Escaping Extinction - Part 2
Haji opened his eyes to the dimly lit interior of Eddy's ISAF vehicle. An IV was in his right arm and the splinter in his side removed, the wound cleaned and bandaged.
"Mikumi Station, this is Search Team 2," the driver of the truck radioed. "We are less than a mile from the gate. Requesting clearance to enter on code one-niner-seven-four-four-three-one-beta, over."
"Granted, Search Team 2. Folcik is standing by to check the boy, over."
"Copy. We'll go directly to the med-block, over and out."
"Where… where are we?" Haji groggily asked as a structure came into view up ahead. It wasn't very big, maybe a few hundred feet across at most, but it was brilliantly lit, looking like an ocean liner on the horizon. A helicopter zoomed past their vehicle at extremely close overhead, kicking up a trail of dirt and dust. Within seconds it had landed inside the approaching facility's rising chain link fence.
"Some place safe," Eddy answered comfortingly, turning around in the front passenger seat. "You've got a warm meal waiting for you. Just relax, we're almost there."
The truck sped through a gate that was being watched by a collection of cameras, sensors, and two armed guards. A parked armored vehicle, similar to the one they were in, imposed its presence at the gate; this one sporting an automated machine gun. No signage of any kind adorned the facility’s opening.
Once inside, they drove around a collection of white interconnected shipping containers and semi-trailers arranged to form offices, sleeping quarters, laboratories, and a clinic. A row of containers also lined the interior of the twenty-foot high perimeter chain link fence. ISAF guardsmen patrolled the top of this secondary barrier on a gangway.
"Here we are," Eddy announced as the truck came to a stop beside the facility’s clinic. "Let’s get him inside, boys," he said to his men.
One of the guardsmen took Haji in his arms and carried him out of the truck as another kept his IV bag held high. The wale of an elephant pulled Haji's eyes over to his right. At the back of the compound was a series of animal cages and holding pens. Two African elephants were both staring at Haji as they enjoyed some greenery. A sleeping rhinoceros inside of a large rectangular cage was being offloaded from a flatbed truck by a heavy-duty forklift.
"When you're done with your check-up we'll take you over there.
How's that sound?" asked the guardsman holding him.
"Yeah," Haji nodded, still enamored with the animals. A second flatbed truck drove by carrying two separate cages heading towards a second gate at the back of the facility. The gate opened into a short stretch of road leading to a runway, on which a large cargo aircraft sat.
"Where are they going?" asked Haji, pointing at the truck.
The guardsman chuckled. "Far away from here," he said, stepping up into the clinic through a glass door.
Inside was a row of three beds perpendicular to the trailer walls, draped with medical equipment and supplies. Eddy and another man were talking next to one when Haji was brought in.
"Haji," Eddy grinned. "Look, someone is here to meet you."
He moved out of the way of the bed he stood beside, revealing a young girl. She quickly sat up upon seeing Haji.
"Nailah!" Haji shouted, reaching out for her.
The guardsman holding him ran over to the bed before Haji practically jumped from his arms to embrace Nailah.
"Brother and sister reunited," smiled the man Eddy had been talking with. "When we got the call that you two had gone missing in the flood we couldn't just turn a blind eye," he said.
"Haji. Nailah. This is Sergeant Leo Folcik of UNIRO, Mikumi Station's head medic. He will fix you both up real soon," Eddy explained.
"Then can we see the animals? He said we could," Haji asked, pointing to the guardsmen who had carried him.
Folcik and Eddy briefly stared at each other, then flashed a side eyed glance to the guardsman the boy was pointing to.
"Yes, well, we'll see," Eddy said. "Just get some rest for now. You two have been through a lot." He leaned into Folcik's ear. "Let me know as soon as they're okay leave so we can get them outta here before you-know-who knows."
"You got it," Folcik whispered back.
"Guardsman Simmons," a woman announced from the end of the trailer.
"Too late," Eddy cringed, slowly turning around. "Yes, Captain Okoro."
"A word outside, please…" the woman said sternly.
Eddy sighed. "See ya guys," he said, winking at the two kids.
"Bye," Haji whispered as the guardsman left. "Thank you…"
Outside, Eddy followed in the brisk footsteps of the captain as she walked towards the open back gate.
"Simmons!" she seethed, abruptly stopping her stride. "Why did you bring those children here?! I gave explicit instructions to my head of security not to bring them here under any circumstances and yet here they are. This is a top-secret facility, not a fucking daycare center! That is why you and your ISAF friends are here... We don't trust anyone around these parts; not the government, not the military - let alone some kids!"
"They were both found in bad shape Captain, especially the girl," Eddy contested. "If we hadn't found her and stabilized her here she would have certainly died. We are the only credible help for dozens of miles. We had a duty to protect them."
"Your duty," Okoro raged, "is to the protection of Mikumi Station, nothing else. This station and the others like it are these animal’s last hope of escaping extinction. If anyone found out about what we are doing here we run the risk of attracting poachers who will stop at nothing to kill every last one of these creatures. We've already lost the Northern White Rhino, the Bengal Tiger… Over 20,000 elephants were murdered last year alone."
"Ma'am, if I may just - "
"Do those two kids know where the animals are being taken?! Do they?!"
"No, ma'am. They don't anything about Australia or - "
The low hum of approaching helicopters stopped Eddy. He looked up towards the front of facility. Two UNIRO helicopters were inbound side-by-side, one carrying a sedated rhinoceros in a large sling in the tow of a fifty foot steel cable.
"Right on time," Okoro muttered, putting her hands on her hips. "At least someone is following my directions around here."
A burst of yellow flame soared from the ground, leaving a thin trail of gray smoke in its wake.
"Oh shit," Okoro uttered under her breath.
"RPG!" shouted Eddy as loudly as he could into his radio.
The rocket shredded through the escort helicopter, ripping it to fiery pieces instantly. As what was left fell to Earth, the chopper carrying the rhino veered off, gaining altitude as it did, barely being missed by a second rocket whizzing up into the darkness.
"All guards, defensive positions, immediately!" Eddy called into his radio. "We are under attack! I repeat, we are under attack!"