Chapter 4

Sunday morning, 0538 GYT

Muted daylight filtered through the trees as the SEAL team watched the compound. They had yet to cross the river, but watched the activity through binoculars, seeing only two men patrol the area.

Too easy, Steve thought, worried that while they had the enemy radios, there had been no chatter, no attempt to rouse the men on the beach at all during the night. He could smell a set up a mile away. And right now, there was a stink in the air.

"You feel this is wrong as much as I do?" Grayson asked.

"Oh, yeah," McGarrett whispered. "They're waiting for us. So…change of plan. I think we all go further upstream and backtrack. There are two guards on the perimeter. Have you noticed how interested they are in that shed over there past the garage, even while not trying to be obvious about it?"

"Saw that, Sir, uh, McGarrett," Vega replied with a grin. "Any guesses what's inside?"

"I'm hoping two SEALs," Steve answered. "But we'll find out soon. Vega, take point. I've got your six."

They followed the river for another click and just beyond, found a narrow spot to cross.

"I'll go first," McGarrett told his men when they reached the bank. "Give me a minute to check the other side, then I'll give the OK to proceed." He looked down and saw boot imprints on the bank and pointed toward them. "Get rid of those. No need to announce our arrival in case anyone comes looking for us."

He crossed over and disappeared into the jungle while they waited near the bank. Minutes later, he reappeared and gave them the all clear and they began to cross, Grayson bringing up the rear after removing the evidence of their passing. Once they were together, they took time to erase their prints on that bank before heading toward the compound.

"Looks like changing of the guard," McGarrett whispered, looking at the area through the binoculars as one of the guards near the edge of the property was approached by a second soldier. "Listen…" he told his men, while not taking his eyes off the guards. Their voices were low, but they were able to make out the words.

"Anything?" the replacement guard asked.

"Boring as hell out here. Are they sure the Intel was right?"

"All I was told is that the president is on his way from Georgetown with back up troops. Lost touch with the detail sent to head off the chopper, so the Americans know something is up. But they won't know what's gonna hit them once Ochoa gets here with reinforcements."

The second guard grinned. "I don't know the reason, but he really has it in for the Americans. This is gonna be fun."

"Yeah, you better take Garcia and go eat while you can. I'll cover back here while you're gone. You may not get another chance to eat today. Who knows when all this is will hit the fan?"

McGarrett whispered once again, "Gonna hit pretty damn quickly, my friend, so enjoy that breakfast."

Steve got his men close as the guards switched off; one calling to Garcia and moving toward the house. The second began his patrol, never knowing he was already being watched.

"Looks like now is our best bet if reinforcements are truly coming in. We need to hit before they arrive," McGarrett decided. "Vega, time the charges from the inside out; house first, then exterior buildings and surrounding area. Jackson, you're with him. Be on the lookout for our two SEALS. Grayson, you take out this guy and meet me at the shed. Hopefully we'll find our men there. Jackson, if we do, you'll get the signal to proceed with charges in the outbuildings, but we'll need time to get them out. Meet back at the point we left the river. Questions? No? Let's do this."

McGarrett moved closer to the shed while Grayson snuck around to blindside the guard. Steve didn't wait to see the outcome of the skirmish, but made his move once he saw the guard turn away. Reaching the far side of the shed, he looked for windows or openings. There was ventilation grate near the top, but no windows. He would have to move to the door, which unfortunately was in view of the back of the house.

A quick glance around the corner and Steve saw the door and lock mechanism and grinned. Instead of a lock on the door, a metal bar was stuck down into the hasp. Thanks, guys. Piece of cake.

He pulled the metal out of the lock and quietly opened the door, not knowing what he might find on the other side. He held his SIG in his hand and slipped inside, staying flat against the outside wall while latching the door behind him.

Movement from behind the door caused him to quickly turn and the blow that was aimed at his head managed to bounce off his shoulder. He grabbed the man's arm and twisted, pushing him up against the wall, his weapon in the other hand, ready to use.

"Not nice," Steve spoke while holding the man in a vice-like grip. He pressed harder and asked, "Name?"

"Go to hell," the man gritted out.

A weak voice in the far corner spoke quietly. "Let 'im go, Dog, that's Buck."

Steve recognized the voice and turned to the side to peer at the shadow in the dark corner while releasing some of the pressure on the person who had tackled him. "Boomer?"

"Yeah, man. Have we been here so long that Guyana has been annexed by Hawaii?"

"What?" Steve asked, his forehead creasing in confusion while releasing Buck and taking a good look at the man. A rag was tied around his head, holding a dirty bandage in place. He watched the man limp back over to the pallet and slide down the wall to land next to his friend. Steve activated the tactical light on his SIG-Sauer P226 and crossed the small, rank, musty room to get a closer look at the two.

"Not that I'm not overjoyed to see you," Boomer said, slapping McGarrett on the knee when he knelt in front of him, "but why exactly did they send you?"

"Long story for later. Think you two can travel?"

Boomer had a rag tied above his left knee and the pants leg was stiff with blood. He also had blood across his torso.

"Hell, yeah," Boomer said. "Say the word."

"Where were you hit?" Steve asked, shining the light on the man's stomach.

Boomer shook his head. "I'm good."

"He's got a bullet in his gut," Buck told Steve. "It's infected, he's running a fever and they took our supplies. I did what I could with water but couldn't remove the bullet. The leg wound was a through and through."

A noise outside the door alerted them and Steve quickly moved back against the door, relaxing when Grayson slipped inside.

"Heard you from outside the grate," he pointed to the vent, "So I sent the boys in to set the charges."

"Good." Steve nodded, turning back to the captive SEALs. "We'll get you out of here soon. Buck, how badly are you hurt?"

"Bullet grazed my head. I'll be fine. Just give me a weapon."

"Headaches, constant nausea, hurling every meager morsel they give him to eat, yeah, he's peachy," Boomer drawled.

"We've got you now," Grayson assured them. "Charges are being set, so we'd best get busy and get out of here."

"Affirmative," McGarrett replied.

"You blowing up the house?" Boomer asked.

"Yeah, Boomer, I know that's your job, but you're gonna have to let someone else handle it this time," McGarrett shot back.

"No, wait. You can't. The kid is still in there."

Steve shook his head and sighed. "Not anymore. We got confirmation yesterday that she had been killed. Our mission is to find you guys and blow the place."

"No, seriously, she's alive," Boomer argued. "We heard her last night. Didn't we?" He turned to Buck for confirmation.

Buck thought, and then nodded. "Yeah, she was crying and that shrew of a woman watching her started screaming again." He reached up and rubbed his forehead. "I know my timeline is all screwed up, but it was probably sometime in the middle of last night when we heard her."

"You're sure?" McGarrett asked.

"I'd stake my life on it," Boomer replied.

"That may be exactly what you're doing," Steve admitted. "Ochoa is on his way here with back up, so we need to hurry." He looked at the two captives, and then turned to Grayson. "Get these men back to our designated spot and wait for Vega and Jackson. I'm going in to find the girl."

"Those explosives are already set. You said house first, remember?"

"Yeah. That's why we need to move. Grayson, Boomer's gonna need some help."

"I'll be fine," the man argued.

"Buck, can you handle this?" Steve asked, handing over his back up pistol.

"Absolutely," Buck replied, getting the feel of it in his hand. "And I will not hesitate to use it if anyone gets in my way." He held out his hand again as Steve dropped a couple clips of ammo into it.

McGarrett slid the door open a crack and glanced into the yard, still seeing no other guards. "Any idea where the girl is?"

"Last night, the crying was coming from one of the rooms on the right. Sorry, we haven't been inside so we don't have a layout."

"I'll find her," he whispered, sliding out the door. "See you soon."

~~~H50~~~

Sunday Morning, 0618 GYT

Sure are lax on guards, Steve thought when he simply turned the knob and eased into the back door which opened into a utility area off the kitchen. A quick glance into the large kitchen showed two soldiers eating what appeared to be fish for breakfast. One stood and threw his paper plate into the trash, picking up his weapon as he did so. He turned to head back outside but was struck in the throat with the butt of Steve's M4A1 Carbine. He started to go down and was struck again in the temple before he hit the floor. His comrade turned at the sound and was also butted with the weapon before he could sound an alarm.

McGarrett slid down the hallway to the right, listening for a child's voice. The first room was empty and he came to the second, listening at the closed door. He heard a woman's voice complaining. And then he heard a cry.

He glanced behind him and still no one had found the soldiers or sounded an alarm. He silently opened the door, hearing the girl whimper, "I want mommy." The nanny struck the little girl across the face, knocking her to the floor. She then picked up a brown bottle and poured some of its contents onto a rag.

"I told you your momma doesn't want a crybaby like you anymore. She's going to have a new baby. Now shut up and get over—"

Steve eased the door closed and snaked one arm around her neck and the other over her mouth, jerking her backwards against his chest. "Don't you dare talk to her like that," he growled in her ear. Keeping one hand over her mouth, he grasped her other hand to her face forcing her to breathe in the chloroform fumes from the rag she held. She continued to fight him until her body went limp, at which time he dropped her unconscious body to the bed.

During this action the little girl lay on the floor, her hands covering her eyes, emitting soft whimpers. He kneeled down next to her and she recoiled when he placed his hand on her back.

Steve leaned down to speak with her, awkwardly patting her back. "Hey, Aliyana, I'm here to take you home. I know I probably look really scary right now, but I'll take care of you," he assured her, realizing his face was smeared half black and he was covered in scratches from traveling through the jungle. "Come on, we have to be very quiet so we can get out of here."

She still wouldn't look at him, so he went about the escape. The window was just a few feet off the ground and he raised it, thankful there were no screens to kick out. He grabbed a blanket off the bed and then kneeled down beside her once again.

"Aliyana, listen to me, we're going to get out of here. Come on, look at me, please." He placed his hands around her arms and pulled her into a sitting position, then tucked a finger under her chin. She finally looked at him with wide brown eyes swimming with tears. "Do you understand that we need to be quiet? We're going to have to run, but I'm going to carry you, Ok?" He received no verbal response but he saw acceptance in her eyes and when he picked her up, she didn't fight him away or scream, so he considered that a point in his favor.

He lowered her and the blanket out the window, down to the ground and held his finger to his mouth for her to be quiet. Steve had one leg through the window when he heard the commotion from the kitchen, so he quickly dove through the opening, hearing shouts coming down the hall. At the same time, he heard a voice out front yelling, "The convoy is coming."

He grabbed the girl into his arms, threw the blanket over her and began running along the tree line at the edge of the property, trying to reach the cover of the shed before he was spotted. The back door was thrown back on its hinges and he heard someone scream "There! Get him."

Steve ran, his head tucked down and both arms wrapped around the little girl's body covered in the blanket. The ground began spitting dirt around his feet as he bolted for the shed. Immediately, he heard returning fire from the jungle beyond the shed.

So much for "meet me at the river," he thought.

He reached the corner of the shed when the first explosion hit. The gunfire immediately ceased and he heard surprised screams in its place. He pressed up against the shed and checked as a second and third explosions rocked the house.

Knowing that the outbuildings would soon go up as well, he took off once more, reaching the tree line under enemy fire. Several feet into the jungle, he met up with his team. Grayson and Buck were helping Boomer, his arms across both of their shoulders. Vega and Jackson took up the rear, continuing to lay down cover fire before watching as in succession, the garage, barn, and then the shed blew, raining down fire and debris.

"Trucks are pulling up out front, McGarrett," Vega told him as they pushed further into the jungle, feeling the heat at their backs.

Steve panted, and then replied, "And once they assess the damage, they'll be on our tail. We need to get across the river. Let's move."

"Hold it," Grayson came to a halt. "Boomer, we're going to step this up. Sorry, man, but this is gonna hurt," he apologized and threw the injured SEAL over his shoulder in a fireman's carry.

Jackson reached out and pulled Buck's arm across his shoulder. "Tiring out there, Sir?" he asked as they began to run in unison.

"Just dizzy," the medic admitted. "And a bit out of shape after not moving around this week."

They reached the river without incident and quickly began to cross; Vega bringing up the rear and wiping away their footprints as he walked. Once on the other side, they continued walking south, away from the ocean in hopes of throwing off their pursuers. Unfortunately, they were also moving away from their planned upon pick-up point.

They traveled several more minutes, until Buck could walk no more.

"Okay," McGarrett looked around a small clearing. "Let's assess our situation." He sat on a fallen log while the wounded were placed on the ground. Steve pulled the blanket off his small bundle and the girl finally saw the men around her. She was sweaty from being under the cover, and streaks from her tears trailed down her dirty face. Frightened brown eyes looked at each of the men and then she quickly hid her head in Steve's chest.

Boomer lay on the ground, panting in pain, but he didn't miss the little girl's actions. "Doggie's got a girlfriend," he sing-songed, gulping in pants of air.

McGarrett rolled his eyes, and leaned forward. "Vega, can you pull off my pack?" he asked. When he had it in front of him, he unzipped it and reached in for the pink rabbit. "Hey, Aliyana, I've got something for you. Want to see?"

She didn't move, her head pressed firmly against his chest, her eyes closed.

He tickled her cheek with the rabbit's ear. "I think his name is Mr. Flopsy. Don't you want to say 'hi'?"

Her head moved to the side and she reached out to retrieve the rabbit, a shy smile on her face as she tucked him under her chin, then turned into Steve's chest once again.

"It's OK, little one. You're safe now." He looked at his team, watching as Jackson was checking Boomer's wound.

"What's it look like?" he asked the man.

"Infected. But I don't think it hit anything vital. Bullet just needs to come out before he's going to start getting better. Do you agree, Buck?"

The other medic nodded. "Wish I had the tools when it happened and I could have gotten the bullet out," Buck replied, "but they took my pack and laughed when I asked for it back."

"You were seeing two of everything, Bucko. Think I was going to let you come at me with a scalpel? I might have lost a body part I'm extremely fond of," Boomer gritted out, sucking in air when the wound was touched.

"I'm going to clean it some and then bind it until we can stop for longer," Jackson decided. "After I finish here, I'm looking at your head wound, Buck, so just sit tight."

"I'm fine," the medic told him, then leaned over and threw up what little he had in his stomach.

"Sure you are," McGarrett agreed with him.

"Almost fine," the SEAL amended, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand as Vega passed him a canteen of water.

"I have a question, men. Remember last night when I told you guys to lose the 'sir'?" Steve asked.

Grayson nodded and the other two acknowledged in the affirmative.

Steve continued, "Nowhere in that conversation did I indicate I wasn't still in charge. What part of 'we'll meet at the river' was unclear? Maybe I need to work on my grammar."

"Well, Sir," Vega began…

"Not their fault, McGarrett," Boomer began, gritting his teeth when Jackson began bandaging his wound. "I told them I had already lost two team members in this hell-hole and I had no intention of leaving another one behind. It was my call, not theirs."

Steve started to argue that this was his team, and not Buck's, but knew it didn't matter. A SEAL was a SEAL. They looked out for each other. He nodded at Boomer and told him, "We buried your men near the beach. We'll have them out of there once we have transport."

"Appreciate it," Boomer replied with a nod as Jackson turned away and moved to Buck. "They were good men. They were picked off right after the chopper flew away." He hit his fist on the ground. "This entire mission was a CF from the start. They knew exactly where to expect us."

"Yeah, we figured that out," McGarrett replied, unaware he was sitting there patting Aliyana on the back, a fact that didn't escape Boomer's notice.

Jackson finished cleaning and bandaging the wound on the side of Buck's head and moved toward Steve. "Want me to check her out?" he asked.

McGarrett looked down and realized the girl was asleep, and he shook his head and whispered, "Let's wait. She seems fine for now. But the nanny backhanded her and knocked her to the floor before I could get to her. It was all I could do to keep from breaking that woman's neck."

"I'll try to look her over later," Jackson replied, brushing back the little girl's hair. "If the nanny hit her once, I'm sure it wasn't the first time. But you may have to help…doesn't look like she's going to let you go anytime soon."

"She's scared," Steve told him, trying to get her in a more comfortable position, unsure himself what that might even be. Looking down at her, he realized he was totally out of his element. Looking back up, he assessed the men around him. "We'll rest for a few more minutes then head out again. Is there anything you can give Boomer to make the trip easier?"

Jackson nodded. "Already taken care of. Dose of antibiotics and a shot of morphine—"

"And I'm feelin' fine," Boomer added, a drug-induced grin on his face.

McGarrett took a deep breath and glanced at his watch. ""We missed our initial pick up by the beach. If we can find a suitable place, we'll make a better camp and contact base for another fly by. By now, I'm sure they are wondering what's going on."

~~~H50~~~

ok, REALLY? Did you think I was going to kill someone's little girl? :)