MERCURY'S SECRET

by Tobias Roote

  He paused to take a drink of the malt he had secreted in the cabinet when last stocking the boat. I was keeping to water, I had a bad feeling my work was not yet done and I needed a clear head.

  “After that we took a boat across to the mainland, picked up our getaway vehicle loaded with our essential supplies and went overland to Italy. We realised once we reached our Safe house and received feedback from Androv, that you had already survived multiple contacts,” he paused briefly with his eyebrows raised at me knowing there was a good story there, then continued. “They must have realised you were carrying the data they wanted, so they no longer seemed interested in us for the moment.”

  I interrupted him, “I think you should be aware that Androv tried to recover the data for himself, his team drugged us and searched the Safe house, the following night they were planning on coming back for another attempt, but less friendly. I visited them instead.”

  Abbey’s eyebrows raised at that. “So, that’s why he was keen to help you out,” she nodded understandingly. She looked a very different Abbey in the black swot gear, the armour vest bulking her out. She looked apologetically at me, “I thought he would be an asset, watching your back through France, I’m sorry, instead of giving you support I exposed you to the enemy.”

  Abbey looked crestfallen and needed reassurance, I knew plans never survive first contact; it wasn’t her fault, Androv was the one that didn’t play a straight game with her.

  “It’s okay, he did us a favour really as we were still in the state of mind that allowed us to think that we only had one enemy and that episode made us distrust everything from then on, which in turn kept us alive.”

  Alice was still quiet, bemused I thought by the recent turn of events. She had been through a lot in the last twenty four hours since my departure from the Cottage. Abbey was keeping an eye on her. They could do with some time together those two, I thought.

  “So, John?” I decided to push out the idea of a forward plan, something none of us had at this point in time. I was interested in his ideas. “We have the data chips, we know all the players, you know the rules of engagement, what can we achieve here? Do we give the chips up to their respective Agencies, and try and walk away, or what, because quite frankly I cannot see how they are going to let us go at this moment in time, and now we are all together we are a prime target.”

  Alice piped up, “Why wouldn’t we be able to walk away if they got what they wanted?”

  Abbey sighed with resignation as she prepared her answer, I thought, probably because it would be a nice scenario if it were possible.

  “Alice, they will kill us even if they secure the data now. Partly to protect themselves from any further revelations, also to punish us for taking and keeping the data even though it was intended to ensure they left us alone. Suddenly, with Dubianko around its become imperative that they sink the data and us with it, he is too dangerous to have access to such volatile information.” She grimaced as she delivered what was effectively our death sentence.

  Alice fell back in her chair, deeply disturbed by what her mother had just told her. She hadn’t chosen to be part of this, yet here was Abbey telling her a death sentence was all she could hope for. I felt deeply for her, but I could not spend time with her just yet, there was too much to do. We had to formulate a plan before morning and time was pressing on.

  Someone should check on Tobler, I suggested. Alice immediately stood up and began to walk to the cabin.

  My phone vibrated. I pulled it out and looked at it, Brett’s name was flashing on the screen.

  “Excuse me a moment, I need to take this,” indicating the phone to the others and walked out of the cabin and up towards the bows.

  When I was sure I was out of earshot, I clicked the answer button and the light flashed briefly as the call connected.

  “Hi Brett, what's up Buddy?”

  “Are you alone Charlie, because I need to tell you something and I don't want anyone hearing your response,” he asked mysteriously. I affirmed and hunkered down in the bow to give myself leverage against the bounce of the bow on the waves.

  I listened as he told me that he had managed to track down someone who worked for Dubianko and had used them to get into their HQ’s network using a piggyback on an email sent from inside their secure server. He had managed to decode a lot of encrypted data and had tracked down the origins of the ‘Karambola’ operation. He hadn’t yet put it all together, but what he told me left me in no doubt that he had uncovered the hidden Agent. I knew he was right, so did he.

  His news shocked me to the core. I wanted to deny its possibility to try and avert the crash I felt coming head on, then I heard Abbey scream and saw the reflection of two flashes, then a third, the explosive cracks of the pistol following right behind them. I knew then, it was already too late!

  “Brett, I.. um, Damn it! You’re right!” I whispered loudly, “Get Fletcher to home in on this GPS, fast! Tell him to play it whichever way he sees it!”

  I pulled out my Glock, chambered a round and walked quietly from the bow to the aft deck using the shadow from the cabin to help me get close. I could see John half in the doorway, arm dangling over the side, a dark patch pooling around his neck. He was not moving, probably something to do with the hole in his forehead.

  Holding my gun in front of me, I edged around the side of the cabin and immediately saw Alice. She was standing over Abbey’s body, looking down at her, gun still in her hand. She looked fearlessly up at me as she sensed my arrival. Her gun came up, the look on her face wasn't Alice, it was cold, calculated and totally devoid of emotion! She snarled at me.“Drop it! ili ya pristrelyu tebya tozhe.” I faltered, I just knew then that I couldn’t shoot her.

  “Alice, it's me, Dan! Don't shoot!” I put my hands up, the Glock still in my right, my fingers splayed away from the trigger.

  “Stay where you are, drop the gun or I shoot you!”

  I saw movement out of the corner of my eye. Tobler was standing in the doorway to the cabin, smiling. His hand held another gun, aimed directly at me.

  He looked at me, smirking and nodded towards Alice. “You should do as she says, she is one of the highest scoring markswomen we have, she could put it right between your eyes even with a blindfold on.”

  I let my hand drop and the gun bounced off my foot as I let go. It skittered across the deck away from all of us.

  Alice waltzed sideways until she was standing over it, closer to me now if I wanted to make a move, but I saw the look in her eyes. She was no longer Alice, I knew she would shoot.

  “So, you are Karambola” I said to her.

  She smiled, “Yes I am she, give me the memory cards NOW!”

  “I don't have them, you do.” I answered her.

  “What do you mean I have them, I have never had them. Now give them to me, or I shoot your face off.”

  “One of them is in the keyring that your Mother gave to you,” I said nodding towards Abbey’s body trying to see if I could get a reaction to her relationship to Abbey and get her past her conditioning. I knew it was a wasted effort, I hadn't seen it in her, but Abbey had. That was why she was often frowning, not recognising aspects of her daughter's behaviour.

  She felt in her pockets, her hands frantically feeling for the keyring that she had been carrying until just recently without any idea what it was she had. Then I saw her look as she remembered something.

  Turning to Tobler, she said, “It's on the floor in the bedroom at his safe house.” Her look was victorious as if she had done well in a competition. She swung back to me, scowling with concentration.

  “And the other?” She arched her eyebrow coldly expecting nothing less than a straight answer.

  “Its in the safe, another memory stick under the bed in the front cabin,” I said, hoping it was still there as I hadn't checked recently. I had taken a step towards her and it made her twitchy, but she said nothing, distracted as she was with the information I was giving her.

  �
�Watch him!” Tobler ordered as he turned away putting his gun into his waistband. He ran off into the cabin and I heard him shouting to her, in Russian. She cocked her head listening to his instructions.

  “What is the combination?” she demanded waving the gun at me to step back.

  I ignored her and just said, “It's your birth date Alice, you know that, don't you?”

  “Don’t call me Alice, you piece of shit, I am Karambola and your little Alice is no more,” her voice scathing.

  She called out the numbers in Russian to Tobler. I leaned in closer waiting for a chance of a distraction.

  I didn't get it as Tobler rushed out smiling with the memory stick in his hand. He pulled out the gun and pressed it into my side.

  “Back away Charlie, you're finished here, time for you to go, ‘Old Man’. You should really have stayed retired you know.”

  I grabbed at his hand, thinking to pull him across as a shield, but Alice shot me and I flew backwards towards the edge of the boat. It should have been a kill shot, but Tobler had saved me by pulling me towards him, so instead, it hit low and in the meat of my shoulder.

  She shot me again, this time in my leg. “How's that, Lover?” She laughed sadistically, her shoulders heaving, the stress of her actually shooting me seemed to affect her. Her eyes looked wild, she licked her lips, suddenly seeming nervous. The cold demeanour breaking up as internal conflicts began to emerge.

  I was starting to feel light-headed, my balance going and I slipped in my own blood, just managing to hold on with my left hand as I slid to the side hanging to the railing. I felt my strength ebbing, my eyes locked on her.

  Tobler came towards me, then turned to Alice and gave her a command.

  “Karambola dezaktivirovat, deactivate. Now!”

  Not waiting to see if she obeyed, he pulled his suit trousers up at the knees and squatted down by me. Deliberately watching me, knowing and wanting to see my face as it happened.

  I could still see Alice, she looked suddenly confused as her arm dropped and the Glock slid out of her hand.

  She glanced around, looking for reassurance and caught sight of her parents bodies dead on the deck. She screamed and leapt over to Abbey and dropping to her knees cradled her head. She sobbed as she saw the hole in her forehead and felt the sticky wetness knowing somehow that it was over and she had had something to do with it, but not really understanding what.

  Looking up, her face torn with grief, her eyes red streaming with tears, I was sure she didn't realise it was me hanging at the side, she saw her Father lying half over the gunwale and she screamed again, and in her grief dropped her head down to her chest and now sobbed uncontrollably.

  “Don't worry, my friend, I said I would remember your decent treatment of me, so we will fix it so she won't remember that she fired the shots that killed them, or you. She is now just plain old Alice until we need her to be Karambola again.” Smirking triumphantly he hit my hand with the butt of the gun forcing me to let go, then kicked me off the deck. I plunged into the dark sea.

  I called out to her as the water pulled me down and as I began to sink under I heard the buzz of powerful outboards building in volume, the sound travelling underwater told me they were fast approaching the boat.

  ‘Fletcher! Too late for me!' I thought.

  Then, as the current took hold of my body I collided with something, which tangled around my arm and as I lost consciousness I realised I had been caught in the sea anchor drifting from the boat.

  On the boat Tobler heard the engines and looked out just in time to see two black semi-rigid dinghies heading straight for them, one peeled off towards the stern and as they both slowed he could see guns trained on all accesses and hatches. He coldly watched Fletcher's face as he removed his nightvision goggles. Damn! he would have seen him force Charlie into the sea.

  As Fletcher climbed aboard he took in the scene and went to take Tobler's gun from him. Tobler might be a traitor unofficially, but at the moment he was still Fletcher's superior officer until the proof was presented. However, he wasn't about to let Tobler shoot him in the back. Tobler very reluctantly released his hold on his pistol while looking into Fletcher's eyes. What he saw there didn't inspire him to begin issuing orders and trying to take control of the teams.

  Instead, he leaned against the railing and watched as a Team quickly photographed, bagged guns and anything else they thought might be important, passing it all back to hands in the dinghy that had come alongside. The whole thing took just a few minutes.

  Alice recognised Fletcher as one of Tobler's team that had kidnapped her and she shied away from him as he approached her. He noted the blood on her hands and clothes and was immediately concerned in case it was hers.

  He took her arm, moving her away from the activity. “Are you all right Alice?... what happened here, can you tell me?”

  She looked at him, the dazed look on her face told him she was in shock. He played it gently knowing that she was fragile and could tip backwards and become a problem for him and his team. They needed to get her to help as soon as possible and he needed to find Charlie.

  “No, I, uh, went down to check on Tobler and, uhhh! I don't remember any more after that.... Where's Dan? Who killed my parents? Was it Tobler or …. and...” she trailed off with a sob as the shock began to take her, withdrawing into herself.

  “Alice, look! You won't believe this, but I'm a friend of Dan's, but I know him as Charlie. He wanted me to get you to safety and that's what I am going to do. It's too dangerous for you to stay here, too many people are looking for you. We will get you somewhere safe until everything is sorted out.”

  “Where is Dan?” she pleaded, “What happened to him? He went up front to take a call. I don't remember anything...”

  “I think Dan is dead, Alice, he got shot and went into the sea.” Fletcher didn't like hitting her with that after seeing her parents dead, but he didn't see any other way. Better to get it all done in one go, then try and repair the damage.

  Alice sagged against him, the latest news too much to bear, he held her up as her legs started to give way. Looking round he detailed two of his men to take Alice to the dinghy, one got a blanket from the cabin, and she was carefully dropped where two other pairs of hands readily grabbed her. At a hand signal from Fletcher, the dinghy immediately took off back to shore.

  Tobler watched it disappear, the white effervescent foam of the outboard gouging a deep rut into the sea long after the boat itself became invisible in the darkness. He smirked thinking of her as his secret asset still undiscovered awaiting an opportunity to create mayhem. She will still be useful, he thought.

  CHAPTER 33

  On the boat Tobler heard the engines and looked out just in time to see two black semi-rigid dinghies heading straight for them, one peeled off towards the stern and as they both slowed he could see guns trained on all accesses and hatches. He coldly watched Fletcher's face as he removed his nightvision goggles. Damn! he would have seen him force Charlie into the sea.

  As Fletcher climbed aboard he took in the scene and went to take Tobler's gun from him. Tobler might be a traitor unofficially, but at the moment he was still Fletcher's superior officer until the proof was presented. However, he wasn't about to let Tobler shoot him in the back. Tobler very reluctantly released his hold on his pistol while looking into Fletcher's eyes. What he saw there didn't inspire him to begin issuing orders and trying to take control of the teams.

  Instead, he leaned against the railing and watched as a Team quickly photographed, bagged guns and anything else they thought might be important, passing it all back to hands in the dinghy that had come alongside. The whole thing took just a few minutes.

  Alice recognised Fletcher as one of Tobler's team that had kidnapped her and she shied away from him as he approached her. He noted the blood on her hands and clothes and was immediately concerned in case it was hers.

  He took her arm, moving her away from the activity. “Are you all right Alice?
... what happened here, can you tell me?”

  She looked at him, the dazed look on her face told him she was in shock. He played it gently knowing that she was fragile and could tip backwards and become a problem for him and his team. They needed to get her to help as soon as possible and he needed to find Charlie.

  “No, I, uh, went down to check on Tobler and, uhhh! I don't remember any more after that.... Where's Dan? Who killed my parents? Was it Tobler or …. and...” she trailed off with a sob as the shock began to take her, withdrawing into herself.

  “Alice, look! You won't believe this, but I'm a friend of Dan's, but I know him as Charlie. He wanted me to get you to safety and that's what I am going to do. It's too dangerous for you to stay here, too many people are looking for you. We will get you somewhere safe until everything is sorted out.”

  “Where is Dan?” she pleaded, “What happened to him? He went up front to take a call. I don't remember anything...”

  “I think Dan is dead, Alice, he got shot and went into the sea.” Fletcher didn't like hitting her with that after seeing her parents dead, but he didn't see any other way. Better to get it all done in one go, then try and repair the damage.

  Alice sagged against him, the latest news too much to bear, he held her up as her legs started to give way. Looking round he detailed two of his men to take Alice to the dinghy, one got a blanket from the cabin, and she was carefully dropped where two other pairs of hands readily grabbed her. At a hand signal from Fletcher, the dinghy immediately took off back to shore.

  Tobler watched it disappear, the white effervescent foam of the outboard gouging a deep rut into the sea long after the boat itself became invisible in the darkness. He smirked thinking of her as his secret asset still undiscovered awaiting an opportunity to create mayhem. She will still be useful, he thought.

  Fletcher was looking at him intently, he quickly recovered his poise and wiped the smile off his face, and, thinking to distract his attention from what he had been doing, he pointed at the disappearing dinghy.