The Drone

by Adrian Magson

  ‘What else can we do? We can’t stay away and leave them to it. By the time they get on the ground it could be too late.’

  He nodded. ‘In that case we’d better get to Malak and neutralise him first so we can wave a white flag.’ He slipped his gun into his jacket and grinned. ‘You ready, Gonzo?’

  ‘I’m ready. And if you call me that again, Slik, there will be blood.’

  48

  Chadwick felt a shock deep in his gut. Was this what it had all been about? Had Malak just indicated in those few mocking, cynical words that this crazy scheme had as much if not more to do with money than extremism? That his entire organisation was a willingly gullible force, expendable and ready to die, with himself sitting at its head, unseen and untouched?

  ‘Why is your hatred of America so deep?’ he said. ‘I take it you’re the organised and patient man and the others are the cannon-fodder?’

  Malak grunted. ‘My parents and two sisters were killed by a missile strike when I was five years old. It was an American missile and they were in a school at the time.’ His mouth twisted. ‘So much for precision and reliable intelligence. Isn’t that what the Pentagon is always claiming? Twelve other children and five teachers also died in that incident and countless others were maimed for life.’

  James swallowed hard. The pain in the man’s voice carried the ring of conviction. ‘Where did this happen?’

  ‘Where doesn’t matter. I was taken away from the place two days later and never went back. But I never forgot.’

  James thought about the timing and Malak’s approximate age. It had to have been during the first Gulf War, in the early nineties. An accident of war, perhaps, of bad coordinates or intelligence, or simply a lack of care in designating a target. None of it mattered now, except that whatever the cause, it had created a monster.

  Up front, Bilal said something and the van began to slow.

  A man was standing by the side of the road.

  ‘Turn in the gate here,’ said Malak, and put his cell phone away. He looked at James and spoke carefully, the passion gone. ‘We’re going to change vehicles. Don’t make the mistake of thinking you can use the opportunity to run. We’re a long way from anywhere and I still have the phone numbers of the men watching your family. I will call them if I have to.’

  James shook his head and remained silent. He was still stunned by the scenario Malak had unveiled, of a generation of future terrorist attacks driven by a man willing to use others to die in his desire for vengeance. The horrifying aspect was, it was an idea that he could see replicated by others with the same twisted zeal. If Malak succeeded in his ghastly plan, the idea would spread and, even if he disappeared, others would soon take his place.

  Bilal stopped the van and turned off the engine. The silence after hours of being in the noisy echo of the vehicle was intense, and James struggled to catch the sound of Malak’s voice. The terrorist had jumped out of the rear doors to greet the man waiting for them, and began issuing rapid orders.

  Bilal came round the side and undid the cuffs, then dragged James roughly from the back and made him squat down by pressing his shoulder in an iron grip. James looked around and saw the man, a slim, dark-skinned individual in his forties, handing Malak a pile of clothing and boots. For a second he couldn’t identify the items in the gloom, but then the familiar pattern of the fabric became clear; they were combat uniforms.

  James looked past the two men and his mind raced ahead to what was about to happen, collating facts and stitching them together.

  He was looking at a light army patrol vehicle complete with ID plates and numbers. With the uniforms, it was obvious what Malak was about to do. He was planning on going right into the area near the Altus air base! He wondered at the sheer crazy effrontery of the man, before cool reason took over and he saw the simple brilliance behind the move.

  After all, who would question another military patrol among so many? With security so tight and every spare man and vehicle called into use, they’d be all but invisible.

  His suspicions were confirmed when the newcomer patted the hood of the vehicle and said with only a faint trace of an accent, ‘Fresh out of the repair shop an hour ago. It hasn’t been signed out yet, so nobody will miss it for at least forty-eight hours. Those uniforms are all genuine, but don’t go talking to other patrols. Everybody is on edge and ready to go operational. It’s best if you stay on the move – and don’t forget to salute if you see an officer.’

  ‘Good work,’ said Malak. He turned to Bilal and told him to get James on board and for both of them to change into the uniforms and boots. Then he said to the other man, ‘You’re coming, too.’

  ‘What?’ The man looked startled. ‘No, you don’t understand. Now I stole the patrol vehicle I have to leave – they’ll know it was me.’ He held out his hand. ‘Give me the keys to the van and I’ll be gone. I’m already getting too much flak because of where I came from and I can’t stand it anymore. I said I’d help with this and the stuff for the men at Fort Sill, but that’s it. I have a family to protect.’

  Malak reached behind him and produced his pistol. ‘I think it’s you who doesn’t understand. Now, you either stop your whining and get in the vehicle with the others… or I leave you here with a bullet in your cowardly skull.’

  The man swallowed, then did as he was told.

  49

  From a few miles out it was evident in the clear, early morning sunlight that the area encompassing the city and base of Altus was considerable. Though it was level, with little natural cover such as woodland or dead ground, making a search in the short time they had available was going to be tough.

  Dave Proust had brought Ruth and Vaslik in from the north-east, pointing out the Wichita Mountains on one side and Quartz Mountain on the other. ‘They’re the only hills we’ll see from here on,’ he told them. ‘The rest is chequerboard flat.’

  ‘That’s not good,’ Ruth commented, eyeing the distant air base and surrounding terrain. Flat was both good and bad, in that it helped them see further from the sky, but it gave Malak plenty of time to see them coming and take evasive action. Either way, they had a commanding view of the problem they faced if Brasher wasn’t able to narrow down the location and scope of the area known as Freedom Field very soon.

  ‘I can’t go in too close.’ Dave’s voice floated into their earphones. ‘Brasher got me special clearance but we won’t be able to overfly the base. We’ll have to turn soon and follow the perimeter at a distance and hope we see something.’

  Just then Brasher’s voice sounded in their ears.

  ‘Okay, I got it. Freedom Field is a designated area of two acres situated a mile and a half to the north-east of Altus Air Base. That’s where the president will be going, so we estimate your search area will be somewhere outside that location.’ He read out the coordinates and Dave made a note before beginning to turn on a course that would bring them round in a wide approach to begin their sweep. ‘You should be aware that the SWAT jump team is ready to go and there’s now another team on the ground awaiting instructions. We’re relying on you guys to give us a heads-up on Malak’s position, but I’ve had instructions that if you don’t respond with solid information by ten minutes before the designated jump time, both teams will go in. That being the case, I suggest you prepare to leave the area and give them a clear run.’

  ‘Got that.’ Dave turned his head towards Ruth and Vaslik with a faint look of puzzlement. ‘Care to tell us why there’s a ground team as well?’

  ‘We got word from the MPs at Fort Sill. They found the car the two gunmen had used. It contained a thousand rounds of ammunition and packaging from three sets of army combat uniform and boots that didn’t fit either of the detainees. Another thing: a local store owner had his car stolen during the night not half a mile away from where the car was found. A neighbour saw it being driven west out of town with three men inside.’

  There was a silence, eventually broken by Vaslik. ‘Three more. We
have to assume they’re armed.’

  ‘I think we can bet on it. I just wish I knew what with. If they’ve gotten rocket launchers like the men in Alva, it’ll be bad. My bet is they’re in the Altus area already. It’s only fifty miles on a straight road and they had several hours to get here.’

  Brasher disconnected and Dave waved a hand towards an area in front of them and slightly to their left. ‘On my map there’s a small lake out there somewhere. That’s where the coordinates will take us. If Malak’s in position, he’ll be where he can watch the action.’

  ‘And upwind, presumably,’ said Ruth. ‘He won’t want to get caught in his own spray. Can you check the current wind direction?’

  ‘Good point – and yes, I can.’ He busied himself on the radio and spoke to the control tower at Altus, and was given the latest report for the area. He thanked the person on the other end with a shake of his head and disconnected. ‘It’s blowing south-west towards the base but changeable. Ain’t that convenient? The tower also said I should leave the area immediately or be forced to land. He didn’t sound as if he was messing; authorisation overruled. I’d better pull out before they send an armed ship to investigate.’

  ‘Does that mean the president’s already in the area?’ Ruth asked.

  ‘If not, he’s real close.’ He checked his watch. It was 10.30am. ‘They must have brought the programme forward. We don’t have long. I’ll tune to the local police network for a heads-up.’

  He pressed a pre-set button and their headphones were filled with bursts of static and a relay of voices, contracted sentences and, to the outsider, the unintelligible and mostly unexciting terminology of law enforcement professionals.

  Dave took the helicopter on a wider curve away from the base, but keeping the general area around the lake within sight. Not that there was much to see. The terrain looked devoid of landmarks save for a few scattered shrubs and trees, and the rigid line of a road running from north to south. The road itself looked almost empty, with little signs of moving traffic and only a heavy haulage truck being loaded at a barn to one side. Ruth concluded that if Malak was hiding out here, he’d found a good point of concealment.

  ‘This whole area would have been checked by security, wouldn’t it?’

  ‘Sure would. They’d have had a Secret Service advance team here for about a week, with more flown in once word came in about Malak’s threat. They’d have checked and re-checked buildings and trees for at least a couple of miles out in case of a sniper attack, even without a direct threat. With Malak, they’d have doubled the precautions. Like those guys.’ He was pointing down at two military patrol vehicles at the side of a small farm, with several men in uniform moving around the buildings.

  Ruth looked at Vaslik, who was shaking his head. The magnitude of the task they faced was suddenly right there in front of them. They could comb this open countryside for hours without seeing Malak and Chadwick, and be none the wiser until the drones were in the air and heading for the base.

  ‘I don’t get it,’ she said. ‘Why would Malak choose to attack a small area with only a few people present? To make an impact he’d surely go for the main event – the base with the personnel, the parachute display team and the president all in one area?’

  Vaslik nodded. ‘You’re right. We could spend all day checking the countryside out beyond the base and all the time he’s right inside our search perimeter.’

  Ruth said, ‘He must be close to Freedom Field itself. The last place anybody would look.’

  ‘Except the Secret Service detail.’

  ‘But what’s to see?’ She nodded out at the flat fields below. ‘He’s somewhere under cover – he must be.’ Her stomach tightened at the thought that right now Malak could already be close to where the president would be standing very shortly. And if the reports from Fort Sill were correct, he now had three extra men to help him. ‘He’s playing safe,’ she said. ‘If he misses with the drones over the base, he and his men will be right up close where nobody expects it, to make an armed assault on Freedom Field itself.’

  Then a voice burst through on the radio, shrill with panic. ‘I’ve got reports of automatic gunfire between the base and the city of Altus! Two people down, possibly more. I say, automatic gunfire! We need assistance! This is not a drill. I repeat, not a drill!’

  50

  Vaslik said calmly, ‘It’s a diversion.’

  Ruth looked at him. ‘To do what?’

  ‘They’re drawing forces away from this side of the base. Malak wouldn’t risk pulling security in on himself – that would be suicidal and accomplish nothing. He’s counting on reducing the opposition to give him a clear run at the presidential party. It means he’s out here somewhere.’

  ‘But where?’ Dave muttered, and brought the machine lower until they were skimming the ground, all looking for anywhere three men might be in hiding. On the road below, the two military patrols they’d seen were racing away from the farm back towards Altus, leaving a dust cloud behind them. Barrelling down the center of the road they were flashing their lights to push the occasional other vehicle out of their way. Further over, the dark shape of an army helicopter rose sharply from dead ground and beat a path in the same direction, a crewman sitting in the fuselage door and scanning the ground below. ‘That’s a Black Hawk,’ Dave said automatically. ‘Most likely fully crewed and armed. They’re not taking chances.’

  The exchange of background voices on the radio continued unabated, a volley of instructions, reports and transmissions cut short as more responders joined the call for assistance and other demanded information on the location and number of the attackers.

  ‘Two… no, three,’ came the reply. ‘Three males, armed with automatic rifles and one carrying a launch tube. All described as of middle-eastern appearance, dressed in jeans and T-shirts, one wearing a black head-cloth with white writing and… Jesus, it’s the IS flag! I repeat, Islamic State!’

  An AS-350 helicopter in the bright colours of a national TV channel appeared briefly on their port side before banking away towards the city to join the chase for news, the pale oval of a face appearing in the window and studying them carefully before turning away.

  ‘Wait.’ Ruth turned to Vaslik. ‘They’re not in US combat uniforms?’

  ‘That’s what he said—.’ His eyes widened in surprise at the information. ‘Whoa. That’s not right.’

  ‘I know. If they have uniforms, why aren’t they wearing them? They’ve ditched their only chance to blend in.’

  ‘Maybe,’ Dave ventured sourly, ‘because getting themselves killed in US uniforms is against their religion.’

  ‘Maybe. But I don’t think so.’ She was looking through the side window at another military patrol vehicle stationed close to a line of trees a hundred yards off the road. A soldier was standing nearby, scanning the area towards Altus and the base through binoculars.

  Ruth followed the man’s line of sight. A glint of light reflected off the small lake Dave had mentioned earlier, where the president would shortly be standing to give his nod of approval to the remembrance project. A number of figures were already moving around the area, with several vehicles arriving and parking nearby and police and army vehicles blocking off the approach road. More vehicles were arriving as the time drew close for the presidential visit, including a number of black cars with tinted windows, which stopped to form a protective cordon between the other vehicles and an area marked out by a line of posts with a rope barrier.

  Ruth looked back at the army vehicle. The man with the binoculars had disappeared. But the vehicle still wasn’t moving.

  She took a pair of binoculars from an equipment pouch. There was no sign of the soldier and she thought she saw movement in the trees. ‘Go back! He’s there!’

  ‘What?’ Dave looked startled and glanced across at her.

  She pointed at the vehicle and passed the binoculars to Vaslik. ‘Why didn’t that patrol move when the others did? A soldier was standing there and
now he’s gone.’

  ‘Could be he’s under orders not to move.’

  ‘Unless that’s where the three uniforms from Fort Sill went. Malak’s passing himself, Bilal and Chadwick off as soldiers.’

  Vaslik checked out the vehicle and the surrounding area, then nodded. ‘You’re right. A genuine patrol would have moved in closer just in case. And this is no time for comfort breaks.’ He hesitated then said, ‘Damn.’

  ‘What?’

  ‘There’s a body on the ground behind the vehicle.’

  Dave began to turn back towards the area. Suddenly Brasher’s voice came over the air. ‘Okay, people – time to get out of there. The SWAT team will be overhead and ready to go in five minutes. All aircraft are being warned away to give them clear air and you should do the same.’

  ‘That’s a little difficult, Tom,’ Dave replied. ‘You’ll have to cover us. We have a problem here with a vehicle and what looks like a body.’ He gave directions so that a team could be sent to investigate. ‘They’d better hurry, too – I can see the presidential convoy approaching already.’

  He was right. A line of black cars was moving at speed down the road from Altus, with motorcycle out-riders front and rear.

  Ruth felt her heart thumping. In spite of the tension and urgency and the pace at which events were moving, something was wrong with this whole setup.

  ‘Tom, is your man still with Donny?’

  ‘He is. Why?’

  ‘I don’t think he’s told us the whole truth. He talked of a possible chemical agent being sprayed from the drones, but he’s planning on dropping them all on a small area like this Freedom Field? It doesn’t make sense – and it’s too random. What if the tubes don’t deploy or the wind blows the spray the wrong way?’

  ‘What’s your point, Ruth? It’s getting a little tight here.’

  ‘Malak’s a planner – we know that. He’s got organisation and he’s selling this proposed strike on Altus and the president like crude oil futures. Why would he risk it all going wrong on a change of the wind? You’ve got to ask Donny what else he’s using.’