Chapter 13

Nico and Tony

Nicaragua – Central Florida

The two men in NY Mets baseball hats had been calling each other by their new names: Nico and Tony. They thought about only two things: the details of their mission and the paradise they would meet after the culminating event. They prayed only in their minds: operational security demanded that they not do any obviously Muslim things, and praying several times daily definitely was Muslim. Even in the jungle they were not to do things which might breach their security.

On the fifth day, their satellite phone chirped – as they knew it would. They had been staring at it, waiting. Nico and Tony packed their meager possessions, retrieved the inflatable from its hiding place, and paddled out to the large cabin cruiser that was bobbing in the water. They exchanged hugs with a man who introduced himself as Frank. Frank was also wearing a NY Mets hat, and had a heavier accent than either Nico or Tony – probably Saudi or Yemeni.

There were all kinds of diving equipment secured in the back of the boat. After they got underway and the boat began to steady in the large, but regular, swell of the Gulf of Mexico, Frank came back to talk to the two men. "This is the tank you will need." He gestured to a scuba tank that was painted in blue. The others were painted in various colors. "Nico will carry it, Tony will take the yellow one. You will each have masks, flippers, weight belts. All normal things that divers have. Your reservations will be at the Holiday Inn in Fort Myers. Each night you will travel to a new Holiday Inn."

The men nodded. They knew all this, it was part of their mission brief. "This will give you special status at the Holiday Inn." He handed them a Holiday Inn Priority Visa card. This was not in the mission brief, but Frank enjoyed this little perk. He would get some free nights' stay at Holiday Inns because of all the travel the men would do. How could it hurt? "Be careful with the tanks. If they get too hot from the sun, they might explode. And then you'll find paradise before the destined time."

"Food is down there." He pointed to the small galley. There were dates and olives and other food that Tony and Nico recognized. They settled in for the long trip across the Gulf. Frank pulled the tarp back over the dive tanks, and went back to piloting the boat.