"Sir, why don't we just ambush Deline's little army?" Raul suggested as he and the Professor watched what was happening in the jungle around them on two screens: Nessa, Mary and Mike remaining by the jeep were on one while Sam and Danny driving the other jeep back was on another. "We outnumber them, so it would be easy to capture them and hold them hostage like the Deline women." He paused and watched his employer carefully. "Or we could just kill them."
"Come now, Raul." the Professor laughed, not tearing his eyes away from the screens in front of him. "Where would the fun be in that?" A chuckle escaped the older man. "Watching these fools toil under the false impression that they'll actually be able to do something is the best entertainment that I've had in a long while!" He waved off his henchman. "Besides, they'll find their way here eventually, and our host doesn't want to waste any unnecessary energy or manpower."
"I guess that that makes sense." Raul nodded, switching the assault rifle in his right hand to his left. "So, what's the plan when they actually get here? I mean, I know what the boss has planned for Ed Deline, but what about them?"
"For most of them, their fates have been left up to him." the Professor replied, referring to the man who had summoned him and Raul there in the first place. Suddenly, the black and gray haired man's eyes locked themselves on Danny. "However, Danny Boy will only wish that he had been that lucky! His future is in my very capable hands."
"I can't believe it." a stunned Mike commented, rubbing the back of his head as he stared at the two red jeeps parked in front of him. "I just can't believe it! Why the hell would they…"
"I'm not sure." Danny replied, leaning up against the jeep him and Sam had just gotten out of. The brown-haired, ex-Marine shook his head. "But there's even more bad news. Even though the Professor appears to be heading north, Ed and Keller's tracks led south."
"What?" Mary said as both her and Mike looked back at Danny in disbelief. "Why?"
"Keller's leading Ed into a trap." a worried Nessa whispered, her dark eyes widening. Her voice grew in volume as she raced towards one of the jeeps. "I've got to go help him!"
"Nessa, no!" a firm Danny said, stepping in between the black, British woman and the red jeep. "Ed can fight his own battle! We need to get Jillian and Delinda back!"
"A lot of bloody good that will do us if there's no Ed to get them back for!" an irate Nessa protested, trying to shove the ex-Marine out of the way. Her efforts were blocked by Mike grabbing the back of her shirt. "Let me go!"
"No, it's too dangerous for you to be going off into the jungle alone." Mike replied, shaking his head and maintaining his grip. "Don't you think that if Danny had thought that Ed was in any kind of trouble, he would have gone after him?" Walking in front of the woman, he put his hands on her shoulders. "Come on! We've got a job to do! Ed's counting on us to get Dee and Mrs. D. back."
"Come on, Nessa." Mary encouraged as she and Sam silently watched on.
"Are you sure that he's going to be okay?" Nessa asked, looking over Mike's shoulder at Danny.
"Ed can handle Keller." Danny nodded, crossing his arms across his chest.
"All right then." Nessa sighed, still reluctant to leave the man who had been like a father to her alone, but knowing that it was what the gray-haired man with fierce blue eyes would want. "Let's go get Delinda and Jillian, and go home."
"That's more like it." Mike smiled, rubbing Nessa's shoulder. The bald, African American man suddenly looked at Danny. "What are you thinking, Danny Boy?"
"We've got a perfectly good road right in front of us." Danny replied, looking down the makeshift path the Professor's jeeps had carved into the thick forest. The ex-Marine's brown eyes narrowed in determination. "Let's use it." Although he had doubts about being leader, due to what had happened to his entire unit overseas, McCoy knew that the team needed his military experience to help them through this. "Mikey, you take the lead and I'll cover the rear. Ladies, I need you to walk in between us, and keep your eyes open for anything suspicious. All right?" The group around him nodded at him. "Okay, let's go."
"Danny." Mary said quietly, standing in the ex-Marine's way as the group started into the jungle.
"Hmm?" an interested Danny inquired with a raised eyebrow.
"You're due for your medication." Mary replied as McCoy suddenly noticed that she was holding a canteen in one hand and a few of his pain pills in the other.
"Leave it to you to remember about that." Danny smiled before popping the pills in his mouth and chugging them down with a big mouthful of water.
"Hmm." Mary chuckled, leaning towards him. "I also remember that you're due for this." She kissed him quickly on the lips, and smiled at the confusion present in his eyes when she pulled away. "A good luck kiss."
"Thanks, Mary." an appreciative Danny said, caressing her cheek. "I think that we're going to need all of the good luck we can get."
Pushing away one last vine that blocked his view, Ed growled as his blue eyes were finally able to take in the brown and gold temple in front of him. The anger rose in the gray-haired man's chest as he realized that his wife and daughter were inside the massive building as well as the man who was keeping them from him. Deline wanted to tear the structure down brick by brick until he found all of them. Vengeance would be his!
Catching sight of movement in the corner of his eye, Ed turned to look down the makeshift road that he was now standing on. He could see a small group of people heading his way from not too far off, and the former CIA operative suspected that it had to be his employees that he had left drugged and unconscious in the hotel room. Keller's bullshit about leading him the wrong way would have given the group plenty of time to catch up to him.
"Mr. D.!" the voice of Mike Cannon was faintly heard shouting as the group broke into a run. Ed was beginning to be able to see distinct facial features on all of them, but it would be a few minutes before they would be able to catch up to him. A few minutes that he couldn't afford if the lives of his wife and daughter were on the line!
"What's he doing?" Sam inquired, pausing in her tracks as she noticed Ed running up the massive staircase to the temple's main entrance.
"He's not wasting any time!" Danny replied, trying to ignore both the massive weariness that he felt and the agony his broken ribs had decided to cause him. Gritting his teeth, the tall man broke into an even faster pace than what he had been doing. "Come on!"
"And now, the game begins." a mysterious figure chuckled to himself as he watched Ed Deline enter the temple via a monitor in front of him. He raised a glass of red wine to his lips. "Please take your time in searching for your beautiful wife and daughter, Ed. After all, you'll only be prolonging your own execution."
To be continued...