“Thought?” Toe bellowed. “I should choke you to death right here and now.”
“I don’t understand,” John said.
“They were trying to disable the boat,” I offered. “The shooter was shooting low. That’s why Mr. Jenkins took one in the leg and Toe in the side. He intended to sink the raft and swoop in with an extraction team via helicopter and take Jeannie.”
“They need my husband alive,” Mrs. Jenkins said.
“You knew about this, too, Mom?” Jeannie bellowed.
“I’m sorry,” Mrs. Jenkins cried.
“Yeah, but they don’t need the rest of us,” James said. “What happened? Why aren’t we dead?”
“These guys happened,” John replied, pointing at Toe and I. “I was in the military myself. I’ve worked with snipers. This sniper thought he would be shooting at slow-moving targets in calm waters. But Jolly recognized danger and took action. He and ToeJam revved up the engines and gave the shooter a moving target. He damn near killed the one guy he wanted alive. It tells me the shooter was caught off guard.”
“So, he intended to sink the rafts?” Jeannie asked. “What then?”
“Once the rafts were under water the shooter could pick us off one by one, taking Jeannie and leaving only Jenkins and his wife alive,” John said. “What the shooter didn’t count on was that our guides were well-trained former Navy SEALs. When the shooting started, Toe and Jolly took emergency measures and got us all in the water, using the K-Rafts as shields. We took him out of his game plan. We owe our lives to our guides.”
“Why didn’t the shooter radio in for help to come finish the job?” James asked.
“Because the people standing by were there to extract, not to kill or engage,” Toe answered. “They expected the shooter to finish the job by the time they arrived. John is right. He was taken out of his game plan.”
“What do these people want from you?” I asked Jenkins.
“My company is developing a prototype ammunition, a smart bullet of sorts. It’s a bullet intended to be fired at equipment, not people. On impact, it releases a negative electrical pulse which disrupts any electronic activity.”
“I don’t understand,” Toe stammered.
“He means it will kill the engine on anything it hits,” I verified.
Jenkins nodded, “And kill communications too. The military implications are enormous. This projectile will stop tanks, planes, helicopters, assault vehicles... anything with a motor, and all without blowing them up.”
“I take it someone unsavory is after this technology?” Toe wondered.
“A terrorist group,” Jenkins replied, “based in Syria.”
“Jesus!” I exclaimed.
“We’ve kept the development of this technology under the tightest security imaginable,” Jenkins said.
“Not tight enough, it’s sounds,” Toe stated.
“You’re right,” Jenkins admitted. “Two weeks ago, a man approached me who appeared to be of Middle Eastern descent. I have no idea how all this leaked to them, I swear. We kept its development under the tightest security. He said he represented a private party who wanted the technology. He was offering obscene amounts of money for it. I said no.”
“The Syrians aren’t people who hear ‘no’ often, and when they do, they tend to not accept it as an answer,” I emitted.
“That’s true, too,” Jenkins said. “Two days after I said no, they sent their muscle in to threaten me. They said if I didn’t sell them the technology, they would hurt me and my family. He then mentioned my daughter.”
“Jesus, Dad,” Jeannie exclaimed. “When were you going to tell me about this?”
“I didn’t want you to know,” he replied. “I thought I could protect you.”
“How’s that working out for you?” Toe snapped.
“Kiss my ass,” Jenkins barked.
“Why didn’t you go to Homeland Security?” I asked.
Jenkins sighed and ran his fingers through his hair, “Because the technology we were working on is illegal. It’s forbidden by the US government. I would have gone to jail.”
“So, this is about saving your own ass?” I spouted. “You put your daughter in the direct line of fire and we all nearly got killed because you couldn’t 'man up’ for your blunder?”
“I’m sorry,” he espoused. “I thought I had it contained.”
“What does all this have to do with a white-water rafting excursion?” Toe demanded to know. “How did we get so lucky to be dragged into this?”
“I’m getting to that,” Jenkins continued. “My lawyers hired a professional liaison to approach Homeland Security on my behalf... anonymously.”
“So, this ‘liaison’ was supposed to go to the Homeland Security, tell them what was going on without getting your name involved; then negotiate a deal to get your ass out of hot water?” Toe asked.
Jenkins nodded, “That’s right. This vacation was supposed to get us out of the way while it was all happening.”
“Which means the Syrians figured it out and decided to strike now before you brought in Homeland Security,” Toe confirmed.
“Yeah, I guess,” Jenkins said.
“You have a leak within your organization,” I told him.
“Don’t you think I know that?” he screamed. “Why are we talking about this? We need to figure out how to get out of here.”
“I hate to agree with this rat bastard,” Toe settled, “But he’s right. We can sift through the details another time. We need a plan.”
“When does Homeland Security meet this liaison?” I asked.
“Tomorrow.”
“So, as we speak, Homeland Security still does not know this terrorist cell is trying to kill you for a technology that could devastate US military defenses?”
Jenkins paused.
“Well, answer the man,” Toe demanded.
“Yes, for now, we are on our own.”
“Dammit,” Toe cursed.
Chapter 10
I spent the next forty minutes checking in with all the passengers. I wanted to keep everyone busy. Having a job to focus on was the key to not allowing panic to overwhelm them. Denton and Melissa insisted they’d seen no activity near the bank but had been watching carefully for any sign the shooter was on the move. I was certain the shooter arrived by helicopter so he had no means to cross the river. As long as we remained out of sight in the woods, we were safe for the time being, but I knew he was out there… waiting… watching.
John and James were preparing Toe and Mr. Jenkins for travel. I gave our situation careful consideration.
Toe and Chase Jenkins were stable and resting. Our situation terrified the passengers.
We had moved everyone deeper into the woods. I asked Jeannie to join Toe, John, James and I for a conversation. Mr. and Mrs. Jenkins were on hand, too.
“I have a plan,” I announced. “Jeannie, I’ll warn you in advance, if we go with this plan, the two people who are at greatest risk will be you and me.”
“Then whatever it is, we aren’t doing it,” Jenkins barked. “I will not subject my little girl to more danger.”
“Says the man who knew his daughter was being sought by terrorists and didn’t warn her,” Toe bellowed. “You don’t get a say, Mister.”
“Kiss my ass, you Neanderthal,” Jenkins fired back.
“Shut up, dad,” Jeannie snapped. “You got us into this.”
She turned back and gave me a quick nod, “Tell us the plan.”
“Here’s our situation,” I began. “We have a single shooter. I’m certain it’s only one guy. If there had been more shooters, they would have positioned themselves on both sides of the river bank and we’d all be dead. Do you agree, Toe?”
“I do,” he said.
“And he also knows we’re stuck and can’t call for help?” Jeannie observed.
“Won’t your company realize we’re stranded when we don’t call in and send help automatically?” John asked.
“Yes, but not soon enough,” I replied. “They will expect us to check in this evening. When we fail to call in, they will attempt to hail us, but will not assume an emergency right away. Satellite communications problems are normal out here.”
“So, what do we do?” Jeannie asked.
“I’ve tried to put myself in the shooter’s situation,” I said.
“Go on,” Toe said.
“If I’m the shooter, it surprised me that the people in the boats discovered I was here and fled.”
“Right,” James agreed.
Toe nodded, “He thought the calm waters would make picking us off a snap—no worries, but it didn’t work out that way.”
“You and Jolly sped up and started zig-zagging,” James said. “Smart.”
“So, the shooter panics and begins firing at the satcom, the boat, the people,” I continued. “We make it through alive and are now sitting on the other side of the river, safely away from him… for the time being. If I’m the shooter, I’m wondering what I can do to salvage this mess.”
“He’ll call for reinforcements,” Toe proposed.
“That’s exactly what I think he’ll do,” I agreed, “but when he phones this in, his superiors will have to scramble to find a team to help hunt us down. They thought this would be easy. Someone prepared them to extract, not to hunt us down. They will have to reevaluate and adjust.”
“That will take time,” John said.
“You’re right,” I concurred. “And the only place they can refuel and station a helicopter is a private airfield about ninety minutes away by air. So, assuming the shooter made the call within the last thirty minutes, he knows it will take his people another two hours or more to put a support team together, another half hour to transport them to the helicopter and another ninety minutes to reach this spot.”
“But we won’t be here when they get here, right?” Toe said.
“That’s right,” I said. “I figure at this moment; the shooter will believe we’ll make a run for it… on our original course. He’s across that river just waiting. He knows two of us are hurt. He’ll believe our only choice is to make a run for it. He’s over there right now waiting for us to pop out in the open.”
“I’m still not following you,” James said. “Making a run for it is our only choice. He has us where he wants us.”
“Wrong,” I said. “We have a choice.”
“I’m not following you,” James said.
“Yeah, me either,” Toe jumped in.
“We are close to the meander, just minutes away by boat,” I said. “At the end of the meander is a river fork. The river splits and forks to the southwest and southeast. Our boats will split up: Jeannie and me in one boat; everyone else in the other boat. Our excursion takes us southwest. Your boat will continue down the normal course. The boat Jeannie and I are in will serve as a decoy to distract the shooter. We’ll only be exposed and in his range for a few minutes. Jeannie and I will spin off to the fork.”
“Devil’s Fork?” ToeJam finished. “You’re crazy. You’re not doing that.”
“What’s Devil’s Fork?” James asked.
“It’s nickname for a section of the river we avoid at any cost, normally,” I said, “The shooter will be caught completely off guard. He’d never suspect we’d head down Devil’s Fork.”
“Because you won’t—it’s suicide,” Toe added. “That river fork has the most dangerous rapids in the country. It’s illegal to travel down that river for a reason. You aren’t serious…”
“I am,” I admitted.
“You’re certifiable,” he said.
“Maybe, but hear me out before you pass judgment,” I urged. “We have repair kits and we have battery-operated compressors on board to re-inflate the tubes. Getting the rafts ready to float will be quick and easy. We’ll carry the boats inside the tree line a hundred yards south. That way the curve of the meander will block the shooter’s sightline. We’ll get everyone organized and ready to go in both boats.”
“I see what your doing, Jolly, but it won’t work,” Toe said.
“Let me finish,” I said. “Jeannie and I are in one boat. Everyone else gets on the second boat. We’ll start down the river as fast as the boats will take us. We’ll only be exposed and in his range for a few minutes. He’ll start shooting at Jeannie and I right away. He’ll be desperate to disable our boat before we are out of range but if we give him a moving target and move fast enough, we just might make it.”
“So, your plan is, let him shoot at you and hope he misses?” Toe said.
“You saw how much trouble he had before when we were moving at top speed and zig-zagging. This time we’ll be a hundred yards further away.”
“Jolly’s right,” John said. “It just might work at that.”
James looked intrigued, “What happens then?” he asked.
“The shooter will see Jeannie is with me. He’ll also realize he has a very brief window of time to shoot at us. He will have a choice to make; focus on me with Jeannie in the boat or focus on you.”
“And Mr. and Mrs. Jenkins will be with us,” James said.
“That’s right. Since we know capturing Jeannie was his priority, I think he’ll ignore you and focus on us.”
“What if you’re wrong?” John said.
“I’m not wrong,” I replied.
“He’s right,” Jenkins agreed. “He won’t shoot at us. Without me, there’d be no one to authorize the release of the technology. They need me alive but can’t risk having me approaching Homeland Security. They have to get Jeannie at any cost to shut me up. They know I’d do anything to protect her.”
“It’s a risk,” James opined. “What if we sit here and wait it out?”
“We’ll be dead when the shooter’s support team shows up, roughly three to four hours from now,” I said. “We’ll have no chance to escape. Sure, we can run through the woods for a while and elude them, but sooner or later, they get us—all of us.”
“He’s right,” Toe agreed.
“Even if the second boat gets away, my dad and ToeJam need medical attention soon,” Jeannie said.
“I’ve thought of that,” I indicated, “as well as out rescue. Toe’s boat will head down river at top speed the scheduled camp site. If they travel at double-time speed and don’t stop, it’ll take two hours. At the site there is a spare satcom. Toe can show you where it is. You can phone in and have a medical chopper in route to you within an hour. You can also have them send in the cavalry for us, too. With any luck, a rescue team can pick us up before the shooter and his team find us.”
“If we last that long,” Jeannie pondered. “That sniper will follow us, right? And didn’t I hear something about dangerous rapids?”
“All the rapids are dangerous,” I said, “but the final one, is called Devil’s Bitch and it is completely unpassable. The rescue team ToeJam calls in will have to reach us before we reach that rapid or it’s adios, amigo.”
“It sounds really risky, Jolly,” Jeannie said.
“Never claimed it would be easy,” I told her. “The sooner we get on the water, the better our chances. We have a three to four-hour head start, depending on how long it takes for the shooter’s support team to get here. If we leave soon, I think we can stay ahead of him, navigate the rapids, and wait for the cavalry to arrive.”
“Can you navigate the rapids, Jolly?” Jeannie asked.
“No,” Toe interjected. “He can’t do it. No one can. It’s a fool’s mission.”
“It’s our only chance, Toe,” I pleaded. “I can make it past the initial rapids. I have no intention of taking on Devil’s Bitch.”
“You’ll have an inexperienced passenger on board,” he reminded me.
“Jeannie, the biggest risk is for you and I, Toe is right,” I told her. “Surviving the first big rapid on Devil’s Fork will be the most dangerous thing you’ve ever done. I can’t guarantee we’ll make it.”
Jeannie looked at her parents, then ba
ck at me, “If we do this, everyone else reaches safety?”
“I hope so, yes.”
“You’ve traveled this fork before?” Jeannie asked.
“Yes.”
“No,” Toe barked. “We failed. This fork sent us to the hospital. We almost died.”
“That was Devil’s Bitch itself,” I argued. “The final and most dangerous rapid in the fork. We made it through the other rapids.”
“Barely,” Toe fired back, “and that was with two highly experienced rafters.”
“Jolly, are you sure about this?” Jeannie asked.
“Look, I know it’s a tremendous risk,” I insisted. “The odds are against us, but this is the only chance we have. This way everyone else gets to safety. I wouldn’t propose this if there were any other way, but if you aren’t with me, the shooter gets everyone if we make a run for it. I think I can do this, Jeannie.”
I could almost hear the wheels turning in Jeannie’s head.
“Jolly’s right,” Jeannie replied. “It’s the only way. I’m in. Let’s do this.”
“No!” screamed Jenkins.
“Sorry Dad, this is one time you aren’t getting your way,” she said, emphatically.
“All this depends on our ability to finish repairs to the boats and leave within the hour,” I added. “Timing is critical. Jeannie and I have to put as much space between us and the shooter as possible to give ourselves a fighting chance.”
John and James looked at each other. Jeannie looked worried, too. Finally, John spoke up first, “How do we repair the boats?” he asked.
“There’s a patch kit underneath the Captain’s bench of each K-Raft. Included is the glue and patches the size you need. It’ll be similar to patching a flat tire. It’s self-explanatory, easy and quick.”
James nodded and looked at Jeannie, “You can join us. It’ll get done faster.”
Jeannie looked at me and then followed John and James, leaving Toe and me alone.
“So, what do you really think?” I asked him.
“I think I’m an idiot for not listening to you sooner,” he said.
“No, I mean…”
“I know what you mean.” Toe shrugged, “The timetable is not in your favor. If we make it to the camp site, call in the cavalry and give them your position, they must assemble the SWAT team and get to you. That takes time. Assuming you don’t get yourself and Jeannie killed on Devil’s Fork, the good guys might arrive too late, anyway.”
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