David Leadbeater: Caribbean Gold

Russo climbed around the outcropping and came to a series of sparse trees. Trunk to trunk he ran, keeping low and covered through open space by Healey. Once Russo had passed the third tree Healey started out, covered by Alicia. In a matter of seconds a fusillade of fire was returned by the advancing pirates, bullets thudding and screaming past. Several punched bark or split air close to Healey, more tore past Alicia, and one slammed off a chunk of boulder close to her left knee. She scrambled back and Healey flattened himself.

Crouch’s eyes were on her.

Is it worth it? she wanted to ask. The risk? The loss? The future pain?

But Alicia remained a soldier, and her boss moved ahead. Russo found a space where he could lay down some covering fire and Healey was scrambling off, forcing Alicia to follow. The hot sun blazed down from a cloudless sky and warmed the earth with an unrelenting energy. Dust and pollen wafted around, saturating every deep breath. The sounds of men swearing and crying out in pain, grunting in exertion, and urging their friends on was all she could hear.

The slope steepened. Above, she saw it narrow as it reached up toward the top of the hill. Still, she saw no sign of the tree and suddenly wondered if it even existed at all. What a fine jest for Morgan to pull. What perfect subterfuge. Sending every band of hunters to the top of a laborious slope to find they had done it all for nothing.

But someone knew it was there. The sailors for one. The tree remained to this day a well-known landmark, recognized by locals who plied these waters.

The pirates were spreading out. Mainly due to their numbers and over-enthusiasm, but nevertheless scattering toward the Gold Team. Alicia helped dissuade them with a few well-placed shots. Still, the rival groups pounded hard for the top of the hill, heads down and trading fire.

Jensen’s men were closer, possibly encountering some impassable obstacle, and were forced to engage in hand-to-hand combat with half-a-dozen pirates. An Uzi rattled, taking out some of Jensen’s men. The leader of the pirates shouted something unintelligible to which nobody reacted.

Alicia paused as a pirate ran hell-for-leather toward Healey. The young lad hadn’t even seen the attack. Alicia met the man head on, clubbed him with her pistol, and then kicked him to the ground. He twisted, feeling for a weapon. She shot him and ran on. Crouch raced at her heels.

Up they went. Russo encountered a cave, thought about heading inside and then decided to skirt its black maw. Crouch had a look of indecision in his eyes as he passed but said nothing. Alicia watched it all. Still, she respected and trusted and followed this man. Still, he remained far from perfect.

As was everyone deep inside, but this was a man she had thought different. The toll of his mistakes was heavy and she felt more was to come. But now was definitely not the time.

Ahead, Russo smashed aside a pirate that had forged ahead and doubled back. Healey finished him off, but that didn’t bode well for the chase. Alicia saw that the pirates were going to be kings of the mountain, and with their force that would make them pretty much unassailable.

Unless their force somehow went into sharp decline.

She clicked comms and shouted out a plan to Russo.

“Do it,” she finished. “Do it now!”

Ramming in a fresh mag she unhooked her rifle and jumped over a ditch and then a fallen log. Russo dropped to one knee up ahead, let off a volley of shots and allowed Healey to pass him by. Then Caitlyn and the rest. Healey now ran at the head of the pack and Russo at the back. Then Healey dropped down, shooting until the others all passed him. Pirates fell and twisted and crashed to the ground, some dead, some with broken bones, all tripping their comrades and getting in each other’s way.

Caitlyn dropped alongside Healey and then Alicia was passing them at a leap. She fell to one knee, lined up the pirate pack and then squeezed her trigger. Bullets flew among them, striking flesh and bone, sending gouts of blood high enough to paint a crimson canvas, blocking the sun and falling in errant patterns. Men collapsed face first. Others jumped over their bodies, trying to match Alicia’s skills on the run and failing. Always failing. Suddenly she felt Russo galloping by and then the rest of her team and she was up again, forming the rearguard.

The hill below them was littered with the dead, soaked by their life force. Jensen’s men added to the dead and took hits of their own. Mercenary met mercenary and forgot their objectives.

Alicia took a moment to look up.

Right to the top of the mountain.

Their goal, the crooked tree and the believed burial site for the most infamous and greatest plundered treasure hoard in history was in sight, and the pirates were in reach of it.

And although they were weary, bruised and bloody, the Gold Team ran harder. And they ran faster. Never had they fought harder for the prize.

The higher slopes were the hardest. The space became narrower and the separate groups grew closer. Mercs came across from Jensen’s group, no doubt ordered since Alicia doubted it was the right choice to make, and brought down running pirates in any way possible. Alicia saw some crazy, desperate actions in the next few moments. A pirate turned his gun on a merc only to see the old iron explode in his face as he pulled the trigger. Both men went down. A merc flattened three pirates by barging through their pack with open arms, then slipped off a rocky outcropping and broke his neck on the rocks below. A pirate turned to flee back to camp and was cut down by one of his brethren. Four, then six, then eight pirates reached the top of the hill, started to dance around and fired their guns in the air. Russo took one of them out, and a man that looked distinctly like Jensen killed a second. The pirate leader turned, surveyed the slope and then roared.

Alicia took a potshot, missed, but saw another pirate fall. Good enough. Three pirates now neared them and hopped over a shallow stream to engage. A weapon was leveled. Alicia ducked under and used the barrel to smash the man’s nose. A shot was fired. Healey ducked for cover, bobbed up and then shot the man center mass.

Caitlyn tripped and fell before the third.

Looking like all his Christmas presents had come early, he discarded his weapon and pulled out a knife. Alicia shook her head at his stupidity even as she shot him, then helped Caitlyn up.

“Watch your balance.”

“I know.”

A little sass was good. Alicia engaged a fourth pirate and sent him tumbling back down the hill. Pirates were now climbing to the apex of the hill in numbers — twelve and then twenty and then their leader crested the final rise. Russo was only twenty feet further back but was forced to pull up and take stock.

Pirates ranged around the top of the hill, pointing their weapons down. Their leader barged through them, causing at least two to drop their weapons and have to scramble around on the ground.

“Find me this treasure!” he bellowed.

Alicia picked her way around the obstacles, moving from tree to tree and using boulders to stay safe. The group came together in the lee of a rough rock ledge.

“What next?” Healey said with enthusiasm.

“They have the high ground,” Russo said, straight-laced and soldier-like.

“Grenades would be useful,” Alicia pointed out.

“Maybe Jensen has some,” Crouch said. “Otherwise it’s going to be tricky.”

Alicia laughed, eyeballing her weapons for damage and changing out the mags. “Conservative as ever, boss.”

“King of the Hill was never my forte,” he said. “But I say — when Jensen attacks, we attack.”