94. The Plan

Sitting behind his desk, Colonel Morrison frowns. He unfolds the note William has handed over to him. While he is reading, the young soldiers are standing and looking at him anxiously.

‘I have come to know that the mercenaries have a contract with the occult. They agreed on a plan and snatched our friends away from under your noses on April 1 and brought them to their quarters at the neighboring farm on your east side where they will keep them and help them to fulfill their mission for the occult and also to spy on you. The occult plans to visit the farm regularly with adequate supplies and even pay them handsomely when there are results.’

Amazement is written all over Morrison’s face. Anxiously he reads on: ‘The mercenaries will be troubled and unsure about the rescue of the people. I suppose they will enhance their security and will contact their spy in your midst, Paola, to ascertain whether you were responsible. You must ensure that she is kept in the dark about our plans because we must let them believe that someone else is sabotaging them. They must believe you have no idea that they have their quarters at the neighboring farm. Eventually, we are going to use Paolo to lead them into a trap. We are going to force them to pretend they are still in control when the occult visits them for the first time. Then we plant detection devices on the occult so that we can follow them to their den ...’

Morrison looks up, nods, and winks happily at William who has no idea what is at hand. Morrison reads on: ‘I suggest you get a team together and send them to locate a helicopter – I hope you still have a pilot – somewhere that we can use for this task. I heard that both your copters had been demolished by the enemy.’

The soldiers jump from fright when the agitated Morrison hits the desk with his fist and the smile is replaced by anger. “Damn!”

With a deep frown on his forehead he reads on: ‘First, I have something serious to sort out. Things had gone wrong for the mercenaries and they brought back only four of the people. Six remained behind and are being sought. The four here know from where the search has been conducted and we agreed that we will go and fetch their friends. We need your help! Help us and I will deliver not only our ten friends but also the four mercenaries that are part of the search team. They can be your prisoners of war who you can milk for information and that can help us to make a plan to ambush the rest of the mercenaries and apprehend them. I need the following …’

Anxiously and dead quiet the soldiers just look on while the colonel reads the rest of the note. Suddenly he hammers the desk outraged with his fist.

“I knew it! I knew the fucking Boer is going to cheat me. I read about these Boers who made assholes of the Red Coats in the war. They, who in the bush war humiliated a combined force majeure of Cubans, Angolans, and Russians many times. Who even put their tongues out for the United Nations and blackmailed them with a nuclear weapon of their own when the bush war ended. It’s in their genes. They are the most hard-headed skunks under the sun. No wonder the British tried to wipe them from the earth’s face by burning their farms and throwing their women and children into concentration camps. I wish the British were successful in their genocide and had sent the forefathers of this pest straight to hell. Then I would have been spared this drivel. Dammit!”

Morrison looks straight at William and yells at him like a sergeant major on a parade ground: “Tell me everything! I want to know everything you know!”

Frightened William enlightens the colonel who frequently interrupts with outbursts of rage. William relates how they saw three Ranger cabs coming down the road and that Hunter saw where they entered the farm next to the Eastwood Estate.

William also tells the colonel how he peeped through the cabin window and only saw four escapees and the two women looked familiar. The other two were an old man and a young girl. Morrison calls Heinrich over the telephone and orders him to bring photos of the people who escaped before the plague broke out with him. William recognizes Rene and Emilie. Morrison is quite sure the old man is the professor and the young girl his granddaughter. So, Hunter has the key person with him!

Morrison looks at Heinrich. “Make sure Marco and Paola are in their barracks and know nothing before you bring Chloe to me inconspicuously. This Boer left me with no choice. He holds all the trumps and if I try and cheat him, I will wreck the whole plan. He now is calling the tune and will share the reward with us. Bring that woman immediately while I prepare these young guys because they are part of his plans. And then I need all these things …”

He shows Heinrich the note with all Hunter’s requests. “Get all this ready. It must be done unobtrusively. I don’t want people to know and start babbling and it reaches Paola’s ears. It is important!”

***

It is still dark outside. The sun hasn’t risen when the Casspir and the Jeep approach the neighboring farm’s gate. The Jeep turns in and stops in front of the gate. Three soldiers jump out. One opens the gate while the other two follow with a pick and a shovel. Hastily they dig holes where the first one has indicated right under the gate when it is closed. When he is satisfied with the depth of the holes, he walks to the Jeep and pulls away a sail. He picks up a land mine carefully and walks to one of the holes, puts it in cautiously, and pulls out the pin. Then he carefully covers it with sand before he fetches the next one.

The Casspir drives along the road and eventually turns off and follows a rough dirt road that further on enters a dense blue gum forest before they turn right and follow a narrow bush path through the dense woods. Eventually, they reach an opening where a Ranger and an old rusted Dodge cab stand in front of a wooden cottage. The doors of the Casspir open. Chloe jumps out at the passenger side in front while four giant, young Boerboel dogs jump out at the back and excitedly rush to the bushes at the backside of the cottage. William, Daniel, and Ryan also get out at the back and follow the dogs. They get a fright when two massive Boerboels rush anxiously and hurriedly towards Chloe. They jump up against her excitedly. They hug her with their legs and paws and lick her as if she is a delicacy and are yelping madly excited. The other dogs come nearer and sniff and nibble at the two, pleased to see them.

Five people appear from behind the wooden cottage. William recognizes Hunter instantly. At Hunter’s side, a disfigured man with a scarred face and a rifle in his hands staggers along. He limps badly with a stiff hip and right leg. On Hunter’s other side, Rene and Emilie move ahead in their impressive battling gear with helmets in their hands and carry bags on their backs.

Chloe eventually contains the dogs and they leave her and obediently sit down. She now runs excitedly to Hunter and jumps into his arms and hugs him. She cries from joy. Hunter caresses her back while she hugs him tightly before she leaves him and greets the women friendly. The whole bunch moves to the soldiers who only stand aghast and watch them.

Hunter smiles affably and introduces them. “Rene and Emilie, these are the three guys who helped me to get you out. This is William, he is Daniel, and he is Ryan.”

After warm greetings, Hunter explains: “Rene and Emilie refused to come with me. First, I had to agree that I would help them to go and save their children and bring them back and now they insist on going with me. Rene’s husband and three of their friends at this stage are, together with four mercenaries, searching for the children in the gorges where they had remained behind. We are going to the farm from where the search commenced. Her husband and his friends are helping the mercenaries and they still are under the impression that the children’s mothers are kept at the mercenaries’ camp on the farm. We are either going to meet them along the road, or we will surprise them when they come back with the children and we will take the mercenaries into custody for your colonel.”

He looks at Rene and Emilie.

“If, however, they were unable to find the children, Chloe’s dogs will help us. I am sure if they are still somewhere in those gorges, Chloe’s dogs will sniff them out.”