part0020

Tige had developed a fever. She shook with chills and called for water repeatedly. Her leg wounds were puffy and red. Parker needed antibiotics. They all needed water. The contamination of the waterfall had come as a great blow.

“We may have to delay our guerrilla raid,” Cody told Victor. “We need water and medical supplies. How much do Angel’s guys have in the other cave?”

Victor’s face twitched nervously. “Angel was supposed to bring us water after he returned from the La Luz compound, but they detained him for questioning. I think they suspect him.”

“How many people does Angel have over there to watch those kids?”

“Only about three at a time. They rotate. They have to report for duty with La Luz.”

“One of us has to go over there,” Cody said. “I’ll get that backpack and get started. Any chance you got a map so I won’t get lost?”

“Lemme go, Cody. I know the way. It’s only fifteen minutes.”

Cody glanced at Diamond. She folded her arms but would not engage his eyes.

“Okay.” Cody gave him a nod. “Go ahead. But I’m gonna listen to their communications with one of the coms. I’ll immediately know if you get in trouble on the way.”

“Yeah, that’ll work.”

In exactly eight minutes, Victor was stopped. Cody understood enough Spanish to know they were taking him to the compound.

“I gotta go!” Cody yelled. “Victor’s in trouble. He’s only a few minutes from here.”

He ran past Diamond and little Buddy and headed straight to the exit. When he emerged, he could see Victor and two enemy agents talking near the north perimeter of the crater. Victor used the name and employee number of the individual who had worn the headset, but they knew he was an imposter. The two agents were taking him to the compound for interrogation. Cody hastened his steps to catch up. By the time he had overtaken them, five more hunters had joined them. He had to think of something fast.

He followed until he could see the compound in the distance. It was a five-level structure adorned with hundreds of solar panels and few windows. It would be a long uphill climb. He counted ten more armed men coming down the hill to join a victory parade as they delivered Victor to the facility.

Navy SEALs had taught him that when a situation looked impossible, do the last thing your enemy expects. Cody had an idea. It was the longest of long shots, a stunt probably never tried before, but it was all he could think of.

He yelled into the headset. “Gorila! Gorila! Hor un enorme gorilla por aquí!” (“Gorilla! Gorilla! There’s an enormous gorilla over here!”) Cody pointed northward toward the sea, which was visible from where he now stood. He made sure he was seen, then started running that direction, hoping to draw enough armed personnel away from Victor that he could somehow escape.

To his surprise, it created a banner reaction from Victor’s escort. Everyone headed toward Cody and followed him down the hill toward the coastline. Cody turned a corner and slipped on some loose rock, cutting a gash in his sore knee. He then rolled off the edge of a ridge into a patch of tall grass and scrubby bushes. He watched the entire brigade pass him by. Victor wasn’t with them. Had he managed to escape?

He backtracked until he saw one bogie lying face down on the ground, trying to raise his head.

Then he heard someone behind him. “Psssst! Over here!”

Cody spun around. It was Victor, who had faked a sprained ankle and had fallen down. The unfortunate individual who had stayed behind to guard him now regretted it.

They hastily proceeded to cave number two, where Angel’s men were watching the kids.

“Gorilla? Whatever made you think of that? Can you believe those guys bought your act?”

“I didn’t think it would be that easy. I was hoping a few of ‘em would chase me. You’d think it was gorilla season by the way they reacted.”

“You’re weird, Musket. In fact, you’re freakin’ scary!”

When they got to the other cave, Angel’s men were waiting. They began to applaud.

Pablo Fuentes, one of Angel’s fellow infiltrators, introduced himself to Cody. “How did you know about the gorilla?”

“What are you talking about, amigo? I just yelled ‘gorilla’ off the top o’ my head.”

Pablo and the others began laughing. “Ohhh , amigo! ” He patted Cody on the back. “We were listening to you. La Luz has been doing animal research. Godzilla the Third escaped this morning. The first tremor loosened his cage. They have been looking for him all day!”

Victor stared at Cody again. “Like I said, Gunfighter . . .”

“We have your medicine and more fresh fruit for you.” Pablo was still chuckling. “The fruit is all we have today. It will help you watch your waistline, American.” He grinned. “You have brought joy and laughter to us, Gunfighter. We are in your debt. We can see that God rides with you. Together we will defeat these banditos and our people will be free again.”

“You and your guys are the real heroes, Pablo. And speakin’ of heroes, what’s going on with Angel? Have you heard from him?”

“He was questioned this morning. We do not know what happened after that.”

“Can we see the kids? I hear ‘em but I don’t see them.”

Cody tightened his face. “I’m hoping the kids from the boat won’t remember me.”

“You gotta let that go,” Victor said. “Not your fault. Think about the ones who survived.”

“If only that kid hadn’t stuck his head in the line of fire. It’s all coming back, the image in my head . . .”

Cody and Victor followed Pablo around a bend to an even larger cavity and saw the 24 children who had been saved the night before. The scene was more than sobering — sounds of sobbing, muttering, calling out for a mother, one child wailing.

“Can’t somebody talk to these kids?” Cody turned to Pablo. “I mean, someone should say something.”

“Angel has a way with words, amigo,” Pablo said. “But the rest of us, we dunno what to tell them. You are welcome to try.”

“Buy my Spanish sucks.”

Victor spoke up. “Give it a try, Gunfighter. It can’t hurt.” He nudged him forward toward the audience of mourning kids.

Cody cleared his throat. “Okay, uh . . . Mi padre era un gran zopilote in el Cuerpo de Marines de los Estados Unidos .”

Suddenly the children grew quiet. Some smiled, some laughed out loud. Cody stopped and turned to Victor with a shocked expression.

Pablo jumped in, still laughing. “Oh-ho, amigo. That was perfect. You make the children smile.”

Victor broke the news to Cody. “Dude! You told the kids your father was a great buzzard in the United States Marine Corps!”

“Yeah, that figures. I was tryin’ to say pilot.”

Victor explained to the children that Cody was not fluent in Spanish, but that a plan was being devised to free them. Most returned to crying, while others stared with empty expressions. These were runaways, orphans, street urchins. They had no place to go even if they were freed. The youngest looked to be about five, the oldest, maybe fourteen.

Cody turned around with clenched teeth. “With God’s help, we’re gonna get these kids off this rock and help them find a life. No more forced child labor. Enough! ”

Cody said little as he and Victor expedited their fifteen-minute hike back to cave number one where the others were waiting with great anxiety. Diamond met them in the tunnel near the entrance. She embraced Cody and Victor. Cody’s expression was distant. He stayed behind while Victor went into the main chamber to join the others. “See you in a few, Gunfighter.”

Cody’s face was ghostly, deflated, his lips tight. Diamond had never seen him this way, not even in the cockpit the first night.

“Cody, what happened? Did you run into trouble? Cody? Can you look at me? Can you tell me?”

She felt his arms reach around her. “I saw the kids. The ones we brought from the boat . . .” His voice weary, raspy, distraught.

She waited, but soon realized she would receive no further explanation. His arms gripped her tighter and tighter. She felt his heavy breath on her neck. His strength frightened her. At first she felt the urge to resist, but alas she did not want to escape his grasp, and that scared her even more.

He softened his hold. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have. I mean, sometimes I forget myself . . .” His face remained like flint. “I would never . . . never hurt you.”

“I know what hurt feels like, Cody. You didn’t hurt me.”

As they walked to join the others, Diamond straightened her blouse and tried to arrange her stringy hair. Saltwater, sand, and wind without a shampoo and sauna for four days had taken its toll.

When they arrived, Victor was telling everyone his version of the gorilla story. Even Tige laughed, wondering how much Victor might have embellished the details. Cody chuckled once, then sobered quickly.

He scanned the room, but couldn’t find what he was searching for. Diamond nodded in the direction where the mute child had finally fallen asleep. Cody followed until he found the boy in a secluded corner. Di had covered him with a blanket, but he had kicked it off.

When the exhausted Cody lay down beside Buddy, the youngster latched on.

The connection between Cody and the small boy was palpable. Now Diamond understood; Cody was the strongest man she had ever known, but even he could not fight his battles alone. She wanted to join them, but would she be intruding?

She reclined near them. They fell asleep and did not awaken until the next morning just before daybreak.