I have learned sometimes that the risk is worth it and sometimes it is not. This is going to half to be a good risk. As I make the hard turn "We are no match for them in open water. There is a small island up here and it will allow us to play a little hide and go seek with these men." I said as I patted her shoulder. A little boat with a small engine and a crew of two verses a twenty man boat, sounds like battleship to me. Time to level the field and get to my ground. I am no sea dog and there was a storm brewing. Lightning was off in the distance was getting closer and the water was getting rough and this boat was a shoreline boat not a wide open ocean boat. The storm was moving faster as it got closer to the islands in the area.
The waves were about four foot and getting higher. I felt the boat having trouble managing the current, so I turned into the current. I could see some of the reef and debris. The ride in was choppy and the patrol boat was closing in. We scraped a time or two or three times. I knew the patrol boat would have more trouble than we did. I finally seen a beach area that we could land the boat at. I also notice a small hole in the bottom of the boat from one of the hits. The island came up just in time for her not to notice the water coming in the back of the boat.
When we beached the boat, I pulled it up further on the beach, then covered the boat with sea weed. I handed her a backpack, I put my two on and off we went. We made our way around the large rocks on the beach and made our way into the undergrowth of the island. The patrol boat was scouting the island. It could not get closer than two hundred yards due to the swell of the ocean and the reef that surrounded it. I could here the slow down and see the spotlight scan over the beach. They were circling the island and try to see if they could spot us.
We ducked behind some of the larger rocks on the edge of the beach. I could feel the warmth of the volcano mountain behind me. That may have been my overactive imagination, but it still felt warmer than on the water. The rain was beginning to fall. I grabbed the rain gear out and we put it on. We sat in the rain for about two trips around with the patrol boat. Finally when it moved to the other side of the island and we moved in toward the mountain and off the beach. I knew she was uncomfortable, and so was I. I pulled out a small radio and turned it to the channel that the patrol boat was using.
I could hear the order for a helicopter and the search on the island ordered started again. She look relieved as the rain got harder. Then a look of worry started to become noticeable on her face. "Don't worry, I have been in worse and come out of it. This too shall pass like the storm." I said as the radio came to life saying a hurricane had formed ten miles south of us. "Now you can panic." I said with a smile. We had to find a cave and get penned down. I had her stay with the gear as I went back to the boat to I grabbed all the stuff from the boat that we could carry. I slid the boat into a wedge of rocks, and led her around the mountain looking for a cave or deep cavern that we could take refuge in.
I pulled out the radio, again and tuned it to the frequency that my company used and called in. "This is hillbilly. Anyone listening?"
"Go ahead Hillbilly. This is the Crow." The radio answered back.
" I have a smoking mountain and a twister bearing down on us. We need rescue after storm. Will need some help. Big bear circled us twice and returned home. Asking for eagle help for tomorrow. Not one of my better vacations, pizza guy. Need to order a hamburger pizza and two large sprites to go as soon as you are able."
She started laughing. "You made no sense. You were just talking off the top of your head." she said with a smile.
"No, I said I have you. We are in the path of the hurricane, Wait till storm is gone to get us and we will be hungry when you pick us up. I let them know your friends are looking for us and have ordered a fly over. I also let them know where we are without telling those after us. It is simple and I am always Hillbilly and pizza guy is my handler sometimes." I said with a smile and realized I had found a cave with some depth to it. It went twenty five feet back, then turned at a ten degree angle. I sat her down in the cave, and gathered some wood for a fire.
"Understood Hillbilly. Will see you after things calm down. Crow out" the voice said then went quiet.
It could be a few days or hours before we got rescued, but we were going to be warm and well fed. I got a small fire about ten feet into the cave. The cave had an arch that allowed the smoke to ease out of the cave with ease, but kept the rain out. I covered the entrance with some limbs. Those might not stay if the wind did crazy things. I hoped that it would miss us, but I was not sure on the path of the storm. I was sure the storm surges would not get us because we were on the north side of the island and it was coming from the south.
We sat down and ate as our clothes dried. We changed into one of the sealed sets of clothes, then laid down on blankets that I brought along. I let the fire go out and we moved around to the back corner of the cave. After about three more hours of rain the howl of the wind picked up and she bolted upright as a lightning bolt hit the front of the cave. She screamed. I sat up and pulled her into me. This was indeed going to be a long night. After an hour of her shaking, I got her to lay back down. I covered her up and held her. This is the part of the mission I don't mind. No one shooting at us. No one can get to us, and we are safe and out of the way.
The storm raged for about sixteen more hours. She had never been camping and it was easy to see. When she woke up and it was still raining she turned to me and had a very perplex look on her face. "How long will this last? Do we have enough supplies to make it through the wait and are we safe?"
"Ray we are safe. We have plenty of water and food. Not for a banquet, but to keep us alive until we get picked up. This may be a long wait. As soon as they can, the boat that answered will be here to pick us up." I said as I drew a tic tac toe board in the sand and handed her a stick. "The goal is not to worry ourselves sick." so I taught her tic tac toe and some yoga exercise to help with breathing and some fighting moves to help her protect herself if the worse happened.
After the rain stopped, I turned on the radio and listen for our pick up. It was twenty two hours after the call when I heard something.
"Hillbilly, we are here and are waiting for you in a raft on the north side of the storm damage." announced on the radio. I went around the edge of the cave and looked for our evacuation group and I also seen the patrol boat that gave us so much grief before the storm.
"This is Hillbilly, and you have company and I do not have a clear route to you. I want to get to the square dance, but the Hatfield's are near. I do not want to get in the crossfire. I will make it west towards the point." I said as I watch the patrol boat shoot west toward where I had said to meet.
I watch for the all clear sign, and grab the gear to go to the boat. We got in and laid down. The boat radioed back and said they would be back tomorrow. I nodded and laid flat as they headed back to the U.S. Dakota.
When we got to the ship, we went straight to medical then released to go eat and get a few hours nap. After two hours, we were asked to join the captain in the officer's mess. As we got there I could tell the captain was worried about something.
"Mr. Barns, welcome aboard. I was surprised when we got the order to head south for a pick up and that it would be the call sign Hillbilly. So what is going on?" he asked as we were poured drinks.
"Honestly, I was rescuing the young lady from death. It seems that her father is a terrorist and had a few targets that are of great importance to the powers that be and she has the information that they were using to make the plans for the attacks. I was sent in and things got complicated a little faster than they should have. But we made it out." I said as I looked around the room. "Why? What is wrong?"
"I have been asked that I turn over the two criminal that I have. They are responsible for the destruction of a small village on the island yesterday. I was trying to figure out how you could have been on the island when you called out from the island we picked you up on."
"I am just that good captain. I have to get to D.C. as soon as possible. This paperwork needs to be gone through by homeland and other intel groups. We do not want another attack on our soil." I said as he ordered dinner for us.
"While we wait on dinner and on the ride back, I could help you look through the paperwork and see what we can identify as targets and what is the time frame that these are suppose to take place." He said as our drinks were refilled.
"We can look." I said as I pulled out the top three sheets and handed to him while I went over the next three sheets. I also handed him the letters that went with them. Soon we found the festival in each town that was described in the letter with the annual title in the heading. We went through dinner and the letters highlighting and numbering the events and the correlating attacks. Even Ray got to looking. Once we were done eating, which took about six hours and two meals with the paperwork, the Captain looked at his watch.
"I will get you home as quick as possible. We are waiting for the helicopter to get back from a medical run. They will be back in the hour. If you want we can fax some of the information stateside so they can begin." The captain said as he pointed toward the office area.
"No it will wait. It is a delivery only type situation. I already did a quick fax of some of the things, so they are working on some of the initial pages." I said as I leaned back for the plate to be put down.
"Just trying to help. You will be home soon kid." he said as he helped put the papers back in order.
A few hours later we were escorted to the awaiting helicopter and sent on our way back to solid ground.
From the ship, we took a helicopter ride to D.C. and started the process of making my charge a protectorate of the government. I went thru a debriefing and identified the guys that was following us as well as the patrol boat that gave chase. The request to turn us over as terrorist had made it to the capital's desk and the time that the act took place was the time I had the girl in the boat on the island waiting out the storm. That was sent back and the fact that no one could have gotten off the island during the storm in airplane or boat shut up the small country.
I spent one more night in D.C. before heading back to Texas. Plans do not always go as they are laid out. We make choices that affect others as well as ourselves. The young lady was given a place to lay low and in turn she gave the documents that allowed the CIA to do what they needed as well as Homeland, the information to block some major attacks from within our own country. It is days like these that make me happy to do my job.
Although I did not get involved in stopping the crimes on the scene, I do know these attacks did not happen or happened on a much weaker scale. Involvement behind the scene is easier than being the public face of crime solving or prevention.
A/N: Sorry guys! Got a bit long winded!