The Ajax Protocol

CHAPTER 45

They passed Haiti on the sixth day. Cuba lay ahead off the port bow. They'd taken the shortest route home, with Cuba to the left and the chain of islands that included the Bahamas off to their right. But they had a problem.

"We have to get him to a hospital," Selena said.

They were talking about Lamont. His fever was worse. He was slipping in and out of awareness. The color had drained away from his chocolate skin. His eyes were taking on a yellowish tint.

"There are hospitals in Miami," Ronnie said.

"I don't think he'll last that long." Selena pushed away a wisp of hair from her forehead.

"There's nothing between here and Miami," Nick said.

"Yes there is."

They all turned to look at Elizabeth.

"Guantánamo isn't far from here. We can be there in a day. They have a hospital on the base."

"If we go to Guantánamo, they'll lock us up," Nick said.

"If we don't go to Guantánamo, Lamont will die," Elizabeth said.

"It could work to our advantage," Stephanie said. "If we can convince them not to hold us, we might be able to get an airlift back to the mainland."

"How do you plan to do that?" Nick asked. "Tell them we're the good guys and Edmonds is plotting to overthrow the government? That'll go over well."

"They won't believe anything we say," Elizabeth said. "Not without serious backup."

"Maybe we can get backup," Stephanie said.

"Who did you have in mind?" Elizabeth asked.

"Call Hood. They'll listen to him. Langley practically runs that place."

"I'm not sure how much he'll help us," Elizabeth said. "He's already poking his nose into the Pentagon. He'd be supporting us against the acting President. It would put his entire career on the line."

They could hear Lamont coughing in his cabin. There was something dark about the sound, something frightening.

"Listen to that," Stephanie said. "I don't think we have much of a choice."

"Give me the phone," Elizabeth said.

An hour later they had turned into the Windward Passage between Cuba and Haiti, headed for Guantánamo. Hood had agreed to clear them through. Once they got to the base, Lamont would be taken to the hospital. A plane would take the others back to the mainland.

"Hood is worried about unusual activity by Homeland Security," Elizabeth said.

"What kind of activity?" Nick asked.

"A nationwide joint exercise with the Army is planned for later this week. It's supposed to be an emergency preparedness exercise. Something to test our response in the event of terrorist attack."

"Yeah, right," Ronnie said.

"They're getting ready to deploy that weapon," Nick said, "and we're out here sailing around off Cuba."

"Maybe not for much longer," Selena said. She pointed at a low, gray shape coming fast across the water.

Nick looked grim. "That's a Cuban patrol boat. The Russians sold a few to Castro years ago. I thought they'd all been sunk or decommissioned."

"I guess not all of them," Ronnie said. They could see the Cuban flag flying from the stern of the vessel.

"We're still outside Cuba's territorial waters," Nick said. "They shouldn't be here."

"I don't think they care about that," Elizabeth said.

"Ronnie, come with me," Nick said. "We have to ditch the weapons before they get here."

They went below and took out the weapons and handed them up to Selena. She passed them to Elizabeth, who dropped them over the side. The last to go were their pistols.

They went up to the bridge to watch the Cuban vessel approach. The patrol boat was almost 200 feet long, gray and lethal. It bristled with weapons. There were deck guns fore and aft and antisubmarine missile launchers. The rail was lined with sailors armed with AK-47 carbines. As the vessel closed on them, an officer raised a bullhorn and shouted something.

"What did he say?" Nick turned to Selena. Selena spoke fluent Spanish.

"Classic," she said. "Heave to and prepare to be boarded."

"They got cutlasses, too?" Ronnie said.

Nick looked at him and shook his head. "Cut the engines," he said.

Ronnie throttled back to an idle. The Island Angel rode uneasily in the water, rocking in the waves.

"Selena," Nick said. "You do all the talking. See if you can talk us out of here."

She took a deep breath and went down to the main deck. A motor launch with six sailors and the officer put off from the patrol boat and came alongside. They scrambled on board, weapons at the ready. They didn't look friendly. Two of the sailors disappeared into the main cabin.

Nick watched from the bridge as Selena began speaking with the officer. It seemed to be going well. Then the Cuban began shouting at her. She backed up a step. Nick started down the steps toward them. The officer gave an order and the guns pointed toward him. The man said something. Nick didn't need to speak Spanish to know that he was being told to put his hands up.

"Selena," he said as he raised his hands. "What's happening?"

One of the sailors grasped Nick by the arm and pulled him off the steps. Another sailor went up to the bridge and prodded Ronnie and Elizabeth down with the barrel of his rifle. A sailor came out of the main cabin and said something to the officer. He had their passports in his hand.

The officer looked at the documents and then at Nick.

"Ustedes son espías norteamericanos. Si se resisten, se le disparó."

"What did he say?" Ronnie asked.

"He said we are American spies," Selena said. "If we resist, he'll shoot us. I think he means it."

"Yanquis!" the officer said with contempt. He spat on the deck. "En el barco." He gestured at the motor launch.

"Into the boat," Selena said.

"What about Lamont?"

Selena fired off some rapid Spanish. The officer replied and gestured again.

"He says they will bring him aboard. Now, we must get in the boat."

"I'm not going without Lamont. Tell him that."

"I'm not sure that's a good idea," she said.

"Tell him anyway."

The officer was watching the exchange. Selena told him what Nick had said. His face got red and he shouted at one of the sailors. The man brought up the butt of his rifle and slammed Nick on the side of the head. Everything went dark.

The first thing Nick was aware of when he woke was pain. He was lying on something hard and cold. The floor vibrated under him. He opened his eyes and light speared his brain like a dagger. He drifted back into unconsciousness.

The next time he woke, Ronnie was sitting next to him. He could hear Lamont coughing.

"Welcome back, amigo," Ronnie said. "You had a nice nap."

"Yeah." Nick sat up. The room spun around him. There was a metal toilet bolted to the wall. He managed to reach it before he threw up. He retched and threw up again. He choked down the bile and caught his breath and waited for the dizziness to pass. He had the mother of all headaches. He wiped his sleeve across his lips.

"Take it easy," Ronnie said. "You took a hell of a hit. Probably got a concussion."

Nick leaned back against the wall next to the toilet "How long was I out?"

"Maybe an hour."

He looked around. The front of the cell was metal bars. The rest of the room was metal, painted flaking gray. There were no windows. A bare metal cot was bolted to the wall. Lamont lay on it, delirious.

Ronnie nodded at him. "He's not doing so good."

"Where are we?"

"They took us on board and threw us in the brig." That explained the vibration in the floor.

"Where are the others?"

"Selena and Elizabeth are next to us in another cell."

"We're screwed," Nick said.

"Yeah," Ronnie said, "my thoughts exactly."