The walk to the helicopter from the hanger left Hotak mildly dissatisfied. The Americans had made a mess of his fortress, nothing that couldn’t be cleaned up, but the indignity of it irked him. The men the helicopter had picked up from the valley below stood by the hangar awaiting orders.

He had other aircraft. He could even commander the Afghani Presidents if he chose to. This helicopter was his second favorite. The first was a burnt-out husk behind him. He opened the passenger cabin door to the helicopter with the expectation of seeing his children and their bodyguard meeting him at the aircraft. He slowly closed the door and faced the ten Afghani men guarding the entrance to the helipad.

He felt his anger start to take hold. He clamped it down. He'd poured a lot of time and money into his fortress. The biocontainment labs had fulfilled their purpose. Now, besides him, Badi, his two boys, their bodyguard, and the guards, everyone else was gone. He'd sent them away after completion of the final tests. The most critical personnel were at his estate in the Czech Republic. The technicians, scientists, doctors, engineers, and the rest were all on call. He wasn’t as concerned with the heroin processing center and the associated distribution apparatus in the tunnel below. It wouldn’t be difficult to rebuild and staff. The men working in the heron labs would keep doing their jobs. They were well paid and well supervised. But, the real work of his fortress, the bio-weapon, was long gone and secured, waiting for him to get to his estate. What bothered him was he was being victimized in his own house. The Mason situation should have been solved before it became a problem. He should have tasked Badi to kill Mason and his team from the start. Worse, Badi hadn’t checked in, which didn’t bode well.

He grabbed the first man he came to. The man turned, his brows raised and mouth pulled back. Good, thought Hotak, his anger had transferred to the men around him. They would be fearful of his wrath. Motivating these men wouldn't be a problem.

“You.” He touched the next two men. “And you two, go down to the first landing and see if my children are coming. Also, listen for the Americans. If you hear them, let me know.”

The first man bowed. “Yes, Baabaa Hotak.”

The three ran to the stairs.

He looked at the well-manicured hand he’d used to touch the unwashed men and wiped it on his shirt. He’d burn these clothes later. He brought his hand up to his nose. Touching any of these ignorant beasts was quite distasteful, but sometimes it was for the greater good. Still, that was Badi’s job. The wreckage of the helicopter wasn't much more than a metal skeleton. What a waste. Worse, helicopters could be replaced, even this one. But the stench of aircraft fuel had permeated the entire complex. The fuel had found its way down the whole stairwell. Every level of the tunnel gave off its stench.

Behind him, he heard the rotors begin to wind down but continue to rotate.

Where was that idiot Akhtar? All he had to do was gather the things in his desk, get the boys, and bring them up here. He should have done it himself, but Badi was busy, and the technicians were gone, so it was up to him to go to the hospital and level five. He couldn't trust any of the men around him to set the explosives. The incendiary bombs in the underground smallpox hospital were set to detonate. The old tunnel he'd built the hospital in might collapse. But the engineers assured him the structural integrity of the roadway tunnel separating the mountain from north and south was sound. Only the tunnel and processing center would remain after the explosion.

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He glanced down and gritted his teeth. Oily residue from the hangar floor had stained his expensive shoes and the cuffs of his pants. He pursed his lips in exasperation. It was well past time to get out of this dirty country and onto the paradise his estate provided him and his family. After a short vacation, he’d travel on to London to put in place the next phase of his plan with his oldest daughter.

The reduced noise of the helicopter blades behind him made him hear something out of place. He looked down. The radio was transmitting. He didn’t know how long the little red light had been flashing.

“Badi?”

He heard Badi’s voice, but there was too much noise. He waved his men forward into the hangar.

“Baabaa Hotak, Aarif, and Jabbaar, the Americans have taken them prisoner.”

“What?” He pushed down on his open ear, his finger trying to block the sound of the helicopter. He waved his hand forward and moved closer to the stairs. The guards jogged ahead of him.

“Repeat what you said.”

“Your boys, the Americans have taken them prisoner.”

Hotak stood up to his full height and let his eyes bore into the open stairwell. “Where are you?”

“I’m in the tunnel close to the door to your office. The Americans have both children tied to chairs at the end of the tunnel. Jabbaar has a mine on him set to detonate.”

Hotak pulled the radio from his ear and looked at it. The guards’ leader searched Hotak’s eyes, waiting for an order to act. Hotak turned from him.

“Wait. The American is speaking.”

Hotak put the radio next to his ear and waited for Badi to speak again. He dropped his free hand, formed a fist, and hit the cement wall of the hangar. He faced his men. They were all paying strict attention to the top of the stairs. He dared any one of them to have the stupidity to look back.

“Baabaa Hotak.”

“Speak to me, Badi.”

“The American says he is taking one boy with him. He will leave the other with the mine rigged to blow the boy up and anyone else who comes to try to free him.”

Badi stopped transmitting, but he spoke again before Hotak could push the button on his radio.

“They’ve closed the door. I cannot see into the room and dare not approach it.”

“Very well. Stay where you are for now.”

“Yes, Baabaa Hotak.”

Hotak changed the frequency and lifted it again. “Pilot.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Take the helicopter up. Circle until I call you back to pick us up.”

“Yes, sir. Sir, that doesn’t fit our designated flight plan. There may be a problem if I stay up there too long.”

He made a fist and hit the wall harder. “Let me worry about that. You do as you’re told.”

“Yes, sir.”

Radio back in his vest pocket, he glared at the helicopter. The rotors increased speed until it lifted off and flew up and over the valley. He would have to have a long talk with that pilot later. Or, at least, Badi would. He walked to the top of the stairs. The Americans might have thought they were going to hijack his aircraft. That was not going to happen now.

He cleared his throat.

The man who had waited for his orders lifted his head.

“We’re going to my office. I don’t know if the Americans are there or on the move, but they have my children. Be careful as you move downstairs.”

The man dropped his head. “Yes, Baabaa Hotak.”