‘Like what, I love you son?’
‘No, these four. This pain will pass. Anything you both feel will move into your past, if you let it.’
Jacob moved back to the lab with Teddy following, getting the teams to load the hovercraft for its return trip to Arcadia.
Archer stormed into the dining room to get some water and food, ignorant of its other occupants, Katherine noticed him, ‘So the prodigal son returns?’ Archer turned not realising who had spoken to him, about to shout something, spinning around his eyes blazing, ‘Sorry Katherine, didn’t see you there.’
‘Have you seen Jacob?’
‘Oh yeah, we had a great reunion.’
‘Oh, he has missed you, wondered where you were, Africa wasn’t it?’
‘Yeah Mabalia. He missed me?’
‘It has been almost eight months Archer without even a letter or call.’
Archer calmed down, Katherine’s influence and manner helping, he could never be angry around her.
‘I hear you got engaged? And then un-engaged?’
‘Well yes, got engaged and then he cheated, and I punched him out, and his mistress.’
‘Nice. Glad to see Debra’s influence on you.’
‘Not Debra’s more like yours!’
Katherine blushed, good memories flooding back, ‘Look what is this Enzi guy about and how do you know him?’
‘Let me freshen up and all get back to the Arcadia safe.’
‘Do you think he is coming back?’
‘Oh not yet, we saw him get away in a seaplane, but he could be back later, best not to risk hanging around.’
Archer took his mouthfuls of food and water, and walked back with Katherine to the dock. ‘I have to get my gear from down-river, I will see you on the ship?’
‘I guarantee it Archer.’
With a wave Katherine was gone, Archer watching her run back up to the walkway.
‘Penny for them?’ It was Kevin carrying a large box, ‘Something on your mind Archer?’
‘Just history Kevin, just history.’
Kevin was puzzled, but then Katherine always understood Archer better than he did, kindred Jacob called them.
Within two hours all the gear was loaded, and a procession of canoes, zodiacs and The Wasp transported the camp contents back to the waiting Arcadia. The cranes worked overtime, pulling the gear up in cargo nets while armed lookouts surveyed for Enzi’s possible return. Only after they were underway and sailing south did Jacob relax. Katherine, Debra and Kevin had joined him in the communications room under the bridge. Teddy had left the bridge in the capable crew’s hands.
Jacob addressed his friends, ‘So what do we do about this mess?’ Archer entered the room, ‘Well before you join the game, you need to know all the players. He sat down placing Khan’s memory card in Jacob’s laptop, ‘this is what started me off and almost got me killed.’ The laptop display showed Khan’s files and Archer entered the password and brought up the information. It had surveillance photos, times, dates, names of contacts, copies of documents and memos from the US Department of Defence.
Archer explained the origins of the information flashing before them, ‘This is from an old friend, he got suspicious of our employer and his true interest in Mabalia, it appears that my boss, who runs Protection Incorporated is not who I thought.’
‘So who is he then? This boss of yours?’
‘It turns out that Protection Incorporated is a legitimate company, but also a front for a covert operation called Unit Zero 3. The General runs this, with a Colonel Nathan Briggs, who recruited me, running the legitimate side.’
‘And this Unit Zero 3 does what son?’
‘You name it, arms deals, missiles, guns, biological and chemical weapons on small scales. Assistance with coups and assassinations.’
‘And this boss, The General does he have a real name?’
‘According to this file his name is Vincent Mastasson.’
Jacob looked at Archer, ‘You are sure that is his name?’
Jacob was deep in thought, ‘continue, what else do you know?’
‘Enzi was employed or partnered with Mastasson to find something called the Bow of Yi. There are also dubious connections between Unit Zero 3 and Department of Defence, nothing concrete but Khan thought that stolen arms shipments, or missing containers got back to Unit Zero 3.’
Archer informed the group of who was behind Enzi and the attack on the camp, that they had an insider, now obviously Laurent and not La gente de la luz azul. Jacob told them about Osvaldo Rodrigo’s role, the complex and the amulets. After over an hour Archer asked the question, ‘Who is Vincent Mastasson? How do you know him?’
‘We had a falling out some years ago, before I left Special Ops, of course that was before he died?’
‘Died? no he is alive and kicking, known as The General now.’
‘Well when I knew him, he died in a plane crash along with two teams off the coast of Panama in 2003.’
‘Khan’s info mentioned he was working for Colonel Briggs, monitoring the activities of Unit Zero 3, and Mastasson‘
‘Well your Protection Incorporated is just a front, but Briggs sounds like a more honourable man than Mastasson. So some things don’t change.’
‘So what’s our move?’
Jacob had been pondering this while Archer laid out what they knew, ‘We need to get those amulets back, Mastasson has four of them including the fifth.’
Kevin and Katherine both interrupted, ‘You mean fourth, there are only four amulets needed, Osvaldo you told us.’
‘I said four to initiate it, but the fifth is the true key, and that is what was stolen from your museum in Washington.’
‘So Mastasson has it?’
Osvaldo Rodrigo was unsure, but Jacob had no such reservations, ‘Oh I would bet on it, but he may not know what he has.’
Katherine was first to say, ‘Laurent will know, I bet he found out from Luis Alfredo.’
‘Perhaps, but we cannot be sure, even poor Luis Alfredo would be hesitant to give out information on the fifth amulet.’
‘Look Archer where would Enzi go? To Mastasson?’
‘Yes, but I am unsure where?’
Jacob smiled, Katherine spotting it first, ‘What have you done Jacob?’
‘Well when Archer called me my phone went dead, so I had young Michael check it, and the phone was fine.’
‘But, I know there is a but coming.’
‘There is, but, he found something else, a small tracker, placed in my phone. It has been forwarding all my calls, and my location somewhere.’
‘For how long?’
‘Don’t know, but I do know who planted it.’
Jacob turned to Katherine, ‘That little French rat! He has been playing a blinder!’
‘That’s right, Laurent. I had Michael check and his fingerprints were on the chip, careless.’
‘So my ex-fiancé has been playing that game!’
‘Don’t worry Katherine, you know I believe in Karma?’
‘Yes, but I cannot see us getting at him.’
‘Michael put a transmitter back in his phone, and wiped out the memory, so it would record all the numbers he dialled manually, I have a list here.’
Jacob pulled out a memory card, and played the recording of Laurent’s call from the powerboat. ‘Yes I have all four amulets now, we can proceed to find the Bow of Yi. No Enzi does not suspect.’
‘You see, we have the number he called, and the tracker will show us where he is going. Michael just got a fix, he is on Isla Joya Verde off the Panama coast.’
The group were impressed with Jacob’s deviousness. Except Archer, he seemed distant.
‘Now we know where he is, we can go in and retrieve the amulets, but Laurent thinks he only needs four?’
‘Exactly, so we can use that to our advantage.’