Death Diamonds of Bermudez (9 page)

Storm and the Spinners kept digging. After another couple of minutes Storm said, “You two step back. I’m going to hit this spot as hard as I can. He lifted the shovel as high as he could, bringing it straight down. The impact of the shovel was so great it broke through the dirt and dropped completely out of sight. Storm, Keno, and Graham stood there as if the shovel had magically disappeared.

Meanwhile Savage was back at the stone wall shining the light of his flashlight on the bushes where he had heard the stick snap. He still couldn’t see anything, but he spoke up saying, “Whoever is in those bushes better come out now before I start shooting.” He clicked back the hammer of the pistol, but before he could do anything else he heard the sound of gunfire coming at him from all directions. Savage yelled out, “Oh bloody hell.” He managed to fire off a couple of rounds, but quickly decided it was a good time to get the hell back to the pit before he got shot up. Savage ran back to the pit and jumped in yelling, “Look out below.” As he landed in the bottom of the pit the earth gave way, and he was out of sight as quickly as the shovel had been.

By now Storm and the boys had heard the bullets ripping through the air just above their heads. Storm looked at the boys and yelled, “We’ve got no weapons. The only way out of here is through that hole, and I suggest we move fast.” Graham jumped first with Keno not far behind. Storm gave Keno a few seconds to clear the hole, and then he was quick to follow.

Lynch and his men were systematically closing in from three sides on the plot site. The South Africans were extremely well-trained in the art of warfare. Storm and Savage were no match for these men. Fortunately for them they were no longer in the pit. As they closed in on the pit one of Lynch’s men signaled that he was about to throw a grenade into it. Lynch signaled back for the man to stand down. They now crept up to the edge of the pit only to find it empty. Lynch called Van Eck on the cell phone saying, “The four escaped through a tunnel in the bottom of the pit. Do you want us to pursue?”

Van Eck replied, “Wait for us. Just make sure you keep them in the tunnel, and don’t let them out.”

Lynch replied, “Roger that, sir.” The three men maintained their positions waiting for Van Eck to arrive. In the meantime no one was going to leave the pit, at least not alive.

Every Which Way But Up

It was pitch black as
Storm, Savage, Keno, and Graham picked themselves up off the damp tunnel floor. Savage flipped his light on first using it to check that the others were alright. Keno started to say something, but Storm signaled him to stay quiet. Storm whispered, “Be quiet. Our friends may still be looking for us, and frankly they may join us shortly.”

After shin
ing his flashlight down the tunnel in the other direction Savage added, ”I think our only choice is to follow this tunnel even though it’s sloping downward.”

As Savage’s light shown down on the tunnel floor Keno spoke up, “Man, look at those footprints.”

Storm looked down and said, “These prints are fairly fresh, maybe a day or two old. I wonder who’s been down here?”

Keno replied, “That’s easy. I
t’s my best friend, Portagee, and I bet the two other sets of prints are Sam’s and Michael’s.”

Savage spoke up, “Well, now we know they weren’t kidnapped. They must have escaped through the tunnel just like we did. Only now we’re all going to have company. We better get the hell out of here. The South Africans will probably be following us soon.”

Storm said, “Savage, you take the lead with the flashlight, and I’ll bring up the rear.”

Savage snapped back, “Where in the bloody hell have I heard that before?” He then said, “Catch.” Throwing Storm’s pistol back to him saying, “You might need it more back here.”

Storm said, “Thanks.” He tucked the pistol under his belt. He picked up the shovel and started trying to obscure most of the tracks that had been made. Storm thought this was probably futile, but maybe it might buy them some time. Both Storm and Savage knew that the South Africans with their paramilitary background were probably excellent trackers. They knew they would not lose them, but maybe they could mislead them or at least slow them down. After walking along down the tunnel, Storm yelled to the others, “You guys keep going and I’m going to wait and give theses thugs something to think about. Don’t worry I’ll catch up.”

Savage turned back to look at Storm and said, “You sure about that, mate?”

Storm replied, “Yeah, I’m sure. Now get moving.” Savage, Keno and Graham slowly made their way down the tunnel and out of Storm’s sight.

Meanwhile back above ground one of Lynch’s men was getting impatient. He yelled out, “Let me go down there and see what happened to them. They may be dead or could be getting away.”

Lynch snapped back, “Sit your ass down before I shove your head into that hole. When Van Eck arrives we’ll get our orders.” It didn’t take long before Van Eck and twelve more South Africans arrived at the Boer cemetery. Lynch was first to speak, “It’s been an hour since they vanished down that tunnel.”

Van Eck said, “Well, men, it’s time we got moving and I mean all of us. I have a feeling that the Death Diamonds are somewhere down in that tunnel waiting for us. He pointed to two of his men and said, “You two go first. Give us the all clear signal, and we’ll be right behind you.”

One after another the two thugs dropped into the tunnel. Each one stood up flashing their lights around. They saw nothing. One of them yelled back up to the others, “All clear, sir.”

To their surprise they heard a distant voice saying, “Are you sure? The ghosts of the Boers have been disturbed.”

The two South Africans appeared confused. They both fired their pistols through the dark in the direction of the voice. Storm was almost hit by their fire and began firing back. Storm was lucky he could see their body outlines from the moonlight above them. Storm was an excellent marksman. With a few shots he had shot and killed both South Africans.

Back above ground Van Eck and Lynch heard nothing after the shooting stopped. Van Eck was pissed. He had just lost two good men. He turned to Lynch and said, “I hope that tunnel can withstand a concussion grenade because I want that bastard who fired on us dead.” Van Eck yelled, “Do it!”

Lynch yanked out the grenade from his vest and pulled the pin. Then he yelled out, “Fire in the hole.” As he tossed the grenade into the tunnel the South Africans all hit the dirt to avoid any debris that might backfire out of the tunnel.

Storm looked up after hearing something hit the tunnel floor and begin rolling down towards him. Storm sat there for a few seconds trying to think what the hell that was. Then it struck him like a lightning bolt. He yelled out, “Grenade!” But it was too late. After running just a few feet the grenade exploded sending Storm through the air head over heels.

In the meantime Savage heard the explosion. He looked at the boys saying, “Keep moving, and don’t wait on me. Go find your friends, and we’ll find you.” Keno and Graham took off on down the tunnel as fast as they could. Savage went running `in the direction of Storm. After about one hundred yards he tripped over Storm’s lifeless body.

Savage started shaking him and yelling, “Come on, mate. Your bloody head’s still attached. You must be alive. These goons are going to be on top of us soon if we don’t get moving.” At this point Savage didn’t even know if Storm was alive. He finally grabbed his wrist and could feel a strong pulse. As best as Savage could tell, Storm must have been knocked out cold from the explosion. With the exception of a few scratches and grenade fragments stuck in his flack jacket, he must be alright. Savage reached down grabbing Storm by the arms and hoisted him over his shoulder. As he staggered down the tunnel all he could think of was, “Boy, I am too old for this.” He just kept hoping Storm would wake up. Finally, after what seemed an eternity, Storm started moaning. Savage stopped and set him down.

Storm opened his eyes and said, “What the hell happened? Did a freight train come roaring down that tunnel?”

Savage laughed saying
, “You bloody idiot, a concussion grenade bit your ass. Are you alright?”

Storm stood up checking himself over and with an upset look on his face said, “Yeah, I’m alright, but I must have lost my damn pistol back there in the explosion.”

Savage replied, “Not to worry
, mate, I’ve still got my night stick.”

Storm snapped back, “Oh, that’s a load off my mind. A nightstick is a good counter defense for grenades, pistols, and automatic weapons.”

Savage added, “All right
, all right, mate. Let’s get our butts out of here before those paramilitary goons are on top of us.” Storm and Savage made their way down the tunnel as fast as they could, trying to catch up with Keno and Graham.

Back on the surface the smoke had finally cleared
enough so that Van Eck and Lynch could see into the tunnel again. Van Eck yelled, “Get someone down into that hole and make sure the coast is clear.”

Lynch replied, “Roger that, boss.” He turned to one of the men and said, “It’s your number, mate. Get your butt through that opening and signal to me that all is clear.” The man accepted the order and slid down the side of the pit until he dropped out of sight through the black hole. After a few minutes he signaled back through the tunnel opening that the site was clear.

Lynch turned to Van Eck and said, “All clear, boss.”

Van Eck replied, “Good, let’s get this mission over. The sooner we’re done
, the sooner
Volkstaat becomes a reality.” One after another each man slid down through the tunnel opening and dropped out of sight. Van Eck yelled down to Lynch, “I’ve changed my mind. You don’t need me down there. Keep me posted, Lynch, with the hi-frequency GPS communicator.” This communicator would work anywhere. Nothing could block its transmission. Van Eck and one of his men walked away from the pit making their way back to their boat. On the way back Van Eck detoured to the east side of the island. He was looking for the patrol boat Storm and Savage had used. Finally after about twenty minutes they found the hidden cove. Van Eck turned to his man and said, “Go down there, and cut that boat loose.” His goon did as he was told. As he shoved the boat out into the sound Van Eck pulled a grenade from his pocket. He pulled the pin and flipped the grenade into the boat. The grenade exploded almost as soon as it landed in the patrol boat. The explosion must have blown a three foot hole in the bottom of the boat. The burning boat sank into the sound within minutes.

Van Eck laughed as he turned away from the sinking boat and said, “By the time our mission is completed no one will have a clue what happened.” He laughed again and walked back
to the other side of the small island where his boat was docked.

The Chase is on

Graham and Keno were still navigating their way down the long narrow tunnel as best as they could. The dangerous rocky jagged terrain made the going slow. Finally, they stopped to take a brief rest and between the huffing and puffing Keno said, “Doesn’t that sound like something following us?”

Graham listened for awhile and responded, “It sounds more like someone chasing us. We’d better get our butts moving.”

Keno quickly asked, “Are you sure it’s not Inspector Savage and Agent Storm?”

As Graham signaled Keno to follow him he replied, “Maybe so, but we need to find some cover to hide behind first just to make sure.” The two kept moving knowing that someone behind them was quickly closing the gap on them.

Many miles ahead of Graham and Keno their fellow Spinners, Sam, Michael, and Portagee were still trying to find a way out of the cavern. Although water was not a problem they were all getting very hungry. Michael spoke first and said, “You guys better look out, I’m so hungry that if I see something moving, get out of my way because I’m going to eat it.

Sam replied, “You better think about that. What if you see a spider or cockroach next?”

Portagee interrupted them by saying, “Forget the cockroachs. Look here; it’s a bunch of mushrooms growing.”

Michael asked, “How can you tell the difference between a mushroom and a poisonous toadstool?”

Portagee quipped in saying, “Oh, that’s easy, Michael. You’ll take a bite out of one, and we’ll all wait thirty minutes. Then if you don’t get sick or die, we’ll know they’re fine to eat.”