Abandoned Treasure
Target Acquired

Unknown POV

Monday, August 3rd, 2020

“Twenty minutes to landing,” the pilot said as he looked back.

I looked at the five men seated in the back of the small aircraft. Each man had been with me for years, proving themselves to me in combat. We were dressed in generic camouflage combat gear. Tan boots and gloves, hard armor, knee and elbow pads, and camo head coverings ensured no one would be able to identify us. We had attached Velcro POLICE patches on the front and back of our vests, and carried sidearms and handcuffs on our belts. Our appearance would give the residents pause, and a few seconds hesitation would be enough. “Everyone know the target?” I passed the picture around one more time. “Two through four are with me. We sweep through fast, getting the first people to tell us where the target is hiding. Five stays with the plane and keeps our exfil clear. If it goes well, our appearance will intimidate them enough to carry out the mission.”

“And if not?” Number 2 had been with me the longest; he was asking for the others.

“Our employer would prefer we minimize civilian casualties. We’re going to stir up a shitstorm regardless. Threaten, shoot to wound if you have to, kill if you must. There may be armed resistance, so do what needs to be done. If we get caught, we’re never getting out of jail.”

“And if they turn into wolves and attack us?”

“Kill them. Any bite is fatal, and your gear isn’t much protection if they come after you.”

Everyone agreed with that. “Let’s get in, get out, and get paid. Check your gear one last time.” Everyone was carrying radios with earpieces, pepper spray, tasers, and collapsible batons. We’d look like cops, and have everything we needed to ensure compliance.

The plane turned to the left, then pilot told us we were on final approach a few minutes later. “Lock and load,” I said. Everyone chambered a round into their M-4 rifles, and checked their Glock .45 sidearms. Looking out the window, it was nearly sundown. Long shadows from the mountains extended over the narrow valley where our plane would set down. I could see the groups of homes nearby, and tapped my rifle in anticipation.

It would be a big payoff if we completed the mission. If our target wasn’t there like our intelligence indicated, or was killed in the kidnapping attempt? We’d be lucky if all we got was prison.

The plane touched down and turned off the runway. Number 5 had the doors open and the stairway down before we came to a stop. I was first out the door, knowing my men would follow behind in a diamond formation.

An older man came out of the nearest home. “POLICE,” I yelled as I approached.

“What’s going on?” He was looking at my team, who were spreading out behind me. “We’re looking for a woman. One point five meters tall, Asian, with a baby boy.”

“No one here like that,” the native replied.

“You’re lying,” I said. I pressed the Taser against his neck and gave him a taste. It hurt like a bitch, but you can’t scream when your muscles all seize up at the same time. “Where is she?”

“Fuck you.”

Number 3 had gone into the home he came out of, and emerged with a young girl. She was yelling for us to leave him alone, but shut up when a pistol barrel was shoved into her mouth. “You’ve got five seconds to tell us before he blows her fucking head off.”

He looked at me and knew I wasn’t kidding. The decision made, he looked towards the homes at the back of the settlement. “Yellow house with the wooden porch.”

“Thank you.” I punched him in the face, and he dropped like a rock. “Let’s go.”

I led the men forward, back in formation. The natives watched us through windows and ducked behind homes as we quick-walked our way through Fort Ware’s homes. Number 4 split off to cover the back, while 2 and 3 got in line behind me. I reached the screen door and banged on it, standing slightly to the side. “POLICE,” I yelled. “OPEN UP.”

“I’m the tribal chief. Show me a warrant,” a voice said from next door. He stood at the corner of the house, a deer rifle sticking out in front of him. It wasn’t pointed at me, so I didn’t shoot.

“Official business, sir. Stay back,” I warned. “Four, Take him,” I whispered into my microphone.

As soon as I heard Four’s shot, I kicked the door. Stepping inside the small house, I was turning to the right when I saw the shotgun, just before it fired. I got my rifle on target just in time, the three-round burst hitting her at least once.

Number two checked the native female was dead while I thanked God for ceramic-plate body armor. The rest of the living room, dining room, and kitchen was clear. “You all right?”

“Yeah.” Not really. It felt like I’d taken a baseball bat to the ribs, but I’d live.

“Door is locked,” Three said. He was standing where the refrigerator gave him cover in case they had more firearms in the bedroom.

I pulled myself to my feet and walked to the kitchen. I backed the other two. “Kick it,” I ordered.

Three put his boot to the door just below the handle, breaking the cheap door in two. Two entered right away, pistol up. I heard three shots, then a thump. Three had already cleared the left side when I followed to the right.

Our target was hiding behind the bed, clutching a baby in her arms. I stepped over the big cat bleeding on the carpet. “You all right,” I asked without taking my eyes off the target.

“It fucking bit me.” He pointed his rifle at the bleeding cat, intending to finish it off.

“I’ll come with you if you leave her alone,” the woman said first. “No trouble.”

“Deal.” I gestured with the rifle for her to stand. She complied nervously, and went to lay the baby on the bed. “No, put her in the carrier. Two, get the diaper bag.”

The female panicked. “Please, he’s not the one you want.”

“He will ensure your cooperation,” I told her. Our boss wanted her for something, and the baby would make my job easier. Thirty seconds later, Spider Monkey was handcuffed and I was carrying the baby and the bag towards the front door.

“We’ve got a problem,” Four said as I walked us out.

The tribal members had responded in numbers to our invasion. Around ten men, each armed with a rifle or shotgun, waited for us behind homes and vehicles. “LET HER GO,” one of the men yelled.

My men spread out. I could see the blood on Two’s left forearm; he’d slung his rifle and had his pistol out. The others were a single word from opening fire. “We’re here for her,” I replied. I took out my pistol and pointed it at Spider Monkey’s head. “We walk out of here and nobody else dies.”

“She’s been granted sanctuary,” the man replied.

“Isn’t that nice. There’s a big cat inside bleeding all over the bedroom. She MIGHT survive if you let us go.” The men looked at each other; the werecat must be one of them. I didn’t wait for an answer; I pushed the gun into Spider’s neck. “Walk. We have a plane to catch.”

I was betting that none of them would fire on a woman and a baby, and I was right. Two, Three, and Four moved to surround me as I took the lead. One by one, the natives raised their weapons so we could pass.

I could feel the eyes on us as we arrived at the plane. Five was watching our backs, but no one went past the line of homes. “Get inside,” I told the others. Five and Four climbed the stairs, then Three helped our prisoner inside. I stood with my back to the plane and watched the crowd. “Two?”

He turned to look at me from the base of the stairs. “Yeah, Boss?”

“I’m sorry.” He never saw it coming. The .45 caliber round entered his right jaw, blasting his brains over the gravel. He fell like his strings had been cut.

“What the FUCK, ONE!”

“He was already dead,” I told them. “Quick and clean is a better way to go.”

The pilot had the engines started while I loaded Two’s body into the plane. I closed the door and we were moving. Nobody would shoot at us with a woman and baby in the plane, and they didn’t. We were airborne shortly after.

No one spoke to me as we climbed to two hundred feet, staying below any radar. I waited until we were over Williston Lake before I walked to the door and opened it. The pilot complained, but a pistol aimed at his head shut him up. None of us carried identification, not that anyone would ever replace him.

I shoved my friend and fellow mercenary out the door and watched him tumble towards the lake a few thousand feet below. I saw the splash, then closed the door and returned to my seat.

Spider Monkey was sitting quietly, her hand calming a crying baby. “You men are all dead and you don’t even know it,” she told me. “My people will replace you and kill you.”

“We are ghosts. We will be long gone, and no one will ever know what happened to you,” I replied. “Just so we are clear. I’m getting paid to deliver you alive. The baby is not part of the deal.” She was smart; this wasn’t the time to defy us. “Cooperate, and you both live.”

“I’m not the one you should worry about.”

I looked at her closely. She was around forty, and couldn’t weigh more than forty-five kilos. Why would she be worth five million dollars, half in advance?

It wasn’t my problem.

We landed at the private airfield where we’d been directed to make the exchange. An SUV drove up as we taxied to a stop. Our contact waited with a large satchel of cash as I opened the door. We never shut down the engines, so I didn’t say anything as I handed off our prisoner and collected our payment. I got the door closed and we were moving again in thirty seconds.

“Good job, boys,” I said as I buckled in.

I waited until we were in the air before I lifted the duffel onto the seat next to me and opened the zipper.

"Fuck."

Unknown POV #2

I watched the small twin-engine aircraft take off before I drove off. The package was secure in the back, and everything had gone according to plan.

The plane exploded in a ball of flame before we reached the access road.