Part 36 (1/2)
2:20 a.m.
”Randall, what are they doing?” Fernandez asked.
”Still moving, Sarge. Gotta be on foot, slow as they are going.”
They were in the truck, running with the lights off, and the vehicle found every pothole in the dirt road, bouncing them around like Ping-Pong b.a.l.l.s. Toni kept one hand on the wooden frame mounted on the back, the other hand on her kris kris handle. She had shoved the sheath into her belt when they'd gotten on the helicopters, although she didn't know how much luck it was bringing her at the moment. handle. She had shoved the sheath into her belt when they'd gotten on the helicopters, although she didn't know how much luck it was bringing her at the moment.
Could be worse. She could be dead.
”Same direction as before?” Fernandez asked.
”Yep.”
”Get us in front of them, Butler, half a mile or so, then shut it down.”
”You have a plan?” Toni asked.
”Not really. The colonel's GPS unit is going somewhere at foot speed. If it's still attached to the colonel and he's free, he'll probably like a ride. If he's been captured and is being taken out to be shot or something, then he probably won't be too unhappy to see us. Either way, we need to know-hold on a second, somebody is calling. Go ahead.”
”Sergeant Fernandez, this is Martin. Beta Team is at the rendezvous-except for Colonel Howard and Lieutenant Winthrop.”
”What happened to them?”
”I don't know, Sarge. They went into the package's room and then things got real quiet. We could hear them talking, but couldn't make out what they were saying through the closed door. After a while, the colonel told us to take off.”
”Did he give a reason?”
”Negative. All he said was, he was doing some kind of negotiation.”
”Copy, Martin. Hold your ground as long as you can. We're going to collect the colonel and the lieutenant now. See if you can shoo away anybody who comes nosing around until we get back.”
”Affirmative, Sarge.”
Fernandez looked puzzled. ”Doesn't make any sense.”
”When we find Howard, we'll get him to explain it,” Michaels said.
2:25 a.m.
”Where are we going?” Howard asked. The brush around the little trail was thick, still radiating damp heat from the day. You couldn't see two feet into the forest, and could barely see the trail, even with flashlights.
”Not too much further,” Platt said. ”A half mile or so. I have my ride stashed up ahead. We get there, Hughes gives me the bank code, I check it out using the laptop, we go our separate ways.”
Platt saw Winthrop and Howard exchange quick looks.
”Well, in your shoes, I don't reckon I would much trust me neither. But I got nothing to gain by killing anybody here. And you got your guns and all, right? You get your big-time thief and most of the money back, I get paid what I'm owed and I'm gone, you don't never see me again. I'll even shut off my little surprises, once I'm safely out of here. Now don't that sound like a good deal all the way around? Except for fat boy here, but we don't really care what he thinks, do we?”
Howard didn't say anything, but what he was thinking was, Dammit, Gridley, we're about out of time here. Move your a.s.s Dammit, Gridley, we're about out of time here. Move your a.s.s!
2:30 a.m.
”This doesn't make any sense,” Michaels whispered to Toni. ”That's Hughes, in the white pajamas, and I'm pretty sure the big guy behind him is Platt, wearing some kind of disguise.”
”Yeah, and Howard and Joanna both have their pistols out, but it doesn't look like they are in charge.”
”The big guy's carrying a grenade in one hand, that's why,” Fernandez said. ”Probably already armed. That's who is in charge, and that's why they don't plug him. He falls, the grenade goes boom boom. Jesus, it's dark out here. I wish we could use the spookeyes.”
”Why can't we?” Michaels asked.
”Flashlights will cause cutouts, they s.h.i.+ne in our direction. Safety feature, otherwise it's like looking into the sun.”
”Hostage scenario,” Toni said. ”You have an SOP for this, don't you?”
”Yes, ma'am-only not one set up to cover being in a foreign jungle with enemy troops breathing down our necks and our ride about to take off. Standard negotiations for hostage situations are based on psychology-and hours or days to work. We don't have the time.”
Michaels, Toni, and Fernandez were in the bushes fifty yards ahead of the quartet moving toward them. The rest of Alpha Team was spread out behind the four on the trail.
”What do we do?” Toni whispered.
Fernandez said. ”Look for an opportunity. Push comes to shove, we take the bad guy down and hope for minimal casualties.”
”How much danger are Howard and Winthrop in, given the suits they are wearing?”
”Some,” Fernandez said. ”They will surely pick up damage, cuts, but the armor will stop most of a low-yield explosive shrapnel. It's the guy in the PJs and the big brown guy who are gonna get shredded for sure.”
Toni said, ”No great loss-except that Hughes might have left us some electronic bombs of his own. We can't let him die until we know for sure he didn't. And if he did, maybe it was Platt who set them up, if there are any. Can we afford to let both of them die? Don't we need at least one of them alive?”
”Yeah,” Michaels said. ”But the clock is ticking. We don't move, everybody dies.” At that moment his virgil vibrated.
It was Gridley. ”Got 'em, Boss. Every last one of them.”
”Good work, Jay,” Alex said. ”And just in time.” Disconnecting, he looked around him. ”Jay did it. Get ready to get our people out of there now.” He stood and stepped out of the bushes.
”Alex, don't-!” Toni began.
Too late.
”Hold it right there, a.s.shole!” Michaels yelled.
Behind him, Fernandez said to Toni, ”I'll flank right, Commander, go left!”
The four people moving up the path stopped.