31. The Re
The Reunion
Nazim swerved through traffic like a madman; a maniac let loose too early from an insane asylum.
Nazim smacked the steering wheel in anger only to stop when he saw shadows or men around him as he drove.
He saw the police wherever he looked. The shadows from the trees fell upon the roadway like a blanket; it swallowed him whole.
“Check the bag,” Nazim said. “Quickly! Quickly!”
Changing lanes to reach the airport exit ramp.
Soon, the four men had arrived at the periphery of the airport just as traffic swelled.
Nazim moved the vehicle closer to the median and glanced down the lanes.
Several police cars had diverted traffic and reduced available lanes from four to one; and walking down the lane was one cop, peering into each vehicle.
“It’s here,” replied Ahmed. He showed the contents to Nazim. Inside was the hard drive. Undisturbed.
“Good. We’ve risked too much already,” Nazim said. “But it looks like we’re not in the clear. The police are looking for something up ahead.”
“Do you think they’re looking for us?” Omar said.
“Yes, but I don’t think they’ve identified us. Yet,” replied Nazim. He turned right and exited the freeway before turning onto a side street that ran parallel to the airport. “It’s only a matter of time before they learn our identities. We must return home before they do this.”
“But how, Nazim?” Ahmed said.
“This car. It’s a rental,” replied Nazim.
“We used fake identification.”
“Does not matter. The cameras have our faces. They will get a match. Omar and I are both wanted by Interpol. Ahmed served in the French Foreign Legion; they have his picture and fingerprints,” Nazim said.
“Technology,” replied Ahmed. “It’s everywhere.”
“There’s no escaping it,” Nazim said. He stopped the car on an empty street.
A row of apartments stood neatly packed to their right but ended before the street did.
A dead end street and three large trash bins marked the end of the road.
And to their left, a smaller canal, followed by a dirt road that circled the airport used for servicing and accessing external airport functions. “Grab everything; we will cross here.”
“Here?” Ahmed asked.
“There’s no time to waste. We must go,” Nazim said.
He exited the SUV and looked down the empty road and to his left.
There was no one around. The four men walked off the street and down the embankment.
It was steep. And the water was a putrid green, filled with algae, moss, and random trash that floated down from a nearby bin.
“Careful not to fall in. I’ll go first.”
Nazim took a step back, leaned forward, and sprinted down the embankment and towards the canal; running at full speed, he jumped over the canal and landed clear on the other side.
“Are you crazy? I can’t do this!” Ahmed said.
Omar went next. He sprinted past Ahmed at incredible speed and reached the other side.
“Come on, Ahmed,” Omar said.
“My knee is bad. You know this, Nazim. It’s why I left the Foreign Legion!” replied Ahmed. Salim went next. He almost didn’t make it past the canal, having jumped too early.
“You can! It’s a small jump, hurry!” replied Nazim.
Ahmed, unsure of himself, backed up several steps. He took a deep breath and rubbed his left knee.
“And don’t drop the bag!” Nazim said just as Ahmed picked up speed.
He squeezed it with all his strength deep into his chest and pushed forward.
Down the embankment he went, full speed, and right at the water’s edge, he pushed off with his good leg.
And over he went, landing just in front of Nazim.
But as he landed, his left foot slid on a wet, mossy slab, sending him back towards the water.
“Easy,” Nazim said, grabbing his shirt. He’d caught Ahmed just before he plunged into the canal.
“Thank you,” replied Ahmed, panting.
The group made way for the nearest fence.
There was no one around, save for the planes landing on the other side.
Nazim reached it first and huddled by a post. He could see the airport hangar where Amir and his men were waiting for him.
It was just across an internal road and several large antennas at the end of the airport.
Amir’s hangar was one of the farthest from the airport entrance.
“What now?” Omar said. He looked up to the top of the fence. “We climb?”
Nazim looked down the service road and the internal road. Then he looked at the hangars in the distance and the other buildings.
“There are cameras on the fence over there and on the buildings in the back. They’ll see us climbing the fence. We need to cut through it and move quickly!” Replied Nazim.
He reached into his back pocket and pulled out a small pair of wire cutters. Then, carefully, Nazim went to work on the fence, cutting the links in a vertical stride, severing several links horizontally, and pulled the fence inward towards the cuts, making a small opening in the fence.
“Go!” Nazim said as he held it open. The other three quickly slipped through to the other side.
A vibrating hum from the engines as planes came and went rattled the fence.
Omar slipped his fingers through the fence and held the flap open, helping Nazim through.
The four men bolted towards the hangar, only stopping behind the radar array boxes when an airport worker approached in a cart hauling suitcases.
Nazim led the men to the front of the hangar but stopped dead in his tracks when he noticed four black vehicles turn a corner and drive straight for him.
He grimaced and squeezed the aluminum siding of the hangar when he realized the first car in the convoy was an armored truck with armed men hanging off its sides.
“Those men are heading this way. We must warn Amir,” Nazim said. He ran to the rear of the hangar, where the fire exit was located.
“They don’t look like police?” Omar said.
“Government enforcers, like back home, they work for the central body. Not locally,” replied Nazim.
The four men reached the door and banged on it three times. Nothing. No one opened the door, and not a sound could be heard inside.
“Did they leave?” Ahmed said, still clutching the package. At that moment, the door cracked slightly, and from the darkness emerged a rifle barrel aimed right at him. “Wait! Don’t shoot, it’s me, Ahmed!”
The door swung open, and on the other end, the man lowered the rifle.
“We have it!” Nazim said, rushing inside the hangar. The other three followed him.
“Good! Good,” Amir said. Nazim nudged Ahmed to hand it over to him. He complied.
Amir carefully unzipped the bag and peeked inside. Then a wide, almost jackal-like smile took over. Amir shook his head, impressed by Nazim’s feat. A feeling of elation came over Nazim at that moment, but it quickly soured for he knew the danger that lay just outside.
“Amir, I need to warn you,” Nazim said.
“Warn me?” Amir said with a chuckle.
“Yes! We had to cut through the fence because the airport entrance was closed. And —.”
“I’m aware, Nazim. They’ve closed down the airport to prevent anyone from leaving. I believe this was your doing?” Amir said. Nazim looked away with great concern.
“They are coming for us. And for that package, Amir. The cars were approaching when we knocked on the door. There’s not much time,” Omar said.
“Hmm? Is that so?” Amir said. He looked at his men and signaled to hide the weapons. Then came a knock that froze them all in place.
“Search warrant! Open the door,” a voice said through a loudspeaker. It echoed into the hangar from the outside and sent the men into a flurry as they raced to hide any weapons in sight.