Chapter 16: Vengeance One

Luis Fajardo looked out the picture window of downtown Bogotá Columbia. Picking up the paper, he read the article again. Slamming the paper down, he turned and looked at his companions.

"Damn it! We have to stop these people from distributing these serums. They are going to give this miracle drug away free, and our product won't affect the people who use it. That will prevent them from buying from us. We need to stop them, but how? Already sales are down fifteen percent, because the addicts are being given this new garbage. When they try our stuff again, they get nothing, absolutely nothing!"

Carlos Fajardo looked over at his brother and said, "Luis, we need to teach them a lesson. Therefore, we kill one of them. In addition, we need to stop the hospitals from passing it out. The article said Saint Mary's would be the first hospital in the country to start this anti-drug treatment. Therefore, we blow the hospital up and we kill everyone in the cursed place. I am sure the new people will investigate, and if they do, we kill their leader. That will teach them to back off."

Luis faced his brother, and a sneer came to his face, and snarled, "Do it, teach them that the 'Cartel' is not someone you discard. I will be downstairs. That reporter knows more then she is saying, and she is going to tell me all she knows."

"I will get right on it, Luis." Carlos said as he picked up his cell phone and dialed a number from memory. When it was answered, he said, "Hector, it's a go." Hanging up he dialed a second number and he said, "J.W.? It's a go. Target nine, take one."

"Target nine, take one. You want me to send over the film?"

"Very much so, we must review your work."

Across town, Hector Martinez loaded the last case of semtex and wired it all together. Taking the bales of clean uniforms and medical supplies, he covered the five hundred pounds of semtex. The last thing to go on, were the ten bales of clean sheets. Walking into the office, he sat down and started eating his food when the phone rang.

Picking it up he said, "Hectors dry-cleaning, how may I help you?"

"Hector it's a go."

"Right away, Sir."

Glancing at the clock, he has three hours until he has to be in position. Finishing his lunch, he cleans up his workshop and slides the hidden door closed. Walking up stairs, he changed into his delivery driver uniform, went back to the van, and started the cranky engine up on the fourth try.

John Wilson picked up the clip for the XM107/M107 Barrett rifle and started loading the ten round magazines. Sliding the fat .50 caliber armor piercing rounds into the clip, he quickly loaded four more clips.

Carrying the rifle over to his prepared position in front of the boarded up window he stood the weapon beside the sandbag gun rest he had made for this job. He leaned forward and opened the plywood window. Looking out he saw the hospital almost a mile away. Lifting the weapon from beside the gun rest, he lowered the gun until it came to rest on his sandbag. Muttering to himself, he adjusted the scope on rifle until he could see the shuttle sitting in the parking lot.

'Okay. Now all I need is a high level officer.'

Sister Mary Francis walked down the long corridor with Doctor Olivia Hernandez.

"Doctor, I don't understand what you want to do here?" she said.

Olivia stopped and looked at the elderly woman and said, "I am here to heal all your children. Since this is also a children's hospital we, I mean Admiral Thompson, has issued orders that all children in all hospitals are to be cured of any disease or injury they may have."

Mary looked at the young woman and asked, "Why would he do this thing? These are not his children. They are not even his people."

Olivia smiled and answered the woman, "Because he cares about children and believes they shouldn't suffer."

Sister Mary thought on the answer and said, "Then may God bless him. May the Lord Jesus watch over him and all his family." Coming to a door, they stopped, and she continued, "This is the ward for the terminally ill. Inside are thirty-nine children who are dying or close to it. Are you sure you wish to go in there?"

Olivia looked at the closed door and said, "Then they are the ones who most need me and my medical skills."

Looking at the doctor warily, Sister Mary said, "Okay."

The Sister slowly opened the door, and the two of them stepped into the ward. They stopped by the desk so the young doctor could see the forty beds lined up twenty to a side.

Doctor Olivia Hernandez looked into the ward of dying children, and saw misery among all the children there. The smell of death hung in the air. She placed her bag down on the desk. Opening it, she reached inside. Sister Mary watched as the Doctor pulled out an odd-looking injector. This glance went unnoticed by Olivia, as she was busy loading the injector with healing nanobots.

Walking down the aisle, she visited the children. She injected them, while Sister Mary Francis watched from beside the desk with tears running down her face.

Hector pulled out of the garage and headed down the road, passing through one of the many police checkpoints when the phone rang in his pocket. Flipping it open, he listened.

"Hector; are you ready to deliver our gift?"

"Si, I am five minutes away, depending on the traffic."

He slammed on his brakes, stuck his head out the window and yelled loudly at the kid that he had almost hit.

"Get out of the way, you stupid brat!"

Wrenching the gearshift back into drive, he continued along the road and headed towards the back of the thirteen-story hospital.

Jenny went down the gangway of the ship, looked around, and saw Louise Gonzales.

Walking over to her, she said, "Louise!" Giving her a hug she continued, "Are you ready to go get your mother and sister?"

Louise was shocked when she saw her friend whom she had thought was still on Space Dock One with her father.

"Jenny, you shouldn't go with me. My poppa is going to be mad enough at me. I ran away and joined the Federation without his permission. I ran away from the marriage he arraigned with that drug dealer."

Jenny released Louise and said, "Screw your dad. You are an adult, and an Officer of the Federation. Your mother and sister need to be rescued from the jerk, and we will get them out. No one deserves to be hit for no reason unless they are into that type of sex. Now as your commanding officer, we will do this. So let's get aboard the shuttle and head for Bogotá."

Louise stood there for a second, her mouth hanging open at her friend's new confidence. This was something that she never displayed in any of her letters, but has seen since she rescued her in Bogotá a few months ago.

"Yes, Ma'am."

Walking behind Jenny, Louise followed her into the massive shuttle.

As the two of them stepped into the shuttle, the hatch closed behind them. Louise sat down beside her friend and said, "It is not that I am not grateful for you bringing me into the Federation, but why me? I am just a poor girl from the slums of one of the most hated countries in the world, due to the drug trade. I mean, I know I am pretty and all, but I was not very smart." Seeing Jenny was about to say something she quickly adds. "You taking me away allowed me to get away from Carlos Fajardo who had his eye on me." They both paused as the shuttle lifted off and headed for space.

Jenny listened to Louise talk, and she saw the shudder that went through her friend.

"Well, that's another reason. No way in hell I would let that slimeball get his claws into you! No way in hell are you marrying Carlos Fajardo." Putting her arm around her, Jenny hugged her shoulder, and continued, "That man is an animal, along with his brother. They will not get you, and they will not get Maria. I wouldn't be surprised that after you left he started making the moves on your sister, and she's only ten years old."

Louise sat there, and felt the tears run down her face.

She looked at her best friend, and said, "Thank you, Jenny."

Squeezing her shoulder, Jenny replied, "No thanks are necessary, that's what friends are for. So, I hear you're going to be a fighter pilot. Are you sure that's what you want?"

"Si that is what I want. I love flying in space, it's so beautiful."

Looking out through the transparent amour, she saw the shuttle was passing one of the destroyers.

"When you are flying out here, the excitement is magnificent. You know that any second you could die, but the feeling of going where no one has gone before is really cool. I actually landed on one of Jupiter's moons. It was beautiful looking up through the sky and seeing Jupiter so close. I flew through Saturn's ice ring and felt the ice hit my shields, and then when I came up it was as if I was rising from a deep pool of water. This is something I could never thank you enough, for giving to me."

"You're more than welcome, Louise." Suddenly the shuttle engines fired and it dropped back into the atmosphere.

"I still cannot believe you and Ted got married and you allowed me into the wedding." With a sigh she continued, "I plan on being there in five months so don't you go running away."

Jenny touched her stomach and said, "Shhh don't let him know. I want to surprise him, and damned if I am going to miss the invasion of Karsakini. I am going to help save the people who were kidnapped."

Louise looked Jenny in the eyes and asked, "Is that wise? I know the fold space is safe, but it could come down to a battle, and you could be killed."

Grabbing Louise's hand she squeezes it, "If I am killed, then that means Ted is dead too. We will be on the same bridge at the same time."

The shuttle banked into the heavy atmosphere. With its forward thrusters firing to slow the ship down, it came in over the Atlantic Ocean and dropped toward the coast of South America.

Hector pulled the truck up to the delivery area, and saw that there were six other trucks ahead of him. Backing the truck up to the loading dock, he parked it, got out, and walked into the hospital.

Passing the guard he said, "Have to use the toilet, I will be back."

Quickly he walked through the building, and out the front of the hospital. He turned down the road, and stopping at the intersection three hundred yards away he reached into his pocket, pulled out his cell phone, and dialed a number as he stepped around the corner. The cell phone rang and an explosion shattered the back of the hospital. Support columns along the back of the hospital failed and the building started to fall. When the dust cleared, the entire backside of the building was shattered masonry, bodies, and wrecked equipment.

Olivia took her injector and pressed it against the last child's arm. She smiled at the eleven-year-old girl dying of AIDS. The girl watched what she was doing and ran her fingers over where the doctor touched her.

"Hi, sweetie, what's your name?" Olivia said.

With a weak smile the child said, "Consuela Louise Rivera. What did you give me?"

Brushing the girl's black hair from her eyes she said, "Well, Consuela, I just cured you of your disease. Soon you will be able to go home, and play with all your friends."

With a sad smile at the thought, Consuela said, "Thank you, but I know I am..."

Suddenly, a huge explosion hurled the children from their beds and the noise shattered the peace of the hospital.

As Olivia was hurled away from the bed, she reached out to the child.

Consuela flew from her bed and into the doctor who wrapped her in her arms. The Consuela cried out in pain as her elbow shattered on the tile floor. Then she felt arms wrap around her and she was pulled against the doctor as she stared up at the ceiling.

Olivia held on to Consuela with all her might as they slid across the floor, her back hit the wall, and they slid to a stop. She grunted in pain as she hit her head and then a voice asking her something but she could not hear what was being said over the sound of wreckage of the hospital as it started to collapse.

Standing up, Olivia looked around the shattered ward, beds lay overturned with children scattered around the floor crying. Activating her com on her wrist she said, "This is Doctor Olivia Hernandez, I am at Saint Mary's hospital in downtown Bogotá someone just blew up the hospital. I need med-evac for dozens of wounded kids and an unknown, but large number of other patients."

"Doctor, this is Lieutenant Commander Shawn Edwards, onboard the USS Oregon, we are dispatching shuttles for emergency recovery."

Olivia listened to the report as she held Consuela in her arms, and said, "Good. I need doctors, med-evac units, and mechs with tractor beams on them to lift the wreckage off. We will also need body bags. I am not sure what the count will be."