Beyond Top Secret: A Zach Taylor Adventure Page 11

  “Wow, do you always eat like this?” Linda asked.

  “Only when beautiful women show up,” Justin replied.

  “Stop, your going to make me blush.”

  “The color would only make you even more radiant.”

  Zach jumped in, and asked, “So how was your trip, Linda?” In a futile attempt to change the conversation.

  Still not ready to let Zach off the hook, Linda devoted her attention to the rest of the men, especially Justin. Reminiscent of the flirtation encountered during the adventure shows filming, Zach watched in dismay. He had feelings for Linda that had never been expressed to her before today. Then to top it off, acting like a jerk when she arrived didn't help matters. Now here she was showing attention to another man as if he no longer existed. Zach hurriedly finished his dinner and left the mess hall.

  Returning to his tent, he worked on the new training schedule that included Linda’s assignment. Even in this attempt to distance himself, Linda’s name was front and center. He decided sleep might give him a reprieve from his thoughts and bring clarity to the situation. Sleep was elusive, Zach counted the stitches in the canvas, analyzed the knots used to hold the poles together, searched for holes in the mosquito netting, adjusted his pillow endlessly, and thought about Linda.

  With morning’s arrival, a sleep-deprived man emerged from his tent to address the team. He was met by a well rested and happy group of men gathered around Linda. Getting the team’s attention, Zach laid out the new schedule. Everyone would attend a two hour combined communications, logistics, and tactical discussion. That would be followed by a two-hour Krav Maga tune-up class, which was optional for Linda. After lunch, they would have a four-hour session with Linda teaching TV production. He reminded the men to take her training seriously since they had thirty days to become a seasoned film crew. Furthermore, Zach would monitor Linda’s training from time to time to ensure the men were doing just that. Zach dismissed the team, he wanted to talk to Linda privately but was still uncertain about what he would say.

  With day’s passing like clouds in the sky, Zach and Linda kept a cordial and professional relationship. Linda maintained a level of innocent flirting with Justin but had no real interest in him. For Justin’s part, he still sought Linda’s attention. In fact, Justin was the worst at mastering the use of different equipment, always needing hands-on and personal help from Linda. She obliged but suspected his skills outweighed the struggles he portrayed. This did not go unnoticed by Zach and just added to his dilemma with regards to Linda. While he still had feelings for her, he didn’t want his role to be compromised by a rift between him and one of the men. Eventually, Zach decided he had no time for romantic feelings. This team was too essential, and he chose to sacrifice his sentiments.

  After fifteen days Linda was called into a meeting with Joe and Zach to review the teams progress. Regarding physical equipment operation, she was sure with another two weeks they could pull that part off without a hitch. Her concern was the vast array of terms standard in the industry. In an extended conversation with another camera crew, they would be exposed. Thirty days was not enough time to reach the point of being a “seasoned crew,” but with limited interaction, they would get by while they continued to learn. Joe thanked her and as she got up to leave a glance was directed at Zach. The two men sat and pondered her assessment when Joe said, “Congratulations on a job well-done, your training will be officially complete in fifteen days. I already have your first assignment.”

  “Whoa! What happened to a year of training?”

  “I think you’re ready, don’t you?”

  “How important is the camera crew training?”

  “Not very. As long as the team can convince people they are a camera crew. I don’t care if they can even run a camera.”

  “Well as long as you think we’re ready.”

  Zach decided it was time to ask a question that had been lurking in his mind’s recesses for months. “Joe, why are we Zebra Two? Was there a Zebra One?”

  “Not Zebra One, they were just called Zebra.”

  “Were? Did they get disbanded?

  “No Zach, we lost the whole team. Even though Bigfoot had fully vetted a local man they were using, the local was playing both sides. Based on the information the local had provided, it would take the entire complement of men to secure the building where a target was holed up. Their mission was to capture the target alive so we could interrogate him. Having no reason to doubt the local, they planned a raid on the building. Within ten seconds of the last man entering, the entire building was destroyed when a large cache of Octanitrocubane was detonated. There were no survivors. It was on my list to let you know Zach I just hadn’t found the right time.”

  “So what happened to the local that betrayed the team?”

  “He’s dead. He didn’t survive interrogation. As if some sort of mantra, all he kept saying, over and over, was “my family’s safe,” unfortunately, the entire family was found dead less than a month later, and not by us.”

  “Well for what it’s worth thanks for telling me, I think.”

  “Let’s talk about your assignment. It seems a Venezuelan drug lord, Rafael Montenegro, has a penchant for purchasing high-level military equipment. Our intel indicates his sources are worldwide, including the United States, but we lack specific names of those behind the suppliers. All we currently have are low-level lackeys that are handling the physical transfers. First, we want you to find out who’s behind this so we can cut off the head of the snake. Then we want you to destroy his entire arsenal before he gets the chance to use it. Here is all the information we have.” Joe handed Zach a classified folder. Then Joe added, “You have two weeks to come up with a cover adventure and a plan of action.”

  “Well, all I can say is, I hope you don’t find the need to start training a Zebra Three.” Zach got up and headed for the door.

  “One last thing Zach, I’ve noticed Justin and Linda seem to be kind of cozy around each other. Is that going to be a problem?”

  There it was, an instant answer to his dilemma. All he had to do was tell Justin that Joe said to knock it off, but what would that do to Justin’s attitude. Instead of taking the easy way out, Zach said, “No, Justin is still making good progress. I don’t see an issue.” Zach headed back to the tents.

  The team gathered together, and Zach filled them in on upcoming events. From here on out the morning session would be replaced with mission planning. They had two weeks to go over every detail they had available. They were to skip nothing regardless of how trivial it may seem. While they were completing the TV crew training, Zach would spend his afternoons coming up with a plausible adventure. As expected, those that were becoming bored showed a great deal of excitement. Others were nervous, and some showed a high degree of animosity. In an instant, two weeks had passed as if it were a day. The time had come, they would be heading for Venezuela in the morning.

  Linda sat in her tent regretting the nature of the last month. She thought she had time to sort out a looming issue that was troubling her. While Linda liked Justin, it was mainly just flirtation, maybe an attempt to make Zach jealous? She wondered. Observing Zach for the past month had shown her he was a caring, considerate, and compassionate man that treated the team as if they were his family.

  In the past when they were filming shows, it was a physical attraction. Now it was much more than that. Zach was an all-around good man that she had strong feelings for. The problem was she knew how Justin felt about her and this was not the right time to distract Justin. This was a well oiled cohesive team, and Linda didn’t want to be the one that would disrupt that in the midst of a mission. The fact she didn’t know how long she had between assignments to fix things made it even worse. It was Linda’s turn to kick herself.

  Chapter 13

  Venezuela 2002 CE

  Linda contacted the Venezuelan government to gain approvals for filming a documentary of Zach free climbing Mount Roraima. Luckily after seve
ral transfers, she encountered an official that was familiar with Zach’s adventures and was eager to help. The government saw this as a potential tourist draw and were quick to approve the request with only a few stipulations. First, they would need to fly into Simon Bolivar airport in Caracas. Second, a government official would greet them, and a TV crew would film the welcome and also the departure. Third, Linda would need to provide footage of her filming for use in tourist promotions. Finally, everyone would need the proper paperwork to allow entry into Venezuela. Without hesitation, Linda agreed and thanked the man for his speedy resolution of the request.

  After Linda relayed the information to Zach, he called the team together for a meeting to finalize plans. Not liking the prospect of a day-long road trip they looked for an airport closer to the town of Las Claritas. They had selected the area due to its proximity to Montenegro’s compound and a reasonable drive to Roraima. Shawn, who was a private pilot, understood the requirements for landing a plane and found the El Dorado airport, which had a four thousand foot runway. The runway could support their aircraft and was about an hour’s drive from the house Bigfoot had located for them. Just south of Las Claritas an ex-pat had built a large home and was willing to rent it out for the right price, which was not a problem. Next, they made arrangements to have two specially equipped Land Rovers available near the airport. They all agreed two weeks would give them enough time to get setup before Zach did his TV stunt. With everything settled it was time to put their training to the test.

  They arrived at the Caracas airport in a glimmering white plane with a golden sunrise on the tail and “Zach Taylor Adventures” emblazoned across the side. As expected, they were met by an official in regal attire and a TV crew. After the official greeting, the TV crew shoved microphones at Linda and Zach and asked the typical interview questions. Once satisfied with the footage the crew thanked Linda, packed up their equipment and left. The five-man team headed to customs to register their presence in the country. As they waited for the last passport to be stamped, there had been a cursory check of the plane by a contraband-sniffing dog. Thankfully the dog had shown no interest in the secret compartment holding four men. The team thought this was more for show than substance since the Venezuelan government provided VIP credentials. The five-man group headed back to the plane and were almost immediately airborne.

  A drab gray plane landed at the El Dorado airport. Away from the spotlight that greeted them in Caracas, they wanted to take on a more subdued appearance. When Zach exited the plane, he was baffled by what he saw. During the hour-long flight to El Dorado, the shiny white jet plastered with his name had been completely transformed. Seeing Zach’s expression, Chris made a quick call then explained, “The skin is made of a material that can emit whatever color scheme is programmed into the display computer. Want me to show you?”

  Zach shook his head no and pulled the computer phone from his pocket and located the Land Rovers. Bouncing and diving between humps and holes the two carts with tiny wheels loaded with gear and passengers forged ahead only through the determined efforts of Shawn, and Clay. After a series of turn right, left, left, right directions from the phone, they found their vehicles. All shared a ‘you’ve got to be kidding’ expression as they looked at two run-down old Land Rovers parked along the side of the road. The question on everyone's mind was if the vehicles were even safe to drive. Despite the tinted windows, a dilapidated interior was visible that garnered little enthusiasm. From his phone Zach unlocked the cars, they opened the rear, which ushered in befuddled looks. The real interior was nothing like what they saw from the outside. These were modern vehicles that had beat up bodies replacing the original frames and the windows somehow displayed an interior much worse than the real thing.

  Relieved with this discovery, they began loading the gear into the vehicles. Each gear bag had either a red or black tag affixed. Everything was sorted based on color, all items with a red label went into the Epsom green vehicle, the rest went into the Chawton white SUV. Another illusion awaited them that became evident once they started the cars. From the inside, the engines purred like a well-oiled machine. From the outside, the vehicles coughed and sputtered with off colored clouds of smoke billowing from the exhaust. While not necessary at that time they went ahead and split into two teams based on their respective assignments. They used the vehicles colors as team names. There was the white team which consisted of Zach, Linda, Barry, Phil, and Shawn. They would cover the adventure. The green squad, Chris, Justin, Ray, and Clay were the advanced recon unit. They all piled into the vehicles by team color and got underway.

  Following the GPS units, they made their way to the highway and headed south. Except for the occasional “oh wow” or “cool” coming from Chris, as he played with the onboard computer, it was a subdued and uneventful drive. Shortly after they passed the town of Las Claritas, there was a turnoff on their left. The vehicles found a perfectly maintained asphalt drive that pampered the tires and shocks. Cut from the jungle the driveway was surrounded by tall trees that arched overhead. They proceeded along the row and after three hundred yards reached an imposing wrought iron gate that stood sixteen feet tall. In either direction from the entrance, seamless twelve-foot steel walls adorned with razor wire on top completed the picture. Zach punched in the code he was given, the gates parted welcoming him and the team to the luxury residence within the secure perimeter.

  They all took in the splendors of their temporary dwelling, pleased with Bigfoot’s find. The house had six bedrooms and eight bathrooms along with various other rooms that numbered more than they cared to count. With nine team members, they had to resolve the sleeping arrangement. It was evident Linda would have a room to herself, and they all agreed it was only fair for Zach to have a single bedroom. That left four rooms, one would have a sole occupant, and the other three would house two people.

  To decide on who got the other single room, they agreed the most logical way was a random draw. A single suit from a standard deck of cards would be used to determine the winner. With ace being high, the cards were laid out on a table and moved around as a means of shuffling. One by one they made their pick and showed it to the group. After the sixth card picked, Clay had the highest card with the queen. That left only Phil to choose, but rather than taking a card he conceded the single room to Clay. With intense pressure from the others, everyone was curious, Phil went ahead and picked what was now a meaningless card. It was the ace, but Phil didn’t complain about the decision he had made.

  Without much deliberation it was decided; Chris and Ray, Shawn and Phil; and Barry and Justin would be the roommate pairings. With that resolved, the team went about bringing all the bags inside. Personal belongings went to the appropriate room’s while all the bags with red tags were piled in the game room next to one end of a covered pool table. The remaining bags with black tags were placed at the other end of the pool table. When the last of the bags were brought in, everyone was hungry and converged on the kitchen. They expected a bounty of food to be available, based on their impressions of the house. Instead, they found a note posted on the refrigerator; ‘Sorry, since you didn’t give me a lot of time, I didn’t have a chance to stock the kitchen. Enjoy your stay, John.’

  In the fridge, they found an over-sized jar of martini olives, a jar of dill pickles, a bunch of celery, several cans of tomato juice and a bottle of hot sauce. They grabbed everything and put it in the center of the kitchen table, then split up to attack each cabinet. They searched each cupboard for food, whatever they found made its way to the table and once they completed the search, everyone stood around the table starring at the most eclectic collection of food one could imagine. There were; kippers, snails, pâté de foie gras, smoked oysters, truffle oil, spam, sardines in mustard, potted meat, pickled pigs feet, cheese in a can, crackers; and a stale french baguette.

  Hard as a brick the baguette could not be salvaged and got tossed. Cheese in a can was the most popular, and each one of them took turns
putting some on a cracker. Justin was the exception. He squirted the goo directly into his mouth unabashed by the glares. The remainder of the items did not receive the same universal acceptance. Like searching a bowl of jelly beans for your favorite flavor, the selection yielded few results for most. The only anomaly, and surprising the rest of the team, was Linda. Sucking the gelatinous meat from a pigs foot, she declared them delicious and encouraged the others to give them a try. Delving in, and with few exceptions, she was enjoying the vast variety of flavors presented. “All this stuff is great, but these need to wait for butter and garlic,” she said, setting the snails off to the side. When they finished what they were willing to eat, the overwhelming consensus was a big bowl of jungle stew sounded tasty about now.

  Faced with the food situation, they had two choices, hope the town had a decent assortment of food, or send the jet on a rescue mission to procure known food supplies. Without hesitation, the unanimous decision was a jet run. They compiled a list of everything they wanted for a months worth of decent meals and snacks. On what could be considered a dangerous mission, Zach marveled at how childish these grown men could be.

  A lengthy debate on the virtues of creamy versus chunky peanut butter had taken place without resolution. Zach settled it with the suggestion they get both. Maybe nerves over the mission were the real impetus for the debate, Zach thought. By the time they were ready to send their list the plane was already approaching Miami. The pilot informed Zach a ground crew would start gathering supplies immediately and they would be back in El Dorado in five hours. Clay and Shawn eagerly volunteered to drive back to El Dorado to pick up the supplies. Not seeing it as an altruistic gesture but more as a chance to get the first crack at the food, the other men gave them a fair dose of lighthearted grief. With everyone planning on relaxing until the ‘real’ food showed up, Zach decided he would head into town for a little information gathering.