The Jungle of Fear : part 1

From the pages of Ian Fleming & Commando Comic, comes this four part action adventure epic...

In the dead of night, a shadowy figure lurked at my doorstep.

With silent precision, he picked the lock.

Inside, the prowler moved from room to room, looking for something. Or someone.

Till he found what he wanted.

Lights snapped on, and a booming voice commanded:
'Captain Yates - stand to attention!'

To be quickly ammended - 'Good god man, at ease! Get dressed Yates, and find your passport'.

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In the kitchen, Brigitte and Stephanie were good enough to cook breakfast while the Brigadier briefed me:
'We have unconfirmed reports from a reliable source of something big, and we're sending you North Aviana to find out. You'll rendezvous with our associates at the airport, who will escort you to the site. Then contact me with your findings as soon as you can. It's a nasty part of the world Yates, watch your back - and good luck'.
Kissing the girls goodbye (and a cheeky peck offered to the Brigadier), i was soon at Tomerton Airport:

The flight took forever, with increasingly obscure transits. I had time to dwell - North Aviana; a blip on the map, bananas, former colony, the peaceful side to it's more troubled neighbour, South Aviana. What could it possibly have to interest the Brigadier? Finally, with tropical sun beaming through the windows, we approached a dusty field that was North Avianas connection to the world.

Hubbub with voices, market traders, calypso music - it was hard to see where the airport ended and the 'city' began.

I looked around vainly for my rendezvous, when a voice behind me hissed
'mister, you want a ride?'
i started to answer, when cold steel pressed into my spine told me it wasn't a question.
'I take it you're not my contact?' but neither the gun man or driver were talkative types.

The car drove, out of the 'city', through fields of sugar cane, palm plantations, and raw jungle.
I looked for any opportunity, but the gun remained trained on me. Just once, i thought i saw a Land Rover in the mirror, but on the plain road it was soon left behind.

As the jungle thickened, we came to a steeper muddier track. And there, for sure - i saw the Land Rover again. So did our driver.
'boss, trouble'
'lose them'

Easier said than done - on this road, the 4wd had the advantage. I hoped for any kind of distraction to make my escape, and they delivered - driving alongside the taxi and ramming it!

I seized the chance, leaping out the door as the taxi crashed to a halt. Gunfire exploded from the Land Rover, and as i crawled to shelter, a thick Australian accent called 'Yates? Get over here'

With two men in the taxi dead, it seemed time to meet my rescuers
'I take it you're my rendezvous?'
'Didn't your mum tell you not to take lifts from strangers? Arnold-Ambrose - captain, special boat service. Call me Jeff - and this is Wingnut' the other man riffling the corpses for papers 'Mike - SAS'
'I'm grateful'
'happens a lot round here'
'I understand you have something interesting to show me?'
'Do we ever...'

With that, the Aussies drove me to a jungle clearing, where a camoflagued helicopter was being readied. This was where the journey really began.

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part two, on news stands soon!