Authors: Keith Hoare
“Consider it done, but cash Saeed, or you don’t get the girl.”
Saeed sat there in thought after he’d replaced the handset. He just couldn’t imagine what she was up to, unless this girl wasn’t Karen. Lifting the handset again he dialled a number and waited. Soon it was answered.
“Hello,” came a man’s voice.
“Pat, is that you?” Saeed asked.
“It is; who’s this?”
“Saeed. I’ve just had a very interesting, but strange phone call,” he began.
Pat, Saeed’s agent in the UK, listened to what Saeed had to say.
“Do you think it’s Karen? It sounds like this Asham’s trying it on, or he’s genuinely mistaken himself,” Pat commented.
“I don’t know, but if it is her, we have to take the chance. Anyway don’t, whatever you do, hand over my money for just any old girl. Very few are worth that sort of money in the brothels, if they have it wrong.”
“I understand that, should I go down myself and check out this girl?”
“You can, but I doubt you’d get very close to her. No, on second thoughts its better you keep well away, contact Asham, make an arrangement to meet him with the girl.”
“Okay, Saeed, anything you say. Is there anything else?”
Saeed was thinking, and then he made a decision. “Slight change of plan, when you meet Asham,” he began, “if the girl is or isn’t Karen, the trail stops there as far as we are concerned. Do you understand?”
“I do, does that go the same for the girl if she isn’t Karen?”
“It’s up to you, if she’s drugged just leave her, if she’s awake and can identify you, I’d not take the risk.”
“I understand; I’ll keep in touch.”
“You’ve done well, Lieutenant,” the fitness instructor said after she’d just completed ten lengths of the swimming baths. “You’re thirty per cent up on your length times, even the running earlier has shown a marked improvement.”
She felt relief as he helped her out of the pool, handing her a towel. The last few days had been hard; often she just wanted to give up. “What have we on tomorrow?” she asked.
“You have a break, well not really a break. The Sergeant has arranged a team exercise on the moor. It’s overnight, are you all right with that?”
Karen laughed. “I don’t have a problem; I often did it with my dad and other enthusiasts. Although it looks like the rain has really set in, so it’s going to be a pretty miserable exercise.”
“They’re always the best, Lieutenant; otherwise it’s a pretty boring, mundane walk. Anyway if you go via the stores they’ll fit you out with all the equipment you need. I’ve been told after lunch you’ve got weapons practise on the range, followed by an hour of close combat. The rest of the afternoon is briefings; apparently you’re to be dropped off on the moor at seven tomorrow morning. Good luck and don’t let the lads intimidate you.”
The next morning, after an early breakfast, Karen along with two other soldiers was sat in the back of a lorry on the way to the moor. As she sat there quietly, she thought back to yesterday. The morning was as usual filled with fitness training, but the afternoon had been hard for her. Apart from collecting mountains of equipment for the exercise, she’d been on the shooting range. However, it had not just been aiming at a stationary targets; it involved lots of crawling about and taking shots at rising targets. With the relentless rain, she was filthy, cold and wet, just wanting to go to her room to clean up. But this was the army, so even after the exercise and before a warming shower, it was clean all the equipment until it shone like new. Besides all this, the close combat training had moved to another level. She had been hit on two sides at once, thrown about, kicked and very nearly trampled on as she struggled to hold her own, in an effort to score points as she touched certain parts of her opponent’s body. Parts of the body that is, which would normally disable or kill them. Following that she had to attend the medical centre, again she was given a full medical check-up, including the treadmill. By dinner, she had been happy to finish and go back to her room, even declining joining the other girls for a drink in the Social Club. Although normally she loved going, never being off the small dance floor, and refusing so many requests for a date that it had become quite embarrassing being asked. It wasn’t that she didn’t want to have a boyfriend, it was in her mind pointless meeting and perhaps becoming attached to someone and then finding him living the other side of the country or stationed abroad. Then of course there was going back to the Lebanon. The last thing she wanted was someone giving her doubts, not wanting her to go. For her there was a score still to settle and she intended to settle it once and for all this time.
“Penny for them?” a soldier asked, nudging her arm and bringing her out of her thoughts.
Karen turned to him and smiled. “It’d cost you a lot more than that Terry, besides, you’d have so much dirt on me I’d be at your mercy for you not to divulge them.”
He grinned. “Sounds intriguing, I’ve got ten quid, but it’ll cost you a date as well for me to keep quiet.”
“Shame on you,” she ribbed. “Besides, you get to sleep with me tonight, what more can you ask of a girl?”
“Hey, what about me, can’t I sleep with you as well?” the other soldier butted in.
“Yeah? What about your girlfriend, Gareth, how’d she feel if she found out?” Terry cut in.
At that moment the vehicle slowed and minutes after the Sergeant pulled open the back flap. “Right you scrawny lot, all out. I want to see you back at camp in time for dinner tomorrow. Miss it and you starve. That is if you can manage to avoid the enemy, who’ll be attempting to stop you at all costs. Then it’s a return to camp with your tails between your legs.”
They climbed down and stood looking round. As far as the eye could see, it was open moor with little cover. Already it had begun to rain.
“On your way, you’ve got three hours start then all hell will break loose,” the Sergeant urged.
They all began to fit the heavy packs on their backs as the vehicle started up, turned back the way it had come, and soon disappeared leaving them alone.
“Well, Lieutenant, this is your operation, which way?” Terry asked.
Karen looked at the map the Sergeant had just handed her, it was the first time she’d seen it, so she spent time before she answered.
“The direct way is due east, I would think that’s the way they will be expecting us to go, so most of the opposition will just sit down, and wait for us to come to them. I propose we go south-west for ten miles, then swing south on a direct line, coming up ten or fifteen miles beyond the main groups wanting to stop us and to the east of the camp.”
“You’re adding on miles there. This is only an exercise?” Gareth commented.
Karen picked up her gun, then looked at them watching her. “Yes well, this may be an exercise, but I want to arrive back at camp with my head held high, rather than a bloody laughing stock, you lot can go east if you want, I’m going the other way.”
No one objected again and soon they were struggling through boggy terrain, with the rain coming down relentlessly.
Two miles due east of them, a Land Rover with three men dressed in army gear stolen from the camp, were sitting in the back smoking. Alongside the driver sat Asham, with his mobile to his ear. “Stop here,” he suddenly said to the driver. They slowed and came to a halt.
He turned round towards the men. “This is as far as we can go following them in a vehicle. They’ve gone south-west, Stewart, why would they do that?”
Stewart, who been made the designated leader of the men, looked at the map then back at Asham. “Are you sure?”
“Of course I’m sure; I placed a direction beacon in one of the soldier’s backpacks. My partner has it coupled to the internet and he’s giving me their position.”
“Then they are trying to avoid the troops, sent out to stop them getting to the camp. My guess is they will have to swing south after they are beyond the main opposition. That’s good for us as they will be out on a limb.”
“If you’re certain they will do that, then it’s time you followed,” Asham replied. “I’ll call you if they turn. I’ll expect you to catch up with them before nightfall. Remember the girl must not be injured or killed. I’m not bothered with the rest, in fact it would be better if they can’t identify you, if you know what I mean? I’ll bring transport when you confirm the snatch and you give me a pickup point.”
The men jumped out from the vehicle and set off in single file in the same direction as Karen’s group.
Meanwhile three hundred miles away in London, and two hours after Karen was left on the moor, Sir Peter entered General Ross’s office. He took a seat opposite him. “I hear our girl’s doing well?”
“She is, Sir Peter, in fact reports from all departments are confirming she is meeting their targets and will be ready to join the group as arranged.”
“Yes, well that’s why I’m here, General. The operation has been called forward. It’s proposed to collect Karen, by helicopter, on Sunday afternoon. There are political problems with all this and we want them to be over there before the shit hits the fan.”
“Yes, I had the feeling everyone was getting a bit twitchy. The papers haven’t let off demanding some action from the government. I’ll call the Colonel and make arrangements while you’re here.”
He dialled and waited. “Colonel Roberts please. This is General Ross…”
“General Ross, this is the Colonel, how can I help?”
“I must commend you, Colonel, on Lieutenant Harris’s progress. We’ve been reading the reports and it would seem the girl has really taken to army life.”
“She has, General, very much so. She has also, as you predicted, been particularly popular, both with the soldiers and her trainers.”
“That is good, however Colonel, the operation has been brought forward and she goes on Sunday.”
“You do know it’s Remembrance Day; will she be leaving before or after the parade?”
“I do Colonel, she will be leaving after the parade, the time of departure is not fixed as yet. Is she available for a talk?”
“Not until tomorrow General, she’s on an exercise with two of her group. It’s a test in enemy avoidance, and the Lieutenant is leading.”
The General fell silent for a moment.
“I hope you’re not telling me she’s left the safety of the camp, Colonel?” he asked quietly.
“Of course, they are on the moor. It’s the usual training area for all units.”
“But I specifically gave orders for her not to leave the camp.”
“No, General Ross; you said she wasn’t to leave camp socially, which she hasn’t. This is training devised by her trainers to see how she copes, both with leadership and cunning. It’s pointless training someone without giving them a real situation and it was sanctioned in our training schedule.”
The phone had been on speaker and Sir Peter lit a cigarette. He reached forward and touched the mute button.
“I don’t like it, General; we’re too close to her leaving on the mission to risk even a simple accident like a sprained ankle. I think it would be prudent to bring Karen back into the safety of the camp.”
He nodded, pressing the mute release, allowing the Colonel to enter the conversation. “We’re not comfortable with this, Colonel, I suggest the exercise is cancelled immediately and she be brought back to the camp.”
“I understand, General, but for our troops to find them, will depend on how well the Lieutenant can avoid detection. Normally with this sort of exercise, on their first command, we have them by dinner or even the worst case before dark.”
Sir Peter shook his head slowly. “This is Sir Peter Parker from Special Branch, Colonel. You are talking about a girl who was able to avoid close on five hundred troops in a hostile environment. You’re wildly optimistic if you believe that. Are you not in radio communication with them?”