Chapter 296

With the mess outside contained I entered the embassy. With the adrenalin rush gone I realized my chest hurt like hell. My pain reminded that Vicky had been shot also I found Vicky in the security control center with both the agency and the JGB people. They had watched and filmed the whole thing on the state department video system and were watching the CZZN world news special broadcast on the events happening outside.

CZZN reporters were a real piece of work. Apparently they were mixed in with the protesters while doing a live broadcast. The only thing that did was make the protesters braver and more insane. Seeing the live video of reporters and the protesters running away from our Molotov cocktails made my day - that a few moments ago they were championing as a right of protest - was hilarious.

I just knew repercussions would be coming or at least I thought they would. From the shootout in the back to the bottle throwing and fire out front elimination of the sharp shooter, all state department personal world-wide could see it live on the State Department system surely there would be those that were critics.

"How are you, Vicky?" I asked.

"I hurt like hell," she replied. "How about you?" she asked.

"I took a hit too," I replied.

With a full audience I helped her take her jacket off along with her blouse. I pulled the two slugs from her Kevlar vest as I was taking pictures with one of my cell. "You may want to keep these as souvenirs," I said as I handed them to her.

Next the vest came off and the bra.

"I am not putting that back on," she said.

"And you won't for a couple weeks," I replied.

Vicky had two very large bruises. I asked for ice packs to help slow the swelling and help with the pain.

Now it was my turn. I thought I had only been hit once but there were two slugs in the vest. Like Vicky, I iced my bruises while I watched the video, then I sent the pictures from my phone to the office along with a text to be in my office for a VCATS conference in ten minutes. Cindy and Marcy knew how to run it.

The embassy staff cleared out while leaving the video controller to allow a confidential VCATS call to the gym. The staff had plenty to do with the Columbian federal police - who were nonexistent during the protest – and were now investigating the two dead would be terrorist out back and were very agitated. I knew that Vicky and I were soon going to be required to give a statement, maybe more. We didn't fear them it was Jenny that worried us the most.

VCATS came alive and I was looking at all of the JBG senior staff. It was easy to see Jenny was beside herself but very relived to see that we were OK.

"If luck has nine lives, you are running out of numbers; the pictures show that both of you were hit at least twice," Jenny said.

"Yeah, I know, I promise we will be more careful," I replied.

"Has it hit the world news there yet and what are they showing?" I asked.

"CZZN has been running live feeds of the riots at the embassy. The onsite reporter is biased and still adding fuel to the problem," Marcy replied.

"The controller is going to link the security video to our feed. You are going to be able to see what happened behind the wall. Record it for me, Marcy," I said.

The controller ran all the video from the beginning and ended when the building across the street disappeared from view as the blazing inferno collapsed.

One of the fence cams that were aimed to the rear of the embassy building caught the instant that both Vicky and I were hit in the vest. It also caught the rest of the shoot-out, the dead men falling and the action with us filling the beer bottles with gasoline to make our own Molotov cocktails.

I did not say anything but when we returned home I would run the tape in slow motion.

The camera on the building recording the rear gate caught the shoot-out, the dead men falling and the action with us filling the beer bottles with gasoline to make our own Molotov cocktails.

"BJ, check out the Suburban to see if the armor company can repair it here. I have ordered 25 to replace the oldest models but they are several months away. If it can not be repaired on site, we will have to lease one," Marcy said.

"10-4, will do, and get some good pictures for them to evaluate before we leave," I replied.

As an afterthought I called Vance, "Be on your toes, Vicky and I killed two people a short while ago. Watch each other's back closely,"

Ambassador Ransum came in and told us we needed to make a statement to the Columbia Federal Police Investigator Mr. Jose Lacarte. He also said that Washington had instructed them to give the police a copy of the rear gate footage as part of complex international agreements.