by Arno Joubert
Neil took her hand and squeezed it, smiling at her. She returned the favor with an embarrassed smile; lately he read her mind like a book.
They touched down on the grass, Alexa and Neil jumping out, their heads held low. The whopping of the rotor blades slowed down as they crunched over the shards of glass, entering the gym area.
Neil removed a tablet from his backpack. "Madam President found a blueprint which she mailed to me," he said, passing the tablet to Alexa.
They followed the diagram, passageway for passageway, each door they entered leading to an empty room. The hallways and passages in the complex must have spanned at least two kilometers.
After thirty minutes of fruitless searching, she called Neil, then crouched and leaned back against a wall. Her back was throbbing, like someone was using it as a drum kit.
"You're bleeding," Neil said.
She waved a hand and pulled the sticky shirt from her back.
"Let me have a look."
She lifted up her shirt and Neil examined her back. He removed the gauze from her back and grimaced. "Shit, I can see your bone."
Alexa nodded. "It hurts."
He removed a can from his backpack and sprayed a layer of second skin onto the oozing wound before putting a length of sanitary gauze along the wound, keeping it in place with stretch of plaster. "That will have to do for now," he said and helped her tuck her shirt back into her pants.
He removed a box of tablets and handed it to her. "Ketamine, drink one every two hours."
She nodded a silent thank you and popped two in her mouth, chewing them.
"You hear that?" Neil asked, his head cocked to the side.
"What?"
He walked, listening. "I though I heard a dog bark."
Alexa held her breath. She heard it too.
They followed the sound to the front of a locked door. There was a keypad next to it. Neil tried the doorknob, but it was locked. He stood back and smashed a size twelve army boot into the door, below the knob. It flew open and crashed against the wall inside.
Alexa sauntered inside, scanning the room. It was dark and the place stank, it hadn't been cleaned recently. She fumbled for a light switch beside the entrance, flipping it on. Inside were four wire cages. An Alsatian jumped up when he saw Alexa, barking and yelping and wagging his tail.
"Be careful, Alexa," Neil said as she strode toward the cage.
"He's starving, Neil. There's no food or water." She stuck her fingers through the wire and the dog licked it excitedly. "How could anyone be so cruel?"
She unlocked the cages, pushing the dog down as he jumped around her excitedly, then sat on her bum, pulling the dog toward her, patting him and allowing him to kiss her in her face.
She turned to Neil. "See if you can find him something to eat."
He briefly examined the map on the tablet. "There's a mess hall a couple of doors down," he said, looking up.
"Go see."
He rushed out of the door, but the dog stayed with Alexa, yelping and barking excitedly, pushing his snout into her face. She hugged and patted him, studying the brass name tag dangling on his collar . "Hush, Nero. Calm down, we're going to feed you soon, boy."
Neil returned with a large thermos and a metal bowl. He filled the bowl with water and the dog eagerly lapped at the water, spilling some of it on the ground. Neil refilled it for a second time. "There's some steaks, I'm going to fetch them," he told Alexa.
She smiled as he drank thirstily, brushing his thick coat with her fingers.
Neil returned a minute later with two large steaks. The dog's ears perked up and he stood looking at him expectantly, his tails wagging. He tossed one to the dog and Nero devoured it without chewing, before looking up again.
"Come on Neil, don't be stingy," Alexa laughed, scratching the Alsatian behind his ear. The dog started whimpering, his tail wagging expectantly.
Neil grinned and tossed another steak to him. He refilled the water bowl and sat down next to Alexa, accepting the grateful slobbering licks from the animal. He turned to Alexa. "Alexa, we need to get going."
She nodded and stood up. "Okay, but were taking him back with us."
Neil nodded.
They walked down a passageway, the dog following close behind. A minute later, he bound past Alexa and Neil and stopped and sat down in front of a doorway, his tail wagging.
"Hello, what's this then?" Alexa asked.
Neil studied the map. "It looks like another office."
"We've been in here before, why is he stopping here?"
Neil opened the door and the animal sped inside. It was a large area that looked like a recreation room. The dog ran to the side of a wooden bookcase to the side of the room, scratching at it with a paw.
Alexa ambled closer and examined the cabinet. It was filled with girlie mags and books about cars. She pulled them out and tossed them aside. On the top shelf stood a television set. She picked it up and handed it to Neil who put it in a corner.
Neil tapped the back of the cabinet. It sounded hollow. He glanced at Alexa over his shoulder. "Think it's a hidden doorway?"
The dog frantically scratched the side of the bookcase with both paws.
Alexa glanced around the room, there were several light switches on the wall. She flipped them all and the dog stood back expectantly, tail wagging. The cabinet slid smoothly to the side, revealing a staircase. The dog rushed downstairs, his nails clicking on the concrete stairwell, and Alexa and Neil could hear the sound of waves crashing outside. The staircase led down to the terraced lawn outside.
When they emerged from the room, Alexa pointed to the crouching dog. "You want to know what relief looks like?" Alexa said and laughed.
Neil chuckled, shaking his head.
They stood with their backs to the ocean, hands on hips, looking up at the drab building. It looked like a sanitarium for the mentally deranged, Alexa expecting Jack Nicholas and his crazy crew to come skipping down the stairs at any time, shouting, "I want my cigarettes, I want my cigarettes."
"Here's another stairway," Alexa said, walking to the side of the building. "These are the only two stairways on this side." Neil followed her into the stairwell, but it was blocked at the top. There were no switches on the wall.
She jogged outside and bounded back up the first set of stairs. Neil followed her into the passageway and he helped her open the door to the adjoining room with his trusty boot. She went to the wall and flipped all the switches. There was a soft scraping sound as two cupboards folded out; one opening up to the stairwell that led down to the beach.
"Check this out," Neil said, slipping into the second hidden doorway. It led into a plush office with wall-to-wall carpets, a white leather sofa in the corner.
Neil walked to a heavy-looking wooden desk, rummaging through the drawers, pulling them out and tossing them to the ground. He shook his head. "Empty."
Alexa sauntered to the corner of the office where a TV set and DVD player stood on a corner unit. She pushed a button on the remote and the TV switched on, displaying a frozen picture of huts somewhere in a jungle. She pressed the play button on the remote.
Scenes from Vietnam filled the screen, Alexa recognizing the picture of the naked Vietnamese girl running down the road after having survived a napalm bomb attack during the Vietnam war.
A narrator with a deep voice said, "a country born from conflict, the forlorn citizens surviving as best they can. This is Vietnam, today."
The credits started rolling, and Paint it Black from the Rolling Stones started playing. Photos of hungry looking kids and people wearing tattered clothes flashed in-between the credits. The music stopped and the screen went black, and then Grenard's face appeared.
"Isn't that the guy that was shooting the documentary about President Rue?" Neil asked.
Alexa nodded.
"Hi, Mr. Sonti, Grenard here," the man said. "I hope this is to your liking. Please let me know once you've done watching."
She opened th
e DVD player and removed the disc. Gateway Studios was printed in front. Mr. Sonti's eyes only, Not to be distributed had been scribbled on it with a felt tip pen.
Alexa turned to Neil. "I think we've found our lead."
11:50 AM
T Minus 19 Hours
Jimmy Eccles jumped out of the truck and checked the position of the MGM-140 surface missile. He double-checked the coordinates on the launchpad in the truck before inserting the SIM card into the remote detonation device.
He carefully pulled the camouflage netting over the truck and rocket launcher and made sure it wasn't visible from the road. It was a full moon, the rocket launcher stood behind a shed on an adjacent open plot of land. No way anyone was going to see it from the road.
Satisfied, he nodded his head and punched a number into his cell phone. "We're in position, Mr. Sonti."
"Very good, Mr. Eccles. GREEFF thanks you for your selfless actions in furthering the progress of our noble cause."
The man snorted. "You make sure you blow up the bastards, that'll be reward enough for me."
"Your money has been wired, Mr. Eccles."
He disconnected the call. Recession, my ass. The way the Bradwick Plant was spending money on Christmas lunches and company get-togethers, you would swear there had never been a recession. But they had retrenched his brother, Harry. And now Harry was dead.
No, they deserved what they had coming to them. With the money Sonti had promised him, he would open a trust fund for Trish and the kid. They wouldn't have to work another day in their lives.
He chuckled. Every dog gets his bone. Bradwick was going to get theirs shoved right up their asses. The nuclear power station was a mile away. Two shots should take it out. "Bastards," he mumbled and climbed into his car and sped away.
Hotel Auberge du Jeu de Paume,
Paris, France
13:30 PM
T Minus 17 Hours
The pilot had obtained permission to land in the hotel grounds after Laiveaux informed them that Grenard was staying over. A quick phone call confirmed that he was having lunch with a client on the lookout verandah and that he wished not to be disturbed.
Alexa jumped out before the helicopter had landed and strode towards the front door, slipping her dark glasses in her top pocket and tucking her bangs behind her ears. She was on a Ketamine high and she didn't want to be fucked with.
She flicked her Interpol badge at a young girl at reception. "I'm here to see Mr. Grenard."
The girl pointed up toward a marble staircase.
"Up there?" Alexa asked.
The girl nodded. "Fourth floor."
Alexa and Neil skipped up the stairs and entered a large dining area where a sign against the glass door said, 'Lookout Veranda' in French. Alexa opened the door and walked inside. The place had been decorated in an Art Nouveau fashion, intricate polished wood furniture and gabled arches, patterned walls filled with copies of Alphonse Mucha paintings.
Lance Grenard was sitting, relaxing, in a high-backed chair, his leg folded over his knee. The young lady he was with was laughing, waving her hands animatedly as she spoke.
"Mr. Grenard?" Alexa said.
He turned in his chair and smiled. "What a pleasant surprise, Captain." He stood up and pointed to a chair. "Please join us."
Alexa wiped sweat from her brow with the back of her hand. She was feeling feverish. She sucked in a deep breath. "We found a video that you sent to Mr. Allan Sonti."
"Who?" He looked over Alexa's shoulder and called a waiter. "Never heard the name in my life" he said and beamed her a magnificent smile.
Alexa stepped closer, sticking a finger in his face. "Listen to me you prick, tell me where I can find Allan Sonti, now."
Grenard leaned back and held up his hand. "Look, I don't know who you're talking about. And please clean yourself up, you're dripping blood on the floor," he said with a disgusted look.
Alexa turned to Neil and he nodded. The young lady shrieked as Neil grabbed Grenard by his chest, following Alexa as she opened the balcony door.
"This is a nice place," Alexa said, leaning over the concrete railing. "Pity it isn't any higher, but four floors should do."
A smartly dressed guy with a thin mustache and slicked-back black hair approached them in a huff. The golden plaque on his chest said Jacques Rossouw, Manager. Alexa flashed her Interpol badge. "Stay out of this, we're here on official business."
The man nodded and bowed, walking backwards, wringing his hands, turned around and went inside.
She shifted her attention back to Gerard. "Do it, Neil."
Neil picked him up and heaved him over the railing, holding him by his belt and collar. The man dangled around, swinging his arms and legs, shrieking like a wild banshee.
"Hold, still or your belt will break," Neil said with a grunt.
"Now talk," Alexa said.
"Please, please, you don't know who you're dealing with," the man shrieked.
"Drop him Neil, I don't have time for this shit."
"Okay, okay, wait," the man shrieked. "All I know is he runs the largest movie production house in the States."
"So then he shouldn't be too difficult to get hold of," Neil said.
"He's impossible to contact."
"Give me his number," Alexa said.
The man fished his cell phone from his pocket. "It's under Sonti, take it."
"Thanks." Alexa pocketed the phone. "What else?"
Neil grunted. "You're getting heavy."
"It's pointless phoning him. He only answers his phone at pre-arranged times."
"Okay, drop him," Alexa said.
"Wait!" he shrieked. "He sent me an SMS, told me he would contact me tonight, that he had to go away for a couple of days."
"What time tonight?" Alexa asked.
"Seven-fifteen."
"Thanks Neil, that should do it."
Neil nodded and heaved the man back onto the balcony. He put him down and pulled his jacket straight and straightened his tie. "Thank you for your cooperation."
Grendard nodded nervously, brushing back his hair with his fingers, trying to regain his composure. "No problem."
Neil poked his chest with his finger. "One more thing."
The man gawked at Neil with a mixture of awe and fear. "Yes?"
"You better go clean yourself up. You're dripping piss all over the floor."
The man looked down and covered his crotch, embarrassed.
Alexa and Neil marched out as the eyes of Grenard's blond companion followed them, her mouth open in astonished surprise.
Alexa exited the hotel through the large revolving doors while punching a number into her phone and headed straight for the helipad. The pilot switched on the engines and the rotor blades spun slowly at first, picking up speed. "General, Grenard is expecting a call from Mr. Sonti, tonight."
"Okay, Captain."
"Could you please arrange for tracking equipment? I think I know of a way we could trace his call, even if he isn't on the phone for long enough."
"Okay, meet me at the Israeli Embassy," the general said.
"Why? Surely Interpol has all the resources we need?"
The general went quiet for a while. "I'm disgusted to say this, Alexa, but I don't trust this place anymore."
Alexa nodded. She knew what he meant. Every operation had been a screw-up, Rowley and his men had managed to infiltrate the offices. Someone was tipping them off.
Alexa nodded. "Okay, who's my contact?"
"Talk to the ambassador, a man by the name of Yadit Ben. Captain Eric Glist from Mossad will meet you in five hours."
Alexa nodded. She was glad that Glist would be handling the trace, he was top class. "Okay."
"I'll get him to fly in now. That should give him an hour to set up."
"Okay," Alexa said. "See you later, General."
"Au revoir, my girl. Oh, one more thing, Alexa."
"Yes, General?"
"You have done excellent work. I honestly didn't e
xpect you to--"
"Thank you, General. I need to go, we're running out of time."
She disconnected the call and jumped into the cockpit next to the pilot. "Paris, Israeli Embassy."
Israeli Embassy,
Paris, France
07:05 PM
T minus 10 hours, 45 minutes
Glist fiddled with the wires on the tracing equipment, running them from the cell phones into what looked like a suitcase filled with an oversized and antiquated computer.
"You sure this will work, Captain?" Alexa asked, checking out the equipment skeptically. "You don't want me to phone the museum and ask for a Morse Code machine to compliment this marvel of modern technology?"
He chuckled, pushing his thick-framed glasses up onto his nose. "You don't want me to pop down to the supermarket and fetch Captain Kitty a saucer of milk?"
Alexa punched his arm.
"Ow, Captain," Glist said, rubbing his arm. He continued fiddling with the wires. "I needed to bring the old gear, the exchanges in Paris are still the old-fashioned analog type." He looked up and smiled. "The good news is, tracing the call should be easier now that we have two additional phones to track. Okay, I'm ready."
They sat down and waited.
Five minutes later Neil checked his watch. "Ready?" he asked and started counting down from five.
Lance Grenard's phone rang and Laiveaux swept it up. "Hello?"
Glist nodded his head and Alexa and Neil dialed Sonti's number, Eric Glist fiddling with buttons and dials.
"Who is this?" Sonti asked.
"This is General Alain Laiveaux, you bastard. Did you think you were going to get away with this?"
Sonti chuckled. "General Laiveaux? Is that you? So good to hear your voice. I was wondering where you were."
"What do you mean?"
"Well, you're not at the Interpol HQ."