— Chapter Fourteen —
The scene that greeted them when they exited the tunnels resembled an old U.S. Vietnam war movie. The floodlight-lit area as helicopters landed unloading, men and equipment. Regular soldiers arrived and assisted with the clean-up operations
Kim rushed over to the amphibious tram and hugged Pon. She noticed the Captain nursing his broken arm and Ca minus an ear. A team of army medics started to administer medical attention. Pon leapt off the vehicle and into Kim’s arms, she never assumed for a moment it was Pon who had caused the injuries, but she had witnessed a different, fierce side to his normal peaceful demenor, but she was his wife and she adored him. They held each other close, kissed and smiled with relief.
Spock and Stu got out of the vehicle and sat down by the medics and had their cuts, bruises, splinters and abrasions cleaned and dressed, they watched as the bodies of the dead being bagged, tagged and placed into a helicopter. Grimes, Akhim, and the surviving mercenaries got ushered into another chopper with their army guards and medics, which then got airborne heading.
The Vietnamese Special Forces unit got into a separate helicopter and another medical helicopter loaded the two commandos’ from Lee’s team onto stretchers. Captain Ca gives the location of his murdered comrades and Tuong within the jungle. He then went over to his brother, Ca and assured him that he would contact with their other brother, Phaol, and see what they could do to help.
Ca was then ushered away by an armed soldier and into a helicopter, along with the captured Vietnamese technicians. He looked back at Kim and Pon as he got onboard the chopper and smiled as if saying a fond farewell to two friends. He waved goodbye to his new brother, Ca as the aircraft took off. Captain Ca, his arm now in a sling, got into a chopper with his men, which took off.
One soldier who stood near Spock and Stu had a two-way radio, which suddenly sprang to life, and the Vietnamese soldier gave an order to the amphibious vehicle, which sped off back down the tunnel.
After a while, the commotion died down as the helicopters had either taken off, or had stopped their engines and waited for the ground force to finish the clean up. A team of police investigator had been brought along and in the process of searching and examining the crime scene.
Spock, Stu, Pon and Kim waited for their transport. They all hugged with relief etched over each of their faces. Kim told Spock and Stu that they would be staying at her parent’s house, where physicians would be waiting to take first class care of them. Spock nudged Stu,
“Physicians, does that mean women?”
“No mate, it means doctors,” said Stu
“Escape plan?” enquired Spock hoping for a positive response, as he’d now almost sobered up
“Escape plan” Stu concurred
“A White jet ranger helicopter landed 50 yards in front of them and an army officer came up, saluted Kim and escorted them all into a helicopter.
The large helicopter was about to when the amphibious vehicle returned and Mophi stumbled out and hobbled over to the medics at gunpoint, holding his groin, and appearing to be in agony, just as you would expect to look if your knackers had been chopped off and you’d been stuck in a wet, humid, dank, black tunnel. He watched the helicopter depart and saw two English and one Thai face at the window pointing, laughing and sticking up there clenched hand with middle finger extended. Spock blew him another kiss. The helicopter rose into the clear night sky and headed north, toward Hanoi.
They touched down ninety minutes later, on the landing pad at Bach Mai hospital. Thran and Nga ran over and hugged Pon and Kim. Police guard surrounded the chopper for protection. Doctors and nurses came over to tend to Spock and Stu and then taken inside to a private wing of the hospital along with Kim’s parents.
****
Grimes, Akhim the mercenaries, and later joined by Mophi, had been flown directly to the hospital wing at Trai Giam Chi Hoa prison in Ho Chi Minh City, shackled and under constant guard, they were put in the hot, humid, clammy detention facility with its stained walls, archaic equipment and infested with insects
“I am Muslim,” insisted Akhim “I have to pray”
“You are Tu Chinh tri a prisoner of Vietnam a coi ai chang ra gi, Nobody’s,” sneered an English speaking guard, as a team of scruffy orderlies washed and scrubbed their cuts and bruises. On his arrival, Mophi went under guard to the operating theatre to have his wound tended too.
****
Ca and the Vietnamese technicians had been flown to Ho Chi Minh and driven under escort to the main police station. Ca was taken to a small nearby clinic and had his wound cleaned, sutured, padded and given antibiotics. He was then taken back to the station and placed into a small, dank holding cell along with the technicians.
Spock and Stu felt exhausted, they lay on beds in the quiet private room within the hospital. They had only suffered minor cuts and bruises, but the doctors and nurses had given them a thorough check. Now together in the room they dozed, all plans to escape to a bar had long vanished. The medical staff decided that they should all stay and be monitored before going to Thran’s house.
Pon walked into the lad’s room, he and Kim had also only suffered minor cuts and splinters from flying debris.
He brought in his monks robe, neatly folded and draped, along with his sash.
Spock and Stu stirred and raised themselves to a sitting position, Pon sat on the edge of Spock’s bed.
Pon asked Spock if he could have the relic. Both Stu and Spock noticed how nonchalant about the relic Pon seemed to be this time, no pomp or ceremony as before.
Spock removed the relic from his pocket and handed it to Pon, who removed his sash from his bundle and placed the jewelled box in the centre of his cassock and secured the sash, making a parcel
Spock and Stu’s curiosity and confusion got the better of them and Spock said to Pon
“That had been nice of the King to trust you with the relic”
Pon smiled, thought for a moment and in a quiet voice replied
“My brothers, what I am about to tell you must remain a secret.” He said, paused and announced “The box is a fake”
“Really,” said Stu, both he and Spock trying to act surprised, as Pon continued to explain.
“The Royal family decided that because the holy relic had already been stolen twice, they had no intention of letting it happen again, so they ordered and commissioned an exact copy to be made. This took many master craftsmen, jewellers, goldsmiths and specialist technicians a long time to get the gems copied to emit the same sacred spectral light. About a year ago the copy was exchanged for the original and went on display for the first time. Fortunately nobody noticed the difference not even the Tinju guards and they viewed the spectacle every day....only a handful of people knows about this so it must remain a secret”
The lads felt like a large weight had just been lifted off their shoulders.
“Don’t worry” said Stu “It will also be our secret, we won’t say a word, shall we Spock”
“No mate, we’ll keep it to ourselves” Spock replied and thinking, “we kept the other one secret long enough”.
“So where’s the original?” enquired Stu “and what was the stuff inside, it looked very convincing”.
‘Well a damn site more convincing than sand and ceramic dentures’ he thought, as Pon gave them more details.
“The original was sent back to Salaburi and is once again guarded by the Tinju, which also allowed us to recommence, the ceremony of the great journey, but this time we use our ancient skills combined with modern technology and, because nobody knows it’s there, it is perfectly protected and secure.”
He paused to think and continued.
“The sacred holy relic must never be opened, the contents are not only sacrosanct, but their age and exposure to air after all this time would cause great damage”.
‘Flushing them down the sink didn’t do them much good either’ thought both Stu and Spock, relieved that their guilty secret would now be concealed forever... hopefully
Pon carried on with the story
“Taksin suspected that these people would open and test the contents. The box itself would pass any inspection, but the only definite test that the contents would undergo would be to determine the age by carbon dating. The box had been filled with charcoal ash and brown fine talc powder, which when opened wisps of the mixture would escape giving the impression of being sealed and unopened for eons. They also crushed some pigs teeth into small nuggets and the scientists at the palace sprinkled and mixed in something that I can’t pronounce, the name Rioma...zi,*or something like that.” said Pon struggling to enunciate the additive. The scientist informed us that this would make carbon dating impossible by undetectably affecting the machines.”
Pon finished his explanation as the lads complimented him and Taksin on their ingenuity and wisdom.
Spock and Stu started to liven up a little; Pon stayed and chatted about Kim for a while about how he was unsure what to do about the situation with Ca. He told the lads that Kim had promised to tell Pon everything, but after they’d rested and things had quietened down and had told Pon and this was neither the place, nor time.
Stu told Pon not to judge until he had all the facts and Kim was right, now would not be a suitable moment.
Kim then came into the room, kissed and hugged Pon, and announced
“We have all been given a clean bill of health and being discharged. We can go home for a good night’s sleep”
****
They arrived at Thran’s large house. Spock and Stu where shown to their guest rooms, whilst Thran, Nga, Pon and Kim chatted for a while then retired to their rooms.
Both Stu and Spock were asleep before their heads hit the pillow.
The next morning the lads awoke early and went downstairs to join the Tangh’s and Pon who gathered in the large dining room discussing the day’s activities. Thran had decided to take time off, his subordinates could handle the workload, for now he wanted to spend time with his family and ensure his justice would be carried out for the people responsible for the kidnapping of his daughter and son-in-law, and the terrorist attack on the neighbourhood, which they had been busy clearing up. These people were going to pay, dearly.
Pon had contacted Taksin who was clearly relieved and delighted. They decided it was not yet safe to return to Thailand until they were cleared of their fugitive status, which he would initiate this immediately with the Bangkok post.
Pon and Kim called Banti and spoke to her and Samnan. The family group were engrossed in their lives and thoughts. Spock and Stu sat outside in the large grounds at Thran’s, listening to the banging and crashing of men and machines demolishing and clearing unsafe buildings that were rocked and damaged by the explosions.
They spent a relaxing day at Thran’s, by the pool and amusing the staff, except for the gardener who looked shifty and miserable. Kim had told the lads it was he who’d answered the phone and released her father. The lads couldn’t understand why he had the phone in the first place, but never mentioned it as they were sure the police knew better.
Therefore, they just decided to recharge their batteries and do bugger all and to save themselves for the nightime.
Pon and Kim having spoken to Banti and listened to Samnan making baby gurgles, decided they should talk and went to their room.
The couple sat on the bed holding hands and Kim started the conversation by telling Pon that he and Samnan were the most cherished and important people in her life, she then went on to tell the story about her, Ca and colonel Tighe. She spoke for about an hour with Pon who listened intently, with different thoughts and emotions running through his mind. She told him of the abduction and of what Grimes had told her about him not coming to rescue her and, without making excuses she told of the kiss she and Ca had shared, denying anything else had happened. Pon told her about the film in Grimes’s office that showed them getting into bed and other raunchy scenes, which Grimes had bogusly added. Kim verdantly denied any wrong doing this. Pon didn’t know how to deal with the facts, he had trusted Kim implicitly before, but he had trouble in believing the film was fake, when he’d seen it along with Spock and Stu. Now she had told him about Ca, Pon became uncertain, he was a sheltered monk only taught the teachings of wisdom and, with no distractions from the outside world, including women, and this was a completely new set of emotional guidelines.
Pon then asked the question that he never wanted to ask and, Kim hoped he wouldn’t
“Have you and Ca ever made love?”
Kim squeezed him tight and kissed his head.
“The past should stay in the past” she said “Please let’s move forward... I apologise for deceiving you with all my heart and soul, but it happened when I was at my lifetime low and before I met and fell in love with you”
After an odd silence Pon then spoke,
“I have never lied to you when you’ve asked me about my past life. I have always told you I was a monk”
He then went on to explain about the Tinju, their demise and subsequent resurgence, his first duty and his brother Dam, and without going into all the details told her what he sometimes needed to do in order to conclude duties as a Tinju. He then gave her a copy of the ‘Siam Storm’ and told her to read that, as it explained everything. [Only joking I just thought I’d lighten the mood!]
Pon talked for about twenty minutes, his heart felt like it was in his stomach as he spoke and when he’d finished there was another silent respite.
Vehicles had been coming and going at the Tangh’s during the morning with officials from the military, law enforcement, justice department and his own security department to deal with one subject. Thran issued his commands, and then gave orders to reconvene that evening with results. The house went quiet around lunchtime. Spock and Stu still lounged poolside.
Pon and Kim, still sat in silence in their room, were disturbed by a familiar voice who shouted to them from downstairs that they should come down to join them.
They went downstairs and greeted Lee and Captain Ca, whose arm, now in a surgical sling, wore his military dress uniform.
Lee explained that he’d flown in from Cambodia the previous night and spent time with his two badly beaten, wounded soldiers, arranging their medivac and for his dead soldier’s bodies flown back to Cambodia for a full military burial.
He had been debriefed by Ca on the mission and brought him his uniform and some extra clothes. Ca only mentioned he’d broken his arm during the mission, but never mentioned how
“And now” announced Lee “I’ve come to visit my favourite niece.” And smiled at Kim
Spock and Stu came inside and greeted Lee, and then they sat around a huge dining table, chatted and ate a feast of Vietnamese food.
Lee told them the story of how he’d first encountered, trained, educated and mentored Captain Ca when he’d discovered Sereypheap village many years earlier. Lee sounded like a proud father as he told the tale, they all listened intently and when he’d finished his anecdote they all gazed at the embarrassed Captain as he quietly spoke,
“Thank you sir, you taught me and took care of me more than I can ever repay, and during this mission I also found some answers about my past”
The Captain then told his account of meeting his half brother, who unbeknownst to him was the man Thran had grown to hate and loathed and even more now after recent events.
The room went quiet and Lee detected a tension between his brother Thran and what the Captain had just told them
The Captain finished by saying he wanted to help his brother.
Thran, infuriated, immediately excused himself and went outside, he was joined by Lee who wanted to find out what had happened to make him so angry
“What is it brother?” asked Lee.
While the brothers spoke outside, the bewildered Captain and the others wondered what had just occurred. Kim and Nga didn’t want to speak about it openly, in case Pon got more upset. Kim had already told her mother she would tell Pon about Ca, so they just sat in silence. Spock and Stu in ignorant bliss, finished off bowls of Pho Bo beef noodles and fish soup, which they found tasty, considering it was not covered in grease and wrapped in a bread roll.
Pon then received a phone call from Taksin, which broke the tension as he and Taksin spoke.
After several minutes the conversation ended and Pon announced.
“Taksin has set things in motion to clear our names and we can return to Thailand tomorrow” He looked at Kim trying to judge her reaction. Kim grabbed his hand and smiled
“Let’s go home darling and see our family”
Pon smiled and kissed her on her forehead. ‘Things will be fine’ he thought as he recalled the teaching of Buddha ‘Holding onto anger is like grasping a hot coal with the intent of throwing it at someone, you are the one getting burnt’’
Spock then imparted his wisdom as he nudged Stu and whispered,
“We’d better go out to get a shag tonight matey.”
****
Grimes, Akhim and their band of collaborators thoughts had been a long way from getting a shag. They’d been transferred to holding cells within the prison, which came as quite a shock to their system, well beyond their imagination and horror of what a Vietnamese prison would be like. They thought it would be modern with facilities similar to Vegas. The two mercenaries, Grimes and Akhim were shackled together in a small cell with a hole in the floor and a stone container, which contained filthy water to wash their hands after they had wiped their sphincters. No beds just a hot wooden floor to sit or lay on. They were all cut and bruised from their injuries [Grimes and Akhim’s, courtesy of Stu] but apart from the initial treatment had received no follow up care. The heat inside the cell was unbearable, with no fans or any form of relief from the high temperature. Drinking water was available in a large drum in the corner, with a ladle but the liquid was soiled, so none of them drank. The flies were relentless and swarmed around the new inmates to lay their eggs in their open wounds.
The guard’s only spoke Vietnamese and therefore any requests had been ignored. Grimes and Akhim tried to plot a way out, they thought they could get some money, bribe the guards then escape from Vietnam and start again. They were informed that Mophi would be joining them shortly, when he’d fully recovered from the anaesthetic and their respective embassies would be visiting. They would then be charged and moved into the main prison facility to await a trial date. They all thought at least the prison would be better than the cramped cells.
Ca had been placed in custody in the police station cells,
His ear wound throbbed. The technicians had been released as the police and army decided they didn’t really have anything to do with the caper, they were only workers.
Ca pondered on his situation, he expected the harshest of punishments from Minister Tangh and he stared through his cell bars into space, thinking about Kim, and his new brother, captain Ca.
****
Lee and Thran returned into the dining room after about thirty minutes of intense conversation. They both looked a little more relaxed as the conversation shifted to the food, which Spock and Stu had eaten and found delicious. The assemblage then split. Pon and Kim went back upstairs to phone Banti to tell her they would be coming home soon, and then Pon called Taksin to finalise the arrangements and requested him to arrange for Vitchae and Cenat to visit him and help with some spiritual matters.
Nga went into the garden along with Spock and Stu who went back to the pool. They wanted to phone Dao and Moo but never had a Vietnam phone cards and didn’t want to disturb the group, who seemed engrossed in conversation, so they decided to wait until they got back to Thailand.
Lee, Thran and Captain Ca sat around the now cleared table, Thran explained about his outburst and relayed the story of Ca, Kim, Phan Yar and the feelings of betrayal and deceit Thran felt toward Ca.
Kim had told her father about Ca’s involvement and informed Thran that if Ca hadn’t been there, she probably wouldn’t have survived, and how he’d also been an unwitting participant of Grimes plan. Lee reminded his brother how he’d previously considered Ca as a son whilst they were in Phan Yar and before he broke his trust. Captain Ca felt a little uncomfortable and remained silent. The conversation went on for an hour with some sporadic discussion and then silence, giving Thran time to consider the information. He wanted the full force of the law to be brought to bear on Ca at the start of the conversation. However, the longer he thought about what his brother had said and the fact that Kim was now happily married to Pon and that he didn’t handle the Ca situation well and had let anger cloud his judgement. Thran eventually started to compose himself and his thoughts drifting back to the happy quiet times and Ca’s fresh fish.
Pon came downstairs and stood in the doorway and listened in to the last few minutes of debate. Captain Ca noticed him first and stood up as Pon came into the room and went over to sit by Thran.
Lee noticed a look in Ca’s eyes that he’d seen in his prodigy before, but only shown to him, respect and a little fear.
Thran turned to face Pon.
“What are your thoughts on this, Pon?” he asked.
Pon thought for a moment and replied
“I didn’t catch the whole story, but Kim and I are going to be fine, we will need time to heal further and I was angry, but that anger will never disappear so long as the thoughts of resentment are cherished in the mind. Anger will disappear just as soon as the thoughts of resentment are forgotten and it seems to me Thran your resentful thoughts are rapidly diminishing.”
There was another moment of silence, as they tried to figure out the load of bollocks that Pon had just come out with and then Thran spoke directly at Captain Ca.
“Your brother will need to be punished,” and added,
“But I will show leniencies, after all you two are brothers and I don’t know what I would do without mine,” he smiled at Lee.
The tender family moment abruptly being broken by the arrival of several armed police cars screeching to a halt outside Thran’s door. The police chief apologised sincerely for the disturbance as two armed police, captured and escorted the gardener away.
****
Grimes sat in a dingy interview room along with a fierce looking Vietnamese police interrogator and a member of the British embassy. He had sung like a canary about the plot and execution of the kidnap, implicating everyone and trying to make them believe that he’d been a victim in this terrible episode.
Grimes then offered the police officer a few thousand dollars, so this mess could be sorted out speedily. The interrogator took notes, and after Grimes implicated the gardener, he left the room leaving Grimes alone with the embassy official. The small, wiry man had said very little and when he did it had been short and carefully considered.
Grimes asked him what the embassy intended to do to get him released. The man looked at Grimes and said.
“Mr Grimes, or Crawford, whatever name you go by nowadays. You do not appear to understand the seriousness of the situation. The embassies hands are tied. No Vietnamese defence lawyers will touch this case; Minister Tangh is much too powerful for them.”
Grimes squirmed “I have money, so does my unit, just bribe somebody and get us out”
“Have you any family you want me to contact in the UK?” said the man ignoring Grimes statement.
“You’re not listening to me,” yelled Grimes “there’s money in it for you too.”
The man stared at Grimes.
“No, Mr Grimes” he said calmly “You are not hearing ME, we can’t do anything for you, this is Vietnam we have no authority here, especially against the Minister you targeted, plus the terrorist attack on his neighbourhood and the murders you and your accomplices committed.”
Grimes interrupted,
“Money will sort it out” and gave a smug grin “If you won’t except it someone will”
“Mr Grimes” the man firmly but calmly stated “money will not help in your case, you can’t buy them off, and it is a hopeless situation for you. You are not innocent until proven guilty here Mr Grimes, you are already guilty. There can be only one sentence in Vietnam for what you are being charged with. The man went on to explain the sentence, and punishment.
Pale, shocked and numb Grimes was led with his arms and feet constrained back to his cell and shackled to the others. He was the first one to have his embassy visit and the other men were keen to find out what had happened Grimes was too shaken to speak.
Akhim spoke to him
“What’s happening Julian?” and he informed Grimes they had been told they would be charged and moved later that day or first thing in the morning after all the embassies had visited.
Julian Grimes looked at his foul and filthy surrounds and now realised the main prison would be just as bad if not worse. Then, trying to come to terms with what he’d just been told, quietly spoke to the silent gathered group.
“It seems it has already been decided gentlemen” he paused, because he didn’t want to hear the words come out, then finished his sentence
“We will receive the death penalty.”
****
A nervous tension abounds in Thran’s living room, although a happy relief after the events of the afternoon. Now early evening, the Tangh’s, Pon, Captain Ca and Colonel Nhat sat around discussing the recent events with an army Lt Colonel, a senior police chief, and two top judges in order to find a quick but fitting court date to hand out the verdicts, sentences and punishments for the insurrectionary prisoners now in custody.
There would be no slick lawyers to get them out or any early release, this was Vietnam. The power, authority and influence lay with the men within this room, literally the power between life and death.
Spock and Stu sat in comfortable armchairs watching Vietnamese TV in the conservatory of the large drawing room.
Thran noticed them looking bored, although now considered part of the family they could play no part in this conversation. He phoned his driver then spoke to Pon, who shouted over to them
“Thran has put his car and driver at your disposal if you want to go out”
“You’ll need some money, but if yo...” said Thran, unable to finish his sentence as the pair were already out of the door
Lee, Pon and Captain Ca laughed as the two lads did their disappearing act. The lads hurried over to the parked car with the driver starting it up. They got in and smiled at the shocked driver.
Thran looked taken aback, however Pon and Lee told him he would get used to that. Thran called his driver again and told him to give them some money, a few million Dong, equivalent to $200 each and told him to give them more if they needed it, they certainly deserved it.
The car pulled out and along route 3, the driver spoke English and asked the lads where they wanted to go.
“I think first on the agenda must be a soapy” said Spock. Stu nodded eagerly and instructed the driver.
“Soapy massage” they sat back and enjoyed the sights, sounds, hustle and bustle as they entered the heart of Hanoi. The driver drove around the city and the lads took in the sights and succulent aromas from the open-air restaurants. The driver pulled into the rear of a large hotel and the lads saw a large sign stating, body massage. They went inside and greeted by several Vietnamese women, all wanting to take care of them and looking at their injuries. A smartly dressed man then came up to them and enquired which lady they wanted.
They didn’t hang about and chose two women, who grabbed towels and oils and led them up some stairs and into small clean rooms with a small, white massage mattress laid on the floor. They were given baggy shorts and a robe, led in to a shower cubicle, given a bottle of liquid soap, and instructed to wash themselves.
“This is different,” they both thought.
One hour later, they met up in the foyer, both in pain and searching for their driver in order to give him a good slapping. They’d had their already aching bodies, kneaded, twisted and pummelled as the masseuses gave them a full body massage, with no happy ending.
They paid and went into the car park where the driver opened the door for them, but he got scared as the two strode towards him looking angry.
“Good massage sir?” he asked to the oncoming lads
“No stupid it wasn’t a bloody soapy, it was bloody agony” said Spock spitting on his clipping hand, to prime it ready to meet the drivers head.
The driver then pointed to the large sign above the door, which read
‘So-Pee’s body massage and ‘spa’ and showed pictures of people getting different stages of massage.
They couldn’t blame the driver, after all it was a so-pee, unfortunately not a soapy as they knew it and now their ardour had worn off, due to them being in pain. However the driver informed them they would feel the benefits the next day, which earned him his clip around his ear for reminding them they were sore and Spock didn’t want to waste his primed hand. They decided to hit the bars and told the driver to take them