Deadly States (Seaforth Files by Nicholas P Clark Book 2) (48 page)

as far as the length of rope that was fixed to its collar would allow.
Suddenly the dog stopped. It looked down into the valley for a

few moments before continuing on its way.
After a few minutes the
animal repeated the actions—brief pause, before continuing. The animal was not agitated, as it would have been had it been looking at a
potential foe, nor was it excited, had it spotted its master.

“Look again. When the
dog stops, look
down into the valley to
where the dog is looking.”
Jack took the binoculars
off
her and he looked across the valley
once again. The dog was in the centre of his view. The animal came
to a stop. It looked down into the dead valley.
All grass and the hardy
bushes had turned brown under the drought conditions that had besieged the area for over two years. However, at the bottom of the valley
there was a small line of green life that snaked off into the distance,
following a low-lying contour. Jack reasoned that there must have been
a river or stream in that part of the valley, maintaining that thin line of
plant life. He turned his attention to where the dog was looking. This
time he looked more carefully.
Along the waterway there was a particularly
dense patch
of vegetation. A small,
overgrown,
olive grove.
Underneath the leafy trees, and almost completely concealed from the
roads and settlements above, there was a vehicle. It was white and
catching the sun. But what kind of vehicle it was,
or how large, was
not discernible. By the edge of the olive grove a
man stood guard. He
was
dressed in dark green clothing—more paramilitary than proper
army, but the automatic rifle that he was carrying did not care about
the distinction.
“So pet, what’s the plan?” Jack asked. “No
idea, but we have to do something.”
“We could go to the border and report
back with this
position,”
Jack suggested.
There was a pause as Alexa considered her position.
“I
don’t know Jack. If the nukes are down there then it looks like
they have been keeping them on the move.
And that makes sense. By
the time we get back to the border then the weapons
may
be on the
move again.
And if my government goes ahead with an attack on this
position then it will be clear that their attempts at hiding the weapons
have failed. They will make sure we don’t find them the next time. We

could end up making matters worse. If we could take out the guard
and destroy the vehicle before we go for help, then it might buy the
army enough time to mount an attack before the nukes are moved.”

“And what do you think the army will do?”
“Invasion would be the safest
option but it would take too long,
even if we are successful in destroying the vehicle. I would imagine
they will launch some kind of commando raid. Or if it looks like such a
raid would not be possible, then they will destroy this entire valley.”
Jack was shocked by her last suggestion.
“If those weapons are damaged it could cause a fallout that will
kill
everything for miles around. The fallout might even reach some of
the bigger settlements or one of the cities. That would be madness.”
“This is a
mad part
of the world Jack. I really thought that you
would have understood that by now. We have to do whatever it takes
to survive, even if that means sacrificing innocent lives. If one of those
bombs gets through to Israel then the
death toll there will
be
even
worse.”
“OK, I understand. But that doesn’t mean that I’m happy about it.
Promise me that you will do everything that you can to protect the
civilian population?”
“I always do, Jack. I know as well as anyone that innocent deaths
here will be met with innocent loss of life back in my country.”
There was an awkward pause. Jack felt uneasy. Her words were uttered with sincerity but Jack felt that he was being played—it was the
first time that he felt that way about her and he hated himself for it.
“Good,” Jack said, eventually. “We will have to make sure we give
your guys enough time to do this thing the sensible way.”
She looked past him, into the distance, and remained silent. Jack
waited for a response. There was nothing. Jack looked back to where
she was staring.
“I think we may be too late,” she said.
In the distance, just
over a shallow ridge, two helicopter gunships
appeared.
“Your guys?” Jack asked. “Almost
certainly,” she replied.

They ran for the car. Once inside Jack drove off at high speed along
the potholed road. Three explosions close to the vehicle in the valley
found their range. The next set of missiles would find their target.

The guards
didn’t look as if they were going anywhere in a hurry.
Jack searched for another way
out
of the toilet
block—there were
none. The block was surrounded
by
corridors
on all sides and there
were no windows. Slipping back through the hole in the ceiling was
the
only
option that he could think
of though he had no idea where
that dark space would take him.

To hell with it, Jack said as he opened the door to the toilet block.
He strode
out into the corridor with confidence. The guards
barely
noticed him as he walked past them. Sometimes the simplest approach
to a problem was the best approach. A small pang of nervous tension
stabbed at
his
stomach,
but
only for a
moment.
As
he
entered the
room he expected to be
made instantly—a
hush
descending
quickly
followed
by the sound
of automatic weapons
being cocked, followed
by the sound
of
gunfire as
his riddled
body tumbled
back through
the doorway. There was nothing.
As the delegates attending the mad
conference went about the business
of subterfuge and self-promotion
none
of them cared
one little bit about Jack—his
dramatic
entrance
only ever materialising in his head. There was nothing like a preoccupied crowd when seeking deep cover.

Jack scooped a
glass
of wine from a
near-by table and then he
helped himself to several small squares of cheese. With all the excite