Chapter 30: Marco's POV (Monday, October 17th)

I've been in this hellhole since Wednesday. I have no idea why I was removed from MDTP custody and given over to the MPs. I mean, the MPs have nothing to do with this. Nothing I did has anything to do with me being in the military. I want to know what the fuck Ranger is playing at. I swear, I will make him pay when I get out of here. Fuck that whore, I don't give a shit about her anymore. I'm going after Manoso himself.

Everyone thinks he's such a good guy. The best. Mr. Suave. He's not. What he has is good men who work with him. If he wasn't always surrounded by others better than him, he would be dead. I can't recall how many times I saved his ass. No one seems to want to know that reality. I fucking hated working under his leadership because he always took all the glory and never gave us credit. It was a fucking mistake to go into business with him. I should have walked away when he didn't offer me ownership as he did to Santos, Dupree, and Brown. Now, he goes and gives it to that skirt. Fucking cunt slut whore. She played him like the whore she is, jumping from his bed to the cops, and he still followed her around like a fucking lost puppy. What a fucking pussy whipped wimp.

Anyway, I'm waiting to talk to someone about my court date. Nobody will tell me anything. When I told Alicia I was arrested, she immediately came to see me. After she spoke to the cops, she came back, told me I was scum, demanded a divorce and left. I haven't seen or spoken to her since, and she refuses to let me talk to my sons. I'll get her back, too. Dumb bitch.

I'm concerned about Rita, though. She's a loose cannon. As long as she doesn't try to take out any money from "the account," she should be fine. I hope I can get word to her so I can tell her what to do. I need that money safeguarded for when I get out. If she acknowledges that account, she can also be sent to prison. I don't know why, but I am suspicious that Ranger knows I was taking the money. If so, I'm sure he'll be on Rita's tail sooner or later. I consistently underestimated Hector's abilities. I know now that was an oversight on my end. I still can't get over the fact that there were eyes and ears in all my private locations. It can only be Hector.

Suddenly, I hear footsteps outside my tiny cell. I wonder if it's someone to finally tell me what's going on. I sit on the bed, looking unconcerned and relaxed when I'm anything but that. I hear the locks tumble, then see the door open. I'm shocked to see the men standing before me.

"What the fuck are you doing here?"

"Taking you to your final destination. Did you think I would leave your punishment up to some suits?"

"You can't do anything. You are not MP."

"That's where you're wrong. It is on the government's behalf that I'm here. You see, the government doesn't like the idea of their operatives breaking the law and, worse, having a mistress. Rita's shared a lot of interesting information with the MPs. It's amazing how much she knows that she shouldn't. You have a loose lips, Marco."

I try to act calm and unbothered, as well as confused. "Rita, who? I don't know any Rita's."

The men before me laugh. "Yes, you do. Rita Komer? Ring a bell? The woman you've been fucking for the last few years, even though you have a wonderful wife and kids?"

"Hey, lover, I miss you. Is Alicia working tonight? Maybe you can come over to my place. I'll cook for you. Please, baby. I love you," the second man says, reading off what appears to be my phone.

"You have no right to look at my private property."

"It belongs to the government now, so I have the right. Anyway, it's time to cut to the chase. You're done, Marco, finished, gone. You will never step foot on US territory again. You will never see your wife or sons again. Don't worry. I'll ensure she has enough money to keep the house and the kids in the best schools. Unlike you, I respect women."

I'm starting to sweat, and I hope the men can't realize they're getting to me. I can get away. I can come home quickly.

"I know how you always loved the cold, so you are being dropped off in Siberia, over 500 miles away from any inhabited location. You'll have a one-half-liter water bottle and clothes on your back. I know navigation was always your weakness. I heard they're expecting a blizzard."

I go to charge the men standing before me, but they quickly contain me as I feel a needle prick in my right arm.

"Fuck you, Manoso, and fuck you, Santos. I will get back here. I promise that." I say as Slick shakes his head. Soon, I black out.

Why the fuck is there a jackhammer going. What the fuck time is it? I shake my head, only making the pounding worse. I glance at my watch; it says 1900. Why am I so cold? I look down, and I'm wearing cold-weather fatigues. No coat, no outerwear. I have on my combat boots. I feel in my pockets, finding nothing. Now, I look around my shelter, which is a large wooden box. I only see a somewhat frozen bottle of water. Soon, the confrontation with Manoso is replaying in my head.

"No, it can't be. I'm not in Siberia," I say to myself. I managed to open the crate and step outside. All I see is snow and ice for miles. Fortunately, there's a full moon, so I can see it. Damn it, 500 miles. I need to walk at least 20 miles daily, but it will take me almost a month to get anywhere. I look around, finding one power bar. I won't make it far on a bar and one water bottle. I have no weapons, nothing to hunt with. I decide to hunker down for the night. I eat a quarter of the bar to allow me to sleep and a sip of water. Hopefully, I can survive.

After a restless few hours of attempted sleep, I decided to try and make my way home. I tentatively step out of my shelter, meager as it is, and look around. I don't want to go north. That will be worse. I need to head south. I glance at the sky, and even though there is no light pollution or cloud cover, I see stars. I have no idea what constellations I'm looking at. I can't even find the Big Dipper. I know Polaris is part of the Big Dipper, and if I can see that constellation, I can at least know where north is. After at least five minutes of searching the skies, I give up, wishing I had paid more attention to the navigation courses we were forced to take. Hell, on every team, you always had a navigator. It was their job to get you where you need to be. The team leaders never needed to know that shit. Granted, Manoso, Santos, Dupree, and several of the other guys would know navigation as well, but I always thought it was a waste of time. Now I understand how foolish of me that was. Manoso would be walking in the proper direction already. I sigh and walk forward, unsure of where I'm heading. I only have about nine hours of daylight at this time of the year. I need to make the more of that time. I even wondered if it would be prudent to try to sleep during the day when there is at least some solar radiation to warm me and walk at night.

I have no idea how long or far I've been walking, but I can no longer see the crate I was dropped in. I'm hungry, but I'm trying to hold off on eating more of my power bar. Eating it now would limit my intake later on. I gather snow in my water bottle, keeping it in my coat and allowing it to melt. That will prolong my water supply beyond what they gave me.

Damn, this sun is bright. I search my pockets for the umpteenth time, not finding sunglasses to combat the reflection. This is pure torture. The sun was at my back earlier; now I'm walking into it, so it means I'm moving west. My legs are killing me. I need to rest. I quickly find a spot to stop and pile up snow, making a makeshift igloo. I slip inside, determined to get a little rest. I close my eyes.

My eyes open wide as I look around. Still in my igloo, but it appears dark outside. I intend to eat another small piece of the power bar, but instead, I finish it. Fuck! There goes my food. I have not seen any wildlife and have nothing to hunt with. How will I get food? I can't sit here and ponder life away, so I started walking. Staying still will only lead to frostbite. I stretch after crawling out of my shelter and begin to walk.

The sun rises, and I reach for my water, realizing I have left it at my shelter. I have no idea how far I've walked. I have no food or water. I could eat snow, but it's too cold. A feeling of despair fills my soul, and I fall to the ground. I know now, for sure, that I will not make it. Damn you, Manoso!