McDonald Array - Divide and Conquer

As the men started to enter the hangar, the first and most worrying thing Luis noted was the warmth in the greetings between Juan and the East coast drug dealers. These were men with whom they had had no contact since Fat Jake had been the intermediary. These were men who every time they had been contacted had suggested that there was a contact that supplied their product and they would need to speak with him first.

It seemed Luis knew the contact very well after all. Juan Torres was the East coast contact they had been trying to find for three months. It all became clear. Fat Jake was just a patsy who worked for Juan. Juan was skimming billions from Los Zetas and making up for El Jefe’s inadequacies.

Juan looked at the open mouthed expression stuck on Luis’ face.

“It doesn’t mean I love him any less!” promised Juan. “I just needed a fairer cut. After all, I made Los Zetas what it is!”

Luis couldn’t argue. Not because he agreed but because of the bullet that hit him right between the eyes.

Juan lowered the silenced revolver he had slipped from his belt and turned to his customers.

“Gentlemen, I suggest we board as a matter of urgency!” he indicated towards the aircraft that lay with its engines exposed.

They looked at him with some confusion but he herded them on. Walking to each of the engines, he pushed the tool carts aside and flipped the switches that lowered the engine covers.

Within a minute, he had them aboard and was preparing to start the engines. He picked up the cell and called his men.

“Take her out with all your men and release her. As soon as she is about to board the aircraft shoot her!”

“Of course, Mister Torres.”

“I’ll wait on the phone as you do it.”

The first sign that their plan had gone to shit was when the ten men appeared with the woman at gunpoint. The Team Leader watched in despair as she was let go and all ten Mexicans trained their weapons on her. It was a long walk to Smith’s airplane.

The sound of the jet engine kicking to life in the hangar was when he really knew he was screwed. He didn’t have enough men to protect the woman and stop a plane. He wished she would run but she had been clearly told that wasn’t an option. She walked slowly and carefully as though her life depended on it which was probably exactly what she had been told.

When the hangar doors opened, the Mexicans raised their weapons and assumed a stance that suggested they were about to fire. Ten shooters against five snipers. They didn’t stand a chance but he had to save the woman. That was his first order of duty. As it became apparent they were about to shoot, he had no option but to issue the order to shoot.

He instructed Smith to scream at Katie to get down. At least if any of them pulled the trigger, she’d hopefully get out of the way. As Smith screamed and Katie fell, the jet shot out of the hangar faster than the Team Leader thought possible. He would later discover that the plane was fitted with rocket boosters, allowing it to use much shorter runways than otherwise expected for a Citation X, perfect for picking up drugs in deepest darkest Columbia.

As the last of the ten Mexicans fell, each of the snipers rushed to catch the jet but it was already up and tearing into the sky. They lost the Los Zetas boss and every one of the East coast crime lords. Not only that, Katie remained stationery, flat on her face where she had fallen.

“Fuck!” screamed the Team Leader almost bursting Smith’s eardrum.

El Jefe crossed himself as the ghost of the man he had killed all too easily stood before him.

A few of his men, those who had witnessed El Jefe carve the man to bits, stepped back; it had to be a devil of some sort.

Sean saw the fear in their eyes and realized this was going to end badly, just because they thought he was a ghost. Rifles were twitching and there was every chance that James was going to be killed just because of some silly superstitions.

“It was my twin!” shouted Sean. “My brother, identical twin!”

Those who understood English well enough translated and an audible sigh of relief circled the group. El Jefe was less convinced and strode towards Sean, eyeing him closely. He circled him two or three times before jutting towards Sean unexpectedly. Sean moved with lightning reactions, swinging James out of danger and readying for an attack.

El Jefe smiled warmly at Sean’s move and nodded his head approvingly.

“You are indeed a different man!” he announced confidently.

Sean bit his tongue. Of course he fucking was. The other Sean was in bits in an evidence box.

“The man that I thought you were when we first met.”

They had just met thought Sean. Luis was right his uncle was a psycho.

“I will offer you the same deal I offered that night!”

Sean waited, nothing came. He actually believed Sean knew what the deal was. He really was mad.

“What deal?” asked Sean quiet enough for only El Jefe to hear.

“We will fight to the death. If you beat me, my men will let you leave here alive!” he announced to the group of soldiers.

“Can you repeat that a little louder, the guys at the back didn’t hear?” asked Sean.

El Jefe ignored him. He didn’t repeat orders, he didn’t need to.

“Take the boy!” he shouted to one of his soldiers.

The soldier stepped forward and carefully extracted James from Sean’s leg and took him back into the outbuilding.

El Jefe ripped off his vest to expose his bare chest and received a huge cheer from his men. A circle formed creating a ring for the fight.

Sean took up a stance and as El Jefe came to him, easily dodged his first attack. The second was not as easy to dodge and he received a punch to the side of the head. Fortunately, it was a glancing blow and had little effect. A backward swipe almost caught Sean after the initial attack but he again just managed to avoid any contact. There was no doubt El Jefe was good, quick and intelligent. His moves were designed to expose a weakness if the first attack didn’t land, allowing a second strike in quick succession to land. Sean soaked up a few of these moves and El Jefe landed a few half punches much to the delight of his men. After a third punch landed, Sean was left shaking his head to clear it.

El Jefe danced on the spot. His men cheered and hollered with delight while Sean regained his composure. El Jefe could not have been happier with himself. He grinned from ear to ear. Sean was moving like a pro and as well as anyone El Jefe had ever encountered before. Not an ounce of fat showed on his torso and not a drop of sweat had formed on his body. El Jefe could keep the pace for hours. Tiring him out wasn’t going to be an option. Sean looked at the men that formed the ring. He really did not believe they would let him go if he beat El Jefe.

“Your men will really let me go if I kill you?” asked Sean spitting some blood from his mouth.

El Jefe laughed as he bounced. “My men will let you and the boy walk out of here over my dead body!” he shouted and waited for his men to acknowledge.

“Fair enough,” replied Sean, pulling himself up to his full height and preparing for El Jefe’s next move.

El Jefe came at him as before. Only this time, Sean knew exactly what he had planned. Sean ducked, twisted and delivered a stunning blow to El Jefe’s kidneys. The shock alone could have killed him, such was the difference in Sean’s demeanor and movement.

Sean smiled to the quiet crowd as El Jefe screamed in pain.

Sean stepped back and egged El Jefe towards him. El Jefe went for the move that had caught Sean twice already, glancing blows but this time, threw everything behind it. Sean moved with a speed that belied his size and far faster than he had earlier.