52. The vanishing trick
Captain Dexter, the leader of the foot soldiers, tests the door of the storeroom and asks Sergeant Moore: “Was this door locked earlier today when you came here to check?”
“Yes, Captain.”
“Well, we don’t have the right to kick in the door to make sure there is no one hiding behind the door. Maybe the colonel will be dismayed if we upset the owners.”
They hear a voice: “What is going on here?”
They turn around and his flank enlightens him: “This is one of the owners, Captain.”
Ronnie walks in through the open roll-up door. “What vehicle sped out of here and why is this door open; do you know what is going on? I hope we didn’t have a burglary here under the noses of the army!”
He pretends to peep as if he wants to ascertain that the door is still locked. “That storeroom is full of valuable farm equipment. Is the door still intact or is it broken?”
Dexter answers: “It doesn’t look like a burglary; the door is still locked. What did you see?”
“I think I saw a vehicle speeding out of here and when I looked through my room’s window I only saw a cloud of dust and taillights as it raced down the road. I suspected it came from the barn. That is why I have come to inspect and find the roll-up door open. What the heck is going on? Did you find the roll-up door open?”
“Yes, it was open.” Dexter points to the locked storeroom. “Can you unlock the storeroom so that we can inspect inside?”
“No, I rushed out in a hurry and haven’t brought the key. I will have to go and fetch it, but if it is still locked no one broke in. I don’t understand why the roll-up door is open, because the rest of the barn is empty with no vehicle in it. It simply doesn’t make sense! The only valuables are locked away in the storeroom and you confirmed it is still locked.”
Morrison’s voice comes urgently from the backpack of the carrier’s radio: “Greyhound, come in. Did you find anything, over?”
Dexter takes the mouthpiece from the carrier’s back. “Greyhound here! The place is empty, Colonel, no sign of anything, over.”
“Captain, get all your troops into the three Casspirs and move your asses to the farm road, over.”
“Understood Colonel. The Greyhounds are on their way, over.”
“See you later!” Dexter slaps Ronnie on his shoulder and he and his men trot in line through the open roll-up door into the dark night.
Ronnie closes the roll-up door and opens the backdoor facing the woods and peeps outside. He hears Jane’s whistle code from the woods indicating it is safe and he closes the door before he walks up to the storeroom’s door and knocks on it. “It is safe now, Chloe.”
Someone unlocked the door from the inside and Chloe walks out carrying a rather large rucksack on her back followed by the eight fugitives.
Ronnie gives her a fist and they lead the group quickly to the backdoor. “Promise me you are going to be very careful, Chloe. Please come back in one piece!”
Chloe opens the backdoor and peeps outside. The dark forest looks quiet and very attractive to her. She looks back, opens the door wide and gestures that they must follow her.
She smiles at Ronnie. “See you later, chum!”
~*~*~
Heinrich studies the moving dots on his laptop. The green dots are Bloodhound, the two agents in the jeep. The orange dots are Bats, in the helicopter. The purple dots are Greyhound and his foot soldiers. Then the eight red dots grouped together are the fugitives in their vehicle.
He anxiously yells over the radio: “Bloodhound, stop and turn around! They have turned off in a bush path and are driving into the woods and you bypassed them. Turn around and speed back! I will tell you where to look out for the path on your left side. Quickly! It looks as if they have stopped. They are probably going to divide up or else get rid of their wristbands.”
Morrison comes barging out of breath into the office: “Greyhound, I want Casspirs 1 and 2 as soon as possible at the farm gate and wait there. Heinrich will tell you where you must form a line to block all exits to the highway. Casspir 3, follow Bloodhound. Create an offcut line and chase after Bloodhound. Heinrich will tell you where they turned off and vanished into the woods, over.”
Suddenly the red dots disperse and Heinrich warns anxiously: “They are splitting up and moving around as individuals. Soon we will have eight dots to follow. Bat, come in.”
Haasbroek’s voice comes over the radio: “Bat here. They are now in a very bushy and hilly terrain with deep slopes, so you will have to follow them on foot. The trees are very high and dense and it is dark. We haven’t found any trace of them. Also, we haven’t seen the vehicle in which they sped away, over.”
Morrison yells in his mouthpiece: “Damn! Keep hanging and search! One time or another you must see them in an opening in the woods! Something is terribly wrong! I just can’t put my finger on it!”
Morrison sees that it seems that the red dots are moving in a south-westerly direction; thus in the direction of the highway. “Greyhound 1 and 2, wait at the farm gate. We are probably going to deploy you to the west of the farm gate next to the fence. They are on their way to you, over.”
The Greyhounds confirm that they are ready.
~*~*~
Chloe, in the meantime, supplied each of them with a weak LED flashlight that they wear on their heads and organized them into a line, like ducks in a row, from the weakest and slowest to the fastest and strongest. Kadin follows first step by step right behind Chloe and wonders what she is carrying in the big sack on her back. It sounds like liquid when Chloe shakes or makes quick movements. Kadin is curious but she must concentrate to keep up because Chloe moves so nimbly and quickly and she shines her light just behind Chloe’s heals to prevent her from stumbling over a tree trunk or branch in the way over which Chloe lithely moves. Then she must stop and struggle to catch up with Chloe.
Kadin wonders about this beautiful, short lady. She is so self-assured. She handles the huge dogs so effectively that they know precisely how to execute her orders. Kadin can’t believe the owners of the farm help them so committedly. They are so selfless. She wishes she could thank them, but everything is happening so rapidly, there is no opportunity.
Kadin has just begun to worry that she will not cope and will have to call Chloe to steady her pace, when Chloe’s strides ease and she walks slower until she stops, turns around and speaks: “We are here, people.” She points with her torch in the direction of a big tree and they see the kombi that Lyle hid for them under the tree.
Chloe gives instructions. “The key is in the ignition, Nico. Hunter said you must use the night vision he put on the front seat to drive without lights up to the highway. He is afraid the helicopter might see your lights and reveal our strategy. It is only a short distance along the bush path before you will see the opening in the fence. I will ensure that you are safely on your way before I am going to call the dogs to this south-easterly part of the farm. Only put on the kombi’s lights when you have turned into the highway and beware of approaching traffic without your lights. Make sure the highway is clear before you get on. Come, move your asses! Bon, voyage! Cheers!”
She gives everyone a fist as they pass her on their way to the kombi but Kadin just stands there and looks at her. Chloe looks at her.
“What’s wrong, Kadin? We must not waste time! The sooner you leave, the better! Before the colonel maybe find out what is at hand. Go now!”
Kadin ignores her and comes forward and hugs her passionately. “Thanks, Chloe, and say thank you to Ronnie and Lyle. You are the most wonderful people and so selfless; it is difficult to understand.”
Chloe smiles and hugs her tightly: “Oh shame, my darling, you are so cute! Don’t let something happen to you, please. Be very careful and make sure that all of you return to us in one piece in a month’s time. Please, go now!”
Kadin leaves her and runs towards the kombi that Nico has started already.
Chloe follows the kombi until it drives through the opening in the fence and then she stops and sees how they safely turn onto the highway, how the lights come on and how they drive away. She listens to the sound of the engine and listens how it proceeds safely into the distance before she turns around and walks back to the big tree. She takes the whistle and blows. She then takes the sack from her back, opens it and pulls out a tightly bound five-liter plastic bag filled with water and puts it down in front of her and patiently stands and waits.
The dogs now are suddenly going to change direction from west to east and there are probably foot soldiers following them. Those soldiers will have to be warned from the head office that the signals are now moving in another direction and this will buy a little time. It will take some time for the dogs to reach her on the eastern side of the farm gate, but she is ready. Nico and his passengers will be far away by the time the helicopter and foot soldiers reach this place. The trick worked and the first phase of Operation Mind-messing is successful. Now for the second part of the operation: she, Hunter, Jane, and the dogs must get back to the army base without being discovered and Nico’s group must avoid roadblocks until they reach PE and then they must get to the safe hiding place before the plague starts.
Chloe doesn’t want to be caught red-handed and will try to avoid them as long as she can. Although, she knows they will probably at dawn use trackers to analyze all footprints which will give them a clear picture. It is not a question if the colonel will put the pieces of the escape puzzle together, it is how quickly he will be able to do it. She wonders what the colonel will think about their treason.
It really is a shame, because up to now they have been getting along quite nicely.