Alpha Threat (44 page)

She listened to the bugs and frogs screaming in the trees.
 
She heard the creaking of her rocking chair and more distant thunder.
 
There was a flash of lightning off in the distance high in the clouds.
 
Even with all the noise and other goings on, this was one of the most peaceful places she had ever been on earth.
 
She loved it here.
 
It was a place she could put her life back together and get her soul back.
 
That’s when she heard a shout from the jungle.
 
She rose to her feet as Tecal burst from the trailhead, smiling ear to ear.
 
They were back!
 
She stepped off of the porch as Tecal ran up to her.
 

“Mr. Ben coming very soon,” he said.
 
“He send me ahead to tell you he coming and all is okay.”

“That’s great, Tecal.
 
Thank you for letting me know,” smiled Lee.
 
“I’ll bet you have missed your wife and babies.”

“Yes, Missy Lee,” said Tecal, still smiling.
 
“They will be happy to see me.”

“Well, run along to her,” Lee said, waving her hand over toward the small village area down the road where Tecal and his tribesmen lived.
  
“Oh, how long before they get here?”

“Not long time now,” Tecal said as he turned toward his village.
 
“They here in twenty minutes or sooner.”
 
Lee turned and stepped back on the porch.
 
She decided to get some food and drink ready for the guys.
 
One of Tecal’s brothers had brought in fresh meat this morning and Lee had spent the afternoon cooking it with some vegetables.
 
Amazon stew she called it.
 
There was cold beer in the refrigerator.
   

She barely finished getting the food ready when she looked out of the window and saw Ben, Dane, Hugo, and a couple with two of Tecal’s men walking up to the porch.
 
They were back.
 
The couple was a man and woman.
 
They all looked dead tired, wet with sweat, dirty and out of breath.
 
They really humped it big time to get back so soon.
 
She couldn’t wait to talk with them.
 

“Welcome back!” she squealed hurrying onto the porch.
 
Lee was so happy to see the guys back.
 

Ben smiled ear to ear as he dropped his pack and gave Lee a big hug.
 
“It is great to be back, sis,” he said.
 
“We have a lot to tell you and a lot of work to do.”
 
His smile evaporated.
 
“We have big problems.”
 

Hugo handed the two captives over to Tecal’s two men.
 

“You guys watch them.
 
Don’t let them get away,” Ben told the men.
 
“Feed them and give them a place to sleep.
 
We’ll talk with them later.”

Tecal’s men led the two away, toward the village.
 

“Hey there, fine lady,” said Hugo, also smiling and walking over to Lee.
 
Ben let her go and she embraced Hugo.
 
“Wow, this is great!” cried Hugo, picking her up and twirling her around.
 
“We need to do this every day.”

Dane laughed dryly.
 
“Just like Hugo to find the best-looking girl for miles and stake her out.”

“Aww, quit.
 
You flatter such an old woman.”
 
A grinning Lee gave Hugo a small slap on the back as he lowered her to the ground.
 
“You guys hungry?”

“Famished,” said Ben, placing his gun on top of the porch rail.
 
“What’s for dinner?”

“You guys come on in,” said Lee.
 
“I have stew and cold beer for you.
 
How’s that sound?”

“Wonderful!” said Dane, placing his gear on the porch.
 
“We can discuss our situation while we eat.”
 

The trio walked inside followed by Lee.
 
Four chairs were gathered around the table in the middle of the room.
 
She dispatched one of the native boys to get the beer from the refrigerator out back.
 

“Sit down, sit down,” she said.
 
“The beer is coming and I’ll get the food.”

As the men sat down, it began to rain.
 
The once far off storm had finally arrived.
 
Lee was very happy.
 
To her, feeding these guys at her table reminded her of her days as a mother and wife back in the United States.
 
She stopped a second to savor her thoughts.
 
Her eyes began to water.
 
Her children were home.
 

The men devoured the large pot of Lee’s Amazon Stew along with local bread and the cold beer.
 
The men were at peace for a few well-earned minutes.
 
But that would not last.
 
Dane began the task of briefing everyone of the situation.
 
Hugo added his views with Ben and Lee asking many questions.
 
Dane and Hugo brought everyone up-to-date on the information they got in Miami and what they learned over the past several days.
 

“So there you have it,” Dane explained, summing up the situation.
 
“Now you know everything we know.
 
Evidently Dana and Randall stumbled upon a German Nazi stronghold deep in the jungle.
 
Based on what we’ve gotten from interrogating our captives, there are thousands of Germans there.
 
We also know at least their major goal includes gold.
 
We also know they have perfected a way to create gold from lead.
 
I know it sounds outrageous but it is evidently true.
 
They want to use this gold to rekindle a German empire, a Fourth Reich.
 
How exactly, we don’t know.
 
But more importantly, as of right now, I believe Dana and Randall are still alive but in grave danger.
 
I want to go back and bring them out safely.”

“Not I, Kemo Sabe,” interjected Hugo.
 
“
We
will go back and get them out.
 
I’m going with you.”

Dane gave Hugo a big smile and placed his hand on Hugo’s shoulder.
 
“You are the best friend a guy can ever have.”

Ben looked at Dane.
 
“I’m going too.
 
These are my friends as well.
 
I can handle myself out there.
 
We make a great team.”

Dane smiled.
 
While he did appreciate the support from these guys, he was worried that he could be sending them to their death.
 

Ben interjected, “But first, should we report this mess to the authorities?
 
It sounds like these Germans are a serious threat.
 
The Brazilian government won’t take this incursion of their sovereignty lightly. They should be notified immediately… and the Americans.”

“I understand and fully agree,” started Dane.
 
But we …”

“How do we know they don’t already know about these guys?” interrupted Hugo.
 
“History shows the Brazilians and others down here have had a soft spot for the Germans since the war.
 
Some say a lot of high-up German officers fled to South America and Brazil.
 
You ever see that movie,
The Boys from Brazil
?”

“I don’t know if the Brazilian government does or does not know about these guys, but Ben is right,” said Dane.
 
“The government needs to be told, the quicker the better.
 
However, we,” looking at Hugo and Ben, “are not going to wait on anyone.
 
I plan to go back as soon as possible and get Dana and Randall.”

Lee stepped up to the table.
 
“My vote is the government waits.
 
At least until you can get Dana and Randall out.
 
The government will muck it up.”
 

They all smiled.
 
Ben rubbed his chin.
 
“This will not be easy, Dane.
 
You know they must know about our captives by now.
 
It won’t take too long for them to swarm through the jungle looking for their asses.
 
We need good planning and more firepower.”
 

“That’s exactly why we need to strike fast.
 
I’ll bet they think this guy and girl just ran off.
 
Hopefully they don’t know they were kidnapped.”

“Then let’s get started,” cracked Hugo, standing.
 
“What do we need to storm the place?”

“First, we need to get in there unannounced,” said Dane.
 
“We have to travel light, strike fast and get out like a bat out of hell.”

“Easier said than done,” said Ben, taking a swig from his beer.
 
“But nothing we can’t handle,” he continued with a grin.
 
“Let’s do it.”

Lee got the group a few more beers and they got serious with the planning.
 
Even though they were dead tired, they brought the two captives up to the cabin and interrogated them.
 
With that information, they worked on a plan until 1:00 a.m. with a noisy tropical thunderstorm outside.
 

The next morning the guys reassembled back at the table for breakfast.
 
Even at seven in the morning the jungle heat was already building and the humidity was one hundred percent, thanks to the previous evening’s storms.
 
A low haze hung over the vegetation.
 
While the haze looked like smoke, it gave the early morning a freshness not seen back in Miami.
 

Again, Lee whipped up a fine breakfast of eggs, potatoes and local meats.
 
The guys relished the meal while Lee enjoyed cooking for them.
 

“Okay.
 
We need provisions for three or four days.
 
We should be able to get that together here.
 
Ben, what’s the quickest way to get some more guns and walkie-talkies?” asked Hugo.
 
“And I know this is out of your box, but what about some explosives?”

Ben thought for a second.
 
“We can go to the town several miles down the road.
 
The town acts as a base for several other expeditions in the area. As far as quick, that will be our best possibility.
 
There is a provisions store that has or can get almost everything.
 
The guy who runs the place is known to delve into, let’s say, areas that are frowned upon by the government.
 
He’s not the cleanest guy around, if you get my drift.”

Dane grinned widely.
 
“Sounds exactly like the kind of guy we need.
 
I’ll bet he requires cash as well.
 
I think we can count on that!”
 
They all laughed.
 

“Yeah, we know the type,” said Hugo.
 
“He’s what the doctor ordered.
 
When can we leave?”

“Give me ten minutes to get the jeep up here and we can take off,” said Ben, motioning to Tecal to go get the jeep.
 

“Great,” answered Dane as Hugo kept going down the list they had made the night before.
 
“Looks like we have some of the ammo and guns we need but we could use some more.
 
I do not want to get into a firefight with these folks.
 
They will whip our butts very quickly.
 
But I do want to be prepared.
 
Stealth and quickness will get us what we want.”
 

“Agreed,” said Hugo.
 
“If we can get some radios and explosives, I think we have a good chance.
 
Silenced weapons would be a great help.
 
Since we don’t count on that hatch being available again, I think our plan to go in through the heliport is best.”

“I agree,” said Dane.
 
“Our two guests gave us a pretty good general layout of the complex.
 
Dane pulled out a rough map he drew based on what they learned from the cook and technician last night.
 
If we go in somewhere around here,” Dane said, pointing to the helicopter access port, “we are as close as we can get to the two stairways down to the lower levels and the captive cells in the subbasement.”

“If,” added Ben, “those two are telling us the truth.”

“Yes, and frankly, that’s a big if,” said Dane quietly.
 
“But that’s all we have to go on right now.
 
We know there is a helicopter landing area there.
 
Hugo and I saw it for ourselves.
 
There has to be a way in there.
 
We go with what we know.”