Zero Point

by Tim Fairchild

  “You’re in a good mood today,” his co-pilot said with a grin.

  “I should be. It’ll be good to get away from here for a few weeks of long deserved rest,” he replied happily to his co-pilot. The two men headed out on the tarmac towards the CH-53K.

  Things had not always been lucrative for Hiroshi since the Iraq war. He was laid off from Japan Airlines after one year of piloting corporate executives. Nothing came his way in terms of a steady paycheck for a long time. Then a friend told him that a position as a chopper pilot was available in Yagato Osama’s organization, working in the Canary Islands. Hiroshi knew going into the venture the reputation of Osama and the risks involved, but the generous salary offered to him for his loyalty made it impossible to refuse.

  It was not all bad, ferrying supplies to the Bishamon complex on the old volcano. It disturbed him knowing that occasionally he was ordered to hover over the Atlantic Ocean as Osama’s men would dump something out of the loading ramp into the sea. He looked back that first time and saw two men tossing a body from the rear of the craft.

  The two men had then given him a look that said, do your job and mind your business, or else. The event unnerved him at the time, and for many days he tried to put the grizzly scene out of his mind. Just fly, he told himself, just fly.

  The last of the supply crates was being secured in the cargo hold of the Sikorsky by the loading crew as the two men reached the rear of the craft. They walked up the steel drop down-loading ramp to prepare for takeoff. Hiroshi strapped himself in his seat and powered up the craft’s six thousand SHP engines. His co-pilot went back to ensure that all the crates were secure.

  “We’re secure in the loading bay,” Kentaro said as he returned and hit the lever that closed and secured the loading ramp.

  After getting clearance from the airport tower, the deafening roar of the Sikorsky filled the pre-dawn stillness as the lumbering behemoth lifted off its landing pad and headed towards the southwest.

  “One more trip,” Hiroshi whispered, smiling as he took a quick glance at the new hunting bow that was sitting on the flight deck beside to him. Turning to his copilot, he spoke through the ANR flight headset. “Let’s take the coastal route, Kentaro. We’re twenty minutes early, and it’s going to be a beautiful sunrise. Nothing is going to spoil this day.”

  The lumbering seven-blade helicopter flew over the sleeping town of San Miguel and then banked to the southwest, heading for the western coast of Tenerife.

  14

  As night slowly began to shed its veil of darkness, cautious eyes watched two lone guards that were stationed inside the Bishamon compound’s main gate. From their concealed position on the edge of the caldera’s rim, Turner and the others sat single file on a rocky ledge just below the compound access road. They surveyed the nine-foot chain-link fence topped with razor wire. It surrounded the entire complex and ended at a menacing looking guard shack adjacent to a rolling gate. Inside the gate sat four black SUVs, parked side by side along the building in close proximity to the main door.

  The building itself was a two-story steel pre-fabricated modular structure. Its width was a mere forty-five feet, but the length was unusually long at about two hundred feet. Seeing the ominous, windowless building again made Yashiro uneasy as he whispered to Turner in the growing pre-dawn light.

  “If you decide to just open fire on the guards, you will alert the whole compound,” he warned.

  “We may not have much choice,” Turner replied. He was focusing on the pair of armed guards who now faced each other, preoccupied in conversation. “We’re losing the darkness fast, and we have to get moving.”

  At that moment, Turner and the others heard the distinct sound of a vehicle approaching the compound from the access road. The two guards, upon hearing it as well, hit a switch on the guard shack. The area surrounding the gate was bathed in a bright light, and the mechanized rolling gate opened as they brought their rifles to bear on the approaching vehicle. Turner and the others quickly ducked below the rise as the two guards came out of the gate to intercept the vehicle.

  Not expecting an armed welcome, Alton Burr quickly slid the 9mm under his seat as the two guards approaching him waved their hands for him to come to a halt.

  Alton Burr had waited quite some time from his earlier vantage point before finally deciding to go to the archeology site, after the dark SUV returned from its gruesome clean up at the camp. Arriving at the dig site, Burr found it empty and the entrance to the lava tube buried under tons of rock.

  He was hoping that his efforts to stifle Turner’s discovery had been accomplished for him. Who were they? He pondered this on the drive back from the archeology site. What was their interest in this, and did they take anything with them that the old man may have found? Driven by his demons and arrogance, he opted to follow the SUV to get some answers.

  As fortune would have it, Burr’s CJ-5 came to a halt just feet away from Turner and Samuel as they discretely peered over the edge of the dirt barrier. One of the guards came around to the passenger side, too intent on its occupant to notice the eyes watching him from the ledge. The other guard went to Burrs’ side with his rifle raised and in a menacing tone said, “Step out of the vehicle.”

  Turner’s plan materialized in an instant. He gestured to Captain Saune, who was positioned adjacent to the rear of the Jeep, to go around the back of the vehicle. Turner then signaled that he would take out the guard closest to him. Saune gave Turner an approving nod, but hesitated for a moment when he heard the distinct whomp-whomp sound of a helicopter approaching from behind them.

  As the roar of the chopper increased, Captain Saune sprang into action, going behind the Jeep, while Turner and Samuel set upon the unsuspecting guard who turned to see the supply helicopter coming into view. The guard saw his assailants a split-second too late as Turner reached him and threw a wicked right cross to the man’s jaw. The blow knocked him back against the CJ-5 with a loud thud. The dazed guard started to raise his AK-47. In a flash, the steel grip of the Peruvian native grabbed the man by the coat and easily tossed him over the edge of the steep precipice of the caldera’s rim. The terror-stricken scream, unheard over the roar of the arriving helicopter, was cut short by the guard’s neck snapping like a twig as he cartwheeled like a rag doll down to the bottom of the ancient crater.

  Saune rounded the rear of the Jeep with his AK-47 leveled at the guard just as Alton Burr opened his door to get out, blocking the guard’s line of fire. The Yakuza guard, distracted by the commotion on the far side of the Jeep, failed to see Saune rushing him and was shocked to feel a rifle barrel pointed at his head.

  “Drop the weapon now,” Saune hissed. He suddenly recognized the guard as the one that came out of the lava tube earlier that night and was knocked unconscious by Turner. “This just isn’t your night, friend,” Saune said coldly as the startled guard dropped his weapon to the ground and raised his hands.

  Alton Burr, stunned by what had transpired so quickly, sat back down in the seat of his Jeep as the passenger door was thrown open. He turned to stare head long at two 45-caliber weapons pointed at him.

  “Don’t shoot!” Burr yelled in a panic. “I just came from the Turner archeology site. I saw that the lava tube caved in and I came up here to get help,” he lied.

  “Well, if it isn’t our old friend, Alton Burr,” Eli said sarcastically as he, Maria, and Gonzales approached the vehicle. The thunderous roar of the CH-53K Sikorsky passed overhead, making its way over the caldera ridge and slowly descending to its landing zone.

  “No time for us to talk now, Dad,” Turner said. “Mr. Burr, would you be so kind as to take my father, Maria, and Yashiro out of here and get them back to Santa Cruz?”

  “That’s not a request, amigo,” Samuel stated grimly, waving the handgun at Burr.

  “I’m not leaving you here, Josh,” Maria said in a pleading voice as she ran up to him.

  “Nor am I, Son,” Eli protested.

  “Listen, both of y
ou, we can’t all fit in this Jeep. Someone has to get back to Santa Cruz and get out a warning about the tsunami,” Turner said, knowing that time was running out. “Please don’t argue with me and get going,” he said, pulling the passenger seat forward as Yashiro climbed into the rear seat.

  “Don’t worry about us. We have a way out of here,” Turner said in a desperate attempt to quell their fears and quickly get them out of danger.

  Maria threw her arms around him, and whispered ever so gently, “I’m tired of saying good bye to you, Josh. Please be careful.” Turner held her tightly, wishing the moment would never end, but knowing that it must as he pushed her into the Jeep.

  “Go to your father’s place at the university. We’ll meet you there later,” Turner said

  “Be careful, Son,” Eli said, holding back his emotion as he hugged Turner. He then got in the front passenger side of the CJ-5 with the backpack carrying the parchments.

  “Let’s get out of here before more guards show up,” Burr said, knowing it was too dangerous a situation to remain here any longer. He would be able to deal with Eli Turner once they got safely back to Santa Cruz.

  Burr started the engine and quickly spun around the soft gravel lot, then proceeded to speed back down the rocky access road.

  “What do we do with this guy?” Saune asked, still pointing his gun menacingly at the guard. The big Sikorsky slowed its decent to the landing site, now brightly lit with landing lights.

  “He goes with us for now,” Turner replied. Then he added as he pointed at the big chopper, “Captain, can you fly that rig?”

  “I’m checked out on the heavy lifts, but it may be tough getting to it,” he said, looking at the landing pad far below.

  “How about commandeering one of those SUVs?” Samuel asked as he pointed to the black vehicles parked within the compound.

  “Let just see what our friend here says.” Pointing his 45 at the nervous guard, Turner spoke. “So we meet again, eh? Listen pal, I’m tired, angry, and in no mood for games, so I’ll only ask you once. Are the keys in those vehicles?” he hissed, pulling back the hammer on the big gun and placing the barrel against the man’s forehead.

  “No,” he pleaded nervously in broken English. “They remain locked, with their keys up in the security office on the second floor. I swear to you, that is the truth.”

  “It may be quicker to go back down the way we came and make a run for the helicopter,” Samuel said. “It’s getting light, and the visibility will be far better than it was coming up.”

  “Let’s do it now,” Turner said, starting back down the path leading to the tunnel’s entrance. “Bring him with us, Captain,” he added, motioning to the hapless guard.

  “You heard the man, get moving. Gonzales, get his weapon,” Saune ordered. The private picked up the AK-47 and followed the group back down the switchback towards the descending Sikorsky.

  The morning sun was now breaking over the eastern horizon as Turner and the others quickly descended the rocky, slippery path. They reached the bottom in no time, as the big Sikorsky lightly touched down on its landing site on the lower plateau.

  The group moved briskly now, retracing their path back to the lava tube’s entrance, mindful of their steps. They quickly made their way along the narrow path, while the rear-loading ramp of the heavy lift chopper began to lower.

  As they left the path and moved in front of the tunnel’s entrance, Turner saw four workers and two armed guards approaching them from the cave’s interior to off-load the newly delivered supplies. Without warning, chaos erupted in the entrance way as the two guards began to open fire on the group.

  “Get down!” Turner yelled. He pushed his friend Samuel forward, sending him spiraling into the conveyor belt’s control box. Turner quickly returned fire with his 45, sending the unlucky workers scrambling for cover within the cave.

  During those first seconds, Turner saw Private Gonzales take the brunt of the opening blaze of gunfire, killing him instantly. Captain Saune was spared the same fate only because the captive guard to his left was struck in the leg and fell to the ground wincing in pain.

  Saune’s instincts took over as he immediately leveled his AK-47 at the assailants. He then unleashed gunfire into the cave and sent the two guards diving for cover behind the storage bins. In that brief pause, Saune was able to scramble over to Turner and Samuel on the right side of the cave’s entrance.

  “Now what, boss?” Samuel asked as he fired a few more deterrent rounds into the cave. “I’ll even settle for a Plan C at this point.”

  “It’s time to take a little ride, Samuel,” Turner replied, hitting the power button on the conveyor control box. The rolling conveyor was brought to life as the reinforced rubber belt started noisily tracking downward.

  “You’ve got to be kidding me?” Samuel said incredulously as he watched Turner jump onto the belt. Lying prone on the conveyer belt as it started tracking toward the landing pad, Turner waved for the rest to follow. “Remind me never to go with you anywhere again!” Samuel yelled as he followed Turner’s lead and jumped with Saune onto the moving belt. Making their way on the rattling belt to the loading platform below, Turner saw one of the Yakuza soldiers cautiously exiting the cave high above just as he spotted them on the conveyor belt.

  “Don’t let him kill the power switch,” Turner yelled. He let lose a barrage of bullets as the other two joined in, forcing the unfortunate guard to retreat back into the cave.

  “That’s it for me as far as ammo,” Samuel yelled, throwing the empty pistol away.

  “Me, too,” Turner said, looking down to see that they were only a few yards from the base platform.

  “Let’s go,” he yelled, rising up and running the remainder of the distance down the belt and then jumping off at the base. He was quickly followed by the other two men. The trio ran wildly across the plateau toward the now open loading bay of the Sikorsky.

  Because of the engine noise, Hiroshi and his co-pilot inside the craft were oblivious to the battle raging outside. The two decided to go back and find out why the loading crew had not yet arrived to unload the supplies.

  Turner, Samuel, and Saune were running up the ramp as bullets from the guards above whizzed around them and hit the steel bulkhead. Reaching the safety of the interior of the craft, the three ran into Hiroshi and Kentaro as they leisurely strolled toward the rear.

  Leveling his empty 45 at the flight crew, Turner yelled, “Both of you get off the helicopter now!”

  “Don’t shoot,” Hiroshi said, throwing his hands up in surrender as he ran off the aircraft with his co-pilot in tow.

  “It’s your show, Captain,” Turner said, pointing toward the flight deck. “We’ll cover the loading bay from here. Leave us your weapon, and hurry. We don't have much time.”

  The burly captain tossed Turner the AK-47, then turned and ran for the flight deck. He quickly took the pilot’s seat, throttling up the big General Electric engines. In a few moments, the heavy lift chopper rose off the landing pad and threw a huge cloud of dust onto the plateau. Bullets ricocheted off the loading ramp as the chopper cleared the pad and started up towards the caldera’s rim and out of the line of fire.

  Looking out of the yawning opening in the rear of the aircraft, Samuel yelled to Turner above the roar of the rotors and wind as the lumbering chopper rose higher above the complex.

  “Do you see what I see?” he yelled, pointing down to the building below. Turner’s heart sank as he saw one of the black SUVs speeding out the main gate, pursuing the Jeep that only moments ago had whisked Maria, Yashiro, and his father to safety.

  “Damn it!” He yelled, then turned and ran up to the cockpit followed by Samuel.

  Seeing the two men, Saune signaled for Turner to put on the co-pilot’s ANR flight intercom headset so they could converse above the sound of the engine noise. Putting the headset on, he saw Saune pointing to the lever on the upper right of the flight console.

  “Activate that ramp lever
; it will close the loading bay,” Saune said.

  “Got it,” Turner said as he flicked the lever into the stow position. After moving Hiroshi’s Switchback hunting bow out of his way, Samuel put on the spare ANR and sat in the crew seat behind them.

  Turner spoke as the ramp began to close. “We’ve got more problems, Captain. We saw one of the Bishamon SUVs leaving the compound. They must be going after my father and Maria. We have to help them.”

  “I’m on it,” Saune said, quickly banking the huge chopper to the right and bringing it down toward the access road.

  The sudden turn saved them all from instant death as a shell from a RBR-64 mm hand-held rocket launcher exploded just behind the right engine cowling. The explosion shook the big aircraft violently. Captain Saune quickly shut down the starboard engine and fought to control the heavy lift chopper as it began to lose altitude, veering downward towards the barren mountainside below.

  “What the hell was that?” Samuel yelled through the intercom as Saune finally managed to level out the helicopter a mere one hundred fifty feet from the ground.

  “We’ve got company,” Turner said, pointing out of the right cockpit window at the small Robinson R-44 helicopter above and to the right of them.

  “I’ve shut down the starboard engine,” Saune reported, pointing outside to the black plumes of smoke belching sickeningly out the cowling of the damaged engine.

  “Can we out run them?” Turner asked, seeing the R-44 coming about for the final kill.

  “Normally, yes, but with an engine down, no way. We’ve got to put down and extinguish the fire before the whole thing blows,” he responded as the billowing smoke trail became thicker.

  “Put her down, Captain,” Turner said, grabbing the AK-47 and hitting the lower switch on the loading ramp. “I’ll try to keep them at bay while you tend to the fire.” Ripping off the headset, Turner scrambled to the rear of the helicopter as the access ramp lowered. Seconds later, the heavy lift touched down and Turner sprinted down the loading ramp. Surveying his surroundings as he ran, he saw a cluster of huge boulders to his left, which he decided to use as cover. This should draw them away from the Sikorsky, he thought as he ran head-long toward the boulders.