Dane watched Hugo come through the foliage. Hugo motioned for Dane to follow him as he turned back toward the men in black. Hugo pointed out the location of the men and motioned Dane to flank them to their left. Hugo went right. Each slithered into position without alerting the two men eating. Since the jungle floor was still wet, leaves held no crunch when stepped upon. Hugo signaled Dane to go on three. Hugo began the countdown with his fingers held up. On three, Hugo and Dane pounced on the men. The two men in black reached for their guns but were face-to-face with Dane and Hugo’s gun barrels before they could grab them. The two men stared in horror at Hugo and Dane in disbelief.
Without a word, Hugo covered the two men while Dane removed their weapons. Hugo motioned for them to place their hands behind their heads. Quickly Dane pulled out two poly cuffs, pulled the men’s hands behind their backs and zipped them on the men’s hands, incapacitating them. One began to speak. He did not like being cuffed. Before he could hardly utter a word, Hugo smashed his gun butt into the man’s face shattering his nose. He was out like a light. The other man’s eyes widened. He evidently got the message. He said nothing. Dane crouched in front of the two men and Hugo slipped back into the jungle. Dane and the men stayed there quietly for fifteen minutes before Hugo popped back in from the bush.
“All clear,” whispered Hugo. Dane kneeled in front of the man Hugo had not hit.
“Who are you and where do you come from?” questioned Dane with steely eyes. One could tell Dane meant business. His CAR-15 muzzle was inches from the man’s nose. At first the German stared at Dane.
After a few seconds the German spoke in a low but serious voice, “Ich spreche nicht.”
“He doesn’t want to talk,” said Hugo. “I can fix that.” Dane held up his hand.
“Do you speak English? Sprechen Sie Englisch?” asked Dane, staring intently into the eyes of the German. The man looked away for a second and then glanced at his cohort out cold beside him.
“He’s not dead,” said Hugo, “at least not yet.” Hugo grinned at the German. “But you will be if you do not start talking now.” Hugo’s facial expression went to dead seriousness. The German glanced again at his comrade and returned his eyes to Dane. Dane’s eyes had never left the German.
“I am Leutnant Shaffaer,” he said in a normal tone.
“Quietly,” demanded Dane. He didn’t want any more noise than necessary. “So you do speak English? Where are you from?”
Leutnant Shaffaer stared at him with a mixture of hate and disdain. Dane unsnapped the strap on his USMC black K-Bar knife and wrapped his fingers around the handle.
“Answer or die. It is that simple. I will ask only one more time,” hissed Dane.
The leutnant looked at Dane and could tell he was not joking. “I came from the complex,” he said almost in a whisper as he looked at his comrade, who, although bleeding, was still out cold. The leutnant did not want his comrade to hear him telling Dane anything.
“What complex?” Dane asked.
“It is about four kilometers that way,” he said, nodding his head toward the north.
“What kind of complex? How many personnel are there?” Dane peppered him with questions. Before the German could answer, Dane asked him the question he really wanted to know.
“Do you have two Americans as captives?” asked Dane. The German looked both scared and angry. Dane’s guess was that he was going over any options to escape. His eyes flashed between Hugo, Dane and the jungle.
“Hey, Bub, don’t get any crazy ideas about escape,” said Hugo in a menacing tone lowering his CAR-15 to the German’s chest. “You would not get your arms raised before I would burn you down. You understand?”
The German again stared at Hugo. He realized that he had no choice.
“I was told we have three people. I do not know if they are Americans,” he whispered. “I never saw them.”
“Then they are alive?” asked Hugo.
“Yes, I think so,” he answered. Then he added, “I don’t know.”
“How do we get to the complex?” demanded Dane.
The German hesitated for a second and with one quick glance back at his buddy, he began to talk.
“There are several ingress points,” the man said. “There are two about four kilometers north of here.”
“How can we find the ingress points?” asked Hugo. “Are they marked in any way?”
“They are marked by small stones about a foot high. They look like tombstones.”
“We should be able to find those,” remarked Hugo. “Let’s move.”
“Take their weapons,” said Dane as he stood. He turned and knocked out the leutnant with a blow to the head using the butt of his CAR-15. The two men in black were both out. “Bind their feet, gag them and tie them to the tree. We don’t want them waking up and following us. Then let’s head north.”
Hugo bound their legs, gagged the men and tied them to the tree.
“These two aren’t going anywhere,” smiled Hugo. He checked their bindings once more and Dane and Hugo were off through the jungle. Still ever vigilant, the two men moved through the jungle like cats. They listened for any abnormal sounds, reacting instantly when they thought they heard something.
After an hour of travel, they felt they were near the complex. But there were no signs whatsoever of any tombstones, only jungle.
CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX
Their visit at Fortress Alpha was to be brief. Since their arrival yesterday there had been constant meetings. The next morning was to bring even more. It was early; seven-thirty in the morning to be exact. Dieter Blocher had been awake for over an hour. He had one last appointment with Albert Jackson and Herrman Kunze before he and Jackson were to leave. Blocher was inwardly excited to ride on the helicopter over the vastness of the Amazon jungle.
They met for breakfast in another small but opulent dining room. This room was decorated with all of the trappings of the Third Reich. There was a huge picture of Adolph Hitler on one wall and a large German flag on the opposite wall. Rich mahogany paneling and moldings surrounded the room. It was clearly a showcase of the richness and importance of the soon to be Fourth Reich.
“Good morning, gentlemen,” smiled Herrman Kunze as he walked into the room. “I trust you slept well last night?”
“Extremely well, I must say,” answered Jackson, taking the first sip of his coffee. “Your hospitality is wonderful. The coffee is particularly good.”
“Very well, thank you,” added Blocher. “This is a remarkable complex, Herr Kunze.”
“Please call me Herrman,” said Kunze. “We will be working very closely over the next several months. We must feel comfortable with each other.”
Kunze looked at Jackson, an old friend. “The coffee is one of the benefits of living in the Amazon. Some of the finest coffees in the world are grown here. We take advantage of our natural resources.”
Blocher nodded in agreement.
Kunze began the meeting. “Dieter, Albert tells me that you are quite an effective administrator of our work in Miami. You have a big job ahead of you. You will be the apex of our gold operations in the United States.”
Dieter sat up a bit straighter. He was very pleased with the comments. “Herr Jackson is very kind with his comments,” began Dieter. “I have learned a great deal from him. I feel confident that I will be able to fulfill your needs in Miami.”