10. The Rescue – Day 2
Morning finally arrived. The previous day had been rainy, dark and gloomy – in stark contrast to the day's bright morning sun. Oscar awoke to the sounds of countless birds and monkeys greeting the day. The jungle really was a beautiful place. He would loved to have brought Jaime here under better circumstances. He knew how much she loved the outdoors. He shook Roberto, who had dozed off during the night. Then Oscar heard some sign of activity within the house. About an hour later, the men appeared from the house. Jaime was with them. They loaded her back in the Jeep and took off again. Oscar and Roberto loaded up their gear and followed a safe distance behind.
After a 3 hour drive through the dirt roads of the back country, the Jeep stopped. Jaime was thrust from the Jeep and into the arms of another guerilla. She was made to walk, her wrists and ankles still bound, into the jungle between two men with machine guns slung over their shoulders. The four other men walked behind her. This left Oscar and Roberto no choice but to follow behind once more. Once, Oscar stepped on a branch, making a loud "snap". This caused the whole party to stop as the men with the machine guns stopped to check out the area. The found nothing and went on their way. Several hours later, they arrived at what could loosely be termed a camp. There was a small lean-to and a fire pit. Jaime was led to a tree, leaned up against it, and made to drink a bitter liquid. It made her very dizzy and she had trouble coordinating her movements. What good are my bionics now? Her stomach ached from hunger, and she was beginning to feel feverish. She found it difficult to stay focused and soon drifted off into a restless sleep. Her captors proceeded to imbibe in some homemade libations, unconcerned about any possible incursion into their camp.
Oscar and Roberto had also made camp, about a quarter mile away. The jungle provided excellent cover, preventing their detection. They sorted through their gear, keeping themselves busy while they waited. It was beginning to get dark, but Oscar was able to use the night vision binoculars. He could see that Jaime was off from the group – maybe 20 yards away. They didn't seem concerned that she would be able to escape – and with good reason. Two of the men had left for the village. That left only four guards, and most of them were by now in a drunken sleep. This was it. They had to take advantage of the situation.
The trees in the jungle were immense, and the coverage from above was dense. It was difficult for moonlight to penetrate through the forest floor below. Oscar decided that the best way to grab her was from above. They clearly wouldn't expect that. Her captors had set up traps around the perimeter of their camp, but only at ground level. Oscar and Roberto set about scaling the trees. Once they were about 100 feet up, the canopy spread out so that they would be able to move horizontally with greater ease. Oscar's palms were sweating as he began. I haven't climbed a tree in 35 years he thought. He found it more difficult than he had remembered. His hands were rubbed raw from grasping so tightly at the ropes and the branches as he ascended the trunk. When they were high enough, Roberto lassoed a large branch several feet away, and they half swung, half jumped to the next tree, and the next and the next until Oscar was at the tree near Jaime.
It was deadly quiet. Everyone else was asleep. Roberto tossed two ropes down – one for Oscar and one for him to loop around Jaime. Oscar stealthily descended to the jungle floor. He felt like his heart was going to stop when he heard rustling near the lean-to, but then realized it was only an animal prowling around looking for food. He was only a few feet away. He was finally within reach of Jaime. He wrapped his hand around her mouth so she wouldn't scream as she was awoken.
Jaime immediately awoke as she felt a hand covering her mouth, stifling her breathing. She tried to squirm, but didn't have the strength. Then she heard Oscar's voice.
"Shhh, babe, it's me. We've come to get you out of here." He resisted the urge to grab her in his arms and kiss her. There would be time for that later. He had to get her out of here before her captors awoke.
Jaime could feel her body relax slightly for the first time in almost two days. Her voice was trembling. "Oscar, I can't believe you found me. How.."
Oscar caressed her arm. "Babe, I'll explain everything later. We have got to get out of here now. Can you stand?"
"I'll try." She tried to struggle to her feet, but she couldn't. Her fever was spiking and the lack of food was now sapping her strength. Oscar cut the ropes that were binding her, and she fell into his arms. He could feel her body burning up. He brushed the hair back from her face, he could see the dried blood in the blonde strands. It was too dark for him to notice the rest. He could feel his stomach turning at the thought of how she had been treated. It was all he could do to stay focused. He looped that second rope between her legs and around her neck and shoulder. He would have to help her climb. That much was obvious. He clipped her rope to his and started his ascent. 25 years ago this would have been much easier. It took every ounce of strength he had to make it to the top of the tree. He could feel his lungs aching with want for more oxygen to complete the job he requested of them. It was hard to breathe at this altitude. Jaime's limp body didn't make it any easier. Oscar rested her back against his chest so he could make sure she wasn't slipping out of the rope, and he could pull her up with him. He could see the sweat rolling off of her brow and her eyes starting to roll back in her head.
Roberto helped Oscar unclip himself from Jaime and start the trip back through the trees to the Jeep. They were only 30 feet away when they disrupted a group of monkeys resting in the tree tops. Their alarmed chatter awakened one of the guerillas. He noticed that Jaime was gone, and woke up the other men. They immediately filled the jungle with gunfire. Oscar quickly descended the final tree with Jaime in his arms. As they landed, one of the men heard them. The gunfire started in their direction.
Roberto suggested that he take one direction, and Oscar and Jaime would take the other. Oscar would head for the Caribbean Sea via a small river which lay only a half mile away. He slung a rifle over his shoulder, grabbed the bag Roberto had packed, and scooped up Jaime, cradling her in his arms. He started running through the jungle, using the dense vegetation as cover. Roberto made as much noise as he could, attempting to distract the men, giving Oscar as much time as possible to escape. It worked for a while, until the men realized that they were chasing only one man. They abandoned their chase of Roberto, and turned back to search again for Oscar and Jaime. Roberto pressed on, trying to reach a village where he would be able to phone Steve to alert him as to Oscar's plan.