Imperative strike, p.9
Imperative Strike, page 9
“What’s our situation, guys?” Neil shouted towards the vehicle.
“We are almost done,” Philip answered. “How’s our friend doing? “ he asked.
Neil was terrified that Harry’s condition would deteriorate but did his best to keep his concern to himself. He left the improvised resuscitation area and climbed up into the vehicle, with the help of a little push from Philip. He began to clear the vehicle from the equipment scattered around it, spreading out a number of blankets on top of each other between the benches. He had trouble doing this due to the sudden weakness he felt in his knees, and he sat his heavy body down on one of the benches.
“We’re ready to go,” he heard Philip say from the other side of the vehicle. Neil jumped off it and signaled to Philip to join him. The two men dragged Harry, who was now unconscious, on the sand towards the vehicle. With tremendous effort they managed to lay him down on the blankets between the benches. Harry was breathing heavily, gasping for air. His lips were swollen to an alarming size and he was pale, with sweat covering his face and neck. Neil put bags on each side of Harry’s head to prevent it from bouncing during the drive.
“How’s he doing?” Ted asked anxiously.
“It’s hard to say,” Neil responded. “I did everything possible in the current conditions. A prayer at this time may not help, but it can’t hurt to try.”
Neil put the IV on the bench, just as Paul, who had slept through the drama, lifted his head and blinked in surprise.
“I haven’t slept so well in a long time,” he said as he yawned. He stood up and shook the sand off his clothes. “Did I miss something?” he asked, looking suspiciously at Neil’s bloody hands.
“You can go back to sleep,” Neil said. He sounded offended. “We don’t have time to explain. We need to get going immediately,” he said, and turned away from the surprised Paul.
“Ted and I will take Harry back to the city and to a hospital. You and Philip will stay here to guard the equipment.”
Paul, in shock, stood by the vehicle but didn’t say anything. He didn’t move, even when Ted started the car and sent a cloud of black smoke and sand at him. Philip got out of the vehicle and it turned around and started to slowly make its way back on the tire tracks that hadn’t yet been blown away by the wind.
The two of them stood there watching the vehicle drive off, never in their wildest dreams having imagined such complications. Philip waved goodbye, Neil responded by raising his hand and then leaning over Harry’s motionless body to check his condition. The bumpy ride tossed the body from side to side.
Paul and Philip watched with restrained concern as the vehicle barely made its way up the sandy hill. The wheels kicked sand all over the place and the engine sputtered from the great effort. The vehicle managed to reach the top of the hill, where it stopped for a moment, and then disappeared down the other side. Very soon the loud noise of the struggling engine was drowned out by the whistling wind. A few minutes passed, and the desert returned to its serenity.
Chapter 11
Gary paced the hotel lobby like a caged lion, brushing against the many guests crowded in the hall without even noticing. He went from the entrance to the elevators and back, over and over again, occasionally stepping outside the hotel for some fresh air. The waiting that had now begun, since the start of the operational stage of the mission, was unbearable. After each round, Gary sat down in one of the chairs, trying to distract himself by reading the local newspaper, but his mind soon drifted to the command car making its way in the desert and the people in the vehicle. Gary felt the sudden urge to go outside again. He stood by the door, watching the cars passing. In the corner of his eye he spotted a command car making its way into the hotel parking lot.
“Interesting,” he thought. “The guys were in a similar vehicle.”
He made his way back into the lobby, and as he headed towards a free chair, the elevator door opened and out rolled a fat man in khaki clothes.
“Oh my God, it’s Neil!” Gary whispered and rushed to the elevator. Gary pushed aside the guests between him and the elevator, gently but firmly. His eyes were on Neil’s face, as he searched the crowd with teary red eyes, desperate to find his commander. Gary pushed Neil back into the elevator, jumped inside, and the door closed behind his sweaty back.
“Oh my God,” Gary said again, this time loudly. “I can’t believe what I’m seeing.” Neil pressed the button to the basement floor and the elevator descended to the parking lot.
“Harry was injured and is unconscious in the vehicle. He has to be taken to a hospital immediately,” Neil said dryly. The strong smell of his sweat filled the small elevator. The door opened silently and the two men ran towards the vehicle, passing rows of parked cars. The command car was parked in the same place it had been in the morning. Gary climbed into the front seat and saw Harry lying there motionless between the benches.
“What a terrible sight,” he muttered through his clenched teeth, jumping down from the car. He signaled to Ted, who jumped out of the vehicle; when his feet hit the concrete floor, his knees buckled like a house of cards, a direct result of sitting behind the wheel for so long. Gary grabbed hold of Ted before he collapsed to the ground.
“We cannot drive around town with the command car, certainly not take it to the hospital. We need to use the small car,” Gary said as he took out the keys. He opened the door to the car he had unloaded the equipment from in the morning and Neil dragged Harry out of the back of the command car. In one hand he held the IV liquid bag and with the other he helped lay Harry down on the concrete floor. He carefully supported his head, Harry’s arms hanging in the air. It was definitely a pathetic sight.
Gary put his hand into Harry’s pocket and took out the white cardboard box. He opened it with his hands shaking. The badge sparkled in the neon light before his troubled eyes and Gary quickly put it in his own pocket. In a joint effort, the three men lifted Harry off the ground and sat him in the back seat of the small car. Neil got in next to him, placing the unconscious head between his knees. On the concrete floor where Harry had been was a stain of dark blood. Gary picked a piece of paper off the ground and quickly sketched a map of the area. He marked the hospital with a cross. The exhausted Ted examined the drawing and put it in the car.
“Is that clear?” Gary asked.
“Absolutely,” Ted answered shortly.
“I’ll run to notify our people to meet you at the hospital,” Gary said.
Ted started the car and moved towards the exit. Gary accompanied them on foot, walking quickly. He looked at Harry’s white face and how exhausted Neil was, and he had every reason to be concerned. The latest events raised serious questions about the continuation of the operation.
“When you can, come straight back to the hotel. You could use a few hours’ sleep,” Gary said, running after the car.
“Departure is tomorrow at around 4:00 AM.”
Ted nodded in agreement and pressed down on the accelerator. Gary was left behind, watching them drift away.
He remained alone in the huge parking lot, organizing his thoughts. The latest developments had changed everything, and the entire operation was under question. In order to continue, he would have to pass the command to someone else − but the question was to whom? Of the guys remaining on the team, who could do Harry’s job? Gary continued to debate it in his mind until a strange, mysterious smile suddenly spread across his face. He knew there was only one way out of this mess, and he continued to smile to himself with satisfaction as he returned to the lobby. He crossed the busy lobby and left through the front door, heading towards the public telephone on the corner and suspiciously examining the cars passing by.
In the telephone booth was a woman talking enthusiastically. Gary waited patiently outside the booth, his eyes constantly scanning the area for anything suspicious. The woman finished her call and left, smiling apologetically; Gary gave her a phony half-smile in response. After he was sure that no one had followed him, he pushed the folding door and entered the phone booth. He took out a small notebook and turned the pages, looking for the number. When he found it, he dialed and waited. The call was answered right away.
In a short conversation, Gary arranged for the flat tire to be replaced by local agents and notified them of Harry’s injury and hospitalization. After completing the call, Gary dialed a different number. This time he had to wait longer for someone to answer.
“Hello,” came Kate’s familiar voice.
“My dear Kate,” Gary was relieved to hear her. “I need the boss and you should listen to this, too.”
“I’m always listening,” Kate replied cunningly. She held the phone away and Gary heard her call Greg to come to the phone.
“Gary, my dear,” Greg said cheerfully. “The guys left you on your own and you need to find a way to pass the time?”
Gary decided to make this call as short as possible. He cut Greg off, not bothering with the politeness expected of him.
“Harry was injured and is in the hospital in serious condition. I cannot go into details but I will not be able to keep an eye on him for the next few days. Please watch over him via our people in Togo, or send someone from London.”
Kate and Greg were stunned and began to talk at the same time, interrupting each other. Greg tried to collect his thoughts, “What do you mean seriously injured? Is his life in danger? Why can’t you keep an eye on him, Gary? You’re not thinking of . . .”
At that point, Gary hung up. He wiped the sweat from his forehead and walked out to the busy street.
Chapter 12
Philip stretched his body after the cold night. He had spent the last few hours walking around their small “campsite,” which consisted of a number of blankets spread out with their equipment on them. Paul was lying on the two bags, one beneath his head and the other beneath his legs. Despite the strange position, he slept through most of the night. Philip envied Paul’s amazing ability to detach himself from what was going on around him and sleep. The moment he put his head down on the bag, his loud snoring began. Unlike Paul, Philip had trouble falling asleep during the first half of the night when Paul was guarding the improvised camp.
Daylight was appearing around them and the sun rose slowly, getting rid of the bitter cold of the desert night. The whistling of the wind, which had stopped during the night, was back, sending clouds of sand into the air.
Philip leaned over Paul’s head and stared at him, but Paul continued his peaceful sleep, his face glowing.
“I wonder what you can dream of in the desert,” Philip thought as he sat down on one of the bags. This strange situation went on for hours, with Paul continuing to sleep while Philip paced restlessly. After walking on the sand to stretch his body, he returned to the blanket and lay down. Philip’s head slowly fell back and his eyes closed.
Suddenly, his eyes opened in panic. Along with the monotonous whistling of the wind, there was another sound, but from far away. Philip tried to identify its source but was unsuccessful. He put his hand on the bag behind him and yanked the bag from beneath Paul’s head.
“The night is over and it’s time to get up,” he said, continuing to listen carefully to the sound that was getting louder.
“Who’s coming?” Paul asked, jumping over the bags onto the sand. His legs got tangled in the blankets that were wrapped around his body, and Philip burst out laughing.
“Look at yourself,” he said. “At your age, I never stood in the desert wind wrapped in a blanket like that.
“I never did it at your age either,” Paul retorted. “If you hadn’t bothered me while I was sleeping, I wouldn’t have gotten caught in the blankets.”
“Do you hear that?” Philip asked.
Paul listened carefully as the mysterious sound got louder and closer to them. To prepare for the worst, they rushed to hide the equipment behind the rocks and they lay down flat on the sand in a spot from where they could see the path. Philip cocked his gun and waited. In the distance, in the horizon, a dark dot made its way on the path. The dot leaped over the folds in the sand, and as it got closer to their improvised camp, they identified a vehicle that was moving forward quickly.
“Maybe the command car is back,” Philip said with his regular enthusiasm.
“That’s also a possibility,” Paul agreed, “but we have to be prepared for surprises, so we should hide until we see who it is.”
After half an hour of tense expectation, Paul carefully rose from his position and examined the dot approaching them. Now he was certain.
“There’s no doubt that the vehicle making the noise is a command car,” he said to Philip, who was still lying on the sand.
They both sat up but remained out of sight, since there still was a slight chance that it was a different vehicle.
The command car descended from a sand hill towards them, spraying dirt and sand all over the place. It stopped by slamming on the brakes opposite the rock Philip and Paul were hiding behind. Philip stood up. He managed to see Neil, jumping out of the vehicle with all of his weight, his shoes landing deep in the soft sand. From the other side of the vehicle a different figure appeared. Philip rubbed his eyes, having trouble believing what he was seeing.
“Gary,” Philip whispered and came out of his hiding place. Paul, just as surprised, came out after him, holding an extinguished cigarette in his sweaty hand.
“I can’t believe it,” said Paul, shaking Gary’s hand excitedly. His cigarette fell to the ground and he didn’t even notice it.
“I’m also confused, especially after the latest incidents,” Gary replied, handing his free hand to Philip, who was standing next to them.
“How’s Harry?” Philip asked in his gentle voice.
“When we left the hospital, he was still considered to be in serious condition,” Neil intervened, patting Philip on his shoulder to cheer him up. “I hope our attempts to save his life in the field will help him survive.”
Gary nodded in agreement. “On the one hand,” he said apologetically, “I’m sorry for the bad luck that Harry had during this operation, first with the kidnapping near the hotel, and now the snake. But the fact that I’m here with you in the field makes me very happy. The hours of waiting in the hotel since you left were absolutely unbearable.”
“How are you preparing to climb up the porch?” Neil asked with a naughty smile.
Ted remained at the steering wheel, and began to honk impatiently. The many hours of driving were beginning to get to him.
“Come on guys, let’s load the equipment,” Gary said, picking up the first aid kit. The others joined him in silence. Ted put his head on the wheel, taking the time to rest. A few minutes later, all the equipment was in place. Neil made enough space for his thick legs this time.
Gary took his seat by the driver, while Paul, Philip, and Neil sat in the back. Gary gently tapped Ted on the back and he started to drive.
The map of the area that Gary spread out on his lap was useless since Ted continued to follow the electricity cables leading to the village on the border. This time the trip went smoothly. The yellow sand continued to get into everything and the whistling of the annoying wind didn’t let up for a second.
During the exhausting drive, the men slept in their seats. Their bodies were flung from side to side, but somehow they managed not to fall. Gary remained awake and alert, to make sure Ted wouldn’t fall asleep. The sun set, it began to get dark, and the wind became cooler. Gary examined the desert landscape they were passing through when he suddenly saw the first houses of the village they were heading to.
“I suggest that we wait until it’s completely dark before we enter the village,” he whispered, telling Ted to park by one of the electricity poles. There was silence in the vehicle, since the men were fast asleep in strange positions, leaning on the bags and on the benches. The fact that the vehicle stopped made no difference to them.
After half an hour, Ted started the engine and moved forward slowly, with the lights off, into the quiet village. Gary guided Ted softly towards one of the houses he recognized from the aerial photos he had among his documents. The car stopped by a large barn and Gary got out, walking towards the nearby house. The light in the window above the front door was on.
The small village had a few dozen houses scattered around without any logical order. The small houses were gray and lacked any indication of prosperity. Next to each house was a small cowshed with farm vehicles parked outside. Gary passed the cowshed and walked around the tractor to the entrance.
Gary gently knocked on the door. The sound of soft steps came closer to him and the door opened slowly. On the doorstep was a strong-looking, 60-year-old man with a full head of gray hair. The two men stood facing each other stunned, without words, in the midst of emotional turmoil, and they soon fell into each other’s arms.
“I never thought I’d get to see you,” said the man with the gray hair. “According to the original plan, you weren’t supposed to be here.”
“You’re right,” Gary whispered, overcome with excitement. “We encountered unexpected problems I’ll tell you about later. For now, we better prepare for the night. My men really need to rest.” He turned, headed back to the command car, and the man followed. The men in the vehicle had woken up and were waiting for Gary to return.
“Gentlemen,” said Gary, “I’m not going to lecture you. This is Khalil, a loyal friend of the secret service in London. In the past, he served as one of the senior figures when Osaka was in power, before he was assassinated by Ande. You can ask him to tell you about what happened to him and his family during the uprising, later on. Risking his own life and the lives of his family, he managed to smuggle Osaka’s son out of the country, right under the noses of the murderers.” The man lowered his head modestly and blushed beneath his dark skin.
