CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN

Alec, Noa, Lucia, Clay, Ethan, Rory, Max, Titus, Eli, Skull, Nine, and Zulu pushed along the jungle path on the small island. It was clear that there were people on the island, as the path had been worn and used.

Reaching a small clearing with a freshwater source, they stopped and looked around. The waterfall's edge was peaceful and beautiful, and any other time would have been magical.

"Where are they?" whispered Clay.

"There," said Lucia. "Behind the falls. There's a cave."

"I don't want to scare them," said Nine.

"I'll do it," said Lucia, slowly getting closer. Small, petite, and a female, she probably was the right choice to not instill fear in the men. "Hello? Is anyone in there? We're not here to hurt you. My name is Lucia, and these are my friends. We're here to take you all home. Please, if you can, come on out."

They stood still, lowering their weapons, just waiting. They didn't have the weapons because of the prisoners, but instead because they worried Kaplan's men had beat them to the islands.

"I'm going to go in," said Max.

"No, wait," said Lucia, pulling back on his arm. "Wait."

Max narrowed his gaze at the darkened entrance and saw what Lucia was seeing. A slight shimmer of movement behind the water, then three men walking out. Two men were actually walking, the third supported between them with only one leg.

"We won't harm you," she said softly. "These are good men. They're all former military and now run a security agency. Are there more in the cave?"

"Yes," nodded one of the men, practically falling forward.

Alec and Max rushed forward, lifting two men, the other still walking beside them. They lay them next to the water source, noticing that these men had shaved heads. Having heard on comms what the others saw they were surprised.

"Your heads are shaved," frowned Clay.

"Couldn't stand it," said one of the men. "Of all the things we almost went crazy over, the hair was number one. We sharpened rocks to make blades. Hurt like hell, but it worked."

Lucia watched as Ethan, Rory, Titus, Skull, and Zulu walked out with two men each. That made thirteen men on their island.

"Is this all?" asked Nine.

"All that's alive," said one of the men. "We haven't had any delivery of food in months. We were relying on fish and any fruit on the island. After a while, it just wasn't enough, and we weren't strong enough to haul in the fish. We had almost fifty at one point."

"Fifty?" frowned Eli.

"Yes, sir. We're the last of them. Americans, Japanese, Germans, and Aussies. We're it. All this, all this death and torture because we saw Kaplan and his brother doing shit they shouldn't."

"The girls?" asked Ethan.

"A few of us saw what they were doing to the girls. A few others saw them working with some Russian and Chinese boys, selling them information. Talk about wrong place, wrong time," he said, shaking his head.

"Lawrence Kaplan is dead, and Levi will be soon," said Nine.

"I'm glad to hear that," said the amputee. "He cut off my leg because I tried to swim out of here. Built ourselves a little raft, and it would have made it. He got to me, cut my leg off, and left me to die. I owe my life to these men."

"Trust me," smiled Clay, lifting his pant leg, "you're going to live a long time with a really great life ahead of you."

"What the hell is that?" mused the man. Clay only laughed, walking closer so he could touch the prosthetic.

"Part of our team is a group of the most amazing inventors and engineers you've ever seen. We're going to be flying on a chopper, unlike anything you've ever seen before. They developed this leg for me. I'm faster than almost all of these men, stronger with the leg, jump higher. It's remarkable."

"You guys aren't real, are you?" asked one of the men.

"We're real. I promise you. We're real," said Nine.

"Nine? We got a storm coming this way. We need to get the hell out of here," said Autumn.

"Who is that?"

"Our pilot," smiled Eli.

"A girl is your pilot. That's amazing," smiled one of the men. "I mean, they were letting women in when I was in, but not pilots."

"Brother, she's one of the best, and we have several women who are pilots. We trust them with our lives. If that lady says we have to go, we have to go," said Ethan.

They carefully boarded the men, and once clear of the island and a safe distance from the storm, they allowed each man to shower and gave them clean clothing. Noah, Alec, and Eli slowly gave them water, then electrolyte replacement, finally able to give them small bites of food.

"Will they all make it?" Nine asked Eli.

"They should, but two of them are a fucking mess. I can't tell how old any of them are, Nine. Some might be from post-Vietnam era. Others are within the last twenty years. But that one? I think he's much older." Nine walked back to the man Eli pointed to, kneeling beside him.

"How are you, brother?" asked Nine.

"Better now," he said in a clipped accent.

"Where are you from?" he smiled.

"Germany. I was working with the U.S. team of engineers to build a bridge in the Philippines. I saw Kaplan in a bar, handing off an envelope of cash to someone I knew."

"Someone you knew? Another German?" asked Nine.

"A very old German. A man who was part of the SS in Nazi Germany."

"Shit," muttered Nine.

"I had no idea why he was paying him, but I knew it could not be good. I reported him to the local authorities and, well, you know what happened next," he said with a sad smile.

"I can guarantee that the German is dead," said Nine. "We'll get you home to your family once we have you healthy enough to make the trip."

"My family, I fear, is long dead," said the old man. "Just allow me to live my life in peace somewhere. Perhaps a mountain in your Colorado or Montana. I hear it is beautiful. That man, over there, he is from Montana."

"They are beautiful states," said Nine. "We'll do everything we can to help you."

The old man closed his eyes, dozing off to sleep. As Nine stood, he moved from one man to the next, taking the time to speak with each one, ask about their homes, their families left behind. Anything that would engage them and give them hope that they were finally headed home where they belonged. He just wanted to ensure them all that they were safe and they mattered. They all mattered.

He took his seat, resting his head in his hands as he took in deep, calming breaths. Someone stuck a cup of coffee in front of him, and he gratefully accepted.

"What now?" asked Alec.

"We get these men home and kill Kaplan."