Then this Chinese counter to any new version of Stuxnet had appeared. He’d risked everything giving his brother’s documents to the UN. He continued that risk today. Ahead, Ahmed rode with the mule. Rahmani would stop her. That was why he was here. If he could do it and keep his position as chief of Iranian intelligence in Europe, so be it. If not, he was always in the hands of Allah, the Merciful.
“I have to go,” Saliha said.
“Go where?” Ahmed looked confused.
“You know, in a ladies’ room.”
“Oh. Of course. You can pull over. It is not a problem.”
“What do you think I am? A woman who squats on the side of a highway? There is a town up ahead. I stopped there once before. It has a café I can use.”
Ahmed thought about it a moment. “All right.”
They were now two to three hours from the border and Saliha had decided she’d only have two chances. One would be a stop well short of the crossing; the other would be at the border itself. She’d spent some time considering talking Ahmed into taking the thumb drive across himself. He was here, what did they need her for?
But that led to only one answer. Yes, they wanted what she had in Iran but they also wanted her in Iran. She slowed when she saw the sign. YAY-LACIK. It was not much of a town. The hills were more pronounced now with evergreen growth in the cooler climate.
Behind them, Rahmani slowed with the Ford. He glanced at his watch. Early for a break. The weather was turning nasty. The wind had really picked up and was blasting the car with considerable force from time to time. Sunset was at 7:30 p.m. and that was about when they’d reach the border. He needed to do something soon.
Behind them both, Jeff dropped well back, wondering how he’d pass unnoticed in such a small town.
Daryl had fallen far behind and the plane remained with her. She’d checked her cell phone to call Jeff but there was no signal. She had her spot picked out, Tercan Baraji, an enormous hydroelectric reservoir. The map showed a network of roads leading around it. She’d take in the sights while the other cars drove on. After an hour of delay she’d return to the highway and follow. Easy.
Ahead of Jeff the blue Ford pulled to a stop in front of a small café. There were a few tables and empty chairs. The black Hyundai stopped immediately behind the Ford. The diminutive man climbed out and stretched, looking back the way they’d come, not registering Jeff in his different car. Jeff saw the woman get out and go inside, followed by Ahmed. The bearded man remained without, smoking a cigarette.
Jeff turned into a narrow side street, then maneuvered until he was largely unseen from the other cars but had a clear view of the front of the café.
Daryl spotted the road to the lake and took it. A short distance later she looked up and sure enough, there was the little plane. She could feel the wind herself and wondered what it was like up there. Not pleasant.
Overhead, Wu had been fighting the SportCruiser for the last two hours. The pounding wind was playing havoc with the little plane. More than once he’d thought about just turning around but the red car was just there. And now it was by itself, away from the highway. He banked the plane and descended, maneuvering for the best approach.
Li had thrown up once earlier and apologized repeatedly for it. Still, he’d improved after that and though he looked wan he had the assault rifle between his knees, ready for action. These were CIA agents, certainly armed. Wu was taking no chances.
“Take them out,” Wu ordered. “Careful with the car. We don’t want computers with holes in them.” Wu dipped the plane and cut speed even more. His main concern was a sudden downdraft. He doubted the craft had enough power to overcome anything too precipitous.
Li opened the window and cold air beat into the cockpit. He moved in the seat so he could aim the assault rifle. He had a fifty-round magazine with three more in the war bag. He slipped the weapon to full automatic fire.
Below, Daryl was concentrating on the road. If it deteriorated she planned to turn around and head back to the highway, then find another off road to follow. It didn’t have to go to the lake. It could go anywhere.
Saliha stalled in the restroom. She’d counted on men being gathered here as they always were, but because of the weather there were only two sitting inside, both old. Even if they stood up for her, how far were Ahmed and the other man prepared to go? And once she tried to get away and failed, they’d know, and if she was wrong in her assessment she would certainly be their enemy from then on. She might not even live to reach the border.
Ahmed knocked on the door. “Let’s go. It will be dark soon.”
Saliha stared at herself in the mirror. She felt the knife in her pocket, knowing she hadn’t the courage to use it. You’re a coward, she thought. A coward.
As she exited the café she looked at the men. No, these wouldn’t do. It had to be the border, she thought. There were guards there. They’d likely remember her. Yes, the border. That was the best place to escape. As for her family, she’d call and warn them.
Ahmed stood at the bar to pay for his soda as Saliha went outside. He glanced at the television. Startled, he saw two photographs of him, one from his passport, the other of him sitting in a car. My God! he thought. He stared in amazement and fear. The picture cut to a serious young woman reading from a script, then a telephone number appeared on the screen. He was wanted, here in Turkey, right now! He glanced quickly around. No one else was watching the television. He dropped a large bill on the counter and rushed out.
Fortunately, Hamid had stayed with his car. Saliha didn’t notice Ahmed’s anxiety as he slipped behind the wheel and joined her. She made a U-turn and drove back to the highway. Beside her, Ahmed stifled his panic. He’d have to avoid getting too close to the border. He needed to tell Hamid about this but when he did it would be just one more sign of failure. Perhaps after Saliha had crossed over and they had a success to enjoy. Yes, that would be the moment.
Just then, there was a distinctive sound Daryl had only heard once before—bullets striking very close to her. There were thuds across the front of the car and the distant sound of rapid gunfire. She accelerated rapidly.
The plane, she thought, it’s from that plane!
Overhead, Wu gunned the engine, gained altitude and banked. “Any luck?”
“I shot across the engine to disable the car. If you can come in very low I’ll go for the tires next.”
Wu didn’t like the sound of that. Low was not good. The plane was a lot safer higher up. He looked down and spotted the red car racing toward the lake. He gunned the engine to make a low pass but much faster, much safer than before as he had to catch the fast-moving car. “Make the most of it, Li.”
The strong wind battered the plane and Li had trouble taking aim. As the car came in sight he squeezed the trigger but only let off a few wide shots. The plane just wasn’t stable enough. “We need to make the car the target or give this up,” he said. “It’s too rough for proper aim.” Wu gunned the engine and made a sharp turn to come around for another pass.
Daryl was frantically searching for somewhere to hide, a building of some kind or a natural protection. This road joined a broader, more improved road running beside the lake. She raced toward it, taking the turn hard, the tires screeching. She shifted gears, then gunned along the new road, picking up speed, wishing they’d rented something with more power.
Then bullets slammed into the car, the sound on the roof like very heavy hail.
On the highway Jeff glanced back repeatedly for sight of Daryl and the red Fiat. He couldn’t get used to the idea of their being separated at such a time. It looked as if she’d been right about the plane; once she’d faded back he’d lost sight of it. It was possible it had flown on but if it had she’d have rejoined him by now, assuming the Fiat could catch up. Saliha was maintaining a quick pace.
He glanced at his phone. No signal.
Daryl weaved back and forth across the road, doing what she could to evade the plane and the bulle
ts. Several had struck the car; one had gone through the passenger seat. Steam was coming from around the hood and the engine was making a terrible racket. Ahead was a cluster of squat buildings near the dam. She straightened out and risked a look for the plane. With a sinking heart she saw that it was coming around again.
Daryl downshifted, punched the accelerator to the floor, and the little engine screamed.
“Last pass,” Wu said. “Empty a full magazine into the car, aim for the driver.”
“Right,” Li said as he reached behind him and extracted a fresh magazine, which he snapped in place.
Wu nosed the plane down and pushed the throttle full forward. The wind was less violent and he was willing to risk a lower pass, one certain to make the kill. Then he’d land on the asphalt road, recover the laptops, and they’d be on their way.
Li placed the rifle out the window and pressed it against his shoulder. Wu could see the buildings ahead but he’d catch the car before it ever reached them. When the car was in sight Li held the trigger down in sustained automatic fire, aiming as best he could directly at the driver.
Daryl sensed rather than saw or heard the plane. She yanked the wheel hard over. The Fiat tottered on two wheels as if it might go over but it held as her momentum drove her off the road onto the flat expanse beside it. The car came to an abrupt stop as the engine died.
Daryl looked anxiously out the window. The plane was making a slow wheel in the sky as it turned to attack again. She turned the key. The engine ground in a disheartening way and refused to catch. She tried again with no luck. As she turned the key a third time, she saw the plane coming nearly straight at her.
The car engine roared to life. She rammed the gear into reverse and shot backward onto the asphalt. She slammed on the brakes, changed gears, then punched the accelerator as she pointed the car for the buildings directly ahead. As she did she weaved side to side, alternating between braking and accelerating. Bullets slammed into the car. She felt a blow from above but no pain or other sensation. She hit the brakes hard, the car skidding to a stop. The plane zoomed past her.
“They stopped,” Li said, pulling the rifle back in. “Maybe I got the driver.”
Wu banked sharply, still at a leisurely pace for an aircraft designed to resist extremes. The car below was not moving. “Again,” he ordered. “I think we have them.”
But as he approached, his worse fear was realized. The wind pummeled the plane cruelly and as he slowed to give Li his best shot, they were caught in a sudden downdraft. It seemed to Wu that the plane was being pressed to the ground by a powerful, unseen force.
Daryl saw the plane coming at her. Light-headed, she turned the ignition again but this time there was no hope. The engine refused to even turn over. She jumped out of the car and looked back at the plane as it dropped even lower, like a fighter coming in for a strafing run.
Wu pushed the control forward for maximum power and fought to raise the craft but to no avail. He was being forced down relentlessly. “Pull up!” Li shouted, but it was too late. The plane slammed into the ground just in front of the red car in a violent crash that at once turned into a fireball, the flames engulfing the Fiat as the wreckage scattered immediately in front of it, some striking the front in passing.
Daryl had only made it a few yards when she felt the plane hit and she was knocked forward, engulfed in the horrible sounds of the crashing plane. Then there was silence, broken only by the sound of the flames.
She was out of breath and light-headed, struggling to stand up. When she looked she saw that her clothes were covered in blood. Unseen to her, men rushed from the buildings in response to the explosion. The violence of the explosion, flames, and ugly plume told them there were no survivors.
56
E80
TRANS-EUROPEAN MOTORWAY (TEM)
NEAR GURBULAK, TURKEY
7:19 P.M. EET
I need to change clothes before crossing the border,” Saliha said. “You know how you Iranians are.”
“Of course.” Ahmed had cautioned her that first trip about what she must do. He was pleased she remembered because it was obvious she was upset. He’d never seen her like this, so withdrawn and anxious. Confronting her in Ankara had been a mistake. He wished Hamid had listened to him. Had they left her alone all would have been well. Instead, he was a wanted man in a foreign country. “I’ll tell you where,” he said.
This next part was going to be tricky. Ahmed didn’t dare get too close to the border for fear of being recognized. But this had to go smoothly. He doubted Hamid would take the thumb drive across himself and he certainly wasn’t going to suggest it. No, it had to be Saliha. That’s what she was paid for.
They’d been driving through a mountainous region of Turkey for the last hour. The highway wound back and forth like a snake, crossing numerous bridges, large and small. The sun was dipping very low on the horizon. The leaves on the poplar trees flanking a stream bristled in the breeze, reflecting a final stream of fading sunlight. Some fifteen miles from the border they came on a gaudy truck stop. “Here,” Ahmed said. “You can use the restroom.”
Saliha pulled the car off to the side of the building, out of the path of the trucks fueling up. It was one of those modern structures, seemingly snapped together like a child’s toy. She found it very depressing. In all her trips she’d never once stopped at this place.
She was exhausted as she went to the rear of the car and opened the trunk for her Iran-crossing attire. She’d tried to devise some scheme for the border and could come up with nothing specific. She’d have to see the situation, then respond to it. The only thing about which she was absolutely certain was that she was not entering Iran.
Rahmani pulled up beside the blue Ford and climbed out as Saliha walked past him, carrying a travel bag. She stared straight ahead, making a point not to look at him. He lit a cigarette and pulled his light jacket closely about him. It was cold.
“She is changing,” Ahmed said. Rahmani nodded in understanding. “We are close to the border.” Rahmani glanced at Ahmed and wondered why he was saying these things. They were self-evident.
Across the service area, Jeff drove to the opposite end of the building and killed the engine. He’d watched Saliha go around the station carrying a bag. He glanced along the side of the building and decided to risk an attempt. Before getting out of the car he checked his cell phone. There’d been no calls from Daryl and he was uneasy about the silence. Once, he had regained a signal and called her; each attempt had rolled over to voice mail. He assumed she was out of contact but took no comfort in the thought.
Ahmed and the other man were talking, each keeping a casual eye on the corner Saliha had gone around. Jeff slipped out of the car and walked by the side of the building, along the wall to the back. The ground dropped off sharply here and there was little space for him to move along. Excess concrete oozed from the foundation and was now frozen in a permanent curl. Loose rock and gravel made his footing uncertain.
Jeff edged along the back until he came to the far corner. A quick peek revealed two doors he took to be the entrances to restrooms. He waited for one to open, then he’d do what he could. It was more likely she’d bolt than talk to him.
“At the border,” Rahmani said in front, “you will see her to the crossing.” No such thing would occur, of course, but that was what Ahmed expected to hear.
“Hamid,” Ahmed said quietly. “I must tell you something.” Rahmani raised an eyebrow and Ahmed rushed into his story, telling him how he’d seen his photograph at the last stop, that he was certain he was wanted here in Turkey. “I cannot risk getting close to the border.”
“Was my photograph on the television?”
“No, I assure you.”
“Did you wait until the broadcast was finished to be certain?”
“I . . . I left. Saliha was outside and I was concerned someone might recognize me if I remained near the television.”
Rahmani considered this new informatio
n. Events were moving much faster than they had a right to on their own. He and Ahmed should have been undetected here in Turkey yet someone knew enough to put out an alert for Ahmed, perhaps even for himself though he couldn’t imagine that was likely.
Still, it was apparent that he’d dithered too long. He needed to act as soon as he could. The woman had to go because she’d seen him as an ally of Ahmed. Ahmed had to die because he’d know Rahmani had stopped Saliha. “Get the woman,” he snapped. “We need to go somewhere private.”
When Ahmed came around the corner, Jeff pulled back. He heard pounding on the door. “Saliha. Change later. We need to leave right now.”
“I’m not finished.”
“Forget it. Let’s go. We’re in a hurry.”
A moment later Jeff heard the door slam, then Saliha complaining to Ahmed as the two went toward the front of the building. He moved as quickly as he could back the way he’d come, turned the corner, then sneaked a look. Saliha was getting into the Ford with Ahmed beside her. The other man had already started his engine and was watching them intently. As soon as the two cars pulled away he jumped into his car. To his surprise they turned away from the border.
“It’s just up here,” Saliha told Ahmed, gesturing lightly. “I don’t know why I couldn’t finish. It would only take a few minutes.”
“Just go where you usually do. It is quiet, you say?”
“Of course. You think I undress in front of others?”
Two miles up the highway, she found the small road leading to her usual place by the stream and poplar trees. She exited, then drove slowly to the small, discreet clearing she always used. “Hurry up,” Ahmed ordered.
“Oh? Now you are in a hurry?” Saliha climbed out of the car and opened the rear door where she’d left the bag. “Go join your friend. I don’t want you watching me.”
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