11 - Escape From Panama

His plan was extreme; April told him repeatedly when he recited it to her that he was on a suicide mission. Amanda Porter understood though why he was choosing to do this, Tyler Church depended on him.

Fuck their stupid title, Blackwater had little interest in being BPW Champion. Being a mercenary; he’d seen many different forms of evil, and he recognised that those running Black Pyramid Wrestling: Conrad Dukes and whoever it was looking down from that skybox, were both using the startup wrestling company for something more sinister.

The lure of the prize money offered to the inaugural tournament winner had brought Blackwater to Las Vegas. This was nothing unusual for The Solider of Fortune - money was up for grabs, he would arrive, fight, sometimes kill, then fuck off - moving on to the next job. 

The title belt would have simply been a nice decorative piece to accompany his newly-acquired stack of cash. But he’d failed to win the tournament, falling to the eventual tournament winner, Church, along the way. However; after losing the first two matches, Blackwater went on an eight-match winning streak which saw him crowned number one contender for Church’s newly won BPW Tile, granting him a second opportunity at a large seven-figure cash prize.

But things had to go and get personal, mixing business with pleasure. Blackwater had always been professional, it had helped him garner a strong reputation within his occupation. Falling in love with April O’Toole, that was definitely not something he expected or sought after when first arriving in Vegas. And then there was his relationship with Church. Sure, he had made many accomplices along the way, but this relationship was different, he actually felt like they were becoming friends. He felt it, even more, when Church referred to Blackwater by his Christian name at the contract signing.

What the fuck have they done to you? Blackwater thought as he rowed up to the large anchor of The Ever Given, picturing the collar placed around his friend’s neck. He was sure that was what was controlling Church, what caused him to deliver the stiff headbutt against Blackwater’s brow two weeks ago.

After securing the rowboat to the anchor, Blackwater proceeded to slowly climb up the large chain. Eventually, he was able to pull himself up onto the deck of the container ship, and immediately he surveyed for guards. He noticed half a dozen men, each equipped with semi-automatic firearms, patrolling the deck. Blackwater proceeded to navigate his way around the deck, searching for an entrance point for the storage area below where the ring would be set up.

After taking his time, sticking to the shadows and using every part of his extensive stealth training; Blackwater successfully made his way to the rafters above the ring. He took a moment to sit and gather his thoughts as he looked down on the location of his showdown with Church.

After familiarising himself with his surroundings, he reminisced about when he revealed his plan to April over the phone.

There was an awkward pause over the phone.

April remained silent, Blackwater continued.

Blackwater took a deep breath.

There was another pause from April, so Blackwater continued.

Blackwater was next to pause, nervous at how April would react.

He quickly tried to reassure her.

April remained silent…

He laughed to himself.

After another small pause, April finally spoke…

Blackwater was caught off guard.

Blackwater remained defiant to his love.

Blackwater stopped reminiscing, returning his focus back to the ringside area. He quickly scouted for guards once more, but it was unguarded, and he proceeded to climb down to the ground. He moved quickly over to the ring and lifted up the curtain as he continued to watch out for the patrolling guards.

After reassuring himself that he was not being watched, he removed the handgun from its holster. He performed one final check; the clip was fully loaded, the chamber was clear, he knew the gun wouldn’t misfire, it never had before. He pressed the top of the gun to his bowed forehead, as he said a prayer of sorts, knowing this could well be his last ride. He then finally hid the firearm under the ring so that he could quickly grab it before they tried to place the collar on himself. I will not become their fucking slave.

He next plotted his exit out of the room, securing the cash prize on the way out through the crowd and out of a side door. It all made sense, it wouldn’t be his first suicide mission, he hoped for sure it would be his last.

If they made it to the deck, things would definitely get messy. That’s when his Panama contacts would come in handy. Peterson and Ortiz, two men Blackwater had performed several Central American jobs with in the past, had access to a UH-1D helicopter and some heavy automatic weapons. The Ever Given was large enough for them to land on, collect Blackwater and Church, plus the money and the belt, and airlift them to safety in Changuinola, North Panama next to the Costa Rican border. There, Amanda had arranged for their safe extraction from the country, and on to their new lives.

As Blackwater carefully lowered himself back into the rowboat, he reflected upon his plan, I know it will work.

He thought that despite all the heinous acts he’d carried out over the years, this was the final thing needed to redeem his soul, by helping to free someone he perceived to be a good man from slavery in Church.

As he began to row back towards the shore, he could feel his new life growing closer. Securing the 1 million dollars meant the life he truly craved with April could be achieved, away from all this madness, away from the nameless man who kidnapped April back in Vegas. Somewhere where they would be left alone, to have a dog and raise a few kids.

As he climbed onto the shore and took one final look at The Ever Given, he pulled his phone out and made one final call.