Deadly States (Seaforth Files by Nicholas P Clark Book 2) (40 page)

“Don’t you seeJack? This is what we have been afraid of. Oncethey
have gained supremacy they will start to interfere with the internal
financial policies of sovereign nations. Once they have an influence on
tax and spending in those countries they will be able to control things
such as defence budgets and the amount that a country can spend on
the health of its people.”

“What exactly is it that you want me to do about any
of this?
Are
we going to rob banks all over the city? How can we stop it, if indeed it
needs to be stopped?”

She sighed, despondently.
“I fear that you are correct Jack. There is nothing that you or I can
do about the
economic rise
of a
new
Germany. But there are
other
dangers that are more tangible and we can do something about those
threats.”
“I’m all ears.”
“There are three major players in the world who will not buy into
the rise of Germany—Russia, the UK and Israel.”
“What about America?”
“America has already given its approval for Germany to be at the
centre of Europe’s financial
operations. They are unwilling
or unable
to see that once Germany is in that position it will only be a matter of
time until they
make a
move
on the US
economic supremacy. With
America already
on their side, they
only need to eliminate the opposition from the others and they will once again be a global superpower.
Russia is in the early
stages
of collapse; it is
only a
matter
of time.
The UK will never buy into a European monetary policy that would
strangle the power
of Westminster.
And for reasons that need no explanation, my country will never submit to Germany. The UK can be
isolated and squeezed by
political means, but Israel will not suffer as
much as we are already isolated. We believe that some of the die-hard
members
of the new Nazi movement want to deviate from the policy
of passive takeover in order to deal a fatal blow to my country.”
“Like a nuke??” Jack said, with alarm.
“That is
one possibility that we are looking into. If they
detonate
one
or two nuclear
devices inside
our
borders it will create chaos. It
would not take much to incite our neighbours intoan invasion. If that

happens then the mass murder that started during the war would be
finished today, and not a single Nazi would have to get their hands
dirty doing it.”

Jack stood up.
“It is very clear that you mean every word of what you are saying,”
Jack began. “But surely you must see how it all sounds to me? There
is simply no possibility that
America would sit
back and allow your
country to be annihilated. It simply won’t happen.
And the UK would
join you in
defence
of your
nation.
An invasion simply would
not
happen. Not today.”
“I know that it is a lot for you to take in Jack, but we have evidence
that four nuclear weapons have already left Russia and they are on the
way to the Middle East as we speak. Even if no invasion takes place,
millions will be killed in the blasts and the entire region will be an irradiated no man’s land for decades to come.”
“And what makes you think that I will be able to help you? I
can’t
see my government allowing me to chase after Soviet weapons across
the world, not for a foreign power. It just wouldn’t happen.”
“Your government must not know about it.
At least they must not
know all of what I have told you.”
“Why not?”
“There is some evidence that someone from the UK has been involved at
every stage in this process. He is a shadowy figure and we
have not been able to get as much as a photo of him. I even suspected
you for a short time.”
She smiled. Jack returned the smile,
but
his grin was forced and
uneasy. Under normal circumstances he would have simply dismissed
what she had to say as nonsense, but he knew that there was a British
agent in Moscow and Jack had no idea who he was or why he was really there. He may have been nothing more than an infiltrator; but if
that was the case why
hadn’t Jack been told about him? There was a
possibility that Jack would have run into the agent and it would have
been
good
professional
practice for
London
to
keep
him informed
about
such an individual. Then there was the much more plausible
explanation as to what was really going
on—she knew
exactly who
this other agent was and perhaps she had planted him there just to
raise Jack’s

levels of confusion and mistrust so that he would accept the story that
she was trying to sell.
“Even if this is all true, I
don’t know what I can do to help you.
All leads I
had went
cold when some bastard knocked me
out
back
in Moscow. I wouldn’t
know where to begin. So if you are trying to
pump me for information then I am afraid you are well and truly out
of luck. I have absolutely nothing to give to you.”
“You have a lot to offer Jack. Your security services have been in
place in this part
of the world since the end of the war. This very city
was rebuilt around those agencies. I
need you
because I
need your
contacts. And I need resources.”
“Contacts I can understand, but why resources? I know how well
your organisation is funded and my bosses would die for a similar level
of funding.”
There was a short pause.
“What aren’t you telling me?” Jack asked.
Another pause followed. When the real reason for her request for
help finally came to him Jack couldn’t stop grinning.
“You need me to provide you with resources because your own side
won’t fund this little adventure of yours. Isn’t that right?”
“That is not strictly true,” she snapped. “They agree with my assessment in principal but they do not want me going too far in case I
upset the Russians. Theirs may be an empire in terminal decline, but
even a mortally wounded dog can still bite hard until it takes its final
breath.”
“So let
me get this straight,” said Jack.
“Your country
genuinely
believes that certain individuals intent
on wiping you from the face of
the Earth have got their hands
on the very weapons needed to carry
out such a task and they don’t want to try to stop them out of fear that it
would upset the Russians? I’m sorry, but that all sounds to me like a lot
of horseshit. If your government really believed what you have just told
me then they
would
have
sent you all
the
manpower
and
other
resources that you need. There is simply no way that they would take
the chance, not with nukes involved. No way.”
She lowered the gun and walked across the room to stand in front
of Jack. The gun droppedfrom her hand ontothe bed. Shethen placed
the hand which had been holding the weapon on Jack’s left shoulder.
“Believe me Jack; I would not put myself through this humiliation if
I was not
desperate. There are some within Mossad who do believe
me. Moves are taking place under the radar to shift some agents from
other parts of Europe to help me, but as this has to be done in a very
hush hush way it will take time.
And time is something that we don’t
have. You have seen for yourself how
easy it is for weapons
of
mass
destruction to be bought
on the black market. You understand better
than my superiors what is at stake. They fight this war from behind
desks; you live on the battlefield.”
“I’m sorry, I really am. Believe me, I have been in a similar position
many times—those in charge deciding what is best from the comfort
and safety of their offices in Whitehall while ignoring my advice from
out in the field. But in the end it is their call. Right or wrong I have to
follow
orders. There is simply no chance in hell that I would ever be
allowed to team up with an agent from a foreign power, especially in
pursuit of a threat that her own government doesn’t believe exists. I’m
sorry, but it just can’t happen.”
She pulled her hand away from his shoulder and then she scooped
up her gun from the bed.
“I
understand Jack. If I were in your
position I would probably
make the same call. I will leave you in peace and wish you every success here in Berlin.”
She walked
over to the door to the room and
opened it.
Once in
the doorway she turned to face Jack one last time.
“If I am successful Jack then a great tragedy will have been avoided. If I am not successful will you be able to live with the guilt that
you could have prevented the deaths
of
millions
of innocent
people?
And remember also, they
have brought Russia to her knees; they are
about to do the same to my country. That means you are next, Jack. I
wish you all the luck in the world with that.”
There was mild anger in her tone as she said those last words. Jack
did not get a chance to respond. The door closed and she was gone.
Jack went to the window and he looked out over the city once again. It
was
crazy. It was
professional
suicide.
However, it was
something
that he simply had to do. He picked up his jacket and a pair of gloves
from a chair next to his bed and then he left the room. He caught up
with her on the street outside the hotel. She smiled warmly when she
saw him approach.
“Who said the British were stubborn?” she said.
“Don’t get too cocky. I still haven’t fully committed myself to this
madness. It would take very little to send me back up those stairs to
the warmth and comfort of my bedroom.”
The words were just out of Jack’s mouth when a massive fireball exploded above their heads. Glass and mortar rained down on the street
and only just missed them. Jack cautiously looked up. The glass doors
leading
out to the balcony
of
his room were gone and large flames
were lashing
out from the room as if tasting the cold night air. He
turned to make sure she was uninjured. Not
only was she uninjured
but she was grinning, sheepishly. Jack immediately realised why.
“You did that!” he snapped.
“Sorry, but I couldn’t leave any loose ends. You know how it is? No
hard feelings?”
“If I had said no you would have killed me!?”
“Pretty
much. Though if you now want to say
no I will understand. By the looks of it your room is certainly warm, though I’m not
so sure about how comfortable it is.”
Jack paused through stunned exasperation. It was several moments
before he regained his composure enough to speak.
“Let’s get the hell
out
of here before the cops show up,” Jack said.
“The Red Army will probably have one or two questions for us as well,
if they catch up with us. I really
don’t feel like spending a few years in
a Siberian prison, do you?”
“Jack, you worry too much.”
“You blew up my hotel room!!!”
Jack took her by the arm and led her down the street in a hurry.
As first dates went it was certainly
one for the books.
And it was
their first date. Jack always knew that if his war weary
old self was
ever
going to fall for a woman then she was really going to have to
move
heaven and
earth to
make that
happen. In less than twenty
minutes she had done all that, and a lot more besides.
Their first stop was Moscow. When it came to telling lies, espe