Bullet 4 - Part 9

1500hr

"I don't know what's wrong with you Sarge, but you are making a big mistake. We are not your enemy." Its a Mexican standoff between us and the Sarge and his remaining three member team. Henry is standing at the middle with his FN pointing at the Sarge while Dion and Sean is pointing at each other.

"Henry, you did not tell me we are shipping Kingfisher. Nor Sean Paddy. He's a beacon for trouble now. I have no fight with the cartel. I signed on with you to fight the soldiers and rebels but never the cartel. They have long arms than you can imagine. I am calling off the trade. We will go our way, and do our own stuff." The Sarge was holding his AK47 and aiming it at me.

"No, Sarge. We can take the two and retired from there." One of the men from Sarge side is getting greedy.

"No, Mikhail. We go off like this never happened. We get to earned our money from elsewhere. So back off slowly." The Sarge is motioning to his men to move back but the men who spoke earlier was not.

"No, Sarge. I am not letting this one go. Stephan was in the other truck and who's going to pay him now? I am taking Sean or Kingfisher today. I need the money for the family......" But the Sarge turned and shot him in the head.

"No one moves. No one questioned my order from now. I said we backed off." The other two did as he told them, and the three of them backed up into the truck and the Sarge drove off.

But the standoff stands still.

"Dion, put the rifle down. He is not your enemy. We can still go through this......." But Dion is not doing it.

"Sean Paddy killed my family ten years ago. Up in the hills, they came with him, and they killed everyone who is a male and humiliated the female. I was one and he was the bastard who raped me. I became a soldier because of him. I want to pay him back in full today. You can go on with the plan but not me. Its ends here for him. " But she never got the chance to pull the trigger. I did shoot her as if she shoot Sean, Henry would had shot her. And I know Henry would regret that if he shoots her. Dion died in Henry's arms. I walked up to Sean and took the Remington.

"Father, there has been enough killings for today. Let's try to get the bus going now." I drove the bus out but we had to wait while Henry buried his wife in a shallow grave. Sean lend him a hand and when it was all over including a prayer for the departed, they all boarded the bus. Henry took to the rear to let his grief flowed while the priest stands by me at the front of the bus. The children are all quiet and keeping to themselves.

"I regretted that day and it was the turning point for me. I left the squad and seek refuge with the pastor in the slums. He taught me to cleanse my sins by working for the slums. I did as he taught me but the past has a way to catch with me. Like yours. We are of the same fish in the pond.; ever the need to alert for the net that may come down on us. Kingfisher, repent while you can."

But I did not answer him.

We came up to the town and we saw a another truck which a single tonne version. Its not much but it has a three quarter tank. All of us boarded it with the priest sitting next me on the front. Henry decide to ride in the rear.

Next was Chuka, and a roadblock awaits us there manned by the town folks and they had piled up two rows of car on the road. Behind each row, is three men with rifles. The Priest asked me to drive up to the block and he alighted to talk to them. One of the men in the row facing the truck came forth with the priest to come into the truck. He looked at me and then the children.

"Drive slowly when they move the car." I waited for the signal to move the car and through the narrow gap I managed to drive through. As I was driving through the same man who boarded the truck motioned for me to parked the bus on the side of the main street. I parked there and I find a group of men surrounding the truck with armed rifles. The children started screaming and crying while the Priest calmed them down. I wanted to get out and talk to the men but the priest told me to sit back. Instead he went down and faced the men who guided us in.

I can hear the word 'wait' and 'we will decide then', but the group of men surrounding us did not fire. Soon I saw who they were waiting for. A stout looking lady dressed in a dark suit and boots came from the nearby shop. She is wearing a gun at her waist and has two men cradling AK47 following her. She walked up to the truck and stopped at my window.

"Madame Novi, I am honored to see you here." I know this lady well, as she was one of the employers I seek. Madame Novi is a leader of the faction that has been opposing the new government and she also dislike the ex-King. She has been fighting a guerrilla war for the last three years and prior to that she was the outspoken independent ruling council member. When the Government outlawed her political party and herself included, she took to the jungle to continue her fight. She had managed to formed a small army among the followers and has been active in the some areas. The army and other rebels has tried to remove her but she has been lucky with her escapes. She is not only well known here but also abroad; where her cause is well supported. Melanie, my sister has been an ardent supporter of her too, and it was from Melanie that I once met Madame Novi.

"Kingfisher, I presume. Or is it Marius. I have not seen you since we met at the dinner in Paris. How are you?" I met Madame Novi in Paris a year ago during one of her fund raising campaign. I saved her life from an assassin but it was never reported in the media. You could say we were in hiding together for a week and we were once close. But that is over now. "How is Melanie? I missed her too."

"Ovi, I am fine and so is Melanie. I am here to find you but something caught up with me and I became a driver. Can we continue our trip and we will have our discussion some other day." I am trying to brush her off as those near me tend to die early. Ovi is one I do not want to see suffering the same fate. I alighted from the truck and faced her.

"Marius, you are in my territory now. More to it, I know you are a target of the Cartel, and you are driving north to seek the Princess. The former I knew from the local sources, and the later I knew from Gavin Nates. And also Melanie." I should had known; Ovi is linked to the company and she is in constant contact with Melanie.

"The Cartel got you cornered, Marius. They just signed a pact with General Diego this morning at the capital. The civil war is off, and the new President would be General Diego. The cartel gets exclusive rights to the mining and we, the peasants get the crumbs. I waited here for you knowing you are coming up this way. For your mission has just been escalated to 48 hours now. That gives you 24hours now to complete it."

"24 hours? Its impossible." I have not even reached my first objective and now struck here.

"Nothing is impossible. I can get you to Claudia fast but not on the truck. You will travel by foot across the range. My men will guide you and you will meet Claudia on the way. But your partner stays here." She is pointing at Henry who is standing up holding his FN Minnie.

"Henry goes with me. Or there is no deal." I looked at Henry and I can see him looking nervous. 

"Henry is a double. He is under the payroll of the Cartel too. He has been transmitting your location to the Cartel. We only got to know this this morning. Gavin Nates has also allied with the Cartel now for diplomatic reasons. The ex-King died this morning in his sleep. Get Claudia to safety and restored the country. I do not like the old man but not his daughter. You choose bad employers at times, Marius. But I am your employer now. Get Claudia to safety and restored the country."

Then it all made sense now since we started the mission. I been tagged by the man I trusted and he has been playing possum on me. I pulled my S&W special and shot him in the head. The men around the truck all reacted but Ovi told them to lower their weapons.

"Marius, your aim is still as good but not your judgment of people. But I applaud you. I would had shot Henry too after you left, as I cannot accept double agents. But let me warn you firsthand. Claudia holds the key to the nation wealth and General Diego will not hesitate to get her back alive. So be careful. Perez will guide to the place where you will meet Claudia and on from there to the border. Meantime, I got a war to fight on." I held out my arms and Ovi took my hug. But she pushed me off and asked me to go immediately.I went over to Henry's body and grabbed the FN Minnie and the spare clips. I threw it in the truck and got in the driver seat. Perez was the guy who sat in the truck earlier. He indicated ahead and I drove on. We drove for over an hour and then he asked me to do down some side road towards a farm. There we found a number of wooden wagons pulled by horses.

"Let the children rest and sleep. At dusk, we will take them on a wagon ride to the hills. Its best to travel at night as there are less patrols and more to it, less shooting. We will meet up with the Princess at dawn on the other side. No worry, senor. I know these hills like my house. I lived here and so did my grandfather. But I have bad news for you. General Diego knows you are here and he has sent the Para Squad. They are one of the best in their field. I am told they are coming in tonight to the hills. They hunt you and only you." I thank Perez for the news and I walked over to talk to the priest.