Chapter 5
THE HOME TEAM
"Where are we going?"
"To our real transportation. It's at another location. If the transport beam is as traceable as I think it is, we certainly don't want to alert the bad guys we are out and about. We need to be as inconspicuous as we can be."
"I ask again, where are we going?" William wanted answers.
"All right. I'll tell ya. Step by step, big buddy."William followed Jake to the the small control room at the back of the living room. It was a tight fit for the two of them. "We leave through this hidden panel on the wall." Jake touched the wall, a login screen appeared. "You remember this kind of exit from our other safe house, I know."
Jake pressed his thumb to the middle of the screen and and the wall vanished leaving a dimly lit hallway. "We go through here and down a tunnel to a cart, drive thirty miles to the exit, sneak out into a town, pick up our driver and travel to whatever safe house Jonas has for us to leave from."
"That's no new trick. Always with the long walks. A cart? I doubt it. Center doesn't do that. Center loves their tunnels, and making us walk. They aren't popular with most of the agents, though. Using these tunnel exits commonly means attack is imminent. For me? I hate the trapped feel of them."
"William." Jake patiently lifted his eyes to the big man. "They've worked so far. Give 'em a break. Center works harder at protecting their own than any other group I know about."
"Yeah. I'll give them that. Wait till you get stuck in a tunnel! You'll understand then. I've been there. I'd still prefer to poof and be where we are going."
"Do you want Control to be waiting for us?"
"Maybe not." William's slight grin suggested maybe so, if he knew they would be. He patted his backpack. The two men entered the tunnel.
William exclaimed when he saw the golf cart. "They did it. We have a ride! That's new. This I like." The travel down through the tunnel went smoothly. They stepped outside to a marked path. An hour later, they entered the outskirts of a village and saw a small beat up truck waiting for them, right there at the edge of the town. Jake and William went over to the driver, a short stout man, in his sixties. " Allo, gentlemen. I am Henri Cordian, your driver." He spoke with a slight French accent. They ran through the password nonsense and were on their way.
The road was bumpy. The truck lurched and groaned. "Where are we Henri?" asked William.
"We are in Canada."
"Where are we going Henri?" William amended his question. Jake chuckled, but was interested.
"We are going to the location Center has selected for you. That's all I know."
"Where is it Henri?
"You'll find out-" Henri paused to look down at the mileage meter, "in 541 kilometres."
"Three hundred and thirty six miles?"
"Perhaps." Henri said with a vague shrug.
Henri drove. Jake and William exchanged a glance and took a nap. They were awake long before their travel day ended.
When they awoke, Henri told them a food basket was in the back. They could stop and get food whenever the two desired. William perked up.
"How about now?"
Henri slowed down, pulled to the side of the empty road and got out. "Follow me. I'll show you the basket. It is too big to put inside this little truck."
There were at least twenty sandwiches, several kinds of chips, a two gallon jug of water, and soft drinks. William grabbed several soft drinks and five sandwiches. He said to Jake, "Grab whatever you want and those two big bags of chips, will ya?".
Jake rolled his eyes. Dutifully, he snatched up the chips, two sandwiches and a couple sodas. Henri took one Prime Rib sandwich and a soda. They clambered back into the truck and finished the journey.
The journey ended at a Mom-Pop gas station/grocery store on the edge of another small town. It was dark night. The truck pulled up in front, headlights illuminating the ramshackle building. It was closed. Henri turned off the truck and lights, got out and opened the door to his store.
Jake and William wondered where the entrance to their safe house transport might be. Both were used to the inexplicable solutions available in the locations Center selected for use.
"Where do we go Henri?" Jake asked.
"Out the back door. Let me show you where it is." Henri took them through the back of the store, the living quarters and opened the door. "It was nice to meet you two. Good luck with your mission."
They left the building. Two steps from the building, colors swiftly changed. It was sudden daylight by the fourth step. Jake said "whoa" seeing the car in front of him. He turned a full 360 degrees taking in all he saw. On the sides and behind him were trees. In front, a palatial estate
"Center likes its surprises." William noted. "I like this one, too." There was a light blue 2013 Renault sitting in the driveway. " I'm wondering if we get to eat and sleep before we get started.
"Not likely. And I don't think we are in Canada, anymore, William." The Renault reminded Jake of a recent bad dream.Jake tried to remember the details without success.
"Probably not. Canada would be too close to our departure point.The sudden daylight is a clue, unless we were in some kind of time warp. Best guess? We seem to be in or near a small city. I can hear traffic. Can't see anything. At least they didn't stick us with a vintage truck, this time."
They went over to the car. "I wonder where we are."
"We'll find out.
Where the hell are we?" Jake wondered.
"Check for keys. Instructions should be in the trunk or back seat."
The instructions were in the rear passenger seat. It was a manila folder, bubble wrapped, with Jake's real first name on it. He wondered why they wrote Joaquin instead of Jake. William took a look too. "Could have been opened. Center gives instructions to put these packages out of sight."
"You're right. It might have been. Someone might even want us to know that it was opened."
"Yeah. It could be an invitation to the house."
"Not impossible. Should we take up that possible invite?"
"I don't see any reason not to. Got your gun?"
"Yes, William. I do have my gun. And it's loaded."
"Good."
At the front door, they debated ringing the door bell, but opened the door, and stepped inside without pushing the bell button. The hall was a large foyer, opulent and lined with pictures of men in uniform.
"Look at those," Jake pointed. "The colors and insignia suggest Ecuador. Family pictures, I'll bet. Let's see if we can find the mail. In a place like this it is usually on a salver."
Their click-clack walking echoed in the hallway. "Over here, Jake." Jake walked over to William. There were envelopes and a pile of newspapers. El Mercurio from Cuenca, El Comercio from Quito, El Universo from Guayaquil,among several others. The dates were from yesterday.
They turned, hearing footsteps. "The General welcomes you," the servant said in Spanish, picking up the mail. "Please follow me."the servant, who was discretely carrying a pistol, strode to a side patio that overlooked a large swimming pool and several gardens. The General asked them if they would join him for breakfast.
"It is a pleasure to meet two of our most famous Center agents," he said. He nodded to William and Jake. I am General Jesus Antonio Machada Ibarra. "I'll most likely be dead soon after you leave. Control has blocked roads and delayed my protection force. The word is they will arrive in three hours." At the startled looks that this calmly delivered message provoked in his listeners, the General smiled. "We'll get you out in plenty of time. Juan Jose will drive you north to Ipiales in Colombia."
"Do you want our help?" asked Jake.
"No, but thank you for offering. I expect total destruction, but we shall take a few of Control's operatives with us. I am too famous to escape, now that they know who is running this Center. Control will begin killing off my family if I do not confront them. They might do that anyway, despite what I've done to protect them. Ah well, It's been a good lif
e."
William studied the aged military man.He seemed unfazed by his declaration. The firm line of his jaw and steely blaze of his penetrating eyes established a strong vibrant personality. This was a man who got what he wanted. He was dressed like the typical peasant worker on his plantation, although the clothes were cleaner. Simple white pantalones and a blouse.
"There is something you want us to do. You might tell us what it is."
"Very well." The General sighed. "I was hoping to relax you with breakfast first. I called in a favor. I side tracked your journey to ask you to save my great granddaughter when Control comes for her. They will come for her. She does not know me. She doesn't know that Control seeks her, but is at risk- for other reasons than being my relation. She is a special young lady. Center is going to pick her up in some little New Mexico town called Rimrock."
"I know it well." Jake said. "When will this take place."
The General snapped his fingers at his servant who handed him a folder. "Here are the particulars. There is no great hurry. You have a few days." The General gave the folder into William's outreached hand.
"The breakfast buffet is behind you. Help yourselves."
An alarm sounded. The General's eyes widened. "It is much too early," he exclaimed. "That is the ten minute warning. My, I must be important for them to fly teams up into the mountain." He apologized. "I regret our breakfast must be cut short. My time grows shorter than even I had thought. Control is more barbaric than I expected. Please take a filled plate with you and follow Juan Jose. I'll have my coffee first and then we will see if the first attack can be foiled. My time is near. Juan Jose, are the men ready? "
Of course, my General."
Good to his word, he lifted his coffee cup, saluted them, and drank."Good day, gentlemen. I wish you safe travel." Jake and William saluted him in turn as they drank their coffee.
They exchanged a glance, rose from the table, filled two plates, and followed Juan Jose. He took them to the Renault, introduced a new driver, Marco, waiting behind the wheel, said goodbye, and returned to the main house in a run. They drove west, hearing explosions. The Renault bounced a little on the rough unpaved road as they turned north, a few minutes later, on another path to the border.
"Marco?"
"Sí, señor?"
"What were those explosions? It hasn't been ten minutes."
"The General detonated the Center operation to deny Control the intelligence they seek from this Center." Jake translated for William's benefit.
The drive was not long.
"Why Ipiales, Marco?"
Marco spoke in slow English. "It is the fastest, easiest, entrance to Colombia. In normal circumstances, it is very fast. On bad days, it can take three hours. We will get through the border check, much faster today." He added, "The General has arranged it. He called in a favor. Be warned, it will not be an easy crossing if Control knows you are here." They joined the line to the border. "The line is longer than usual." Marco observed. "You might eat your food. The General would be distressed if he knew it went untouched."
Another glance and a shrug. The agents ate with little appetite.They did finish their plates full of food. While they waited on the queue, they discussed their host, the General.
Their discussion was interrupted by a knock on the window. A soldier, Colombian Major, by the uniform, waited while Marco rolled the window down. The conversation led to an exchange of papers, a nod from the Major, and they were directed into the other lane guarded by soldiers. The single lane of traffic became a fast moving queue for the one vehicle.
Marco took them to the Hotel Metropol. He handed them new passports and hotel registration details. "The Major, you briefly met, will see you get on the jet to the States tomorrow. It will leave from the San Luis airport."
The hotel was serviceable. Nothing special. The people they met were nice. They ate dinner and went to bed.
The commercial plane took off from Ipiala. For a change, Jake and William were in first class seats. The Center's plane blew an engine, grounding the crew. This critical mission required staying on schedule, so the Center reluctantly ponied up for two seats on the next plane out. They actually bumped two government officials returning home to Belgium.
The boarding went quickly. Only an hour of airport waiting and they were on their way. Lunch was served. Their flight would be a long one. The final destination was Belgium. Warnings reached Center that Control attacks were planned to take out the Center operations inside of that small country too.
Belgium was considered a major hub for European operations. Time passed. They changed planes in Madrid to continue the overseas flight to Frankfurt.The plane from Spain was newer but had a bad vibe. Something was wrong. Both travelers felt the difference and quietly discussed what might be happening. An older man came toward them and sat down across from them. Jake looked up, irritated to have his conversation interrupted. The older man was holding a pistol. It was General Jesus Antonio Machada Ibarra. The General smiled and told them "Control has wanted you two for a long time." The General's expression turned to anger as a rocket blew off the wing of the plane. The airplane exploded. In his head, as he woke up, Jake heard the General say "Control lied to me."
Jake was upset. The dreams were getting crazier. This was a bad case scenario. Worst case. And far too reasonable. He wondered why the General was in his dream. The man was dead. During breakfast Jake told William about his recent dreams. "Have you recorded them in your journal?"
"No"
"You better record them. We can go over all your dreams on the plane. Take it seriously. I do. Something is happening in that weirdly wired brain of yours. The repeated use of rockets in your dreams is one idea we need to find a way to handle in real life. I don't see any defense. We may need one, so we better come up with one."
Later in the morning Major Guillermo Natoza picked them up and took them to their flight. Argentina was their destination. He gave them another folder and said "I will be the Ecuadorian contact for the Center, until replaced. A smaller Center operation here should be operational by the end of the week." He spoke in unaccented, educated English. "Please pass this folder on to Center."
The flight was a private Center jetliner. Natoza advised them an attempt to sabotage this plane had been caught earlier in the morning. The saboteur was being examined. They were in a relatively safer comfort zone. Jake knew safety is a feeling, not a reality. Everyone was Center staff. He felt safer, but knew he wasn't.
William passed on the folder prepared by Major Natoza to Maria Espinoza, the stewardess, and one of the operatives he'd known for years. Maria was currently serving as second in command in Argentina.She took the folder and glanced through it. "Jonas called me and asked a favor. He wanted me to contact the two of you and see if you were safe, following the schedule, and-" She coughed lightly, "behaving yourselves."
"I'll handle this one, Jake. William chuckled, before calmly ticking the points off with his right hand. First Maria, safety is not part of any of our assignments. We all know that. Second, we've been off schedule since we left our last residence. Third, you can tell Jonas, we will get the jobs done, and, if he's a good boy, he should receive a package from Jake in two days. If it gets delivered on time, of course."
Maria smiled, lifting her hands in mock surrender. "I'm just doing the favor. I'll be sure to relay your messages." She tilted her head and asked. "What's going on at Center? Everything seems rushed, and Jonas, even in holograph, looks more frazzled than I've ever seen him."
William grinned. "He is. Jake here is doing his best to drive everyone crazy." Maria laughed,winking at Jake. "I've heard that about you. Congratulations, and keep up the good work."
Their conversation became serious and the three discussed the situation with Control's increasing level of attacks and the threat to Center. Jake could see that too much information was not being shared. He offered what he could, not mentioning Center 1. William added a few of his stories, liste
ned to a few from Maria, and he and Maria discussed past operations. Maria finally stepped back, as a wave of sadness crossed her face. "Our in-flight movie today is a sobering message. Partial drone videos of the Control attack on the only Center operation we had in Ecuador are available with details not available to the public. I won't tell you to enjoy it."
She stepped back, dimmed the lights and they all watched it on the viewing screen.
The General was reported dead. They watched his body fall on the battle field. Therevwas one surprise. The General clearly had called in one more favor from the Ecuadorian Air Force. Three Atlas Cheeters attacked the Control operation from a base near Quito. Their surprise arrival took out two attacking helos and a transport. The attack was more costly than Control expected. A brief voice over gave the particulars at the end. The voice announced "Nothing would or will appear in the news. The flight was recorded as a training mission. The attack on the compound and the General's death were easily blamed on Colombian terrorists. Sixty terrorists were numbered among the one hundred dead counted.
Later, Jake and William discussed all the dreams Jake recorded the night before and decided they needed alternative plans to Center dictated travel. The discussed possibilities and what they might do.
The flight was uneventful. No attacks. They landed at Buenos Aires international airport. Only one staff member was waiting. That young lady hurried up the stairs as soon as the ladder was in place. "I'm sorry guys. You get to stay on board." Maria said. This is Ami Contreras. She will be traveling with you. Ami handed Maria a packet. It had Jake's name on it. "You are almost back on schedule. Get some sleep. You''ll be stopping in Venezuela, and Cuba, for fuel." She handed William the packet. "Be sure to come back to Buenos Aires when you can stay longer."
The flight was long. The stops went as scheduled. Neither were allowed to leave the plane. William played poker with the bodyguards, winning more often than he lost. Jake discovered Ami was a noted Chess player. He consistently lost, but learned from one of Argentina's Women Grand Masters. His game improved. He did achieve three draws among his ten losses.He was pretty sure Ami could have won those too. The games provided a delightful distraction.
They landed in Miami without incident. Their safe travel could not last. Sooner or later Control's kidnap or hit teams would catch up with them. It was only a matter of time. It was always a matter of time.
Now that they were in the States, and not really protected by Center, if they ever were, Jake and William returned to full alert. A good night's sleep and they would be off to their next assignment. They enjoyed a final dinner with Ami and the bodyguards for a few hours at a good local restaurant. Dinner included the additional Center staff who flew to the US with them. There was an interruption.
The door to the kitchen banged open and six people with automatic weapons burst through yelling "Death to Americans" and"Allahu Akbar" over the flying bullets. The Center group reacted to the yelling and the firing faster than anyone in the room. The unarmed members dove to the floor. Jake, William, and the two bodyguards accompanying Ami, drew their weapons and returned fire. It was over in less than a minute. Armed opposition wasn't expected. The four defenders only used nine shots. News reports would credit a team of Sheriff's deputies having dinner in what would be called a "defense of American values." Credentialed, but little known, Center personnel and willing diners would be interviewed on TV in the next few days.
The six attackers were dead along with eight diners. All of the dead were close to the kitchen. The kitchen staff went unharmed, although several quit over the next several days.
Ami looked over the situation, and calmly took charge. "Give me your guns, boys, she told William and Jake. The cops will need them."She told them, "I'll have replacements to you before you leave in the morning." Then she shooed them out from the restaurant with a "we'll take care of this." She was talking on her cell phone before they could get up from the table and leave.
Jake and William huddled in their hotel room after their interrupted dinner and discussed next steps. The latest attack was probably not Control related, but they discussed it, and decided to take it as if it were a Control attack on them. Implications were discussed. Both were in agreement about sharing a mutual surprise that they had escaped yet another attack.
Plans and the few alternatives discussed on the plane were tentatively set up and reviewed once more. They looked over the last two assignments they needed to complete before getting to Rimrock. Neither assignment seemed particularly vital to them. The importance might be revealed later. It was more likely that they would never know why they were priorities. Jake's algorithm rated both as high priority.
They discussed possibilities and consulted the probabilities, using Jake's new algorithm. The exploration showed them the travel had shielded them. The weak link was the Center airplane. The probability numbers suggested it was and had been tracked by the opposition. The numbers suggested a fifty percent probability for both possibilities.
They slept.
Was it the night's attack, the probabilities of the Center plane being tracked, or other concerns they did not discuss or recognize they needed to consider? A very bad night's sleep for both men was the result.
In the morning both men stayed uneasy, and hyper-aware of every sound around them. Both looked worn out. They discovered another shock as they questioned each other's appearance. They'd shared one dream.
The highly visual, detailed dream involved a rejected blue Renault rental they left parked at the hotel. Their dream unfolded, more like a TV show, than the news, they saw the rental explode killing the concierge and several people on the street by the hotel, while demolishing the entrance to the hotel. Both were shaken by the clear details their dream showed them. Their separate shared dream was an exact match in every detail they recounted to each other.
The phone rang and there was a simultaneous knock at the door. William went to the door. Jake picked up the phone. "It's ok." Jake told William. "Our replacement guns are knocking," William opened the door.
After a brief chat with the operative, they had guns and ammo again. The two prepared to leave, armed, and descended to the lobby.
Whether it was the night's activity or the dream, they both expected some intelligence failure, random discovery, or even a carefully laid trap along the way.
The concierge had a car waiting for them. Jake and William felt a frisson of fear. It was the same light blue 2013 Renault from their dream, rented for their trip to Tampa. William was about to say no, but Jake put his hand on William's arm to get his attention, as he thanked the concierge, Jake signed the papers with his latest ID, and they left.
"We need to lose this car fast" William told Jake, once they were in the car. "Yes, I agree. But that dream? We need to examine this car first."
"Yeah, you're right. If there is a bomb on board, there is a possibility we can defuse it, or move it somewhere less dangerous."
Jake drove. "According to our dream, we have two hours. Maybe I'm crazy, but I'll trust that." They took Interstate 75 over towards Naples and parked in Weston a little less than an hour later.They stopped for breakfast at the first place they saw. Next to the restaurant they examined the car. A few patrons eyeballed them wondering what was going on. There was no bomb they could find. There was a tracker beacon on the right rear wheel.
"Well, well," said William. "Lookie here. I'll just disable this and we'll be on our way."
"Leave it for now. Let's have breakfast.We'll move the device to another car before we leave."
"That works for me." They ate, paid out, moved the tracker to the same location on a car parked next to them.
Driving out of the parking lot, a discussion on changing cars was the next task. Jake dropped William off at the nearest rental location and they met in the next city, on the way to Naples, and left the blue Renault sitting alone in covered parking. A neutral green SUV was their new transportation. Two hour and a half hours passed. They arri
ved in Naples, ate lunch, and continued on to Tampa.
In Tampa, they delivered a sealed folder from the packet Maria gave Jake on the plane. There was one more packet to deliver.On the radio, as they left, they heard that a parking garage in Weston was blown up, and Federal authorities from Homeland Security were investigating. Stinger missiles were suspected. Jake and William looked at each other and kept driving. Louisiana was the next stop. This one would be a long drive, over seven hundred miles. The package was to be delivered the next day. They swapped off driving, ate fast food and kept moving, listening to the news on the radio. They discussed patterns, probabilities, possibilities, and rocket attacks.
"Tell me more about these Patterns, Jake. I get they are important, but I don't understand how they can help."
"As a military man, you recognize that tactics have a purpose, right."
"Of course."
"In battles, attempts are made to disguise tactics or hide them until it is too late for the other side to adjust and defend."
"Right again."
"Patterns help discern the actual tactics while probabilities tell us the most likely targets or locations for the attack. "Historical attacks like the D Day landing are examples of a successfully disguised attack. The locale was the most probable location, but deception led the Germans to believe the attack would not happen where it did."
"All that is true." William admitted."Yet there are times when attacks come at, or from, the least likely location. Sensible military strategists like those the best. We all want easy wins."
"That's where patterns help us. The knowledge of past events, trends and all the whos, whats, and wherefores fold into the probabilities. Once we have those nailed down, it becomes a matter of logistics and materiel. Situations arise where planning fails because the other side has selected an attack or a pathway for attack where no defense is possible."
In Baton Rouge, the second packet was delivered on time. Their appointment in Rimrock was next. This trip was over a thousand miles. Time was growing short.A rented jet from Baton Rouge Metropolitan Airport to Albuquerque helped. Itwas a risk. Control might be looking for any traffic into Albuquerque, public or private. If Control suspected Jake and William were headed back to New Mexico the situation could turn bad.
Once on the plane William asked how patterns can help in situations where no defense is possible.
Jake grinned. "They don't. Patterns just tell us the probabilities of that happening, and maybe even identifying the where, if we have enough data. The solutions are up to us."
"Not much help is it?."
The help is telling us where and sometimes when the attack is going to happen. If we can be reasonably certain, it becomes possible to avoid the attack, find and prepare an effective unexpected defense, or attack them first."
William looked hard at Jake. "I like that last one."
"I thought you would."
"Consult your oracle, Jake. Tell us when the next attack is coming." William was kidding.
Jake laughed and pulled out his phone. I have the latest algorithm here. It isn't perfected yet, but let's see what we get." Jake entered several keystrokes and his eyes opened wide, his face paled.