“According to the GPS, we’re going to have to go cross-country in just under a minute,” said Dawn.
“Just tell me when,” replied Jackson.
“Up ahead you can see a sign. Turn left there.”
Jackson turned off the road onto a narrow track. The Rover rocked up and down as the wheels hit every rock and rut in the path.
“How far to the plant?” asked Mitchell.
“About ten minutes,” replied Dawn, hanging onto the Rover’s roll bar.
“How much time would you give us?” Mitchell asked Jackson.
“If we’re not on our way to the border twenty minutes after we arrive, we’re never going to make it,” said Jackson.
“Twenty it is.”
The road dipped down as they drove into a broad valley. Several spotted hyenas caught in the Rover’s lights scurried off the track, yelping their displeasure at being moved along.
“It should be just off to our left,” said Dawn.
Jackson turned the wheel and slowed down as the Rover’s lights lit up a metal fence. The front gates were chained together.
“Punch it,” said Mitchell.
Jackson slammed down on the accelerator and drove their vehicle straight at the gates, smashing them wide open. Inside the compound, he brought their Rover to a sliding halt outside a decrepit building. Jackson switched off the Rover’s lights and reached for his AK.
“Everyone but Artan get out,” said Mitchell.
“What do you want me to do?” asked the frightened youth.
“Stay with the Rover,” said Mitchell. “If company comes, drive it to the back of the compound and wait for us there. We’re counting on you to get us out of here.”
Artan nodded and took Nate’s seat.
Mitchell looked over at his colleagues. “The clock has already begun counting down. Take a look around, but make sure you’re back here in fifteen minutes, or you’re walking to the border.”
“Ryan, what exactly are we looking for?” asked Nate.
“I honestly don’t know. I’m hoping we’ll know it when we see it.”
Dawn flicked on a light she had attached to the side of her AK, and took off at a jog to check out a nearby building.
“See you in fifteen,” Mitchell to Jackson.
“Stay frosty,” Jackson replied, turning to check out a shed off to this left.
Mitchell opened a box in the back of the vehicle and pulled out a set of NVGs. He switched them on and slid them over his eyes. The world turned to a mix of green hues. With his weapon at the ready, he walked up to the front door of the building and pushed down on the door handle. Not surprisingly, it was locked. Mitchell hauled back with his right leg and smashed the door open. Old papers and discarded file folders littered the floor. Mitchell looked left and right, before deciding to check out the left side of the building. Every room he checked had been stripped clean years ago. He glanced at his watch and swore. Time was slipping by. Mitchell began to jog, desperate to find something.
Dawn edged inside the open door. Broken glass crunched under her boots. Her training—first as a Swiss police officer, and then under Grace’s tutelage—had made her a finely tuned instrument. With her heart pumping adrenaline through her veins, Dawn moved down the hallway, shining her light in each room she passed. Aside from a couple of empty filing cabinets, the place was empty.
Crunch.
Dawn instinctively spun around and took aim behind her. She let go of her trigger when her light reflected back in the eyes of a small, wild dog. “Shoo! Get out of here you little bugger, before you give me a heart attack.”
The little dog growled at Dawn before scurrying off in search of a meal.
Dawn shook her head. “Time to get back to work.”
The shed Jackson went to check out turned out to be a bust. Some battered jerry cans and a few old tires were all that he found. He stepped outside of the shack and shone his light around. Just behind the building, Mitchell was checking out was another, identical-looking structure. Jackson took a few steps out into the open and spotted a long row of concertina wire with a sign on it. This has to be something, he thought to himself. He ran over and stopped by the wire. The sign was written in Arabic. Jackson struggled to read what was written. Apart from the word warning, the rest was lost on him. He stepped as close as he could to the wire and moved his flashlight around. Jackson’s stomach dropped when he spotted several bones and a human skull lying at the bottom of a pit. He brought a hand to his mouth and yelled, “Ryan, I think I’ve found something.”
Mitchell bolted out the back of his building and ran toward Jackson. Dawn came sprinting just behind him.
“What did you find?” asked Mitchell.
Jackson lit up the pit. “This.”
“That looks like a human skull and forearm bones,” said Mitchell.
Dawn read the sign. “Warning: this ground is contaminated. Keep out.”
Mitchell looked around. “Do any of you see any dead animals? Because I don’t.”
“No,” said Jackson.
Mitchell tugged at the wire. It didn’t budge.
“Here,” said Dawn, taking her multi-tool from her belt, and giving it to Mitchell, who got to work snipping his way through the wire.
“This is going to take too long,” said Jackson. “I’m going to get Artan and the Rover.”
“Good thinking,” said Mitchell, pulling the wire apart.
“I know; that’s why I said it.”
“Get going.”
Jackson waved and took off into the dark.
Mitchell stepped to the edge of the hole and looked down. The walls were steep and angled down to the bottom of the pit. He handed Dawn his NVGs, took a step, and slid down on his side. At the bottom, he slung his AK over his back and shone his light over the skull. There was a small hole in the back of the cranium. Mitchell looked up at Dawn.
“This person was shot.”
“Not a surprise,” said Dawn. “Any sign of who he was?”
“Not yet,” he replied, rummaging through the dirt with his hands. Very quickly, more human remains appeared. Mitchell could see that many of the bones were broken and shattered. An image of a firing squad above the pit formed in his mind. After being shot, the bodies were bulldozed into the hole and then most likely set alight.
“Jackson’s back,” announced Dawn.
“Good. Get him to tie off a rope so I can climb out of this hole when I’m done.”
“Whatever you’re looking for, you had better find it. We’re running out of time.”
“I know, I know,” said Mitchell under his breath, frantically digging through the dirt.
34
“Stop here,” ordered Kagame.
The truck slowed and stopped outside of the shattered metal gates.
Kagame climbed out of the cab and looked at the tire tracks leading into the compound. A line of cocaine taken a few minutes ago dulled the pain in his head. “Sergeant Etolu, report here immediately!”
A muscle-bound mercenary wearing a red beret ran to Kagame’s side. “Yes, sir?”
“Have the men form a cordon around the site, and then drive my two lovelies to the front gate and let them out.”
“Yes, sir.”
“Sergeant, hurry this along. I don’t want them to escape again.”
“They’re as good as dead.”
“Just make it happen.” Kagame dismissed his subordinate, and looked at the darkened compound. “You’re going to regret making me look a fool.”
“I think I’ve got something,” said Mitchell, brushing the dirt from a plastic identification card.
“What is it?” asked Jackson.
Mitchell lit up the card. “I think I can read a name on here. It’s Dalca…I think,”
“Ryan, we’re out of time. Pocket the ID and climb up here.”
Mitchell took one last quick look around at his feet for anything of value, before grabbing hold of the rope and climbing up the side of the
hole. Jackson reached down and helped his friend out. “Thanks,” said Mitchell, brushing the dirt from his hands and clothes.
Dawn held out a water bottle. “Hold out your hands. We should be careful and wash off any possible contaminates you may have come across.”
“Agreed,” said Mitchell, rinsing his hands clean.
“People, we’re not alone,” said Artan. His voice trembled.
Mitchell, Jackson, and Dawn went for their weapons. “Are you sure?” asked Jackson, peering into the night.
“There are two lions hunting us,” said Artan. “I saw them for a moment before they split up and moved into the shadows.”
“Frig,” mumbled Jackson.
Mitchell took back his NVGs and slipped them on. He looked from building to building, but saw nothing moving. All of a sudden, a wild dog dove through a shattered window and ran for its life, right past the pit and out through a hole under the fence.
A shot rang out from somewhere outside the compound. The bullet struck the hood of the Rover and ricocheted off into the dark. Artan dove for the ground and covered his head with his hands.
“Dawn, find that SOB and kill him before he disables our ride out of here,” ordered Mitchell.
“My pleasure,” she replied, dashing over to the vehicle and crawling underneath it.
“Do you see anything?” Jackson asked.
“Not yet,” replied Mitchell.
“Don’t forget, we’re on their home turf, and lions like to get real close before attacking.”
Mitchell adjusted his position to get a better look of the compound, when a long, dark shape dashed from behind a building into the tall grass near the pit. In his mind, he could see the lion crawling ever so slowly toward them, while its partner worked its way around the other side.
Another shot shattered the silence. The round hit the Rover’s hood. Dawn fired back.
Mitchell was a bundle of nerves. The primal fear of being mauled to death and then eaten sent a shiver down his back. He and Jackson knelt on the ground back to back, waiting for the inevitable attack.
“Aim low and fire fully automatic,” coached Jackson. “Whatever you do, don’t let your finger off your trigger until you know it’s dead.”
Dawn fired off two shots in quick succession.
The sound of the weapon firing was like a starter’s pistol. First, one of the lions charged from the grass. Mitchell aimed at the onrushing beast and fired. The muzzle blast from the end his AK lit up the charging lion. Bullets tore into its right shoulder, and then its neck. The lion let out a pained roar and collapsed to the ground barely a meter from Mitchell’s feet.
The second lion ran out from behind a couple of rusted 45-gallon drums, leaped up onto the vehicle, and dove at Jackson. He saw the beast coming out of the corner of his eye, swung his AK over, and pulled the trigger. 7.62 mm rounds struck the lion in the underbelly, tearing away chunks of flesh. The animal was dead before it collided with Jackson, knocking him to the ground. Jackson let out a muffled grunt as the lion landed on his chest, knocking the wind out of him.
“Nate! Are you all right?” cried out Mitchell.
“Get the lion off of me,” moaned Jackson.
Mitchell and Artan grabbed the lion by its front paws and dragged it off. Jackson took in a pained breath and sat up. “I’m okay.”
“Anything broken?” asked Mitchell.
“No, I don’t think so.”
Mitchell tapped Dawn on the leg. “Are we clear?”
“There were two of them,” she replied. “I got them both.”
“Artan, help Mister Jackson into the Rover,” commanded Mitchell. “Dawn, you’re up front with me. You’re going to navigate while I drive.”
“I’ll be okay,” protested Nate.
“This isn’t open to debate. Everyone on board before Kagame figures out what happened to his pets.”
Mitchell jumped into the driver’s seat and started the Rover. The second Dawn gave him the okay, he tossed her his NVGs and jammed his foot on the gas pedal. Like a charging rhino, the Rover smashed, engine grill first, into the fence, splitting it apart.
“Turn left slightly,” said Dawn. “The border is less than ten minutes away.”
“Do you have any of your bribe money left?” Mitchell asked Artan.
“Yes, I have a couple of hundred dollars,” replied the young man.
“If we have to, we can give them everything but the Rover, if it’ll get us over the border,” said Jackson.
“There’s a UN outpost just inside the border,” said Artan. “If we can get there, we should be able to make our way to the capital.”
Mitchell switched gears. “Let’s hope our luck holds out. I doubt Kagame’s going to be too happy when he sees his lions.”
White-hot anger filled Kagame’s heart. His prized lions lay on the ground, dead. He looked up at the stars and screamed. How he was going to explain to Dimov the two failed attempts to kill the foreigners?
“Sir, they can’t be far away,” said Sergeant Etolu. “Let me send our motorbike riders after them.”
Kagame stood silently, staring at the ground.
“Go,” said Etolu to the three bike riders. “Don’t let them cross the border.” The men revved their engines and tore out of the compound after the Rover. Things may have not turned out as planned, but Etolu wasn’t going to let some worthless foreigners make his men look like a bunch of amateurs.
Mitchell felt a tap on his shoulder.
“Ryan, I can see at least two motorbikes trying to get ahead of us,” said Jackson.
“Where?” said Mitchell, looking across the darkened plain.
“They’re on the passenger side, about two hundred meters away.”
“NVGs,” said Mitchell to Dawn.
He quickly slipped them on and switched off his Rover’s lights, plunging the world into darkness. Mitchell left the narrow track, and drove cross-country. He aimed away from the riders Jackson had spotted. Through his goggles, the bikes’ headlights were like two bright-green searchlights, lighting up the savannah.
“There’s another one behind us,” said Jackson, turning about in his seat.
Mitchell spun the wheel over his hands, trying to keep his vehicle hidden among the sparse brush.
A burst of automatic gunfire struck the rear of the Rover, puncturing one of their water cans. Jackson rested his AK on the back of his seat, and waited until the motorbike swerved around a tall boulder before letting loose. Most of his bullets missed; however, a couple hit the rider in the right shoulder, knocking him off his bike. “One down, two to go,” said Jackson, changing magazines.
The lights from border outpost lit up the horizon. Charging across the border, guns blazing, would not do them any favors. Mitchell glanced over his shoulder at the two other bikes racing to cut him off from escape. He quickly made up his mind and swung the wheel in his hands, speeding toward the two bikes. One of the mercenaries saw him coming and tried to fire his machine pistol at them, but missed completely. With his blood as cold as ice, Mitchell rammed the closest bike, sending its rider flipping over the top of the Rover like a rag doll. The second man looked backward and saw his partner’s fate. He reached for his weapon, but was not fast enough. Mitchell bumped his rear tire. The bike wobbled for a second and then flipped end over end, taking its rider with it.
Mitchell never looked back. He yanked off his NVGs, flipped his lights back on, and drove as fast as he could for the border. Two soldiers dressed in well-worn fatigues stood next to a 45-gallon drum filled with firewood, trying to keep warm in the cold night air. On the ground beside them was a radio, blaring out tunes from a local radio station. Mitchell swerved around the makeshift barricade and came to a sudden stop. Artan leaned out of his seat, handing what money he had left to the soldiers. A corporal walked out of a ramshackle guard post, saw the money, and grabbed the bribe for himself. He smiled at Dawn as he walked around the Rover, stamping everyone’s passport with an entry visa. With
a wave at the stunned guards, Mitchell switched gears and took off down the road, hoping to make the UN compound before anyone could stop them.
35
Polaris Headquarters
“Ryan, before you begin, are you all okay?” asked General O’Reilly.
“One of our contacts didn’t make it, sir,” replied Mitchell. He sounded tired and somber.
“I’m sorry. We’ll make sure his family is properly compensated for their loss.”
“Also, we’ve got one of Grace’s operatives with us. He’s a brave man, and I’d like him taken care of, as well.”
“Send me a text with all the relevant info, and I’ll see what we can do for him.”
Jen leaned toward the speaker. “Ryan, it’s Jen. Where are you guys right now?”
“Hey, Jen, it’s nice to hear your voice,” Mitchell’s voice perked up. “We’re currently at UN outpost Charlie-Three, which is located about thirty kilometers inside the Central African border.”
“I’ve got it,” said Fahimah, bringing it up on the screen above her head.
“Are they treating you well?” asked O’Reilly.
“What do you think?” said Mitchell. “There are thirty young Austrian peacekeepers here who haven’t had much of a break in months. They’re doing backflips to make Dawn feel at home. Without her, Nate and I would still be outside their compound begging for help.”
“I know some people in the Austrian Armed Forces,” said the general. “I’ll make a few calls and get you safely escorted to the capital.”
“Thanks, sir.”
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