Guns for Hire - Script Fifty Nine

Inandeng Quarry, San Vicente, Palawan 11.48am 07/10/17

For the remainder of the morning the seven would be champions of freedom secreted themselves as unobtrusively as they could in & around the abandoned quarry, the derelict corrugated shack that had once served as the quarries office & canteen was cleared off debris & made as waterproof & light sealed as could be whilst the various items of rusting quarry plant were dragged around so as to offer cover should everything go tits up.

Inandeng Quarry, San Vicente, Palawan 2.07pm 07/10/17

Mid afternoon T-Bird announced he, accompanied by Bancroft, were going to take a hike across country to the junction on the Puerta Princesa North road from which the track lead to Kuratong Balelang's coastal residence, by going across country rather than along the Inandeng road east until it met the Puerta Princesa North road he hoped to stay out of the public
eye as well as save some time.

Puerta Princesa Road North, Tulariquin, Palawan 3.39pm 07/10/17

Hot, sticky & slightly lost, but at least unseen, T-Bird & Bancroft finally emerged onto the northbound road from Puerta Princesa, T-Bird quickly orientated their whereabouts & realised they'd emerged further south than he'd intended, maybe a mile or so below the access road to the dictators weekend crash pad, keeping off but adjacent to the road they headed north.

Puerta Princesa Road North, Tulariquin, Palawan 4.26pm 07/10/17

Squatting in the bush T-Bird & Bancroft watched the road for half an hour or so, as per T-Bird's earlier stay on the island there was very little general traffic but unlike their previous visit there was nobody hanging around the access track suggesting the Balelang wasn't currently in residence. Satisfied nobody was about but wary of the CCTV that he & Alex had spotted immediately surrounding the residence T-Bird & Bancroft set up two of Vrasten's remote low-lite camera units south of the residence, one maybe a quarter of a mile back & a second near where they'd emerged onto the road to Puerta Princesa.

Happy with what they'd achieved they headed back to the quarry but this time making faster progress by simply following the road side ditch knowing that if any vehicle approach they'd hear it long before its occupants could eye ball them.

Inandeng Quarry, San Vicente, Palawan 5.17pm 07/10/17

In the few hours whilst T-Bird & Bancroft had been away the others had made good progress at the quarry, domesticity was evident from the pleasant odours emanating from the
camp kitchen, Alex had taken charge of security & set a rota for two people to be on watch at any one time, one up atop the quarry face itself & the second concealed near the rusting gate at the head of the quarry access track, Boyd had also serviced the hummer. T-Bird was impressed, anybody glancing down the track wouldn't have any idea that they were operating out of the flooded quarry & even walking down the track into the quarry itself there was nothing on show.

Alex had also put a call into Diaz to check the flight crew were happy with their holiday nest on Culio, Diaz had reported all was quiet, extremely bloody quiet, as having had a scout about it was pretty clear that apart from themselves there was nobody else on the island. Happy to hear this Alex arranged to check in each morning with Diaz but apart from that it was emergency contact only, with that in mind she reminded everybody to switch off or at least silence their phones.

Vrasten, keen to get the surveillance operation underway, left T-Bird & Alex to set up three more camera units around the quarry whilst he set about configuring the software, after keying in the operation sequence & field of view for the cameras around the quarry as well as activating the their inbuilt movement sensor Vrasten repeated the same for the cameras deployed by T-Bird earlier, it was only then he realised they'd got a problem.

Inandeng Quarry, San Vicente, Palawan 6.48pm 07/10/17

"You fuckin' tart" bellowed T-Bird, "how could you not have fuckin' noticed when you bought it that the bastard system only had a range of less than a mile, I've just foot slogged it back
to make sure the cameras were in active mode, which by the way I fuckin' knew they were, & now you tell me we're to fuckin' far away, for fucks sake"

Alex, not to be left out, joined in enthusiastically with berating Vrasten.

Doing his best to ignore the insults Vrasten huddled with Bancroft to see what could be done, between them & the wonders of satellite phones they rigged up a means of remote monitoring that wouldn't rely upon the cameras own operating system.

Smiling nicely Vrasten handed T-Bird a weather protected battlefield lap top & grinned,

"It's sorted OK, business as usual, the remote cameras are tricked to pick up any vehicle crossing their field of view & transmit live images for the next ten minutes, they'll do it 24/7 sun, rain or darkness, the batteries are good to tick over for three years or 96 ten minute slots before they need changing plus we've gotta' rotate the batteries in the cameras we've set up here, pretty much we can sit here till' hell freezes over & clock every car that passes"

Slightly mollified T-Bird looked at the laptop Vrasten had handed to him,

"So what do I want this piece a shit for then ?"

Vrasten smiled,

"Not a lot really, you just need to trot back to somewhere near where you planted the cameras & tuck it out of the way so it can relay the signal back to me here, if you're quick they'll still be some pudding for when you get back"

Inandeng Quarry, San Vicente, Palawan 10.47am 08/10/17

With all quiet at the quarry & at Culio Alex & T-Bird decided to check out the target's holiday home, again using the ruse of tourists out for a few fish. Dressing the part & with nothing but concealed small arms they headed off along the Inandeng road leaving Vrasten to finalise camp arrangements & run through what they knew of the island with the hired hands.

Inandeng Road, San Vicente, Palawan 11.18am 08/10/17

Nearing the junction with the Puerta Princesa North Road Alex & T-Bird's conversation was interrupted by the sound of an approaching engine, out in the open but dressed for the part they continued casually walking east, a few moments later a somewhat battered pick up slowed alongside them, from the windowless driver's side door a pleasant but slightly bemused pair of faces peered out,

"Mayad nga timprano "

Giggling one of the women, the driver repeated herself in broken English,

"Good morning"

Pleasantries reciprocated Alex declined their offer of a lift or help explaining that they were enjoying the walk & would be joining friends with their car later, not quite understanding what Alex was telling them the two women smiled uncertainly, wished them a pleasant day & drove on.

Reinard Beach, Palawan 1.02pm 08/10/17

An hour or so later they reached the coast around three quarters of a mile north of the beach house.

The coast was considerably rockier, more broken, north of the residence that scouted out previously to the south & unlike their last visit it prevented them from seeing the inlet until they were considerably closer than they'd gotten before, thankfully giving much more cover to their approach. Going through the motions of fishing they slipped along the coast ever wary of the cameras which presumably ringed the northern perimeter of the retreat as they did to the south.

Suddenly, no more than a hundred yards from it, the jetty appeared, they were slightly startled to see somebody stood atop the jetty, fortunately with their back to them, hand pumping fuel from a barrel into the boat tide up against the jetty's south face.

Realising that to go any further around the last outcrop would expose them to anybody even giving half a glance north they stayed where they were for maybe half an hour watching for any sign that Kuratong Balelang was in residence, with nothing happening & not wanting to risk being seen they slipped back along the coast before heading back to base camp.

Inandeng Quarry, San Vicente, Palawan 2.48pm 21/10/17

For the next couple of weeks they continued to keep an eye on the approach to the weekend retreat whilst remaining in hiding however the inaction as well as the unknown time scale was clearly becoming an issue, Vrasten realising this was doing his best to ensure mood swings didn't spill into bloodshed but tempers were getting more & more fractious but with little more to do than monitor the cameras & occasionally rotate the remote lap top power supply & camera batteries it was getting more difficult every day.

Early on in their occupation of the quarry they'd discussed liaising with local contacts that their employers representative, Sahel Asef Kazmi, had arranged however they'd finally decided to forego the arrangement as it would have meant risking exposing themselves to potential informers & the prying eyes of the dictators secret police.

Inandeng Quarry, San Vicente, Palawan 4.53pm 23/10/17

Sat atop the quarry face in the cramped OSUT pondering life, the universe & everything in it Augustus Martin König sipped his sweet coffee & failed to notice the four kids messing about & gradually coming in his direction, to late he realised that he'd got no time to slip down the quarry face out of view & he just hoped they'd pissed off before stumbling into his hidey hole.

Seconds later a boy, no more than ten, maybe eleven years old curiously peered into the bush covered pit where König made like a rock & screamed when he saw eyes looking back at him. As he, closely followed by his three accomplices high tailed it through the scrub away from the quarry edge König lowered his Ingram & slipped the safety catch back on before wondering how best to tell his employers he'd fucked up.

Inandeng Quarry, San Vicente, Palawan 10.13am 24/10/17

The following morning a rusting olive green flat back that had regularly passed by the gated entrance to the quarry approached from Inandeng but instead of driving by it slowed to a halt & pulled up in front of the closed gate. Out of the cab doors clambered two males plus a kid, from his concealed position near the gate Bancroft figured it was the kid Augustus had described as running shit scared the previous evening.

Reporting events in a whisper over the radio Alex instructed Bancroft to hold his ground & simply observe, providing the pair & the kid stayed on the other side of the fence nobody needed to get hurt.

For maybe a dozen minutes the two Palawano loafed against the gate rolling & then smoking a cigarette whilst the kid repeatedly pointed into the quarry & excitedly urged them to go further. With nothing obviously visible to suggest any monsters lurked in the quarry neither of the fella's seemed particularly inclined to investigate any further, much to the kids chagrin he was rewarded only with a cuff to the back of his head for his protestations before being ushered back towards the truck, with a final protest that he wasn't lying about what he & his cousins had seen the truck continued on in the direction of the Puerta Princesa Road North.

Inandeng Quarry, San Vicente, Palawan 2.14pm 28/10/17

Having sat twiddling their fingers for nigh on three weeks the pressure, despite Vrasten's earlier efforts, was again testing peoples patience, surprisingly Vrasten still remained the most level headed of them all, however the best he could suggest as a peace offering was that Balelang & his entourage reportedly visited the beach residence at least once a month so there was a good probability that next weekend they'd see some action.

Inandeng Quarry, San Vicente, Palawan 4.31pm 28/10/17

Ensconced in the gate watch post Alex did her best to put her frustration at the inaction aside & again let her mind wander on what she planned to do with the ridiculous fortune this contract would bring her, for maybe the thousandth time she peered out of the hidey hole checking the gate was clear as well as the road to & from Inandeng, most times there was nothing, occasionally a truck or a beat up pick up from the coastal settlement, very occasionally a wandering tourist or local foot traffic. This time however she spied a kid coming towards the quarry entrance throwing sticks for a three legged mutt, instead of passing by the gate the kid, very deliberately, threw the stick up & over the rusting gate making sure the dog saw & bolted after it, belatedly Alex realised this was the persistent little bastard who'd tried to get his old man to come have a look on the Tuesday previous.

Alex watched as the kid stood at barred gate repeatedly throwing the stick for the dog down the quarry track, when some ten minutes later the dog lost its favourite stick it was the perfect excuse for the kid to come help it find it, with a glance back down the road towards Inandeng he climbed over the gate & started down the track.

Silently cussing to herself Alex sent a whispered all stations alert as to what the kid was doing & for everybody to keep their heads down. Muffling any noise she herself might make she slipped off the safety catch on the A80.

Inandeng Quarry, San Vicente, Palawan 4.47pm 28/10/17

Nonchalantly the kid poked around for the dogs stick whilst deliberately moving further down the track until he eventually drew level with the old quarry buildings currently being occupied by the assault team, innocently he tossed a stick against its battered corrugated wall ensuring that his dog investigated the shed further.

After several minutes poking around the shed & peering into the darkness within through any holes he could find the kid near catapulted backwards & started to back track calling the dog to follow him.

Alex swore under her breath & alerted the others that their presence had been noted, quietly she drew a bead on the retreating kid, in her ear there was a cacophony of squeals as T-Bird & Vrasten guessed just what Alex was most likely to do, seconds later a single shot echoed around the camp.

Inandeng Quarry, San Vicente, Palawan 4.56pm 28/10/17

T-Bird burst out of the shack intent on taking Alex down, all he could see in his head was the image of the Ortega girls covered in blood, he was stopped in tracks however by the sight of the kid kneeling next to the cooling body of his dead dog.

Inandeng Quarry, San Vicente, Palawan 5.03pm 28/10/17

As the kid cowered whimpering & cradling his beloved pet the argument for his life raged around him, Alex argued fervently that the game was blown & they should ice the kid, dump his body & call Varnik to come pick them up whilst conceding that maybe they could come back down the line to finish the job. T-Bird on the other hand made it abundantly clear that if Alex as so much gave the kid a cold it'd be the last thing his beloved would do.

Again Vrasten tried to play peacemaker, agreeing with T-Bird that the kid shouldn't be harmed but struggling for a solution that would allow them to continue.

As tempers finally threatened to roll over into actual bloodshed Skinpin, at the bequest of T-Bird, spiked the kid with a sedative, causing Alex to fly into a greater rage over what should be done.

As the bitching between their employers continued König, Boyd & Bancroft awkwardly kicked their feet waiting for someone, anyone to make a decision, all three had enough about them to keep their thoughts to themselves & just take the money although at least two of them weren't keen on wasting the kid.

Inandeng Quarry, San Vicente, Palawan 5.15pm 28/10/17

After what seemed like an age T-Bird won through of sorts, he persuaded Alex that he should be allowed to return the kid to Inandeng & attempt to explain it away as an unfortunate accident, in the meantime Alex would prep Varnik & his crew for an immediate dust off & the camp would be packed ready for an emergency evac assuming a hostile situation, compromise made T-Bird accompanied by Skinpin & the confused kid plus a roll of dollar bills stuffed in his pocket set off on foot.

Road to Inandeng, San Vicente, Palawan 5.57pm 28/10/17

In the falling darkness T-Bird & Skinpin tramped along the Inandeng road, the kid, post puking, was finally managing to walk a straight line without assistance, the closer they got to the coast the more T-Bird wondered whether trying to talk their way out this was the best thing to do, before he could change his mind a cluster of headlights appeared ahead of them, he realised then he longer had a choice.

Road to Inandeng, San Vicente, Palawan 6.12pm 28/10/17

As the trio of over crowed trucks skewed across the road T-Bird & Skinpin held their arms out wide palms open to show they were unarmed whilst the kid shrieked & bolted into the arms of his onrushing father.

Within seconds T-Bird & Skinpin were surrounded by an increasingly hostile crowd whose mood wasn't helped as the kid, now in tears, pointed at T-Bird & Skinpin bellowing that they shot his dog.

Realising that things could very quickly get shity T-Bird, ably assisted by Skinpin, made best use of the docked language chips & endeavoured to explain the shooting of the kids dog as a very regretable accident & that at no time was there any danger of harm to the kid. T-Bird, making it clear that it wasn't intended to buy anyone off, suggested he would pleased to make a donation to the settlement to be spent as they saw fit. He even, knowing Alex would throw a fit, went so as far as to hint that he & his friends were only the island to try & help its people resist the ruling despot & his Mapang-api Lalaki.

Eventually the boy's father, seemingly no longer looking for blood, suggested they accompany him back to Inandeng to talk further.

Inandeng, San Vicente, Palawan 9.47pm 28/10/17

After several long glasses iced Tanduay rhum it seemed to T-Bird that whilst the kids old man wasn't exactly happy with what had occurred he was willing to accept what T-Bird & Skinpin had told him at face value plus the dollars offered had gone a long way in gaining favour amongst the locals in general, the kids father did however distinctly avoid any further conversation specific to what T-Bird had inferred concerning Kuratong Balelang's administration other than to say he & his "pembunuh anak laki-laki" were best avoided.

Inandeng Road, San Vicente, Palawan 10.51pm 28/10/17

Walking back towards the quarry T-Bird was glad of the waxing moon illuminating enough of the road to show them the way rather than using torches to attract the multitude of flying critters that filled the night air, his failure that they'd made sufficient impression to gain a lift back to the quarry had surprised him but then he wasn't exactly in a position to insist, still it gave him plenty of time to walk off the effects of the rhum whilst ponder what sort of mood Alex would be in.

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