Chapter 23

From the moment the computers crashed, McKay knew his worst fears had become a reality. The world powers had not only found the hidden bunkers, they’d managed to hack into his computer network. Now they were going to take their vengeance with a terrible force. He recalled the strange momentary glitch in the system and realized his initial fears were true. Somehow or other the world powers must have captured Adam Bondar and convinced him to turn traitor to the cause.

“And fuck, I should have taken the chance to slip away a long time ago but I didn’t. Now I’m stuck in these bunkers which have become nothing but a death trap,” he muttered. He frantically tried to get the computers back on line, knowing it was their only chance because the computers would let them monitor and prepare for the attack by the soldiers. But it was useless. The computers were now controlled by somebody else.

Then Eli came scurrying into the communications room like the rat he had proven himself to be.

“What the fuck’s going on?” he screamed in rage at McKay. “What’s wrong with my computers? How come they didn’t give us any advanced warning of the attack? Weren’t you supposed to look after them? They were your responsibility and you failed. You know what happens to people who fail me?”

He made a grab for his gun that he wore in a holster strapped around his waist like a cowboy and began screaming out orders. “Blow up all those damn hostages, hurry up. Do it now, damn you. They’ve served their purpose and we’ve had our fun with them so they’re useless to us now.”

“I can’t, it’s no use. It’s the computers. Somebody else has taken control of them. I tried everything but they don’t respond to my commands. That’s why the soldiers managed to get close enough to take us by surprise.” McKay admitted.

“You son of a bitch,” Eli swore. “Then I guess your usefulness also has come to an end.”

Eli drew his gun, but his first shot missed McKay who was diving for cover the second he went for the weapon. But there was nowhere else to go. He crouched fearfully behind the desk as Eli calmly walked around it and shot again. This time Eli didn’t miss. The first bullet was right between his eyes and then he shot his former computer expert several more times. Each time a bullet hit him, his lifeless body jumped like he was bouncing across the floor.

Finally satisfied, Eli holstered his smoking pistol, turned to his two body guards and began giving them orders.

“Hurry, since we can’t blow up the hostages from here we have to send somebody to do the job manually so gather up some men. Do it now,” he commanded.

“But, but,” one of them protested in a stutter. “They’ve already sealed off the tunnel that leads to the hostages so we’ll have to send them outside to get to the hostage bunker. And if we do that it’ll be pure suicide cuz the attackers probably already have soldiers in position by now who just waiting for someone to try and cross that open space.”

“Do it, get some men to cross that open space or there’ll be deaths in here,” Eli demanded. His hand went to the pistol hanging at his side as he coldly glared back at the man who dared to question his authority.

As the bodyguards silently stared at the hand that hovered near the gun, they knew Eli was deadly serious and wouldn’t tolerate anybody defying his command. They quickly nodded and hurried off to find some men to take on the suicide mission, but one thing the body guards knew for sure it wasn’t going to be them leading the force to try and access the hostage bunkers. They’d find someone else foolhardy enough to command those men, even if it meant enforcing his orders with a gun like Eli did.

In the hostage bunker, as the last of the hostages were ushered out, Ashley was preparing for the onslaught of Eli’s soldiers. She figured there would be several attempts, each one more desperate before they gave up or ran out of men, so she armed her squad with extra ammunition and the best automatic rifles possible.

“Door is opening with heavily armed men crowded in behind it so it looks like they’re getting ready for an attack.” Margo gave them an advanced warning. Thanks to her control over the computers and its cameras, she was able to see the men assembling being the door just before it burst open and a horde of Eli’s terrorists attempted the run across the open space which was now no man’s land.

“Fire,” Ashley shouted. Immediately the room was filled with the thunderous roar of the rifles and its air became polluted with the smell of spent ammo. She watched as Eli’s force was moved down by the withering fire. Actually, it was like shooting ducks at a country fair. Just a few managed to make it more than a few steps before they were mowed down and only a few lucky ones managed to slip back inside the door before they were shot.

“Hold it, reload and be prepared for another attack,” Ashley ordered. “They might be foolish enough to take another run at us and we got to hold them off until all the hostages are evacuated and the helicopters arrive to finish the job of destroying the fortifications.”

Eli was beside himself with rage as he watched the carnage from the safety of small slits cut in the wall. He saw that his men were being cut down like livestock being led to a slaughter house, but he was so infuriated he ordered another rush. The men meant nothing to him, they were just pawns to be sacrificed for the greater good.

Margo gave another timely warning and again the attack was repulsed as soon as the next wave got out the door. By now bodies littered the ground around the door and were piled up like cord wood.

She also gave Ashley another alert. “I just found Eli. He’s using slits in the wall to watch what going on but it’s a long shot unless you got a real good marksman because those slots are pretty small.”

Ashley knew the chances were slim but decided to give it a chance. She pointed to one of her squad who always boasted about his prowess with a gun. It was time for him to show off his skill.

“I got him about halfway down the wall. He keeps peering through a slot about half way up so I’d make it waist high. When he goes for another look, I’ll give you the word.” The marksman listened to Margo’s direction and aimed his rifle to where he thought the terrorist would be.

“Now, it’s a go, he’s back in position,” Margo announced and the rifleman shot at the suspected slot. His shot was dead on but he chose the wrong slot.

Eli saw his bodyguard, who had also been looking through a slot beside him, collapse on the floor with half a scream. He stared down at the dead man who lay on his back minus an eye, then quickly stepped back from the wall, surprised and shocked at how the bullet had managed to hit him.

“It’s over, it’s all over. They got us trapped in here and now they’ve brought in helicopters,” the second body guard screamed as he re-entered the computer room. His words were emphasized by the sound of the choppers and the thunderous whomp as they let loose a number of rockets right above them. The sound was so deafening it rang in their ear drums and made rocks and plaster fall from the ceiling and walls. As Donna’s squadron began its assault, several more direct hits pounded out their intentions. They intended to pulverize Eli’s hideout, knock it to smithereens.

Eli scrambled back to his feet and held onto a desk for support while he tried to shrug off the effects of the chopper attack. He looked at the body guard in a haze of red anger, like it was all his fault. The son of a bitch hadn’t done his job. After two attempts none of his men had managed to make it more than a few feet outside the door. By now the hostages had been freed. It didn’t bother him that his men had been cut down like clear cut trees in a forest. He felt no sympathy for them. Instead, he blamed them for the disaster. The bodyguard knew what the cost of failure was.

Eli was tempted to go for his gun and shoot his body guard, but changed his mind when he realized the man still might be useful. As another rocket pounded his fortress, Eli decided escape was the first priority and the body guard might still be needed. He had designed the bunkers with several emergency escape hatches in case of such a dilemma, now, he thought, it was time to use them. Maybe, with a little luck he could get out of this death trap unscathed and live to fight another day.

Eli motioned his remaining comrades forward and followed them out of the computer room. They dashed through another room and entered a series of long, narrow tunnels, but forgot about Margo who still had control of the computers and cameras. She was able to watch them rush down the tunnels and give another warning.

“Get some people on the far side of the mountain, fast. I think Eli has given up trying to defend his fortress. It looks like he’s gonna make a break for it and the computers show he has a couple of escape hatches.”

“Okay, I’ll call in some of the helicopters with the heavy armaments on board. If he dares peak his head above ground they’ll unleash a couple of rockets.” Ashley promised.

As she turned to issue the orders, Margo added. “I’m already in radio contact with the pilots so I can give them the co-ordinates.”

Eli breathed a sigh of relief as he reached the first escape hatch but he didn’t realize his progress had been followed by Margo and her computer who was relaying his every move to the attacking forces. The rockets pounding his bunkers were beginning to take their toll on them. Already chunks of cement and wood were falling from the ceiling, forcing him and body guards to climb over or go around the obstacles. In addition, parts of the walls were beginning to crumble. Eli’s realization that very soon his impenetrable fortress was going to be nothing but a pile of rubble propelled him to climb and claw his way through the wreckage.

Desperate to escape the carnage, he motioned his men to hurry forward. Not that they needed much encouragement because they could also sense the impending doom of Eli’s dream.

Margo smiled, pleased at what she saw was happening. Eli and his remaining men were all crowded around the man sized door that would allow them to leave the mountain fortress and make their escape into the wooded hillside.

“Ready, here they come,” she warned the helicopter crew.

When Eli and his body guards burst through the door the helicopter was waiting for them. At first the terrorists were so intent on escaping the collapsing bunkers they failed to realize the choppers presence. It was only when the door was fully open and the first of the men rushed through it did they realize their mistake.

Eli was already half way out of the bunker and already wondering about which way he should move to make his escape through the bush when he heard the ear splitting roar of the helicopter which had been lurking just out of sight. He stopped and looked up, surprised at the sight of the chopper hanging in the air like a giant insect. He stood frozen in shock at its sight, but when he saw the rocket launcher aimed at them from the helicopter’s open side door, he was galvanized into action.

“Shut the door, shut the door,” he screamed in panic as he turned to scramble back into the safety of the bunker. But he was too late. The rocket was right on target. It roared through the open door and went part way down the tunnel before it detonated against a wall. The resulting explosion sucked the air out of bunker, radiated an intense heat and destroyed the bunker walls so badly the ceiling collapsed.

Eli’s screams of frustration sounded like the cry of a wounded animal as he lay amongst the ruins of his hideout.

“No, no, it’s impossible,” he chanted, unable to move because his legs were trapped under the debris from the caved in roof. For a moment he laid immobile, coughing and trying to catch his breath. Then he roused himself with a loud groan and ran his hands across his face to wipe the plaster dust out of his eyes. They came away with traces of the blood leaking from the corners of his mouth. He stared at his hands in awe and dread because he knew what that meant. The blood must be from internal injuries. He could feel the throbs of pain begin somewhere inside of his body and coughed. He watched as more blood dripped out of his mouth and ran down his chin but he refused to give up.

“There’s still time to get away and start over again,” he muttered as he forced himself to make one last desperate attempt to escape. With maximum effort he managed to painfully twist his body so that he was on his back with the blood seeping between his lips like he was blowing bubbles. He could see bits of the blue sky and bright sun shining through what was left of the bunker roof. It reminded him of the hopes and promises of better times, but the stabs of pain cutting through his body like a sharp knife, and the screams of his wounded men brought him back to reality. He ignored the sight of their mangled bodies and redoubled his efforts to free himself from the wrecked bunker.

Eli had almost managed to remove the fallen timber that had trapped his leg when he heard the sound of the chopper. It was returning for another run at the trapped and helpless terrorists.

“Fuck,” he cursed as he frantically pushed away the last log covering his body with what was left of his strength. He put mind over matter to suck up the agonizing pain his efforts cost him. He grunted in pain as he tried to stand so he could hobble back into a safer section of the tunnel but it was hopeless. His legs collapsed on him so he started crawling away from the bunker entrance. He turned and screamed his defiance when he heard the sound of the second rocket. It finished the job of destroying the escape hatch. What was left of the walls and roof fell inward, burying everything under a fresh shower of timber and rocks.

Eli opened his eyes and was amazed. He was still alive, but barely, and trapped under even more of the wreckage. In addition, he could smell the smoke from the fires that the rocket had started. The smoke was thick and heavy like a pea soup fog and made him cough up more blood. He tried to move but knew immediately it was useless and since he didn’t want to be burnt alive, he clawed for the gun strapped to his hip. Every move brought fresh waves of pain and groans of agony from his bleeding mouth, but he managed to pull the gun from its holster and hold it under his chin. At the sound of the chopper preparing to shoot yet another rocket, he pulled the trigger. That was the end of Eli’s kingdom.

PROLOGUE

For a while the world rejoiced over the release of the hostages and Colonel Donna Jackson was commended for her part in the action. Ashley and her squad of Guardian Galaxy Security employees also see received praise, but then they moved on to another assignment. Life began to return to normal but not for Max. He had one last task to perform. The names Donna Jackson had wrung out of Husiennie had to be passed on because he wanted to make sure the men would never use their riches to promote terrorist activities again.

Abdul Nazar, millionaire Pakistani businessman, usually enjoyed being in the limelight. He was often seen in the best of restaurants with his young, trophy wife on his arm but ever since Eli’s failure he had become so reclusive he was rarely, if ever seen in public. Even the meetings needed to manage his industrial empire were unannounced and held in secret. It was said he even used a double to take his place from time to time.

It made him very elusive, but the assassin was patient as he tracked down the first of the three men on his list. He didn’t know where the names were on the hit list came from, but it didn’t bother him once the people that had bought his services had deposited half of his fee into an untraceable numbered Swiss bank account. He would get the remainder when the last person on the list had been eliminated. To him it was just another job

It took weeks before he was able to compose a proper schedule of the man’s family and business activities but even though he knew Abdu’s routine he continued to wait for just the right opportunity to end his life. When he finally killed him it would be a good, clean hit without any collateral damage, which meant his wife and their child would be untouched. Those were the orders he received with the down payment and the assassin respected those conditions.

Today might be the day, the assassin thought as he crouched on a roof and watched the car drive up to the side door of a restaurant. Abdul had the right idea of using a plain old four door sedan to drive to the business meeting instead of the usual flashy limo, but he should have dispensed with the body guards. They may look ordinary but the bulges underneath their suit coats were a dead giveaway.

The assassin watched through his binoculars as the back door of the non-descript car opened and a tall, stately man in a black suit and neatly trimmed jet black hair emerged. Immediately he was surrounded by several big burly men who ushered him into the restaurant. Then they returned to stand outside and stare menacingly at any pedestrians who tried to enter the restaurant. Their actions were clear. The place was off limits for the time being. It made the assassin believe that at last he had found his man, but since he was a thorough man who believed in making sure the job was done right, he continued to wait.