FALLEN | The Devil of Caracas

Chapter 27 | Change of Plans

The old card table teeters on uneven legs as Nicolás leans his weight against it. The break room is small, but houses the basic necessities to feed and entertain Perez's men; a coffee machine sits in the corner, below a small television and on the other side of the room are a few kitchen appliances and a short stack of adult magazines. Nicolás jabs his finger at the map laid out before him.

"These are the three locations I'd be most concerned about," he says.

Perez steps forward, staring down at the weathered map. "Do you have a plan?"

"Si," answers Nicolás. "I'll have my men stationed at each of the villages to keep an eye on them. We'll coordinate with the locals, telling them we're looking for fugitives. If she shows up, they'll find her and clean up the mess, quickly. "

"How long would it take her to get to any of these places?" asks Perez.

Nicolás lines his thumb against the scale at the bottom right corner of the map. He then uses the measurement to calculate the radius around the site. After a moment, and some mental math, he answers the question. "Assuming she's experienced in navigating these jungles, she might make it to the nearest village in a couple hours. But she and the other prisoner aren't in the best of health. They don't have any equipment - no water, no compass, no machete... The odds are against them. And the storm will slow them down."

Perez considers the chances of Lexi's survival. Then he asks, "What if she doesn't end up at any of these villages?"

"Let me handle that," answers Nicolás, quickly. "In the meantime, we need to clean house. The bodies have to be disposed of, blood needs to be scrubbed, and any evidence that could possibly tie you to this place needs to be destroyed. We can't risk her leading anyone back here."

Perez takes a moment to think it over and then lets out a defeated sigh. "Nearly twenty goddamn years without a single man escaping this place... What happened? Where the hell did we go wrong?" He eagerly looks at Nicolás.

Unsure if the question is rhetorical, Nicolás decides to answer. "Señor, I'm afraid the men have grown sloppy; they don't drill. They don't train. They rarely follow procedure. These things need to be taken seriously and Sanchez doesn't enforce any of this. He's more worried about being their friend than their leader. And now, in just a matter of hours, how many men has he lost?"

He suddenly looks down. His heart sinks and his throat tightens. Perez furrows his eyebrows and watches him closely. "What's the matter?"

Straightening up, he folds his arms across his chest. "Six years. I've been doing this for six years and I've only lost one man until today... Alejandro is now the second." He looks away and shakes his head. "I'm not ready to tell his mother, Señor. He was all she had... Now, who's going to take care of her?"

Perez steps toward Nicolás and places his hands on his shoulders. "Look at me," he says. Nicolás meets his intense gaze. Perez grips him tightly and leans in. "You have always been destined for greatness - to be a leader. That means sacrifices will have to be made. That is your burden to carry... And you have to be willing to see it through..."

Perez straightens up and releases his grip on Nicolás' shoulders. "Nicolás, when you were just a boy, you were arguing with me about something... I was angry with you and I told you to go dig a hole in the yard until you were ready to submit to me. It rained that night. You stayed out there for hours, throwing mud and water out of the pit you dug. I went outside and told you to 'stop this nonsense.' You refused. You said, 'No! I'm not done!' I had to drag you inside and clean the mud off you."

He pauses, allowing his words to draw the memory from Nicolás' mind. "Nicolás, our country needs men of your integrity. Even as a child, you stood by your values. And when you left the Army you were determined to fight the same corruption you had to put up with every day, just as I had. And just like that day in the rain - you are not done..." He pauses again. Then he adds, "That's why I'm giving you command of all my security personnel. I can no longer trust Sanchez to get the job done."