The cradle of Paradise

Chapter 3: Reaction

The detectives woke up to the harsh sound of boots hitting tiles. "On your feet detective" a voice boomed and they rose. "Good morning" a female said "Please have a seat and have some coffee we need to speak" she continued "Shit, who the hell is she and what happened to us?" the one asked "You passed out from drinking on the job" she said deeply regretting it "As for who I am, I am Sarah Walker. You are here because I need you to help me with the same case that you are currently investigating" "The case about the missing Rhino" "Yes, but that is only part of the case"

"A few years ago we, the CIA was investigating a splinter cell who operated in Southern Africa. They used animals to smuggle weapons in and out of the borders" "How?" "That is what we need to find out" "You investigated long, but have no proof of your claims? Hard to believe" "Our proof is easy, they steal animals at random, which is supposed to go to the SANPark or other farms" "It doesn't have any ground in the courts and doesn't prove your theory of the weapons" "that is why we will help you find your Rhino, if you help us prove our theory" "we will accept on the condition, we get to arrest them and send them to you when we are done with them. We promise we will only make a case against theft of the Rhino." "Sure, you got it" "So where is the Rhino?" "Angola by now, but it will soon return to the SANPark. So you need to hurry." "Angola? We would rather think Nigerians are the ones who would be so daft" "You mean criminally smart" " Both"

"Gavin, do you think they would take the bait?" "They already have" "What do you mean?" "They already have a copy of the whole document" "You think we can get them?" "Well depends on how we approach it" "You never told me how you know so much" "History taught me" "Let me guess, you worked in a museum?" "Not it, but I did for a few months" "Security?" "In a way yes" "You learned from history, hmm. You didn't happen to be part of the history of this country?" "Nine years, I retired at the rank of Major" "I should salute you" "Please never do" "Why?" "Those days are over I do not believe in that what the salute represent" "So why driving?" "I didn't have much of a choice in jobs after I retired out of the government. They never let me back in. We suffered, I suffered" he said and shed a few stray tears "Man, now I am going emotional. Too little sleep" "I will drive, you get some sleep" "No, we have to keep moving. If I get tired I will pull over for the switch"

=========*Gavin's POV*=========

As I drove down the highway, into Botswana I felt the tears welling up again. It was not because I am emotionally unstable. On the contrary, I am stable. I even refused to the debriefing session after the war. I didn't suffer any psychological damage, or at least none that I was aware of. It was just when I started to speak about it, that I realized how much I lost on the same borders I travel over every time.  I remember clearly the one event, me and my men were waiting for  a convoy to pass by. The target was of high value. It was one of the leaders of what we then called terrorists.

What happened there cost me twelve men and the target. He got away from us and two weeks later he happened to blow another military camp up on the border of Angola. We got a hot opn him only later, but it was too late by then. The border war got ceased and the rest happened with history going around. I never saw Afrika as dark in those next four years in my entire life. Something happened and it got me to never go back doing business with the government as part of them. At least twenty years later, where I am today was partly due to the fact that the government was afraid of what me and others knew and kept us silent, by making life difficult for us. We couldn't find jobs. Our food happened to be poisoned when we buy it. We would get medical treatment and only if a certain person would sign for it and who that person is, remains a mystery.

I realized that my thoughts were never clear about it all, until I had to think about it and that opened wounds. Deep wounds that left scars when treated to remind you of how you got hurt. It didn't just scab over and fell off with time, but remained. I think now that what we went through is probably the same as what those in the majority group went through during the days of oppression. Those days are gone, but our misery still keeps on holding onto us like a tick on dogs. Funny pun though, since what is in my mind can compare what I just thought back into a world of the past

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A/N

So this is chapter three and gives us insight into the guys mind who drove the Rhino to the border. The same one who spoke Afrikaans. No shout outs, since nobody votes or comments for me to see who is reading this.