About 5:10 a.m., Dane nudged Hugo. “Wakie, wakie, time to hit the trail.” Hugo snapped awake instantly and checked his weapon. “Damn, I wish I could do that,” said Dane.
“Do what?” asked Hugo.
“You know, awake from a dead sleep and are ready to go in an instant.”
Hugo smiled. “Ya gotta train for that, my man,” joked Hugo. “It comes from many battles and many women. I don’t know which one has the most influence.”
“Figures,” said Dane. “You ready?”
“Let’s hit it, Boss.”
With that Dane and Hugo began their journey back to the clearing.
Tim and Ben were awake for several minutes. It was now 5:15 a.m. Ben looked over at Tecal, who was chewing on some jerky of some kind for breakfast. Ben knew better than to ask what kind of jerky. He really didn’t want to know. He knew it was nourishing and took the piece Tecal offered. Tim took a piece as well.
“Beef jerky, I love it,” whispered Tim.
“It’s jerky, yes, but what kind? You would have to ask Tecal. But I can assure you that it is not beef,” said Ben, getting up to one knee.
“Oh,” said Tim, “Mystery meat, huh?”
Ben grinned. “Yeah, something like that. If you want to know, ask Tecal. But for God’s sake don’t tell me what it is. I just don’t want to know.”
As they chewed on the jerky they readied themselves.
“Tecal, are your men ready?” asked Ben.
“Yes. My men ready to go.”
“Good. Let’s get into position. Dane will kick off in a few minutes and we must be ready. You know your positions around the hatch and in a defensive position around the immediate area. Let’s do it,” said Ben as they all rose and headed into the jungle toward the hatch.
CHAPTER FIFTY-THREE
It was several days since the incursions. Maas ordered increased security and his men were on high alert. Patrols outside the complex were increased. No new incidents were reported. Maas was up early to deal with the Grübner situation. Maas sat alone in the senior staff dining room eating breakfast when his assistant, Max Delper, strode into the room.
“Good morning, sir,” Delper said triumphantly. “Your issue is resolved. Captain Boehm will join you at 7:00 a.m. to discuss any orders. Oberleutnant Grübner is in custody and awaiting your attention.”
Maas smiled widely. Something he very seldom did. “Very good news, Delper,” he bellowed. “No, in fact, that is extraordinarily good news. You handled the situation well. I will see you are rewarded.”
“Thank you, sir. I appreciate that, sir,” answered Delper as he turned and left the dining room. Maas smiled again and savored his sausages and eggs. This is a fine day. Yes, a fine day indeed. He continued eating. He looked up and saw Captain Boehm enter the far side of the dining room.
“Captain Boehm, please join me!” Maas bellowed.
Boehm strode across the room, smiled politely and sat down across from Maas. “Good morning, sir. I must thank you for the opportunity you’ve bestowed upon me. I will do my best to make you proud.”
Maas continued eating but stopped long enough to answer her. “Captain, I have full confidence in your abilities. I am glad you were available at such short notice. As you may be aware, many times we have very little time to settle unfortunate situations that arise. In this case I believe we have chosen well.”
Boehm nodded formally to Maas. “Thank you, sir.” She knew his comments were complimentary but she also realized she was informed her situation could change at his whim. She was certain she could do a good job. She felt the veiled threat that he could crush her at any time.
“Waiter,” cried Maas, “Please take the captain’s order. We have things to discuss.” Boehm’s breakfast arrived and they discussed the security situation Grübner screwed up so badly. Maas wanted to fill her in before he retired to the holding cells in the subbasement where not only the Finleys were taken but now Grübner.
Maas finished his breakfast and pushed his chair back from the table. “Captain, I have complete confidence in you. I know you will do well.”
“Thank you, sir,” replied Boehm. “I will do my best.”
Maas smiled slightly, “Yes, I know you will.” He stood and walked away, stopping to share a few comments with three officers at a table beside the door.
Maas left the dining room and returned to his office. He checked the morning reports. Again there was nothing of interest, until he came to a one-line item on the communication center’s nightly report.
11:35 PM — Picked up a phantom radio transmission. Transmission lasted less than one minute before it was lost. Recalibrated the radio and attempted to reconnect. Unable to reconnect. Listened to the frequency for another two hours. No activity. Placed a watch on the frequency. Could be a bounced signal.
It was probably nothing but Maas knew any radio transmission in the jungle was odd. This was not an area many people entered in general and even more rare, people with radios. It could have been a common shortwave radio signal bounced off of the ionosphere. But Maas felt there may be some validity to the interception. He was convinced that the Americans were going to try to re-enter Fortress Alpha sooner or later. He damn well wanted to be ready. He picked up the phone and dialed the Security Command desk.
“Security.”
“Maas here. I want you to pay particular attention to any radio transmissions detected within our area. I don’t care how many there are or whether or not you can specifically get the transmission recorded. I want the frequency on which the transmission was encountered,” he ordered. “I also want a location. I want a personal report of all of them immediately. Do you understand?” asked Maas. He was ready to explode if there was any indication of issues or problems the security personnel might encounter.
“Yes, sir,” came a crisp acknowledgement. “All transmissions will be recorded, located and noted, regardless of any issues. I will report each transmission to you personally.”
Maas liked what he heard. He wondered if Boehm already cracked the whip. It sounded so. He was in no mood to hear any backtalk.
“Very well,” snapped Maas. He hung up the phone and sat there contemplating his next move. After a few minutes, he decided to check on his visitors. He got up and left his office, headed for the elevator. He reached into his pocket and retrieved his keys and found his elevator control key. He entered the elevator alone. As the door closed, he inserted the control key and turned it. A small sliding window silently slid open. A keypad was exposed. Maas typed in a five-digit code and the elevator began to drop. He was on the way to his private security areas at the lowest levels of the Fortress.
When he arrived in the holding cell area, Dana and Randall were brought down and placed in a cell. Maas strolled down the dank, narrow passageway and into a large dungeon — like room. He called it his play room. The 20-by-10 meter room was as large as some ballrooms. The stone walls were damp in some places due to the room being essentially a sub-basement of the Fortress. It had a smell of a cross between a furnace room and a gym locker.
Few people other than Maas’ personal guards even knew this place existed. It was his private place to handle those that did not follow the rules. Kaete Grimme’s father and grandfather used to frequent this hellhole but Kaete was hardly aware of its existence.
The room looked like a twelfth century dungeon. The low ceilings were held up by large stone pillars and arches. Over on one side of the room a large fire burned in a fireplace. But this fireplace did not look like the inviting ones in many homes. It was foreboding. It looked menacing with its fire turning the stone wall red and orange with its flickering light. It had the look of a torture chamber. That’s because it was.