With the shouting and crashing through the forest behind us, we decided to to do the safest thing and evade and double time our movements, adrenaline pumping through us as we knew we needed to move and it was going to be a hard two miles.

Rivera throwing caution to the wind paused and tried listening to the shouting to try and make sense of the language. He ran quickly catching up with me.

"It sounds Arabic, it might be one of the refugees we saw yesterday." He huffed out still keeping pace.

"Do you speak Arabic? Cause I don't and I'm not willing to bet any ones life that it is a refugee and that he's not being chased by those drug dealers back there. IF we stop and check it out, we'd be putting all your lives at risk." I said huffing to the the final rise of the slope when something dawned on me.

I handed my cameras memory card to Rivera and kept the USB copy I had of it. I checked my magazines as were running to the top of the last incline. Once there I have Hawthorne hand me the 12 gauge and some slugs.

"Get to the rendezvous, I won't risk your lives, but I can risk mine. Give me 4 hours, if I don't catch up or get there in time. Tell INL to check the coastlines for me with possibly with added individuals. Friendly or not can be up for debate."

"Good luck, Agent Sin." They nod me off and start the decent down into the forest. Before Rivera leaves he hands me a copy of his video on his USB.

"Insurance, just in case you need it too." I attach it with my other USB sticking it into my boots hidden compartment and begin to get ready to ambush if need be, hopefully give the rest of the team a decent head start if this turns ugly. I check weapons and clips making sure I have count. I got a 2 flash bangs in my vest pockets, and two small grenades attached to my vest as well. I sit and wait as I catch sight of whats yelling and coming through the woods.

Sure enough its two of the refugees and one of the still living coyotes. They're running like their lives depend on it but I can see they're tiring out quick with the terrains steep incline. The fact they're still even running at this point is amazing. I glance behind them and sure enough, those drug runners are chasing after them. They're taking their time, knowing that they're getting tired quick.

I take a count, 10 bad guys, I smile getting a grenade out. Time to blow something up. This should make quick work of things. Even if they send more thugs after hearing the explosion it should take them too long to catch up to us before we can make the rendezvous. If we don't make the rendezvous, then we might be screwed trying to make it to the coast line, but it's a chance I'm willing to take. 

I wait until the coyote and refugees make it past and toss the grenade down hill. Screaming hurried scrambling before the sound wave shocks the hill side as the explosion goes off. I peek out from the dense foliage I'm behind as the dust settles to check out the spot the grenade went off. I see 4 bodies, absolutely dead, two down farther away possibly dead, and 4 are nowhere to be seen.

'SHIT SIN, That didn't go as smoothly as planned. Well then, what's next on your plate.'

I think to myself paying attention to any movement and sign of where the missing men are. I'm listening intently for sounds and all I hear is the shouting of the refugees as they head down the other side of the hill.

I notice the coyote has got behind a tree and is looking all around for who the hell threw the grenade. When he doesn't see anyone he takes off down after the refugees. He doesn't seem to want to push his luck by staying. I notice he's limping slightly as he goes.

I wait a few minutes when I see the movement of two of the missing guys poke out from behind a fallen tree, then another one comes out from behind a tree holding his arm that's bleeding. There's one that's missing. I listen catching a slight disturbance of leaves a few meters to my right. I turn to the side and sure enough its the missing asshole.

'Trying to surprise me, huh? Well, surprise is on you now mother fucker.'

I ready a flash bang before I turn to take aim and hit him, direct head shot. He never even saw it coming. I quickly toss the flash bang down and cover my ears and eyes. Shortly after it goes off, I'm up and shooting two down with chest shots and the third I got in the leg before he got back behind a tree. He peeks out from behind and I graze his other arm.

"¡Estúpido hijo de puta! ¡No vas a salir con vida de aquí!" (You stupid Mother Fucker! You're not going to make it out of here alive!) He screams out at me.  He pops his head out and takes a couple of erratic shots in different directions, not knowing where I am.

I wait as he screams obscenities and the next time he pops his head around I nail him in the cheek. I hear the cries he's making, sounds like I hit his jaw bone. It's probably a shattered mess now. I turn to leave the area knowing he's not going far in his condition.

I'm face to face with an indigenous group of males. I stand still not knowing what they are here for. They look at me and the scene below and part a path for me to go. I bow my head in thanks and head over the hill top and down the hillside as quick as I can. It's not long before I hear the screams of the last man left alive as the indigenous men take out their anger on the drug dealer.

It's not long before I catch up with the coyote and then the refugees who have taken the moment to slow their movements to catch their breath.

"Vamos, si quieren vivir." (Let's go, if you guys want to live.) I say to the coyote as I run past them and start heading across the rocky river, sloshing through the ankle deep part to get to the other side and hike back up the next ridge.

It doesn't take long until they are running behind me trying to keep up as I make sure I'm still heading enough in the right direction with my compass attached to my wrist.

Breathing hurts, my legs hurt, and I'm getting tired myself. I wish this gift had given me some super human endurance too.

Once we're on the top of the next hill I pause taking a sip from my canteen. Then I'm checking my GPS and our location. Still a little over a mile to go before rendezvous and about 1.5 hours to make it on this constant steep uphill and down hill terrain crossing the rocky streams as we go. We're lucky it only rained lightly the other day. If it had actually rained, these would be a lot higher and possibly lethal to cross.

The coyote is doing his best to keep up but his limps are getting worse slowing us down to help him make it across the rocky rivers and streams where he can't rely on his damaged foot. I point for him to sit and I look at the bottom of his shoe.

His boot has a good sized piece of splintered wood broke off and up into the sole. I go to take it off and he screams in pain. I leave it on and attempt to pull it out from the bottom. This time he clenches his teeth and growls.

"¿Profundo?" (Deep?) I ask my Spanish lacking to ask much more then basics.

"Si." He says looking weak.

I grab some gauze and tape and wrap it around the sole of his boot. I look around quickly and find  a piece of wood the has a depression in it that's not too thick, I cut it down to fit under the sole and heel of his boot. I tape the it like crazy to try to keep it in place and using some fishing line tie the ends of it poking out the sides over and around the boot as well.  We're using precious time but we'd lose it at the pace we're going anyways.

"Un kilómetro y medio para el final. ¿Tú lo haces?" (1.5 Kilometers to go. You make it?)

His grimace says he's determined as he gets back up. He's still limping but nowhere near like he was.

"Vamonos." (Let's go.) He gestures to start moving and were off.

This last mile is hell. Jogging as hard and fast as we can up the ridge, climbing practically at times. Then stumbling and sliding in most parts down. Slipping on moss covered rocks or slick, slimy, pockets of wet leaves.  I keep the coyote in my sight as he's slower then us. I check my GPS and it's showing me it's just over this last ridge point.

"¡Date prisa, una cresta más!" (Hurry one more ridge!) I yell to him. We have about 25 minutes till they won't wait and then we'll be stuck hiking to the coast and possibly getting caught by other guerillas or the guys I just killed little friends.

The refugees are waiting on me as I had stopped to tell the coyote. At the sound of getting out of this forest alive, he picks up speed and I can tell he'll probably be lame after this.

We make it to the top of the ridge and I hear a helicopter wind up.

"FUCK."

I hauled ass down the hill slipped and slid halfway down faster then I could have run, jumping up and out of the brush to try to make it to the clearing in time.

I broke free of the trees just as they were starting to lift off and I yelled and threw a damn stick at the side of the helicopter. Trying to make them see me or hear me. I picked up a rock and threw it again, it landing against the plexiglass window.

Rivera stuck his head out the open bay ready to shoot with Hawthorne right behind him. He yells at the pilot and they set back down leaving the engines on.

That's when the refugees showed up helping the coyote out of the trees, practically carrying the full grown man between them to try and get to the helicopter in time. Rivera and Hawthorne jump down and help them in and then hop in behind them. We're taking off as Rivera hands me a com-set and I get it on.

"You barely made it, Agent Sin. INL and the rest of our team took off an hour ago. We were able to get these guys to wait till your time was up, but it took some tough negotiation. Obviously, we agreed on a price. Want to know what you owe them?" He asked looking kinda funny at me with a stupid grin.

"What do I owe them? I said finally regaining my breath and sitting up.

"A fully paid ten day trip to the Maldives with the hotel and flight back . Also, they want $10,000 U.S., each."

I looked at him, turned my head to the co-pilot who smiled and nodded, "Sí, te ayudamos a casarte a tiempo. Tenemos la oportunidad de tener vacaciones." ( Yes, we help you get married on time. We get to have vacations.)

'These assholes'

"Well then."

I nod to him and give a bland smile, "You'll get it. Thank you."

I turn back to look at my fellow agents next to the two refugees and coyote who can't believe they're free of the Gaps deadly vice grip. The refugees looked scared too, probably worried they'll get deported back home and may have to take the perilous trek again.

"I need someone to radio in about a translator for Arabic and we'll need a medic available when we land. Did you tell them about Gray?"

"We did, they said they'd wait for your briefing when you made it back." Hawthorne informed me before turning to the radio control to contact the base we were heading to.

"Shukraan, shukraan." The refugees repeated over and over to me. I understood what that meant. Thank you.  I nodded my head in understanding with a smile. Then I leaned my head back and took a nap, happy to be getting the hell out of the jungle and back to my man.

I'd call it a successful mission.