Up ahead, he saw Ricks raise a hand, and then he heard, “Richards, point.” Chapman smiled. Anticipating his desires, Ricks was changing the point man every fifteen minutes. This got a fresh set of eyes up front and allowed the other man to relax a bit.
Chapman glanced at his watch. In another fifteen minutes he would call for a halt and give the men a chance to rest. He figured they had already made three miles. If they kept up this pace, they would be there mid-morning. No use in wearing the men out.
It felt as if the old Chevy was going to shake itself apart. Throwing caution to the winds, Verdes had floored the engine and was now flying down the dirt roads. Caracas was still over six hours away. Now the old truck bounced over the potholes and flew over the ridges on the road as he pressed it to its limits. The old Chevy didn’t disappoint. The V-6 roared like a lion under the hood. Verdes could tell his old companion would give its all to make sure he got to the city in time.
Going down the side of one mountain, Verdes could see the sky beginning to lighten. Within a mile or so, he would meet up with one of their ‘highways,’ not more than a two way street back home. But it was pavement and it would mean an even faster speed. Luckily, there were practically no patrols on a highway until you reached a city. There were only two between him and Caracas.
Suddenly Verdes slammed on the brakes. On the dirt road, it seemed like it was forever before he ground to a halt, right beside the cow that had somehow gotten loose and was standing in the middle of the road. He stared at the bovine through the windshield glass. It stared back, unwilling to move. Cursing under his breath, he got out of the idling truck to shoo it away. Once again the cow ignored him. Only when he slapped it on the rump did it finally ease off the road into some grass on the other side. That was when he found himself illuminated by the lights of a vehicle that was coming from the other direction. The vehicle came to a halt and someone came out of one side.
“What is going on? Why are you parked in the middle of the road?” asked the man walking up.
Verdes pointed to the cow, which gave off a long bellow. “He was standing in the middle of the road. It’s a good thing I saw him in the dark or I would have run over him. Stupid animal refused to move,” said Verdes.
There were calls from the vehicle, which turned out to be an army truck. “Bring it on, we’ll carve it up,” called one man from the back.
“I love steaks,” cried another.
The soldier with Verdes told them to keep quiet. “Imagine what would have happened if I had hit it with this truck,” he said to Verdes. He could see a smile on the soldier’s face. “It’s bad enough we have to do some patrols up the way, but to have a wreck with a truck full of men just because a cow refused to move would not make a good day. Thanks for moving it along,” he said.
The men shook hands and Verdes went back to his truck. As the army vehicle passed, Verdes saw it was filled with men equipped with rifles. I wonder where they’re going, he thought to himself. Getting back in the truck, he started the engine and then moved on at a slower pace. At the same time, he called in to Capricorn that the army was sending troops into the area.
Chapman stared at the waterfall as the men hiked by. The man Carlos had been right. This was the second waterfall they had passed and it was more breathtaking than he had ever seen. This part of Venezuela was beautiful. The vegetation was lush and the wildlife seemed to have colors all their own. He personally hoped to come back some day and explore this area again at his leisure.
He forced himself back to the reality of the mission. There was too much to do beside sightsee. You never knew what might come up. At one time in the night, Capricorn had warned them of something up ahead that seemed to be waiting for them. Spreading his men out, they had encircled the area. It turned out the object was not on the ground, but up in the trees. It didn’t have the shape of a human. Only after a growl did they realize it was a panther. The big cat had been watching their approach. Sgt. Miller was called up and took careful aim with his silenced rifle. His shot chipped the branch behind the big cat, startling it, and causing it to move down the tree and away from the group. It could have been a close call.
Chapman glanced at his ‘super phone.’ The GPS had them already within three miles of his objective and he was starting to think it would all be smooth sailing when a voice came into his earphone. “Team Leader, this is Capricorn. We have been appraised that there are troops heading into the area. We do not see them nearby, but we will be on the lookout. Do you copy?”
Chapman keyed the switch. “Roger, thank you, out.” He called out to his men, “Stop ahead and take ten.”
The men raised a hand and in just a minute, all of them had stopped in a small open area. Several of the men sat down and took a draw from their canteens. Chapman got their attention. “I guess you guys heard it. We may have company. Ricks, I want two men on point. Spread out along either side of this trail and keep your eyes open. I don’t know why anybody would be coming in our direction, but let’s not take chances. If we see anybody, we move away from the trail and conceal ourselves as best we can. The idea is to not be seen. We get seen, and the whole thing goes to shit. Time to paint up.”
The men reached back into their packs and pulled out the camouflaged paint. Taking their time, they covered their face and hands so that they blended with the surrounding vegetation. Several of the men moved back into the brush and pulled up some ferns and other vegetation to place along parts of their uniform and their helmets. Within a few minutes, someone would have a difficult time seeing them just ten feet off the trail.
In the satellite observation room at the CIA, the team was watching several trucks move up the road toward the objective. They noticed several pull off the road before coming to the compound and several moving further along. One truck actually moved up to the small air strip before disgorging its contents.
“What the hell are they doing?” one of the analysts asked.
“Beats me,” said another. “At least we were able to give the guys a warning.”
Soon they got their answer. They watched as the trucks seemed to spread out around the compound and the men began moving around the area both towards the compound and away from it. “Looks like they’re making a sweep of the area. Are we sure the leak was stopped?” asked the first man.
“As far as we know,” said a man sitting behind them all. It was evident, he was the supervisor.
“Well, it looks like they are looking for somebody,” said a third analyst. “Look at this,” he said, pointing to the trail that had been provided by Verdes. There was a small group of three men moving up the trail toward the team. They were just two miles away.
The supervisor grabbed the microphone, “Team Leader, Capricorn. We have three soldiers making their way along the trail ahead. They are two miles ahead of you moving in your direction. Evade, over.”
Chapman keyed the mike, “Acknowledged.” He lifted his hand and called for a stop. The men were in a clearing but all around them was thick undergrowth. “Ricks, move the men about fifty yards into the woods on either side. Be ready, but no one engage unless I specifically order it. Move’em out.”
Ricks sectioned the men and moved them deeper into the undergrowth of the forest. Within minutes, they were all well concealed. Each man unshouldered his weapon and waited. A little over thirty minutes later the three soldiers ambled up the pathway as if there wasn’t a care in the world. They were talking loudly and joking about their predicament. As they came into the clearing, the men stopped and sat back against some trees. Each broke out some food and began eating while they talked.