King of All I Survey
Chapter 105: The Extraction

Chapter 105: The Extraction

We put together another package of bonds based on future income from previously unreleased Earth products to pay for the android licensing fees. I asked Joe to look into using robots based on Earth tech as bodies to save credits, but there was nothing that could even come close to what we needed. In the end, I ordered him to build 47 more unique android bodies, including one each that was a direct copy of Mom and Dad. That way they could work directly in dangerous situations without risk of real injury. If the android was killed or destroyed, the sensory feed would just cut out, and the real person, safe in the Headquarters Treehouse would start receiving input through its own senses again.

I also had Joe make an android copy of Rafael Camal de Leon, but I asked him to stash it in a secure storage space in the Blue Island facility without telling Mom or Dad that I had made it. It was a contingency plan, if things fell apart with the real Rafael, we could use it to create some plausible exit scenario to make his departure from the Guatemalan public eye less suspicious.

By the time I had finished these arrangements, it was nearing time to extract Jorge Maldonado and his companions from El Modelo Prison. Joe transferred the sensory links from Dad and myself to the two android bodies we had tested out earlier. He used another for his own presence. We all changed into the crisp black suits that Joe had fabricated for the event. We used a LITV to drop us into a back room of the Food First Warehouse. Since we had never used the actual sim room we had set up for a therapy office in Guatemala City, we transferred the equipment to the warehouse and put some partition walls around it with a door. It wasn’t big enough for all of the prisoners at once, so we decided just to deposit them in the main warehouse and just refuse to explain our methods any further. Not the best plan, but it was short notice.

We stepped out of the room into the main warehouse area to find the ten paramilitaries we had ordered to attend as guards already there, standing together in a group discussing the situation. Because Joe had thoroughly vetted their personality profiles before we brought them fully on board as paramilitary trainees, we trusted them to keep our secrets and follow orders. We also paid them very well. They had all been briefed by Joe on the evening’s mission. They were to stand guard and prevent any violence or escape attempts, without causing serious injury. We would likely need extended guard duty for some or all of the people we were bringing in until we figured out how to handle the situation. Once they were here, we would take Maldonado back into the simulation room we had just exited and try to confirm our suspicions that he had been purposely removed after reporting what he saw as fellow agents turning away from loyalty to the CIA.

Since the LITV extractions would be silent and motionless, we hoped the guards at either end of the cave jail cell would never notice anything was happening at all. If all went well, their captors wouldn’t know they were missing until the next morning when the prisoners failed to get up from their bunks and they discovered they were all gone. Someone in the prison would be very angry and, if our suspicions were correct, some people in the CIA would also be very angry and very concerned.

As the time approached, our men arrayed themselves in a wide circle. We would bring the prisoners into the center to better corral them. Joe, Dad and I stood together at one end of the circle.

"The first two will arrive in ten seconds with two more every 30 seconds after that," Joe announced.

Our paramilitaries were suddenly very focused and ready, though still relaxed.

Joe counted down, "Three, two, one..."

A second later, two men appeared out of thin air, lying on the floor. They looked up startled then jumped to their feet.

I stepped forward to catch their attention. "You’re among friends, we’ve taken you out of the prison to Guatemala. You’re safe here. Wait while we bring the rest of your group here. We can only do two at a time."

They turned to face me as I started speaking to them in Spanish. Neither said anything, they had shocked and scared looks on their faces, but also a look which suggested they were ready for a fight.

A few seconds later two more men appeared on the ground. Like the others, they jumped to their feet in alarm. I repeated my speech.

Seven more times, the process was repeated. The earliest arrivals now seemed content to wait until their entire crew was here. Their acceptance helped calm the others as they arrived. They still stood at the ready, exchanging glances as the numbers shifted to their favor. Of course, they had no way to know how well-trained our paramilitaries were in hand-to-hand combat, or that they all wore shield rings.

Then it was time to bring the last two, including our real target Jorge Maldonado, AKA Angel Diaz.

Just as before, the two men appeared on the ground. They jumped up, just as surprised to suddenly appear somewhere else as the others had been. Some of the eighteen who were already here began to cheer, others applauded at all twenty of them being liberated, slapping the last two men on the back as they realized the same.

"That’s everybody," I said, "Now, I have a few questions about why you were being held inside a jail cell by other inmates in a prison. I’d like to talk in private with each of you if I may. How about I start with..." I made a show of looking them over, before I nodded at Maldonado/ Diaz, "you. Let’s step into the office and have a comfortable seat while we chat."

Maldonado shrugged as if it made no difference to him and stepped forward, "Yeah, sure. How about getting some food for these guys in the meantime. They weren’t exactly feeding us gourmet meals in the cave."

I looked at Joe’s android form, "Think you can find something for them?"

"I think so."

Maldonado nodded and walked toward me. I turned and headed for the simulation room we had exited a few minutes before.

Inside, it looked like a well-appointed office. I took a seat behind the desk and picked up a pen and pulled a pad of paper toward me as if to take notes.

"Are you ok? Do you need medical care?" I asked, a look of concern on my face.

"I’m all right."

"Good. First, I know your real name is Jorge Maldonado. I know you’re working undercover for the CIA to infiltrate the cartel. I know that you sent a report back to Washington advising that you suspected two other CIA infiltrators of actively working for the cartel and betraying United States interests. I know you sent evidence of that fact. Shortly thereafter, your cartel was targeted by a Colombian government raid. Did you know they had orders to kill you during the operation, but somehow messed up that detail?"

"Who are you?" Maldonado asked, shaking his head.

"I am with a private organization that just destroyed all the other cartels in Colombia, Chiappas, and Guatemala. We have eliminated their allies from all positions of governmental authority in Guatemala, including the police and military. It is our belief that you were correct in your assessment of the two agents as crooked. We believe, however, there is more to the story. We think they were reporting to higher ups in the CIA who are also in league with the cartels for whatever reason. When at least one of those people saw your report, he not only buried it, but did everything he could to bury you. I suspect that someone on the outside ordered the Venezuelan to round up everyone from the organization in which you had been working undercover. Perhaps to try dispose of you permanently once they had a positive ID."

"Or," Maldonado countered, "you’re making up stories and fishing for information. Information that I don’t have since I have never worked for the CIA."

"Of course," I said as I pulled out a sheet from a folder I had prepared. "This is a copy of your report on the two bad apples." I slid it across the table to him. "You don’t have to confirm anything. I know what I know. What I do want, is to give you the opportunity to contact people you know to be honest in Washington or where ever, and tell them everything. I will give you additional information to pass along supporting your initial claim and linking specific higher ups. I will also provide evidence that they ordered a hit on the President of Guatemala and his chief political rival in order to sow chaos and make it easier to revive the drug smuggling operations. I suspect they derive a significant portion of their off the books funding for clandestine projects from their share of that trade."

"I can’t have them taking down the government I just spent so much time and effort cleaning up. I can put you in touch with another CIA agent currently working at the US Embassy in Guatemala. In fact, I can deliver you to the embassy, with the documents I mentioned. I’ll let you read them and think about it. Do what you want after that. While you’re in Guatemala, I can guarantee your personal safety from whomever may come after you. If you go back to the United States... you’ll be on your own. We can see you safely to the border, but we’re not operating in the US. Any questions?"

"Just one," Maldonado said, shaking his head again, "how the fuck did you pull us out of that shit hole prison and bring us... wherever we are?"