Keystone

by Talbot, Luke

  Of course, he had always known this to be the case. All of the risks he had taken had been well calculated and very deliberate, which is why he still had one more direction to take.

  A ninety-degree turn to the right. The answer to Aniquilus’ Paradox was not that life resulted in death, but that death allowed life. Just as modern Man had benefitted from the demise of the Xynutians before them.

  Am I Aniquilus? he mused.

  With the vans safely on their way to despatching their deadly cargos, he turned his attention to Dr Patterson’s expedition to Egypt, the final hope for plan A, before plan B was executed. It was due diligence, he told himself, to give them a fair shot.

  He barked a command and the final quarter of the screen lit up: a satellite view of a barren, desert scene. Seven hours ahead of his current time-zone, it was mid-afternoon, and by the dark shadows moving along the rock and sand he could make out a trio of all-terrain vehicles labouring their way along what could barely be called a dirt track. Their target lay a few hundred yards away, round a couple more bends and through a gap in a small ridge: a small plateau, in the middle of which stood a small building.

  It was a live-satellite feed from above Egypt, one of the perks of distributing hardware and software for United States defence satellites, and the display was grid marked for easy referencing.

  “Full screen,” he snapped. As the image filled the window, he caught a glimpse of movement along the narrow gap in the ridge, through which the small convoy would shortly be passing.

  “Magnify C7,” followed by “Magnify range D3 to F6.”

  Now filling the screen was a man in khaki cargo pants and a short sleeved shirt. Held across his knees was the unmistakable form of an AK-47. He zoomed the display back one level, and panned across the gap to the other side of the ridge. Within seconds he had located two further men with guns. While these were far better hidden than the first, they clearly hadn’t been expecting to be seen from above.

  Seth Mallus shook his head slowly before picking up the phone and calling Walker.

  Chapter 67

  George shifted uneasily between the two rocks he hoped offered him cover from the track below. He was uncomfortable, primarily because of the unfamiliar AK-47 laid across his knees and the approaching 4x4s he imagined were full of men with guns, but also because no matter how hard he tried there always seemed to be a sharp rock nestled somewhere it shouldn’t be.

  To make matters worse, his nerves were making his stomach churn more than any fairground ride he had been on.

  He raised his head over the boulder and sneaked a peak across to the other side of the gulley. Although he knew more or less where Haji and Manu had taken up their positions, he couldn’t see them at all. Certainly anyone approaching from below wouldn’t stand a chance.

  A few yards to his left, Tariq was going over his weapon one last time, calmly, methodically, making sure that it would fire when he needed it. The routine reminded George of the crazy man in boot camp in Full Metal Jacket, though he daren’t say that out loud to Tariq, no matter how friendly he seemed.

  Somewhere to his right, and slightly below him, he imagined that Leena would be going through a similar routine.

  Ten minutes earlier, Zahra had disappeared from her position on the plateau overlooking the track below. Before she had done so, she had waved twice then held up three fingers, followed by one finger of the other hand, signalling that there were three cars in total, and that Ben was in the first one. There were no warning signals, meaning one of two things: either Gail was also in the first car, or she simply wasn’t there.

  After an hour spent shifting uncomfortably among the stones and rocks, it suddenly occurred to him that these men and women, dotted around the gulley and plateau with their Kalashnikov rifles and deadly bayonets, really were risking their lives for a man and woman they barely knew.

  The ‘date’ that Ben had agreed to with Zahra was small payment indeed for such a massive gesture, and George suddenly felt overcome with nerves.

  His stomach lurched uncontrollably as he tried to fight back the flow he knew was about to follow.

  He retched, and his cheeks bulged out as he tried to keep the contents of his stomach inside. Instead, they filled his sinuses and he impulsively opened his mouth, spraying the rock in front of him. The acrid smell that followed caused him to retch again, and this time he didn’t try to stop it.

  Within seconds a pool of vomit had gathered in the dust between his legs. Looking down he noticed that the AK-47 had taken a battering. He wiped his sick covered hands against the legs of his khaki shorts and shook the dripping rifle.

  George looked in despair towards Tariq, who urged him to be quiet. He was about to apologise when the unmistakable noise of diesel engines bounced off the rocks above their heads.

  He kept his head down, tried to breathe through his mouth, and closed his eyes.

  And for the first time since his childhood, without even knowing where the words came from, he prayed.

  Dr Henry Patterson leaned forward and tapped the man in the passenger seat on the shoulder.

  “What was that all about, Walker?” he asked. Walker had just come off the phone, and it didn’t sound good.

  Walker twisted round and stared directly into Ben’s eyes. “Turns out there might be some company ahead,” he grunted, putting his phone away. “Little welcome party you’ve prepared for us?”

  Patterson shot an accusing glance at Ben, before switching his gaze to Gail. “You knew about this?” he said, sounding hurt.

  She didn’t answer, instead probing Ben’s expressionless face for any sign of what was to come, her heart swelling in anticipation of the rescue attempt that was about to unfold.

  Walker pulled a walkie-talkie from his breast pocket, all the while staring fixedly at Ben. Holding the walkie-talkie to his mouth he ordered the last car in the convoy to turn round and approach the plateau from below, from where the Toyota van was still parked. That had been where Mallus had suggested they approach from over the phone.

  He then ordered the second car to overtake them and wait before the last corner while the last car’s occupants took up their flanking positions.

  Patterson leaned forward again, as if wanting to have a private word, but Walker pushed him back. He then replaced the walkie-talkie with a pistol, which he pointed directly at Ben.

  “I don’t want to have to kill anyone today,” he said matter-of-factly. “But believe me I will if I have to. You make one move,” he waved the gun across the back seats of the 4x4, taking in Gail, Patterson and Ben. “In fact, if any of you make a move, you’re all dead.”

  Patterson sat back, his jaw dropped. “Me?” he said indignantly. “What have I done?”

  The man grinned. “Not only have you dragged me and my men out here to this shithole, surrounded by Arabs,” he gestured with the gun towards Ben, “but it looks like you’ve dropped us all into a trap, too.” His grin disappeared, replaced with what could only be described as a snarl. “And if the purpose of that trap is to catch or save or whatever either of you two, then believe you me one way or another, it’s going to fail.”

  George sneaked a peak as the 4x4 lumbered slowly through the gulley and came to a stop on the plateau, next to the entrance to the Library. He couldn’t see any sign of Gail or Ben getting out, and so switched his attention to the second 4x4 which drove slowly along the tracks of its predecessor and pulled to a stop slightly beyond it.

  The two cars were side-on to their position in the gully; the doors on the far side of the lead car opened and several men got out. They waited outside the entrance to the Library, without leaving the cover of their vehicles. George felt that they were eyeing the exact place in which he was hiding, and he shrank back behind the boulder.

  Anticipation rose inside him as he prepared himself for the third and final 4x4, which was their target. Zahra would cover the other vehicles while the third was immobilised, and then they would call for the surrender
of the remaining people.

  After a long pause, it became obvious that the third 4x4 wasn’t coming. George looked at Tariq nervously, who returned a worried glance. Had they misread Zahra’s signal? Had there been only two cars? Had they completely messed up their chance?

  Unlikely, George told himself. Maybe one person could make a mistake, but all five of them?

  “Tariq,” he whispered. “What’s going on?”

  “I don’t know,” he replied. “Something is wrong.”

  He was about to ask what they were to do when Manu and Haji made the decision for them. Shots rattled across the bonnet of the second 4x4, eruptions of sand in the ground evidence of several stray bullets that missed entirely.

  George instinctively ducked his head as low as possible between his shoulders and sank down between the rocks. In the gully, the echo of the AK-47 fire was deafening.

  Moments later, a reply sounded from near the 4x4s. Not the explosive crackling of the Kalashnikov, but a muffled whump, like flat stones slicing into a mill-pond.

  Like a conversation, the Kalashnikovs and their opponents exchanged volleys, though the overwhelming sound of AK-47 fire from all around him made it difficult to judge exactly how much reply they were receiving.

  Suddenly Tariq was beside him, holding his collar and dragging him along.

  “Come!” he shouted.

  George’s legs somehow managed to comply, and he scrambled for his rifle and followed Tariq down through the rocks towards the gulley. Moments later, the hiding place they had been occupying erupted violently as dozens of rounds pounded into the rocks.

  Tariq dragged George round the corner of the gulley, until they were standing on the trail along which the 4x4s had driven to reach the plateau. A quick glance in all directions confirmed the absence of the third 4x4.

  “Leena?” George said, gasping for breath after their dash from hiding. She had been on their side of the gully, shortly before it had been sprayed with bullets.

  Tariq shook his head. “Don’t know.”

  “How many of them are there?” he asked. “How many?”

  Tariq held up two hands full of fingers, his thumbs curled inwards.

  “Eight?” George said, amazed.

  Tariq grinned grimly and shook his head, curling three fingers of his left hand inwards.

  Three dead! George was surprised; the enemy had clearly known about their intended ambush, and had brought possibly better weapons and more people. Against six of us! He stood upright and held the AK-47 firmly with both hands, positioning his index finger very deliberately on the trigger mechanism. He made to go back towards the gulley, but Tariq stopped him.

  Using hand gestures and broken English, George got the principles of Tariq’s plan. They had been outmanoeuvred by the Americans, who had climbed the cliff onto the plateau from the third 4x4. From that position, they could lie low and pick Zahra’s company off at will, and they had effectively reached a stalemate.

  “The best way to fight fire is with fire,” George agreed as they started running along the track. “So we outflank the out-flankers.”

  They rounded a corner and broke into a faster pace, Tariq taking the lead, George trying not to trip on any large stones as he followed several yards behind.

  He felt bad leaving Zahra, Manu, Leena and Haji behind. He felt even worse thinking what might have happened to Ben. He couldn’t bear to think where Gail may be and if she was OK. He just hoped that he could fight through the pain and drag his unfit body round the mountain in time to do something about it.

  Chapter 68

  Gail screamed as Ben shoved her head down behind the passenger seat of the 4x4. Dr Patterson did his best to follow suit.

  Walker had ordered the driver to move the car in front of the small building in the middle of the plateau. The other 4x4 followed, parking at an angle behind them. Their new position formed a triangle, the bumpers of the 4x4s meeting at the apex, with the gatehouse to the Library at the base. This provided them with cover from the gulley, and direct access to the cliff edge, where Walker’s men had positioned themselves.

  As soon as the shooting had begun, Walker jumped out and fired a quick volley over the bonnet of the car.

  “Out!” he yelled at Patterson, yanking the rear door open. He gestured for Ben and Gail to follow. The driver of the other vehicle opened his passenger door and dragged another out. By the way he fell to the floor, it was clear he was either dead, or close to it. Only one soldier got out of the back.

  They sat down along the edge of the vehicle, while Walker barked orders into his walkie-talkie. Gail could see the odd head peak over the cliff-edge: Walker’s men from the third 4x4. It reminded her of their initial discovery of the Library all those years ago, when Ben had awkwardly popped his head above the cliff during her phone call to George.

  Except these men were dressed in black and were carrying the strangest guns she had ever seen. Not that you’ve seen many, she reminded herself.

  The man who had been driving their car loaded a new clip of ammunition into his gun. Standing sideways, he fired half a dozen shots straight through the windows of the 4x4 and into the rocks beyond.

  A single shot was returned.

  As he came down from his firing stance, his gun arm fell limply and his weapon crashed into the dust. He managed to get to one knee as his legs crumpled under his weight, and then toppled sideways in front of Gail, Ben and Patterson.

  It was then that Gail saw the bloody mess where his right eye should have been. Looking away in horror, she saw the look on Ben’s face: he was staring at the strange weapon that had fallen almost into his lap.

  He was about to reach for it when Walker intervened.

  “One, you’re too slow. I saw that coming a mile away.” He took the fallen gun and removed the magazine with a click. Dropping the empty magazine from his own, he reloaded with the dead man’s ammunition then looked Ben in the eyes. “Two, you wouldn’t even be able to fire it.” He nodded at the small indentations on the grip of the handle. “Unless of course you took his hand with it,” he grinned viciously before turning back to the two remaining soldiers in their improvised fortress.

  “Fucking prick,” Gail managed to say under her breath before anyone else got a word in.

  Ben looked at her in surprise. “I’ve not heard you swear like that before.”

  “I’ve never met such a prick before,” she replied, this time elevating her voice slightly as she swore. Walker gave the faintest of reactions, in the form of a wry smile as he patted the side of his gun.

  The three soldiers took it in turns to fire over the top and from underneath the cars, changing position frequently. On a few occasions, as they ducked down after firing, they exchanged tips on where to fire next. Of the three heads that had been popping up from the cliff edge, only two appeared to be firing now.

  The opposing gunshots also seemed to be decreasing, with longer gaps between bursts and fewer impacts around them.

  Walker dropped down to a crouch after firing a particularly long volley, a wild grin on his face. “Got the Arab bastard!” he exclaimed “Ripped him apart!”

  Gail looked at Ben; it was obvious he was fighting to keep down a torrent of emotions. She put her hand on his knee and squeezed hard. She opened her mouth, but couldn’t put a suitable sentence together, so closed it without saying a word.

  He put his hand on hers and squeezed back.

  Dr Patterson nodded towards the gatehouse, its unlocked door swinging freely on its hinges. The top third of brickwork was covered in bullet holes, though he could see none in the bottom portion. “Bit odd,” he whispered to them both.

  “I’m no expert,” Gail said, “but if they’re hidden in an elevated position above us, then they should have an advantage shouldn’t they? And yet I get the feeling they’re the ones taking the most hits.”

  Ben took a moment to think about it. “They’re aiming high; they know we’re still here.” He nudged the corpse in front
of them with his foot. “Unless they have a clear shot, and then they’ll aim to kill. The problem is, these guys have figured that out.”

  Gail looked at the soldiers. With the rhythm they had entered into, it was difficult to see how any attacker could take a good aim at any one of them. Despite there being only five of them left, practically all the gunshots now came from their side, and the louder crackling fire from the gulley had practically stopped, save for the odd burst every twenty seconds or so.

  Walker shouted a couple of concise orders, followed by some jerky hand signals, which Gail didn’t get the meaning of.

  “They’re moving in,” Ben whispered quickly through gritted teeth. “Gail, George is up there.”

  Her heart stopped beating for a fraction of a second. She looked at him in despair. “What?”

  “We have to stop them moving in, otherwise it’s over,” he said.

  One of the soldiers was crouched down at the back of the 4x4 furthest from the gulley, his gun held against his chest. Walker nodded at him, and then he and the driver who had dragged the corpse from the car levelled their weapons towards the gulley and began firing, while the soldier ran from cover and darted towards the enemy defences.

  “Now!” Ben hissed.

  He got up and ran towards the doorway, pulling Gail with him. As they ran, he shouted something in Arabic at the top of his voice.

  Patterson followed, and they all piled into the building and practically fell down the stone-cut stairway the ancient Egyptians had made thousands of years earlier. On their way, Gail managed to punch the light switch, and the LED bulbs in the stairway and entrance hall beneath lit up.