Drake now sat upright. “So you did meet him?”
“I wasn’t gonna let that go. Such disregard. I chased the bastard down. Confronted him. He was…” She frowned. “Savage. Like you might imagine a Native American to be when they ruled the plains. All he said was ‘orders’ and then turned away, wearing his American military swagger like a fucking cape, full of himself and full of loyalty too, I guess.”
“You think he was manipulated back then too?”
Alicia shrugged. “Oh, I don’t know. Soldiers carry out their orders and don’t ask questions. This was more about the man — the beast, if you like. I’ve never seen such ferociousness. It stopped me in my tracks. The only time that’s ever happened.”
A silence panned out, punctuated by the road noise and the whistling air-con. In the end it was broken in the best, inimitable way of the Mad Swede.
“Kenzie,” he said quietly into the silence with the comms on. “Please remove your hand from my lap.”
Drake laughed. Even Alicia smiled. Smyth took the chance to tell everyone they were twenty minutes out and to start loading up. Their supply of ammo and other military gear was dwindling rapidly. If they didn’t top up soon, they’d be out before the next seal presented itself. Drake knew Crouch could probably take care of that, but didn’t want to rely solely on his ex-boss.
A small town appeared up ahead; dusty, sandy and shining under the sun. Most of the buildings were dull browns and beiges, but some of the taller ones glimmered and more than one faux-gold capstone twinkled. Smyth made his way through until they were a block from the obelisk and then pulled up. Dust surrounded the vehicle as he stopped.
“Reccy time,” Hayden said. “Don’t forget we have more than just mercenaries looking for the seals, and now Luther too. Bring your A game, guys.”
Drake and Yorgi moved off to the left as the rest of the team split. The heat outside was unrelenting, beating down at his scalp, but at least there wasn’t the slightest breath of wind to stir the sand up. With a quick look he confirmed the others were on their way, Alicia and Mai together — surprise there. Dahl and Kenzie joined at the hip — no shock there. Drake worried for the big Swede, but getting personal was not his place. Half an hour later they all met up.
“All clear,” Crouch said.
“Seems so,” Alicia said.
The obelisk stood less than a hundred meters before them, rising straight and high, and pointing right up at the heavens, at the sun. It was sandy in color, imposing in height and covered in pictures and hieroglyphics.
“Y’know,” Alicia said with a laugh. “What the hell are we gonna do if the picture’s above head fucking height?”
Drake blinked. He hadn’t thought that far ahead. It now became clear that their headlong flight across Egypt wasn’t exactly conducive to clear thought. Also, the stress caused by being on the run felt like a blanket, shrouding and blocking plain, sharp judgment. Crouch though, gave a short laugh.
“No worries,” he said. “We zoom in with these.” He patted a pair of field glasses. “Great magnification and photo option included.”
The obelisk stood in a tiny square, paving all around. To the left sat a low huddle of homes and to the right a hodgepodge chain of ugly buildings.
Alicia stared at the perpendicular object. “Stands out like a sore—”
“Alicia,” Drake warned her. “There are people around.”
“What?”
Those few passing by were locals, judging by their look and clothing. No tourists over here. Drake studied alleys and windows but saw no furtive movement. Crouch started forward.
“Best get started.”
Drake saw pictures he’d become used to now: large and small hieroglyphics. It didn’t take long for most of the team to scan the obelisk whilst two stayed on watch. After that it was Crouch using his binoculars to study each side. The capstone portrayal was at the very top and on the back of the obelisk, just underneath its own shining pinnacle. Crouch struggled to get a good photo because of the position of the sun, but came away after ten minutes of trying.
“I think I have it.” He rotated a wheel, zooming in on the screen’s image. Four pairs of eyes crowded around to get a better look.
“Is there anything to confirm it’s the doomsday device?” Kenzie asked.
“No, but what else could it be? There was once talk of the Giza pyramid itself being built for such a purpose but it’s all too fantastical. Passageways hewn at just the right angle could amplify and cohere energy emissions using highly sophisticated crystal technology. It’s all a little too farfetched for me. I’m backing simple weapon, simple technology. It’s the capstone. But now… that’s interesting… the new depiction is the mortuary temple of Hatshepsut,” Crouch said with awe. “That’s easy to find and enter. Very famous. But, oh hell, it’s bloody huge.”
“Bigger than the tomb?” Alicia asked.
“Many, many times.”
“Good job there are so many of us,” Kenzie said positively. “We’ll get the job done.”
“But no chance of destroying or even hiding the picture.” Dahl gazed up at the topmost heights of the obelisk. “Which I think we should do with at least one of these clues.”
Hayden clapped Kinimaka on the back. “We could always ask Mano here to lean up against it.”
Drake smiled. “Or just walk past it.”
“Hey, cool it, brah. Or I might just walk past you.”
Drake studied the terrain for the dozenth time. “Abba is right though,” he said. “We do have to slow our pursuers.”
The roar of a powerful engine and the grinding of large tires reached their ears.
Drake keyed the mic. “Smyth?”
“We got two fully laden military vehicles headed right toward us. Full-on velocity too. They’re taking no prisoners.”
Crouch went sheet-white. “No. Not now. We can’t—”
Drake felt a strange trickle of trepidation drip down his spine. “Luther?”
“Well, none of them trucks got a name,” Smyth said. “But the way, even on approach, there’s men hanging out the windows with RPGs I’d say that’s a pretty safe bet.”
Judgment, Drake thought.
Their judgment was here.
And it had brought the motherfucking fire.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
Flight or flight? Drake thought. Fight or flight?
Ordinarily, the choice was clear but today it had a number of cloudy alternatives. In the end there was no choice. Crouch was already running for the lead car.
“Outgunned. Outplayed. They have superior vehicles, backup and drones. Just run.” The man’s voice was calm over the comms.
Hayden’s decision had to be split-second. “Go.”
They crowded back into the cars, waiting twenty seconds for Smyth and Kenzie, and then gunned it down one of the tributaries that led away from the town. Even inside the cars they could hear the roar of Luther’s transport, hear it growing closer and closer. The man knew exactly where they were, possibly aided by the drones, but now Drake remembered something.
“You said Luther was old school,” he said. “He won’t have backup or eyes in the sky.”
“I know,” Crouch said seriously. “But we had to move. We could never have held that square as we were.”
“So he’s what…” Alicia asked. “Sniffing us out?”
“Doesn’t matter,” Crouch said. “He’s here now!”
Ahead, two military Hummers swung into the street, traveling two-abreast. Drake’s mouth fell open in shock as they began to pick up speed.