Chapter 4
Slowly it becomes too stupid for Danny. He still hasn't heard from Steve and his phone is always off or he has no network. He types his number into the computer and looks up the last place Steve's phone was connected. The computer calculates for a while, then zooms out of the USA map and then into the map of Africa. "Senegal? Oh sh..., where did this guy get into this again?" Chin looked over his shoulder. "I don't know about you Danny, but I have a really bad feeling about this right now." Danny just nods. Deep down, he had known ever since he found the letter that he was going to follow Steve.
Too often, the super-seal has been in trouble.
Steve gets changed and repacks the backpack. He locks Catherine's and his cell phone, the USB stick and part of the cameras in the safe. Instead, he now adds the computer, the night-vision device, the satellite phone and water; he carries his gun in a holster under his shirt. He is running out of time. He is annoyed that he has no more time to scout out the local situation while still on the ground. Tomorrow is already the vote and by then Sara must be at large. He shoulders his backpack and leaves the guesthouse. Then he gets in the car and drives toward the reservation. According to the map app, he needs about an hour.
Danny, Chin, Kono and Lou are now on a plane to Africa, just like Steve was a few days ago. Chin has no idea how Danny did it, he suspects that Joe White is behind it.
Steve parks the jeep somewhat hidden near the reserve and walks the rest of the way. The sun is still in the sky, but it won't be long before it's pitch black out here. When he reaches the reservation's fence, he cuts some of the mesh with the Leatherman. Behind him, he joins them back together with cable ties. Then he approaches the ranch.
The reserve offers plenty of cover which he now uses to once again bring out the thermal imaging camera. The image of the three people in the former stable is still unchanged and no guards are visible. Steve continues to stalk the back of the barn. The entire building is made of wood. Using his pocket knife, he loosens one of the boards and peers through.
Three people are sitting or lying chained in the stable, but neither Catherine nor Sara are there. If he recognizes it correctly in the dim light, they are the three Agency agents. In one of the files on Catherine's flash drive were pictures with names.
Steve quietly unties two more boards and crawls in to join the agents. The sitting agent, Tim Hennessy, spots him first and looks at him in surprise.
"Are they hurt?" "I'm not, but my colleagues both got hit pretty good. Mike they hit in the chest, he's having a hard time breathing, and Nathan in the shoulder. They're both not doing well at all, especially since the wounds weren't taken care of."
"Okay, then we need to see about getting the injured out of here." Steve unties the three, then takes a closer look at the two injured men and tries to address them. "Mike?" The one addressed responds, his breathing shallow. "Can they get up." Dare sees Steve nod. "Good." Steve holds out his hand, which Mike grasps and stands up, groaning. Immediately Tim is on hand to support his colleague. Steve quickly explains to them where the jeep is. "You go ahead, I'll catch up with Nathan."
He turns to Nathan. He has already noticed that it's time to get out of here. Feverishly, he looks at Steve and holds out his hand. Indestructible people. Steve grabs his hand and carefully pulls him up. Then they make to get through the hole in the wall. Outside, Nathan leans against the wall briefly so Steve can temporarily put the boards back in place, then they sneak through the reservation as quietly as they can. At the fence, they catch up with the other two. Steve undoes the cable ties and directs them to the car, then carefully recloses the fence. Carefully, they put the two injured men in the back seat. Steve hands Tim the car keys. The latter looks at him in amazement. "Aren't they coming?" "I still have to find out where they took Sarah and Catherine. I was hoping they'd be here, but that doesn't seem to be the case. Drive. Get your colleagues safely to a hospital." Reluctantly, Tim looks at him.
"What about her?" "Don't worry, I'll get out of here somehow. Now let's go."
Tim is just about to get in, when he turns around again. "What's your name, anyway?" "I'm Steve." "Thanks, Steve!" Then he gets in the car and drives away. Steve hopes he makes it to a hospital in time.
After the car is driven, Steve waits a bit to give the three of them a head start. Then he sets off to take on one of the guards.
He has chosen the one near the reserve, he thinks he has seen a car near there. Quietly, he stalks closer. Just as he is about to grab it, one of the other guards approaches. He quickly ducks again and quietly retreats a bit. He might have to choose another guard.
"Why do we actually still have to pay attention here? That politician's daughter isn't even here anymore." "Yes, I already explained it to you this morning. We're supposed to keep an eye on the guys who are supposed to free her, so they don't get any stupid ideas." "Two of them won't be doing anything soon if they don't get to a doctor soon. And how are they supposed to know that this Sara and the other one are right with the boss now?" "How do I know, maybe because those guys aren't as dumb as you."
"Just watch what you say." "Oh come on, stick it. How about it? Fancy a game of officer skat?" "Sure, let's go ahead then, the light's better there."
Slowly, the two stroll over to the main house and sit down on the porch. Steve searches his brain. 'Right at the boss', was the mastermind of the whole thing named somewhere in Catherine's papers? He can't remember right now.
He has to find a place where he can look at the documents again in peace. He looks around, a little further away there is another small hut, probably formerly a sheep pen or something. Quietly, he sneaks over and pulls out his laptop. Then he opens the files he had copied from the stick.
There, he has it. They suspect a Christophe Lefebre. Hopefully he really is the boss, he can't afford another false lead. When he searches for him on the Internet, he finds a lot of entries about him, but he is only interested in the real estate. Ah, here, he still owns a ranch in Senegal, near Thiès. Steve quickly packs everything up again. Now he just has to steal the car and get to Thiès.
He creeps back to the Jeep. The old Wrangler isn't in the best shape anymore, but Steve hopes it will drive anyway. He quietly opens the door, releases the handbrake and pushes the car out of sight of the guards. Only when he is level with the reserve does he get in.
He is about to hot-wire the car when he sees a key fob hanging out of the side of the sun visor. He folds down the sun visor and the car key falls into his lap, so to speak. Slightly he shakes his head, how careless, the car could be stolen after all. He grins, then starts the engine and makes sure he gets away. It takes him over an hour to get to Thiès, and he has already lost far too much time