Disclaimer: All the characters you recognize from the Stephanie Plum books belong to Janet Evanovich. The Inferna Angelus' on the other hand are solely mine as is the tiny terror tiger that rules them.

A/N: I'm finally back home and will try to pick up speed. Thanks to all those who reviewed - your words helped tremendously to keep going.

Chapter 53 – The Assault

Mountain region northeast of Sardinata, Colombia

Ten nights. Ten exhausting, nerve-wracking, fucking nights. Frustrated, Esme tightly wrapped her arms around her shivering body in an effort to protect against the chill in the early morning. She watched the parakeets joyfully jetting over the valley's treetops while the rising sun dipped golden hues onto the beauty beneath her. Ten goddamned nights, she clenched her jaw wishing she could join the birds in their reverie.

Behind her Esme felt Agony step out of the cave and walk over to her vantage point.

Angelito, he hugged her close.

Hola mi guardian, she let his chest absorb her weight and enjoyed the feeling of comfort coming with his strong arms. It's time we act. We've been crawling through this god-awful, sodden green shit for ten nights and we have nothing,Esme thought as she breathed in the heady mix of sweat and damp soil that clung to Agony and her. The well-known aroma of high exertion without real clean-up. How often had they stunk like skunk on missions? Easier to count the times they did not.

You are apprehensive, Agony assessed without judgment, his chin resting on her head as they watched the birds' play in the valley.

I'd be a bad leader if I wasn't. Look at them, Esme pushed to him thinking of the Rangemen. They say they are ready to die; but in truth most of them accept death simply as a mere possibility. They don't embrace the Grim Reaper like we do and that makes this whole shit-storm of an operation difficult. With us, our safe return comes second – I can fully focus on an optimum assault. I can't think that same way during this fucking abomination because THEIR lives are equally at stake. I could never live with the foul taste of having knowingly led them into a killing field blindly. I'd prefer to have a more precise outlay of the situation within the mine so I could match the guys better than I can do it now. We don't even know for sure how many of Escobar's men we are facing.

Furor said they've done well so far, Agony rubbed Esme's arms spreading warmth in her chilly body.

I agree and they have my unconditional trust; but I'm also responsible for them. I have a bad feeling about what's lying ahead of us. Somehow, I have to find a way to lead an ideal attack while keeping the Rangemen as safe as possible so they won't return to Trenton as corpses.

An hour later…

It was still early in the morning and the sun was comfortably warm, herald of the heat to come. The Rangemen and IAs sprawled outside the cave, soaking up the warmth, when Esme, Furor, Lester and Ram stepped out of the cave's dark mouth and into their midst.

Gentlemen, Esme ordered their rapt attention.

I am proud of you.The last ten nights you did great scouting out the enemy; but now it's time we kick some serious ass. MO is a simultaneous aggressive assault from all sides. Tonight, we'll move along the range to the opposite side of the valley and approach our target from above. The final aggression will happen in the early morning hours before dawn.

Our points of entry are as follows:Two main entries with torches and guards, two smaller side entries that are overgrown and well hidden behind some brush and two ventilation shafts.

Furor, Cal, Zero, Knock; you take the main entry to the left. Rage, V, Woody, Scotch; you get the lower right.

Les, Button, Vince; the side entry on the far west. Ram, CP, Scar; the one hidden behind those boulders and fern in the east.

Agony, Rev and I will take care of the ventilation shafts. They are very small; but I'm just tiny enough for the guys to rappel me down.

Depending upon what I find there, I'll assault them from that point while Agony and Rev come in behind Furor and his team with the explosives as soon as the way is cleared.

Cal, Agony; you are our EODs and responsible for the BOOM. I know you put a lot of thought into the finer art of your assignment and I trust you to keep us as safe as possible in terms of potential drug exposure.I want the earth to shake when you hit your buttons.

Rage, Ram, Vince, Scar; you are the spearheads on our retreat. You'll go ahead and have our backs while we handle the hostages. Les, Woody, Zero, Knock and Scotch, in case of a foreign assault, you'll back them up. The medics will stay with the hostages at all times, except for assessing injuries in our own ranks. Agony and Cal, check in with me to coordinate our retreat and your blast. I don't want anyone getting barbequed.

There's no sure account; but I expect the number of the enemy to be in the sixties. Gentlemen, let me remind you that we are seventeen. We can't risk to be overpowered … our aim is to kill – fast and noiseless for as long as possible. The more Guerrillas are down before they realize what happens; the better our chances for survival.

Once we are on our way back, we'll lead the hostages over this cavern to the other side of this mountain and our former LZ. We'll have to decide at that time whom to accompany to Cúcuta and whom to take with us. The IAs will bring those capable of living on their own to Cúcuta. The Rangemen plus those hostages too disabled to get along alone will beat ass outta here. Two Pave Hawks are available on call coming in from Venezuela.

Any questions?

National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, Fairfax, Virginia

It was six A.M. when Darnell Terrell leisurely walked along the floors of his dominion. Myriads of humming monitors and clicking keyboards echoed through the otherwise quiet high security department. His expert analysts diligently worked as he ambled toward Marvey Wayne's office. Over the last two months NISE had monitored the man closely; but though being friends with the Inferna Angelus' A-team he didn't seem to be too closely involved with them. Wayne had refused his offer for promotion; but the reasoning was believable and Terrell finally decided to let the man off the hook. After all, he was the best analyst the NGA had.

"Good morning, Mr. Wayne," Terrell greeted Marv with his usual soft voice.

"Mr. Terrell," Marvey looked at his supervisor and nodded a greeting before turning back to the huge plasma screens mounted on the wall in front of him.

"How is the situation in Kunduz playing out?" Marvey pressed a few keys and then used his mouse to zoom in on some cloaked figures moving across the screen.

"This is our Delta Force unit. They made good progress last night." Marvey clicked some more and on a second screen an image of a different landscape recorded with infrared technology came into view. "These were supposed Taliban apparently on their way into Kunduz," he pointed at some moving heat sources. "Around midnight, I piloted our men around them at a safe distance."

A beeping noise had Marvey clicking some keys and adjusting his headset readying himself for the incoming call. While speaking, he saved the actual SAT image marking the time along with the longitude and latitude coordinates before turning to fully face Terrell.

"That was the team's CO. They found a hideout for the day and will come back online 2200 hours their time," he reported and calmly waited for a response.

The last few weeks had been the hardest of his life and he sure as hell didn't feel like James Bond anymore. His former carefree lifestyle full of freedoms and liberties had transformed into a rigorous schedule of pretenses, evasive maneuvers and check-ins with his bodyguards. He no longer trusted anyone and felt as though he was on the verge of becoming seriously paranoid. Scratch that, he was paranoid! Period, end of discussion. Planting a whole lot of curiosity onto his face, he waited for Terrell to make the next move in their cat and mouse game.

"I have a special assignment for you, Marvey," Terrell started with a benign smile as he propped his hip against Marv's desk.

Behind the kind surface of his eyes, Marvey could sense the cold calculation and furtiveness.

"An operative appears to have gotten 'lost' on his way back from an assignment. We have reason to believe that he's about to sell some sensitive information to the enemy. The NCIS asked for our support. Here is his GPS code. I want you to find him – no matter where he's hiding."

Marvey accepted the slip of paper with the handwritten mix of numbers and letters and turned back to his keyboard.

"He's not on the North American continent," he said after a while without turning around. Behind him Terrell froze for a second.

"Try South America," he ordered in a glacial tone.

It was a matter of ten minutes before the corresponding Satellite found the transponder signal in the mountain region north-east of Sardinata, near Cúcuta, Colombia.

Marvey's heart plummeted down into his gut churning his intestines as he felt dizziness taking over. The high definition screen in front of him displayed the exact valley he had continuously surveyed for Esme. From behind him, Terrell stared stunned at the screen his mouth slightly ajar. A returning blip, strong and regular as a heart-beat, confirmed that the Rangemen along with the IAs had long been parked in Colombia and were head-on in the right valley.

"Get us closer," Terrell's bitterly sharp command shook Marv out of his state.

As he maxed out the technology's possibilities and zoomed in on the GPS signal, the shapes of ten men could be seen sprawling on the huge ledge of a rock. Marvey kept his face emotionless as he recognized Rage, Rev and Esme's friend Lester. He needed to get away from here and somehow warn them, he thought, as his hand surreptitiously edged toward the panic button in his jeans pocket to alarm his guards.

University Medical Center of Princeton, New Jersey, Detox Unit

"Screw it. Nothing will ever be good again. I'm done with life… work… friends… family." Ranger murmured with an indifferent and tired voice.

"No, you are not," the huge black man sitting at his bedside answered firmly. "That there is the depression talking. Not you, my Brother."

Silence.

"Carlos?" Tank was sitting next to his friend watching him with understanding eyes; but Ranger wouldn't budge.

Tank knew Depression was like a Dyson, sucking the vitality right out of a person. Although his life was still worth living and he had a future to work for, Ranger's disease just wouldn't allow him to see the positives. He just lay there motionless with distraught, vacant eyes and allowed the minutes to pass aimlessly. Even Tank's cell going off had no effect on his statuesque posture.

"Talk."

"This is Marvey Wayne with the NGA. I'm a close friend of Esme. Before she left she gave me your cell number for emergencies."

Tank knew very well who the man on the other end was; but didn't see a reason to acknowledge him.

"Anyway," Marvey continued into the stretching silence. "I just found out one of your men must be carrying a GPS transmitter. My boss, Darnell Terrell, now knows that they are in Colombia. You need to warn them. I don't know what Esme told you; but she and the men are in mortal danger."

Mountain region northeast of Sardinata, Colombia

The following day about two hours before dawn, the Rangemen and IAs were in position and ready for their ambush.

Furor, you got the two guards at the entrance and I sense four more a short way into the mine; but I can't tell what they are doing. Rage, your team's also facing two right off the bat. Can't tell ya anything else. Lester, Ram, I can't sense anything regarding your entry points. The fucking rock is doing a number on my senses, so be prepared. You all know the procedure. Everybody ready?

Roger that, came from the four team leaders.

On my command. Three, two, one, go go go.

T nodded at Agony and Rev before ducking head first into the ventilation shaft. The rope her harness was attached to became taut as soon as she was a body length into the shaft. The minds of the rest of the team suddenly vanished from her radar leaving Agony and Rev's thoughts as the only ones left invading her mind. This was a complication she hadn't anticipated since her scanner worked just fine within any other kind of building. And wasn't that the main theme of this mission - one fucked up sitch after another? Inch by inch she quickly glided further into the earth until a horrible stench caused her to blanch and bile rose from her stomach.

Slowly now, she pushed up to Agony and Rev whose presence became more and more faint.

A few more yards into the shaft a low light became visible.

I see a light, about four yards down.

Agony and Rev measured the rope accordingly and lowered her slowly toward the assumed end of the shaft. About twenty beaten and bloodied hostages barely clothed in rags cowered in a corner of a cave. The sickening smell of their excrement wafted from the opposite side of their huddle. T looked around for guards; but found only the hostages imprisoned by iron bars set into the mound of the cave.

Pull me back up, she pushed forcefully toward Agony and Rev at the end of the rope.

Hostages. Twenty of them, she inhaled a lung full of fresh air then took a strong pull from the water bottle Rev had handed her. None of them realized I was there so I'm not sure about their state of awareness or their disabilities. No guards; but a set of sturdy iron bars. How are the others faring?

Rage and his team stumbled over a cavern used for sleeping, Agony told her. Twenty men are in there. They are waiting for word on how to proceed. Once they attack, our cover will be blown.

Rage's team can't risk having that many men at their backs, T took another swig of water trying to quell the still lingering stench burning in her throat.

Tell them to hold position until we know what's at the end of the other shaft, she pushed, taking a last gulp of water. The other teams?

Silently working their way into the cave-system. Fourteen men down altogether, Rev answered.

Fifteen minutes later, T hung headfirst over the opening to another cave and couldn't believe her eyes. Jackpot! A high tech lab with ten men scurrying about like little white ants shifting between aisles and busying themselves with whatever devil's henchmen do in their drug laboratories.

Holy Shit! I'm right over the lab. Ten men, she laughed sardonically pushing her thoughts to the guys at the end of the rope. Pulling one of her Glocks from its holster and screwing on the matching silencer, Tell Rage to assault at his discretion. The others should prepare for things to get messy. No survivors. On my command, let me two feet down so my arms are free and I will take care of these lab rats.

The hits were fast and clean. Ten rounds for ten drug cooking bastards not worth breathing. None of them had a chance as T, hanging head first from the ceiling, eliminated them in the blink of an eye. Reluctantly, Agony and Rev lowered her down completely then watched as the rope fell silent to her feet. Their place has always been right at T's side; but now for the first time in their history, she had sent them on their own mission. She forced them to leave her behind, alone. With clenched jaws, they picked up their backpacks full of explosives and started after Furor and his team.

Meanwhile, T crouched motionless on the floor of the lab silently reaching out with her mind. Nobody nearby seemed to have heard the soft pops left by the Glock's silencer. Slowly rising, she took a look around the cave. Everything was top notch and in the middle of the ceiling was another small shaft with what looked like the piping for an air conditioning system. The tubing ran across the ceiling and vanished through a hole in one of the side walls.

Cautiously, T crept her way over to the opening. The closer she came to the opening the more detailed became the human outlay of the huge cavern it led to. She counted twenty men assembling and piling boxes full of what she assumed were the drugs. T narrowed her eyes after quickly entering the small tunnel and peeping into the cavern. From her entry point above the cave, she could see each of the present men below. They were packing serious heat and were scattered over a space of 20 x 40 yards. On the opposite side from her was a huge mouth fit for forklift trucks. Fuck. She was cornered. Her Glocks held seventeen rounds each; but even with both babies in action she wouldn't be able to down all twenty men at once. The Glock's range was limited and the silencer added to the inaccuracy. In addition, even with the silencers on, the men would be warned and return fire, alarming others. Smoke and Flash Bang grenades were out since she didn't know the sensitivity of the drugs. Retreating from her post, T crept back into the lab.

As soon as she was out, her back hit the wall and she let herself slide down into a sitting position. Tense, she threw out the invisible net of her mind. Nothing, not a single blip. What a fucked up sitch. Taking a deep breath she collected her thoughts and checked her options. The lighting! Looking up she saw cords running from a huge fuse box. One of the switches was marked storage. Perfect. T calmly loaded her guns and several extra magazines. Putting a silencer on the second Glock and then grabbing her night-vision goggles, she took a few cleansing breaths before she cut the power supply to the storage cave. The response was immediate. In a flash she had herself positioned at the mouth of the tunnel and started to take out the Guerrillas below her. She'd just snuffed the life out of the twelfth man, when the first rounds hit the rock next to her head. Hurling herself away from a hailstorm of bullets, she banged against the steel banister of the platform where she had squatted. Adrenalin was racing through the highway of her veins as she held her breath, aimed and downed three more of the enemies. Five left. A pain ripped through her right upper arm, leaving a trail of fire behind. Changing her gun to the left hand she nailed the shooter with two rounds. The empty Glock went back into its holster the same moment she pulled the second out. Her right arm was throbbing with a soul searing pain. Thank god Rev had made sure she was equally proficient with both hands.

Bullets flew around her in a never-ending volley, aiming for what little muzzle flash was still visible despite the silencers. Pressed tight against the steel grate of the platform, T crawled towards the steep stairs and slid down face first. She needed to get on floor level and meet the bastards face-to-face otherwise she'd end up as a sieve. Fast and sufficiently she sucked the lives out of the remaining men, her night goggles giving her the deciding advantage. As she turned the corner of a pallet, she came face to face with the last survivor, his gun raised at her point blank.

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