Free Tridas by Mark Alan Page A

embassy, to the sound and
vibration of the propellers on the transport helicopter ramping up to speed.
The entire unit was in plain clothes. They would be posing as a tourist group
in Bangkok as they infiltrated the inner offices of the Government House. The
camouflage for this mission would simply be blending in with the thousands of
other trapped tourists attempting to enjoy the sites, in spite of the situation
now looming over Thailand.
    The bird landed in the "safe zone,"
unnoticed. The team took off on motorbikes to the first bus transport and then
switched to tuk-tuks once they entered the city. Architectural elements of the
main building surprised Aven.  The golden dome looked very Italian. He quickly
Googled the building's history and coincidentally it was designed by an
Italian, Rigotti.
    "The Italian design of the house could help
with our infiltration”, Aven explained. "This architect and his student
artists were known for including tunnels in their designs, in tribute to the
labyrinths of ancient Rome. Once inside the gates, descending stairs could be a
way to navigate the acres undetected”.
    "Let's divide and conquer”, the commander
ordered. "Keep coms live. I will patrol the perimeter, while Techie
continues to patch into their communications. Thermal will be too conspicuous,
so we are old school on this op. Once the Colonel is secured, we hold the
strong position, giving us more options. Move out".
    Given the chaos in the streets, it was not
difficult to blend, even just steps from the iron fences walling in the
Government House. Cultivating a riot was easy and served as a perfect
distraction of the guards, to enter the grounds.
    Aven had separated off with the largest of the unit,
a Dutch farm boy from Michigan. "The team appreciates your expertise Aven.

You are probably the most intelligent guy I have ever met, but I got to be
honest... your ideas about an ancient prediction of floods and magic-talk have
us all a little bugged out", Hoyt confessed. "The scientific study
about the water in the core of the earth seems reasonable, but rumor has it,
you cracked the code by channeling the spirit world at some pyramid in Cancun?
Come on man, Cancun is a Spring Break destination, not a vestige of military
intelligence from the gods!"
    Aven reasoned, it was not likely a good time to
fill his new cynical friend in on his further exploits at Angkor, but actually
embraced Hoyt's sarcasm. "People embrace science to explain what they
cannot understand. Acknowledging the existence of magic would destroy the last
vestige of that egocentric control".
    "Deep", Hoyt replied, but internalized
the message more than the one word response indicated.
    "Where do we stand?" The commander's
voice snapped over the coms embedded in their ears. The position reports of the
unit came next. Aven and Hoyt were making the best progress. The tunnels had
proven a good route to remain unseen while approaching the inner offices. From
the layout maps they had studied, Hoyt could sense they were very close to the
assumed position of the Colonel. Now they simply needed an access point back to
the surface.
    "The fact that the tunnels were omitted from
our layout plans, leads me to assume they may be secret even to the Thai. That
being the case, the likely hood of an obvious exit is pretty slim”. Hoyt
offered up his thoughts.
    "The first principle of good strategy. Never
assume anything" Aven replied, in his best impersonation of Hoyt's
previously sarcastic tone.
    They both burst out laughing, the echoes bouncing
off the cavern walls. Hoyt froze, head cocked. "The acoustics are wrong.
There is an attenuation effect coming from this left wall. It's not pure
rock." Turns out, Hoyt is an echo suppression expert. He at least had
exceptional hearing.
    "Nice work Hoyt!" Aven complimented.
    "When it comes to 'having ears on it,' I'm
the best!" Hoyt stated, full of pride. "Let's scout out some tools
and bust