The Revelation Code

31

Eddie ran back to the chasm’s narrowest point and made a rapid descent. He dropped the last ten feet and shoved past Dalton, ignoring the politician’s questions as he ran down the passage. The limping Jared was ahead; he quickly caught up. ‘What the fuck have you done?’ he roared at the younger man.

‘I tried to stop her!’ Jared protested.

‘Not fucking hard enough!’

‘She got past me and ran off! I tried to catch up, but…’ He regarded his wounded leg. More blood had soaked the bandage. ‘Then the chopper started shooting.’

Eddie held in another curse and ran on, rounding a corner to see broken rocks strewn over the floor — and a dust-covered figure lying amongst them. He hurried to her. ‘Nina! Nina, are you okay? Can you hear me?’

No movement for agonising seconds as he checked for a pulse… then she painfully turned her head, squinting up at him. ‘Did you get it?’

‘Yeah, I got it.’

‘Hooray for us…’ She tried to sit up, but cried out as she moved her leg. ‘Oh! Damn, that hurts!’

He saw blood on her thigh and examined the injury. ‘Looks like shrapnel. Jared!’ he said as the Israeli hobbled into view. ‘The first aid kit’s in the bag — get that useless shithead Dalton to bring it.’

‘Is she okay?’ Jared asked, worried.

‘No,’ he snarled, ‘’cause you let her do your job! Go!’

‘Don’t be angry at him,’ Nina told her husband as the shamefaced young man turned away. ‘He wanted to do it, but I stopped him.’ She gestured towards the entrance, the passage now pockmarked with ragged holes. ‘And I’m glad I did, because if I hadn’t, he would have been killed.’

‘You’re glad you got a piece of shrap in your leg?’

‘Okay, maybe not glad exactly…’ She shifted position as carefully as she could to look down at her stomach. ‘God, I hope she’s all right.’

‘Me too. I’ll get that bit of metal out, then check if she’s okay.’

‘How? I don’t think we brought an ultrasound scanner.’

The corners of his mouth creased upwards, just a little. ‘Getting sarky? You can’t be that badly hurt, then.’

‘Yeah, you just keep telling me that and maybe I’ll start to believe it.’ Nina too managed a small, pained smile.

Jared soon returned, Dalton following with the backpack. Eddie took out the first-aid kit and cleaned Nina’s wound, then used tweezers to grip the protruding end of the metal shard. ‘Okay, this’ll hurt,’ he warned.

Her sarcasm was now more overt. ‘Yeah, I’m so glad you told me that in advance.’

‘Well, I could’ve just yanked it out without warning while I was in the middle of talking to keep you distracted, but—’ He yanked it out without warning.

She shrieked. ‘Aah! Son of a — Bastard—Shit!’

Dalton winced at the spurt of blood, but still found the time to be patronising. ‘The world’s most famous archaeologist, eloquent and classy as always.’

‘Shut the fuck up,’ the couple told him in unison. Dalton huffed.

While Eddie dressed the wound, Jared limped to the end of the passage and peered at the wreckage below. ‘They took out the truck!’ he said as he returned.

Dalton went in alarm to see for himself. ‘We’re stranded?’

‘Someone’ll be along soon,’ Eddie replied, unworried.

‘We’re in the middle of a desert! How can you possibly know that?’

‘Because when a twenty-million-dollar helicopter gunship crashes and explodes, the people who own it usually want to find out what happened pretty sharpish. And I doubt shooting at a pregnant archaeologist, a Mossad agent and an ex-president was an officially sanctioned mission.’ He looked at Jared. ‘How far away’s its base?’

‘Ovda? About thirty kilometres,’ the Israeli replied.

‘So I bet you there’ll be another chopper here in the next ten minutes.’

‘Hopefully not another gunship,’ said Nina. She drew in a sharp breath as Eddie finished working on her wound, then carefully sat up and regarded Dalton. ‘So while we’re waiting, Mr President, I think we should talk about Cross. Now that he’s tried to kill you, it’s safe to assume you aren’t best buddies any more?’

‘You’ve got that right,’ Dalton growled. ‘That son of a bitch! He used me!’

‘Matthew chapter seven, verse fifteen: “Beware of false prophets”,’ said Nina, to his annoyance. ‘He doesn’t care about your political rehabilitation, and he never did. He just saw you as a means to an end, a way to bring about the apocalypse. So maybe now you should stop thinking about how to protect him and start thinking about how to save your own ass.’

‘Not much point getting back into power if the world ends five minutes later,’ Eddie pointed out.

‘If you tell us where Cross plans to release the angels, I’ll do everything I can with the UN, Interpol and the US and Antiguan governments to explain that you helped us try to stop him,’ Nina said. ‘If you don’t, and Cross succeeds…’ Her expression hardened. ‘I’ll let you twist in the wind by your balls as you’re brought up on charges of terrorism and mass murder. Good luck with your immunity deal, Mr President.’

Worry was clear in Dalton’s eyes, but he still jutted his jaw in defiance. ‘I’m not going to be intimidated into making deals. I was the President of the United States, not some two-bit police informant!’

Eddie advanced upon him. ‘If I chucked him off the cliff, do you think anyone’d really care?’

Dalton took a worried step backwards, but before he could respond, Jared looked around sharply. ‘Quiet,’ said the Israeli. ‘I can hear something.’

Nina picked it up a moment later. ‘Sounds like a helicopter.’ In the distance, she heard the thrum of rotor blades.

Eddie gave Dalton a last threatening glare, then started towards the entrance. ‘Be careful,’ Nina called. ‘They might shoot first and ask questions later.’

‘I’ll be ready to run, just in case!’ He looked down the valley.

The burning Apache had left an unmissable marker of its position: a column of dirty black smoke. He leaned out of the ravaged chasm to scan the sky, quickly spotting the dark dot of an approaching helicopter. To his relief, it had the rounded profile of a transport aircraft rather than the narrow, angular shape of a gunship.

It took the chopper a few minutes to reach the crash site, circling overhead before descending into the valley. It was military, an Israeli Black Hawk in pale desert camouflage. It appeared unarmed, but all branches of Israel’s military were ready for combat at a moment’s notice, so Eddie decided to play things with care. He moved to the centre of the opening, waving both arms above his head.

The Black Hawk slowed to a hover, one of its side doors sliding open. A man inside stared at him through binoculars. Eddie changed his signal, spreading both arms and holding them up in a Y-shape to indicate that he needed help — and also to make it plain that he was not holding a weapon. The helicopter’s passenger looked back down at the wreckage, but it was obvious there was nobody alive in the flaming tangle of metal. Brief discussion with the pilot over his headset, then the man made an exaggerated thumbs-up gesture and the aircraft came about to head for the clifftop above.

The Englishman returned to the others. ‘They’re landing,’ he announced. ‘Jared, you do the talking. It’ll be better to have a Mossad agent tell ’em what’s happened rather than the bloke who just shot down one of their Apaches with a handgun…’

Members of the Black Hawk’s crew descended into the ravine on ropes to be given Jared’s account of events; unsure how to take it, and especially confused by the presence of a former world leader, they settled for lifting the injured out on stretchers before taking them back to their base at Ovda. Even without knowing any Hebrew, Nina and Eddie could tell that the crew were deeply suspicious of their passengers and their involvement in the loss of their commander’s aircraft, but it was also clear that the relatively junior military officers and men aboard did not want to tangle with the Mossad. One of Jared’s first requests — or demands — was for a field telephone, which he used to contact his superior in Tel Aviv.

That same superior arrived at the base by helicopter as the sun set two hours later, meeting its new acting commander before both men strode into the hospital ward where the rescuees were being kept under guard. ‘Sir!’ said Jared as they entered, jumping to his feet even with his injury and snapping to attention.

Eli Shalit was a small, thin man with prominent cheekbones and a bristling moustache. He waved a hand for the agent to sit back down, then cast his intense gaze over the room’s other occupants. ‘Dr Nina Wilde and Edward Chase,’ he said. ‘Welcome to Israel. And you too, Mr President,’ he added, with a distinctly dismissive nod at Dalton.

‘You know who we are?’ Nina asked.

‘Jared told me on the telephone, but I had also read his report on the events of four months ago, when he was seconded to the Criminal Sanctions Unit. Israel is very grateful to you both for helping to eliminate that nest of Nazis.’

‘Our pleasure,’ said Eddie, a little sarcastically.

Shalit gave him a cynical smile. ‘I know that you are not a great fan of the Mossad. But that does not lessen our gratitude. Now.’ He put his hands behind his back. ‘We have a situation, I believe.’

‘You could say that,’ Nina told him. ‘There’s a religious maniac about to unleash chemical weapons because he thinks that bringing about the apocalypse will let him learn all of God’s secrets. That’s definitely situation-y.’

‘Indeed it is.’ The Mossad official’s gaze went to Dalton. ‘Mr President, your presence here is causing some… trouble, shall we say, in our government. You had important friends here — I mean, have friends, of course,’ he corrected, in a way that suggested the slip was by no means accidental — ‘who saw to it that you were able to enter our country incognito, who provided you with help, resources… only now, I am told by one of my best men,’ a nod at Jared, ‘it seems that you are connected to an act of terrorism in the Caribbean, and to the madman who intends to carry out more of these acts. What do you have to say, Mr President?’

The colour had visibly leached from Dalton’s face; nevertheless, he drew himself up to stand tall and arrogant before the Israeli. ‘First, I would point out that I am in no way responsible for any of the acts carried out by an individual with whom I had the misfortune of being acquainted before I realised his true intentions—’

He paused at Nina’s disbelieving cry of ‘What?’, then continued: ‘Second, I would also point out that as soon as I realised these intentions, I disassociated myself with this individual and have done everything in my power to help track him down and prevent further loss of life.’

Nina almost laughed at his sheer gall. ‘You are so full of shit! If it wasn’t for you, none of this would ever have happened.’

‘We made an agreement, if you recall,’ Dalton pointed out. ‘I give you information about Cross’s plans, and in return you make it unequivocally clear to all the relevant authorities that I helped you try to stop him. You were the one who offered that deal, Dr Wilde. I agreed to it, so I expect you to honour it. And your husband too,’ he added, with a warning look at Eddie.

The Englishman glowered back at him, folding his arms. ‘Don’t remember shaking on it.’

‘Eddie,’ said Nina reluctantly. ‘He’s right, we need him. And we can’t afford to waste time — Cross and the Fishers might be halfway to their targets already.’

‘Don’t I even get to punch him in the face?’ Eddie asked, clenching one hand into a fist. Dalton twitched.

‘As much as I’d like that, no. Not this time.’

‘Next time, then,’ he muttered, before nodding to the politician. ‘Okay, we’ll put in a word for you. Won’t be the one I’m thinking of right now, though.’

‘You’ve got your deal,’ Nina told Dalton. ‘Now it’s your turn. What’s Cross’s plan?’

Dalton took a couple of heavy breaths before answering, aware that whatever agreements were in place, he was still linking himself to the cult leader’s plot. ‘All right,’ he said at last. ‘Simeon and Anna Fisher are going to take the statues to Mecca, and to the Vatican in Rome.’

‘As opposed to the Vatican in Hogfoot, Arkansas?’ Nina said scathingly. ‘Yeah, I know where it is.’

‘Mecca. And Rome.’ Shalit turned from side to side as if looking towards each of the two cities. ‘I would not describe either as a close friend to Israel — though one is far less friendly than the other. I am sure you can guess which. But it is not in Israel’s current interests that it is destroyed. We have enough enemies without arousing a billion and a half angry Muslims against us. And they would rise against us, even if we had nothing to do with it.’ Another edged smile at Eddie. ‘Those with no reason to hate us will still take any reason to fight us.’

‘They’re going to release the gas there?’ Nina asked.

‘Obviously,’ Dalton snapped. ‘On the flight over, Cross kept saying how the timing was perfect. The Hajj is on in Mecca right now, so there are Christ knows how many Muslims there on pilgrimage, and the Pope has an audience in St Peter’s Square tomorrow, which will also have thousands, tens of thousands of people watching. That was what he wanted: maximum victims, maximum impact.’

‘It’s also what you wanted,’ Eddie said, disgusted. ‘Typical fucking politician. You’re already trying to distance yourself from it!’

‘So that was how the two of you planned to set off a religious war?’ asked Nina. ‘Attack Mecca and the Vatican, let it come out that American evangelical Christians were responsible, and watch the fireworks while you set up Fortress America?’

Eddie shook his head, speaking before the politician could issue another denial of his direct involvement. ‘That’s what I get for missing Sunday school. I never read the bit of the Bible where Jesus says that mass murder is brilliant. Oh, wait, that’s because it doesn’t fucking exist!’

‘You’re not Christians any more than Jim Jones and his crazies were,’ Nina told Dalton.

‘Don’t lump me in with those loons,’ he replied. ‘I had nothing to do with Cross’s followers. They joined him because they wanted him to bring about the end of the world.’

‘Which he did, for them.’

‘Yes, he did. And don’t forget that you’re a part of it too,’ Dalton went on, jabbing an accusatory finger at her. ‘You found the angels for him.’

Nina gawped in sheer disbelief at his attempt to swing the blame back on to her. ‘Only because Eddie and I were kidnapped, on your orders! Jesus!’

Shalit held up a placatory hand. ‘Dr Wilde, we have the information. The question now is: how shall we act upon it?’

‘We’ve got to stop ’em, obviously,’ said Eddie.

‘Yeah,’ agreed Nina, turning to Shalit. ‘You need to contact the authorities in Rome and Mecca, tell them to watch for Simeon and Anna.’

The Israeli spymaster smiled mockingly. ‘I am sure the Saudis will be happy to obey the Mossad.’ Even Dalton smirked.

‘Okay, then contact the UN and get them to talk to the Saudis!’ she pressed on, annoyed. ‘Call Oswald Seretse in New York.’

‘You’ve probably got his number,’ said Eddie, with a sly glance at Jared. ‘Someone once told me Mossad has everyone’s number.’ The younger man grinned.

‘I am sure we have,’ replied Shalit. ‘I shall make the call.’

‘What about the find?’ Nina asked. ‘The Temple of God, and the Ark of the Covenant — they need to be secured.’

‘They will be,’ he assured her. ‘I have already arranged for troops to guard the site until our archaeologists can reach it. And I shall also notify the IHA, of course. Such a discovery is of global importance, after all. Now, Dr Wilde, Mr Chase, if you will come with me?’

The couple followed him to the door. Dalton started after them, but Shalit held up a hand. ‘Mr President, stay here, please.’

Dalton was affronted. ‘This is a diplomatic matter; I should be involved—’

‘I am being diplomatic when I say that you should stay here. For your own safety.’ There was an unmistakable hint of threat behind his politeness. ‘I have already spoken to officials from your State Department. They have requested that you be returned to the United States as soon as possible, on the orders of the White House.’

‘What?’ said the politician, startled.

‘I guess President Cole wants to discuss your immunity deal,’ Nina suggested, smiling coldly.

‘Best of luck with that,’ added Eddie. ‘Jared, will you be okay?’

The young Israeli glanced dismissively at his injury. ‘It’ll take more than this to keep me down, alter kocker. I’ll be back.’

The Englishman grinned. ‘Glad to hear it. See you later, kid. And you, Mr President.’ The Israeli gave the couple a cheery wave as they departed with Shalit, leaving the sputtering Dalton behind.

Shalit commandeered what had been Colonel Brik’s office to call Seretse in New York. Once through, Nina explained what they had found in the desert, and what had happened afterwards. ‘I see,’ said the Gambian diplomat, speaking slowly and carefully, as if trying to process what he had just heard. ‘I shall of course immediately contact the Saudi and Italian ambassadors to the UN, and the Vatican’s permanent observer. But the Fishers could be in Italy and Saudi Arabia already — a private flight there from Israel would not take long.’

‘I know, I know,’ Nina replied wearily. ‘Have the investigators in Antigua got any CCTV footage of Anna or Simeon they could send to the police and security forces?’

‘Not yet, I am afraid,’ said Seretse. ‘Teams from the CDC and USAMRICD have entered the Mission to check the contamination levels, but their most recent report said the computers have been either wiped or encrypted.’

‘Might have known,’ Eddie complained. ‘Bloody spooks, they’re all paranoid. We’ll give you descriptions so you can put together e-fits, then.’

‘Digital facial reconstructions are not as useful as photographs,’ said Shalit with a small shake of the head. ‘The Mossad has run tests; even top agents failed forty per cent of the time to recognise a suspect when trying to identify them from an e-fit alone. That number is much higher with ordinary law enforcement personnel.’

‘So what do you suggest?’ Nina said with exasperation. ‘We’ve got to try to stop them!’

‘There is something you can do,’ said Seretse. ‘If you go to the Vatican and Mecca in person, you will be able to confirm any possible sightings of the Fishers. I know it is a long shot, but we must try. Will you go?’

Eddie and Nina exchanged tired looks. ‘We don’t have much bloody choice, do we?’ said the Yorkshireman.

‘No, we don’t,’ she agreed with a marked lack of enthusiasm. ‘Everyone does remember that I’m four months pregnant, right? I’m supposed to be eating crazy food and being waited on hand and foot, not rushing around the world and being shot at!’ She took a long, deep breath. ‘Okay, rant over, I’m done.’

‘In that case, I will tell the ambassadors that you will assist with the search in person,’ said Seretse. ‘Nina, you should go to Rome; Eddie to Mecca. I am sure you understand why I did not suggest sending you to Saudi Arabia, Nina,’ he added.

‘Countries that oppress women, flog bloggers and behead people for sorcery aren’t exactly high on my list of vacation destinations,’ she said scathingly. ‘I’ll take Rome any day. But St Peter’s Square is huge! There’ll be thousands of people there if the Pope’s giving an address. And I can’t even begin to imagine how many people there’ll be in Mecca during the Hajj.’

‘Yeah, I know,’ said Eddie. ‘Just have to hope the cops are on the ball — and that we get lucky.’

‘I shall make the arrangements,’ Seretse told them. ‘It may take some time, but I will call you back as soon as everything is confirmed.’

‘Great,’ Nina muttered as he disconnected. She turned to her husband. ‘Oh God. How do we keep ending up in these situations? I tell you, after this is over, we’re taking a three-year vacation.’

He grinned. ‘You’d be bored out of your mind after a month.’

‘Probably. But we’ve got the baby to look forward to, so who knows? Motherhood might be the best thing ever to happen in my life. Apart from meeting you,’ she added.

‘It will be, I’m sure of it,’ he said. ‘So you’re feeling more confident about being a mum now, are you?’

It was her turn to grin. ‘I’m probably tempting fate by saying this, but after everything else I’ve been through since I met you, I should be able to handle a baby.’ They both looked around at a chuckle from Shalit. ‘Something to say?’

‘Only that whether you are a soldier, a scientist or a spy, nothing can prepare you,’ the Israeli replied, humour in his eyes.

‘That’s reassuring,’ Eddie said.

‘I’m ready for it,’ Nina insisted. ‘Whatever it brings.’

‘Yeah?’

‘Yeah.’

‘Good.’ He kissed her. ‘’Cause so am I.’ A glance back at the phone. ‘Just a pain in the arse that we’ve got to save the world first.’

‘I know,’ she said with a sigh. ‘But we need to make sure our daughter’s got a world to be born into, so… let’s finish this.’