Their mission to capture the international terrorist Count Otto Brest Von Werner. To capture or kill his army of private mercenaries and to evacuate the journalist Peter Dennis and archaeologists Jim Hutchinson and Natalie Feltham before a diplomatic incident between Britain and Israel developed.
Tosh finished loading all the data he’d received into the Panasonic tough book on his knees. Then, finished, he thanked the person on the other end with whom he was in direct contact with. He turned the tough book screen towards Hutchinson and Dennis who were sitting behind him.
“Now Jim if you could help me to learn the layout of this place. Intel is a little sketchy on such an unimportant site.”
“What do you want to know?”
“Whatever you remember.”
“I haven’t been up there since the 70’s. I think it became something of a tourist attraction.”
“Not any more. Since Hamas took control tourism has been almost at zero. The only people up here are religious pilgrims. According to my people nobody has been up here in years, decades even.”
“If there is anyone up there these maniacs would have killed them already.”
“That’s a possibility. Just be prepared that when we get in there, there may be casualties already and it may not be pretty.”
“Don’t worry,” Dennis answered for them, “We’re getting used to Von Werner’s methods. We’ve seen what he’s capable of.”
“If I can remember the site exactly,” Hutchinson put in “And it’s been almost forty years, but the whole site sits in a large depression in the mountains but also on its own large plateau. A bit like Macchu Pichhu in Peru.”
On the tough book screen was a slowly, spinning, cut away computer image of the site.
“These are the remains of a crusader castle built on top of one of Herod’s lesser palaces, a palace that is relatively unknown.”
“Relatively unknown?” Angus said, “It’s supposed to be the final resting place of Jesus christ.”
“That’s never been proved,” Hutchinson said, “Never been discovered. There are over forty tombs in ancient Jerusalem along with the inscriptions for Jesus on them. The thing is Jesus Christ and his family were poor. They would not and could not have afforded to bury him in Jerusalem.”
“So are you telling us that you believe the tomb up here is the real one?” Dennis said.
“Like I said the tomb up here has the inscription for Jesus on it but it’s never been proved. The templars who occupied this region opened it centuries ago and removed the contents or destroyed them. I have to tell you though that Jesus was then, as it still is, a very popular name.”
“Sorry to break up the history lesson. As interesting as it surely is,” Tosh said, “But I need to know what the layout is.”
“Of the crusader castle there are only walls left. Centuries of earthquakes reduced it all to rubble. Most of Herod’s palace is below the current land level. What the locals haven’t stolen or should I say ‘recycled’ is now buried.”
“So where is this tomb located?” Tosh asked.
“In the subterranean levels. The entrances to the subterranean levels are here, here, here, here and here. The tomb is here,” Hutchinson pointed to the location on the map. “These four entrances here are flooded by an underground river at this time of year. That is they used to be. The course of the river may have changed over the decades, if it still runs that is. The entrances are three levels down. The last remaining entrance leads into a very narrow pass that men have to squeeze through. This point here ends in a deep shaft thought to be a well that the Templars either discovered or dug themselves. It is fed either by the river or an underground spring. They were just starting to investigate it when I finished working there all those years ago. I would imagine that nothing of importance in this site has ever been discovered.”
“Why do you think that?”
“Because as an archaeologist I am sure I would have heard of it if it had.”
The red dot on the tough book was very close now.
“It’s just ahead. We’ll ditch the vehicles in the next half a mile,” Tosh said, “From there we’ll be on foot.”
They parked the vehicles off the main road and out of sight and climbed an old track that led up into the Hebron mountains. Tosh kept the pace steady enough for Hutchinson, who was twice the age of most of them, to be able to keep up.
“It’s probably been decades since anyone climbed this,” Natalie said looking at the scrub growing on the path.
“Maybe centuries,” Dennis said, “Von Werner’s people didn’t come this way.”
Tosh, at their head, suddenly stopped. The red dot on the tough book was just ahead.
“Just over this next rise.”
Tosh motioned for everyone to get down, then he his men and Dennis crawled forward to the top of the ridge. They could all see the Hercules was parked on a long flat piece of desert near the ruins. Tosh put the tough book aside and raised his binoculars to his head. He saw two of Von Werner’s men looking at something that they were holding close then he saw one of them drop whatever it was and stamp on it. The other one crushed it with his heel. Tosh looked at the tough book screen just as ‘signal lost’ flashed up.
“They’ve discovered the tracker.”
Tosh continued to watch as one of them tapped the comms head set by his ear. He tried again then shook his head and waved his arms at his companion.
“They’ve got comms but it looks like he’s not getting an answer. Now’s our chance. Deano, Smithy, you’re up. Get down there. Get yourselves into position. Angus will take out the two guards once you’re ready. Secure the pilots, we need them alive. ”
Deano and Smithy moved down the hillside keeping in cover as much as they could. They used the unloaded Hercules cargo as cover and moved into position. The two guards hadn’t seen them.
Up on the hillside Angus had set up an L96 sniper rifle, favourite of the SAS. He screwed on the supressor and adjusted the sights.
“Hold,” Tosh said into his headset at the two men on the ground, “Angus take the shots.”
Angus took the first of the guards out with a head shot. The other man gaped in astonishment at the suddeness of the killing then his brains too, splattered the earth.
“Both targets down,” Tosh said, “No more targets. Secure the Herc.”
Tosh watched as his men subdued the two pilots and zip tied their wrists and forced them to sit.
“Plane secured,” Smithy said into his headset.
“Hold your ground,” Tosh said, to the others he said, “Let’s move.”
They entered the ruins and moved slowly, using the walls as cover. Tosh and Angus leading, Natalie, Hutchinson and Dennis in the middle, Tommo and Richie bringing up the rear. They encountered a sentry and Tosh gave the signal for them to stop. He put his C8 assault rifle on his back and drew out his large hunting knife and advanced on the man slowly and silently. He grabbed the man from behind, clamping his hand over the mouth and plunged the knife into the man’s neck, and pulled it free. He heard the hiss of air and knew the windpipe had been severed along with the main artery. The man would be dead in seconds. Tosh let the body to the ground gently, then crouching over it while looking around for other signs of activity he slit the throat. The man twitched in his death throes and then fell still. Natalie averted her eyes as she passed the brutal killing. She knew if she looked she would probably be sick. She stepped around the growing pool of blood and pushed on following those in front.