Once the equipment was unloaded, the dollies were rolled into the third building. The team would need to be inspected by their sponsors to ensure that they met the specifications agreed to in the initial contract. Some wanted their trophies to know who they were and why they’d been chosen for the hunt, others wanted to remain anonymous. This required specific details to be followed for each individual case. For this particular hunt, all of the trophies would be brought out of the warehouse and placed around the campfire, where they would be introduced to their sponsors. The intention of the next day’s events would be detailed to the trophies, and then they would be wheeled back into the warehouse. Understandably, some of the trophies would break down, some evacuated their bowels, some cried, others said nothing. On one particular hunt, a trophy had refused to move at all after being released. That had been the hunt that had been messy, and new rules had to be put in place.

  Until the hunt was complete, every detail of the plan would be followed to the letter. Water and food were withheld from the trophies; the idea was to make their behavior as predictable as possible. Thirst and hunger were basic survival needs; once the trophies were released, they would focus on those needs immediately. The plan had been perfected until the trophy’s behavior could be predicted to the letter. It made the whole operation cleaner and more professional in Jay’s mind. It also sped up the hunts, which made the sponsors happy. The environment of the Darien Gap was less than comfortable. It was one of the most remote and wild regions of the world. The quicker the hunts were complete, the happier the clients.

  Nõn awoke as they were wheeling Nick off the truck. She remembered the feeling of being drugged from her childhood. She had avoided any drug or alcohol from the time of her childhood, simply because she understood how helpless you could be once you were under another person’s control and drugged. You were completely at their mercy. Nõn pretended to be still unconscious as they came for her next and wheeled her to the building where she and the others would be held. She hoped by playing her own ruse, she might gain some insight into what was going on and how to possibly escape. Obviously, something had gone wrong. Now she had to figure out what was going on and who, if anyone, she could trust.

  Once the entire team had been offloaded and secured in the building, they were left alone. Time was needed to allow hunger and thirst to set in. The drug they had been given had been chosen for several reasons. One, it worked. It worked on everyone, every single time. Drug addiction and tolerances built up by alcohol abuse had no impact on its effectiveness. Everyone went down once they drank the tainted water. The next benefit it had was it made the trophies extremely thirsty; near panic had occurred in some of the trophies, their thirst was so extreme. And the final benefit: it impaired their cognitive abilities. Hunger and thirst became a priority no one could ignore. It made the trophies much more manageable.

  The sponsors had arrived by plane as well and had landed at Sambu airfield in their own privately owned aircraft. Sambu had been chosen as the landing site because it was one of the few runways in the area that had been paved. It could accommodate the sponsors’ aircraft. Once the sponsors had arrived and had taken up residence in their assigned living quarters, they were given basic meals and water. The point of their trip was about to become a reality. Jay informed each of them there would be a briefing at 1800 hours, and then if there were no questions, they would meet their trophies. The hunt would begin the next morning.

  The building in which Nõn, Nick and the tactical team was being housed was referred to as the trophy room by Jay and the two workers he employed. After being dropped off there, the trophies had been left alone. One by one, they started to wake up and realize something was very wrong. They started talking to each other and trying to piece together what exactly had happened. Being the team leader, Rooney tried to establish some kind of order; he reasserted his leadership role and began with a pep talk to the team. He reminded them that their best chances of defeating whatever plan Jay had really had for them was as a team, working together against a common foe.

  “We’ve been in some bad places as a team before,” he reminded them, “and we came through it as a unit. We can deal with this as well.”

  Nick noticed the not so subtle exclusion of him and Nõn from the discussion. It was clear to him in a survival setting, they were on their own. There would be no help from the “zero dark thirty” team.

  “So what’s the plan, Rooney? What do we do next?” asked Rohlk.

  Rooney explained he had no plan; there was not enough information to know what to do. Jay had told them nothing. They’d been dumped in the trophy room and left. No one even knew yet for sure that Jay was involved, much less responsible for their circumstances.

  Nõn interrupted. “Jay is a part of this. I was awake before the rest of you. I pretended to be unconscious, but I was awake. We are in serious trouble.”

  Green replied, “Did you overhear anything at all?”

  Nõn said, “No, not much. We were loaded onto these dollies and then driven here by truck. There was not a lot of conversation between the people who loaded us.”

  Rooney asked, “How many did you see?”

  Nõn replied, “Only three, Jay and two others, workers that helped him load us onto the trucks. There was a third, a woman, but it seemed like she was leaving. It was hard to tell; I was still very much under the drug’s influence.”

  Rooney asked, “Does anyone know how we were drugged?”

  No one said anything, then finally Nick spoke. “It was the water. It had to be. I remember wondering why Jay didn’t get a bottle during that last round the loadmaster passed around. She made a point of not offering Jay a bottle. That was the only variation I noticed.”

  Rooney replied, “Any idea what the hell is going on, Nick? You’re the one who’s here to think outside the box. What the hell is this shit?”

  Nõn interrupted, “I think we have been duped, that is obvious. If they wanted us dead immediately, we would have been. You notice the aircrew is not here. I don’t know what happened to them or if they are a part of this, but my feeling is they are dead. That means we are alive for a reason. Where I came from, people are drugged to be moved, managed, bought and sold. I would imagine whatever the plan is for us, as a group we are alive because they need us to be. When they no longer need us to be alive, we will be killed. It is simple.”

  Johnson erupted, “Screw that shit, what the hell do you know, bitch? How do we know you aren’t one of them, planted here to fuck with our heads? This might be one big mental fucking game to test our loyalty to this mission. Anyone thought of that?” The room was quiet as the team contemplated the idea.

  Nick stepped in. “You’re right, man; they just drugged you, tied you to a dollie, and rolled you in here to test your loyalty. Makes perfect sense to me, just be a good, loyal soldier boy, and everything will be okie dokie. Can you say halleluiah? Praise Jesus? No worries, Johnson, you will be saved! Jesus loves you, man!”

  A heated round of insults were exchanged between Nick and the team as Nõn rolled her eyes; sometimes Nick could be such an ass. The sarcastic humor was obviously a coping mechanism. He knew, as did she, they were in a very precarious situation. But angering the team did nothing to help them. It just further cemented the idea that they weren’t a part of the group. Not part of the team. They all needed each other now.

  Jay opened the door to the trophy room and walked in as the team and Nick were just starting to get warmed up for round two of who really could insult the other the best. So far, Nõn thought it was a draw and had accomplished nothing.

  Jay began speaking. “Gentlemen, the time has come to listen, and listen carefully. In a couple of hours, you will be wheeled out of this building and placed around a large bonfire. There, you will meet your sponsors. These are men who have spent a great deal of money, time and effort to bring you all here today. Most of you will not know who your sponsors are. You have never met, but you have had a huge impact on their lives, and they wish to return the favor. Do you have any questions?”

  Rooney spoke, “What the fuck is this, Jay? What about our agreement? What about the mission? Explain yourself, motherfucker!”

  Nick rolled his eyes; these guys were still trying to make this about a mission, an agreement. Their structured thinking could not wrap their heads around the fact that they’d been duped.

  Jay smiled and only said, “Welcome to Camp Baroota, gentlemen and woman,” and left the building.

  The team erupted as near seizure-like violence rolled through them. They fought against their restraints and screamed violent threats at the door Jay had departed through. This went on at this pace for at least half an hour before they slowly came back down. Nick watched and wondered what they hoped to accomplish. If they could have escaped, they would have already. Pointless effort was just that: pointless. Now was the time to conserve energy and wait for the moment to strike.

  Finally someone said, “Damn, I’m thirsty. I mean, like, I really need a drink of water.” It was a comment they all agreed with, and by morning it would be expressed in panicked voices. The drug was doing its job.

  Taking their seats, the sponsors nodded to one another. They each were here for one reason. No one spoke about it, but it was understood. They were here to right the wrongs that had been done to them, to regain control of their lives and extract vengeance on those who had harmed them. Right and wrong were no longer the issue, if they ever had been. Anyone who lives in the real world knows there is no right and wrong, not really. Nations may spin the story to justify their actions, but for the victims of those actions there was no right and wrong. It was all wrong; the only difference between those who victimized and those who were victims was strength. The strong won, the weak were subjugated. It was simple as that. This was the mindset of the people in the room.

  Jay entered the room and walked to the front of the small group of hunters. Smiling, he began his well-rehearsed speech.

  “Gentlemen, welcome to Camp Baroota. Let’s get started. In one hour, you will meet the trophy you have selected to hunt during your stay here. Before we begin, you must understand and agree to a specific set of rules and guidelines. There will be no tolerance of any kind for breaking these rules. They are set in place for several reasons. They are in place for your protection. This is not our first hunt, and it won’t be our last. These rules are non-negotiable. Are there any questions?”

  There were none.

  “Excellent. First rule is, you will follow your guides’ instructions. They are experienced in the local customs, and they are familiar with the local area. They will keep you safe if you follow their directions.

  “Second, you will draw straws to determine who goes first in the hunt. Straws cannot be exchanged. Where you draw is where you draw. This hunt is not an ego contest. At the successful completion of your hunt, you will be given the trophies’ possessions if you have purchased them and be taken to the airport to begin your journey home. The record for the fastest successful hunt is 4 hours, beginning to end. We encourage you to try to break that record. Once the first hunt has ended, the next hunt will begin.

  “Third. There will be no night hunts. If your trophy survives the first day, you will start over the next day. Don’t worry; that has never happened in any of our hunts. The guides are that skilled in their craft.

  “Fourth. Do not, and I cannot emphasize this enough, DO NOT engage the local indigenous people. We are their guests, after several years of negotiations, they have allowed us to maintain the camp and conduct our business unmolested. Leave them alone. Is that clear?”

  Everyone nodded in agreement.

  “Excellent, are there any questions?”

  One man raised his voice and said, “I don’t care about all of this bullshit, when do I meet the bitch?”

  Jay flushed with anger; there was always one who thought he was above the rules and wanted to be top dog. One who felt they came first. He supposed it was the nature of the clientele. Powerful people thought the rules didn’t concern them, they weren’t patient and saw nothing wrong with their arrogance.

  Jay dodged the question and simply replied to the entire group, “In less than one hour, you will be face to face with your trophy.

  “Now, a little history and some facts about Camp Baroota. The camp is approximately 100 square miles in width and length, in the middle of the Darien Gap. The Darien Gap is one of the most remote locations in the world. There are several indigenous tribes that live here and allow us to conduct our business. The average rainfall in the area is 1728 mm. There are 101 days of rain. So plan on getting wet.” Jay continued on with random facts and figures no one really cared about. The group had a single-minded purpose: The Hunt.

  Finally, Jay left the room, glaring at the man who had challenged him but maintaining a professional demeanor as he walked out. In one week it would be complete, and then the clean up would begin. In two weeks he would be home, and rich.

  After the briefing of the sponsors, Jay and the two workers returned to the trophy room. They began the process of cutting off and removing the clothing of everyone in the room. Boots, shirts, pants, socks, all removed until everyone was left nude, still strapped to their dollie. Green spit in one of the workers’ faces and received a quick, deep cut with a box cutter across his left arm. The intended message was clear.

  The two workers gathered the now shredded clothing and removed it from the trophy room, taking it out to where the bonfire was just being lit.

  Once the door closed behind them, the intended effect of removing the trophies’ clothing began to settle in. Psychologically, it changed everything for their mindset. The team had been wearing uniforms, different from Nick and Nõn; they identified with the clothing that had been shredded and removed from them. Removing the uniforms stripped them of their identity and unity. Each of them had worn some kind of uniform for the past ten years, both in the military and out.

  For Nick and Nõn, the impact on their psyche was less damaging. Nõn had worn long-sleeved, heavy cotton clothing for a reason. That reason was now clear. She was covered with thick, rope-like scars. The scars crossed her torso and legs in a woven pattern similar to a wicker basket or chair. Everyone in the trophy room saw the scars, but no one commented. It was clear now Nõn had been tortured extensively. Nick realized this explained the texture under Nõn’s shirt he’d felt on the bus when he’d put his arm around her. It wasn’t a vest under her shirt; it was scarring like he had no idea was possible.

  Nõn waited for the questions about her scars to begin, her head down, thinking. Who would want her dead? She had no enemies, no one who hated her this much, enough to hunt her, kill her. The questions never came, the team was too demoralized from the removal of their clothing and cognitively impaired by the drug. Nõn was grateful for the silence. It helped her think.

  The trophies were brought out and placed in a circle around the fire. As they waited, their clothing was thrown into the fire. The effect on them was exactly what Jay had intended. He’d left nothing to chance. The symbolism of their burning clothes was clear, there would be no escape, this was no test of loyalty, as Johnson had foolishly hoped.

  Once the trophies were in place around the fire, the sponsors were brought out. Jay began the meeting with his favorite quote from Sun Tzu.

  “Gentlemen, the great Sun Tzu is quoted as saying, ‘The supreme art of war is to subdue your enemy without fighting.’ Today, we have done exactly that for all of you.”

  Nick noticed a subtle but definite grouping of the team apart from himself and Nõn. Whatever they were here for, they had done as a group. He had no idea who he could have possibly pissed off this much; the list was too long to bother trying to figure out. Besides, soon enough he would know. Nõn, on the other hand, that was a mystery. The scars crisscrossing over her body had come from somewhere, and from someone sadistic and brutal.

  Jay addressed the team first. “Gentlemen, as I’m sure all of you remember, you served in Iraq together in the small city of Umm Qasr. Your squad was in competition with another large squad in Afghanistan. That squad was based in the Afghanistan city of La Mohammed Kalay, in the province of Kandahar, and your squad was based in the Iraqi city of Umm Qasr. It has been proven beyond a reasonable doubt that your two squads hunted civilians and formed a pact to become ‘kill squads’. Taking trophies and staging the evidence to protect yourselves from prosecution, you committed crimes and atrocities which were never brought to light. The La Mohammed Kalay kill squad was less successful in hiding their crimes and were court-martialed. Your crimes were never discovered by the press. They were hidden from the outside world with the Pentagon’s blessing. The feeling was enough damage had been done to the United States military’s image with the facts detailed in the press release of the La Mohammed Kalay killings. Today, however, you will answer for those killings. The six gentlemen in front of you have waited a long time for this meeting.”

  Rooney’s team defiantly glared back into the eyes of the men who were their sponsors. The past had been buried for a long time, the kill squad they’d formed had been hidden from public scrutiny for so long, they actually had forgotten about its existence. They’d moved on, the families of the men killed by their squad would never move on until the debt had been paid. They’d welcomed the American and British troops as they came ashore. They’d done nothing to provoke Rooney and his men, there was no need to. The team was a perfect combination of the ‘wrong stuff’ for combat. The six men said nothing to Rooney’s team. There was nothing to say. They’d waited a long time to even this score. The time had arrived. There was nothing but silence and hatred exchanged between the two groups for several minutes. Finally, Jay walked over to Nick and smiled.

 

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