~ * ~ * ~ * ~
I stood on the beach with Karen and watched our helicopter skimming over the waves as it raced towards us. I could see the rotor blades kicking up spray from its nearness to the surface of the sea.
“It looks like Brady and Patch are trying to impress our guests with their flying,” I said, shaking my head in disbelief. “That’s not the way to start out a relationship with a new client. Remind me later to have a talk with them about how they should act around clients.”
“You’d better talk to all of them or you’ll be having that talk more than once,” Karen advised me. “There isn’t a one of them that wouldn’t hotdog it to see if they couldn’t scare the crap out of some poor unsuspecting soul.”
I watched the helicopter as it reached the shoreline. Brady rapidly reduced his forward momentum and slid sideways spinning in a 360 degree turn before settling down. I could see both pilots grinning broadly thru the windshield of the bird. Their grins slipped when they saw the look on my face.
Walking over I opened up the cabin door of our helicopter and watched as our guests stumbled out of the chopper. You could plainly see they were happy to be on firm ground.
My brother was the last one out of the passenger cabin. His face held an impish grin. While my brother had never been a Navy Seal he had been thru a baptism of fire in the battle we’d had with the pirates, so had Karen and Danny.
“Rick this is Brydon Wilcox and his Chief Financial Officer, Dan Bentley,” Chris said by way of introduction.
I held out my hand and shook theirs. “Welcome to Dead Men’s Isle, this is my fiancée Karen. If you’d follow us we’ll go to our board room for the meeting.”
“We noticed you’ve got a lot of construction going on. How long before you’re operational,” Brydon asked.
“We’re building just as fast as we can. I think six to eight weeks should put us close to being operational,” I estimated.
We entered the board room of our operations center. The other team members were already sitting in their seats waiting for us.
“Can we get you anything to drink before we begin the meeting?” I asked our two guests.
“No we’re good. We’re anxious to get started and do our presentation so you can make-up your mind on whether or not to accepting the job,” Brydon admitted.
“Okay the floor is all yours,” I said with a gesture.
“Can we use your power point projector for the presentation?” Dan asked as he unpacked his briefcase.
“Bill, can you help them set-up?” I asked our communications specialist.
“Sure, no problem,” Bill jumped up and took the disc from Dan and loaded it into the equipment, handing him the remote.
Brydon Wilcox started his presentation. “Have you ever wondered why we haven’t had normalized relations with Cuba? Don’t you wonder why we’ve kept one of our nearest neighbors at arms length? Why is it that we’ve had wars with many Nations and now are trade partners with them? But tiny little Cuba we treat like a rabid dog that needs to be shot.”
“During World War II we lost 450,000 of our military to the ravages of war but we are close friends now with Japan, Germany and Italy. We had the Korean War; our enemies were North Korea and China. We are now trade partners with China. In Vietnam we lost over 58,000 and now have normalized relations with that country. But tiny little Cuba is treated like a disease.”
“Canadians vacation there, so do Europeans but not us, why? Hell, you can go to prison for just having a Cuban cigar in your possession.”
Brady interrupted the presentation by whipping out an Arturo Fuentes cigar and ran it under his nose sniffing noisily. “They taste even better than they smell. These little gems are hand rolled by the prettiest little tobacco benders you ever did laid your eyes on! You all want one Mr. Wilcox?” Brady asked with a goofy little grin on his face, baiting their guest.
“You can call me Brydon and hell yes I’ll take one,” Brydon exclaimed holding out his hand.
Brady handed over the cigar with a little bow and sat back down.
“The group of business men I’m representing have a theory as to why our relations with Cuba are so strained. It’s because of a government cover up. We think it goes all the way back to the sixties. Did you know that at one time Cuba was a U.S. territory? Ernest Hemingway made his home there. But that all changed in the early sixties after Fidel Castro overthrew the Cuban government.”
“I have in my possession reports that state the CIA tried to assassinate Fidel Castro on several occasions. In one instance they sent in a dentist in an attempt to kill him but he was caught and imprisoned.”
“A year later in Dallas Texas, President Kennedy was riding in a motorcade when shots rang out and he was killed. There was always talk about a second shooter on the grassy knoll, was there? Jack Ruby killed Lee Harvey Oswald and forever sealed his lips. But was Jack Ruby just an infuriated man who was incensed by Oswald’s acts against his president and his country or was it more than that? Could he have been sent to silence Oswald?”
“What about that shooter on the grassy knoll? Did he exist? Who was he and where did he come from?”
“I have to say Brydon you have our attention. I have a strong suspicion that you have the answers to those questions,” I remarked.
Brydon nodded his head and looked around the table at each of our team members. “Yes I do, it took us three years to find the answers we sought but we were finally able to get them by hiring people inside Cuba to grease the right palms and ask the right questions.”
“What was the result of your search?” Chris asked leaning forward and watching Brydon intently.
“There was a shooter on the grassy knoll. He was a Cuban National sent by Fidel Castro to pay back John Kennedy for the attempt on his life. Lee Harvey Oswald was hired by the Cubans to help with the assassination.”
Chief Morrison butted in. “Do you have a name or is this just a conjecture on your part?”
Brydon eyed the chief, “I have names, places and dates. I can pinpoint the exact location of the man I seek.”
“He’s still alive after all of these years,” Karen asked.
Brydon nodded, “the shooter was only in his early twenties when he committed the act, he is now in his early seventies and very much alive.”
“What’s his name,” Bill asked.
“His name is Philippe Quentes and he has lived all these years basically as a captive of the Cuban Government. They are afraid that he may fall into the wrong hands. They treat him like a national hero but his travels have always been restricted by their government.”
“Dan could you show the first slide please,” Brydon asked.
“This is a satellite view of El Diablo’s Alcazaba,” Brydon explained as we saw the fortress for the first time.
Patch got his patented wolf grin on his face; his eyes were twin discs of obsidian, black and lifeless. “The devils fortress, I like that LT, I surely do!”
Brydon felt an involuntary shudder go up his back when he saw the look on Patch’s face. You would not want to be on the receiving end of that look in a life or death situation. It would be the last thing you ever saw.
“The man we seek is being held under house arrest at this location. Dan, flip to the next slide. You can see they have the jungle cut back for a distance of a half mile. They keep bulldozers at this location for that purpose. Approaching the compound unnoticed would be difficult.”
“How many men are stationed at this fort?” I asked as I walked closer to the screen to pick out the details of the slide.
“We aren’t sure, but estimates put the garrison at between five and six hundred men,” Dan supplied.
“I understand why they have the jungle cut back. But is there a reason they need to be worried about being attacked?” I questioned.
“There is a rebel force in the area. At this time I can’t honestly tell you how organized they are. They do from time to time harass work details that leave the safety of the fort,” Brydon answered.
“Do you have a contact with the rebels that we can use if we need to?” I asked, walking back to my chair.
“Dan, show the next slide please. The man on the right is Carlos Estaban. He was educated at the University of Florida and moved back to Cuba to help out his people after he graduated from business school. The man next to him is his brother, Francisco. When Carlos came back Francisco came with him. We feel the two brothers are your best option if you need to contact anyone in the area.”
“Now for the million dollar question,” I said looking Brydon in the eyes. “Why is it so important for you to stir up a hornet’s nest? What’s it to you if the United States treats Cuba like a leper colony?”
“I don’t like being lied to. I don’t like being told that I can’t legally travel to an island that’s just miles from our own coast. Our group feels that our government has many secrets they are keeping from us. We think our own government lies to the American people on a regular basis. Frankly we’re fed up with it.”
“Our government tries to bully the world into doing what they want them to do. We use the threat of our military and we use money to buy the support that we need to mold the world in our image. Did you know that for every dollar our federal government spends more than 40 cents of it is borrowed money? How much longer can our country go on like this and survive? Our politicians have dug a hole so deep we may never come out of it. The only chance America has of surviving and remaining the greatest nation on earth is by changing the way we spend money and the way we do business.”
“This will be the first step in that process. We need to show the citizens of the United States the outright lies that have been told to them for many years, thru many administrations, both Republican and Democrat alike. We need the American people behind us to force our politicians to change the way they do business. Then and only then does our country, our way of government have a chance of surviving.”
“This is the presentation that you showed to Senator Donaldson?” Chris asked the man.
“Yes, it’s the same as the one I showed to the Senator,” Brydon confirmed with a nod of agreement.
“He agrees with your view of the situation in Washington?” Chris pushed further.
“He has a group of friends, fellow Senators and Congressmen who feel the same way we do. Our country is on a collision course with disaster. It needs a shock to wake our people up and try to finally set things straight. If we don’t we are going to go by the way side the same way the Roman Empire did.”
“Alright Brydon the way we decide if we’re going to take a job is to vote on it. Every team member at this table has an equal vote so I’m going to go around the table and get the vote count.”
Brydon just nodded his head in understanding.
“What do you think chief?” I asked my second in command.
“This is a hell of a first job LT, hell we could change the way our government does business and from my viewpoint that’s not all bad. I vote we go to Cuba.”
“Doc, what’s your vote going to be?” I asked.
“I’m with the chief, hell after the way we were treated I’d like a chance to rub their noses in their own shit for a change. Let them know how it feels to have the short end of the stick for once.”
“Patch, your next,” I said as I worked my way around the table.
Patch sat back rocking in his chair. “I have a question to ask first. This encampment is called the Devil’s Fortress, who’s the devil?” Patch asked looking at Brydon.
“They call the commander of the post pure evil. He’s responsible for the deaths of hundreds of locals. If there is a devil there Patch, he’s it. One of his favorite things to do is to hang a person by their neck until they are just able to hold themselves up with the tips of their toes. He sits and watches as they weaken and slowly strangle themselves. Just before they lose consciousness he impales them on the tip of his saber and lets them watch as their entrails fall onto the ground as they die. It doesn’t matter to him if it’s a man, woman or a small child. He’s one hundred percent sociopath. I feel that he’s one of the worst men to ever walk the earth. The men under him call him El Diablo. So to answer your question Patch, the post commander is the devil.”
“Count me in LT. I can’t stand hearing about a coward killing women and children. Before I come back home to Dead Men’s Isle I’ll be watching his guts laying in the dirt while he’s swinging on the end of a rope. I’m going to give him the same death that he’s given countless others.”
I nodded my understanding. Patch had gone rigid in his seat, beside himself with a cold calculating anger. Patch could get very, very mad but he was always in control. The anger would erupt from him thru the blade of his knife. But it would only happen when he was ready, only when El Diablo was right where Patch wanted him to be.
“Scott, what are your thoughts on the operation?” I asked the first of our snipers.
“I can see a whole lot of reasons to go and not too many reasons not to LT. I always wondered about why we treated Cuba as badly as we do. I never thought it was because of the Cuban missile crisis. Hell the heavy hitter on that one was the Soviet Union and we’re getting along with them. Plus I don’t like assholes that hurt kids.”
“I hear you Scott. Dave, it’s your turn to tell us how you feel,” I said looking at the other brother.
“I got to tell you LT, I wouldn’t mind rubbing our governments face in some of their own shit for a change. They caused this problem, pure and simple. Besides, we owe them one for the wonderful court martial they provided for us.”
The reason we were no longer Navy Seals was because we attacked a Mosque after we were attacked. Three of my men were killed and I was wounded when they’d fired a rocket propelled grenade at our position. I’d called in an air strike that blew out a wall in the Mosque. Thru the dust and smoke my Seal Team attacked and killed all of the fighters. Our government, at the request of the Iraqis court-martialed us for attacking a place of worship. We contended that once we took fire it quit being a temple and was now a fortress. None of us went to prison but all of us were booted out of the Navy thereby upholding the fine military tradition of being scapegoats. The only team member with enough time in to draw a pension was Senior Chief Morrison.
“Brian, your next,” I said pointing at our computer tech.
“For all of the reasons given by the others I say we go,” Brian said his reply short and simple.
“Brady, it’s your turn,” I said turning to our pilot.
“Well I got to tell you LT, this here El Diablo can’t be as much fun as that pirate fellow was. But it will be pure entertainment to see Patch dance with the feller. Let’s go and have a little fun, hell it’s been nearly a year since we had any to speak of.”
“Sam, what are your feelings?” I asked our gunsmith.
“We have a lot of things that need to be done here before we can think about going LT. But I say once we’re operational that we go and get it done.”
“Bill you’re next, tell us your thoughts,” I said looking at our communications expert.
“I say not only yes but hell yes.”
“Chris, it’s your turn to share your thoughts,” I said looking at my little brother.
“I get a bad taste in my mouth when I think about there being men like this El Diablo breathing the same air as us. I say we change that and cut off his air supply. While we’re at it we may as well round up Philippe Quentes for Brydon and his boys.”
“Yeah, we almost forgot about the reason why we’d be going,” I admitted to him.
“Karen you’re up next,” I said with a nod.
“After hearing about this evil, evil man that is in charge of the fort getting Brydon’s sniper almost seems like it should take a back seat to ending El Diablo’s life. But I say that we should do it. We need to remember the mission, and that’s to get Brydon his man.”
“Danny you’re the last man, what do you think?” I asked my friend.
“You originally came to Jamaica to help me Rick. How can I turn my back on hundreds of others who need our help now? It’s our responsibility to help if we can,” Danny reasoned.
“My turn,” I said standing up. “We formed the Sea Demons to handle ticklish situations that governments that are friendly to our own couldn’t handle for whatever reason. I know that our government isn’t friendly with the Cuban government, but that’s okay. We aren’t going into Cuba to help out the government there. We’re going in to help out an oppressed people and at the same time bring Philippe Quentes out to answer some questions for Brydon. If our government inadvertently gets a little egg on their face, oh well! So I’m going to say that we should do it too.”
“Brydon here are our terms,” I said turning back towards him. “If they don’t fit with your plans of how you want it done or when, then you need to find someone else to handle your problem.”
“Okay, let’s hear your proposal Rick,” Brydon replied.
“Well first of all, it’ll be several weeks before we’re operational. You’ve seen all of the construction going on around our island. That needs to be completed first before we’re ready to deploy on our first mission. Also the Sea Eagle needs to finish its retrofit for it to be ready to go.”
“That seems reasonable to me. This conspiracy has waited nearly fifty years to be revealed a few more weeks won’t hurt anything,” Brydon agreed.
“The cost of the operation is twenty million dollars plus expenses. Ten million down and the final ten million when the mission is completed.”
“You don’t work cheap do you? Is the money refundable if you don’t complete the mission?”
I shook my head no. “I won’t risk the lives of my team for free. If we have to abort the mission, for whatever reason, it’s too risky or too dangerous, or the odds are too high you still lose the first ten million dollars. But understand this, we don’t take losing lightly. We’ll do everything in our power to earn your money and complete the mission,” I answered.
“What kind of expenses could there be? What kind of additional money are we talking about?”
“I can give you a couple of scenarios. If the Sea Eagle is attacked by a Cuban gun boat or MIG fighter and they have to fire missiles to defend themselves, you just bought the missiles that were fired.”
“If the missiles miss and they sink the Sea Eagle I have to replace your ship?” Brydon asked incredulously.
I laughed at the look on his face. “No, we have a very expensive insurance policy on the Sea Eagle thru Lloyds of London. You wouldn’t believe the price of insurance on something that needs to have a defense system on it.”
Brydon gave a sigh of relief. “That’s good what else do we need to worry about having to pay for?”
“Other expenses may include money spent buying information. Once we’re in Cuba it may take us several weeks to complete the mission. We won’t just blunder our way through it. Every possible avenue will be examined and probed before we actually execute it. I won’t lose a man because something got overlooked or we got sloppy.”
“I can understand that,” Brydon said, nodding his head. “I’d put my team first if it was me going in so I certainly can’t blame you for that.”
“If we have to buy equipment we wouldn’t normally have to buy for the team to operate, that’s your expense.”
“I don’t understand what you mean,” Brydon replied confused.
“The normal equipment we need to operate as the Sea Demons, things like hand guns and rifles are everyday expenses for us so it’s our responsibility to furnish those. But let’s say we need to buy a, I don’t know, let’s say a bulldozer to go thru the jungle you’ll get the bill for that.”
“You need a bulldozer to go thru the jungle?”
“No, I just used that as an example. We wouldn’t be very quiet using a bulldozer would we?”
“Anything else I need to know?” Brydon asked me as he leaned back in his chair.
“No that should cover it,” I said with a little thought.
“Senator Donaldson told me you were the men I needed for the job Rick. He gave you a roaring endorsement. He said anybody else would be third best, not just second best. He said my only chance of actually pulling this off was with you so we accept your terms. If you can give Dan your banking information we can wire transfer the first ten million dollars into your accounts right away.”
I stood up and reached across the table and shook his hand. “We’ll start the mission as soon as we can. But like I said it will be several weeks before we are operational.
“Understood,” Brydon said as he shook my hand.
“Chris,” I said looking to my brother. “Why don’t you help Dan transfer the funds into our account?”
“Sure, no problem,” he replied.
“I hope the two of you will stay overnight on our island and join us for a little island hospitality,” I offered.
“Our bags are on our jet in Jamaica,” Brydon explained.
“No problem, Brady and Patch will be happy to fly over and bring them back for you.”
“What do you think Dan? You feel like a cookout?” Brydon asked his Chief Financial Officer.
“It would be rude to refuse their offer and pretty damn stupid Brydon. There’s snow up north I vote we stay just as long as they’ll let us stay,” Dan said with a grin.
Laughing Brydon accepted the invite to the barbecue.
“Brady, Patch head on over and bring back their bags. Brydon once my brother and Dan are done with their business I’ll give the two of you a tour of our island.”
“I read a lot about your little island a while back so I’m interested in seeing it for myself.”
I turned to leave the room and found myself looking once more at the slide showing the Estaban brothers. Would they end up being our comrades in arms or a problem my team would have to deal with to complete our mission? Only time would tell, but deep down I knew that I’d be meeting the two Cuban brothers face to face before this was over.