heart.
“Good,” he replied, taking off his pack. “I’m going to clear the rest of this brush. You start getting the water.”
She dropped her pack near his and disappeared back down the path, the red LEDs of her headlamp lighting her way.
While she went to get the water, Harvath screwed the PVC poles together and hung the plastic sheeting. Next, he filled the canisters with the powder and set their lids next to them.
In the tens of thousands of hours that had gone into establishing the protocols, he was positive that no one had ever envisioned something this primitive.
The ground was soft and he used the machete to trench a berm. It would help prevent the runoff from going all the way downhill and into the river. It was an additional peace offering. Decker had been right. They needed to take all reasonable precautions. They needed to keep it out of the river.
If she bitched about it ending up in the groundwater, there was obviously no pleasing her and he would tie her to a tree and make good on his threat to leave her for the pygmies.
By the time Decker came back, he had finished clearing their staging area, had unrolled the enormous bladder, and had positioned it inside its multi-point sling.
He walked her through everything and, after helping her fill the first canister with water, told her what he wanted her to do if he wasn’t back in an hour. She wasn’t happy about being left alone.
Handing her the machete, Harvath made her repeat what he had told her. To the letter, she repeated his instructions.
She had expected him to leave her with a final admonition over what had happened that morning, but to his credit, he didn’t. Instead, he smiled and told her everything would be okay. Then, flipping his night vision goggles back down, he walked into the jungle and was gone.
•••
Based on his GPS reading at the river, and a review of the satellite imagery saved to his phone, Harvath had a good idea where the clinic was, along with the best way to approach. It took him less than ten minutes to find it.
When he did, he remained in the jungle. He didn’t dare enter the clearing. In his mind, there was a bright red circle painted around the building. He wasn’t going to cross that line without having taken every single precaution possible.
He low-crawled to the edge of the clearing, parted the vegetation, and peered through his goggles. There was no movement to be seen, but even more unusual was the fact that there wasn’t a sound coming from anywhere. It was as if even the animals were avoiding this place. The quiet was unsettling. Harvath tried to shake it off.
Retreating into the jungle, he worked his way around the perimeter. There were no trucks, or vehicles of any sort. No light came from inside the clinic. It looked completely abandoned.
Arriving at the northwest corner of the clearing, he looked at his watch. He wanted to check out the burn pit too, but he’d be pushing it time-wise. He wasn’t sure if Decker would honor his instructions or not, but if he wasn’t back in an hour he had to expect that she’d be gone. And if she was gone, he would have to abandon the operation. While he hadn’t liked the idea of bringing Decker along, he couldn’t escape the fact that it was a two-person job. He wouldn’t have been able to suit up without her. The reconnaissance, though, would be incomplete without checking the pit, so he decided to push it.
He could smell the pit long before he could see it. More appropriately, he could smell the accelerant that had been used. Jet fuel had a uniqueodor. But the nearest airport was hundreds of kilometers away. How the hell had jet fuel ended up in the middle of the jungle?
For the moment, that question would have to remain unanswered. Nearing the pit, he stopped and listened. When he didn’t hear anything, he crept forward to take a look.
There was no sign of anyone, but someone had been there. And they had come through with heavy vehicles, one of
“Good,” he replied, taking off his pack. “I’m going to clear the rest of this brush. You start getting the water.”
She dropped her pack near his and disappeared back down the path, the red LEDs of her headlamp lighting her way.
While she went to get the water, Harvath screwed the PVC poles together and hung the plastic sheeting. Next, he filled the canisters with the powder and set their lids next to them.
In the tens of thousands of hours that had gone into establishing the protocols, he was positive that no one had ever envisioned something this primitive.
The ground was soft and he used the machete to trench a berm. It would help prevent the runoff from going all the way downhill and into the river. It was an additional peace offering. Decker had been right. They needed to take all reasonable precautions. They needed to keep it out of the river.
If she bitched about it ending up in the groundwater, there was obviously no pleasing her and he would tie her to a tree and make good on his threat to leave her for the pygmies.
By the time Decker came back, he had finished clearing their staging area, had unrolled the enormous bladder, and had positioned it inside its multi-point sling.
He walked her through everything and, after helping her fill the first canister with water, told her what he wanted her to do if he wasn’t back in an hour. She wasn’t happy about being left alone.
Handing her the machete, Harvath made her repeat what he had told her. To the letter, she repeated his instructions.
She had expected him to leave her with a final admonition over what had happened that morning, but to his credit, he didn’t. Instead, he smiled and told her everything would be okay. Then, flipping his night vision goggles back down, he walked into the jungle and was gone.
•••
Based on his GPS reading at the river, and a review of the satellite imagery saved to his phone, Harvath had a good idea where the clinic was, along with the best way to approach. It took him less than ten minutes to find it.
When he did, he remained in the jungle. He didn’t dare enter the clearing. In his mind, there was a bright red circle painted around the building. He wasn’t going to cross that line without having taken every single precaution possible.
He low-crawled to the edge of the clearing, parted the vegetation, and peered through his goggles. There was no movement to be seen, but even more unusual was the fact that there wasn’t a sound coming from anywhere. It was as if even the animals were avoiding this place. The quiet was unsettling. Harvath tried to shake it off.
Retreating into the jungle, he worked his way around the perimeter. There were no trucks, or vehicles of any sort. No light came from inside the clinic. It looked completely abandoned.
Arriving at the northwest corner of the clearing, he looked at his watch. He wanted to check out the burn pit too, but he’d be pushing it time-wise. He wasn’t sure if Decker would honor his instructions or not, but if he wasn’t back in an hour he had to expect that she’d be gone. And if she was gone, he would have to abandon the operation. While he hadn’t liked the idea of bringing Decker along, he couldn’t escape the fact that it was a two-person job. He wouldn’t have been able to suit up without her. The reconnaissance, though, would be incomplete without checking the pit, so he decided to push it.
He could smell the pit long before he could see it. More appropriately, he could smell the accelerant that had been used. Jet fuel had a uniqueodor. But the nearest airport was hundreds of kilometers away. How the hell had jet fuel ended up in the middle of the jungle?
For the moment, that question would have to remain unanswered. Nearing the pit, he stopped and listened. When he didn’t hear anything, he crept forward to take a look.
There was no sign of anyone, but someone had been there. And they had come through with heavy vehicles, one of
Similar Books
