Portagee replied, “No, goober, he’s just pulling your leg.”
The three walked along the water’s edge in hopes of finding a way out of the cavern.
Meanwhile Lynch and his goons were trekking their way down the cobblestone road. Normally when tracking an enemy they would be more guarded; however in this case they had no fear of who they were hunting. Lynch had his goons spread out across the road looking for tracks. The magnificent ancient city was even distracting for Lynch and his men. The distraction worked well for Storm and his group because Lynch missed the spot where they split up from the others. Savage and the others weren’t so lucky. Their tracks were spotted. After following the tracks for a short distance one of Lynch’s men stopped and said, “Sir, there’s not enough tracks to account for the entire group. Some of them must have split off back towards the main road through the city.”
In a disgusted tone, Lynch said, “You bloody fool! No wonder we haven’t caught these civilians yet. They’re smarter than us.”
His man responded, “Do you want some of us to go back and find where they split off?”
Lynch snapped back, “Hell no! That’s want they want us to do. I’m not going to split up right now. We’ll keep tracking this group. Sooner or later they’ll meet up and when they do, we’ll snag them.” He turned to two of his men and said, “I want you two to head out separately and scout out the area. If either of you see our friends I want to know immediately.”
One of the men asked, “If we make contact should we eliminate them?”
Lynch replied, “Use your judgment. If both of the parties are still split up then you might take a captive. Otherwise kill them.” The two men nodded their heads and took off in different directions to scout out the area.
Lynch signaled to his remaining men and said, “Alright, men, follow me. We’ll follow this street for a distance.”
While they were walking one of Lynch’s men pointed up in the air and said, ”Lynch, look at the size of that diamond.” He was pointing to the massive diamond ball that was lighting the city.
Lynch replied, “Yeah, I saw it earlier. It’s on our shopping list once we kill these elusive Bermudians.” No sooner had Lynch finished speaking when the entire city went black. Lynch and his men froze. Lynch pulled out something from his vest and said, “Not to worry, men. Pull out your night vision goggles.” He put them on and said, “Now the advantage is ours. Those poor bastards won’t see us coming, but we’ll see them.”
Meanwhile Savage and his Spinners were sitting down resting when the lights went out. Savage said, “Well, I’ll be damned. Someone forgot to pay the light bill.”
All was quiet for a minute. Graham finally spoke up, “I’ll bet the inhabitants here have the Death Diamond on a twelve hour timer.”
Sam added, “You’re right, Graham. They not only simulated day; they must have also simulated night.”
Michael chimed in saying, “That’s not good for us. What if those paramilitary creeps have night vision devices?”
Savage replied, “What’s the odds those goons would have even thought of bringing something like that?” His comment seemed to calm the Spinners, but Savage himself had the same fears. He flipped on his flashlight, but pointed it down on the cavern floor. He said to the others in a low tone, “Follow me. We’ll only use this one flashlight. I don’t want to take a chance of someone spotting us. We’ll find a spot and rest for the night.” Savage’s fears were well founded. Unknown to him and the Spinners one of Lynch’s scouts had already spotted them with his night vision goggles.
Back in the canal Storm and his Spinners had stopped hoping the Death Diamond would light back up again. Storm finally said, “I don’t think it’s going to light up again. It’s either malfunctioned or maybe it’s night time. No matter what, standing on this ledge makes us sitting ducks if someone sees us or our lights. We’ll get off this ledge at our first opportunity. Follow me, but do it quietly. ” Keno and Portagee kept as close as they could without tripping over Storm. After walking for about ten minutes they came to another stairway that would lead them up to street level. Storm held his hand back touching Keno on his shoulder. He whispered, “You two stay here. I’ll signal you when it’s safe to come up with a single flash of my flashlight.” Storm almost crawled up the stairs making sure not to make any noise and avoid being seen. Once on the street level he just sat there trying to listen for any kind of noise. Also his eyes were now used to the dark, and he could see a short distance although most objects seemed like shadows. Storm turned back around and gave a single flash to signal Keno and Portagee it was safe to follow him. Within seconds both boys were with Storm. Once again he signaled them to follow him. Without saying a word they crept along as close they could get to any structure they passed.
Savage and his Spinners had found refuge in what appeared to be an old pub. They had agreed to take a quick nap and try to relax for awhile. After about an hour Michael woke up. He moved from Graham to Savage nudging them as he went by. Once he got by Savage he panicked. He could not find Sam. Michael scurried back to Savage. In a very low tone he nervously asked, “Inspector, where’s Sam? I can’t find her.”
Savage jumped up and began whispering for Sam. After no response he started at random intervals turning his flashlight on and off in different directions, but to no avail. Sam was nowhere to be found. Almost beside himself, Savage yelled out, “Those bastards took my daughter!”
Graham whispered back to Savage, “Sir, they’ll hear you.”
Savage snapped back, “Excuse me for saying this, but I don’t give a damn. Besides they already know where we are.”
Michael asked, “Why didn’t they just take us all or shoot us all?”
Savage calmed down a bit and replied, “Maybe there was just one of them or maybe they wanted Sam as a hostage.”
Graham scratched his head saying, “Why would they want Sam as a hostage?”
Savage replied, “Look, we don’t have all night, but the reason is these thugs want us all together. They must have known we split up into two groups. Now if it’s ok with you two let’s go find my daughter!”
Graham and Michael both looked at each other and replied in unison, “Yes sir.”
Savage didn’t say another word. He simply walked out of the old pub determined to find his daughter. Michael and Graham ran out the door after him.
Captured
Lynch and his mercenaries were taking a short rest at an intersection of two streets. He wanted to make sure while resting they would be able to see and be in control of all directions. Lynch had fallen asleep for just a few minutes when one of his men shook his shoulder. Lynch, a little groggy, asked, “Well, what is it, man?”
The man replied, “Sir, one of our scouts is returning.”
Lynch stood up and said, ‘It’s about bloody time.” As the scout came into sight it was clear he had brought back a prisoner. It was also clear that it was one of the teenagers.
The scout had Sam by her collar as they came within a few feet of Lynch. The scout threw her at his feet. Lynch looked down at Sam and then back at the scout saying, “Good work, man. Now give me your report. Did you kill the others?”
Before he could reply Sam stood up and said, “You’re nothing but a killer and a kidnapper. My dad and Agent Storm will find you and make you pay.”
Lynch reached down and grabbed her. While laughing he said, “Little girl, you’d better shut up. I promise you this. Your father and his mate are dead men when I find them. Oh, and by the way you’re going to help us.”
Sam kicked him in the shin as hard as she could and yelled, “You go to hell!”
Lynch grimaced in pain then backhanded her yelling, “Tie her up before I tear her up!” One of his men grabbed her and tied her hands behind her back. Lynch added, “Missy, you open your mouth one more time and I’ll shove a grenade down it.” Sam knew she had already pressed her luck with this maniac. She would keep her mouth shut for the time being. Lynch
turned back to the scout and said, “Now give me that report.”
The scout replied, “Sir, I found four of them sleeping in what appeared to be an old bar.”
Lynch interrupted, “Did you kill any of them?”
The scout continued, “No, sir. It was dark, and I didn’t know who was armed. When I saw the young girl I knew she would make good bait to sucker them into a trap. So I gagged her and left as quickly as I could.”
Lynch asked, “Did anyone follow you?”
The scout replied, “No, sir. They never saw or heard me.”
Lynch smiled and said, “Bloody good, I know exactly what we’re going to do with this pretty young lady.”
One of his men asked, “What’s that?”
Lynch turned and pointed at the large Death Diamond tower saying, “We’re going to put her where everyone in this underground city can see her. And all we’ll have to do is sit and wait.” He laughed and added, “Come on men we have a trap to set.” Lynch picked up his Uzi and headed in the direction of the Death Diamond tower. The scout grabbed Sam and shoved her in the direction of Lynch to get her to follow. The rest of Lynch’s men followed behind.
Prisoner of War
Storm, Keno, and Portagee had been zigzagging between old structures, walls, and anything else they could hide behind to avoid being detected by Lynch and his goons. After about an hour Storm and the boys needed a rest. Storm signaled Keno and Portagee to follow him to a large stone statue of a shark. The massive statue made a safe cover for the trio to hide behind.
As the three rested, Storm whispered, “I would have thought that by now we would have run into the others. After all, we were moving in the same direction as them.”
Before Keno or Portagee could answer, shots were ricocheting all around them. Pieces of stone from the statue were flying everywhere.
The three fell down flat on the ground covering their heads. Storm yelled out, “Well, boys, we now know our trackers have night vision gear.” Storm directed Keno and Portagee to slide farther behind the statue. Storm turned to the boys and said, “Stay here no matter what. Without night vision gear our goose is cooked.” He handed Keno the Uzi and said, “Hang on to this until I get back.”
Keno with a concerned look on his face said, “But, Agent Storm, you can’t go out there without a weapon.”
Storm replied, “Don’t worry. I’m not, but if I take that Uzi with me I’m a dead man.” Without saying another word he stood up and walked out in the open with his hands behind his head. Storm yelled, “Don’t shoot! I surrender.” As soon as he finished, a shot rang out. The bullet ripped through Storm’s left arm. Storm dropped to the ground in pain. Portagee and Keno were just about to run out to help Storm. Storm saw this and said, “Stay there; I’ll be fine.” Storm stood back up and yelled out, “You gutless bastard! Shooting an unarmed man! I thought you were a solider, not a coward.”
A few seconds later a man stepped out of the darkness and walked towards Storm. It was one of the scouts. As he drew near to Storm he said, “I am a soldier, mate, and I’m here to take you prisoner or kill you. What will it be?”
Storm reached into his back pocket and pulled out the jungle knife he had recovered earlier. The scout looked at the knife and laughed. He then said, “You better toss that over to me before I take it away from you and gut you with it.”
Storm looked down at the knife and back at the South African saying, “I guess you’re right. Here you go.” Storm flipped the knife straight up in the air. No sooner had it left his hand and before the South African could react, Storm spun around three hundred sixty degrees. With his right foot extending straight out he kicked the knife with his foot. The velocity from the kick was so great the South African didn’t have a chance. Before he could react the knife was embedded in his heart. The South African dropped to his knees and then bent backward collapsing to the ground on his back. Storm walked over and took his Uzi and his jungle knife. He looked at the dead South African and said, “Damn, I ruined his night vision.” He turned back to Keno and Portagee and said, “Come on, boys, we’d better get our butts out of here.” The boys quickly ran out to Storm.
As soon as they had reached Storm a voice said, “Mates, I think you better not move another inch.”
Storm snapped back as took his Uzi off safety, “I may not able to see you, but I just killed one of your buddies. You’re next if you come any closer.”
Storm looked into the darkness. Someone in the shadows was moving his direction. As the figure cleared the shadows the voice said, “You bloody well better get that arm looked at the way you’re holding it.”
Even with his pain Storm smiled saying, “You old goat! I thought we’d lost you.” Storm walked over to Savage and gave him a bear hug. Storm looked around only seeing Graham and Michael. He asked, “Where’s Sam?”
Savage got a little choked up and finally replied, “Those bloody bastards have her. They kidnapped her when we were sleeping.” He looked at Storm’s arm and added, “Come on, guys. We’re sitting ducks here. Let’s move inside until daylight and fix that arm up while we’re waiting.”
They walked down the street and found what appeared to be an ancient bathhouse. Once inside Storm turned to Michael saying, “You take the first shift and let us know if you see or hear anything.” He handed Michael the Uzi and said, “Don’t go crazy with this; only fire off a warning shot if you have to. Then get out of the doorway and find us.”
Michael nodded his head and said, “Yes sir, Inspector.” The group left Michael and went on inside to find a resting spot.
After sitting down Savage looked at Storm’s arm. Savage ripped off a sleeve from his shirt and wrapped it tightly over Storm’s wound. After he finished he said, “Good news, mate. The bullet passed clean through your arm. With this bandage you’re as good as new.”
Storm smiled as best as he could and replied, “Thanks, I’m sure your old sweaty shirtsleeve will keep the flies away.” Both men laughed and then sat back relaxing, not saying another word.
In the meantime, Lynch and his men had reached the Death Diamond tower. Lynch had heard the gunfire and assumed his man had made a kill. As one of his goons brought Sam forward he said, “Did you hear that shot awhile ago, honey? Well, one of your friends is now deader than a door nail.”
Sam shook her head and said, “You’re the one who’d better take a head count, you sleaze bag.”
Lynch looked her square in the eyes and said, “Missy, you’d better be careful. Your daddy’s not here to help you, and I just might break your pretty little neck.” He looked over at one of his men and ordered, “You know what to do. Take her away.”
The man replied, “Yes sir.” Lynch’s goon shoved Sam in the direction of an iron door at the bottom of the base of the Death Diamond tower. As the two walked through the doorway of the tower Sam was amazed at the awesome sight she saw.
The tower was hollow with a spiral staircase slowing finding its way to the Death Diamond ball. Running up the middle of the tower was a hollow iron tube that must have been twenty feet in diameter. What Sam did not know was that the in the hollow tube was a series of huge glass magnifying lenses that increased any light that passed through thousands of times. Below them what appeared to be a floor was really two half circle trap doors. The ancient inhabitants of this city discovered that a strong ocean current was running under the cavern. The high tides from the ocean directly impacted the currents twice a day. When the currents were at high tide the trap doors were forced close. Somehow the ancients had harnessed the powerful rays of the sun through reflective lenses on the ocean floor that must have adjusted with the rotation of the earth to stay in alignment with the sun. When those trap doors dropped open at low tide the rays blasted through the Death Diamonds lighting up the entire city in seconds. For thousands of years the Death Diamonds had regulated night and day just as reliably as the sun and moon have in their orbits.
As Sam and her captor climbed their way up the spiral st
one staircase that wrapped around the inside wall of the tower, the trap doors below dropped open and a sudden laser burst of light shot through the tower causing the Death Diamonds to illuminate the entire city in a matter of seconds. The sudden flash of light startled the South African. Sam turned to him and shoved her shoulder into his chest as hard as she could. The South African went tumbling down the stairs backwards head over heel. He finally skidded to a stop on the stairs and was out cold. Sam knew she only had a few minutes to make her escape, but her hands were still tied behind her back. She would have a hard time getting around the South African blocking the stairs, so her only choice was to go up. As she started up the stairs, another one of Lynch’s men walked through the tower doorway and saw the man down and Sam scurrying up the stairs.
Death Diamonds of Bermudez Page 11