Echo Six: Black Ops 5 - Strikeforce Syria (35 page)

Still, the other agent hesitated. While they argued, Talley had a thought. It was too much of a coincidence.

"Masterson, how did you know we'd be on this flight?"

The man sneered at him. "I know you bigshot Special Forces think you’re outside the law, but you're not. One of our people saw you boarding a C-130 heading for Turkey after that Israeli Embassy operation in Cairo. We put the details out on the wires, an International APB, and we've been watching for you ever since."

Talley felt a sudden surge of fury and the beginning of understanding, "What exactly did you put out on those wires?"

The agent looked puzzled, and perhaps then he sensed the beginning of disaster. But he hadn't finished his blustering.

"What the fuck does it matter what we put on the wires? A Special Forces outfit overflying the Turkey-Syria border, that's enough. We lost you then. Somehow you managed to make the aircraft disappear, but…"

Talley hit him. It was a beautiful, precision punch, delivered exactly on the point of the jaw. He felt the crunch as the bones broke, and all of a sudden the triumphant FBI Special Agent was no longer in front of him. Instead, he was flat on the terminal floor. He rubbed his chin and stared up at Talley.

"You stupid fuck! I'll add that to the charges; assault on an FBI agent. It’ll add ten years to your sentence." He turned to the other man. "Breakspeare, this is your fault. You can see this man is dangerous. Put the cuffs on him!"

But still the other agent sensed something was wrong. Brooks had just entered the terminal. He’d caught some of the exchange and decided it was time he took over. He gave Breakspeare the benefit of his Admiral’s stare.

"Agent, don't even think about it. My name is Vice Admiral Brooks, and I work for NATO. From what Masterson said, it’s clear he’s directly responsible for the loss of a military aircraft, and the deaths of a number of the men under my command. I'm calling in a NATO security team to put him in custody. If you want to join him, go ahead and object."

The man shook his head. "I don't know what's going on here, but it's obvious I haven't been told everything. I'll report back to Washington, and find out what they have to say. You’re serious? Special Agent Masterson is under arrest? What’s the charge?"

"I'm serious. The charge is treason, for starters. Conspiracy to murder is on the cards. I'd add crass stupidity if that was an indictable offence. Clear?"

"Yes, Sir. Thank you, Sir."

He spun on his heel and almost ran out of the terminal. Talley nodded his thanks to Brooks. "Now we know why the Syrians shot down our aircraft. Masterson told them we were coming."

"Yeah, we do. And I meant what I said about the fool. He won't see the light of day for many years."

"You can't…" the agent shouted angrily from where he still lay on the floor.

Guy bent down, swung an iron fist, and for a second time Masterson suffered a hard blow to his face. "That's for the men you got killed."

"But…"

Rovere stepped up, but typically, he used words, the words of William Shakespeare. "Life’s but a walking shadow, a poor player that struts and frets his hour upon the stage and then is heard no more. It is a tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing."

Masterson looked puzzled. "What does that mean?"

"I wouldn't worry about it," Talley told him. "You’ve got plenty of time ahead of you, with nothing much to do but try and work out what it meant."

"If you find out," Guy chuckled, "be sure to let us know."

They waited until four MPs from NATO Headquarters arrived and took the chastened Masterson into custody. As they watched, a man walked up to Talley. He was civilian, and with an angry expression on his face.

“Mister, I should report you to airport security. You assaulted that man. I saw it all happen. He didn’t hurt anyone.”

Two young boys were standing a few meters back, watching with their mother. Talley pointed to them. “Are those your kids?”

He looked around, perplexed. “Well, sure, yeah, but what’s that got to do with it?”

“It’s got everything to do with it. I did it for them, and all the others like them.”

“I don’t get it.”

“No, I guess you don’t.”

He turned on his heel, and they walked out of the terminal.

"We have a bus laid on to take us back to HQ," Brooks informed them.

Talley shook his head. "Admiral, we're entitled leave, yes?"

"Well, yeah. What of it?"

"I've changed my mind. I'm going back inside. I have a plane to catch."

"But we just landed. Where are you headed?"

Rovere provided the answer. "Who ever loved, that loved not at first sight?"

"What…" And then it clicked. Brooks smiled and nodded.

"I guess on this occasion, you're entitled.” He saluted. “We owe you, Commander Talley. Good luck."

He returned the salute. "Thank you, Sir. If you could put in a word for me with General Weiss, tell him I’m coming…"

"Roger that."

He strolled across to the departures hall, looking for a desk where he could buy a ticket for Ben Gurion airport. He was going back to Israel. For her.