Chasing Tomorrow Read online

  “I’m on it now.” Commander Haji picked up a phone to call for drones to be launched in this area. “We can probably have some aerial photos by the time the sun comes up. Too dark to see anything now even if we had anything in the air. Why don’t we all grab some coffee, have a seat, and begin to rough out a plan? It’s going to be a long night.”

  “Did I hear that right? They have three British aid workers they’re holding along with Arianna?” Tony asked.

  “Yes, sir,” one of the officers replied.

  Zach pulled up a chair and invited his team to join him. “If all these people are being held together, we have to rescue all of them. We need to contact the Brits to let them know we’ve found their missing people. I imagine they’ve been looking for them.”

  Juan fixed himself a cup of coffee and scooted a chair up to the table. “Maybe they can help us with the rescue. I know some former SAS. Those boys are good at what they do…almost as good as the SEALs, not as good, of course,” he said with a wink, “but it looks like we’re going to need their help.”

  “Right, so Juan you’re in charge of coordinating with the Brits,” Zach said. “Masoud, you handle all the aerial observation…I need constant eyes on this. Also, if you have any informants in the area, I need their reports, too. Tony, monitor all the phone conversations in or out of there. Keep us posted on the status of negotiations…any new plans the kidnappers have in terms of the hostages’ location or,” he paused, “well-being. As soon as we get eyes on the terrain and a complete topographical report, we’ll finalize our rescue plan.

  “Gentlemen, there’s a lot riding on our ability to get this right. Lives are at stake. These assholes aren’t playing around. If we don’t come through, someone’s going to die.”

  Maybe someone already has.

  CHEEKHA DAR MOUNTAINS, IRAQ

  Two guards sat inside the cave, both brandishing assault rifles. Arianna found that curious. She was in no shape to make a run for it, so did this mean they were gearing up to thwart a rescue attempt? She could only hope…hope being something she was running out of.

  The night droned on. There was no lying down. Even sitting up, she struggled to breathe. Especially if she tried to breathe deeply. Intense pain seared through her chest like a hot poker. On through the night she suffered, dozing in and out of sleep, jarred abruptly awake by pain whenever her body slumped sideways.

  Her eyes closed, she rested back against the wall, allowing her thoughts to wonder about Zach. Did he know where she was? Would he come and get her? Of course, he would at least try, but this place was so remote, how could anyone ever find it? No matter how much he’d want to rescue her, he couldn’t do the impossible.

  They’d asked for a ransom. She knew Zach would move heaven and earth to come up with that money, but it would have to be a private deal since most governments refused to pay, fearing payment only encouraged more kidnappings. Instead of being helpful, it was hurtful to think about Zach. The thought of never seeing him again was as emotionally painful as the physical pain in her chest.

  Then, there was Glynis who’d been a captive for two months. Either her people didn’t know about her or weren’t willing to pay the money. Two months. She’d always prided herself on being a strong person, but she didn’t know if she could hang on for two months. She felt beaten and broken.

  “How’s the pain?” Glynis asked, upon awakening from her sleep.

  Arianna shook her head from side to side, too dispirited to speak.

  A guard approached and indicated the two women should follow him…time for the morning comfort break. Glynis helped Arianna to her feet and assisted her as their captor led them out to the forest. Arianna stumbled and cried out in pain when she tried to stop herself from falling. Glynis reached over and steadied her. “It’s okay. Not much farther. Just go slow, and take your time.”

  The women did their business behind bushes, and their Jihadi escort looked the other way. To their surprise, he did not hurry or harass them. When they returned to the cave, Amira was waiting for Arianna. “Here. Put this on,” she demanded, and threw an Iraqi woman’s loose-fitting dress and matching hijab at her.

  “I can’t. I can’t put that on,” Arianna responded. “It hurts to lift my arms above my head.”

  Amira stepped forward, intent on putting the garments on Arianna herself. Glynis came between the two of them and took the clothing from Arianna. “I’ll help her,” she said, glaring at Amira. She stood her ground until the evil captor acquiesced and left.

  “Whew! Thanks,” Arianna sighed. “That was not going to be a pleasant situation. Not sure why I need to wear these clothes anyway.”

  “Proof of life,” Glynis said. “This is good. Means they’re going to shoot a video of you. Someone has demanded some proof you’re still alive before they pay the ransom.”

  Proof of life? For an instant that thought buoyed her spirits. Dare she be hopeful or would this too become the next big disappointment?

  Glynis lowered the dress to the floor and invited Arianna to step into it. This allowed her to pull it up over Arianna’s shoulders, so she didn’t have to raise her arms. The huge tent-like garment dwarfed Arianna’s normally slender figure…a figure made even more thin and frail from stress and lack of nourishment. Glynis wrapped the hijab around Arianna’s head and tucked her hair beneath the scarf.

  Arianna looked down at herself, and for the first time since she’d been kidnapped, she almost laughed. She looked ridiculous in the ill-fitting dress. But like everything else that had turned to crap around her, it hurt too much to even laugh. All she could manage was a faint smile, followed by tears of despair and pain.

  She’d never been around people like her captors who would cut you down in an instant and not think a thing about it. Not just cut you down, but literally cut your head off. As Zach had warned, it was one thing to report about these terrorists from a distance and another to experience their brutality first-hand.

  Amira returned and told Arianna to come with her. They moved to the front of the cave where there was some natural light. A boulder sat in the entrance, and Amira motioned for Arianna to have a seat on the rock. She handed her the propaganda sheet Arianna had signed the day before.

  “You will read this, and we will film a video. It should be good entertainment for your friends.”

  “What friends are you talking about?” she asked.

  Amira sneered, and for a moment, it didn’t look like she was going to answer. She went over to a camera sitting on a tripod, and made some adjustments. Finally, she said, “Your friends at your network have promised to pay money for your release. They want to see proof of life before they pay, so we will put on a nice show for them. You need to read the paper to tell them what good care you’ve had and how you’ve come to love our culture. And I must caution you to make it convincing.”

  Arianna looked down at the paper. It was all lies. Every line. Every sentence. Her treatment had been deplorable, and she’d come to detest their culture. It would take some major acting on her part to fool anyone into believing she was sincere.

  “And one more thing. You need to look like you’re in good health, so sit up straight, and stop holding your ribs. Someone might think you’re injured.”

  “I am injured, and I’m in constant pain. It will take major effort on my part. I can only do what I can do.”

  “I don’t want to hear excuses, now sit up and start reading. Oh, and here.” She handed her what looked like an Arabic newspaper with the current day’s date on it. “Hold that up so the camera can see the date. You can put your paper behind it as you read.”

  It galled Arianna to have to read this propaganda, but if that’s what she had to do to get home, she’d do it.

  “My name is Arianna Garrett,” she began. “I am being well-cared for by these wonderful people.” She read on even as she struggled to remain upright. She wanted to wrap her arms around her waist for support, and she was short of breath since getting a pai
n-free breath of air was hard. Still she read on, wanting to complete this task satisfactorily, knowing she might be one step closer to going home.

  IRBIL, IRAQ OGA HEADQUARTERS

  HIGH ABOVE the desolate valley of Soran in eastern Iraq, a Predator drone flew, unseen and unheard, locked in on the location where Arianna was being held. Zach and his team sat glued to the flat screen monitor, watching the kidnapper’s activities on real-time video transmitted via satellite from the drone.

  “The aerial recon transmission is kind of sketchy. Can’t you clear that up?” Zach asked the drone operator.

  “Roger that, sir. I’ll see what I can do, but we have to work with the conditions we’re given.”

  “What do you think?” Tony asked. “There are two caves about a mile apart. Can’t tell which one Arianna might be in. I’ve seen a couple of people looking like females moving in and out, but I can’t make-out if any of them are Arianna. Is it just me?”

  “Negative,” Juan said. “I haven’t been able to ID her yet, either.”

  Zach nodded. He didn’t say, but he too was dismayed that they’d not been able to get visual confirmation on Arianna yet. “I’ve counted at least four bad guys at the eastern-most cave, cave one, and seven at cave two on the western end of the mountain slope.”

  “Check,” Tony said. “Looks like both groups were armed with AK47’s.”

  “Cave two,” Juan chimed in. “Look at the tall guy off by himself. Doesn’t that look like he’s sporting an RPG?”

  Zach leaned forward to get a better view. “I think you’re right.” He circled something else he saw on the screen. “Operator, zoom in there if you can.”

  The drone operator pulled in closer to the area Zach had circled.

  “Shit! These guys are loaded for bear,” Juan said. “I think that’s a machine gun, maybe a fifty cal, probably Russian made. That sucker can take down a helicopter. Glad we saw this sooner rather than later.”

  Zach sat back and folded his arms across his chest. “I agree, but I haven’t seen any potential helicopter landing sites anyway. Given the nature of the terrain, highly mountainous and thick with forest, it’s not going to be an easy task setting a helo down anywhere near this site.”

  Tony let out an exasperated sigh. “I give these guys credit. They picked a good location to hold hostages. Not good enough however. Just makes our work harder, but we will successfully execute this mission.”

  They all bumped knuckles on that statement.

  Turning to Masoud, Zach asked, “What are your local informants telling you?”

  “There are mostly farmers and shepherds in the area. Insurgent activity is low, but there is a large criminal element in the region. Soran sits on one of the main opium smuggling routes. Not real nice guys, these smugglers, but if you have to go in by land, you shouldn’t encounter too much resistance. Now that we know the location, I’ve got people on the ground that can keep an eye out for local opposition.”

  “Sir,” a Kurdish officer said, a sense of urgency in his voice. “You need to see this.”

  “What is it?” he asked.

  “Proof of life transmission coming in.”

  Everyone jumped to their feet and rushed over to the operator’s station.

  “Put it up on the large screen, officer,” Masoud ordered.

  They looked up and a video started to air. Zach let out an audible gasp, his gut clinched, and a lump formed in his throat when he saw Arianna. She was pale and had a gaunt look about her. A pained expression crossed her face. They listened as she read the prepared speech.

  When she finished, Masoud said, “That’s a local newspaper she’s holding. I recognize it. It is today’s paper…proof she’s still alive. What a relief.”

  Zach nodded. He didn’t know when he’d ever been so happy to see someone in his entire life. Tony and Juan came over and patted him on the back. All three were jubilant.

  “She doesn’t look well,” Zach said. “Something about the way she’s holding herself…I’m not sure, if it’s pain or stress written all over her face.”

  “Yeah, I agree.” Tony moved over by the officer. “Can you re-rack that and let us see this again?”

  “She looked so thin,” Juan said, “or maybe it’s that huge garment they made her wear. I get the head covering, but why the big flowing dress? Something’s off here.”

  They listened and watched once more, studying the video for any hints as to location details, people, or objects in the background.

  “I’m guessing this is the entrance to a cave,” Masoud said. “No way to tell if it’s cave one or two. No people or identifying objects in the background.”

  “She doesn’t talk like that,” Zach said.

  “Like what?” Juan leaned in to listen closer. “We all know someone else wrote the message she’s reading. She’d never say those things.”

  Zach shook his head. “No. Not the message. Listen to her. She’s out of breath and wheezing. I can’t put my finger on it, but gentlemen, I’m pretty damn sure, she’s either sick or injured.”

  Everyone listened even more intently as she spoke and began to detect the same labored speech pattern Zach had mentioned.

  Tony looked over at Zach. “I think you’re right, but at least she’s alive. Now, let’s go to work and get her home.”

  IRBIL, IRAQ: OGA STATION

  When Zach arrived at the command center the following morning, a man he’d never seen before stood studying the images sent by the Predator drone.

  “Ah, Ziryan,” Masoud said, still addressing Zach by his assumed Kurdish name. All the private operators would come and go from this facility without ever having divulged their real identities. “Good morning,” he continued. “Come. I’d like you to meet someone.”

  They walked over to the new guy. “Ziryan, this is Rossi,” Masoud said. “He’s joining our team.”

  Rossi stepped forward and extended his hand. “Good day, mate. I hear you’ve located four of our aid workers. That was some smashing good luck. We’ve been looking for them for two months. Now we’ve come to help you get everyone safely home. Me and six of my mates…all private operators like yourself. Former SAS.”

  “Welcome aboard.” Zach shook his hand. “We’ll need the help. We’re in the process of mapping out a rescue mission, so you’re just in time.”

  “Gentleman, grab some coffee and meet me in the conference room.” Masoud left the two standing by the coffee machine.

  “Did I hear the American girl who’s captured is your girlfriend?” Rossi asked.

  Zach nodded. “A journalist. They kidnapped her in Cannes.”

  “Sorry to hear that, mate. Must tear you up inside. Well, no worries. We’re here to help get her back.”

  Zach looked at Rossi and nodded again. He’d just met him, but he liked this guy. Liked how he exuded confidence. Sensed he’d be a good ally in this venture.

  “I appreciate the help,” Zach said. “It’s going to be a tricky mission to execute. Has Masoud briefed you on any of the particulars?”

  “A bit. Have to give those blokes credit. They picked a tough location to hide these women. They probably think we can’t penetrate their hideout. Getting in without being seen is going to be a challenge though.”

  Zach threw his coffee stir stick in the trash. “Roger that, but we’ll figure it out. Let’s go meet the rest of the team.”

  The two moved into the meeting room where Rossi’s team was already assembled and ready for a mission briefing. Up on the screen, footage was running of the cave area. It showed guards milling about, and two women coming out of one of the caves. “Freeze frame that,” Masoud said.

  The video feed stopped and a camera zoomed in on a frail looking woman, bent over, holding her side. She turned and the camera got a clear shot of her face.

  A small gasp escaped from Zach’s lips. “Arianna,” he whispered upon recognizing her. A muscle in his cheek began to twitch, and a scowl covered his face.

  Ton
y walked past and slapped him on the back. “She looks like hell, but at least we have visual confirmation she’s alive. Don’t let it get to you, buddy. Just focus on the mission.”

  “She’s injured. Something’s wrong. I can tell by how she’s holding herself. Make sure we have a medic on our team when we go in. We’re going to need it.” Zach signaled the man to cut the feed. “Let’s move on. What cave was that…one or two?”

  “Two,” the officer running the video replied.

  “How many women have you seen coming out of this cave?” Rossi asked.

  “Three, but we think one of the women is Amira Shahab, the bomber’s wife.”

  “So that means the other three British aid workers must be in the other cave.”

  “Check,” Zach said, “so my team will take cave two and your team can move in on cave one.”

  “Ah, well, not so fast,” Masoud said, flipping on a computer and calling everyone’s attention back to a screen in the front of the room. “Here’s what our surveillance cameras have revealed. It looks like the hostages are being moved from cave to cave in an area known locally as Spider Valley. So even though Arianna might be in cave two today, she might be in cave one or three tomorrow. There’s a whole network of caves in this area according to local informants. They try to avoid detection by shuffling the hostages around.”

  “Cheeky bastards,” Rossi said. “This is not going to make our work easy.”

  “Exactly,” Zach said. “Only thing in our favor is our ability to track their movement with our air assets. We need someone to keep track of when or if they move anyone.”

  “Roger that,” Masoud replied, “but the next big challenge is getting in there without being detected. Not an easy task. The terrain is highly mountainous and thick with forest at the lower level. There’s no place to set a chopper down. In order to maintain the element of surprise, you’re going to have to hike in. Making a quick exit isn’t going to be easy either.”