Chapter 19

After stealing a 1996 Jeep Cherokee, Spencer heads to Lesotho. The roads are clear, except for a few Chinese troops that either pass on the road or are set up at various guard stations. He thinks it is a little strange, but he’s not going to be the one to argue with anyone about it. The mines aren’t hard to miss either. Signs are posted identifying the owners, as well as saying keep out and no trespassing. The soldiers and tanks aren’t hard to miss either.

He passes by the miners and continues for two more miles before pulling off the road and ditching the vehicle. His best approach will be by foot. If the enemy doesn’t expect him—which he doubts—then it will be a wasteful trek. As prepared as Winter is, Spencer figures they are expecting him. As he approaches, he sticks to the shadows and plant growth while lights flood the entire area. They are waiting for me or they just like to keep the place bright. Like in Novosibirsk, he takes some time watching the patterns of guard movement. The movement is erratic and after thirty minute, Spencer gives up trying to find a pattern.

Dawn is beginning to break—the element of night is fading. He decides to get moving despite losing his cover and element of surprise. Avoiding the lights as much as possible, he makes his way to the compound. The site is massive and open. With soldiers spread out, there are plenty of gaps for Spencer to easily slip through as he traverses his way from the south.

He has no idea where to begin looking. Without Maykov’s help, it presents a challenge. He slides behind a building to avoid being seen by a group of workers. Whether the workers will call out or keep silent is anyone’s guess and one Spencer wants to avoid finding out for certain. And as he hides in the shadows of the building, his thoughts go to Maykov. He had hoped that by now, if not somewhere along the way, to have met up with her. What could have happened to her? First Sam, then Jennifer. He loved Sam and misses her dearly, but Jennifer he is unsure about. He has mixed feelings about her. There is something about her, something that definitely helped with his grief over Sam’s death. Maybe being her sister with the striking resemblance helped. Shaking his head to clear the thoughts, he refocuses his attention to the task ahead.

The sun has fully risen. The air is crisp and clear. Over the next hour, he stalks from building to building, looking for some sign of the kidnapped men. But it is those two men that find him instead of the other way around. As Spencer turns around from looking into a window, Patmore and Cooke stand with a mixture of confusion and partial relief on their faces. Spencer is just as shocked as the two men, instantly recognizing them from his initial briefing. The three stand there for a few moments before Spencer first breaks the silence. “I’m with the Terrestrial Defense Force. I’m here to rescue you,” he says, adding a bit of excitement to his voice.

Both of the men’s faces brighten up with a flicker of hope. “Quick,” Patmore says. “We need to get inside before we’re noticed.” Patmore gestures to the door of the building Spencer was just looking into. As the men enter, Cooke glances around to ensure no one notices the strange situation taking place. “We were beginning to wonder if anyone would come for us,”” Patmore begins. ““We got news of America pulling back and taking out any forces they had.”

“Are you all they sent?” Cooke asks, sounding a little skeptical.

“Actually my partner was killed a few days ago,” Spencer says dryly. “The other help I had has disappeared as well.”

“Sorry to hear that,” Patmore says comfortingly.

““How do you plane to get us out of here?” Cooke asks coldly.

“Honestly I don’t know,” Spencer answers. Patmore and Cooke form frowns that tell the agent he had better justify his statement. “Things over the last few days haven’t gone as planned. In fact, they have gone nowhere near the way they should have.”

“Then is there anything we can do to help?” Patmore offers.

Cooke seems to almost give up on the matter altogether. He paces to the corner of the room, which is just what the building is, a large room. There are two beds, a sink and a toilet. Not much for living conditions, but enough to get by.

“I’m not sure yet,” Spencer sighs. “What have you been doing since you got here?”

“Supervising, placing explosives and piping. Not much more than that.” Patmore says, checking off his fingers as if it were a list he is trying to remember.

Cooke shakes his head. “I don’t know what use we would be to you. We’re not soldiers and to be honest, Sergey is expecting you.”

This catches Spencer’s attention. “Sergey Stalokavich?”

“Well, yes,” Patmore says matter-of-factly. “I assume you know this man.”

“Oh, I know the son of a bitch,” Spencer remarks with much disdain in his voice. “I’ve met him once. We met to get any kind of information he had about the situation and you guys. I knew there was something about him that just didn’t quite fit.”

“He’s not the only one involved, but he is running things here,” Patmore explains.

“Then I assume you know the basic layout of the complex here,” Spencer states.

“Knot it! Hell, we’ve had free run since...” Cooke starts to say before trailing off.

Spencer casts the man a puzzled look before looking at Patmore.

“After Dahlin was taken away to be beat and watch his family killed, we all decided it be best to give our all to our tasks. I know deep down I feel ashamed and I know Cooke does too, but we didn’t have a choice.”

“I don’t blame you,” the agent says understandingly. “This must have been a tough situation for you all. Where are the other two, Roberts and Dahlin?” he asks.

“We are supposed to be transferred to Antarctica later this afternoon to join the others and complete our tasks there,” Patmore says.

“Is there any kind of transmission station here?”

“Honestly, I don’t know,” Patmore says.

“Yes, there is one at the north east end,” Cooke abruptly pipes in.