‘Chui the next phase is to acquire the artefacts and then determine their use, how they give us access to the Bow of Yi as mentioned in the parchment.’
‘Agreed, you already have one that I acquired in Washington, I presume back on Isla Joya Verde, where are the others?’
‘One is with Jacob Mathias who is travelling to Ecuador with it. The other is in a wreck in the Ecuador jungle. I have someone who will acquire it shortly.’
‘Which just leaves the fourth which is in the possession of another group.’
Archer had filled the memory on his phone, he was debating to listen now, but was concerned that he would not hear anyone approaching wearing the necessary headphones. He changed the memory card in his phone and recorded a second session.
‘So that is when you attack Chui, but use your men, or hire some locals, you have the funds available?’
‘Yes, President Uncotto has been most generous, when he is implicated in obtaining this device.’
‘And you are clear what action to take regarding the camp occupants?’
‘Yes, quite clear.’
‘Well with our business concluded, I think you should relax for a while here, brief your men later.’ The General was about to go down the staircase to the dining hall below, and saw the helicopter on the roof. He walked over, bent down, and looked over it, the Bluetooth earpiece blinking regularly.
He walked back to Enzi, whispering in his ear, and then used a radio.
Archer had missed some of the conversation but seeing The General on a radio now, he did not need to hear what was said. He was compromised. The guards below were agitated, moving around the base of the tower, weapons drawn. He could descend the tree easily, but a guard was just below the tree and would hear him. He could shoot him from his position, but the others could not be seen with the jungle around him. With his gear already packed he descended the rope head first, using his feet to brake and moved just above the stationary guard. From just eight feet above he could neither see nor hear anyone else, he eased down, grabbed the guard, pulling him off the ground. Within moments the guard was dead, a well-practised grip snapped his neck. Archer descended the rest of the way, and tied the body in the rope, hoisting him up twenty feet out of sight.
The General made his way down the stairs to ground level, weapon drawn. He demanded information from his radio. His guards reported no one in the area, the staff of the Tower had been confined to the ground floor.
Archer was moving swiftly, the local Howler monkeys had started to wail, then a rumble of thunder in the distance increased their volume. The approaching storm and the vocal monkeys covered the increased noise as Archer rushed through the undergrowth, leaf litter and twigs scattered in his wake. He found the trail at the bottom of Semaphore Hill, going left to retrieve his motorbike. He drew his HK 23. Smith had ventured onto the road, and he had no time to navigate around him. The suppressor masked the sound of a double tap to the head. The large torturer dropped to the ground fifty feet away, parts of his skull blown onto the road behind him. Having policed his brass, Archer grabbed him and rolled him in the shrubs at the side of the road, no time to clean up. Smith did not deserve the respect.
Within ten minutes he was back at Benito’s warehouse, the downpour that arrived concealing the sound of the motorbike’s engine being thrashed down the tarmac. The red-hot engine steamed from its rampage across the Old Gamboa Road. He pulled up to the warehouse door, security letting him in without hesitation this time. He wheeled the bike inside, returned the rifle to Benito. The water running off his head, clothes soaked from his rapid rainstorm transit, ‘My friend, one rifle unfired, still pristine, however the HK, I keep?’
‘Yeah you can, you seem worried. What’s the matter?’
‘I need to get to Ecuador, now, and avoid customs?’
‘Well for a drink and a meal, I can help.’
Benito waddled back to his office, and after a few phone calls returned to Archer who was sipping on a fresh bottle of water.
‘Okay I have a friend who can get you off the coast in a seaplane, but getting onshore is your business.’
‘That’s great my father has a ship offshore, I can get to that.’
‘My friend will not take you to the boat, far too suspicious, you will have to drop and swim my friend.’
‘Well don’t suppose you have a wetsuit?’
‘From the look of you getting wet is a pastime. By the time you finish my mother’s excellent meal, I will have everything you need sorted out, now come, eat.’
At the Canopy Tower Mastasson was furious, since their visitor had obviously escaped, he was attempting to limit damage. Enzi had remained outside on the deck, and one of The General’s team approached, whispering something in his ear.
‘Enzi, you told me that Archer Mathias had escaped, and that Mr Jones had seen him in Miami Airport, and lost him again, correct?’
‘Yes that is correct, like I told you.’
‘And you had no idea of his intended destination from Miami?’
‘No why would I?’
The General drew the handgun from his associate’s holster, grabbed Enzi by the throat in one fluid movement, pinning him against the wall. He levelled the gun just in front of Enzi’s deep brown left eye.
‘He is here, you incompetent fool! He was the one listening!’
Enzi closed his eyelid instinctively as The General rested the barrel against it.
‘I was monitoring the nearest cell phone tower for activity, before we started jamming, any phones being used or turned on, and guess what!’
Enzi knew better than to answer, the look blazing across The General’s eyes clearing conveying his intent.
‘We detected a US registered burn phone turned on within a few metres of here, and it is your fault he even knew where to look!’
Enzi was expecting to die, and even though he did not realise, was experiencing what so many of his victims had endured. The General lowered the weapon, loosened his firm grip from Enzi’s throat, and stepped back, Enzi did not move. ‘We will have to alter our plans, instead of the artefacts being brought to us, you will have to retrieve them!’
‘But why do I?’
‘Because I am telling you to!’ The General’s rage was even beginning to worry his security team, they watched Enzi’s men, hands over holsters.
‘Just get a team together, hire two powerboats and you can use that helicopter, and get those artefacts before Jacob Mathias and Archer Mathias meet up!’
‘How do you know Archer is going to meet his father?’
‘Because I worked with Jacob for years, and I know Archer. He will try and warn him, and repel any of our attempts to remove the artefacts by force.’
‘So we act before he can travel there?’
‘Exactly, he is one man with no resources, and will have to travel by conventional means, so I will watch the airports, while you obtain what we need.’
‘And the archaeologists and people working there?’
‘Kill whoever you need to.’
Enzi left the tower visibly shaken, within twenty minutes he was in the air heading for the airport.
SEVENTEEN