  Muklas held his weapon steady at the optimum angle and positioned himself so that he covered both Carter and Erina. He’d clearly undergone some solid training. But Carter doubted he’d shoot unless directly threatened.

  “God brought them here for a purpose,” Djoran continued. “We must do his will.”

  Muklas shook his head. “Bullshit. Samudra needs to be taken out before he leaves the island. I’m calling in Detachment 88.”

  Carter glanced at Djoran. His sunny disposition had clouded over and his fists were clenched.

  “If Samudra learns they are coming,” Djoran said, “he’ll execute the prisoners on the spot. We cannot knowingly throw away the lives of the two innocent people being held captive.”

  Muklas shrugged. “They’ll be killed anyway. We both know that.”

  Erina never took her aim or eyes off Muklas. She asked, “What does he mean by that, Djoran?”

  Muklas jabbed his rifle in her direction. “Shut up, woman.”

  Carter felt Erina tense up. He switched his attention to Djoran, who bowed.

  “Forgive me for not telling you earlier,” Djoran said. “But I found out this morning that Samudra plans to execute Thomas and Wayan tomorrow evening at dusk.”

  “Why would he wait till then?” Carter asked.

  “He is leading a group of mujaheddin, of which I am a part, to Sydney on 29 December and he wants to use the execution tomorrow as a means to inspire confidence and courage in us. He says dusk is the magic hour when God is present. He will send the video out to thousands of followers around the world.”

  Erina kept her Glock trained on Muklas. “You mean he plans to film their execution?”

  Djoran’s head dropped. “He’s planning a demonstration of God’s vengeance to be shared via a secure members-only website.”

  The irony wasn’t lost on Carter. Even a fundamentalist group intent on recreating the social order of the Middle Ages could harness the awesome power of modern technology, using it to spread their message of hatred and violence.

  Carter took a deep breath and ran his hands through his hair. He turned toward Djoran. “How long will it take us to get to the compound?”

  “If you leave at midnight, you can be there in two hours.”

  “Why can’t we leave sooner?”

  “It is too dangerous in daylight. Between midnight and dawn is when they have the fewest patrols. Besides, you need time to eat and rest. You will be very busy tomorrow.”

  “Fair enough,” Carter said, deciding it was time to end the impasse between Muklas and Erina.

  He stepped in front of Erina and looked down the cold black barrel of Muklas’s assault rifle, letting his arms hang loosely by his side. He wanted to show Muklas that he did not fear him and at the same time give him every reason to back off.

  Muklas held his rifle steady.

  “You need to give us until six in the morning to rescue our friends,” Carter said. “That’s all I need.”

  The dark eye of the barrel stared back at him.

  Muklas raised the rifle a little. “My only concern is for my Indonesian brothers and sisters. They live on this island in poverty and shame under crazy sharia laws. Samudra is a fanatical leader who poisons everything here with hatred. I don’t care about your two friends. They are nothing to me. My people are everything.”

  “Muklas, please,” Djoran said. “If not for them, do it for Kemala.”

  Carter raised his hand and looked Muklas directly in the eye. “I understand what you’re saying. It’s tragic what Samudra has done to your island. But, like you, I can’t walk away from my people. All I ask is that you give me until 6 a.m. If I fail to rescue them in that time, you can call in whoever you like.”

  A strange combination of passion and fear emanated from Muklas’s eyes.

  “And if I get half a chance,” Carter continued, “I’ll kill that motherfucker Samudra myself. I don’t intend to let him leave this island alive.”

  Muklas’s mouth twitched with the hint of a smile. He took two steps back toward the rear wall of the bunker, so that he was out of Carter’s reach, and lowered the rifle.

  Carter turned to Erina. She dropped her Glock and returned it to the back of her belt.

  Djoran stepped forward, patted Muklas on the shoulder and turned to Carter. “Very good. I am glad we are all friends. I will now show you the best way to get inside the compound.”

  11

  Carter, Erina and Muklas followed Djoran to the rear of the dark bunker. They stopped in front of the grey blanket, which Carter assumed covered an exit tunnel leading toward the ocean.

  Djoran pulled it back, revealing two red and white malibu surfboards propped against the left wall.

  “You a surfer?” Carter asked.

  “Oh no, not me,” Djoran said. “But I understand you are very experienced.”

  Carter entered the damp, musty tunnel. “You could say that. Erina’s also pretty handy.”

  He knelt beside the ten-foot boards and ran his hands over the waxed decks.

  Erina turned to Djoran. “Are you suggesting we paddle these boards around the island to the compound?”

  “Not all the way around,” he said. “You would be picked up by their surveillance cameras five hundred feet before you approached it. Come with me and I shall show you what I have prepared.”

  They followed him back to the wooden table and sat around it. Muklas, who positioned himself to Carter’s right, still appeared to be wary of Erina.

  Djoran reached inside a cloth bag and took out two rolled-up maps, two underwater breathing devices the size of large Cuban cigars and a set of three silver keys. He spread one of the maps on the table, placing the other on the floor beside him.

  “Jacko suggested we go overland to the compound,” Erina said. “You have a better option?”

  “As much as I respect Mr. Jacko’s opinion, this island was my home for over twenty years. And, if I may say, in all modesty, I know every inch of it – and the clan’s surveillance – better than anyone.”

  Erina looked at Carter, seeking his opinion.

  “As they say in the surf,” he said, “you can’t beat local knowledge.”

  “I can assure you,” Djoran said, “it is most inadvisable to travel overland to the compound at night. And now that you are expected, security will be much too tight to move during daylight hours. I have a better way.”

  “Show us what you’ve got,” Erina said.

  “We are here,” Djoran told them, placing his forefinger on the map. “First you will paddle the surfboards east along the coast, past this village and then around the far headland, one and a half miles away. You will then cross this reef before reaching the cove.”

  Djoran indicated a point on the other side of the headland at the far end of the island. “Here you will find an underwater cave that leads directly inside the clan’s compound.”

  “What about the boats patrolling the coastline?” Carter asked, wondering just how much Djoran had thought his plan through. God and the devil were in the detail.

  “They rotate, on average, at twenty-five-minute intervals, giving you enough time to reach the headland.”

  Carter nodded. It was good, solid information.

  “You see, I try to think of everything, Mr. Carter. But as you would no doubt appreciate, we can never predict what is in store for us around
the next corner. That is up to God and sometimes he chooses to test us in ways that do not appear to suit our immediate plans.”

  Muklas stood up, shook his head at Djoran and said, “You make it sound too easy.”

  Carter and Erina turned to face him. “What do you mean exactly?” Carter asked.

  “I know these waters too. My father fished that reef for many years. If you try and cross it tonight, huge waves like mountains coming from the north-east will smash you onto the coral reef.”

  “Mr. Carter and Miss Erina are very experienced in the surf,” Djoran said. “They will find a way through if God is with them.”

  “Okay,” Erina said, “let’s say we’re able to make it past the patrol boats, through the surf, then break into the compound and free Thomas and Wayan. How do we get them off the island, particularly if they’re injured and in bad shape?”

  “A very good question,” Djoran said, pointing at the map, his finger close to the eastern perimeter of the clan’s compound. “There is another secret bunker here, very similar to this one, but not as big. It has an entrance above the ocean at the bottom of a steep cliff. I prepared it many months ago as an escape hatch should I, or anyone else, need to leave the island quickly. In the cave you will find an inflatable rubber dinghy with a small outboard, a GPS navigation device and some food, water and medical supplies.”

  Carter nodded to himself as much as anyone else. Djoran’s plan just might work.

  “You do think things through,” he said.

  Djoran smiled. “The best way to do God’s will is to plan thoroughly.” He picked up the second map from the floor, unrolled it and indicated a point at the back of the Sungkar clan’s compound. “And God, through the Japanese, has provided us with more good fortune.”

  He pointed at a different spot on the map. “There is a hidden tunnel here leading to the bunker from inside the back perimeter, not so far from the cell where Thomas and Wayan are being held.”

  “Just to be clear,” Carter said, “you reckon negotiating the surf at the reef and entering the compound through the underwater cave is the best option?”

  “It is, in my opinion,” Djoran said, “the only chance you have.”

  Carter looked at Erina, who nodded, then back at Djoran.

  “Okay then,” he said. “We leave at midnight.”

  12

  After Djoran had run through his plan in detail, the four of them shared a meal of steamed rice, chicken and vegetables without saying very much, each lost in their own thoughts.

  Djoran’s plan was, in Carter’s opinion, an inspired one. He’d done his homework and come up with something simple and yet totally unexpected that might allow them to get into the compound without being detected.

  The plan came with more than its fair share of risks and challenges, but their way forward was clear. They’d make the necessary adjustments when things started to bend out of shape, as they inevitably would.

  Erina ate slowly and was the last to finish. He could tell in this quiet space that thoughts of Jacko’s death and the question of Thomas and Wayan’s fate were weighing down on her. Carter resisted the urge to say something, realizing it was best to give her the space to process what was going on in her own way. She’d pull herself together when she needed to.

  He pushed back his chair, wanting to help clear the plates, but Djoran insisted he remain seated while he attended to them himself. Djoran put the kettle on the gas burner and offered them each a cup of instant coffee. All three said yes without any great enthusiasm.

  He placed an open pot of brown sugar, two metal teaspoons and a can of condensed milk on the table, then returned to the gas burner and poured the coffee. After handing them each a steaming cup, he sat down again.

  Carter took a sip of the bitter coffee. This was as good a time as any to let Djoran know about Jacko. Everything would then be on the table.

  “I’m afraid I have some bad news we haven’t shared with you yet.”

  Djoran looked at him with evident sympathy. “This does not come as a surprise, Mr. Carter. I feel a deep sadness in both of your spirits. What has happened?”

  “Yesterday afternoon Jacko was killed by a suicide bomber at a cafe in Kuta. I suspect Erina and I were also targets.”

  Djoran remained silent for a moment and then said, “This is a most terrible thing to hear. I liked Mr. Jacko very much. He brought laughter into the world and was a very good man. A very caring man.”

  “Can you think how Samudra could’ve known we’d be meeting there?” Carter asked.

  Djoran took a sip of his coffee. “I have no idea. He has been gone from the island for a few days and is due to return to the compound later tonight.”

  He stood up. “With your permission, I would like to say a Sufi prayer for Mr. Jacko’s spirit.”

  “I’m sure Jacko would like that,” Carter said.

  “Please, join me in a circle.”

  Carter stood up and reached out his hand to Erina, having no idea how she’d respond to a Muslim prayer.

  She gave him an ironic half-smile, clasped her palm in his and stood up slowly. The four of them formed a circle and bowed their heads.

  “O Thou,” Djoran said, “the cause and effect of the whole universe, the source from whence we have come and the goal toward which all are bound, receive the soul of Mr. Jacko who has come to Thee.”

  Djoran then spoke briefly about Jacko, highlighting his virtues. Carter and Erina also said a few words, each recounting a favorite memory of their fallen comrade and saying how much they would miss him. Muklas surprised Carter by saying he was very sorry to hear of their loss.

  When they’d all spoken, Djoran continued his prayer. “Please help us see Mr. Jacko’s death as a transition, a stepping stone across a threshold to a place where we have a chance to reawaken. We pray Thee offer him Thy blessing. May his life upon earth become as a dream to his waking soul, and let his thirsting eyes behold the glorious vision of Thy sunshine. Allah akbar.”

  The four of them stood in silence. Carter felt some of his sadness lift. The ceremony reminded him that life and physical death were not necessarily the end of the journey.

  All four sat back down around the table. Erina stared into her cup, as if searching for answers there.

  Djoran noted this and asked her gently, “Miss Erina, are you okay?”

  “It’s nothing. I’ll be fine.”

  She tried to speak lightly, but there was no mistaking the deep sadness in her voice.

  Djoran gave her a warm smile that lit up his whole face. “Please, share with us. It is most beneficial to release all dark thoughts and feelings into the universe. That way, God can cleanse your spirit.”

  Erina sipped her coffee without looking at him and remained silent, obviously trying to push down whatever had been stirred up.

  There was a pause, and then Djoran continued. “We Sufis believe that in the afterlife we discover our time on earth was but a dream we have seen and a tale we have heard. Are you familiar with this concept, Miss Erina? I know your father is.”

  “I believe in my father’s spiritual principles and I try to live by them …”

  “And?” Djoran asked, filling in the silence.

  Erina looked at him but couldn’t seem to get any words out.

  “Djoran,” Carter said. “Why don’t you tell us more about what the Sufis believe?”

  He wanted to hear for himself as much as for Erina. He understood how grief lurked in one’s soul like a shadow and needed to be brought into the light.

  Djoran drank from his tin coffee cup like it was a sacred chalice and said, “I do not wish to push my beliefs on anyone.”

  “It’s okay,” Erina said. “Please go ahead.”

  “Thank you,” Djoran said. “We Sufis believe one should not allow the death of others to cloud our spirit. Death is part of life and should be celebrated. I am sure you are familiar with this idea, Miss Erina.”

  “I understand the words,” sh
e said, touching her heart. “But I no longer feel them in here.”

  Djoran nodded. “The question we Sufis ask ourselves is: What do we take into the city of death except the sum of what our life has been? Death reveals what is important and what is not. By embracing death and its lessons during life, we can live with greater purpose. That is why we Sufis say, Die before you die.”

  He smiled. “For me these spiritual concepts are the source of great solace and guide me through the dark times toward the light. How do you see death, Miss Erina?”

  She took a moment to collect her thoughts. “Death is of course a part of life,” she said, hesitant at first. “But those people who kill in the name of God have no idea how much pain and suffering they inflict on those left behind. I begin to wonder what the point of it all is.”

  “And you have every reason to feel that way. What those misguided fanatics do is evil. They are the enemies of humanity and must be stopped. But it is the Sufis’ belief we must strive to recognize we are all God’s creatures and must never forget this great fact, or we become like those we despise. We must, I believe, seek justice and protect those who can’t protect themselves. But seeking and justifying revenge can only corrupt our spirit.”

  Carter saw Erina give a tiny nod. Djoran’s humility had somehow got past her defenses and touched her.

  “I used to have faith,” she said. “But what I’ve lost is my trust that God is on our side and will guide us where we need to go. After what happened to Jacko, and with Thomas and Wayan in such grave danger, I ask myself how I can surrender to a god who allows such terrible things to happen to good people. In moments like these I feel this life we strive to lead is all in vain and trying to serve God is a bad joke.”

  Djoran let her words hang in the air and then said, “One cannot understand divine logic. No human being can know God’s will. That is beyond who we are. But we do need to follow the dictates of our hearts, align our intentions to our values and do what we believe is right.”

  “In theory I agree,” Erina said. “But at the moment I find it impossible to trust anything beyond my own strength, skill and willpower. I question whether the universe is guided by a friendly hand or one of hate and vengeance.”