CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
By the time Dalton, Ben, Adam, Kiel and Joseph arrived on the island, it was after midnight. Anxiously awaiting their arrival, Leonidas and Nico sat outside their homes, slowly sipping Ouzo.
When the armed guards walked by, they barely gave the men a glance.
They viewed them as passive, pacifists, not willing to fight for their own land.
It had been easy to take over this island.
Easy to destroy their leaders credibility.
These people were farmers, craftsmen too stupid to live in a modern world.
They had no cell phones, no satellite dishes, nothing that could help them to get help. They didn’t even have law enforcement on the island. It had been like taking candy from a baby.
As the two men disappeared around the bend, five more were suddenly in their place, staring at the two men. Nico stood quickly, Leonidas right behind him. They stared up at the huge men.
“You, you are friends of Marguerites?” asked Nico.
“Yes. We are the Americans who have come to help,” said Joseph. The two men nodded.
“Come. Come quickly and we’ll show you where to put your things.”
Once they had their gear stored, they notified the others that they were on the island. Wrapping themselves in the stealth suits, they met the others near the cliff edge.
“Thanks for coming,” said Bodhi. “We’ve got ourselves quite a fucking mess here.”
“Does he really think he’s going to be able to point weapons at Syria or Türkiye and no one will notice?” asked Ben.
“I’m not sure what this asshole is thinking. Frank thinks he may be prepping to house something on the island that he doesn’t want others to see. Maybe a nuke, maybe a factory of some sort. Whatever it is, he’s holding these poor people hostage.”
“Then at some point we have to get them off the island,” said Adam.
“We know that but there are only three people who know about us. We’re still not sure if they have any help here,” said Ian. “Okay. Ready to try the new ropes?”
“Ready as I’ll ever be,” said Kiel. “Aren’t we a little old for rope climbing?”
“Why the fuck do you think we train on this shit?” said Devin.
In teams of two, they repelled over the edge of the cliff and entered the massive hole in the side of the island. Enormous trucks were hauling loose rock and gravel to the edge, dumping it into the sea. Whether it was intentional or not, they were adding acreage to the tiny island.
The men walked silently toward the back, careful to step out of the way of the workers. It was a massive operation requiring dozens of workers around the clock.
Kiel silently knelt down, pocketing some of the rock. They would test them just to be sure there was nothing in the soil or rock that was valuable enough to hijack an entire island.
Adam touched his brother’s arm, pointing toward a man leaning over a large table.
Petros Andriopoulos.
“How much longer?” he asked the man beside him in the hardhat.
“A few weeks. It’s slow going. If we do too much at once the mainland will come. We’re already creating small seismic bursts. We can’t have people coming out here looking.”
“A few weeks,” he mumbled. “It’s too long. I can’t wait a few weeks. I need this operational sooner.”
“Sir, I’ll do my best but I’m not sure we can do this safely. Maybe, maybe we move the islanders to the ship.”
“No. No, absolutely not. They cannot see what’s on that ship, even if by accident. They will remain here.” Petros started to walk away, then turned to the man. “Get it done or I’ll find someone who can.”
Clearly frustrated, the man walked toward the workers, explaining what Petros had said. They all shook their heads, mumbling about it not being possible. When Joseph and Kiel stood over the plans on the table, they hoped to see something that would help them.
Instead, it was simply a plan of blasting a hole the right size into the side of the cliff face.
Hugging the wall of the cave, they inched their way back toward the ropes and pulled themselves up. After retracting the ropes and slowly making their way toward the other side of the island, they finally felt they were in a good place to send a message back home.
There wasn’t much to say. They were blasting a hole but they had yet to figure out why.
Arriving at the homes of Nico and Leonidas, the two men were anxious to see them.
“You’re safe. You disappeared and we didn’t know what happened to you.”
“Don’t worry, Nico, we’ll be just fine. Thank you for worrying though. It’s nice to know someone is worried.”
“We’re all worried,” said Leonidas. “I think we should tell the others. When you feel comfortable. No one here wants this and we fear that we’re being held as hostages.”
“I’m afraid that’s exactly what you are. For now,” said Ben. “Tomorrow night we’re going to see what’s on that ship out there. Once we know that, we may be able to make some sense of this. Until then, get some rest.”
“There is food and water in the cellar. It will keep it cool and fresh for you. Help yourselves,” said Nico.
“We’ll be sure to replenish whatever we eat,” said Dalton. “Thank you for your hospitality.”
Nico and Leonidas nodded, leaving the men to their rest. Dalton, Ben, and Adam stayed with Nico, while Kiel and Joseph went with Leonidas. Before they parted, Adam turned to the others.
“Get some rest. I have a feeling tomorrow night is going to be a long one.”