Ambush

20

Franklin jerked his Colt carbine up over the car’s windowsill and slammed three rounds into the chest of the surprised guard, who had fired into the door panel evidently as a warning shot. Domingo had out his .45 pistol, and fired three times so fast they sounded like one round. The rebel on the passenger’s side caught one in the chest, one in his throat, and the third one on his forehead, jolting him backward like he’d been yanked to the rear by a rope.

“Charge!” Canzoneri said, looking out the window for a new target. He found none. The thin pole across the single lane of the roadway that was left open shattered against the front of the Toyota just below the hood ornament and splintered away on both sides.

They were through. There appeared to be no one beside the two guards at the block.

“What the hell next?” Franklin asked. “How far are we from the real town?”

“More buildings along here, looks like some houses too,” Canzoneri said.

“Looks like this could be the start of the town, the old barangay,” Domingo said. “Several families would settle an area together and give it its name. The practice is still around, but often now used in sections of a larger city. This has that feel. Like several of these barangays merge and you have a small town.”

“I can see more buildings ahead,” Franklin said. “Looks like a real town with wooden buildings and even some telephone poles.”

“Watch for rebels in their green uniforms,” Domingo said. “If the police are controlling the town, then there probably won’t be any rebels carrying guns. Most Filipinos don’t own guns.”

Franklin slowed. Now they could see children playing in the yards. There were no real streets yet, just some roads wandering off toward the sea.

“Should we turn in here and not be so obvious?” Franklin asked.

“Not yet,” Domingo said. “Up there at those two-story buildings would be a good spot to give it a try.”

Two men standing near a small house with a corrugated metal roofed stared at them as they drove past. No wave, no friendly smiles.

“Probably think we’re rebels,” Domingo said. He dropped the magazine out of his .45, and pushed three fresh rounds into it, filling it up. Now he had eight shots again.

The buildings were looking more Western now, but some nipa huts with their thatched roofs were still mixed in.

“Next street to the right,” Domingo said. It was more of an order this time. Franklin grinned. “Aye aye,” he said.

The street had wooden-frame buildings on both sides. The street was dirt, and looked like it had been freshly watered to keep down the dust. Halfway along the street Franklin saw a two-story building with a Philippine flag flying over it. A telephone pole nearby trailed lines into the building that could be both telephone and electrical.

“That one?” Franklin asked.

“Ah, yes, the flag. That’s either the city hall or the police station or maybe the post office,” Domingo said. “Worth a try. Keep your weapons out of sight and stay in the car. My turf now, okay?”

“Yes. We’ll sit tight,” Canzoneri said.

“I’m leaving the rifle here, just my .45 on my hip. I doubt if I’ll have any trouble. If I can, I’ll use one of their phones. If I’m not out in ten minutes, bring your weapons and come in softly and gently. It may just be trouble with the phone lines.”

Franklin eased the Toyota to a stop in front of the building. He saw only four other cars in the street. General Domingo slid out of the car and walked directly to the front door of the building. It had four windows showing on the street, but they weren’t big enough that the SEALs could see inside.

Domingo turned the knob and walked inside with a military manner. It was the police station. He saw only two uniformed men behind a long counter across the front. A woman not in uniform sat behind a pair of telephones. She looked up.

“Yes, how may I help you?”

“I’d like to speak with the police commander.”

“I’m sorry, he’s not here this week. We do have a lieutenant who you can talk to. What is your name, please?”

“Captain Nofrando Domingo. I’m a policeman from another area. It’s quite urgent.”

The woman chattered at one of the uniformed men. She spoke in Filipino, which Domingo understood. She said, “He says he’s a policeman, so be careful.”

The man stood and came to the counter. He held out his hand. “Lieutenant Rosales, temporarily in charge here. Will you come into the office where we can talk?”

Domingo had scanned the small area. Nothing seemed out of order or dangerous. A filled gun cabinet on the wall with a glass front had a keyhole on the door. It could be locked.

“Yes, of course.”

They went into a room to the left and the lieutenant closed the door. Domingo saw the office had another door leading back into the other areas of the building.

Rosales sat in a chair behind a clean-topped desk and smiled.

“Now, what’s the business that you have?”

“First, jurisdiction. In my charts there is no major policing presence here in Lebak. Most matters are handled by the police in Kiamba or Cotatabo.”

“Progress, Captain Domingo. We were granted jurisdiction here only two months ago. It’s not unusual that you had not been informed. Where are you stationed?”

“I’m usually at Buayan. Here on a special mission for the President. You may have heard about it. It’s called the further integration of our aboriginal people.”

“Yes, that’s moving along nicely for us. We’ve contacted two of the tribes up in the hills.”

“Good. I can make a good report then. I need to call Davao. I trust your microwave units are working properly?”

“Davao? I’d think you would report to Manila.”

“Usually. The Vice President is handling most of this and he’s in Davao for another day. So I need to get your report to him quickly.”

“I’ll check to see if the lines are available,” the lieutenant said, starting to stand.

“I can do that myself, Lieutenant. Please stand and face the wall and lace your fingers on top of your head.”

“What? You are joking.”

Domingo drew the .45 in one practiced move and centered the muzzle on the lieutenant’s chest. “Now would be a good time to move, Lieutenant. Face to the wall, hands on top of your head, and lean in and touch your forehead to the wall. Now, or I’ll shoot you dead.”

Slowly the man complied. Domingo went behind the desk, picked up the phone. He dialed information. “Yes, operator, I need the number for the Davao Air Base in Davao. Yes, in Davao.” He waited. A moment later he wrote the number down on a pad of paper on the desk.

“Could you dial it for me, operator? My phone isn’t working well.” He paused. “Yes, thank you.” He waited for it to ring. The policeman edged toward the door. “Not another inch, or you’re dead, you rebel. Stay right there.

“Yes, I want the base commander,” Domingo said into the phone. It took a few moments; as he waited, a knock came on the door.

“No, no messages, wait outside,” Domingo called loudly.

“This is Colonel Romano,” said the voice on the phone.

“Colonel, Nofrando Domingo. We need two CH-46’s to fly at once to a rock house on the west coast about thirty miles north of Lebak. Get them off for a round trip within ten minutes. You’ll have thirty-one return passengers.” He paused, listening.

“Yes, I’m fine, the other bird did go down. No casualties. Get those birds over there as quickly as possible.”

He hung up, and had started to turn when a shot blasted into the room from the room’s back door and he felt a searing, knife-sharp pain in his right shoulder. He dropped the .45 and grabbed his arm.

“Now, Mr. Domingo, or should I say General Domingo, we have a bit of a turn of events, no?” Rosales said. “I have some questions for you. Thanks, Pepe. I can handle the general for now. Check out those other two men in the Toyota out front.”

Just as he said it, the door to the front of the office burst open and Franklin stormed in, the Colt Carbine out in front. He saw the man holding the pistol near the back door and before the rebel could move, Franklin took him down with three rounds in the chest. The sound of the three cartridges going off filled the room with a bouncing thundering sound that kept going from wall to wall.

Right behind Franklin came Canzoneri, and just as Franklin shot, Canzoneri put a single round in Lieutenant Rosales’s chest where his heart was supposed to be. He went down like a brain-shot steer in a slaughterhouse.

When the sound faded, Domingo bent and grabbed his .45 off the deck. Canzoneri looked at the general’s right shoulder, and used a kerchief from around his neck as a bandage and a wad of tissue from a box on the desk for a pad, wrapping the entry wound tightly to stop the bleeding.

“Just a tad late, guys,” Domingo said. “When did you figure them for ringers?”

“When the woman out front listened to your talk on the telephone,” Franklin said. “The woman had a tap on the line at the desk. The other one vanished out the back and we tied her up, then came in, as you say, a tad too late.”

“You get through to the air base?” asked Canzoneri.

“Yes, the base commander said he’d get two CH-46’s on the way within fifteen minutes. So, we should have those thirty-one hostages on their way to Davao soon.”

“Now how do we find the other eighteen?” Franklin asked.

“I was hoping we could ask one of these two, but looks like we’re too late.”

“What about the broad outside?” Canzoneri said. “She can still talk. Should I bring her in here?”

Domingo nodded.

She was young, twenty-eight maybe, Franklin figured. Her skin was a shade lighter than Domingo’s. She said her name was Rosa.

“Why all these Mexican names?” Canzoneri asked.

“The Philippines was a colony of Spain for over three hundred years,” Domingo said. “They decreed that every person in the country must have a Spanish name. All the Spanish names you see today are holdovers from the Spanish reign.”

Domingo turned back to Rosa.

“Now, young lady. You are a rebel, we know that. You have conspired against your homeland. Your two friends here are dead, you can see their bodies. I am trying to be civilized about this, but I do have a short temper. Do not irritate me. Some questions. Where is your home?”

“Here, Lebak.”

“Are you married?”

“Yes. I have two children.”

“Is your husband a rebel?”

“Yes.”

“Where is he?”

“Away with the People’s Army.”

“Who is the leader of the People’s Army?”

“I don’t know. None of my friends know.”

“What is the Eagle’s Nest?”

She flinched when he said the words, and he looked at her closely. “You recognized the name. What is it and where is it?”

Rosa looked straight ahead and didn’t say a word.

“Tie her hands behind her back,” Domingo said. Franklin did.

“Canzoneri, lock the front door and any back doors. Stand guard out near the front door.” He hurried out.

Domingo slapped Rosa gently on each cheek. “Rosa, do you want me to knock you off the chair with a hard slap?”

“No.”

“Then answer. What is the Eagle’s Nest and where is it?”

“It’s where the leader of the Army lives. I don’t know where it is.”

“You’re lying, Rosa. Your husband is there as one of the leader’s personal bodyguards. Where is it?”

Rosa stared straight ahead.

Domingo swung his right hand, palm open, and slapped her so hard it knocked her off the chair. She hit the wooden floor hard, and not having her hands to break her fall, she hit on her shoulder and the side of her head.

Domingo nodded at Franklin. He lifted her back on the chair.

He repeated the question. She shook her head. He hit her again, knocking her off the other side of the chair.

When Franklin picked her up, she was crying.

“Strip her to the waist,” Domingo ordered. It wasn’t a request; it was a general talking to a yeoman second. Franklin used his knife to slice the buttons off a colored blouse, then cut the bra straps and cut the blouse to get it off without untying her hands, then threw the clothing on the floor. At first she tried to hunch her shoulders to hide her breasts.

“Now, we get down to the interesting forms of interrogation,” Domingo said. Rosa screeched at him in Filipino. He shouted back at her in the same tongue.

She stopped the words, and began screaming. Domingo took her blouse and jammed it into her mouth.

“Rosa, what would your husband do if he found you had only one breast?” Domingo held out his hand, and Franklin gave him his own carefully honed KA-BAR fighting knife. Domingo grabbed one of her breasts and drew a thin bloodline across the top. He let it go. Rosa looked down at the blood, spat out the gagging blouse, and screamed again. Domingo slapped her quickly twice and she stopped.

“Young lady, I was fighting Moros and other guerrillas when you were a child. I’ve cut off men’s genitals and sent them back to their wives. I’ve cut all sorts of pieces off prisoners urging them to cooperate on sharing information. I can do the same thing to you. One last time. What is the Eagle’s Nest and where is it?”

Rosa sobbed silently for a moment, then stared hard at him.

“It is where our leader lives, his retreat. It is on the mountain about ten miles north of here and up in the hills overlooking the sea. Some say it is six miles from the waves.”

“Now, that wasn’t so hard, was it, Rosa? Is that where they took the last eighteen hostages this morning?”

“I don’t know.”

General Domingo stared hard at her. “I believe you,” he said. “Now, how many rebels in town?”

“Only eight.”

“Where are they?”

“Some in stores, offices.”

“Call them all. Tell them there is a special meeting here in ten minutes. Have them come here.”

Franklin handed her the blouse. He untied her hands, and she shrugged into it. It was cut so much that it didn’t cover her.

“I have another blouse,” Rosa said.

Domingo motioned them away. Franklin went out the door with her and watched her put on the new blouse. She didn’t turn her back as she slipped it on. Franklin let her go to her desk; then he checked it and found a knife and two small handguns. He took them all.

“Make the calls, now,” Franklin said. “Don’t warn them in any way, or I’ll shoot you, just the way I killed that man in the office.”

“Speak in English,” Domingo said.

She made the calls, took no arguments, gave no reasons, just told them to be at the police station in ten minutes.

Canzoneri had checked out the rest of the building. There was a small jail in back, three cells, and in each was a real police officer. He let them out and told them what was happening. They said they would help. Two officers stood on one side of the main door. They locked both rear doors. When the first rebel came in he was dressed in a summer suit, and went down hard when one of the policemen slammed the butt of his pistol down on the man’s head.

The next three were held under guns, put on the floor, and tied. When the fifth one came in, he was suspicious and already had a revolver in his hand. He saw the men on the floor and lifted the weapon, but Domingo put two .45 slugs into his chest and he went down and died a minute later.

The next three came in quickly, and were put on the floor and tied. One of the policemen seemed to be in charge. He had sergeant’s stripes, and grinned when the last rebel was down.

“They steamed in here three days ago and took over,” the man said. “Oh, I’m Sergeant Esteban. I’m in charge here. Not a lot to do, but the rebels wanted a town, I guess.”

“The Eagle’s Nest,” Domingo said.

“Yes, a rich man’s estate high up on the edge of the mountain about ten miles north of town. I’m not sure who owns it now. He comes in sometimes for supplies. We get everything in here by boat. We built a pier, but it isn’t long enough for big boats.”

“Now all we have to do is decide what we do next,” General Domingo said. “How do we get word to Murdock? How do we get back through those roadblocks? They will be waiting for us now.”

He went over to Rosa. She sat at her desk, not moving, not looking at anyone. “Rosa, how many guards does your leader have at his Eagle’s Nest?”

“Fifty, my husband told me that.”

“Figures,” Domingo said. Then he grinned. He took out the piece of paper and dialed the phone number. A short time later he spoke to the air base commander.

“Colonel Romano. Did those choppers take off on time?”

“Yes, sir, General Domingo. Armed and ready. They won’t have any trouble finding that rock house.”

“Good. Now I want you to radio them to divert one to Lebak, down here thirty miles south of the rock house right on the coast. Also, radio the pilot to tell Commander Murdock that we believe the missing eighteen hostages are at the Eagle’s Nest, about twenty miles south of him high on the mountain cliffs.”

“Yes, sir. I have that information.”

“Now, I want you to send here to Lebak two more CH- 46’s with ten Rangers on each one combat ready with triple regular ammunition. Get them into the air within a half hour. Got that?”

“Yes, sir. We have relayed the radio messages. The diverting chopper says he’ll be at Lebak in approximately thirty minutes. The other two birds won’t be there quite that fast.”

“Thanks, Colonel. Oh, if you need me, you can call here at this number.” He gave the number of the police station and hung up.

“Well, Sergeant. Looks like you need to get your jail cleaned up. Two bodies in the office over there. I could use some first aid and a doctor for my shoulder, and you have jail cells for these rebels. Get them moving. Rosa goes in a cell too.”

“Eagle’s Nest?” Canzoneri asked.

“Yeah, but first we have to find it, then figure out how to take it when they have fifty guns up there,” Franklin said.

“Only fifty?” Canzoneri asked. “Hell, piece of cake.”