Alpha Threat (45 page)

The group continued to look over the diagram of the complex.
 
As they studied, Tecal drove up in the jeep.
 

“Let’s go,” said Ben, bounding out of the door of the hut.
 
Lee, Dane and Hugo followed.
 

“Oh,” Lee said, “the folks from Princeton should be here today or tomorrow.
 
What should I do if they show up while you are gone?”

“Don’t tell them anything about our plans.
 
Tell them we went into town to get some supplies.
 
We should be back in several hours,” said Ben.
 

“Wait a sec,” cried Hugo as he turned and ran into the hut.
 
After a few seconds he ran back to the jeep.
 

Dane looked at him curiously.
 

“I needed some spending cash,” grinned Hugo.
 
“I don’t think this is the kind of guy to take a credit card.”
 
Dane and Ben laughed.
 

“No, I don’t think so,” smiled Dane.
 

The guys piled into the jeep and drove off, leaving Tecal and Lee standing in the dust.

Thursday, July 14, 2011

Unnamed Settlement near Cotriguacu, Brazil;
 
9:00 a.m.

What Ben called a town wasn’t much more than a clearing in the jungle near the road to Cotriguacu.
 
 
It didn’t even have a name.
 
Its dusty streets beckoned the natives from the forests into the land of civilization.
 
At least in their eyes it was civilized.
 
To those from the States or any other town or city in Brazil, this was the pits.
 
As with most small, out-of-the-way places, the unsavory elements seemed to arrive first.
 
They flourished until the town became big enough to require some semblance of law and authority.
 
Here the unsavory still ruled.
 

There were only a dozen or so buildings gathered in three general areas.
 
The first area was clearly the entertainment section of town.
 
Here was the bar that looked like a U.S. southwestern saloon.
 
There was a small café serving who knows what kind of food and a curious little hotel that advertised rooms, baths and women.
 
There was also a barber shop/doctor.
 

About thirty yards away were several native dwellings.
 
In the midst of the dwellings was a stable with several very nice horses in the corral outside.
 
That caught Hugo’s eye immediately.
  
He wondered if they should use horses to get back into the jungle.
 
Dane could feel Hugo’s yearnings and put a stop to them right up front.
 

The most interesting area of the town was a large general store type of business.
 
It was large; it was twice the size of other buildings.
 
Dry goods, provisions and arms were advertised on big signs outside.
 
This was the mecca that brought most people into the town.
 
The bar and the women kept folks there.
 

“Now this is my kind of place,” said Hugo as they slowly motored through the length of town.
 
“This place has everything a man needs: food, drink and women.”

Ben burst out laughing.
 
Dane grinned.
 
“Oh man, don’t encourage him.
 
Or we will never leave,” said Dane.
 
“We are here for a specific reason.”

“Yeah, I know but coming here with Hugo makes it feel so much better than all of the times before,” laughed Ben.
 

Dane spotted the general store.
 
“Guess this is the place?”
 

“Yeah.
 
This guy is as slimy as they come.
 
Hold on to your valuables.
 
Not only does he sell just about anything you want but he is also the law in these parts.
 
He is a true renaissance man,” explained Ben.
 

The jeep pulled up in front and the group trudged up on the porch and stepped inside.
 
The term general store was never so true.
 
Although dark and dingy, the selection of goods seemed to run the gamut from smoked meat to auto parts.
 
One side of the room was a bar/grill combination that served alcohol, soft drinks and native concoctions.
 
Toward the rear was a gun shop and gun smith.
 
The rest of the store was full of home goods, i.e. pots and pans, rugs, hardware and even furniture.
 
A selection of shoes and boots lined the far wall.
 
U.S. government surplus camo gear and clothing was a full row.
 

“Holy crap!” exclaimed Hugo as he walked through the place.
 
“I love this store.”
 

A middle-aged woman saw them immediately and headed their way.
 

“We have anything you need, gentlemen,” she said matter-of-factly.
 
“You looking for expedition supplies?”

Ben stepped up to the front of the group.
 

“Oh, hi, Ben,” the woman said smiling.
 
“I didn’t see you back there.
 
Are these your friends?”

“Yeah, they are my friends, May.
 
We do need some supplies and equipment but we need the special stash.”

The woman’s smile vanished to a serious look.
 
“I’ll get Enzo.”
 
She turned and walked away, disappearing behind a canvas curtain behind the gun cabinets.
 
Enzo Garcia was the proprietor of this store and owned a major part in everything in the settlement.
 
His history was spotty as most crooks’ background.
 
His history did include a stint in the U.S. Marines, according to him, but that was not confirmed.
 
Physically, he was about forty-eight years old, six feet tall and well built.
 
He looked like he could hold his own in a bar fight.
 
His jet black greasy hair made him look younger than he was but also reminded one of his slickness.
 
This guy was bad through and through.
 
 

“Enzo’s the guy,” explained Ben softly.
 
“He’s one dirty, sneaky bastard.”

After about a two-minute wait, the curtain opened and this man that looked as though he was dressed for dinner strolled into the room.
 
“Ben, how are you, my friend?
 
It is so good to see you and your friends.
 
Come back to my private office so we can talk.”
 
He waved his hand toward the canvas-covered door and followed the group into a rather nice conference room.
 
Nice… at least it was clean.
 

“Sit down my friends,” said Enzo.
 
“May, bring us some drinks.
 
These guys look thirsty.
 
Bring the good stuff!”
 

Enzo was the only one smiling in the room.
 
The others sat quietly with no expression.
 

 
“We are here to make a few purchases,” started Ben.
 
“My friends need a few weapons for their trek into the jungle.”
 
Enzo grinned.
 

“I see.
 
Why you don’t bring your own weapons from your home?
 
You are from the United States, no?”

Ben’s smile vanished.
 
Enzo was setting them up for a much higher price than normal.
 
The bastard knew they were in need of weapons that they could not get their hands on in the United States.
 

“Tell you what, Enzo.
 
Show us what you have on hand.
 
We don’t even know if you can help us,” said Ben.
 
 

“Sure.
 
What do you have in mind?”

Dane sat forward.
 
“We need several assault rifles, fully automatic with silencers, several semi-auto handguns, Glocks if you have them, and various explosives.
 
Comm units if you have them.
 
Of course, we also need ammo.
 
Can you handle that?”

Enzo gave the group a serious look and rubbed his chin.
 
He was trying to figure out who Ben’s friends were and what they were doing.
 
“Not a problem.”
 
Enzo’s demeanor changed within a second.
 
Now he was serious as death.
 
No more salesman crap.
 
“Any particular makes of models on the assault rifles?
 
I have HK, Uzi, SKS, M4, and the old reliable AK-47.
 
I can make you a deal on anything you need.”
 

“Sounds good,” said Hugo.
 
“Let’s see what ya got.”

“Well, I don’t let anybody look at my stock…” Enzo shot back.

“Except us,” said Dane forcefully.
 
“We don’t have the time or inclination to put up with any crap.
 
We want to buy now.
 
We have cash.
 
Do you want to sell?”
 
Enzo glanced over at Ben and then back at Dane.
 

“Okay.
 
I see you are men of action.
 
Let’s go downstairs.”
 

Enzo led the men out of the conference room and down a dark hall.
 
At the end was a heavy steel door.
 
He removed a key from his pocket and opened the door revealing a wide stairway going down into a pitch dark area.
 

“This is my vault where I keep my prime merchandise.
 
Please follow me.”
  
As the group descended the stairs, an automatic lighting system flickered on bathing the stairway in an eerie blue glow.
 
They walked down approximately two stories below ground.
 
They found several hallways and steel doors.
 
The group turned to the left and walked another twenty feet and stopped in front of a steel door with no latch.
 
Once everyone caught up, Enzo pressed a small keypad.
 
The men heard the door at the top of the stairs close.
 
Then Enzo pressed in another set of numbers.
 
There was a heavy clunk and the door opened.
 

The room was a veritable fortress in itself.
 
Smooth concrete walls were lined with heavy steel shelving carrying almost any kind of weaponry in existence.
 
Dane’s group was stunned at what they saw.
 
Ben was singularly amazed.
 
He never had an inkling that this vault was here.
 
He couldn’t believe Enzo could have it built without anyone knowing.
 

“Gentlemen, please take your time and take a good look at my stock.
 
I assure you I have what you need.
 
If you don’t see it here, I can get it for you for a small procurement fee.
 
After you have made your selections, we can determine a single price that I assure you will be fair.”
 
Enzo waved his arm across the room.
 
“Gentlemen, please…”

Thursday, July 14, 2011

Fortress Alpha, Brazil;
 
11:00 a.m.

Oberleutnant
Heinrich Grübner had been working for two full days to determine the details of the Wilhelm Door and Carla von Gerber situation.
  
Their disappearance was stunning.
 
Over the years only a few people tried to leave.
 
None made it past the perimeter guards.
 
All were executed immediately.
 
Their deaths served to make the general populous well aware of the consequences of escape.
 

But this seemed different now.
 
After talking with the families, there was absolutely no evidence to lead one to think the two would leave on their own.
 
Sure they were hiding a love affair but that in itself was no cause to leave.
 
It was a relatively simple matter to register their intentions.
 
The establishment actually encouraged such relationships in order to produce new inhabitants.
 

Most importantly, however, the Nazis wanted to know what was going on at all times.
  
This young couple had no experience in the ways of the world outside of Fortress Alpha, especially in the jungle.
 
If they did escape, they would not last a day in the jungle with all of its dangers.
 
It would take days to make it to civilization.
 
This couple had no training in survival techniques.