by Mike Ryan
Porter was finally able to let out a tired laugh. “Yeah, back to the operating table.”
7
Myers had been unsuccessfully trying to reach the agents for the past several minutes. The red dots on the screen from their tracking chips indicated they were still at the building.
“What’s happening here?” Stephenson demanded to know.
“We’ve lost contact with them,” Myers replied. Stephenson sighed and shook his head, knowing what this probably meant. “They could still have Porter trapped and unable to communicate right now.”
“They haven’t moved an inch in five minutes. They’re probably dead. How long until the backup team arrives?”
“About twenty minutes.”
Stephenson muttered a curse word that was barely audible, clearly unhappy as he slapped his leg in frustration. “That’s too long. She’ll be halfway across the continent by then.”
“Should I keep them on their current path or have them keep going?”
“No, have them check out the building, survey the damage. Just in case if for some odd reason that defies comprehension she’s still there.”
Stephenson started pacing around the room, thinking of their next move. “While we’re waiting on them, let’s assume that Porter’s already gone. Where would she go? Now that her chip’s probably out, we can’t rely on that to find her. We gotta start putting two and two together to find out her objective. Let’s start putting together a list of probabilities.”
“We’re on it.”
While the analysts feverishly tried to find and pull up any information they could, Stephenson angrily walked out of the room. The longer he stood there watching everything, the more frustrated he got. He walked through the hallways for about fifteen minutes, just to clear his head and think. He came back into the room just before the twenty minutes were up, mindful that that was when the backup team was supposed to arrive at the house.
“Anything yet?” Stephenson asked.
“We’re still working on where she might be going. The backup team should be on site in about two minutes.”
Stephenson folded his arms, and put one of his hands over his mouth, as he often did when he was deep in thought, his eyes glancing off every screen in the room. Once the two minutes were up, the backup team, consisting of three more dots on the screen, converged on the scene. They were almost on top of the other two. Myers called the agents on scene and put the call on speaker so everyone could hear.
“What’s the situation?” Myers asked.
“Got four men down.”
“Four?”
“Two are ours. Other two look like locals.”
“Are they all dead?”
“Affirmative. All four.”
“This is Director Stephenson.”
“Yes, sir?”
“Make sure you get rid of all four bodies. I don’t want anyone to know we were there.”
“Will do.”
“Also make sure you take pictures of the bodies for identification purposes.”
“What about after that?”
“Just stand by for further instructions,” Stephenson said.
Stephenson and Myers went over to a corner with two other officials, huddling together to bounce some ideas off each other, making sure they kept their voices low so the other employees couldn’t hear them.
“Where are we in identifying possible underground doctors in the area?” Stephenson asked.
“We’ve got a list of about fifty people so far,” Myers replied. “We’re whittling them down, but it’s gonna take time. And that’s just the people we know about. There could be hundreds more that aren’t on our radar yet.”
“Well, once we get the scans of the two locals killed, I want to see if they have any medical training.”
“Maybe she treated her own wound.”
“How would she do that?” Stephenson asked. “She have an extra set of arms we don’t know about?”
“What if the bullet went clear through her shoulder and there was no bullet to take out? She just had to patch the holes and stop the bleeding.”
Stephenson crossed his arms and put his hand over his mouth, thinking about what was said. “I guess it’s possible, though I don’t think it’s likely. If you look at that building, it’s out of the way, in the middle of nowhere. If it was just as simple as patching up her shoulder, she could’ve done that anywhere. No, I think she went there specifically for a doctor to remove the bullet.”
“Unless we can identify that doctor, with her chip disabled, it’s going to be almost impossible to figure out where she’s going from there.”
“Well, if she’s not carrying anything with her except for a gun, leaving the country is going to be difficult without her passports.”
“What if that’s who she was meeting with?” Myers asked. “Someone that can give her documents that could help her in leaving and evading us?”
“We need to expand our search and figure out who is most likely to help her in getting out of there. Not only that, but also figure out her most likely exit points.”
“Closest countries are Zimbabwe, Botswana, or Mozambique. Unless she flies.”
“No, I think we can rule flights off the list. Too risky. She has to know we’ll be watching airports. Just the same, we can’t rule it out entirely. Get people at each airport and start digging into security cameras and run facial recognition to see if we get a hit on anyone.”
“She could also try hopping a boat to Madagascar.”
“Get on that too,” Stephenson said. “We can’t let her get too far ahead of us and lose her.”
“This is gonna be a long night.”
“Let’s try to make it as short as possible before this backfires and comes down hard on all of us.”
Porter and Jeso had been driving for about thirty minutes. They had continuously looked behind them for almost the entire time to see if they were being followed, but, not seeing anyone in sight, figured they had successfully eluded their attackers. At least for now. Porter hadn’t asked where they were going. She honestly didn’t even care. She somberly looked out the window, wondering where the next confrontation would happen. And she knew there would be a next time. There had to be. Whoever was coming for her, they wanted her desperately. They wouldn’t just stop now.
Now that she had a few minutes to think without feeling like her life was in danger, Porter put her hand in her pocket and removed the list with the three names on it. As she looked it over, the urge to kill these men returned. It was a strong feeling that came over her, like it was a personal mission she had to embark on. She stared at the names for a few minutes, hoping that the longer she looked at it, she would remember something about them. What they did, who they were, or why she wanted them dead. It was still a blank, though. Jeso could hear her sigh in frustration as she looked at the paper, and wondered what was wrong.
“What is it?”
His voice broke Porter’s concentration, and she looked at him, wondering if she should tell him. She decided it was better not to tell him her intentions for the men. But she handed him the paper to see if he could help her figure out who they were.
“Do you know these people?” Porter asked.
Jeso quickly looked the list over. It didn’t take him long to recognize them. He knew them. “Yes, I know all of them, why?”
“You do? You know them?”
“Well, not personally, but I know of them. Why do you ask?”
Porter figured she would tell him as much as she could without mentioning the fact that she wanted to kill them. “Uh, well, with my memory issues, the other day when I woke up, this was the only thing I had on me.”
Jeso handed the list back to Porter. “That? A single piece of paper?”
“Yeah. I don’t know why or what it means.”
“Very strange.”
“Can you tell me anything about these men? What do they do?”
“There’s really not a lot I can
tell,” Jeso replied. “I don’t know much of them except for what I hear. They are deeply involved in government issues, politics, things of that nature.”
“Politics?”
“Yes. Elections will be coming up in several months. These men are leading some new group, bringing new ideas, trying to infiltrate the government to implement their own policies.”
“Is that good or bad?” Porter asked, still not remembering anything.
Jeso shrugged. “Who knows? Some people say they are good, they will bring change to our country, improve people’s lives, make everything better for the people. But there are others who say they bring radical ideas, things that won’t work, and say they should not be allowed into office for they will make everyone’s life worse off than it is now.”
“And where do you stand on it?”
“I’m afraid it does not matter much for me. I am a wanted man, a criminal; whatever happens has no bearing for me.”
“If you don’t mind me asking, what is it that you did to become like this? How does a doctor become a criminal, hiding, fixing up other people who are hiding?”
“I once worked on a police official’s wife for a small surgical procedure,” Jeso said, remembering the incident like it was yesterday. “Unfortunately, the procedure did not go as planned and the woman died. I don’t know what happened. It was nobody’s fault. There was nothing that we did wrong. She just didn’t make it for whatever reason.”
“Let me guess, you were the fall guy?”
“Yes. The police official was angry, said it was my fault, said he would make me pay for what I did to his family. But it was not my fault.”
“So what did you do?”
“Nothing. He was a powerful man. He said he was going to charge me with murder. For medical incompetence. I was scared. So I ran. And I’ve been running ever since.”
“Maybe it was just talk,” Porter said. “Maybe he wasn’t going to actually do it.”
“No, he really was. He came to my home one day to arrest me. Luckily, I wasn’t there. My family told me about it when I got home. I left immediately and never went back.”
“Your family?”
“My wife and two children. They remain.”
“I’m sorry. How long has it been?”
“It will be two years next month.”
“Why don’t you and your family leave? Go to another country?”
“I’m afraid they have people watching. I don’t want to get them hurt because of me.”
Porter wanted to help repay Jeso for the help he’d already given her. Helping to reunite his family seemed like a good way to do it. And she could help herself at the same time.
“Maybe I can help you with that. Do you know someone who can provide passports and other documents for me?” Porter asked.
“Yes. I know of such a person. I will take you to him.”
“Wait, not yet. I don’t have money yet to pay them.”
“Don’t worry. I have money.”
“Jeso, I can’t ask you to do that.”
“If you can help me reunite with my family, it will be money well spent.”
“How much will it cost?”
“That I don’t know. We shall see together, huh?”
“How do you know this person?” Porter asked.
“Like I said, the last two years, I’ve met a lot of people I never thought or ever hoped I would. Most are evading some person or another, just like me. When you run in these circles, you tend to get to know others who are in the same boat.”
“How long will it take us to see this man?”
“Maybe thirty minutes. We are close.”
“You’re sure he’ll be able to help us?”
“As long as we have the money, he will help. He doesn’t deal in charity.”
“I’m sure he doesn’t,” Porter said.
“You know, I was wondering where you learned to fight like that. You have a mastery of the gun, it seems. Someone trained you well.”
“I dunno. I wish I knew.”
“You must know something very valuable for whoever is following you to want you as badly as they do.”
“Yeah,” Porter said with a sigh. “I just wish I knew what that was.”
Since they believed they were in a safe zone at the moment, Jeso pulled over once they got to a spot that offered them some privacy, which turned out to be a spot behind a large lumber yard.
“What are we doing here?” Porter asked. “Is this it?”
Jeso laughed. “No. I’m stopping so I can look at your side finally.”
“I’m good. It doesn’t even hurt.”
“Yes, well, we don’t want you to die of blood loss before we reach our destination, do we?”
“I dunno. Maybe we’re just putting off the inevitable.”
“Don’t say things like that. Whatever this thing is that’s happening to you, you will get through it.”
“I wish I had your confidence.”
Jeso got out of the car and walked around to the other side of it as Porter opened her door. As Jeso grabbed his bag and started rooting through his supplies, his patient lifted up the side of her shirt so he could see the damage.
“Oh, that’s not too bad at all,” Jeso said. “Nothing more than a scratch.”
“See, told you it didn’t hurt.”
“Well, it was actually a grazing blow, took off a little bit of skin, but nothing too bad. I’ll get you patched up in a few seconds and you’ll be as good as new.”
“Yeah, until the next time,” Porter said, pretty confident that this wouldn’t be the last time a doctor was treating her for some wound or injury.
“No, there will be no next time. You have to be positive and believe that this is the end of your troubles. Once you get your new passport, you will be able to go wherever you wish, away from all this nonsense.”
“I wish I were as confident about it as you are.”
“You just have to believe.”
“Just believe, huh?” Porter said with a laugh. “Somehow, I don’t think having positive thoughts is going to stop the next bullet that comes my way. But I’ll try it anyway.”
8
When Porter and Jeso arrived at the destination of the counterfeiter who they hoped was going to help them, Porter had a lot of apprehensions going through her mind. They parked next to a small hardware store. It wasn’t exactly what Porter had in mind when Jeso told her that he knew someone.
“This is it?” Porter asked, still sitting in the passenger seat of the car, clearly having some doubts about what they were doing there.
“Yes. You will see.”
“A hardware store?”
“Come,” Jeso replied, getting out of the car. Porter did the same, standing there as she stared at the building. He then waved at her to spur her on.
“Here goes nothing.”
Porter and Jeso entered the hardware store, not seeing anyone in sight. No employees or customers anywhere.
“You sure this place is open?” Porter asked.
“They will be along.”
Jeso stood at the counter as Porter walked around the store, inspecting it. A few minutes went by and Porter was starting to really question what they were doing there. She didn’t like just standing around and waiting, doing nothing. Each minute that passed by where she was standing still, the people that were after her were getting closer. Jeso could see that she was getting antsy and tried to reassure her that everything was fine.
After five minutes of being by themselves, a door that led to the storeroom opened up. A middle-aged, unassuming-looking man appeared. He knew Jeso instantly. With a smile on his face, he walked right up to the doctor and shook hands. He then noticed Porter standing against the far wall of the store, and the smile slowly evaporated from his face. Strangers made him nervous. At least until he could be sure of their intentions.
“Who is this?” the man asked, pointing at Porter.
“This is Cari,” Jeso answer
ed. “And she needs your expertise and your assistance.”
“For?”
Porter came forward so she could speak for herself. “I’m on the run and I need to get out of here.”
“Who’s after you?”
“That’s my business. You can either help me or you can’t.”
“Calm down, calm down, I just need to make sure you’re not trying to set me up.”
“I’m neither with the police or the government,” Porter said. “I just need to disappear.”
“I can vouch for that,” Jeso said. “I’ve witnessed her troubles firsthand.”
“What kind of help do you need?” the man asked.
“Passports, visas, whatever you can do,” Porter answered.
“Well, I can do pretty much anything.”
“How good’s the quality?”
The man laughed, almost taking offense at the question, though he was more impressed with her spunk at asking such a thing. “Hey, it’s the real thing. Believe me, you can’t tell the difference. That much I’ll guarantee. I’ll stack my work up against anybody, and that’s a fact.”
“OK. How soon can you get it done?”
“I mean, depends on you and what you want.”
“As soon as possible would be best,” Porter said.
“Just you?”
“Me, as well as Jeso and his family.”
The man looked at the doctor, familiar with his history. “You’re gonna take them out?”
“Cari believes she can get to them,” Jeso replied.
“I can get you passports into Zimbabwe.”
“That would be fine.”
“And you,” the man said, looking at Porter. “I can do a United States passport.”
“I’d prefer a second one as a backup.”
“How about the UK?”
“Fine,” Porter replied, not really caring about the destination.
“Visas as well?”
“Depends on the cost.”
The man looked at the two of them as he added things up in his mind. “I can give it to you all for a hundred and forty-three thousand Rands.”
Porter instantly looked at Jeso, thinking it sounded extremely expensive. It was the equivalent of roughly ten thousand US dollars. Jeso didn’t even blink before agreeing to pay.