When Lee and Shady returned to the compound on Tuesday, they went directly to the kitchens. Lee chatted up Maria while Powell went to Elena. With a hug, she greeted the younger girl, "Elena, thank you so much!"
Shocked at the Senora's outburst, she responded, "It was no problem, Shady."
"But, it was, Elena. I know you had to work late all those nights so let me return the favor," she replied.
"I don't understand," Elena was confused.
Shady smiled, "Let me work the next several nights in your place."
Elena shook her head, "Oh, no, Senora, I cannot ask that." And then she smiled, "Besides, I work with Diego."
"I know, Elena. That's why Lee is here. He will work in Diego's place."
"Senora, your esposo is a capitan. I could not ask that."
"Yes, but I can." And she waved Lee over and explained the situation.
"I will cover for your fella, Elena. It's not a problem." And he turned that charming smile on the younger girl, "And I've already cleared it with Maria. She doesn't care which one of you work so long as the kitchen gets cleaned."
"There. It's all settled, Elena. You've got no reason not to take the next three nights off," Shady finalized the deal with a quick shake of the head. And Elena returned Shady's enthusiastic hug.
Lee gave his wife a peck on the cheek and then left to prepare for their mission. First thing he did was tell Diego he had the night off. Diego was surprised but grateful for the kindness of Senor and Senora Norte. Second, Lee went to the cottage where he and Shady were living. He packed their go-bags and put them by the door, stuffing Shady's heavy black cargo pants and black long-sleeved fitted shirt in his vest. She was already wearing her boots and he knew she was armed. He then got the harnesses they would need for the escape and left the signal for the rest of the team. He chuckled to himself as he put the sock on the door, remembering his wife's outrage that they would use that as a symbol for all-clear. Lee then went back to the kitchen and hid the three rigs where Boots could easily get to them. He stuck his head in the side door and told his wife he was starting his shift. Shady blew a kiss. They were on.
Shady had cleaned the kitchen, washing all the pots and pans, and putting it to rights. She just couldn't leave a mess for the sweet Maria. She had grabbed the harnesses as soon as the other two ladies had left and hid them under plate covers. It was now after eight pm and time for her to take the meals upstairs. Shady crossed the compound, many of the soldiers nodding at her as she passed. In addition to Lee, there was one other guard upstairs. He smiled at his wife as she entered. He looked at the tray, checking it for anything that the prisoners could use as a weapon. There was nothing for them but a lovely knife for Christmas that he grabbed and threw at his companion, impaling the other soldier in the throat. He dropped quietly. Lee grabbed the keys off the now deceased soldier and unlocked the first door – that of Blanca Correa.
The girl was immediately intimidated, not moving off the bed. When Shady walked in, followed by her very large husband, the youngster began to sob. Shady spoke in rapid Spanish, "Blanca, your grandfather sent us. We're here to get you safely home."
The girl leapt off the bed and hugged the Norte Americana, "Thank you, Senora, thank you."
Shady shushed her and then instructed the girl to get undressed as Boots did the same. Lee grabbed her clothes from under his vest and tossed them to his wife. He also undid the harnesses and slipped off his vest and got the one that the other guard was wearing. While he did that, Shady slipped on her pants and instructed Blanca to change into what Powell was wearing and to slip on her boots.
When Lee came back in, he stared at his wife, "How come I am just now seeing that?"
"What?"
"A black lace bra. And how in god's name does it manage to keep everything in place?"
And then she gave him a look, "You want to talk fashion and physics or do you want to get the hell out of here?"
He gave her a kiss, "I'll see you soon." It was given as an order, not as a parting endearment. Lee then turned to Blanca Correa and explained to her in Spanish that she was taking Shady's place; that she should hold on to him as if she were his wife. She nodded obediently, taking the tray and then walked out with the former SAS officer.
Shady then used the keys to open the next door belonging to DeCordobo. She instructed him to go to the end room and she would join him shortly. Then she went to the third bedroom, unlocking the door and entering, "Doctor VanDerShutz?"
The bookish man looked at the girl in shock, "You know who I am?"
Shady smiled, "Yes, sir. Come with me."
He quickly followed her to the last room. Boots explained that she was part of a team sent to rescue them. She instructed both men to put on the vests and then showed them how to strap into the harnesses. Powell then made the men stand against the wall while she opened the curtains and then turned off the lights – the signal for the team watching that they were ready. She stepped back and heard the unmistakable sound of metal imbedding in wood. She opened the window and then explained to the other two hostages, "We're going to hook the mechanism to the rope. Squeeze here and hold it tight. Once you get over the fence, there will be four men, dressed in black. They're the good guys." She smiled.
In the courtyard she saw a shadow move quickly across the ground and the three soldiers that were on duty were dispatched. Smiling at Yin's efficient skills, she turned back to DeCordobo, "You're first."
He hooked on, gave the woman a kiss on the cheek, "However this turns out, Senora, thank you!" He squeezed the latch and then slid down the rope line.
She motioned for the Professor to come next and when she felt the line pop, Boots hooked up his harness. "Are you an angel, Senora?"
She shook her head and smiled, "No, sir. Just a soldier doing my job."
"I will stick with angel," he answered and then at her nod, squeezed the mechanism and followed DeCordobo down the rope line.
Shady grabbed her own harness but as she tried to untangle it, she realized the straps were broken. She frowned. She'd have to do this the old fashion way. She quickly went to the dead soldier in the hall and grabbed his belt. She slipped the belt all the way through the buckle and wrapped it around her weaker right wrist. She also grabbed his knives, adding them to the ones already in her boots. Once back in the bedroom, she checked the area below the window. Seeing it still clear, Shady secured her small handgun in one of the pockets on her pants leg, threw the belt over the rope and started to slide down.
Powell got three-quarters of the way down the rope and came to a complete halt. Her lighter weight together with the make-shift harness had impeded her descent. She now had to shinny the rest of the way down the wire. She put her ankles on the rope and began to wiggle her way to the end. This extra time exposed her and shots rang out. All they could see was a figure dressed in black escaping. Shady felt a sharp sting in her back but continued her progress. Powell could still hear shots being fired as she dropped down on the other side of the compound and came face to face with Yin.
"Here," he shoved a vest and hat at her. "Let's go."
Shady shook her head and said, as she got dressed, "I'll wait for Lee and Barney."
Yang noticed the slight tremor in her hand as he instructed, "You are supposed to come with me."
"Yeah, she doesn't listen," Lee said, joining her. "Go, Yin. We've got Barney."
He nodded and then took off. Ross joined them less than five minutes later. "Let's go," Barney ordered. He led, Boots in the middle and Lee bringing up the rear. They picked up the pace, knowing that they were being followed but no shots had yet been fired.
Christmas was impressed with Powell and how well she was keeping up. They still had roughly five klicks to go but they were making good time. At least they were until Lee stepped in a hole. He guessed that's what it was. All he knew was that he had firm ground one minute and nothing the next. His body went one way, his gun another and he felt the twinge in his knee and knew he was fucked.
Shady heard the muttered oath slightly before she heard the crash. She called out to Barney and then immediately turned back to Lee. She ran and knelt beside her partner only to hear him whisper "gun." She could hear the sounds of several people crashing through the vines and undergrowth. Shady crawled towards Christmas' weapon and had just reached out for it when she heard a different sound - that of a round being chambered. She froze when she felt the barrel tap the back of her head. A booted foot kicked the brim of her baseball cap, knocking it off her head.
In Spanish, a man's voice said, "Turn over." She hesitated only to have the gun put against the back of her head harder. In Spanish and in a harsher tone, the man said, "Turn over."
Shady gave her head a disgusted shake and then rolled over to stare up into the angry face of General Geraldo Moreno.