KEFLAVÍK AIRPORT,
SUNDAY 31 JANUARY
The helicopters took
off ten minutes apart but the second made better progress and had
narrowed the gap by the time they reached Keflavík Airport. They
flew straight to the C-17 at the end of runway seven, where each
half of the German aircraft was lowered on to a special pallet
which was then rolled into the transport plane. There would be no
other cargo on this trip. It took no more than half an hour to load
the old Junkers into the hold where it was swallowed up by the
cavernous interior.
Ratoff strode
hurriedly down the runway towards the C-17. He knew Carr was
waiting for him on board but no other passengers would be crossing
the Atlantic with them. The Delta Force operators would report back
to the base over the next fifteen hours, bringing their equipment
and vehicles, and the C-17 would make a return journey to fetch
them.
By the time Ratoff
reached the C-17, the rear section of the German aircraft was in
the process of being loaded. He followed in its wake up the ramp
and into a hold half the size of a football pitch, lit by powerful
strip-lights. The Junkers’ front section was already on board,
looking tiny in the belly of the machine. Ratoff stopped to watch
the manoeuvres, breathing in the stench of metal, oil and
high-octane fuel.
‘Everything went
according to plan, I hope,’ said a voice behind him. Turning, he
came face to face with Carr. The general had aged since the last
time they met, his ashen face was withered and his uniform hung
loosely on his frame despite his imposing height. His eyes looked
dull and weary behind his glasses and his shoulders
sagged.
‘For the most part,
sir,’ Ratoff replied.
‘For the most part?’
Carr queried.
‘That girl is
unbelievable. She managed to escape from the camp after we caught
her, but it’s irrelevant now. She won’t be able to expose this,’
Ratoff said, jerking his head in the direction of the
Junkers.
‘Has she found
anything out, do you know?’
Ratoff
thought.
‘She’s gotten hold of
the name Napoleon,’ he said eventually, ‘but I don’t think she
knows its significance.’
‘But you
do?’
‘Yes, sir.’ Ratoff’s
gaze was steady.
‘You’ve read the
documents.’
‘It couldn’t be
avoided, as I believe you anticipated, sir.’
Carr ignored
this.
‘Where on earth can
she have heard the name linked to the plane?’
‘Maybe someone on the
base told her their suspicions. I didn’t have time to interrogate
her properly but I gather that she and her companion, Steve, had
visited a retired pilot who fed them some half-baked gossip. When
she mentioned Napoleon, it was a last-ditch attempt to play for
time. I don’t believe she knows what the name in the documents
signifies.’
‘She was lucky to get
away from you alive. Not many do.’
‘You knew what you
were doing when you put me in charge of the operation,
sir.’
‘And what do you
think of Operation Napoleon?’
‘I haven’t formed an
opinion as such, but I do have the information,’ Ratoff said,
holding up the briefcase, ‘and hope that we can come to an
agreement.’
‘An
agreement?’
‘Yes, an agreement,
sir.’
‘I’m afraid there’s
no question of any agreement, Ratoff. I thought you understood
that.’
Three men suddenly
materialised from the shadows and formed a ring around Ratoff. He
did not react. As he watched them, he noticed that the other
personnel had melted away and they were the only ones left in the
hold. The only aspect that took him by surprise was how quickly
Carr had acted. The general extended a hand for the briefcase and
Ratoff passed it over without resistance.
Carr opened the case,
took out some papers and examined them. They were blank, every page
of them. He looked back in the case. Nothing.
‘As I say, I hope we
can come to an agreement,’ Ratoff repeated.
‘Search him,’ Carr
ordered, and two of the men held Ratoff while the third frisked him
from head to toe. He found nothing.
‘I prepared an
insurance policy for myself,’ Ratoff said. ‘I don’t know if the
operation mentioned in the files was actually carried out – I don’t
have a clue about that, but I know about the operation and I’m
guessing that knowledge is dangerous – as you’ve just confirmed.
All that fuss: satellite images, expeditions to the glacier. The
rumours about gold, a virus, a bomb, German scientists. All
designed to mislead people over a few old papers. You must have
known that I would read them, Carr. I knew as soon as I’d looked
through them that I was in danger, so I have taken precautions to
insure myself against whatever you have planned for
me.’
‘What do you want?’
Carr asked.
‘Why, to get out
alive, of course,’ Ratoff said, laughing drily, ‘and hopefully
somewhat richer.’
‘Money? You want
money?’
‘Why don’t we make
ourselves more comfortable and discuss this?’ Ratoff asked, eyeing
the men surrounding him. ‘I’ve been looking for a way to retire and
I believe I may have found it.’
Carr made a final
attempt.
‘What are you going
to do with those papers? As you say, the operation was never
carried out. It was only an idea. A crazy idea, one among many,
formulated during the dying days of the war. It has no relevance
today. None at all. Why should anyone be interested? We can easily
deny the whole affair as an unholy blend of rumour and demented
conspiracy theory.’
‘The papers name the
island,’ Ratoff said. ‘Imagine a live broadcast from the
island.’
‘Even if we did pay
you,’ Carr said, ‘and left you in peace, what guarantee would we
have that you would leave it at that? That you’re not concealing
copies?’
‘What guarantee do I
have that you won’t hunt me down and pay me a visit one day?’
Ratoff asked. ‘And how could I have made copies? We didn’t take any
photocopiers with us to the glacier and I don’t carry a
camera.’
Carr looked even
wearier. He had predicted this scenario. After considering the
negligible range of alternatives, he nodded at the three men. He
did not have time for games, nor any intention of making a deal.
Besides, he had never been able to tolerate insubordination, let
alone this kind of subterfuge and betrayal. With the mission this
close to completion, Ratoff’s conduct seemed, if anything,
pitiable.
‘You’re right,’ Carr
said, his patience audibly exhausted. He addressed the soldiers:
‘Take him and find out what he’s done with the
documents.’
For the first time,
Ratoff looked momentarily unsure of himself. Skittering across his
unattractive face was the ghost of something that might have been
fear.
‘If I don’t make
contact by a designated time to confirm that I’m safe, the papers
will automatically be released,’ he said quickly.
‘Then get to work
fast,’ Carr told the three men and turned on his heel. He did not
hear Ratoff’s protests of surprise and alarm because the aircraft’s
tail-ramp had begun to lift, sealing the aft door.