Espionage as fiction.

CHAPTER TWENTY FOUR

“We are immortal.”

November 4th

“Right, Gent and Tret, I will give you quick briefing on layout of Area One.” Sukoloff laid a map on the cool sand and glanced toward the picturesque mountains in front of them. In the darkness of the hour before dawn, the sheer faces of the mountains rose menacingly. Despite the murkiness, old Hopi Indian dwellings could be clearly seen and within them ominous shadows engraved watchful faces. An inconspicuous wind soulfully moaned in anguish as if having a premonition of what was to come.

Sukoloff gave an unnoticed shudder and continued. “Klyne’s map appears to be very accurate. But he didn’t see the whole complex. Woods and I have been in, as far as we dared and added a bit more.

“We will go below ground about half a mile away from mountain. That should be far enough to avoid detection by Kijac’s ground sensors. We think the sensors are set for vehicles. We’re definitely out of laser range. The Radio Room is about ten feet down.”

“Underground! Through sand, rock and no air? Won’t we suffocate?”

“It happens so fast you won’t have time to blink. We have to go through Radio Room. It occupied by approximately ten men, hopefully, we won’t be seen. Because if we are... Mission over and Armageddon.” Sukoloff explained the complexity of the multi-level underground base, how each area had at least one laser room that had to be entered to reach the next room. There were only two ways of getting to the next level. This was by reaching the far end of the corridor and using the elevator or by using the open spiral stairway around the central ventilation shaft. In doing this there was a strong possibility of being seen.

“Klyne tells us that there is an elevator through shaft to all areas and levels, apart from four, do not attempt to use it. He heard that not only is each floor coded with usual hand-print type of device but also, that each area holds different security number. If you enter wrong number or hand prints are not recognised you will be asked once to try again. If you are wrong second time alarms go off–elevator is sealed–wasps enter through the ventilators and it’s goodbye to both you and mission. So stay clear!”

Sukoloff stopped, closely eyeing both Bayfield and Tretow, then he gave a thin smile. “ Now for your assignment. Area One consists of two levels, let’s say upper and lower. Clear Area One upper level of any stray Kijac agents. Go on to Area Seven, this is top of mountain. Expect heavy guards and air-power. Remove personnel–disable helicopters–destroy radio equipment. Then down to Area One and await Arctic code. If Arctic is Blue, go back to Area Seven. If Arctic is Red, begin to clear Area One Lower Level. Be ready to raid computer room the instant Exposed code is heard. By now Main Door should be opening and battle well underway.”

“What about the alarm systems?”

“I would say alarms will sound as door opens and give you time to prevent floor being sealed. When Joseph is safely in, go down through Radio Room elevator to Area Two. These elevators don’t need code. We hope. Stay out of any laser rooms until you have been given all clear.”

Sukoloff paused for a while, he watched Paul Woods emerge and signal that the Guardians in Area’s One and Three had been removed, then he continued. “Area Two is Steele’s and Zav’s baby. You two will be taken further underground. You will be placed in apartment block four levels below Lower Area One. Go carefully, my friends, as there could be hundred or more men in that block. Here, using all your acquisition skills, change into Kijac uniforms and obtain passes for central core in Area Three. Avoid area’s below Radio Room, Laser Room (B) and lower room in Core Laser Room . until you have turned off lasers. One room within core did contain more wasps, but their stinging days are sadly over. First, how you get to core.”

He spun back to the map spread out on the dessert sand and pointed to the various sectors as he continued. “Peter, Zav, pay attention! Go from apartment block up two floors. Turn right you will see an elevator, ignore that. It goes from Laser Room © down to Guards Room in Area Four. In fact this is only way down to Area Four. Go around ventilation shaft and through door, this should take you directly to Core. Once there, without causing rumpus, find controls for lasers and send code.”

“What code?”

“Zav, just once obey orders and remember code. Arctic Red if you have removed hot lasers or Arctic Blue if you have removed both. If you send Blue code, then Woods and I can go in alone and finish job. If you have to send Red code then you will have to find controls for main door, open it and send, Exposed.

“Area around Core is heavily guarded. Once that door is opened expect extensive retaliation. Gent and Tret will already be coming down to assist you, as will groups One and Two. From Core go into Laser Room (D) and take elevator to Area Four and Sasam which by now will probably have been operated. Zav, make reversal quick and send Veto. That should give us chance to escape. Do try to avoid losing temper and remember we want King and Bajak alive.”

“They stay living, maybe.”

“Alive, Zav! Oh and all four of you...”

“We know, Vacily,” chuckled Tzavros. “To keep water cool, always turn taps clockwise.”

The communications console hummed with static, as if it too was impatient for news of the young men from PIA.

As Trixie patiently waited for the first call to come in, Henn sat close by her. The last thing on his mind was her beauty or the pleasure she brought him, it was filled with thoughts of the forthcoming battle. All he could think of was the lives which might be lost and a longing to be with them.

However, this console and his minds eye were to be his battlefield. This was where coded messages from the field would inform of successes or failures his men would be experiencing. From here, as if playing a game of chess against a distant opponent he could, and would if necessary, have to sacrifice a piece to gain victory or avoid defeat. In this game, one of his pieces would be composed of any number of living men. Men he may have only known slightly or men who may have been long standing friends.

Of all the various codes and messages which would be heard this day either of only two would determine all their tomorrow’s. Mate, in which case Kijac headquarters and all its horrors had been removed or Short-Fall, the final warning to begin evacuating New York...

Meanwhile oblivious to Henn’s thoughts George Galloway sat next to a panel of buttons, poised, should it be needed, to send in reinforcements, or air-cover.

“Wow!” Elation at the experience oozed from Bayfield as he was placed gently on the ground. The feeling passed quickly and he ran after Tretow. The sickening crunch as they trod on thousands of dead wasps made them wince. Both men expecting guards to arrive at any second, if for no other reason than to complain about the noise.

They were awe-struck by the immensity of the task ahead of them and neither of the panting men spoke as they made their way towards the opaque walls of the ventilation shaft. Climbing the spiral stairs around a shaft of twenty feet in diameter proved more difficult than expected. Legs soon began to tire and vertigo raised its head if they looked downward through the flimsy safety railings. Far below them, many pipes and walkways entered the shaft and further down still the gleaming top of the round core could just be made out. Looking through the shaft they could see the elevator, venting and pipes.

Rough oozing damp rock was all around them and the harsh artificial lighting began to hurt their eyes as it cast shadows darker than those of the Id.

After minutes that seemed like hours, Tretow spoke, quietly and reluctantly, “Time for a communications test, Gent.”

Bayfield’s reply, a squint as he sent a telepathic message to Sukoloff, simply one word, Test. Instantly he received his reply, Knight one, check. A smile to Tretow, the system worked.

Next, the internal communications were tested. Bayfield turned the dial on his watch, tapping the message on the face.

A red light flashed as Steele replied, Rook One, Check.

Rook Two, Check followed immediately as Tzavros also responded.

With internal communications verified, Bayfield sent confirmation to Sukoloff who in turn, as if playing a game of ‘pass it on’ conveyed the message Pass by his watch. This would be picked up by a young operator Chris Alment, the man entrusted with direct communications with Headquarters.

Silently, they continued upwards until the handle of a trapdoor could be seen. Tretow counted backward from three, flung open the door and whistled with relief. Only two men guarded the roof and caught by surprise they did not offer much resistance. Better still, no alarms had been set off and not one helicopter adorned the pad.

Bayfield quickly put into action the next communications line. An old fashioned heliograph directed at Alment who was located half a mile from the mountain. Although every agent had a Complink, these could not transmit through the vast thickness of rock, only group leaders would use them outside and then only to send a coded message to Alment. Care must be taken to avoid KIJAC picking up the signals and so learning of their strengths and weaknesses.

Once Group One was in, another young agent, Edwards, would be able to operate the simple mirror. Its flashing code keeping everyone outside informed. Until the door was open, Bayfield would still be able to use telepathy to talk to Sukoloff, after that, staying alive would be top of their lists.

Changing into the two, now conveniently disowned KIJAC uniforms, Bayfield and Tretow began the downward trek to Area One and the elevator that would take them to the first Laser Room (A).

Appropriation of uniforms was easy, finding someone willing to donate a small red electrical strip, was proving difficult. Green strips were easy to find and five lockers held the now tranquillised previous owners of such. The red strips, essential for admission into the Core were rare and it was ten long minutes before two more lockers were occupied.

Tzavros and Steele ambled their way towards the Core, accompanied by a sad Russian song which Tzavros was tunefully whistling. They walked into the hubbub of the central operations core and Tzavros’s whistle rose slightly in pitch then dropped to nothing. Operating an abundance of highly technical machinery in the massive interior were well over a hundred men and women doing a multitude of tasks.

“No corners for you to hide in this time,” whispered Steele looking around. Apart from the wall that housed the ventilation shaft the core was completely round.

They stood on the shaft walkway looking down at the activity and noticed just below them a solitary door, this supposedly would take them to Laser Room © and Area Four.

Steele pointed towards the shaft that had descended through the domed roof, its downward trek ending in the floor of the core. There was to be no easy access to Area Four from the shaft.

Once on the ground, they separated and began their search for the switches to both the Main Door and the Lasers. Head bowed, seemingly in deep thought, Steele walked around the Core stopping occasionally to tap a dial or to brush his hand over a panel. Like some Victorian housekeeper searching for traces of dust missed by the maid. After a short while the green light flashing on his wrist watch caught his attention, green was for close-by communication and red for distant. This was Tzavros calling. He studied the on off flash for a moment then scowled.

“Over here, dozy, if left to you we never find this thing.”

“And just how do you know it’s the right switch?” retaliated Steele. “You’re as likely to start the self destruct mechanism.”

“I don’t bother waste time. I ask, they tell.”

Steele smiled knowingly as he walked over to Tzavros and thought, yes and if I’d have asked? Instant arrest and why do you want to know?

“That one, third from left. Unfortunately, Klyne was right and all ghost stopper lasers were controlled from Area Four. I was hoping would end here. We turn switch and Vacily and Woods fly in and finish job. Now, let's hope new little device from our ‘Q’ impersonation division, actually works. According to sixteen page instruction leaflet that accompanied it, you chew it. I say you because at moment I decided to diet. Then you stick it on chosen switch, after first putting to correct position. It dissolves. That is stuff you chewed dissolves and sets switch permanently in position you want. Page fifteen gives complete guide to amount of toothpaste required to stop teeth being set in same way. But I notice you had omitted to put yours in this morning so no problems there. Page sixteen give instructions should you happen swallow when chewing, plenty of soapy water should do.”

Steele ignored the comments, but chewed very carefully, just in case some element of truth lay in the Russian’s story. After looking around he pulled the switch and placed the purple gum on top. He tapped on the dial of his watch, Arctic Red.

Neither Woods nor Sukoloff showed any change of expression. Sukoloff calmly passed on Steele’s message, as relayed by Bayfield, to Alment and settled back down to watch SASAM’s fifteen feet round metal exit plate. Woods closed his eyes again to shield them against the glare of the sun.

Back in New York, Henn’s stomach knotted, Arctic Red, the game was entering a crucial phase.

Philip Galloway lay on his belly and watched them through binoculars, Woods sprawled out, seemingly fast asleep while Sukoloff slouched against a rock reading a book.

“Look at them! Their existence is a doddle. They send men into war to die, while they fall asleep or read books. I thought they were ghosts? Shouldn’t they be able to do this job single handed?”

“The lasers will kill them.”

“Lasers indeed, I don’t believe that simple lasers can hurt them.”

Dwire looked across to the two men despondency settling wearily on his face. “Phil, the last message was Arctic Red! Let them rest, their share of battle is yet to come.”

When Red was called, Bayfield and Tretow moved down to the first laser room. For a moment they were dumbfounded, the room was large or rather it appeared large. Completely Steel lined, its shiny surface reflected and distorted everything around it. Blue light danced and skipped between ceiling, floor and walls. Backwards–forwards–vertically–horizontally, the whole room filled with its jitterbug movement. Like some crazy dance hall, devoid of music or dancers, yet somehow filled with the smoke from a thousand unseen cigarettes. Reflections of the two men appeared shadowy, unreal and distorted, barely recognisable as men.

Tretow pulled back closer to the elevator door. “Zav did send Arctic Red didn’t he? Because this looks eerie. Okay, throw in your tie, no wait... How do we know that the floor isn’t alarmed?”

“We don’t,” Bayfield gave his usual happy laugh. “But why would they waste time and money laying alarms when the lasers should do the job. We have to chance it. I rather like this tie so hope these are just light effects and not tie re-designers.” He threw the tie as far into the dancing lights as he could and laughed as the colours of the tie mingled with the blue light to form psychedelic shapes and hues. “Wow, worth a fortune a design like that!”

Even though they knew the blue lasers would not hurt them, they ran quickly towards the door that led to their first target, the guard room. Taking a deep breath Tretow opened the door and hurled in a small tranquillising gas grenade. With crossed fingers they waited, praying the alarms did not sound and sighed as the five minutes ran out without any noise.

Smoke still filled the guard room and fifteen sleeping KIJAC agents littered the floor. Tretow counted them again and asked in a puzzled voice. “Gent! Fifteen? According to Klyne, there are never less than twenty. I hope the other five have taken the week off.”

Bayfield nodded and leaned near the door that led to their next target. “So far so good. Okay, you guard the other door, I’ll watch this one. Let’s hope Zav hurries with Exposed! The instant we get it, into the computer room and we’ll hijack a few more Kijacs... Hopefully.”

Tzavros eyed the red button greedily then to Steele’s horror, turned towards an important looking man and asked brazenly, “Aren’t you ever tempted to pushing that?”

“You’re new to the Core aren’t you?” scowled the man.

“Yes, Sir.”

“Transferred from the radio room I believe?”

“Yes Sir,” A triumphant grin spread across his face. “I on list for ages. Just interested to know if button pushing ever tempted you, cause it does me.”

“Tempted you might be my lad, but don’t even think of it,” said the man giving a croaky laugh. “As you know, that button is the main door control and we are on standby at this moment. If you push that button now, it will send the base into red alert. Just in case your mind was otherwise occupied during the briefing, all alarms will sound. At various points the shaft will be electrified–all doors will be sealed from Level Two downward and all elevators will become inoperable. The alarm will sound in the lab and our sweet King will proceed immediately with his world take-over plans. ...And all because you pushed a button. If you must play, press the button on the coffee maker, I take three sugars... Now boy.”

A muttering of soft oaths and curses announced Tzavros’ return from his extra duties. Then he moved his hand towards the red button. At first Steele raised his eyebrows, then slowly he nodded his head.

“One minute, let me think...” said Tzavros pulling his hand away again. “Gent and Tret waiting for this signal... But we all thought alarm would sound as door open. We thought twenty seconds after button pressed. This button is alarm switch. It instant! Gent and Tret won’t have time get Computer Room–Joseph won’t be able get past Area One–we won’t have backup–we won’t be able get to Sasam... Vacily and Woods?... Steele! Armageddon. Hell! We have send message and hope they is ready. Damn! If elevators shut down... How get to Area Four? Are controls here or upstairs? We have to go don’t we? Have to chance it? Chance we can find switches? What other choice have got?”

Steele ran his hand through his hair, causing him suddenly to look much too young to be leading other men. The instant was short lived, holding his head erect he said, “Get ready, Zav, make the call. Then I will count to twenty and you will push that button. Pray that’s enough time because I think that’s all we have to give them. If you look to your left... We are being watched. As I count down, I’m going to head for the door to Area Four and draw them away from you. Ready... Send... Twenty... Nineteen...”

Without warning Sukoloff leapt to his feet and yelled loudly into his Complink, “Twenty seconds to Exposed... In in, go, go... Go.” Then much to Galloway’s disgust, he sat down again and picked up his book.

By the time Bayfield had relayed the message the seconds ticked by. “Eight... Tret! We don’t have time to chance the tranquillising gas, six... Hell! Five... On one, in we go... One.”

They both burst through the door firing their silenced guns as they did so, trying to avoid hitting the computers which all at once seemed far too abundant for a room of that size. Tretow whirled around as an eerie low pitched yowl began sounding from loudspeakers on the walls. As it heightened in pitch another began, then another, until at least five sirens screamed at him from every wall. All were at different, but rising pitches and volumes. Guards poured in towards them from both doors, including, probably, the five missing men from the adjoining guard room. He shouted a warning to Bayfield as he found himself enveloped in a tangle of bodies. Legs and arms and occasionally teeth were attacking him from every angle possible. He kicked and punched wildly, blinded by sweat or blood or maybe from panic, he yelled in anger and frustration as his gun was knocked from his hand.

Fists forced him backwards to the wall–towards a panel of buttons that flashed and blinked in perceived excitement as the moment of their purpose neared.

“Mr Nutt! Keep your group together man. Get up to Area Five whilst I take Group One down. By the sound of those alarms, we are in big trouble. Edwards, take two men and get up to Area Seven. Be ready to send on any messages the instant they come through.” Joseph Proctor’s voice boomed out hurriedly given yet perfectly calm orders, then he ran towards the elevator that would take them down to Laser Room (A).

Dwire too was shouting his orders, maybe not as calmly as Proctor, but his leadership training forced him not to divulge the deep foreboding he was feeling.

“Get to the exit points, quickly. Stop any Kijac escaping. Use tranquillisers where possible and keep the deaths down to the minimum. But remember... They won’t be so kind... Deaths to the maximum has always been their policy.” He jumped as Galloway grabbed his arm, then looked in the direction indicated.

Sukoloff and Woods stood back to back as the metal plate reflected the first rays of the sun. A high pitched hum seemed to be coming from the plate, or near it. A blue haze formed around them which seconds later became a sapphire blue tornado stretching upwards fifty feet or more and blocked their view of the men as it whirled and spun. Sukoloff’s temporary lasers flickered on around the plate and made the light show even more spectacular. Then a howl reverberated around the mountains, echoing from every angle, growing more tumultuous by the second as it did so. The cry stopped both Group Three and Four in their tracks and those agents with binoculars gasped as they watched the tornado.

“Get your eyes back onto the job assigned to you!” Dwire’s voice had become stiff and forced, “Heru, get your men working instead of watching that bit of entertainment. That’s all it is... Try to remember that. It is a light show put on by Kijac to scare you away. Just stay away from that area and you’ll be Okay.”

Galloway whistled, despite the orders, he continued to watch the show. “Dwire, how are you going to explain it if... Well if that whatever gets out?”

“Phil, you had a little demonstration of what kind of thing comes with that tornado,” said Dwire as he pulled the binoculars away from Galloway’s face. “It’s our Class One’s job to hold it there. Vacily’s lasers will help to do that, but they won’t last long. If Shortfall is called... Well, I won’t have to explain anything to anybody. Phil, try not to look.”

Despite Dwire’s advice, he continued to watch and a sound left his lips only akin to a rabbits last cries as the snare tightens around its neck.

“Oh, God. Look!”

The tornado slowly diminished to the faint blue haze with which it had begun and a dancing blue circle from the lasers. Within this circle Woods and Sukoloff could be seen fighting with a being that had, without doubt, been brought straight from Hell.

Towering some four feet above them, it stood on its hind legs roaring at the two trifling mice. Its translucent green skin clearly showing the large pulsating black green veins beneath. Demon wings beat out the music of hell and death. The spiked tail lashing backwards and forwards in joy at the smell of its prey. With green tinged froth dripping from its mouth and fire within its red veined eyes, it mocked the two mice whom it had been given to play with and it moved towards them...

“Dwire! We must be able to do something? It’ll kill them!

Oh, God in Heaven!” He bent forward, retching violently, “God! Can’t you smell it?”

Once again Dwire dragged the binoculars from Galloway’s trembling hands and tried to sound unaffected. “I said don’t look, we can do nothing apart from the job to which we have been assigned.”

“Dwire! Did you see it?” gasped Klyne breathlessly as he raced up from the Main Door. “It’s all going wrong. Mr Proctor sent me back... Message is... Christ! I Forgot!”

“Calm down, take one deep breath...”

“I remember... Elevator doors locked... No communications coming from Rooks or Bishops... Edwards is in place... Wait for my orders.”

Dwire nodded. He lowered his face knowing that if Proctor could not get down... “Okay, Klyne, get back to Mr Proctor and tell him... Tell him Sasam has been operated and that for now the Knights are holding. Don’t say what’s out here, there’s no point in worrying everyone.” He watched Klyne run quickly back towards the still open door before glancing back towards the plate. He saw Woods lifted from the ground as if he were a toy and hurled violently down again.

Tzavros backed away from the panel and mingled with the many shouting personnel. He watched as Steele ran through a hail of bullets and sighed with relief as he saw him leave the Core. Then a scowl formed as one of the KIJAC leaders shouted new orders to his men.

“Get that man and search the whole area. If one could get to this level, others might have. Not that they can get anywhere else.”

“Start defence systems!” shouted another man. “Seal all floor access from the shaft. Code one alert for Level One. Pia army has gained entry... Gas the entire floor... All elevators have been locked. Level Two has been infiltrated. T-group immediately to that area using code six to unlock elevators. Send via computer to base AA, Air Strike. That should clear all unwanted guests away.”

As he listened, Tzavros tapped upon his watch. “Rook Two to Lead Pawn, get out... Out. Rook Two to Bishop One, Kijac on it’s way to you. Rook Two to Area Seven, send to H.Q... Kijac has wings. Rook Two to Rook One, answer me you dozy man.” Then with his usual shrug he calmly turned to one of the men and said, “What a time forget your codes, what is code six?” And he lowered his head as a grin began to spread with the answer. “For goodness sake, you young lot, always forgetting your codes. Go to that computer and type in triple X, that will tell you the emergency codes for all levels.”

“What happen if have go up to Level One? With gas I mean?”

“How on earth we expect to win with pillocks like you around I don’t know. Press the gas off button, if you’re caught in a gas attack, shout the code, Off. Each room is voice activated for your own safety and good job it is, with idiots like you around.”

Tretow felt himself losing consciousness and vaguely saw a hand stretching out for the button that would seal each room. Then flashes of light and the softly spoken words, “Sorry, but you asked for that.” accompanied by the beautiful phut, phut of Bayfield’s gun. Somehow he found one more burst of strength. Flinging himself forward, he rolled across the floor until his bruised fingers tightened upon his gun. The red flashing of his watch made him fight harder and gritting his teeth he ploughed his way through the remaining KIJACs.

As the last man fell, Bayfield came up to him. “Thought we’d lost that one, Tret. Wow! Do you look awful! Poor you, you need sewing up I fear. Now let’s see what Zav wants. Oh typical, more are on their way up. Let’s get that button sealed and wait for the fight.”

Klyne ran from the mountain just as the first KIJAC jet strafed the ground, he dived headlong into a foxhole and landed next to Dwire. “It’s hell in there. Mr Proctor says get everyone under cover. Well, that’s a bit obvious, they arrived quicker than expected.” He gestured upwards to another jet as it made its dive on the scattering army.

Pointing over to the horizon Dwire smirked, “Henn’s just as quick, here comes our lot.”

A cheer rang out as a KIJAC Mig-29, seemingly speared only by two smoke trails, disintegrated above them. Seconds later a PIA F-16, with both afterburners lit screamed deafeningly over them at zero altitude before climbing vertically out of sight.

Dwire was joined by Proctor as another pair of fighters roared overhead, they went on to give a spectacular display of aerobatics and dog-fighting before another KIJAC bird retired. But both Dwire’s and Proctor’s concentration was elsewhere.

“Area One has been gassed and the elevators are locked,” shouted Proctor over the noise of gunfire. “Steele is not answering us, Bayfield and Tretow are holding, just.” He sighed deeply before adding, “If this were chess, I would resign.”

“I know, Joseph, but those two aren’t resigning,” Dwire said as he pointed aggressively towards Sukoloff and Woods.

“And that? Who is that shouting?”

A small shape was only twenty feet away from Sukoloff and Woods, but his cheers of encouragement could be heard all the way across the field.

“It’s Philip Galloway, despite my orders he won’t leave them. I suppose I should put him on report, but I don’t want to. You see, I want to be with him.” As he finished speaking, another order breaker suddenly started running as bullets from a jet sliced into the sand around him.

“Klyne! Get back here you idiot... Klyne!”

Proctor put his hand to Dwire’s shoulder and whispered, “Leave him, what harm can it do? They think they are doing something useful. Let them think it... Hang on, message from Zav...” He managed a thin laugh. “Typical of him, one wonders how he did it. He says, ‘I turned gas off, go back in, Bishops need help. Wait at elevator sending you a nice let you ride up or down code, gas tap code is Off, just shout it and it quite obligingly turns off.’”

Klyne slid down next to Galloway and began cheering the men on. Glancing over to see who had arrived Galloway sighed. “Thanks, Alan, I know I’m daft, but ghost or not I suddenly realised just how much Vacily means to me. They’re going to die, Alan! They just can’t keep this up for long. You’ve got telepathic skills, call Bayfield and tell him to get things moving.”

Klyne nodded and started to send, only to stop as Sukoloff’s gaze landed on him and a remarkably calm voice entered his head. No, Alan, they will fight wrong if they know. Keep cheering, my friends, it helps.

Joseph Proctor with Clive Nutt at his side, ran back in to await Tzavros’s codes. They knew the elevators would take only twenty men at a time so Proctor would take the first group down, Nutt remaining behind to operate the elevator. Nutt’s mission had been a failure, an excursion into Area Five to remove all vehicles had proved useless. All the area contained was one old bus and some boxes of unimportant equipment. The mobile units were obviously stored elsewhere.

Edwards stared down in disbelief at the scene below. Frequently he had to dive for cover as a Mig-29 sent another rocket towards him. One of PIA’s Apache Helicopter Gunships had been shot out of the air right in front of him, bringing closer still the horrors of war. The fight far to his left, was however, by far the worst thing he had ever seen or could imagine.

They had been told about the laser show and that this was all it was, a show. He knew it was not, only seconds before, he had seen Woods grabbed by the monster–seen it twist the arm and had even imagined the accompanying crunch of bones. He had seen Woods fall backwards and Sukoloff go to his aid, as he had, the vicious claws ripped into his back and a vivid red line instantly appeared. A show? Those men were being smashed to pieces, what were the orders again? Steele and Tzavros to Area Four? Whatever was happening must be from that area. Steele was missing, that only left Tzavros. He looked up for a minute, then tapped his watch.

Tzavros gave a low growl as he read the flashing light on his watch.

“Rook Two, stop mucking about, your Knights are about to be taken.” He started running towards the computer but stopped as a voice shouted.

“You there, coffee boy, where do you think you’re going?” Tzavros muttered something about errand running for someone else, but this was answered with, “You take my orders and no one else’s. Your post is over there. You either stay or I will shoot you, is that clear?” Tzavros nodded and walked back, his brain spinning.

What now? If can’t get to computer, elevators can’t be operated. He set off walking towards the computers again, then winced as a bullet removed the skin from the back of his hand and a voice boomed out.

“Boy, I mean it! I’m a very accurate shot so stay there or the next bullet kills. You two, guard him, I don’t think he’s who or what he says he is.”

Tzavros sighed and slowly tapped a message. “Rook Two to Lead Pawn... Trapped in Core... Unable to reach computers... Impossible to reach Area Four... Another air strike imminent... Ground troops from other bases on way in... Rook One is lost... It your decision.”

Proctor leaned heavily on the elevator door and sent to Edwards. “How do things look around you?”

The reply was instant. “They have more air power than us. To the south and west is a column of trucks... A very large column! Groups Three and Four are pinned down and... Knights have, at most, five minutes.”

Proctor gave one weak smile to Clive Nutt. “It had to come one day I suppose.”

“Sir?”

“The defeat of Pia! I hoped I would never see it. It makes everything we ever did–everything we ever fought for, pointless!” Then as Clive Nutt kicked the wall and sobbed, Proctor sent, Short-Fall.

On Henn’s request Trixie repeated the message, “Short-Fall, Alex!” And as she turned towards him, one lone tear ran down her pale cheek.

Henn walked up and down several times before he could answer. “Send to all bases. New York Pia has been defeated! New York is doomed! The future of the world depends on you.” He stopped and banged his fist hard onto the table. “Send to all available air units... Attack! Mr Galloway... Send my last troops out and dial the number, New York must be evacuated. Then go to Jodie, I think you’ve done all you can here. Trixie... Send a message to Joseph... What do I send to Joseph?.. Yes... Just say... Message received and understood.”

“No! How can it be Short-Fall?” Dwire, on the ground surrounded by his dazed troops viciously thumped the hot sand. “We’re Pia, we can’t lose! We have to win, don’t we?”

In an attempt to be helpful some were making up fantastic plots how they could defeat KIJAC. Heru arrived from Area 370, breathless from the long run he shouted at Dwire. “Call it off!” Closely followed by Clive Nutt. “Heru, get back to Mr Proctor at the elevator. You take my group and I’ll take yours. Mr Dwire, stop the withdrawal! We can get in! Mr Dwire, are you listening? We can get in.”

Sadly Dwire looked at the young warrior. “I can’t call it off, I’m not a senior officer. If we can’t get into the base, we can’t destroy it... Yes, Alment, what is it?” He turned to the fresh faced communications officer who had joined them.

“There must be a way, Sir. I’m only a trainee and Mr Henn only gave me the job of communications officer to stop me nagging about fighting. But, we are all from Pia, from the trainees to the top man. We can’t just give in! Can’t Tzavros blow it up from the inside? I’m sure I could!”

“What good would that do? He would kill everyone within the base, including our own men. And, the mission would still be a failure.”

Another pass by a flight of Mig-29’s made them flatten themselves to the sand while somewhere another young man cried out in pain and fear. Voices carried over the field, snatches of comments their sources unknown mixed with the screams of the injured and the screeching roar of the Tumansky turbofan jet engines. Shouts of anger, despair and disbelief.

“He said, keep it clockwise, go with care...”

“He didn’t say anything about giving up at the first sign of trouble...”

“These two kids are dead!...”

“What the hells it all for? If we give up now...”

”Why did they die?...”

“I’m Pia, I will fight to the death!”

Nutt yelled into Dwire’s ear, “It’s the pipes, Mr Dwire. The pipes! I know they’re narrow and we haven’t a clue where they come out or if they’re sealed like the elevators. But surely it’s a chance worth taking. If we only take half of Heru’s group and half yours down we can leave the other half above ground, just in case. If we split into four I can take one group, you another, who else can lead?... It will have to be Klyne and Galloway. Our seconds in command can remain with the remaining troops on the surface, we might need them as back-up.”

As Dwire’s mind raced through the possibilities Nutt pleaded his case further. “The team didn’t go in that way to start with, not only because of the lasers, but the complex alarm systems. If the whole team had been caught in those pipes... Lord, it doesn’t bear thinking about. But now the alarms are already sounding Kijac is hopefully is too busy to notice us.”

His mind was made up, ignoring the dangers Dwire jumped to his feet and excitedly shouted his orders, “Alment, get Klyne but leave Galloway, Vacily needs him. Nutt, go and divide your men.” He opened his Complink, gave a swift prayer that his judgement was right and disobeying all orders to maintain radio silence he called directly into Henn, “Cancel Short-Fall. I repeat, Short-Fall is not required.”

The smile barely cracked its way across Henn’s face, Trixie had relayed another message of defiance, he turned to George Galloway. “At this moment I feel very humble. When we first suspected that we would have a war situation I thought... Vainly, I thought, that these young men would not be able to handle difficult situations. They were too young! Their training was not going to prepare them for war. There were any number of reasons for their not coping. That unlike us in the old days they would quit halfway through when they were thrown into the deep end. But, they’re all refusing to lay down their weapons. All are asking for us to stop shortfall. That one was from Bill Dwire, if Pia had survived, he would have been one of the top agents in a couple of years’ time. Trixie! Put the calls on the main speakers, I want everyone, every base, to know that even though Pia has been defeated, it can carry its head high.”

Time itself seemed to hold its breath as the office was filled with the sounds from the battle.

“Mr Henn, this is Roper, we are winning. Stop Short-Fall!”

“McDaniel here Sir... Watch your back Cut-throat! There’s a Mig on your tail... Stop Short-Fall, Mr Henn... Break left! Break left! They’ve locked on... Call it off, Mr Henn... I’ve got tone... We can win this... Fire! Do you hear, Mr Henn?”

“Scotsman, this is Cut-throat... That was close... Two more, there’s two more! Break right... Break right! We’re hit, we’re hit!... Call it off, Mr Henn...”

“Pull up, Cut-throat... Pull up... Damn! Get that shit-arsed bastard!... Fire!...” The clatter of the F-16’s cannon could be heard clearly for the last seconds before the transmission ended. Sadly Henn slowly shook his head.

“How many have we lost, Alex?” asked George Galloway.

“I don’t know the full figure at the moment. A lot it seems, from the most minor to our very top man...”

Unbridled silent curses and expletives flowed from Tzavros when he heard that Short-Fall had been called, that and the message from Edwards in Area Seven. “Tzavros, do something, you’re meant to be a top man. Get your arse down to Level Four and stop this murder. Your men are dying.”

He ran his hand roughly across his mouth and glanced toward the computer. How far away is that? Not that far. Perhaps if run will reach it before they put too many bullets in me. I can do that...

“Typical Russian technique, stand in a corner and wait for rescue.”

“Steele!” For a brief moment his eyes lit up and a smile flitted across his lips, then his emotional barriers slammed shut again. “Thought dead you were!” He glowered, “You not, are you? Where has been and why not me to answer?”

Steele pretended to check another console before he answered. “Cause me smart American. I hid in one of those anti wasp suits, but a stray bullet hit my watch. Then I walked back in again, they’d never expect me to be so stupid.”

“Short-Fall, it been called. We must it stop. It can stop! Go to computer with silly stuffed toy on top. Put finger to... What word... What word?”

Steele gently touched his arm and whispered, “Steady, little buddy, call in to Joseph and cancel Short-Fall. Take a deep breath and tell me what to do, Okay?”

“Lead Pawn, Stop Short-Fall! Call in direct to Alex with security X otherwise won’t stop. Rook One arrived at last and authorised Hold code. Says he not here sooner because he apparently ate to many prunes and had to go. Expect code for down-going and upcoming any second. Oh yes, Rook Two I am.” More relaxed now he told Steele the triple X code for the computer and leaned his back against the door.

Henn was in deep sullen thought when Trixie interrupted him by shouting. “Call from Mr Proctor direct, Alex, he says, ‘Security X, rok-til-u-drop, proxy by Lead Pawn from Rook One, via Rook Two. Hold Short-Fall.”

Galvanised out of his chair Henn leapt to the controls on his console. “Steele’s alive, Trixie!” he announced. “That’s it, that’s what I needed. Trixie, type in Hold and I’ll inform the other bases. Don’t stop the civilian evacuation just in case and don’t stop the back-ups. I have a feeling they will still need every man we can muster.”

Nonchalantly Steele walked towards the computer and with his usual phlegmatic manner typed in the required code. The screen flickered, Code required? Steele smiled and typed, Elevator code six.

The screen went blank, for seconds that hung like hours before it cleared;

From Core upwards ... enter... SKY

From Area One to Core ... enter... EARTH.

From Core to Laboratory ... enter... ABYSS.

The information to hand he turned away from the computer, drawing his gun in the process. Purposefully he strode over to Tzavros and grabbed the collar of his jacket. “This man is going up to interrogation!” Steele snapped to the guard. Pulling him away he hissed loudly at Tzavros. “Start walking towards that door!” Then he whispered, “Send this to Joseph, Core up, Sky. Area one to Core, Earth. Core to Lab, Abyss.”

They were almost at the door when Steele heard the shot ring out as Tzavros staggered into him. The firm grip on his jacket collar prevented Tzavros from falling.

“Blast! Hell that smarts.” Unsympathetically the words fell on deaf ears as Steele spun around, his gun spitting flame. “Typical of you, now run!”

Stopping only to give one more look towards his partner, Tzavros ran through the door and out of the Core as Steele’s withering fire provided cover against the encroaching army.

With the elevator to SASAM right in front of him the staccato sound of gunfire broke out above him. A small explosion from Laser Room (B), also above him, made his heart race quicker. It seemed as if Bayfield and Tretow had made it that far, but what of Proctor and the back-up team?

More armed men appeared at the end of the corridor and he dropped to one knee to avoid their fire. His mind was whirling now, two steps to the elevator, two steps back to the Core. Down to SASAM to stop Armageddon, or back to the Core to help his partner and friend Steele.

“Come on, Zavvy, stop dreaming. Move it!” Steele ignored the look of incredulous relief on Tzavros’s face as he bundled him without ceremony into the elevator. As the doors slid shut they caught the briefest glimpse of Bayfield and Tretow engaging the oncoming men. One team was down.

Steele entered the appropriate code then eyed Tzavros carefully. “Can you make it?” he asked pointing to the oozing blood on Tzavros’s leg.

“No problem. Had worse playing soccer. Listen, I don’t like messages Edwards sending. He so angry that not using code. He say, ‘Tzavros, Woods is on last legs, Sukoloff not far behind. You’re killing them. Another two minutes and that thing will be free.’”

“Let’s hope he’s exaggerating,” replied Steele without emotion but not unaware of the implication. “The instant that door opens, run! It’s left to the next elevator. Just run and hope we make it.”

The door opened onto the Guard’s Room and both men used every bit of firepower they had to force their way through to the final elevator. Inside, Tzavros glanced at his watch. “Two minutes, a whole two minutes. I let Joseph know we going in.” Seconds later he shook his head. “He not answering. Ready?”

Steele nodded and flipped a new magazine into his gun. “Alive, Zav! Remember that, we want them alive!”

Dimly lit–cold and narrow–the tunnels were providing some awkward obstacles and echoed with oaths and curses. Knees and elbows were being scuffed and tempers, not least Dwire’s, getting frayed. A blue laser cast awesome shadows across the pipe at every bend making it impossible to see ahead. Frequently Dwire sent a tranquilliser dart down the pipe ahead of them to check that the coast was clear. At least that way if any ‘friendlies’ were coming back up the pipe the worst they would suffer would be a small bruise and a big headache.

Occasionally they found a junction in the pipe, when Dwire would divide the group to make sure every pipe was checked. Sometimes men reported back that their pipe had been a dead end and even Dwire had begun to believe they were on a wild goose chase.

After what seemed like an age they came to the end of the tunnel and the faint outline of a small armoured door. Dwire crawled forward to try it. “Locked from the inside I’d say. Who’s the best at lock picking?”

A small voice behind him whispered. “I was top of my class... Sir.”

The voice was instantly recognisable, “Alment?” growled Dwire, “I told you to stay on communications!”

Klyne laughed and shouted up to Dwire, “It’s okay, I authorised him. With Alment, you have to, Ropers on communications. And Alment can get through any door... Eventually.”

The scene before him, like something straight from a Frankenstein movie took Steele’s breath away. King’s face was a personification of death itself, that and his hideous laughter made Steele’s skin crawl. He turned towards Tzavros who plainly understood his look. “Don’t lose your temper. We want them alive!”

The muffled explosion buckling the elevator doors gave Tzavros an excuse to smirk. It told him that no KIJAC reinforcements could get down to them, though it also meant that no rescue party could come to their aid either. Without word from Proctor they had been forced to secure this end of the elevator. If Proctor was dead all that would come down the elevator would be the enemy in their droves.

According to their intelligence they had expected just King and Bajak, but there were at least twenty others. All now pointing guns in their direction. King’s laughter stopped so abruptly that Steele jumped.

“Stalemate I think, Mr Steele.” Mocked the cackling voice. “You shoot me, my men shoot you. What had you hoped to do?... Blow Her up?...”

“Possibly.”

“ No, you would know the results of doing that... Let me think... Yes Pia has always been over complicated... Polarity Reversal... Yes, that’s it isn’t it! You were right, Bajak, your safety devices were indeed worth the money. What next, Steele?” The hideous cackling continued. “Type in the Reversal code?... Do you know it?”

“Yes.”

“I think not... Only Bajak knows that.”

Tzavros flew at him in fury only to be held back by Steele. “Stay behind me at all times,” he said, the whisper hissing through his teeth. “Think of a code, any code, and type it in.”

Slowly the two cornered agents, Tzavros now limping heavily from the wound in his leg, edged their way towards the large console.

“How many bullets can you take, Steele?” King’s echoing laughter resounded around the room. “You can’t shield him forever... And that’s how long he will need to reverse Sasam.”

“I can try.”

“Tzavros! I will kill him!”

“So I kills you.”

“I will kill Steele!.. He is your friend?.. Isn’t he?”

“What that got to do with it?”

“Tzavros! It will be your fault if he dies!”

Steele took half a step sideways. “Ignore him, Zav!”

“I was going to!”

“We have completed our job,” Bajak joined in the verbal assault, “Pia has been defeated. The world is ours.”

Hearing the Russian give a low growl Steele moved a shielding hand back towards him.

“Give up, if you get to the computer what then?... We are immortal... Kijac is immortal...” King’s squeaky cackle had become frenzied. “I have made sure of that. Sasam has brought through many helpers and have already infiltrated many of your bases. How do you know which they are? Can you tell the difference between a human and a changer? I doubt it. Tzavros... Get away from that machine... Tzavros, I warn you!”

A single shot rang out and Steele dropped to his knees. Tzavros let out one yell and all his frustrated anger broke loose. Unrestrained Russian curses rent the air as he fired the contents of the magazine into the guards. The survivors were on him in a flash, holding him to the ground as he kicked and struggled. A small sob left his lips. A sob of anger and despair for what the world now faced. He had failed.

While being dragged to his feet he made one more dive for the computer, only to be rewarded with a rifle butt in the groin. As he collapsed forward onto his knees next to Steele, loud splintering and crashing tore through the air followed by the rattle of automatic gunfire.

Hands caught him by the shoulders, dragging him to his feet, a voice yelling into his ears, “Tzavros, the computer, reverse Sasam!”

Through a barely conscious haze he could see Dwire, Klyne at his back, engaged in hand to hand fighting with some of SASAM’s devout technicians. Looking further he could make out King and Bajak against a wall, grinning wildly. Klyne’s voice rang out loudly again. “Zav! Reverse Sasam... It’s not an acronym... It’s an anagram... It’s A Mass. King’s little joke. The code is Black Mass.”

“Too late, much, much too late,” screeched King letting out a howl as he burst the capsule set in his teeth. He and Bajak fell to the ground the laughter replaced by a bubbling gurgle as the poison took its effect.

“Send twenty seconds to Veto and pray,” Steele’s feeble voice barely audible to Dwire.

Galloway’s heart sank. The temporary lasers had first flickered and then died out completely. Woods was on his knees while Sukoloff pushed against the monster’s body. Several times he had seen Sukoloff force the knifes long blade into the belly of the thing. Both men were covered in a dark green stinking liquid that mingled with the bright red of their blood to form grotesque pools on the ground.

The thing had managed to get one foot off the plate, its frantic tumultuous roars rebounding towards Galloway, forcing him to cover his ears. Roper raced up to him yelling, “Ten seconds to Veto!” The message delivered, he ran off again.

Galloway jumped up and ran as close as he could to the fight. “Veto! Vacily, it’s eight seconds to Veto! Get out! Vacily, please get out!”

The monster had Woods pinned under a massive foot. It was half in, half out of its confines with Sukoloff still vainly pushing against it.

“Vacily! Veto in three seconds. Get out!” implored Galloway. Their eyes met, though sad, exhausted and resigned, Sukoloff smiled and managed to throw something towards the rocks that Woods and he had only a short time ago sat near so comfortably and relaxed.

Galloway made a dive for cover as a low rumble gathered in pitch, his hands forming a shield over his head the ground shook. The very mountains vibrated and in their anger at being disturbed they hurled rocks down at him. He looked towards Sukoloff and saw him vanish in a massive implosion. A small mushroom shaped pillar of smoke drifted slowly towards the heavens, as if a miniature atomic bomb had been detonated. The wind rose to a tempest and the smoke began to clear.

Tzavros dragged himself from the computer console over to Steele, he eyed him wordlessly.

“What, no witty comments about it being typical of me to catch a bullet?” Tzavros just stared back, his lip twisting as he bit into it. Steele nodded. “I know, Zav, I know. Give me your watch and let’s find out.” Tzavros passed him the watch and slumped down next to him.

Silently, Dwire tied up the remaining KIJAC operatives and searched the bodies of King and Bajak, nothing was found on them. No clue who the spies, the ones King had called the changers, might be. If there were any.

Steele noted the messages mentally as they came in, the one from Edwards tearing a hole in his heart. “You bastards! You killed them!”

Though laid out on a mobile stretcher next to Tzavros, he began to relay the messages, “Proctor is heading out with some captives. Bayfield and Tretow will join him soon. They’re just making a final search. All Kijac air power is destroyed. Ground troops disarmed thanks to Alex’s back-up team.

“Mr Dwire!” Reluctantly Dwire crossed over to where Steele lay, this was were he would be relieved of his command. “Mr Dwire, leaving only half of your men to face an entire army was unthinkable, but, thank you. If you hadn’t, we would all be dead now. As would Mr Bayfield and Mr Tretow. Mr Nutt’s surprise attack from the prison floor was an excellent improvisation. I must also pass on the thanks of Mr Heru who was trapped in the apartment block. He was totally surrounded until your men appeared. Well done. Well done both of you.” He looked to Tzavros, “Zav, we have to go. I have to make a report direct to Alex.”

Tzavros was scarcely conscious. “Vacily?” was all he could manage.

Steele held his hand out to him and slowly shook his head.

By the time the stretcher bearers had carried them to the surface a large crowd had formed around the extensive blackened crater that still glowed red hot in places, sending acrid smoke curling upwards. Philip Galloway was sitting close to the crater’s edge, running idle fingers through the black ash. In the other hand he tightly clutched a gold case, a book and two envelopes.

Steele had risen from the stretcher and with some assistance had weakly sat down nearby waiting for Galloway to open the conversation.

“I told them it was Veto, but he wouldn’t risk leaving. If he could get out, so could the monster. He threw me his Complink so that I’d find these. I thought they were lazing in the sun, but they already knew didn’t they? They were preparing to die. One letter for Jodie and one for Henn. And this! A book with the inside cut away! They knew didn’t they?”

Steele took the book from Galloway as Proctor, curiosity having got the better of him, joined them and peered over Steele’s shoulder. They smiled at the cover, ‘One Hundred Ways to Cheat at Chess’ by P. Steele and A. Henn. In the hacked out space lay an expensive chessman, a black King with a ribbon tied about it, and a label which Steele read, “I’ll be back for it.”

The small gold velvet lined box contained a blue stone ring, a pressed red rose and the word, “Eternity.” It also contained the lab key with “Don’t blow it up,” stamped on it.

Tiredly, painfully and on unsteady feet, Steele left Galloway to his thoughts and returned to Tzavros in the ambulance. Bending down he placed his hand on his shoulder while pressing the small lab key into his hand, “Zav, listen to...”

Tzavros shrugged the hand away, his eyes blazing a dark brown through pain and that deep hopeless feeling of loss. “Leave it!... Just leave me alone!”

The words cut into Steele deeper than any axe could have, he looked over to Proctor hoping for inspiration. None came.

Soulfully Steele struggled down the ambulance steps and joined Proctor, whose head was shaking sadly after watching the proceedings.

“Steele, they were so alike, so very alike they could have been brothers. Together they were learning to show their feelings, but now, just as Alex had to, so you have to learn to accept that Zav will never openly show his feelings to you. One day...” Proctor paused while they stood aside to allow the ambulance to pass, “One day he will learn to laugh again, as we all will. It is hard that he won’t allow you to comfort him, nobody can do that.

“The game is over. It is check mate, and you, Steele, as our chief enforcement officer, have to finish the job. Send your report to Alex, he’s waiting you know.” With that Proctor made a mumbled excuse of other business before turning and walking away.

He only took a few steps then turned and looked back. A smile flickered across Proctor’s mouth as he saw Steele watch the ambulance in the distance. PIA was not finished, not with men like these in the ranks. Partners, the one sullen, cold and aloof, the other warm and unashamedly allowing a tear to roll down his face. He listened to the pride in Steele’s voice as he made his report to Henn. A voice that only wavered in the last three words.

“Check Mate... Fifty-two men from Groups One to Four! Ten men from the back-up teams. The entire crew of one helicopter. The crews of two jets and special team members Sepia One and Sepia Seven... All confirmed lost!”

END

But only of book one.

or if you can't stop crying then read the Epilogue

Authors like feedback . Louie McKlindon