|
|
Chapter Twenty-Five
Vicinity of Militia Camp
Holly Springs Nat'l. Forest, MS
1755 Local
Wheezing, Tyler sat down with a thump, one hand massaging his neck. He stared wide-eyed at Perez who shrugged sympathetically and turned back to finish tying up the militia man. For good measure, the captain gagged and blindfolded him, too. Wrapped up in the melee, the man had never seen Tyler approach. He didn't know what hit him and Perez intended to keep it that way. Finishing, he grabbed the man by the back of the jacket and began dragging him down the hill. Tyler watched for a moment, then scrambled to his feet to give the captain a hand. They rolled him under a thick growth of briars at the bottom of the slope and kicked some leaves over him. He would be difficult but not impossible to spot.
Dusting off his hands, Perez looked over at Tyler and grinned, "You're a sight for sore eyes, Ensign. Where's Cpl. Bell?"
"He's okay, sir, but it's a long story," Tyler glanced around a little nervously. "Umm, sir? We need to move, this isn't a safe area to hang around."
"You don't say... " Perez said dryly. He glanced at Tyler as they hurried back up the hill, "Is there a safe place?"
"Pretty safe, sir," Tyler replied. "It's probably going to take over an hour to get there," he added apologetically.
Perez waved a hand dismissively, "So long as it's safe, Tyler."
He noticed that the ensign kept up a continuous scan of their surroundings. When they reached Mac, Tyler stopped abruptly and looked at Perez. The captain stifled a smile; after his last reception, Tyler was understandably nervous. Perez had been a little surprised himself, the Colonel's survival instincts were obviously well developed. He knelt down near her, it looked like she was coming around. The captain looked up when he heard Tyler clear his throat.
"Sir? Begging your pardon, but what in the sam hill happened to you two?"
Perez looked at Tyler for a moment and opened his mouth. Another voice beat him to it, "What didn't?"
The captain looked down to see Mac gazing tiredly at them both. "Good to have you back, ma'am."
She shifted a bit and groaned softly, "Says you... " She squinted at Tyler, "That was you, wasn't it?" He nodded wordlessly. "I'm sorry, Pick. That wasn't much of a thank you."
Tyler gave her a quick smile, he was looking increasingly nervous. "Ma'am, sir, we have to get moving. Now."
Perez looked at Mac, "Can you walk?" Despite the normal tone she was trying for, he could see the strain on her face.
"I'm barely managing to lie here," she closed her eyes and sighed. "Help me up, please."
He carefully hauled her to her feet. She wavered for a couple of seconds and then eyed Perez, "I'll make you a deal, Captain. You keep me upright and I'll keep my feet moving... just don't expect any sparkling conversations."
Perez gave her a half smile, "Deal, Colonel." He looked at Tyler, "Let's go, Ensign." The three headed off through the woods.
When they finally reached Tyler's camp, Perez decided it had been the longest hour and whatever minutes of his life. He was past tired and well into numb. He'd kept the Colonel upright - barely, and she'd kept moving - barely. Only Tyler seemed unaffected even though he had probably covered twice the distance from scouting ahead and checking behind. That much energy was patently unfair, Perez thought. He tried to focus when Tyler appeared in front of him.
"Just a little farther, sir, ma'am," Tyler said encouragingly. "Then you can rest while I see about dinner."
Perez managed a nod, moments later they arrived at the overhang. Tyler had gathered together what materials he could for bedding. The men lowered the Colonel carefully down and then Perez dropped down beside her. The two were almost instantly asleep. Tyler watched them for a moment and then left to check his snares. Hopefully, there'd be something for dinner and then he needed to call Chegwidden.
Militia Camp
Holly Springs Nat'l. Forest, MS
1800 Local
Harm turned and looked when he heard the door open. He'd gotten tired of sitting and had taken to pacing back and forth. The latest gorilla didn't seem to mind so long as he stayed away from the door. The guard got to his feet when Rev. Trask walked in. Trask looked at Harm for a long minute and then said, "Would you care to join me for dinner, Commander?"
Harm inclined his head, for all the world like an honored guest and not a condemned prisoner. "It would be my pleasure, Reverend."
Trask gestured towards the door and the Commander walked out. Two more guards were waiting in the hallway. Harm turned and waited as the Reverend and the first guard came out to join them. Trask smiled and waved a hand down the hallway, "After you, Mr. Rabb."
They came to a small dining area, the table had been set for two. Harm turned and raised an eyebrow, "Your men don't get to eat?"
Trask arched an eyebrow in return, "I prefer that they not be distracted. They'll eat when they go off-duty. Please have a seat, Commander."
As soon as they sat down, a pair of orderlies appeared and started filling the table with food. After they finished and withdrew, the Reverend bent his head in prayer. Harm followed suit. After he was done, Trask raised his head and smiled politely, "Would you care for some wine?"
"Thank you," Harm extended his glass and watched while the Reverend filled it. This whole scenario seemed absurd. Koslov was going to kill him and Trask was playing the part of gracious Southern host. He refused to consider this his last meal. Sipping the wine, he said, "Is there something I can do for you, Reverend?"
Trask chuckled, the Commander was a cool one. Anyone listening to the conversation would have a hard time deciding which of them was the prisoner. "Yes there is, Commander, but it will keep until after we're done. Mixing business with eating always troubles my digestion. I hope you won't find it too inconvenient to wait?"
Harm waved a hand dismissively, "Not at all. It would be a shame to ruin the meal."
They smiled at each other and began to eat. Thirty minutes later, Trask picked up his wineglass and leaned back from the table. Harm leaned back as well. He did his best to appear relaxed and nonchalant, inside, he didn't think he could be wound tighter. The impending conversation would mean life or death, not just for him but for Singer also. He would be treading a very fine line trying to play up the conspiracy angles without treating the Reverend like he was some sort of lunatic. Paranoia didn't mean stupid.
Trask absently tapped a finger on his glass. How to begin... He figured the Commander would be hoping for some sort of quid pro quo - no doubt he wished to keep from dying. Not that Trask objected to that, it was certainly within his powers and it would enrage Koslov. It just wouldn't be the smartest thing to do. Having the two JAG officers here was like reaching into a beehive, was the reward worth the risk? How would he know if Commander Rabb was telling the truth with whatever story he told about Koslov? And would he really care? Trask hated that boorish, arrogant Yankee to the point where it was difficult to keep a civil tongue in his head. It was affecting his judgment and that was something he couldn't abide. Perhaps he could find some way to remove Koslov and still keep the pipeline open.
Trask stared silently at Rabb, he seemed like a clever fellow. Dangerous too, of course, but perhaps he could be maneuvered into assisting the militia. Possibly in exchange for the Lieutenant's well-being? He couldn't be sure, the Commander and the Lieutenant had certainly been at odds with one another... if only Colonel MacKenzie hadn't died. Now that had been damned inconvenient. He sighed, doubtless, Koslov's men were just as heavy-handed as their boss. Trask took another sip of wine and gazed at Harm, "Tell me about Koslov."
Near Bethel
Holly Springs Nat'l. Forest
1925 Local
Liston nudged Thomason and pointed up the road at the approaching SUV. After Liston's less than respectful remark, they'd found themselves on guard duty at the post that was the furthest and most inconvenient to get to. The two of them turned and looked at Tinker in the backseat, he stared back impassively. "Well don't just sit there, boy, get out and stop them," Thomason snapped.
"With what?" Tink rumbled, they had yet to trust him with any type of firearm.
Liston rolled his eyes and glanced at Thomason, "Oh for chrissakes, just stand there. If they hit you, it'll wreck their car. Either way, they'll stop."
Tink glared at the two and climbed out of the jeep. Standing in the road, he held up his hand. The SUV glided to a halt and sat there. For about a minute, no one moved. At last, the driver opened his door and got out. As he walked towards Tink, the passenger side opened and another man got out and followed him. Tink watched the two men approach wordlessly. The driver was tall and balding. Although he was older, it was apparent he kept himself in shape. The other man was larger and barrel-chested. He wore his hair tightly cropped and looked like he knew how to handle trouble. Maybe he was a bodyguard.
AJ slowly walked up to the huge man blocking the road. He was aware that Gunny Walters was just behind and to the side, for which he was profoundly grateful. If trouble started, it would take both of them to handle this guy... and probably some sort of air strike to boot. He stopped in front of Gargantua and said mildly, "You're in my way."
The mountain gazed down at him, "This is private land, no trespassing."
AJ adopted a confused tone, "I thought this was the Holly Springs National Forest. I have a campsite reserved for fishing." He glanced back at Walters, "Isn't that right, Dubby?" Walters nodded silently, his eyes on the two men now approaching. Both had rifles casually cradled in their arms.
"Is there a problem?" The taller of the two men asked.
"No."
"Yes." AJ gazed upward and tried not to flinch. The mountain was looking ominous. Walters had gone dangerously still. At that moment, AJ's cellphone chose to ring. Everyone jumped, Chegwidden briefly closed his eyes - timing was everything. Pointedly ignoring the rifles that were now aimed at him, he dug into his pocket. He glared at the Gunny as he pulled out the phone, "Goddammit, didn't you tell them I was on vacation? This better not be that jackass in marketing." He turned slightly away as he answered the phone, "Hello?"
Tyler looked at the phone for a moment and then put it back to his ear, "Admiral Chegwidden?"
"Yeah, this is AJ. That you Tyler?"
"Yes sir," Tyler said hesitantly, what the hell was going on?
"Well you better have a helluva good reason for calling me on the first day of my vacation." AJ gazed skyward for a moment, 'C'mon Tyler - figure it out, make your report and get off the phone.'
"Uhhh... yes sir... Sir, I ran into Colonel MacKenzie and Captain Perez while I was making a last circuit of the militia camp. I brought them back to my campsite." The admiral was on vacation? Tyler's eyes widened suddenly, did that mean... ?"
"You What?!?" AJ looked around quickly. The pair of militia men were unabashedly listening, the big man had an expression he couldn't read and Walters was looking worried. "All right, Tyler. Do you want me to talk to them?" Damn! What were Mac and Perez doing back at the militia base? Where the hell was Rabb and Singer? Unless ... Oh damn...
Tyler glanced back up the ravine, "They're both asleep right now, sir. The trip here was kinda rough, especially after that fight with the militia guy."
With difficulty, AJ kept his voice level, "I see." Inwardly he cringed, that young man was going to be the death of him. "Are you going to need help to deal with the situation?"
Tyler hesitated, "Probably, sir. Somewhere along the line, the Colonel was injured." He absently rubbed at his neck.
Son of a bitch. With a calm he was far from feeling AJ said, "How bad is it?"
"I really don't know for sure, sir. She's hurt her shoulder, she's not using the arm on that side at all. And she needed help walking, but that's all I've seen. Capt. Perez would be able to tell you more, except he's asleep right now."
"Okay Tyler, let me get to my campsite and then we'll see if we can straighten all this out." He looked at his watch, "I'll call you in an hour." AJ ended the call and looked at Walters, "Next time, Dubby, I'm leaving the cellphone home." He looked at the militia men and smiled, "Sorry, gentlemen. My junior executives sometimes get over-excited. Where were we?"
Chapter Twenty-Six
Militia Camp
Holly Springs Nat'l. Forest, MS
1840 Local
Harm looked at Trask for a moment, "It might save time if you'll tell me what you know about Koslov. I'm pretty sure I know what his game is but you're an astute man, I'd like to know what you've figured out. I should be able to confirm or deny your suspicions." He steepled his fingers, "And, of course, we need to discuss price."
Trask stared and then, shaking a finger at him, laughed, "I knew you were a clever man, Commander, the moment I laid eyes on you." He rubbed his chin and continued to chuckle softly, "I suppose we should discuss price first. I assume you would prefer not to die?"
Harm smiled slightly, "Don't we all? ... And I'd like you to release Lt. Singer."
Trask narrowed his gaze, "I'm sure you're aware of how foolhardy a request that is, Mr. Rabb. The government, in its infinite wisdom, thinks of this militia as a sort of southern men's club. We're just a bunch of illiterate rednecks pretending to be soldiers so we can gather to talk about guns and drink beer. I have no intention of disabusing them of that notion."
Harm was annoyed with himself. He'd actually done what Jeff Foxworthy had meant as a joke, automatically dropped the Reverend's IQ 100 points because of the southern accent. He began to suspect this man was smarter than Koslov and infinitely more dangerous. At the same time, he could feel the adrenalin start to kick in. This could have all the aspects of a dogfight... minus the fun flying stuff. "Releasing the Lieutenant won't change that."
The Reverend just raised his eyebrows in silent invitation.
With an easy smile, Harm said, "The Lieutenant won't go to the authorities because the only one who'd get hurt would be her. And I can assure you, her survival instinct is too finely honed to allow that."
Trask drummed his fingers on the table, "You're asking me to believe that after kidnapping Lt. Singer and the unfortunate Col. MacKenzie and capturing yourself, that it would be the Lieutenant in trouble with the authoritiies? I'm not sure if I should be laughing or insulted."
"Ahhh, but technically, it was Koslov who engineered the kidnapping." Harm's expression hardened and he said softly, "And I owe him for Colonel MacKenzie." On this one point, Harm wasn't acting. He owed that son of a bitch for every ache and pain Mac had gone through.
The Reverend watched the ice form in the Commander's eyes and suppressed an involuntary shiver. He'd do well to remember that Rabb could be a deadly adversary. "Go on," he said calmly.
Harm forcibly dragged himself back to the matter at hand. He looked at Trask, "It could be argued, sir, that your militia rescued us from Koslov's men and kept us here in order to protect us. Still are protecting us, for that matter, while we continue our investigation into Captain Koslov and his treasonous activities. Should Lt. Singer prove difficult, I can contradict her on every point and bring up her collaboration with the Captain before you rescued us. She'd wind up in Leavenworth and she knows it. I don't think she'll be a problem."
Trask stared up at the ceiling while he thought everything over. What the Commander was suggesting was certainly plausible. It would take the militia off the hook and lay the blame squarely at Koslov's feet. That in itself was attractive. Rabb needn't know the extent of his plans for the militia, Koslov or the JAG officers. He lowered his gaze, "We have a deal."
Near Bethel
Holly Springs Nat'l. Forest
1940 Local
Liston glared at the older man, " 'Where we are' is you and your... boy getting back in your overpriced yuppie mobile and getting the hell out of here." He hated these rich corporate types. Damn worthless at anything except shafting the little guys and raking in the dough. Just once, he'd like to drop one of these guys in the middle of nowhere and watch them panic. He stopped suddenly and thought about it for a moment ... why not? Why the hell not? Slowly he began to grin as he brought his rifle to bear on the two men once again.
"Budge?" Thomason said nervously. He didn't like it when Liston got this way. Inevitably, there'd be hell to pay, one way or another. "What's got into you?"
"Relax Del," Liston said. "I've been feeling sorry for Mr. Corporate Bigshot here. And I think I know just the thing to make his day."
AJ and Walters stood perfectly still watching the rifle swing back and forth between them. They were both too far away to make a try for it. All they could do was wait. AJ swore under his breath, of all the times to run into some nutcase. He scowled at the militia men, "What the hell is going on?"
Liston's grin faded, "Watch your mouth, old man, or I just might shove this gun barrel down it." He heard Tinker shift behind him, "Relax, Tinker. I'm not planning on killing them. Just the opposite, I'm gonna give 'em what they want: a couple of days getting away from it all. Don't that sound nice, Mr. Bigshot?"
"What are you talking about, Budge?" Thomason stared at his friend. "We're gonna get in trouble."
"Us? Why would we get in trouble just 'cos some city boys snuck past us and got lost?" He looked at Del, "Get the rope outta the jeep." Liston looked back, "Empty your pockets. We wouldn't want any contraband going along. Tinker, go collect the stuff, make sure they haven't forgotten anything."
AJ's eyes narrowed when he heard the big man's name. Could this be Tyler's Corporal Bell?
Tink ambled forward, he still wasn't sure who these two were. Hearing Tyler's name during the phone conversation had made him hope that they were here to help. Of course, it was about to become moot, and all because Liston had got a wild hair. He reached the older man first. When Tink heard him murmur, 'Corporal Bell?' he froze for a split second. Then he continued to pat AJ down, took his wallet and cellphone and moved over to Walters. Repeating the procedure, he turned around and looked at Liston, "This one's got a pocketknife."
Liston smiled, "I'm feeling generous today, he can keep the knife. Get rid of the phone." As he started to look over to Del, Tink drew back and threw the cellphone and the wallets as far as he could into the woods. Liston whirled back, "You Idiot! What did you do that for?!"
Tink looked at him blankly, "You said get rid of it."
"The cellphone, you stupid lump! Not the wallets!" He looked upward in frustration, "Why the hell did I ever get saddled with someone like you?"
Tink hung his head, decided scuffling his feet would be overplaying it, and said morosely, "I'm sorry."
Liston sighed, the big jerk had no more brains than a rock, "Never mind, get the rope from Del and tie their hands. It only has to hold for an hour or so. Oh, and find something to blindfold them." He grinned at AJ and Walters, "No fair peeking on the way to your new location."
After their hands were tied, Liston herded them over to the jeep, "Get in. One in front, one in back." When they were sitting, he looked at Del, "Go ahead and blindfold them." Glancing at Tink, he said, "Wait here and keep an eye on things 'til we get back. Can you do that?"
Tink looked unhappy, "Can't I come along?"
"Sorry, no room on this trip. You'll be fine, just wait." Liston nodded to Del, "Let's go."
Tink watched them leave and swore quietly to himself. Then he went over to the SUV to make sure there was no evidence of their real identities. If Liston found out they were military, he'd go back and kill them.
Vicinity of Militia Camp
Holly Springs Nat'l. Forest, MS
2005 Local
Perez slowly opened his eyes and carefully took in his surroundings. For the life of him, he couldn't quite remember where he was. Then he saw Tyler hunched over a small campfire and the memories came flooding back. Raising himself to his elbows, he stifled a moan - he couldn't remember the last time he'd been this stiff and sore.
He glanced over at the Colonel and then pushed himself more upright for a closer look. Damn, she was still out of it, but he couldn't tell if she was sleeping or unconscious. Cautiously, he reached out to put a hand on her forehead. If she was just sleeping, he might get the same reaction that Tyler had gotten. A couple moments later, he swore softly. She was hot enough to fry an egg. He looked over to see Tyler watching him. "Ensign, you wouldn't happen to have a flashlight and maybe a first aid kit handy, would you?"
Tyler nodded, reached behind to grab the backpack and came over to kneel next to the Captain, "The Colonel's sick?"
"She's running a fever." Perez was annoyed with himself. He should have kept a more careful eye on her, although there was little he could have done. No doubt the very reason the Colonel didn't say anything either. "Hold the light for me Tyler."
He unzipped the windbreaker and pulled it open. He heard Tyler inhale as he grimly surveyed the mess. The makeshift bandages around her ribs had loosened a bit, stretched by sweat, blood and gore. Pulling the scissors out of the first aid kit, he began cutting. A minute later, he gingerly dropped the last of the bandages to the side and took his first good look at the slash in her side. It wasn't deep but it was obviously infected. The area surrounding the wound was red and angry-looking, the slash itself looked raw and weepy. Perez looked over at Tyler, "I don't suppose we have anything to disinfect this, do we?"
The ensign shook his head, "Not nearly enough." He poked through the kit, "Maybe half a dozen of these little packets of antibiotic cream."
"It's better than nothing," Perez said, "Which is what we had before." He worked steadily for several minutes and then sat back on his heels. "Well, that's the best I can do for now. Hopefully, it will help." He looked at Tyler, "There's aspirin in there?" When the young man nodded, he said, "Maybe when she wakes up, we can get some down her for the fever." He picked up the old bandages and went over to the spring. Moving a little downstream, he stuck them in and weighted them down with rocks. When he finished with those, he scrubbed at his own hands.
Tyler gestured towards the campfire, "Sir, why don't you eat? There's rabbit on the spit and watercress and some other greens on that slab of bark next to the fire. I'll keep an eye on the Colonel and let you know when she's awake."
Perez was suddenly aware he was ravenous, he grinned over at Tyler as he settled by the fire, "Keep this up, Ensign, and I'll have to make you a Marine."
Holly Springs Nat'l. Forest, MS
2045 Local
AJ pushed himself upright, pulled the blindfold down and looked around. He decided he could have left the blindfold on, there wasn't much to see in the dark. Of all the stupid things that could have happened, this had to top the list. Gingerly, he tested all his limbs and decided he'd been lucky. That jackass had literally kicked him out of the moving jeep and down an embankment. He hadn't been able to stop himself until he'd crashed sideways into a tree. He could have easily hit headfirst and then he wouldn't have had the luxury of calling that misanthropic moron every expletive in the book. He could live with the bruises.
AJ had no idea where he was, they had turned and looped for at least an hour. He could be 500 yards from the SUV or 500 miles. Worse, he had no idea which direction the militia camp now lay. He surveyed the area again, there was no sign of the Gunny either. Obviously, part of the fun was to separate them.
On the good news side, it wouldn't take long to free his wrists. Tinker had tied them just tight enough to pass inspection. And he hadn't bothered to let Liston know that both Dubby and AJ were armed. Each had a 9mm in a skeleton holster attached to their waistbands and hidden under their windbreakers. AJ couldn't help chuckling to himself, so that was Tinker Bell. Tyler didn't do him justice... oh dammit! Tyler! He was going to miss his call, if he hadn't already. Son of a bitch! AJ sat and fumed for a few more minutes and then sighed. There was nothing he could do until morning and there was no point in wasting energy about something he had no control over. He'd settle in for the night and get started as soon as it was light enough to see.
|
|