Missions of the Retrieval Team - Kilts in a Cage

[Jock Scot]

The bounders!

[davedove]

Scene 18

Factory Compound of General Ricos

“That’s going to make things a lot harder, but it’s not unexpected,” I said. “By separating us from the children, they figure on keeping us complacent. They know we’re not likely to risk the safety of the children.”

“And they’re right!” said Jaime. “We can’t risk the children.”

“Easy Jaime, I have no intention of risking them. But, it is going to take some planning and we’re dreadfully short of intelligence right now.”

“Right.” He addressed everyone. “Okay, man all the windows and observe everything you can. Everyone else search the walls, floors, ceilings, anything you can think of. We need to know everything we can about our situation.”

As the men moved to begin the search, one man hesitated. James MacMillan approached me. “Dave,” he said, “I feel so bad about what happened. If it wasn’t for me, you never would have been discovered and they wouldn’t have beaten you.”

“James,” I said, “You were only trying to protect your wife. I can’t fault you for that. And since he had my description, Ricos probably would have discovered I was here anyway. And, I certainly couldn’t let you be shot.”

“I appreciate you saying that and I can’t repay you for the risk you took, but I still feel it’s my fault. How can I make it up to you?”

“James, you’re an old marine. You know that things happen. Just be ready when the time comes.”

He looked me right in the eyes, and then nodded. I could see the resolve in his expression.

As James walked away to help in the search, I noticed a small group arguing at the end of the room. It was Grant and his crew.

Big Mikey moved away from Grant in disgust. Grant was seated on a bunk, his arms crossed in determination.

Mikey noticed me and walked over to me.

“Mr. Dove?” he said.

“What is it Mikey?”

“I want to help, but Grant is being stubborn. He says he refuses to help out any group that has you and Panache in it.”

My mind was whirling. We needed all the cooperation we could get and Grant’s crew needed to be a part of it. We could especially use Mikey’s talents.

“Tell you what Mikey. I’m not too happy about having to work with Grant either, and I’m sure Jaime’s not either. But you remind Grant that we’re all in this together and it will probably take all of us to get out of this. If he won’t do it for that, remind him of the children. I don’t think he will turn his back on them.”

Mikey nodded and started to go back to Grant.

“Mikey,” I said to him. He turned to look back at me. “Thanks,” I said.

He paused a moment, as if searching for some sign of my intentions. I looked him straight in the eye in return. He smiled and nodded slightly, then turned back towards Grant.

“Someone’s coming!” called out one of the lookouts.

“Who is it?” asked Jaime.

“It seems to be an old woman. She’s carrying a basket of some sort.”

“Probably our food for the day,” I said.

A few moments later we heard the lock being opened. As the door opened an old woman staggered inside, struggling under the load of her basket.

The guards spoke to her in Spanish as she entered the door. “Knock when you are finished.” They closed and locked the door behind her.

Panache, ever the gentleman, quickly moved to help the woman with her load.

“Why thank you,” said the woman, in perfect English and in a voice I recognized immediately.

“And welcome to the men’s barracks,” I said, smiling and pausing for effect, “Ms. Stork.”

[starbkjrus]

snip...
and we’re dreadfully short of intelligence right now.”
...snip

[davedove]

Scene 19

Factory Compound of General Ricos

Ms. Stork laughed as she rose to her full height; throwing back the head covering that had concealed her identity.

Jaime was a bit startled to see who it was. “How did you manage that?” he asked. “I was right next to you and didn’t recognize you.”

“Because,” she answered, “like most people you saw exactly what you were expecting to see. Fortunately, the guards saw the same thing or I wouldn’t be talking with you now. But then, most of them aren’t very bright, so it was easy.”

“How did you get out of your barracks?” I asked her.

“When Rosalina, that’s the woman whose identity I am using, came around to bring us the food, I began talking with her. She was so surprised to find that one of the captives could speak Spanish in her Mayan dialect. It’s fortunate I participated in that archeological dig a few years ago.”

“She’s as much a prisoner here as we are,” she continued. “The General’s men raided her village and kidnapped all the people. Her village was so small that no one took notice. The General takes these people and uses them as slave labor in his mill until they die. Rosalina says she lost her husband and two sons here. I believe the General plans to use us the same way.”

“No doubt, but how did you take her place?”

“Her job is to take food to the prisoners. By the way, there’s not much and it’s not very exciting, just corn tortillas and a bland bean paste, but it’s fairly nutritious. Take advantage of it and eat it all.”

“I’m ahead of you there,” said Jaime. “Dee, come here and help me pass this out.”

“Go on,” I told her.

“Rosalina was so surprised that one of the prisoners could speak with her that she began telling me everything she could. I questioned her about the mill and our surroundings and got quite a bit of information out of her. Once I promised we would help her and the other villagers, it was a simple matter to convince her to let me take her place for a while. I just have to get back to the barracks in a few minutes so we can swap back.”

“What’s so important here that the General has to use slaves to produce it in secret?”

“Nothing as unusual as you may think. He’s not refining drugs or anything like that. He’s using the slaves to make clothes.”

“Clothes?”

“Yes, and designer knock-offs at that. We already know that he has connections to Globo-Fashion. His company, Yucatan Textil, is a probably a supplier for them. He’s running his own slave labor sweatshop here. All it costs him for the labor is some scraps of food.”

“Okay, tell us everything you found out.”

[Pleater]

[QUOTE=davedove;
[SIZE=3]“Her job is to take food to the prisoners. By the way, there’s not much and it’s not very exciting, just corn tortillas and a bland bean paste, but it’s fairly nutritious. Take advantage of it and eat it all.”[/SIZE]


Now - that bean paste - with a few onions, a spot of seasoning, it could have been done a lot better - though it really needs a good green salad, lots of watercress, and a herb dressing, naturally.

It must be dinner time.

[Ancienne Alliance]

[QUOTE=Pleater;544828]

“Her job is to take food to the prisoners. By the way, there’s not much and it’s not very exciting, just corn tortillas and a bland bean paste, but it’s fairly nutritious. Take advantage of it and eat it all.”[/SIZE]


Now - that bean paste - with a few onions, a spot of seasoning, it could have been done a lot better - though it really needs a good green salad, lots of watercress, and a herb dressing, naturally.

It must be dinner time.

Chili peppers perhaps ?

[Panache]

All I know is that it almost the cocktail hour and Ensigns Splash, BEEDEE, and Mender are taking their sweet time getting here!

Gents, time is of the essence please make haste.

Cheers

Jamie

[Coemgen]

there’s not much and it’s not very exciting, just corn tortillas and a bland bean paste, but it’s fairly nutritious

What!? No tea?

[Wompet]

Right after meditation, we'll be having our tea in the monastery Dave mentioned earlier.