CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE

 

Three hours later

February 11 — 11:35 P.M. ICT

Wednesday Night

Klong Rang, Thailand

 

“Radio check.” Alex tested her ear communicator. “Loud and clear.”

“Whoa. Not so loud,” Troy said. “These are set up for you to mumble.”

She looked over at Matthew. They were under the wooden arch at the entrance to the Buddhist Monastery, Wat Mae Tia, in the village of Klong Rang. Having won numerous awards as a Mixed Martial Arts team, Alex and Matthew were the most logical choice for this mission. They were playing a drunken Army infantry couple on leave from the war in Iraq. They wore shorts and sandals.

The night had the oppressive moist heat of the jungle. The still air was laced with the stagnant, sweet odor of fragrant orchids. The only light came from flashes of electric blue lightning in the clouds.

The team was split into two groups. Team One: Raz, Margaret, Royce, and Joseph would manage intel and satellite information. Team Two: Vince, MJ, Trece, White Boy, and Leena were well camouflaged in the jungle surrounding the Buddhist compound. A sharp shooter, Troy remained on the helicopter to cover their retreat.

“We’ve got you,” Raz said. “Sergeant Dusty says the satellite will be here in two minutes. We’ll have full coverage. I’ll have heat readings thirty seconds after that.”

“Got it,” Alex said. “Mattie?”

“Loud and clear,” Matthew said.

“Mumble, sir, mumble,” Royce said.

“You are both very loud,” Sergeant Dusty said. “I’ll keep you posted on the satellite and maintain communication with the Royal Thai Police. They are ready to relieve you when you obtain Aguilar.”

“Thank you, Sergeant,” Alex mumbled.

“Much better. Okay, you’re on satellite,” Raz said. “I’ve received the heat readings. We have what we expected. The majority of people are in the larger buildings, probably sleeping or praying. There are two buildings with one or two people. They are our most likely targets.”

“I’d planned to call the action from the satellite,” Joseph said. “I can’t see you in this cloud cover. Hutchins?”

“We have visual, sir,” Vince said. “We will never be more than ten feet away.”

“Hutchins, take command of Team Two,” Joseph said.

“Wilco,” Vince said.

“Break,” Matthew said to release the radio to the team.

“Ready?” Alex said to Matthew.

She reached for his hand. He nodded. Hand in hand, they walked into the Buddhist compound. Alex swung their hands until Matthew pulled her close to him. She put her arm around him. Laughing, he nuzzled her neck.

“Nice earrings,” Matthew said.

“Oh crap, I forgot to take them off,” Alex said.

“They’re great cover,” he said. “But you should move the wedding ring.”

“My grandmother gave this to me before I left for Iraq,” Alex said.

He laughed.

“I never take it off,” she said.

“I love that about you,” he said. He hugged her close

A young boy in monk’s clothing appeared on the porch of one of the main buildings. Five or six years old, he scampered across the compound toward them.

“He’s from the building with the people in it,” Raz said in their ears. “There’s some stirring there. A few more people are coming to watch your show. Gentlemen, turn your speakers down.”

Alex burst out laughing.

“Give me a piggy back,” she said to Matthew.

“No,” he said.

“Pleeeezzzeeee,” she said.

He grunted and let her jump on his back. They continued a wobbly journey forward.

“Excuse me please,” the boy in monk’s clothing said. “Wat is closed.”

“We’re not hurting anything,” Matthew said. “We just wanted to take a look.”

“Must be quiet,” the boy monk put his finger to his lips. “Shhh.”

“Wilco,” Matthew said.

Alex laughed. Matthew looked at her. Laughing, they fell over onto the sandy ground.

“She’s had a little too much to drink,” Matthew said.

“Quiet, quiet,” the boy said.

Alex nodded her head.

“We heard there was a Catholic Church around here somewhere.” Matthew said. Getting up, he made a display of dusting the sand off his shorts.

“No Catholic,” the boy said. “All Buddhist.”

“There isn’t even an old church here?” Alex made her eyes go wide as if she would cry. “We came all this way.”

Matthew pulled her to standing. He hugged her. Alex began an exaggerated wail.

“She’s very disappointed,” Matthew said. “She read about a church…”

“Was church. All Buddhist now,” the boy said.

“I wanted to see the church…” Alex wailed. ”I’ve been in Muslim land foreeeevvvveeerrr.”

“Is one. Very old,” the boy said. “If I take, you be quiet?”

Puffing out her cheeks, Alex widened her eyes. She closed her mouth tight and nodded. On the porch of the large building, older monks were watching their interaction.

“This way,” the boy monk said.

“Yea!!” Alex jumped up and down in place.

“Quiet, quiet,” the boy monk said.

The boy took off running. Matthew and Alex had to jog to keep up. They ran past beautifully manicured bushes and wide flower gardens. As they continued, they passed a large vegetable garden. Livestock looked up at them when they approached a corner of the compound. Nearing a disintegrating building, Alex raised two fingers in a peace sign.

“We are with you, sir,” Vince said.

She dropped her middle finger so only her index finger was raised.

“Team One signal given,” Vince said.

“Three heat signature in the building,” Raz said. “They’re unaware of your presence.”

The boy monk skid to a halt. Alex and Matthew almost fell over him. The boy bent forward in a deep bow.

“Old church,” the boy monk said. “Falling down. No use now.”

“Can we go in?” Alex asked.

“Must ask,” the boy monk said. “Wait here.”

The boy ran back toward the main buildings.

“He’s awfully cute.”

“We have a release from the Thai government to do what we need to,” Matthew mumbled. “You can’t feel bad.”

“I hope he doesn’t get in trouble,” Alex drew her handgun. “Raz, do we have a report?”

“I need a visual,” Raz asked.

Alex and Matthew took wireless video cameras out of a cargo pocket in their shorts.

“The jungle is consuming this building,” Alex said.

“There’s no evidence of anyone,” Matthew said.

“The roof is gone,” Alex pointed the camera toward what she was describing. “The left wall has deteriorated to half. The back wall and right side wall are standing. Oh look, there’s a sign. It’s closer to you. Can you read it, Matthew?”

“Holy Spirit Catholic Church,” Matthew said. “It’s stuck on the half wall at the front of the church.”

There was a crack of lightning.

“It looks as if the floor is mostly intact,” Raz said.

“That’s correct,” Matthew said.

“If this was a church, there must be a crypt or basement,” Alex said.

“Stand-by,” Raz said.

“Medics’ to attention,” Alex said. “There’s no way to know the condition of our hostage.”

“One person near the rear,” Raz said. “There appears to be another person… maybe on some stairs. Also in the back. Radar shows a… crypt is probably right. There is one person there. They will hear you the moment you enter the building.”

“Sir,” Sergeant Dusty said. “There is no evidence of electronic or other surveillance devices. The building does not appear electrified.”

“Team Two, surround the building when we enter,” Alex said.

“Roger that,” Vince said. “Confirming medics on standby.”

She pointed for Matthew to take the back entrance. He took off around the building.

“On my mark,” Alex said.

“Roger that,” Vince said.

Conscious to not trip on her sandals, Alex crept up the broken steps. She pulled her Glock 9 MM from its holster.

“In place,” Matthew said. “Armed.”

“Five, four, three, two,” Alex stood against the partial wall. “One.”

She rotated into the opening where a door would be. She heard Matthew break through the back door. With her weapon in front of her, she moved in fast light steps across the wood floor. To reach a back room, Matthew was engaged in fighting a man. She holstered her weapon. Mathew pushed the man toward Alex and she knocked him out with a solid punch to the temple.

Nodding to her, Matthew peeked down the stairwell.

Empty.

Alex pointed to herself. Matthew shook his head. He took a step onto the stairwell and a series of shots fired.

“9 MM, Glock 17, seventeen rounds. He has two loaded clips,” Jesse said in Spanish. He appeared on the stairwell. “There’s a machine gun down there. Fully loaded. I’ll distract him. Go on my call.”

“Did you hear…?” Alex asked.

Matthew nodded. Since he was shot last year, Matthew could see and hear Jesse. The stairwell lit up with white flashes of light from Jesse’s jolting balls of electricity. The shooter screamed.

“Ahora!” Jesse yelled.

Matthew ran down the stairs with Alex right behind him. In the pitch dark, they found a young Thai man bent over in pain. Sensing their movement, he turned to fire. Matthew kicked a powerful sidekick.

The handgun fired as it spun into the darkness. Matthew and Alex jumped back to avoid being shot. Matthew grabbed the man by the collar.

The man shot a Muay Thai front kick at Matthew. Matthew stepped back. Alex’s side kick caught the man under the chin. He fell back then caught his footing. He raised his hands in a fighter’s stance. This young man was an experienced fighter.

So were they.

Alex smiled at Matthew and he laughed. Kicking off their sandals, they began bouncing foot to foot in their typical sparing stance. The man’s stand hardened with determination. The man came toward Matthew with a front kick. Matthew blocked the kick.

Using the man’s momentum, Matthew pushed him toward Alex. Alex hit him with a double elbow slash. The young man’s nose broke on her elbow’s first journey across his face. The man’s jaw cracked as her elbow made a return journey across his face. Alex pushed the man back toward Matthew.

Matthew brought his knee into the man’s stomach. He threw a powerful cross punch. The man slumped to the floor.

“Clear,” Alex said.

“Moving,” Vince said.

Alex and Matthew took headlamps from a side pouch in their shorts.

“We have visual on the hostage,” Alex said.

Alex shoved her feet into her sandals and ran toward the man in the chair. Matthew reached him first. One glance and he ran to a corner to throw up. Team Two took the building.

Naked, Leandro Aguilar was tied to a chair with duct tape. He had been tortured. His fingernails were missing. He was missing toes on each foot. He’d been beaten in a way to cause extreme discomfort. There was a car battery in the corner which they’d used on his genitals.

Alex touched his arm.

“He’s alive,” Alex said.

MJ and the other medic raced down the stairs. The medic they’d picked up looked at Aguilar and joined Matthew in the corner. MJ shook his head at the medic and set to work.

Alex was about to cut the duck tape when MJ shook his head. He tried to speak, but wasn’t able to. Frustrated, he grunted at her and set to work on Leandro. When the other medic returned, MJ pointed to what they needed to do. Alex and Matthew watched in fascinated horror as the men worked on Leandro Aguilar. The purr of a gas powered generator began and a moment later Leena arrived with a light on a stand.

And the basement crypt was revealed.

They were standing in a thin walkway with burial space on either side. In one corner, a skeletal human hand seemed to reach out to them for mercy. The jungle had already consumed one end of the basement. Alex jerked her attention back to Aguilar.

“How long?” Alex asked.

MJ held up one hand.

“Five minutes or so,” the other medic said. “We’re having trouble getting him medicated. They seem to have given him a pain enhancer.”

Alex grimaced.

“He’s in terrible pain,” the other medic said. “If we move him, his system is likely to overload. He’ll die from the pain. We gave him Coumadin, but he’s still at risk for blood clots.”

As Alex nodded, an explosion rocked the church.

Knocked off balance, Alex stumbled and fell to her knees. To protect her, Matthew dropped over her. They heard a firefight begin above them.

“We can’t see shit,” Raz screamed over the com. “What the hell is going on?”

“Defend your positions,” Vince said.

“Zack!” Alex yelled over another explosion. “Get us out of here!”

“I’m on my way, my dear!” Zack said. “You don’t have to yell. You’re not mad at me. You’re…”

Another explosion drowned out Zack’s prattle. Under Matthew’s arm, Alex watched MJ work on Aguilar. The other medic crouched from the explosions. The most expensive asset on a team, medics were taught to take cover under threat. MJ had clearly forgotten that part of the training.

They heard the firefight outside the building.

“Royal Thai Police have kept a truck load of armed men from entering the compound,” Sergeant Dusty said. “The police will be at your location in less than two minutes.”

“Thank you, Sergeant,” Alex said. “Team Two? Report?”

“We’ve maintained control of the building,” Vince said. “We won’t be able to move until we’re clear.”

“S-s-stable,” MJ said.

Alex nodded to MJ and he smiled.

“Sniper,” Vince said. “Anyone?”

“Affirmative,” Zack said. “He’s to the north at the top of a palm. Olivas?”

Troy hooted.

“He’s down,” Vince said. “Ready for package.”

They heard Zack land in front of the church.

“Coming with the package,” Alex said.

With a medic on either side, they carried Aguilar in his chair up the stairs. Alex and Matthew ran behind. As they stepped out of the building, they heard a single gun shot.

F