‘Who are you actually taking on?’ I asked, somewhat overwhelmed by her declaration.
‘We’re taking action against the religious powers in certain Middle Eastern countries and against those religious fanatics who could affect the stability of the world. We want to prevent an adverse shift to power by an area of the world which has been depleted of their only resource… oil… sending economies into a spiral by the violent actions they intend to take to establish themselves and to stave off hunger and disease. If we do not act, Islam, in a very belligerent form, will rise to manifest itself. And there will be many Muslims all over the world ready to support them. It will cause chaos in practically every nation.’
‘Fine words… but what can one single unknown group such as the 21sr Century Crusaders do against a large region of the world with millions of people who will be in desperate trouble?
‘You’d be surprised how many people have rallied to our cause. They recognise that if they stand back and do nothing, it’ll be a replay of the Crusades in the past but this time played out with nuclear weapons. Those who can’t be with us for reasons of their own support us physically by means of their cheque books but if you follow history you’ll note that the knights of old volunteered their services without pay or reward. Just because people rise up because of necessity, doesn’t mean the rest of the world has to become involved.’
I sat back staring at the ceiling for a few moments to gather my thoughts. ‘Quite frankly,’ I commented, ‘I think you and your colleagues have taken on something far larger than you could ever swallow.’
She paused undaunted by my criticism.’ In answer to your first question,’ she continued, ‘you were selected for three reasons. One… you work for an international organisation specialising in weaponry and defence systems. Two… you achieved a key position there over the years even though it doesn’t provide the motivation you seek in life. And three… you play bridge at international level.’
‘I don’t understand why those features make me a suitable candidate for your cause.’
‘You will, Jason, in due course. As far as bridge is concerned, you can visit any country to play in regular international tournaments without anyone raising an eyebrow. You can cross borders with all the freedom you wish to play in them.’
‘Tosh!’ I countered sharply. ‘The leaders of Islamic countries don’t recognise any form of gambling. It’s not allowed. So what use is my ability to play bridge at high levels anywhere?’
‘You’ll need to think more laterally,’ she responded and I felt angry had the nerve to talk to me in such a fashion. Only then it occurred to me that she had arranged for the photographs of us making love to be available. It was all her doing even though she denied it in front of Primar. ‘But that’s not our immediate problem,’ she continued. ‘We have trouble within our own ranks. Primar was my section leader and we began to establish an organisation in Britain. Other offices have been developing cells in different countries throughout the world… even in one of the countries where oil will run out. Recently, someone has tried to take control of some parts of the organisation. No one knows their identity yet but it’s created serious problems. There are people who are over-zealous with too much ambition. Their plan was to dispose of the two of us by planting a bomb on board Chedda’s aircraft. That much is clear. We were very lucky to come out of it alive with few injuries. Then we found ourselves facing our doubles. That was quite a shock to say the least. Duran let me in on that one.’
‘Duran!’ I echoed with surprise. ‘But you shot him!’
‘He came over to the aircraft when you went to the highway to find out where we were. He warned me that there was another Jason Scott and said he would spare my life if I said nothing when you returned. He wanted to eliminate you near the wreckage, place you in the cockpit, and then set fire to the plane. You would simply be burned to an unrecognisable state and the police would believe that the pilot had been killed in the crash. When you returned, Duran was hiding in the trees nearby.’
‘You took one hell of a chance with my life, didn’t you?’
‘He would have killed me too. You can be certain of that. I’m not sure about Commander Spring. But when we caught up with our look-a-like doubles, it was impossible to let them roam free. I had to eliminate them.’
‘So now,’ I commented logically. ‘we can masquerade as the false Jason Scott and Penny Smith as well as being the real ones.’
‘That’s right. You’re getting the picture. We’re actually standing in for our own doubles.’
I blew out my cheeks wondering where this was going to lead us when my thoughts were interrupted by a siren sounding in the distance. A police car pulled up outside and the siren stopped. I leapt to my feet and stood by the window, hiding behind the curtain. ‘Damn!’ I growled irritably. ‘They’ve found us! Someone in your organisation must have told them about this place!’
‘The car!’ uttered Penny, screwing up her face. ‘They’ve tracked the car!’
‘Well?’ I asked miserably. ‘You’re the one with all the bright ideas. What do we do now?’
She smiled at me sweetly. ‘It makes a nice change,’ she laughed. ‘You’re the important one at Dandy Advanced Electronics but I’m the one in charge here. Follow me!’
She led me to another room and knelt down by a Persian rug. Then she pulled a small ring hidden in the pattern of the carpet, releasing a catch. A section of the floorboard covered by the rug was raised to reveal a set of steps leading downwards. We descended and Penny closed the hatch behind us.
‘They won’t find this place,’ she told me confidently, producing a torch as she led me down the steps through a long tunnel.
We climbed a further set to steps to emerge in a shed belonging to another house in the next street and left without haste to make our escape. After the police had gone, we returned to the Vokswagen and Penny drove me to a field where a small aircraft was waiting for us. This time it was not a Kfir Junior but something much smaller and less exquisite. We clambered aboard as the pilot started the engine.
‘Where are we off to?’ I asked quietly.
‘To see Commander Yasood near the Gaze Strip in Israel. At least we can trust him.’
I shook my head slowly at the need to trot around the globe in this fashion. The cause seemed to have a remarkable lack of control over its activities and personnel. But then such foolish fancies of absolute power often develops organisations which comprise no more than small groups of vigilantes. It was that way with the 11th Century Crusaders… it hadn’t changed with the 21st Century Crusaders!
Chapter Four
We arrived outside the Gaze Strip in Israel later that day. It was a complete mystery to me, and a credit to the pilot’s navigational skill, that he was able to find a suitable place to land the aircraft safely in an area of desert sand. This time I was delighted to be set down by the conventional method of flying, instead of risking my neck as it had been in the case in Crete. Apart from the terrifying ordeal in which I believed my end had been imminent, the recollection of Chedda’s mutilated body was enough to give me nightmares for the rest of my life. As we alighted from the aircraft, a military jeep could be seen approaching from the distance and we did not have to wait long to see Commander Yasood. If necessary, I could have picked him out of a crowd for he was exactly as I imagined him to be. A tall slender man with dark hair, a tanned skin and a slightly curved nose. He wore a light-weight brown uniform with flashes on the upper arms portraying a Crusader in shining armour riding a black horse. Around his waist circled abroad belt from which hung a packed gun holster.