Walking out of the hospital in the afternoon heat was like opening an oven door. Asphalt radiated the heat in visible waves, the air thick enough to drink. Her shirt stuck to her back as she climbed onto the bike with Malai. He glanced at Tobias a moment, and raised an eyebrow.
“He’s coming with us,” Chloe said. “He needs to be there.”
Malai nodded, at her, then at Tobias, then pulled away from the curb
Tobias followed on his scooter.
They pulled into the FBR parking area a few miles through the city. Containing a small building with a warehouse for vehicles and medical supplies, the parking lot had been transformed into staging ground: two Toyota pickups, tailgates down. Medical supplies in plastic tubs marked with red crosses. Anonymous transportation that wouldn’t attract unwanted attention.
Captain Wong supervised loading while two younger Rangers checked weapons and communication equipment. They took the Tatmadaw threat seriously.
Wong looked up as they approached, his mouth pinched. Over his sturdy, compact frame, all muscle, he wore a tactical vest and a few scars that evidenced his history with the FBRs, deploying all over the world to hot spots that needed humanitarian aid.
He shook his head as Tobias approached.
“I know what you’re going to say, Captain,” Chloe said. “But he’s a real doc, not just a medic. He needs to get a look at these cases.”
Tobias held out his hand. “I won’t be in the way.”
“Dr. Nnamdi. You understand that this is not a medical mission to a stable clinic. This is infiltration into territory controlled by hostile forces. Mistakes result in detention. Torture. Death.”
What he said.She glanced at Tobias.
“I understand.”
Wong studied him. Then he nodded and indicated a truck. “Load your gear. But understand—once we cross that border, you follow my orders without question. No separation from the group. No decisions based on medical ethics if those decisions compromise operational security.”
“Meaning?”
“If I tell you to leave a patient behind, you leave them. Destroy medical supplies to prevent capture, you destroy them. Abandon your mission and run, you run.”
Bossy much?But she’d learned that despite their humanitarian focus, Wong and the others knew how to protect themselves—and others—in the jungle.
And not just from the wildlife.
“Team lives take precedence over individual patients. Always.”
She looked away from Tobias and Wong.
“Understood.”
“Miss Silver.”
She glanced at Wong, who’d given her a hard look. “What?”
“Same rules. Camera stays hidden if we encounter military forces. Document nothing that could compromise the location or identity of villagers helping us. If I determine that your presence endangers the mission, you’ll be left behind at the first safe location.”
“Understood.”
He took a breath. “The Tatmadaw have increased patrols, responding to recent EAO—ethnic armed organization—activity. Intelligence suggests that there are new checkpoints and expanding detention facilities.” He moved toward the lead truck, his boots crunching gravel baked to near-ceramic hardness. “We cross at sunset. Less visibility for air patrols. We should reach the village before full darkness makes navigation impossible.”
Chloe followed Tobias over to the truck and climbed into the front passenger seat. Malai got in at the wheel, grinned at her. “Got you somemoo ping.” He handed her a skewer of pork.
She could kiss him.
They drove toward the Myanmar border, each kilometer taking them deeper into remote territory. The drive started with decent highways cutting through rice paddies and small farmingcommunities, but as they climbed into the mountainous border region, paved roads gave way to dirt tracks that sent red dust clouds through the windows despite their efforts to keep them sealed. The air-conditioning fought a losing battle against the oppressive temperature, and the air tasted of dust and diesel.
“Have you filed your report yet?” Tobias asked from the back seat, his voice cutting through the growl of the engine.