Covenant

40

This had better be important.”

Byron Stone stood inside the doorway to the office of Lieutenant General Benjamin Aydan, a craggy, broad-shouldered veteran of the Six-Day War.

“It is.”

The Israeli Defense Force was never off duty, even in the small hours of the night. In a country surrounded by populations violently opposed to its very existence, it had long been learned by both the government and the military that letting one’s guard down was tantamount to submission and an invitation to destruction.

Within just a few years of its independence, Israel had been subjected to a joint military invasion by all three of its neighboring enemies, Arab states infected with the divine certainty that to destroy Israel was to enact the will of Allah. Israel had fought back, repelling even this concerted assault on its statehood, and had done so alone.

“Enter.”

Byron Stone walked into the office and closed the door. Benjamin Aydan stood and was courteous enough to shake Stone’s hand before gesturing for him to sit in the chair opposite.

“What may I do for you?”

“We have a situation in the Negev,” Stone said briskly. “Several hours ago one of our encampments in the Negev was infiltrated by what we believe to be a terrorist cell. Several items were stolen from the site and smuggled into Gaza.”

General Aydan sat in silence for a moment, regarding Stone through icy eyes that had seen untold horrors. “Value?”

“High,” Stone replied crisply. “We’re not sure of the insurgents’ intentions but we were able to track them into Gaza just after sundown.”

“What do you want us to do?”

Stone took a deep breath. “I’d like to conduct an air strike on the insurgents’ lair.”

Aydan’s eyes narrowed.

“How can you be sure that the target will not incur civilian casualties?”

“I have a man inside Gaza as we speak. He’ll identify the insurgents and their locations and be ready to provide coordinates.”

“You’ve a man on the ground right now? That’s beyond your remit.”

Stone maintained a neutral expression.

“Sensitive data was stolen that concerns both MACE and Israeli Defense Force operations in the Negev. Exposure of that data to insurgent networks could be catastrophic.”

Stone saw the general’s fist clench on his desk as he spoke.

“What could they have taken from a little company like MACE that might possibly cause such a disruption?”

Stone didn’t miss the jibe.

“It isn’t just data that they’ve stolen,” he uttered. “They murdered one of my men and injured several others. Whoever they are, they’re serious enough to kill.”

The general offered Stone a dispassionate stare. “In fifty years, thousands of Israel’s sons have lost their lives defending us. Your men know the risks of service here and are paid considerably more than our conscripts. Live with it.”

“They also have footage of Israeli troops beating an unarmed Bedouin.”

The lie fell out of Stone’s mouth as though it had been waiting there all along.

“What?”

“Almost five minutes’ worth,” Stone went on without missing a beat. “I’ve been assured that it was immensely brutal.” He leaned forward on the desk, staring hard at the general. “It could cause a crisis should the footage be released to the media. The northern Negev battalions are under your command, are they not, General?”

Benjamin Aydan glowered at Stone.

“Do you have copies of this supposed footage?”

“No, the cameraman escaped before he could be apprehended.”

“Incompetent.”

Benjamin Aydan remained silent and still as though hewn from a vast chunk of granite. Stone maintained what he hoped looked like an expression of confidence. For several seconds it seemed as though neither he nor the general was actually breathing. Then Aydan exhaled.

“How accurately can your man identify where these individuals are located?”

“He’ll report in from the location itself. I suspect that it’ll be within one of the tunnels that the Palestinians use to smuggle goods across the city. The destruction of the evidence is my aim here, not the taking of lives.”

Aydan frowned.

“Then why doesn’t your man on the ground simply recover the footage for himself and avoid the need for an air strike?”

“Simply?” Stone echoed. “What’s simple about entering a heavily guarded insurgent network and escaping with your life? My man is doing enough as it is to locate the evidence showing your troop’s brutality. I’d hoped that you’d be good enough to meet us halfway and avoid a firefight on the ground. Unless you’d rather send your own men in to clear the insurgents out of the tunnels?”

General Aydan’s eyes glittered like the points of twin bayonets.

“I would lead them myself, but I can’t commit the Israeli Air Force to an attack on Gaza without good reason. Our own Heron TP drones are for reconnaissance only.”

Byron Stone resisted the urge to smile as the general wandered into his trap.

“A MACE Valkyrie drone carries Hellfire missiles and cannon. It’s the perfect opportunity for our drone to be tested in combat conditions, and the ideal means for us to bring this unfortunate episode to a close.”

“It’ll have to be cleared with Southern Command,” Aydan growled.

“Israel’s involvement in this incident will be minimal,” Stone insisted. “Everybody wins.”

“Except anyone caught in the line of fire.”

Byron Stone chose not to respond, allowing instead the delicacy and danger of the situation to weigh on the general’s shoulders. Aydan reached down and opened a drawer at the side of his desk. He produced a card and handed it to Stone.

“Call me as soon as you have the coordinates, and I’ll clear the flight.”

Stone took the card as he stood.

“Thank you, General.”

He walked out of the office and closed the door behind him. Spencer Malik stood waiting in the corridor.

“Well?”

“Prepare the Valkyrie for flight, and ensure that all of our loose ends are vaporized when you receive the target coordinates. Then find the surgeon. We may need him soon.”