Code Name Tequila Ch. 23

Behind Ria, Chambers slowly backed up towards the rifle.

Ria moved forward, passing Ortiz. "Surrender is the best option, Isabella," Ria said.

Behind Ria, Ortiz looked at Chambers. Ortiz nodded at the gun. Chambers nodded, and kicked it towards him. Ortiz bent down, picked up the gun and before Isabella had a chance to react, pointed it at Isabella. "Now it is really over," Ortiz said.

Isabella lowered her weapon.

Ria moved backwards. "Okay, let's get to the radio room and call off this attack," Ria said.

"Not so fast," Ortiz said. He turned to Ria and Chambers, pointing the gun at them. Isabella raised her weapon again. "I'm afraid that's not a call you'll be making."

"What, I don't understand," Chambers said.

"It turns out that the Aguila Roja is on this boat," Ortiz said. "And you are looking at him."

"You," Ria said. "You are the Aguila Roja? A drug dealer?"

"Drugs are merely a means to an end, Ria," Ortiz said. "A way to finance my true goals. The establishment of the next super power. A Latin American super power. The time of America and Russia has come and gone. Right now there is a power vacuum in the world. There are pretenders to the throne - China and India. Brazil, possibly, but it doesn't have everything. However, together with the other countries in Latin America, a united South America would be unbeatable."

"When I first started, I tried to achieve the goal through purely political means," Ortiz continued. "However, I quickly realized that I needed money to reach my goal, and the quickest way to get money was via drugs. Once the Gran Colombian Republic is set up, I'll crush the drug lords, but for now they provide me the power and money I need to work towards the end goal. A Latin American super power."

"I have been trying to do this for years," Ortiz said. "I have tried through many means. Capitalist power, international politics, and the power of sport. The American and Chinese supported governments were too hard to unseat, so I finally decided that the best plan would be armed insurrection. This was my first attempt, and obviously it has not worked yet, but one day I will achieve my goal of a united and strong Latin America!"

"I can't believe this," Ria said. "Carlos believed in you. He believed that you would different. But you aren't. Instead, you killed him."

"Carlos was a liar and spy, working for a security service that props up the American puppets who control Colombia," Ortiz said. "Proof of that is your working with him, Ria. So disappointing to see yet another Latin American fall under the spell of the American powers and there American dollars. Imagine a strong Mexico as a province in the strongest economic and military power in the world, Ria. That is what I promise. You could have been a part of it. Not now, though."

"What are you going to do?" Chambers asked.

Ortiz smiled. "Unfortunately the insurrection plan has not worked, so I will have to abandon it. However, thanks to the CIA's suspicions, everyone thinks that Tabernas was the Aguila Roja, and now he is dead, we can continue that illusion. All I have to do is leave this ship and say that Aguila Roja was killed. The Aguila Roja is killed off, yet retain control of the drug and weapons trade. I just have to make sure I kill anyone who might be able to say otherwise."

Ortiz raised his gun, pointing it at Ria.

"Isabella," Ria said. "You do realize that he means you as well."

Isabella shook her head.

"The Aguila Roja doesn't leave loose ends, Isabella," Chambers said.

Ortiz shook his head. "Don't listen to them, Isabella." Ortiz raised his gun, and pulled the trigger.

The gun jammed.

"Run," Ria said. Chambers and Ria started sprinting down the hall.

"Isabella, fire!" Ortiz said.

Isabella fired, but Chambers and Ria were already around the corner.

Ria and Chambers ran down the hall, and up a set of stairs. They were now in another hallway. To the left, the hallway ran out to the deck, where Ria and Chambers could still hear gunfire. To the right, the bridge. Ria and Chambers ran down the hallway and into the bridge.

"Get the door closed," Chambers said, running over to the radio on the bridge. Ria shut the door, but didn't get it latched before Ortiz slammed his body against the door and forced it open. Ria fell to the floor from the force of the door flying open. Ortiz stumbled into the room. Isabella ran in after him, rifle raised.

Isabella looked over at Chambers at the radio. She fired, the bullets tearing into the radio. Chambers jumped back as the radio sparked and smoked.

"Now kill them," Ortiz ordered, still lying on the ground.

Isabella turned the gun towards Chambers.

"Wait," Ria said. "Isabella, you were on the CIA list of Aguila Roja contacts. Ortiz knows that. The CIA won't stop coming after you. Ortiz knows that to be true and fully in the clear, to put all suspicion off himself, you have to die along with us. If the Aguila Roja has his way, only one person will be walking off this boat, Isabella, and it isn't you."

"Kill them," Ortiz said. Isabella looked at Ortiz, and then back at Ria.

"Isabella," Ria said, "you know what Ortiz as the Aguila Roja is capable of. You know that he has no qualms with killing those close to him. How long did Ortiz know Rodrigo Tabernas, and he had you kill him without a second thought, didn't he?"

"I... I...," Isabella stammered.

"Damnit, Isabella!" Ortiz screamed. "Kill them."

"What happens to us after this," Isabella asked Ortiz. "Are you going to take me with you?"

Ortiz stood up. "Damnit Isabella, give me the gun if you aren't going to shoot," he said, striding towards her.

Isabella turned to Ortiz, pointing the weapon at him. "We are a team, aren't we?" she asked, her voice breaking. "You won't abandon me, will you?"

"Dear God," Ortiz screamed. "Today was supposed to be the day when the first important steps to Gran Colombia came into being. The governments of Colombia and Venezuela were supposed to fall. I was supposed to come on this boat and be able to walk off, supposedly securing a political agreement with the generals of the rebellion to agree to a cease fire. The people would be so happy, they would gladly elect me leader. Now all that is gone to hell. All my dreams crushed for the foreseeable future. Instead of being consoled by you, instead you are asking me insane questions about our future? Let me clear it up for you. WE HAVE NO FUTURE! THE FUTURE FELL APART TODAY! Now just fucking shoot them," Ortiz said, pointed at Chambers and Ria.

Isabella lowered her weapon.

"Oh, for fucks sakes," Ortiz said. He lunged forward, grabbing at the rifle. Isabella staggered backwards, tripping over the bulkhead of the bridge door.

As Isabella fell backwards, the barrel of the rifle swung upwards. A shot rang out, echoing loudly off the metal walls of the bridge. Chambers and Ria covered their ears against the loud echo, wincing as the sound bounced off the solid walls.

The echoes died out. Ria and Chambers looked up.

Ortiz was bent over, clutching his stomach. He was wheezing. Isabella, lying on the deck outside of the bridge, looked up in horror.

"Jorge," Isabella cried. He picked herself up off the floor, dropped the rifle and ran into the bridge to Ortiz's side.

Chambers darted out of the bridge and grabbed the rifle Isabella had dropped. He picked it up and pointed it towards Isabella and Ortiz, but neither appeared aware.

"Jorge, I'm so sorry," Isabella said, weeping and putting her arm around Ortiz.

Ortiz pulled away from her, stumbling towards a door on the other side of the cabin from Chambers. "Stay away from me," Ortiz said, spitting out his words through gritty teeth. "Stay away. You've spoiled everything, you stupid bitch."

Isabella stepped back, eyes wide. "Jorge, how can you say that?"

Ortiz turned his back on Isabella and lunged towards the door, staggering unsteadily on his feet. Blood seeped from his stomach, leaving a trail of dark blood on the floor of the bridge. Ortiz walked out the door, and turned back towards the bridge, leaning against the railing of the side of the freighter. "Stay back, leave me alone," he said, weakly. The colour had drained from his face, and the front of his shirt was drenched with dark red blood. A pool of dark blood collected by his feet.

Isabella ran forward. "No, Jorge," she cried. "Please let me help you."

"No," Ortiz cried, screaming yet his weak voice was barely above a whisper. "No, stay back."

Isabella kept coming forward. Ortiz turned and tried to run, but slipped on the pool of blood around his feet. He staggered and stumbled, falling face first to the deck, his feet flailing. As he fell, his left leg slid beneath the lowest rung of the ship's railing. Ortiz hit the ground as the ship lurched to its left. He slid to the edge of the ship, and started to tumble over. Ortiz grasped at the deck, trying to prevent himself from falling, but his weak hands were able to get purchase on the blood-soaked, slick deck. His body slid beneath the bottom rung of the railing, and out of sight.

Isabella, Ria and Chambers raced to the railing. Looking over, the looked down at the dark water of Lake Gatun. Bubbles rose to the surface where Ortiz had hit the water. They waited, but Ortiz didn't surface.

"He's gone," Isabella said quietly.

"I'm going to the radio room," Chambers said. "We'll call off the air strike and get search teams here."

"Search teams," Ria said turning to Chambers. Isabella, stunned, wandered down the deck.

"Ortiz is the Aguila Roja," Chambers said. "If we can take him alive, that would be best," Chambers turned and ran back into the bridge.

Ria watched as Chambers disappeared into the bridge. Ria turned back towards Isabella. Isabella was walking slowly along the deck, mumbling to herself. "I thought he loved me, and in the end he wanted nothing to do with me. I thought he loved me," she said.

Twenty feet away, Ria tried to run forward to stop it, but Ria was too far away. Isabella climbed over the railing, and jumped the 50 feet to the water of Lake Gatun below.

* *

A week and a half later, and Jarvis Cleethorpe flipped the TV on to the BBC World Service, just catching the tail end of a story on the disappearance of Jorge Ortiz. "With the search in Lake Gatun for Mr. Jorge Ortiz called off after nine days, the Colombian authorities will likely declare Mr. Ortiz dead within the next few days. This news has left the Colombian political situation in turmoil, as Mr. Ortiz was the only legitimate contender to General Santos dos Torres, the hard line right-winger who is now expected to easily romp to victory. General Santos dos Torres' militaristic stance against both left-wing neighbour Venezuela and the powerful United States is likely to increase tension in the area."

"In addition to disrupting the Colombian political situation, the disappearance of Mr. Ortiz proved to be the final nail in the coffin for the Pan American Racing League, where Mr. Ortiz was a key executive. The Pan-Am series has suffered a series of blows this year, including the death of top driver Carlos Sanz on the race track, and the deaths of team owners Luis and Rodrigo Tabernas and Dr. Hugh Patterson, as well as COO of key sponsor Cabo Blanco Tequila, Mr. Andre Fernandez. The racing league finished their race in Cartagena, Colombia, and was ready to head to the next race in New York City, but the fleet of planes ready to take the racers to New York have been grounded, and the league today announced its immediate suspension."

"Pan-Am CEO Walter Clark said that without an injection of cash within the next two days, the league would not be able to meet its financial obligations. A knight in shining armour to rescue the league seems unlikely at this point, as just after Mr. Clark's statement was released, the tax authorities of the USA, Chile, Mexico, Argentina and Canada released a joint statement saying that the league was under investigation for tax fraud. The statement from the tax authorities did not specifically mention what fraud, but confidential sources from inside the IRS have told the BBC that the racing league is believed to have been used to launder drug money and funnel money to illegal tax havens in the Caribbean and Europe."

Jarvis clicked off the TV, and turned towards the windows. The private villa he was in on a private island within the Pearl Islands chain off the coast of Panama had large, floor to ceiling windows looking out onto a small garden and down to a sandy beach.

On the beach, Ria was sitting quietly on the sand, staring out at the sea. Chambers approached her.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

"Yeah, fine," Ria said softly. She was playing with something, rolling it between her fingers.

"What have you got there," Chambers asked.

Ria held it up. It was a butterfly pin. "Carlos Sanz bought it for me in Panama," Ria said. "He used to call me butterfly all the time."

Chambers sat down beside Ria. "Do you miss him?" Chambers asked.

"Yes," Ria said. "He was a good person, and a good friend. We fought - at the end. I was bad to him just before he died. I..." Ria's voice broke and she stopped speaking, putting her head down.

Chambers put his arm around Ria. "Ria, you can't beat yourself up about that," Chambers said, kissing the top of Ria's head. "I am positive that Carlos has forgiven you. You're still his little butterfly."

Ria smiled. "Thanks Robert," she said. "I'm sure your right."

Chambers sat back and sighed. Ria turned and looked at him.

"What's wrong, Robert," Ria asked.

"Nothing," Chambers said. "It just makes me sad when I see you sad."

Ria leaned over and kissed him on the cheek. "Don't be sad, Robert. Seeing you makes me happy," she said.

Chambers smiled. "You know, Carlos was really on to something. You are a butterfly. Born a caterpillar, and now becoming a whole new person."

"You mean because I was born a boy, but am now a woman?" Ria asked.

"That," Chambers said, "but also because you have become a hell of a spy these last few months."

Ria laughed.

Chambers stood up, and extended his hand. "Come on, now," he said. "Cleethorpe wants to review the latest information with us."

Ria and Chambers walked back to the villa. The entered the dining room to see everyone else already seated. Jarvis Cleethorpe was at the head of the table. Seated around the table were April & May, as well as Marisa and representatives from the Colombian, Panamanian and Venezuelan forces. Ria and Chambers took their seats.

Jarvis Cleethorpe stood up. "Thank you all for coming, and for the information provided by all of you. I believe that you have all reviewed the latest information packs, but just to summarise the latest information, I'll give a short recap."

"The Panama Canal suffered minor damage during the attacks, however the damage has been repaired and the canal is operating at full capacity again, though it will probably take another two weeks to get through the backlog of ships wanting to pass through. In Venezuela, 5 oil fields were damaged, though they are being repaired and full capacity of the fields should be available again within a month," Jarvis said.

Cleethorpe continued. "The commanders of the rebellious fractions have all surrendered or been defeated. As per the cease fire negotiated, they and their units have amnesty for their actions. The commanders have, however, been able to give us the names of the leaders of the rebellions within the governments and military elite of all three countries, and those people have been arrested, including General Paco de Vita of Venezuela who was the primary planner of the land forces."

Cleethrope frowned. "Unfortunately, with the death of Jorge Ortiz, also known as the Aguila Roja, and the death of the known members of the Aguila Roja's entourage, we don't have any additional information on the Aguila Roja's organisation. However, we believe that the organisation has been smashed. This is based upon the fact that associates of Dogzar Dragoma - also known as the "Dogstar" - have been setting up shop in Latin America and moving in aggressively to fill the gap in power."

"While we don't doubt the eye witness accounts of Agent's Chambers and Ortega," Cleethorpe said, nodding towards Ria and Chambers, "the evidence labelling Jorge Ortiz as the Aguila Roja is purely circumstantial. As per the requests of the Colombian government, we are not releasing any information or inference that would indicate that Ortiz was the Aguila Roja. With Ortiz dead, the Colombian elections look to go the way of General Santos dos Torres, who is promising to crack down hard on the drug infrastructure and criminal organisations. With the power gap now that the Aguila Roja is gone, it is hard to predict what will happen."

"With that, I believe we can close this investigation for now," Cleethorpe said, concluding his remarks. "I thank you all for your hard work on this, and hopefully we won't all be here again in a few months talking about how to dislodge the Dogstar from his dominant position."

The members of the meeting got up, and scattered to various parts of the villa. Jarvis Cleethorpe called Ria and Chambers to one side.

"Agent Chambers, special agent Ortega, once again nice work," Jarvis said. "Sorry about the slight with regards to naming Ortiz as the Aguila Roja. Know that there isn't any doubt in our mind, however the Colombians are sensitive about releasing the information."

"No offence taken," Chambers said.

Jarvis smiled and turned to Ria. "Ms. Ortega, as agreed, we have transferred the agreed fee into a bank account in your name." Cleethorpe reached into his satchel took out a brown envelope and handed it to Ria. "The details of the account are in that file. In addition, I have this for you." Jarvis reached into his satchel again, and pulled out a small dark blue booklet. He handed it to Ria.

Ria looked down at the booklet. On the cover was an image of an eagle, and the words, "Passport. United States of America." She flipped open the booklet and looked at the identification page, which listed her name and details. Ria smiled and looked up. "Thank you, Jarvis," she said.

Jarvis nodded. "I will leave you two," he said. Turning again to Ria, he said, "I believe that Agent Chambers has an offer for you."

Ria raised an eyebrown and looked at Chambers. He smiled. "Yes, let's talk about that in one of the bedrooms," he said.

Ria and Chambers walked towards the back of the house, and into one of the bedrooms. Chambers shut the door.

"So, Ria, now that you have your passport and money, what are you going to do?" Chambers asked.

Ria shrugged. "I'm not sure. Find a job, I suppose," she said.

"What if I made you an offer," Chambers asked. "An offer to keep working with the CIA?"

Ria tilted her head. "What kind of offer, Chambers?"

Chambers smiled. "You have really proven yourself, Ria. The ability to handle pressure. The ability to handle yourself and whatever danger comes your way. Plus, your knowledge of languages. They can all come in very handy."

"But what for," Ria asked. "The Aguila Roja is gone."

Chambers nodded. "True, but the Dogstar is rearing his head. You have a decent grasp of most of the Western European languages, correct?"

Ria nodded.

"How about a trip to Paris, Agent Ortega?" Chambers said.

Ria smiled. "Agent, eh?"

Chambers nodded.

Ria smiled. "So, would I be working alone?"

Chambers shook his head. "No, you'll have a partner," he said. "An agent Chambers. I hear he is the best looking agent in all of the CIA."

Ria leaned forward and kissed Chambers on the lips. "Oh, Robert..."

The lay on the bed, embracing each other. They kissed passionately. Ria pulled off Chambers' shirt. Chambers put his hands in the waistband of Ria's jeans, and pushed them down over her hips. He ran his hands over beautiful, smooth ass. Chambers felt Ria's cock growing hard against his leg.