Chapter 13: An Unexpected Meeting
^^V^^ (^V^) ^^V^^ (^V^) ^^V^^ (^V^) ^^V^^ (^V^)
I pass Dick the parcel with his gear. Not all of it, just the gloves, boots, and blacks. That's the minimum, and this little trip was tight on luggage space. He's dressed before the response comes from Oracle. She has a satellite photo of the camp, both now and earlier. I mentally place her numbers against what I see. The pirates are definitely down from from their top staffing. Perhaps gone, more likely asleep. Either will work in our favor. But the movement patterns give her a strong clue as to the camp layout.
I point to the tent she identifies as command. "Far end. Next to the helicopter." I whisper.
"Makes sense. If I had one I'd keep an eye on it." Nightwing replies. "Any wake up juice?"
I hand him an injector capsule from my belt.
"That should do it." He palms the drug, smiling. "I'll empty tent number three. You take the door with Carol Merris." He moves out, then turns back. "Dr. Jones, you cover our rears."
As good a plan as any. I pull the hat low over my face and don the aspect of a camp guard. Not difficult, sentries are universally bored and universally ignored. I make it to the rear of my target tent unchallenged. Leaning back against it in a position of dull exhaustion, I use my palm knife to slit up the side of the tent. No light inside. Good. The tension on the canvas wall will keep it from flapping, and with the darkness the new opening should pass unnoticed. At least for long enough for me to work.
I yawn, and leaning back farther I vanish into the tent.
Credit to Oracle, this is it. Rough living, but with a desk, and sheets on a bed rather then a hammock. A stack of notes that I pocket unread. Time for them later. A bundle on the bed. Black Canary. Wrapped like a cat, so I assume they haven't had the opportunity to do much to her.
She's still out, but a shot of amphetamine brings her around. Dinah's a pro. She knows the drill and wakes without a sound.
"Canary? Batman here." I pull off the blindfold, then start cutting her out of the sheet. Ropes underneath. I'm impressed. These people may not know who we are, but they were taking no chances.
I help her stand, and she goes through the isometrics that will force the blood back into her cramped limbs. "I'm OK. The figured me for arm-candy. Go get Dick."
"Nightwing's free. He's getting the others. We'll meet them and Jones at the exit."
************
Nightwing has them out, but the Captain is in no shape for a jungle hike.
"Leave me." Allnut's voice is hard to make out. "Get my Martha out." It takes a few seconds to understand. This is the first time I've heard his wife's name. I don't need her look to know to ignore him. She's much stronger, and she's not going anywhere without him.
"Not a chance." Black Canary answers for us all. Then she glances at me. " Can Oracle get us a chopper?"
"Sure," Dick whispers back, "but why wait?" He flashes his thumb at the landing field. "Nothing wrong with the one already here."
Except for the guards, who are going to discover people missing any minute now. I visually check out the machine. It's big enough. Waiting for another may be more of a risk, especially as the camp will certainly hear it coming. A chopper on the ground makes a lot less noise then one in the air. It's decided.
I signal my people into position. "Dinah, you move the Captain and his wife. Dr. Jones, cover us, and be prepared to run like hell." I look at Nightwing. "Ready?"
************
I still have the civvies, so I can walk on up. A slow stroll, paced to the shadow at the edge of my sight. I'm near the gas cans before the first challenge .
"?Oye, que usted hace aqui?"
The tired sentry's rifle is still slung, so he's not too suspicious. I start towards him, doing my best to look drunk. That usually works.
"Ola! Usted no puede venit aqui!" He's getting wary. I stagger a bit to get him to open his hands. Perfect. A black shape drops from nowhere and he is down. I don't look. The body movement would be too revealing. Instead, I straighten at once, copying the posture of the defunct guard. Pity he was so short. No help for it. Turned towards the machine, I should pass for a few seconds.
I lean into the door. Damn, low on gas. We'll have to fuel her up before we take off. Lucky the fuel is right there. I move slowly, trying for natural. After a moment the 'other' guard joins me. Dick, with his foes garb over his suit. Not perfect. The black shows under the short sleeves and open collar, but it's something.
He leans on the barrels, feeding out the fuel line as I hook up the helicopter. Five to ten minutes. I risk a look around. The camp is still quiet. So far , so good.
I'm staring on the second fuel tank when a shout comes from the other end of the camp. "Los cautivos, Ellos son idos.!!"
We are in for it now.
I send Dick into the pilots seat, and signal Dinah to start her run. Not perfect, but we will have to go with the fuel we've got.
The whole camp can hear sound of the blades turning. Dinah has a lead, but the guards are gaining. Jones fires a few shots to try and keep them down, but to no effect. They are more scared of their boss then of a bullet. Problem.
Each new assailant brings more noise, which is turn brings out more opponents to come against us. Not good. Both doors are open, and Dinah is loading as fast as she can, but Allnut and his wife are civilians and slow. I grab a axle rod and try to buy some time.
They are firing now. If one bullet hits the fuel tanks we are dead.
"Lift off!" I shout over the blade noise. "Go! GO!"
Dinah drops the ladder, and I lunge for it. My fingers touch, link,and....impact... slammed from behind. Glancing, but heavy enough to knock me off the ladder. Damn. I kick him off, but there are more. The copter turns back, lowers....
"GO!" I shout. "That's an order."
A dark shape swings down on the line. "Let the girl drive."
They aren't shooting now. Too dangerous, and with the advantage of numbers they think they can take us. I smile inside as Nightwing lands on the rifleman, dashing him unconscious to the pavement. No chance.
One fool swings a rifle, but it's no match for the Wings escrima sticks. The punk is a moaning lump before my partner even reaches the ground.
Great to watch, but I have a few fools of my own to distract me. One with a long wrench to the right. Easy to counter with a bo kick. Another noisy sneaking up from the rear. My arm's already down, so I snag a roll of cable and spin it at him. Follow-thru punch and he's out. A third to the left. Elbow, backhand chop, and flip. I use his momentum to send him into a fourth. They are still tangled when a side kick takes them out of the fight.
A de'cel line shadows past. Nightwing follows, swinging up and then over two more running for the tents. One spin takes them both. Good. If the boss isn't here already, we don't need these chums to tell him what went wrong. Nightwing wraps them and jumps back to snag one more hiding behind the fuel barrels.
*Spinggg.* Another rifle. No kevlar, so I hit the ground and roll. The shooters not expecting a hit below his knees. Double kick up while he's falling. His head snaps back and he's gone before he lands.
*Spinggg.Spinggg.* Damn, the idea's catching on. This guy's already on the ground playing at sniper. I knock over a few barrels, rolling them his way. Not heavy enough to do real damage, but they make Rambo scramble. He's distracted, and Nightwing is there to finish him.
Quick check. Five more, armed and nasty. Damn. I roll behind some boxes, needing a chance to stand up. But we will win this.
*Thwipp. Thwipp. Thwipp.* A sound from the south, coming in fast. Damn. That's not our chopper. Much smaller and faster. If those are reinforcements for the camp, we could be in trouble.
A quick flip around the crate, and a karate chop removes one more foe. A loud thud and moan suggests Nightwing caught another. Three more armed men lurking close, but we can take them if....
Where *is* that helicopter? I listen for it to land, but it does not. Just passes overhead. Why? No time now. One of the last defenders has popped up, taking aim at Dick. I jump over and around for a kick, followed by a solid torso punch. He's out. Another somewhere to my right. I turn to fight.......
A pair of huge fists materialize out of the darkness. In a blur, my last two opponents go down for the count.
The stranger turns and holds out one oversized hand. "Mr. Wayne." He says in a massive baritone. "I'm John Renwick."
I straighten. Renwick? From Hildalgo? This is getting more complex than the Riddlers's crimes.
"I gather you're not responsible for this." I nod towards the now-empty camp, but he knows what I mean.
"Only indirectly. I'm very sorry that your people got caught up in our difficulties. I came as soon as we were notified, but - it's a very large jungle. And at first we weren't sure if you were part of the problem."
I shake my head in disgust. "Just answer one thing. Why would I even want to steal this Jaguar Tongue?"
Renwick seems surprised at the question. "So you can kill the Jaguar God and rule over the City of Gold."
END CHAPTER THIRTEEN
^^V^^ (^V^) ^^V^^ (^V^) ^^V^^ (^V^) ^^V^^ (^V^)
I pass Dick the parcel with his gear. Not all of it, just the gloves, boots, and blacks. That's the minimum, and this little trip was tight on luggage space. He's dressed before the response comes from Oracle. She has a satellite photo of the camp, both now and earlier. I mentally place her numbers against what I see. The pirates are definitely down from from their top staffing. Perhaps gone, more likely asleep. Either will work in our favor. But the movement patterns give her a strong clue as to the camp layout.
I point to the tent she identifies as command. "Far end. Next to the helicopter." I whisper.
"Makes sense. If I had one I'd keep an eye on it." Nightwing replies. "Any wake up juice?"
I hand him an injector capsule from my belt.
"That should do it." He palms the drug, smiling. "I'll empty tent number three. You take the door with Carol Merris." He moves out, then turns back. "Dr. Jones, you cover our rears."
As good a plan as any. I pull the hat low over my face and don the aspect of a camp guard. Not difficult, sentries are universally bored and universally ignored. I make it to the rear of my target tent unchallenged. Leaning back against it in a position of dull exhaustion, I use my palm knife to slit up the side of the tent. No light inside. Good. The tension on the canvas wall will keep it from flapping, and with the darkness the new opening should pass unnoticed. At least for long enough for me to work.
I yawn, and leaning back farther I vanish into the tent.
Credit to Oracle, this is it. Rough living, but with a desk, and sheets on a bed rather then a hammock. A stack of notes that I pocket unread. Time for them later. A bundle on the bed. Black Canary. Wrapped like a cat, so I assume they haven't had the opportunity to do much to her.
She's still out, but a shot of amphetamine brings her around. Dinah's a pro. She knows the drill and wakes without a sound.
"Canary? Batman here." I pull off the blindfold, then start cutting her out of the sheet. Ropes underneath. I'm impressed. These people may not know who we are, but they were taking no chances.
I help her stand, and she goes through the isometrics that will force the blood back into her cramped limbs. "I'm OK. The figured me for arm-candy. Go get Dick."
"Nightwing's free. He's getting the others. We'll meet them and Jones at the exit."
************
Nightwing has them out, but the Captain is in no shape for a jungle hike.
"Leave me." Allnut's voice is hard to make out. "Get my Martha out." It takes a few seconds to understand. This is the first time I've heard his wife's name. I don't need her look to know to ignore him. She's much stronger, and she's not going anywhere without him.
"Not a chance." Black Canary answers for us all. Then she glances at me. " Can Oracle get us a chopper?"
"Sure," Dick whispers back, "but why wait?" He flashes his thumb at the landing field. "Nothing wrong with the one already here."
Except for the guards, who are going to discover people missing any minute now. I visually check out the machine. It's big enough. Waiting for another may be more of a risk, especially as the camp will certainly hear it coming. A chopper on the ground makes a lot less noise then one in the air. It's decided.
I signal my people into position. "Dinah, you move the Captain and his wife. Dr. Jones, cover us, and be prepared to run like hell." I look at Nightwing. "Ready?"
************
I still have the civvies, so I can walk on up. A slow stroll, paced to the shadow at the edge of my sight. I'm near the gas cans before the first challenge .
"?Oye, que usted hace aqui?"
The tired sentry's rifle is still slung, so he's not too suspicious. I start towards him, doing my best to look drunk. That usually works.
"Ola! Usted no puede venit aqui!" He's getting wary. I stagger a bit to get him to open his hands. Perfect. A black shape drops from nowhere and he is down. I don't look. The body movement would be too revealing. Instead, I straighten at once, copying the posture of the defunct guard. Pity he was so short. No help for it. Turned towards the machine, I should pass for a few seconds.
I lean into the door. Damn, low on gas. We'll have to fuel her up before we take off. Lucky the fuel is right there. I move slowly, trying for natural. After a moment the 'other' guard joins me. Dick, with his foes garb over his suit. Not perfect. The black shows under the short sleeves and open collar, but it's something.
He leans on the barrels, feeding out the fuel line as I hook up the helicopter. Five to ten minutes. I risk a look around. The camp is still quiet. So far , so good.
I'm staring on the second fuel tank when a shout comes from the other end of the camp. "Los cautivos, Ellos son idos.!!"
We are in for it now.
I send Dick into the pilots seat, and signal Dinah to start her run. Not perfect, but we will have to go with the fuel we've got.
The whole camp can hear sound of the blades turning. Dinah has a lead, but the guards are gaining. Jones fires a few shots to try and keep them down, but to no effect. They are more scared of their boss then of a bullet. Problem.
Each new assailant brings more noise, which is turn brings out more opponents to come against us. Not good. Both doors are open, and Dinah is loading as fast as she can, but Allnut and his wife are civilians and slow. I grab a axle rod and try to buy some time.
They are firing now. If one bullet hits the fuel tanks we are dead.
"Lift off!" I shout over the blade noise. "Go! GO!"
Dinah drops the ladder, and I lunge for it. My fingers touch, link,and....impact... slammed from behind. Glancing, but heavy enough to knock me off the ladder. Damn. I kick him off, but there are more. The copter turns back, lowers....
"GO!" I shout. "That's an order."
A dark shape swings down on the line. "Let the girl drive."
They aren't shooting now. Too dangerous, and with the advantage of numbers they think they can take us. I smile inside as Nightwing lands on the rifleman, dashing him unconscious to the pavement. No chance.
One fool swings a rifle, but it's no match for the Wings escrima sticks. The punk is a moaning lump before my partner even reaches the ground.
Great to watch, but I have a few fools of my own to distract me. One with a long wrench to the right. Easy to counter with a bo kick. Another noisy sneaking up from the rear. My arm's already down, so I snag a roll of cable and spin it at him. Follow-thru punch and he's out. A third to the left. Elbow, backhand chop, and flip. I use his momentum to send him into a fourth. They are still tangled when a side kick takes them out of the fight.
A de'cel line shadows past. Nightwing follows, swinging up and then over two more running for the tents. One spin takes them both. Good. If the boss isn't here already, we don't need these chums to tell him what went wrong. Nightwing wraps them and jumps back to snag one more hiding behind the fuel barrels.
*Spinggg.* Another rifle. No kevlar, so I hit the ground and roll. The shooters not expecting a hit below his knees. Double kick up while he's falling. His head snaps back and he's gone before he lands.
*Spinggg.Spinggg.* Damn, the idea's catching on. This guy's already on the ground playing at sniper. I knock over a few barrels, rolling them his way. Not heavy enough to do real damage, but they make Rambo scramble. He's distracted, and Nightwing is there to finish him.
Quick check. Five more, armed and nasty. Damn. I roll behind some boxes, needing a chance to stand up. But we will win this.
*Thwipp. Thwipp. Thwipp.* A sound from the south, coming in fast. Damn. That's not our chopper. Much smaller and faster. If those are reinforcements for the camp, we could be in trouble.
A quick flip around the crate, and a karate chop removes one more foe. A loud thud and moan suggests Nightwing caught another. Three more armed men lurking close, but we can take them if....
Where *is* that helicopter? I listen for it to land, but it does not. Just passes overhead. Why? No time now. One of the last defenders has popped up, taking aim at Dick. I jump over and around for a kick, followed by a solid torso punch. He's out. Another somewhere to my right. I turn to fight.......
A pair of huge fists materialize out of the darkness. In a blur, my last two opponents go down for the count.
The stranger turns and holds out one oversized hand. "Mr. Wayne." He says in a massive baritone. "I'm John Renwick."
I straighten. Renwick? From Hildalgo? This is getting more complex than the Riddlers's crimes.
"I gather you're not responsible for this." I nod towards the now-empty camp, but he knows what I mean.
"Only indirectly. I'm very sorry that your people got caught up in our difficulties. I came as soon as we were notified, but - it's a very large jungle. And at first we weren't sure if you were part of the problem."
I shake my head in disgust. "Just answer one thing. Why would I even want to steal this Jaguar Tongue?"
Renwick seems surprised at the question. "So you can kill the Jaguar God and rule over the City of Gold."
END CHAPTER THIRTEEN