by Tony Lavely
After Khan left, Beckie grabbed Leonid. “Let’s go up to the site. If everything stays calm for the next day, I think all us hangers-on will get the hell outta here; leave you to your job.”
The half-hour drive through the late afternoon haze was calm; Beckie was okay with that.
She eased her way out of the truck. “Yo, Sam!” she called as she hobbled to his vantage point halfway along the valley floor. They shared a quick handshake and he offered an equipment case as a seat.
“Mrs. Jamse. How’d the meeting go?”
“Well enough that I think we can head out day after tomorrow… As long as nothing changes tomorrow.” I love that smile!
“I’m ready. Maybe Boynton, while he’s doing your flights, can book Gillian, Ben and I back to Turkey?”
“Well… I’ll check, but…” Bet he’s not as happy with… “I’m thinking to take you. I’d like Gillian and Ben to hang here for a while, responsible for the cache, and making sure the weapons… the nukes, mostly—don’t get out of our control. When we’ve settled how to deal with them, I’ll send Gillian back to you in Syria, but I’d like to leave Ben here as second to Leonid and Fedor. Wanted to get your feelings on it before springing it on everyone.” Yup. That’s not his happy look.
The man wasn’t angry, however, and only his eyes betrayed any disappointment. “Well, to be honest, I have no argument about monitoring the weapons. And Ben… I would have suggested it in a couple of months if you hadn’t. And I suspect Ian would have had us both on the carpet if we waited longer than that. But don’t think I’m offering to give him up!”
“I surely don’t think that. But if he’s willing, I want to expand his horizons, starting here.”
“I guess I can go recruiting again… I don’t suppose Elena—”
“I would never speak for her, but she’d have to tell me she really wants to do it before I let her go. She’s pretty important to me, even now that Ian’s back.”
“I thought so.” He pulled his helmet off and scrubbed his hand through the short black hair. “You’re right; Ben’s ready to move on, and this is a good mixture of protection and combat. He ought to be happy with it. Leonid and Fedor have done a good job, though they impute a lot of that to Beth.”
“Hmm. More than seems reasonable?”
“Nuh-uh. Just as I expect from her.”
“You consider a swap? Beth for Ben?”
He gave her a long look. “I’ll think on that, but my first inclination is to try recruiting. Beth’s an asset that I don’t think I’d be able to take full advantage of in Syria. But thank you for the thought.”
“No problem. Now, I need to talk with everyone; com’on, Cap.”
He reached to catch her arm. “Before we tell everyone…”
Beckie felt the flush sweep up her chest and neck to her face. Maybe the dirt’ll hide some of it. “Sorry, Captain. You’re right.” She glanced around the site, finding Ben and Gillian along the ridge above the cache. She waved Fabien over. “Can you head up there and ask Ben and Gil to come down? Need to talk to them. If you could keep your eye out?” He nodded and her “Thanks” trailed him.
After ten minutes explaining her thinking, Beckie sat back and mused. The weapons watching, that’s easy, relatively. Having Ben move… Well, neither one is happy, but hardly crushed, either. I guess it’s like moving anywhere. Never know if you’re gonna see your old friends again. She accepted Ben’s strong handshake as sealing the deal.
She waved to Leonid, who quickly collected everyone except Elena and Fedor, who’d remained at the base. Beckie stood with her back to the north-side valley wall, away from the excavations and probing. The team circled before her.
“Good work, everyone! Leonid and I feel… honored by your preparation and work. Now, as I told Leonid a little earlier, I’m getting ready to get out of your faces, to let you do your jobs.” She noted the small grins and smiles. “I’m taking Sam with me. Gillian and Ben have a special assignment that you’ll get on a need-to-know basis. When that’s done, Ben’s gonna stay here. Learn and teach, as appropriate—”
“More tha former than tha latter, believe me!” Ben riposted, drawing a flurry of chuckles and laughter.
“Whatever,” Beckie agreed. “Remember, even after I leave, Ian and I will have your backs like we always do. Elena, Sam and I’ll hang here through tomorrow to make sure nothing’s waiting for an opportunity, but then…”
“We’ll miss you!”
“I’m sure you will, Juri. Thanks again for arming me, by the way. Now, Lyeka’s gonna go over operational things.”
When Leonid had dismissed everyone, Beckie reached in her pocket for her sat phone, and made her way up the south slope to a nice-for-sitting-on rock. Sitting there, she knew that Beth had the watching-Beckie duty; the woman was trying to be inconspicuous about twenty feet away. “Com’on over here, Beth. I’m just gonna tell Ian how much I love him, no secret about that.”
When Beth’d found her own comfy rock, Beckie said, “You set here?”
“For another month or two, I think. I’m not sure that I can add anything more after that. And the routine’s gotten pretty… I don’t know, consistent, maybe?”
Beckie giggled. “Or boring, if that’s what you’re trying not to say?”
Beth laughed with her. “I wasn’t but… maybe. Anyway… Why? You got a different idea?”
“A couple of them, but right now, I think I’d like you to hang on here.”
“Done. Now…”
“Now you can ignore me while I call Ian and see how things are between him and his son.”
Beth chuckled as she looked at her phone. “Yeah, it’s a little early there for sweet nothings, I guess.”
Beckie scrolled to Ian’s number and pushed Talk. “I guess,” she said to Beth while the satellite connection was made. “Like, seven-thirty… Hello! I love you!”
Beth moved a few feet away while Beckie greeted Ian. “So, how is everything going back in the sunny Bahamas?”
“Well. Very well. Ralf awoke at five-thirty this morning, and ate voraciously. I am back to being able to connect two related thoughts… usually. And you?”
The next several minutes served to tell him most of what had taken place since she’d arrived, though Beth’s eyebrows almost disappeared into her tousled blonde hair when Beckie sloughed over the incidents that Elena had described. Beckie snorted a quick laugh and said, “So we’ll be leaving on whatever flight Maurice can get us on, like, Sunday morning.”
“Not tomorrow?”
“I want to hang here through tomorrow, just in case. Sam would be a help if Rezaei tries something, and Leonid thinks he may be released today, so…”
“Very well. Take care, please.”
“You know I will. Too much catching up to do! Love you!”
As she slid the phone into her pocket, she heard Beth’s humorous question, “I missed where you told him about the RPG? And the… you know?”
Beckie laughed aloud. “So did he! Elena already burned my ears about both of those; I’ll wait til I get back and he can see I’m ok. ’Cause after all, it was my ears got rung, no more. Lena’s the one got herself perforated.”
“Too bad I’ll miss it. Let’s head back down unless you need to make more calls?”
“I don’t think so—” Her phone rang. “… but what do I know? Hello, Maurice.”
“Your return flight, with Sam and Elena, leaves Karachi at four-forty Sunday morning, Karachi time.”
“Cool. Wait! Sam wanted—”
“Dr. Ardan wants Sam to return here.”
“I thought she already cleared Sam.”
“She chose not to justify her… requirement.”
“Well, okay then. We’ll come home together, assuming I can actually get out of here on time. When do we get in?”
“Into Miami at five Sunday evening. Bob will have a taxi at MIA to bring you back to the Nest.”
“Cool. So… Along about eigh
t or nine, then?”
“About. We anxiously await your arrival.”
“Love to all of you.”
As she and Beth clambered down the hillside, Beckie stopped for a moment. “Damn. I didn’t mean it when I worried about getting out of here. But I can’t leave… Two things,” in answer to Beth’s raised brows and quirked lips. “I can’t very well leave without talking to Chouj, and I have to figure out what to do with Mohammad.”
“Is that all?” Beth’s snark was completely obvious, so Beckie grinned back without saying anything.
However, when they reached the valley floor, Beckie grabbed Beth’s hand and pulled, headed to Chouj’s tent.
Leonid stopped her. “He’s down there, Beckie.”
She looked in the direction he indicated and saw Chouj with a couple of the scientists. With a wave and ‘Thanks,” she turned in that direction.
“You need me?”
She turned to stare at Beth. “Probably not, but I thought you were on the watching-me duty?”
“Only when you get away from the group. But it’s not a problem.”
“Cool. Come along then. Learn—”
“Yeah, learning’s good.”
“Especially with my example likely to show what not to do,” Beckie retorted, following it with a laugh.
One of the archeologists noticed the women approaching and tugged on Chouj’s sleeve. When he turned, he said, “Mrs. Jamse. A pleasure, to be sure.”
“Thank you. When you have a free moment…”
“I have another few minutes here. I will meet you in my tent.”
She and Beth waited outside Chouj’s tent while he finished his review of the day’s work.
“How may I assist you, Mrs. Jamse? And please, enter, find a seat. Both of you.”
“I will be leaving soon, to return home. I want to thank you for your assistance, and tell you of my pleasure in meeting you.”
His face had fallen, but then he recovered. “Your kind words are much appreciated. Will Miss Beth be leaving also?”
“No, she will remain for the time being. I’m reassigning a couple of my team to monitor the… the items we discussed, but Leonid will not be shorthanded, believe me.”
“I do, Mrs. Jamse, I do. Doctor Smythe and I both appreciate everything you have done… Speaking of whom, Doctor Sher… You may recall—”
“Yes, of course.”
“He will arrive here, on site, tomorrow afternoon. I’m certain he wishes to speak with you.”
“Anything you’d care to share?” He shook his head, a definite no. “I’ll make sure Leonid and Fedor are also available. Now. My other request… No, I’d better save that for Doctor Sher. Please recall your promise; I doubt Doctor Sher needs to know about that, now, at least. I suppose Doctor Smythe will not be joining us?”
Chouj chuckled. “We will require a substantial discovery to convince Doctor Smythe to leave his villa, I fear. The few pieces of pottery so far do not qualify.”
Beckie nodded her understanding, and she and Beth slipped out of the tent to find Leonid.
The next morning, Beckie looked at her phone. “Sher’s plane was due at eleven. We should have heard something by now.”
Leonid gave her a wry grin. “Just because all your flights have been close to on time, doesn’t mean all flights to Pakistan are. Or even most of them.”
Tarquin rapped on the door frame. “Chouj just called. The doctor’s plane has been delayed; he won’t arrive here at the site until after midnight, now.” He raised a hand. “He suggests we meet Doctor Sher tomorrow.”
“Which would make perfect sense if we weren’t supposed to be on a plane… But we’ve probably missed it anyway, right?”
“Not yet.”
“Damn.” Beckie felt the color fill her cheeks. “Which doesn’t mean I’m anxious to leave you guys…”
Both Leonid and Tarquin laughed at her distress. “We’d never have taken it that way.”
Beckie’s chagrin hardly faded, but she picked up her phone and scrolled to Boynton’s number.
“It is early—”
“Maurice! What are you doing up so early?”
“Ms D’Costa has just arrived to assist Angel with Ralf and Ethian’s morning repast.”
Beckie stifled her gasp. Yeah, Ian’s not up for that quite yet. But Cori! I guess they decided, huh? Never mind, get going. “Oh. Good, I guess. Anyway, I need our flights changed, slipped by a day. Doctor Sher, the guy we know as Brody, is coming, but he won’t get here in time to meet him and catch the flights we’ve got now.”
“I will attack that as soon as we finish.”
“I think that’s all for now. Give me a ring when you’re done. Tell Cori thanks and Ian I love him and miss him. And I’ll call you if the plans change again.”
“Thank you, Mistress Rebecca.”
Beckie sighed as she slid the phone back in her pocket. “What’s next, Lyeka?” She waved to indicate the question was rhetorical. “Oh! Did you say Rezaei will be back today?”
“The information is imperfect. Today, possibly tomorrow, perhaps Monday.”
“Huh. More coffee. Or maybe I’ll try another Murree.” She stood, but before she could move, Tarquin had a bottle out of the refrigerator and open for her. “Thanks.” She sipped, then said, “Give Sam a call, please. Let’s talk once he gets here.”
They spent the rest of the day talking about the bribes they’d jointly promised Khan, and how the plan might play out going forward. Tarquin wandered out to find a home and transport for the weapons. Beckie got confirmation from Boynton that he’d successfully changed the flights. Ian wasn’t happy but he was understanding.
In the morning, Chouj called to verify that Sher had arrived, and to suggest they meet at one. Beckie agreed as long as they could meet in Surab, at Leonid’s base.
With that agreed, she asked Leonid to bring Fedor and Sam in for the meeting. “That should give us the right kind of look, I think.”
“As with Beth earlier, a group prepared for… well, for trouble. Do you expect the doctor to bring trouble?”
“No, not a bit. Who’ll you leave at the site?”
“I offered Chouj and Sher a ride in, so Tark’ll go up and collect them, and Sam and Fedor.” He smiled. “I think between Anatoly, Beth and Ben, they’ll be able to handle things while we’re here gabbing.”
“Excellent.”
Just before one, the white pickup rolled to a stop in the street. Beckie watched as Sam and Elena jumped out of the bed and did a survey of the area, AK-47s muzzle down but ready, before opening the doors. Tarquin and Fedor stepped out, followed by Chouj and Sher. While Chouj had donned his usual khaki jacket and work slacks, Sher had gone back to his roots, Beckie guessed, wearing a bright white shalwar kameez that contrasted with his dark olive coloring.
“What are you doing here?” Beckie asked Elena.
“Sam’s wingman. And I know where to hide in your palatial suite upstairs, just in case someone comes calling.”
“I ought to be upset, I guess, but I’m not. Not sure what that means. Thanks. Now, hie yourself up there and be ready. Beer will be cold when we’re done.” She swatted at the woman’s rear as she passed. Tarquin chuckled as he headed to his workstation.
In the front room, the four men had taken seats, leaving a single chair with its back to the window. Hmm. Rearranged since ten minutes ago. Why? Well, I don’t like a big open window behind me, so…
She entered and approached the tall dark man to shake his hand and welcome him, “to our humble abode, Doctor Sher.” Their greeting done, she picked up her chair and moved it to have a wall at her back. “You will be as comfortable along here.” She waved to indicate the wall to her right. The men smiled as they moved their seats.
“First,” Beckie said, “niceties complete, I am planning to depart Pakistan, tomorrow if all goes well. I welcome the opportunity to review with you your progress. Doctor Chouj, can you…”
The next half-
hour allowed Chouj to recapitulate events. The review was brief enough that Beckie was certain he’d already covered most of the material; this was mainly for Leonid and Fedor’s benefit, so they would have a sense of what Sher knew.
Sher confirmed that opinion; he asked no questions. When Chouj gave Beckie a questioning glance after he sat, she smiled. “Thanks. My turn now.”
Beckie stood and walked behind her chair to lean back against the wall. “I hope I can assume that so far, our performance against the contract has been satisfactory?”
“Absolutely,” Sher said. “Both Smythe and I as well as our principals are… It would not be too much to say ecstatic about the work that has gone on so far, and we are well aware how much we owe to your team.” He nodded to Leonid after Beckie.
“Good. And yes, Leonid is responsible; he and his team. Now, I have information, a request and an update.
‘First, I asked Doctor Chouj to maintain my confidence so I might…” She watched his eyebrows rise. “So I might control the flow of data, of course. You’re familiar with the technique, I assume?” When he smiled his assent, she continued to describe the weapons and the cache and her fears for them. “I recall your descriptions of Quetta; you should know that I will make sure the devices are not deployed there.
“Second, my request: I have in the back a man who has given us some assistance, enough that I would like to see him end up where he will be safe. Or at least, where he will be responsible for his own life. Perhaps England?”
“If he is as you say, willing to help, I have a few contacts at the British High Commission, both in Karachi and in Islamabad.”
“He provided details which may make the French authorities’ job of stamping on terrorists a little easier. I think really he just wants out of Pakistan, for a while, at least. If you are willing, I’d ask you to interview him. For the next few days, Leonid can keep him safe here.” She noticed Leonid nodding. “Then we would be guided by your… your insights.”