"And Then They Came..." Chapter XLVI)
Chapter XLVI The guard with the pockmarked face and the bleached mohawk watched with irritated amazement a small shuttle bus as it approached the compound’s entrance and shuddered to a stop in front of the gate. Holding his AK-47 across his chest, he began to walk to the stalled vehicle. “Hey! Hey!” he shouted. “What do you think that__” He had to stop mid sentence, as a redheaded man descended from the shuttle’s steps and walked to the front of the bus. The man opened the v
"And Then They Came..." (Chapter XLV)
Chapter XLV The two men lay on a rocky mound, behind the wide, fan-like fronds of a giant fern, and the fallen trunk of a tree already half-consumed by multi-layered, clam-like lichens. They were some ten feet away from where a seven foot chain link fence that separated the lush tropical forest from the open, football field-sized grassy area in front of the terrorist compound. However, the mound rose some eight feet from the ground, giving SWAT Captain Camilo Gomez and Corpo
"And Then They Came..." (Chapter XLIV)
Chapter XLIV The airport gates were open by the time that the ambulance reached the airport, and to Da’ud’s amazement, the emergency vehicle was waved through by the police without a review of any credentials. The balding, chubby terrorist had expected to be detained and checked, and had carried the ID of the captured ambulance driver in a chain around his neck, in case he was stopped. Wearing a hood with a darkened plastic see-through face mask and a large air filter coveri
"And Then They Came..." (Chapter XLIII)
Chapter XLIII The fake ambulance moved at a fast but steady speed, its red and blue lights flashing in the night, its siren wobbling and stuttering shrilly to disperse the automobiles in front of it. Inside, it's driver Da’ud, dressed in a yellow hazmat suit and unrecognizable in his yellow hood, knew exactly where he had to go, having driven there on various occasions during practice runs. In the back of the fake ambulance, Yousef and Sami, similarly dressed, sat on the opp
"And Then They Came..." (Chapter XLII)
Chapter XLII They were late. Lucas had planned to move into the terrorist compound by 10:05 P.M. His grandfather’s watch, however, showed it was already 10:18 P.M., and they were still in the parking area of the “El Guaraguao” bar. By the time everyone got into their positions, it would be closer to 11:00. The group was huddled in the shuttle around a small LED lantern that El Chino had produced, finishing the distribution of the weapons and ammunition that several of the me
"And Then They Came..." (Chapter XLI)
Chapter XLI Edgar Reyes was in his first year of med-school. Gentle, funny, and gay, he moonlighted as a paramedic for AmbuAir, which as its name implied, provided ambulance transportation to the airport, delivering and picking up patients traveling by air to or from the United States, and occasionally other countries. Thin—not weighing more than 145 pounds—5’9”, with an abundant head of black wavy hair and a Custer-like goatee, with a knack for calming and empathizing with
"And Then They Came..." (Chapter XL)
Chapter XL Lucas’ PT Cruiser turned off its lights as soon as it reached the ‘El Guaraguao’s’ parking area, and the two cars following it—a dark gray 2020 Jeep Cherokee and a metallic blue Toyota Prius—immediately followed suit. The bar, usually bustling with at least a dozen clients during the night, and blaring music from a coin operated jukebox, was closed down and boarded up, already prepared for the arrival of Hurricane Fay. One of the plywood boards nailed over the est
"And Then They Came..." (Chapter XXXIX)
Chapter XXXIX Police Superintendent Montañez stepped out of his black Lexus—the same black Lexus that his predecessor had used—placed a map on the hood of the car, and spoke into the police radio’s hand microphone. “This is Montañez to all units,” he said. “Please confirm your positions. I repeat, please confirm your positions, over.” “Position one ready, over,” a gruff voice responded. “Position three in place, over,” a higher pitched voice said after several seconds’ pause
