'Which is?'
'His ego of course,' Jolene drolly exclaimed, shaking her head, 'he's a writer isn't he?'
As they reached their car, she blipped her keys and swung open the driver's door, quickly hopping inside and belting herself in as Dale scooted around to the passenger side to sombrely climb into the car.
'We should talk to an expert, not just a writer,' Dale said as he settled himself in, tugging on the webbing of the seatbelt a couple of times as the inertia reel caught short.
'I mean, somebody with a Ph.D or something.'
'To discuss what?'
'Well, I don't know; all the stuff that Jackson was on about, the Aether and what the scientists in the Society for Truth were up to. Paula Krom wasn't too keen to talk about it but I had the feeling that she knew more than she was letting on -'
'Alright, so where do you suppose we can find a respectable professor who is willing to discuss the Nazi secret UFO programme and who is also willing to keep their mouth shut?'
Dale though for a moment.
'Jackson!'
'Jackson?' Jolene intoned derisively. 'He deals in secret societies and political history. His knowledge of advanced physics is based on the theories of a bunch of conspiracy geeks and the ramblings of some eighteenth century alchemists who thought that they could convert lead into gold! It isn't exactly Nobel prize winning research.'
He shook his head at Jolene's obtuse reaction to his suggestion.
'Not Jackson as such, I mean that Jackson will know somebody. He can contact his boss and request a resource, that way we keep it contained within the OSC.'
Jolene pursed her lips and looked straight ahead.
'Well I'll do it then,' Dale grumbled, 'we need an official appraisal not just some writer's fantasy. I'll ask Jackson to speak with his boss.'
Jolene realised that Dale would not let it drop.
'Alright, fine. We'll get Jackson to make a call, just make sure that he knows that it all has to be contained, I don't want gossip about Nazi spaceships and aliens floating around the canteen at Langley.'
'Yes Ma'am!' Dale answered sharply, but as Jolene opened her mouth to respond her phone began to trill from inside her jacket pocket.
'Are you going to answer that?' Dale asked with an expression of innocence on his face.
Jolene thrust her hand into her jacket pocket and withdrew her cell phone, placing it to her ear as a frown appeared to crease her forehead.
'Lovell!'
Dale watched her as she listened to the caller, the muted voice emanating from the earpiece quite audible but also unintelligible. She caught his eyes a couple of times, simply uttering a few perfunctory grunts and making a couple of short affirmations. He could not tell whether she was receiving good or bad news and it irked him that she was still keeping him in the dark, preferring to converse in stifled monosyllables than to engage in a two-way conversation that could give away the subject matter as he listened to her.
Jolene took a breath and she appeared to be winding up the call, preparing to speak in full sentences.
'Very good Sergeant, make sure that Deputy Director Kappel is updated immediately, I am sure that he will let us know once he has spoken with the British - Yes - We're driving back to Wiesbaden now; we should easily be there within the hour - Yes - In the mean time, look into an Igor Farley, male, possibly an American citizen, it could be
India Golf Oscar Romeo
or
Yankee Golf
, I'm not sure, he's a writer and may have authored a book on Nazi flying saucers - Yes, I know - Also, I need a full face spoof, maybe a reporter for a reputable daily paper, something like that, definitely in the media, also, check in on Jackson and see what the situation is with Oliver - Yes - Thank-you Sergeant.'
Jolene rang off and put the phone back into her pocket.
'Good news?' pondered Dale.
Jolene smiled.
'Langley has identified our abductors from previous immigration records, a Rey Faber and Kate Akosua, both British nationals. They will be sending a more detailed report for us to Wiesbaden. My guess is that Kappel will contact the British security services to get further information, but this means we are a real step closer to this group.'
'If they're involved,' Dale shrugged, 'I mean, we don't know that everything is connected, do we?'
Jolene exhaled an incredulous gasp.
'You're kidding, right? They abducted Gertrude Verker and the Akosua woman gave you a damn good beating! Was that was all a coincidence? They are the Sun of the Sleepless; they're connected to it at the very least. We find them, we find our terrorists.'
Dale jutted out his bottom lip and nodded.
'You forgot to ask Stanley to get in contact with Jackson's boss.'
Jolene started the car and selected drive.
'I didn't forget anything Dale. You can do it once we get to Wiesbaden.'
She turned to him and looked pointedly.
'I have a meeting with the CO of our support battalion, you can wait at the house for Jackson and Oliver to turn up as I'm sure that they'll both want some tea and sympathy and since you were assaulted earlier I am sure you can empathise with them. You can discuss candidates for your scientist then.'
As Jolene and Dale pulled away from the kerb, a man wandered somewhat inconspicuously along the pavement at the front of the house where Paula had just received her guests.
He glanced around and then hurriedly walked up the garden path towards the front door but at the last moment he dodged away to the large window of the room where Jolene and Dale had conducted their interview. Reaching out, he plucked a small rubber-suckered dart from the glass, hastily returned to the front door and posted a leaflet advertising shopping bargains at a local store through the letterbox.
Calmly turning about and walking back towards a car that had been parked further along the quiet residential road, he surveyed his surroundings for a twitch of curtains or an interested dog walker before opening the front passenger door and sliding into the seat.
'Are we all set then?' he asked.
The woman who was sitting in the rear of the car took out her earphones and laid them on top of an aluminium suitcase next to her.
'All set, back to Wiesbaden I guess,' she said as she fumbled with the hand-held laser audio microphone unit she had been using to listen in to the conversation between Jolene and Dale in their own vehicle.
'Here,' the man grunted as he passed back the small dart radio microphone that he had retrieved from the front window of the house, put that in the case.'
There was a slight pause before the man turned to the driver and pulled out a mobile phone.
'Alright, let's get back to the base, I'll contact the Senator and let him know that Rey and Akosua have been identified, he wanted to be informed immediately.'
The driver nodded, started the engine and began to drive away.
Get the kettle on -
Rey glanced down at the dashboard clock and inwardly cursed himself; the time was already coming up to ten o'clock on Sunday morning and he and Akosua were at least five hours behind schedule - he could console himself with the fact that they were nearing their final destination. The ex-Army Land Rover Defender 110 they were travelling in was coping with the compacted snow and ice on the roads of Scotland without any trouble, but they had spent far too long at Dumfries, Rey himself electing to take a small break after the long and tiring journey from The Netherlands to Colchester to the supply depot on the Heathhall industrial estate. He had managed to grab around three hours of sleep at the warehouse; however, a good portion of the time had been spent in loading up some extra equipment and munitions that, considering events, Rey felt was now appropriate.
The whole trip up to Scotland had been rather laborious even though there had been few other vehicles on the roads to cause any traffic delays. Although Akosua had offered to take over the driving when they reached the halfway point of the spine of England, she had soon fallen into a deep sleep and Rey had decided to let her nap, knowing that she would be spending more time in physically active duties once they arrived at the farmhouse. The real problem had been the weather, which ominously closed in after their successful parachute landing into a field in Essex. Provided with an old Renault Mégane by their contact party they had almost immediately set off from their drop zone, heading for the Scottish border some three hundred and fifty miles away by road and intent on beating the oncoming snowstorms.
After bailing out from the Cessna and floating down to the drop zone marked out by flares indicating the wind direction and landing spot, their canopies and packs had been dealt with by the cheery faced man who scrambled out of a hedgerow to greet them once they had alighted upon terra firma. A plump and jovial fellow in his late fifties, he was accompanied by an equally cheery and rotund female companion who may well have been his wife and not just his gender-opposite double.
Rey did not actually recognise either of them; they may have been a trusted Novice Brother and Sister from Seraphim or Cherubim for all he knew, hastily called in to do an 'odd job'. Either way, they knew the recognition password and they seemed to be enthralled with the request to help out. The fact that they were involved in an obviously covert mission to bring a couple of senior ranked members into the country would probably turn out to be the highlight of their month if not the entire year.
Combined with his well-fed but stocky build, the man had the efficient and capable manner of a retired builder who could turn his hand to anything. The woman beamed broadly and scurried about like a cooing grandmother fussing over her visiting grandchildren, detailing the contents of the back-pack that she had filled with sandwiches, fruit and flasks of both coffee and tea. She may just have well been preparing for a Women's Institute midnight ramble and she jovially chatted about the up to date weather forecast for the country as her husband reeled in the parachutes and stuffed them into their own vehicle.
It was easy to imagine the couple excitedly driving home again after the impromptu and fleeting meeting with their two mysterious compatriots, home to animatedly regale each other with the events of their night over a hot cup of cocoa before retiring to bed and dreaming of daring escapades that they had only been on the periphery of. In fairness, the pair had played a significant - albeit small - role in an important mission for their Order, perhaps the only time they had ever been called upon to perform such a duty, but they would remember it for the rest of their lives as a secret that they would only share between themselves.
As the Land Rover rounded a gentle curve in the road, Rey slowly applied the brakes and then stopped in the entrance to a rough track spurring away from the road. He fully expected his crew at the farmhouse situated at the end of the track and deeper inside the forest that covered the whole area to already be aware of his presence and he knew that he needed to give an identification signal so as not to attract any undue defensive action.
Rey slowly climbed out and started to walk up the track with his left hand touching the back of his head, Akosua sliding over to the driver's seat and waiting with the vehicle until she had been given the signal to drive on.
Within a few steps, a camouflage-clad figure emerged from the tree line and beneath the dark face paint there appeared a large white smile.
'Boss! Good to see you!'
Recognising Private Daniel Cohen, Rey grinned back.
'Is that Danny? Sorry we're late; we had a spot of bother in our travel arrangements, nothing to worry about though.'
He turned and waved to Akosua to bring the Land Rover up.
'Glad to see that you recognised the friendly signal!'
'Right hand behind your back, situation compromised, Left arm raised, all clear,' Cohen nodded.
'They're also playing it by the book up at the farmhouse, sir, so don't forget to pause and signal with you lights or Ramsey might get trigger happy, he seems nervous enough as it is.'
Rey laugh and climbed into the passenger side of the 4x4 as Akosua drew level and stopped.
'I'll remember that, thank-you Private.'
Cohen snapped to attention and saluted, Rey returning the gesture with a smirk before nodding to Akosua for them to drive on along the bumpy and rutted track.
After half a mile or so, a wide snow-covered clearing came into view and they could see the main farmhouse, some brick out-houses and a large old wooden barn. Akosua stopped and flashed the headlights in a prearranged identification sequence and waited for the 'all clear' to be given.
A short stocky man opened the front door of the farmhouse and marched purposefully out, putting one hand up in greeting which gave Akosua the signal to drive forward and park next to him.
Rey climbed out and the man immediately stood to attention, performing a textbook British Army salute.
Rey saluted and then held out his arm for a handshake.
'Sergeant Loftus, good to see you!'
He took a look around the clearing and nodded.
'It looks as though you've taken care of everything.'
Akosua opened the driver's door and slid out.
'Sergeant!'
'Lieutenant Akosua,' Loftus grinned widely.
'Right then Sergeant,' said Rey, 'have the Land Rover unloaded, we've brought some extra equipment up with us, then come and join us as I want to go through the current SITREP over a brew, I am dying for a cuppa!'
The sergeant saluted again and grinned as Rey and Akosua disappeared into the farmhouse.
Crammed into a small room that had been converted into a makeshift office, Rey stood at a table pushed against the wall and dithered for a moment; the surface was cluttered with various tea and coffee making facilities and after rapidly stirring the murky brown liquid in his mug he tapped the spoon against the rim to release the drips and searched for a place to put the spoon. Dropping it into a bowl, it tinkled to a rest as he turned and slid behind his desk, lumping down into an old wooden chair that creaked and squeaked as he settled himself in.
He looked at Akosua and Sergeant Loftus seated before him and took a sip from his tea.
'I needed this!'
Akosua supped at a white coffee although Loftus had passed on the offer of a drink. He thought for a moment, running his fingers over his thick moustache.
'So where would you like me to start, Boss?'
'Vehicles and defence, please Sergeant.'
Loftus leaned forward to speak.
'The vehicles are all stowed and prepared for immediate operation. The Jackal and both Land Rovers are now in the outbuilding at the back of the farmhouse - direct access from the house but nicely out of sight. The truck and cargo are in the barn and we have the Faraday tent up. Everything is ready to roll at a moment's notice so no worries there.'
Rey breathed in heavily through his nose and nodded.
'Excellent, what about the defences and men?'
'We have the sentry patrol rostered, paired up, two on and eight off, plus we have guards at the gate, the compound and the barn itself. We also have the laser wire set-up right around the perimeter and again, another set specifically for the barn; nobody is waltzing in here without a warning bell going off.'
'Good, good.'
Rey thought for a moment.
'Did you see what we brought with us?'
'Yes Boss, I did wonder though.'
Rey grinned and took a slurp from his tea.
'As you might Sergeant, you see, there is a chance that we have been compromised.'
Loftus stiffened.
'How so?'
'It is a very slim chance admittedly, our little jaunt over in Europe didn't quite go as we expected and Akosua and I are now considered to be international fugitives.'
The Sergeant looked between Rey and Akosua and blinked.
'The US Intelligence Services are looking for us, it's all rather complicated, but the bottom line is that it should not affect our operations here. They have no idea that we're back in the country and so UK security is unlikely to be on our tails, however, I want a belts and braces approach. I want the team to know that they aren't just patrolling the grounds for the sake of their health.'
Loftus nodded sagely.
'What about the gear you brought?'
Rey sat silently for a moment and considered his reply.
'Deploy it, I want the Claymores and incendiaries inside the perimeter after we've gone through a good terrain analysis but, we'll need the trip flares laid out through the trees immediately.'
'What about the RPG you brought up? I didn't even know we had one in the store!'
Loftus snorted and grinned as he recalled his surprise at seeing a Soviet designed rocket propelled grenade launcher and eight warheads suitable for both anti-armour and anti-personnel purposes in the back of Rey's Land Rover.
'Assign it to your best shot, although our maximum range here is only around one hundred metres so there isn't much chance of missing. We're more likely to need it for a breakout than anything else so they'll need to be up and ready to go if anything happens; I have no intention of bunkering down if it all goes tits up.'
'Alright Boss, Wilson is the best shot and I'm sure she can handle the RPG, shouldn't be a problem, she's a tough lass.'
'Good, see to it that she is rostered to keep her well within the compound.'
Akosua placed her mug onto the desk.
'Don't forget about the radar.'
'Oh yeah,' smiled Rey, 'you must have seen the trailer we were towing, we brought an extra pair of eyes with us, a small tactical radar system that can detect both ground and low flying airborne targets. It doesn't have a huge range but it will warn us of an approaching helo which is probably what Special Forces will favour if they decide to turn up. We can stick the dish at the top of the old feeder silo which should give us a clear return over the hills around here. We don't want any surprise, do we?'
'Damn right Boss,' Loftus nodded, turning the corners of his mouth down. 'I'm not having some trooper ruin my beauty sleep with a boot in me head!'
Rey caught a laugh and smiled wryly.
'If the SAS get called in, it'll be your balls that you'll need to worry about!'
The remark made Loftus guffaw as Akosua reached forward and picked her mug up again.
'Well, I guess that I'll be alright then,' she remarked drily.
Rey smirked at Loftus before he clapped his hands together in finality.
'Alright! So, have I forgotten anything else?'
Akosua jutted her bottom lip and shrugged to signify a 'no'.
'Alright,' he nodded in return.
'Lieutenant, I suggest that you walk the compound to familiarise yourself with the layout a bit more, check in with the team and get the flares deployed.'
Akosua stood and started to exit.
'I'll need the Sergeant to go through the terrain for the Claymores,' Rey continued, 'but be back by lunch time.'
He turned to Loftus.
'Who is cooking?'
'Banks.'
Rey smirked at Akosua.
'Regardless of that small detail, see you at lunchtime!'