They’ve got a numbers advantage, but we’ve got night vision. If we take out the generator that provides electricity just before we go in, it’ll be pitch black inside there. That makes it almost a level playing field.’
‘I’m thinking the longer we wait the more chance there is we’ll find Mwanga dead,’ put in Tug.
‘I don’t think so,’ disagreed Mitch. ‘Mwanga’s their pay cheque. OK, one side wants him dead, but it’s looking like someone equally rich wants him alive. Justis Ngola will want to keep Mwanga alive until the money arrives.’
‘Makes sense to me,’ said Nelson. ‘So, the plan is we split up again and do a full recce. See what intel we can get. Then, tonight, we take out the generator and go in. Right now, three teams of two spread out to watch the place. Me with Tug, Benny with Two Moons, Gaz with Mitch. Stay in radio contact, but keep it to a minimum. Let’s not alert the opposition. OK?’
11
The first thing Mitch and Gaz did when they reached their observation point was make a hide for themselves. They chose a spot just inside the jungle, but with a clear view of the hotel through the trees and bushes.
They found a dip in the jungle floor and dug and scraped away at it until they had created a shallow trench, large enough for the two of them to lie down. Then they covered it with branches to make a roof, and overlaid that with big leaves and brush. They knew that the other two teams would be doing the same at their vantage points, covering the bandits’ HQ from three positions, which would give them an overall view of the whole place.
As Mitch and Gaz settled down under their hide,Mitch reflected that during his time in Special Forces he’d spent more time carrying out observation than he had in actual combat. Gathering intelligence was what kept him alive. You had to know where the enemy was, and how many you were up against. What weapons did they have? If they were in a building, was the building booby-trapped? Which were the fastest ways in and out of it?
If the mission was to rescue hostages, you had to know where the hostages were being kept. Were they together or separate? How many guards were with them? Were they inexperienced and trigger-happy, or more cautious?
‘What’s the longest observation you’ve done, Gaz?’ asked Mitch.
Gaz thought about it. ‘Three weeks,’ he said. ‘Sitting in a hole in the desert watching a border and waiting for some terrorists to come over.’
‘Did they come?’
Gaz nodded. ‘Problem was they came over the day after we were pulled out.’
‘So your position had been betrayed?’
Again, Gaz nodded. ‘That’s the way it looked to me afterwards. It’s often struck me that it’s a crazy situation: the enemy tries to kill you, and the people on your side betray you. You and me and the others have got to be mad to be doing this.’
‘Of course we are,’ agreed Mitch. ‘That’s why we like doing it.’
Gaz laughed. ‘True,’ he agreed. Then suddenly something at the hotel caught his eye. He lifted his binoculars and looked hard at the building.
‘What have you seen?’ asked Mitch.
‘One of the downstairs windows,’ said Gaz. ‘The corner of the sheet of iron has come loose. I didn’t notice it before, but then I saw the shadow. It’s bigger in that one corner than at the other corners.’
Mitch scanned the window through his own binoculars.
‘I think you’re right,’ he said.
‘If I am, then an observations gizmo wouldserve us well. A camera would be good, but even a microphone should be able to pick things up.’
Mitch studied the side of the building. ‘Getting there to put it in place could be a problem,’ he said. ‘There are ten armed men between us and the hotel building, remember?’
‘There’s enough cover,’ said Gaz. ‘Bushes, vehicles, outbuildings. I’ve done this with less cover and more guards around. Like you said, these guys aren’t professionals. They’re sloppy,
‘I’m thinking the longer we wait the more chance there is we’ll find Mwanga dead,’ put in Tug.
‘I don’t think so,’ disagreed Mitch. ‘Mwanga’s their pay cheque. OK, one side wants him dead, but it’s looking like someone equally rich wants him alive. Justis Ngola will want to keep Mwanga alive until the money arrives.’
‘Makes sense to me,’ said Nelson. ‘So, the plan is we split up again and do a full recce. See what intel we can get. Then, tonight, we take out the generator and go in. Right now, three teams of two spread out to watch the place. Me with Tug, Benny with Two Moons, Gaz with Mitch. Stay in radio contact, but keep it to a minimum. Let’s not alert the opposition. OK?’
11
The first thing Mitch and Gaz did when they reached their observation point was make a hide for themselves. They chose a spot just inside the jungle, but with a clear view of the hotel through the trees and bushes.
They found a dip in the jungle floor and dug and scraped away at it until they had created a shallow trench, large enough for the two of them to lie down. Then they covered it with branches to make a roof, and overlaid that with big leaves and brush. They knew that the other two teams would be doing the same at their vantage points, covering the bandits’ HQ from three positions, which would give them an overall view of the whole place.
As Mitch and Gaz settled down under their hide,Mitch reflected that during his time in Special Forces he’d spent more time carrying out observation than he had in actual combat. Gathering intelligence was what kept him alive. You had to know where the enemy was, and how many you were up against. What weapons did they have? If they were in a building, was the building booby-trapped? Which were the fastest ways in and out of it?
If the mission was to rescue hostages, you had to know where the hostages were being kept. Were they together or separate? How many guards were with them? Were they inexperienced and trigger-happy, or more cautious?
‘What’s the longest observation you’ve done, Gaz?’ asked Mitch.
Gaz thought about it. ‘Three weeks,’ he said. ‘Sitting in a hole in the desert watching a border and waiting for some terrorists to come over.’
‘Did they come?’
Gaz nodded. ‘Problem was they came over the day after we were pulled out.’
‘So your position had been betrayed?’
Again, Gaz nodded. ‘That’s the way it looked to me afterwards. It’s often struck me that it’s a crazy situation: the enemy tries to kill you, and the people on your side betray you. You and me and the others have got to be mad to be doing this.’
‘Of course we are,’ agreed Mitch. ‘That’s why we like doing it.’
Gaz laughed. ‘True,’ he agreed. Then suddenly something at the hotel caught his eye. He lifted his binoculars and looked hard at the building.
‘What have you seen?’ asked Mitch.
‘One of the downstairs windows,’ said Gaz. ‘The corner of the sheet of iron has come loose. I didn’t notice it before, but then I saw the shadow. It’s bigger in that one corner than at the other corners.’
Mitch scanned the window through his own binoculars.
‘I think you’re right,’ he said.
‘If I am, then an observations gizmo wouldserve us well. A camera would be good, but even a microphone should be able to pick things up.’
Mitch studied the side of the building. ‘Getting there to put it in place could be a problem,’ he said. ‘There are ten armed men between us and the hotel building, remember?’
‘There’s enough cover,’ said Gaz. ‘Bushes, vehicles, outbuildings. I’ve done this with less cover and more guards around. Like you said, these guys aren’t professionals. They’re sloppy,
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