A spring surprise

05/18/2011

0450 hours

Tijuana, Mexico.

Teniente (Lieutenant) Umberto Céspedes fiddled with the safety on his FX-05 Xiuhcoatl, something he always did when he was nervous.

He gave his men one last look over, running over the details of their combat strategy for the thousandth time. "You know what Jesús? Change of plan" he called out to a man sitting in the back of the chopper who had more scars on his face than skin, "you'll take the left side with me, while Felix and Martín take the back with Thiago".

Subteniente (Sub-Lieutenant) Thiago Flores, a rather petite man, looked over at him from his seat on the other side of the crowded Mil Mi-17. As the second highest ranking member of their platoon, Thiago could always get more information out of Umberto than the rest of them.

He made his way over to the Lieutenant. "Any reason tension is so high on this one?" Thiago asked. Being nervous before an operation was normal, even expected. After all, they were the Fuerzas Especiales del Alto Mando (special forces high command) tasked with carrying out Mexico's most dangerous operations. But Umberto, as mission commander, had always put on a cool front for his men. That his nervousness was leaking out -- even in something as minor as a twitch -- meant that something about the mission must be more high stakes than usual.

Umberto looked at Thiago and produced a letter from his pocket, handing it to him without saying anything. Thiago quickly scanned its contents:

Teniente Céspedes, your mission today is to capture German Rock Star Lukas Beck, the CEO of Pawfect pet foods. Señor Beck is accused of lacing his products with heroin, in a scheme meant to make it so people's pets would get addicted to his brand of pet food.

I must urge you to exercise **** caution and complete the mission swiftly and professionally. Beck had a partner, Lorenzo Ruiz, who was arrested earlier today in Sinaloa. Lukas happens to be in the country shooting a music video, but if word reaches him of Ruiz's capture, he will most likely flee Mexico forever.

I have complete faith in you and the 18 men you'll be commanding. Best of luck;

Guillermo Galván Galván, Secretario de Defensa (secretary of defense).

Umberto gave his Sub-Lieutenant an anxious look. "He is not Mexican, this Beck pendejo. If he gets out of the country, there is nothing we can do to him. We have just one chance to surround his house and nab him. Otherwise, he can hop on a bike and five minutes later he's in San Diego. If we don't succeed in capturing him he will escape justice forever!"

Thiago knew that this was his cue to say something to calm his superior's nerves, but instead, he just sighed and looked down at his hands. His commander was right.

Coronel (Colonel) Gabriel Fox banged his gavel* and everyone in the military court took their seats. He looked at the page on his desk and announced with a somber tone "Lorenzo Ruiz, I Coronel Fox hereby find you guilty of all charges. After thorough deliberation, sentencing has been decided by the tribunal to be 84 years. Thank you, court is adjourned".

Lorenzo punched the table, swept all the papers off of it, and grabbed his defense lawyer by the throat, slowly strangling the pretty woman.

He was bursting with fury. Lukas Beck had been his partner in Pawfect, the German little shit had collected the profits for almost a decade. Yet when the military came knocking, he fled like a mouse over the border, leaving him to be locked up forever. And it was all because the pathetic Mexican government was too humiliated by the fact that they had a mole in the Secretariat of National Defense (who had tipped off Beck about the troops heading to his mansion) to ask the Germans to extradite him.

And as the soldiers rushed towards him and pinned him down, and as they chained his hands behind his back, and even when they dragged him out of the tent and tossed him into the truck that would take him away forever, Lorenzo Ruiz could only think one thought.

He was going to kill Lukas Beck.

*Authors note: apparently they don't use gavels in Mexico. But hey, there's a limit to how accurate I'm going to be in this story!