LEOPARD: THE ENEMY WITHIN

Get the package

I drove, Lwanda seated silently next to me. Lwanda was good at driving for power, not for speed. I could go fast. I drove, tailed by Pea. That was a good one. We went at a hundred and forty and were at the airport in seven minutes.

We went into the VIP side and up a cargo plane. We picked our luggage as the vehicles were fastened. We had done this a million times. It was time to breathe, albeit temporarily.

I sat alone and ate yoghurt. I thought of the mission at hand, even with the sketchy detail. Pea sat alone, as did Lwanda.

China and Flash were together, talking animatedly. China loved to talk. He was ever light and funny. He was the comedian of the group. I looked at them, got comfortable and slept. Nobody knew how long the day would be.

“We lay ambush. A trailer from the port is carrying illegal cargo. We stop it, get the cargo and vanish,” Flash said.

  “Are we driving?” Pea asked.

“No, we land on it,” he said.

“A bird?” I asked. I hated skydiving.

“Yes. A bird awaits us at the airport. It will be swift,” Flash said reassuringly.

We geared up. I checked my machine gun, loaded the magazine and wore gloves. I combed my hair to a ponytail and wore a mask. Then the boots. We were all in black and I felt a little nervous.

I got up and wore the bulletproof vest. I sat, buckled up and waited as the cargo plane went down. The quicker we worked, the sooner we would be out.

We walked out fast, heavy bags on our backs, ran for a minute to the helicopter. Flash turned it on and we were on air soon enough.

"We will be there in five. Get ready, team," Flash said.

"Great. Drop in, grab package, out. No foul." China said.

"Piece of cake," Pea said smiling.

We grabbed ropes and got ready. The main highway was right beneath us. Flash showed us the trailer and what to grab. We didn’t expect any resistance. But anything could happen. If the cargo was half as precious as Flash insinuated, it would be guarded.

I looked down. The beautiful sea could be seen from a distance. It would be hot once we landed. The road at the bottom lazily snaked by. We looked down and soon enough spotted the trailer.

Intel was good. I fasted the rope round my waist. Pea would go down with China and I then Lwanda. We had done it many times.

  The moment Flash got directly above the trailer, we jumped. In three seconds, we were on top. We undid the ropes. China and I ran to the front while Pea and Lwanda ran to open the back.

We counted to two and smashed the windows at the front then swung in. I hit the driver once with the butt of the gun and he was out while China struggled with two men. I could see Pea had opened the back. I focused on driving the big machine off the road but got attacked by one man. I held my gun to his head. China hit him out.

  “We got the package.” Pea was in our ears.

“Get on the roof and clear out of there.” Flash said.

  We climbed on the window and back on top. Flash dropped the ropes. Once we were fastened, Lwanda grabbed the package, about thirty kilos, and we were up swinging in the air.

That was an easy mission. We headed back to the airport, to our cars. Flash gave us phones. We could go apart and convene the next day. I loved such breaks, even as I felt Flash would very much like to track me down.

  But he was respectful. I left with Lwanda. We got one car and left for a motel close to the sea. I needed a hot shower, hot meal and a long sleep.
We were released for the night. Usually, we would be asked to pair up. It was safer that way, like it was safe to always imagine the enemy was lurking. So I left with Lwanda.