McDonald Array - Divide and Conquer

He waited for a moment when none of the men were watching the 20-yard gap but nothing. The sight of the Mexican walking towards the outbuilding sharpening a knife with barely a minute to go made any decision with regard to staying out of sight irrelevant. They really were going to kill the boy at five, for absolutely no reason, other than they had said they would. Sean had never before met such a ruthless bunch of bastards in his life and he was including the Taliban in that list.

Being spotted was an irrelevance, he wasn’t going to be able to stop the man and save the boy without alerting everybody to his whereabouts. Sean lay his ammo on the ground before him, along with the Gyurza and lined up the would-be child killer in the sights of the MP-5. There was little or no chance he’d manage to save himself and James but he’d take as many of them with him as he could.

He pulled the trigger and the silenced shot took out the Mexican’s kneecap, a second shot took out the other and a third hit him in the gut, all delivered in quick succession. By the time the Mexican screamed, all three rounds had hit. It would take him hours to die in agony. Sean grabbed the ammo and as heads turned to the screamer, he raced to James’s outbuilding. The maid who was looking after him was startled as Sean burst through the doors but not as startled as young James to see his dad before him.

As the realization of what had happened hit the courtyard, weapons began to train on the outbuilding. Sean suggested that the maid might want to take her chance to leave. She didn’t hesitate and rushed out of the door away from the large American. The hail of bullets that cut her down as she rushed from the outbuilding only emphasized how screwed Sean and James were. Particularly as with James clamped to Sean’s leg, there was very little he could do anyway.

As the screams of the would-be child killer filled the air, bullets began to ping off the outbuilding’s structure, which was sturdier than it looked.

The small outbuilding was stone built with two small windows and a solid wood door. They were going to need heavier weapons or storm the building thought Sean. He managed a peek through the window and watched as both seemed likely. A rocket launcher was being passed forward while another group looked as though it were readying for an assault. Luis was right again. The guards were ex-military and knew what they were doing. He raised his MP-5 and shot off a couple of rounds through the window. Two hit target while the rest went wayward as Sean was pulled off target by James pulling at his leg and calling him 'daddy’. Sean thought better of pointing out he wasn’t his daddy as it seemed likely the point would be moot soon enough. There were at least forty soldiers surrounding them and from the sounds of it, more were coming.

His cell rang and was a welcome distraction. “Hello?” he answered, keeping an eye on the movements outside.

“Where now?” asked Luis. He was driving aimlessly and Sean should have called.

“Just head to the airport and make sure you get Katie to the CIA, please,” replied Sean, squeezing off a round and stopping the first semblance of an attack.

“OK!” it was as close to a question as Luis could manage, given what he was hearing. It didn’t sound good.

“Not really. Bit of an issue with a few pissed off Mexicans!” replied Sean.

Suddenly the noise outside stopped. Silence had descended. Sean struggled to see why. Then he saw a man walk through his troops in a white vest, muscular and covered in tattoos. He fitted the description of El Jefe, although, he was surprised that nobody had described how ugly he was. It would have been his first word in describing the man that commanded his troops’ silence.

“Come out!” he commanded.

Sean looked down at James whose head was buried deep in his thigh. He owed him a last try and to fight for their lives.

Sean remained silent and made no move.

“Come out and I’ll let the boy live!” was the next offer.

Sean didn’t think it likely but it was a far better prospect for James than was currently facing him.

Sean opened the door, dropped his gun and swinging his leg with James attached to it, he walked out into the courtyard to more than a few gasps.

Luis pulled into Quetzalcoatl International and drove straight for the private hangars. An area he was well acquainted with as Los Zetas owned more than its fair share of the jets stored in the area. It was of course the first time that Luis had realized how poor a venue the airport was. There were at least ten Los Zetas men permanently on duty protecting and directing Los Zetas products and aircraft.

Juan instructed him to slow down next to one of Los Zetas’ own hangars and instructed the guards to watch the woman. He would call and instruct them when he was ready. He signaled for Luis to continue and Luis drove towards the private apron where two of the three jets had already landed. The third was powering down the runway to land and, thanks to favorable wind, all had landed early.

Agent James Smith waited aboard the second jet. His phone wasn’t ringing. Without orders to the contrary, he was to proceed as agreed. He opened the door and nodded at Luis in the car.

“Tell him to bring the men to that hangar!” said Juan pointing to one of the Los Zetas hangars.

“We are both supposed to board the jet,” argued Luis.

“We’ll do it my way or no way. I am not getting on an American jet!”

Luis exited the car and walked alone towards Agent Smith.

“Is he not coming?” he shouted nodding towards Juan.

“He will meet in that hangar over there or not at all.”

Smith looked around; the area was devoid of any activity. His orders were to allow the meeting to happen on the plane, get the woman and get out. He did not have instructions to allow the meeting to happen elsewhere. He shook his head.

Juan opened the window and held up his phone. “If I don’t give the OK in,” he checked his watch, “two minutes, the bitch dies! Your call!”

Smith looked helpless but the voice in his head saved his indecision and said OK.

***

“Look unhappy and nod half heartedly,” said the voice in Agent Smith’s earpiece.

The Team Leader of the CIA hit squad sent to assassinate the Los Zetas bosses and the majority of the East coasts drug dealers, checked the infrared scope again. There was nobody in the hangar. No bright spots to indicate anything other than an empty hangar.

While the FBI and DEA were rousing the drug dealers, the CIA team was being quietly parachuted into a location as near to the airport as they dared. They had spent the afternoon securing the best sniper spots and checking the lay of the land. Nobody outside of the CIA was aware of the plan. The other agencies leaked like a sieve when it came to information regarding the cartels. The CIA was on foreign ground, Mexican ground and with five of their men down, there was a serious thirst for blood. This was their fight and their fight alone.

“Tell them they need to give us the woman and then we’ll send them in.”

Smith relayed the message but got a negative response; the woman would only be let go only after the meeting was over.

“Team 2, do you have the woman in sight?”

“Negative.”

“Thirty seconds!” shouted Juan. The Team Leader heard him loud and clear.

“OK, we’re going to kill the fuck anyway. May as well not lose the woman,” said the Team Leader in Smith’s earpiece.

Luis stood between the car and the jet as Juan dictated how things would be done.

Surprisingly, the CIA guy accepted and the two large Italians disembarked from one jet while four disembarked from another and another five from another. Eleven men in total walked towards the hangar. Luis noted that Juan made no attempt to move and realizing, he wasn’t going to exit the car, Luis ran back and drove Juan to the hangar. Juan remained seated as Luis first had to stop, exit the car, open the hangar door and finally drive in.