“I think we better go. That place is full of grenades and all sorts of weaponry. It’s gonna go Ka Boom!” Cameron said. She started the speedboat. Jason untied it from its moorings.
Seconds after the motor started to churn the water and propel the speedboat away, an explosion was heard followed, by another and another. Then, the whole lot blew. An ear-shattering explosion cracked the air as if the belly of hell itself had opened up. The blast of hot air lifted Connor from his feet and threw him onto his back on the deck next to Weinstein. He blinked up into the smoke covered sky; raindrops glowed orange as they fell towards the earth.
Rocks splintered into the sea, coming at the speedboat like mortar shells. Slowly, a large part of the castle collapsed into itself. The sea facing wall and sun deck where they had all previous stood fell and was swallowed whole by the sea. Another explosion and the castle completely fell into itself. The explosion could be heard thirty miles away. The entire town shook.
By the time the smoke had cleared, the castle, some surrounding buildings, and half the rock face had disappeared into the depths of the sea.
Connor and Cameron look wide-eyed at the carnage. Cameron slowed the speedboat down to a crawl. She and Connor looked at Jason.
“Oops,” Jason said meekly. Nothing else seemed appropriate.
“Oops?” Connor shouted. “You blew up half the town.”
“I’ve only been at Infinity a couple of months. I got graded ‘C’ in explosives. I can see why now,” Jason said.
CHAPTER TWENTY THREE
Dexter and his three fictitious children were to spend one final night in Bodrum before returning back to Infinity. Jason said nothing about the fight he had with Weinstein. Cameron told Dexter that Jason had saved her, he fought two guards and Weinstein. No one argued or aforementioned that Jason had used too much force. Three adults against one thirteen-year-old were bad odds.
Dexter called Jason into his room for a debrief. Jason’s face had a cut over his eye, and it had swollen and was turning into a dark bruise.
“Jason, you guys all did a great job. However, Cameron should never have climbed down the rock face. She could have been killed. And you can’t fly off buildings using a parasol. We don’t need to take risks like that. That said, the case is now closed. We have enough to put Weinstein away for years, that is, if he recovers. The doctors had to operate on his throat. You almost killed him,” Dexter said in a way that sounded like a reprimand to Jason.
“Oh, so him punching me in the face and taking Cameron out to sea to chop up and use as a shark snack is okay as long as I don’t hurt him?” Jason said.
Dexter studied Jason and nodded. “As for the nine hundred old castle, it was a famous landmark that is gone forever. Are you able to control your temper?”
“I was high on adrenaline. He punched me. Hard. And if the castle was that old, maybe it’s time they built a new one,” Jason said.
“Jason, you’re a skilled martial artist. You know how not to hit someone or how to kill someone. What was going through your mind when you hit Weinstein?” Dexter asked.
“I had lost my temper sir. I can’t control it if I get hurt or see someone I care about. I explode. No pun intended. When I was in Northern Ireland and this guy punched Scott… I went berserk and did some serious damage to the guy, and almost hurt Scott after. I was so angry I just couldn’t stop. The adrenaline I can pull into my system is a great defense mechanism. Only a few karate grand masters in China can perform it. My teacher Wong Tong taught me because I was so small against older boys. I have developed it and can turn it on at will.” Jason paused and smiled. “I just can’t find the off switch.”
“I see, and it’s worse when you lose your temper?” Dexter asked, showing genuine concern.
Jason gave a tight-lipped smile and sucked on his top lip. “In Vietnam, there was a naval officer called Cookie. I really liked him; he made me laugh. He was injured, and then this general shot and killed him in front of me. I hit him with a deadly blow and used everything in my power and knowledge to make the strike a lethal as it could be. It worked, and I even broke some fingers doing it.”
“When I lose my temper I kinda go crazy. Weinstein punched me pretty hard. I may be an expert at martial arts, but I’m still a thirteen-year-old boy. I feel pain like anyone my age. So I lost my temper,” Jason said.
“You did well Jason. Without you, Cameron could have been killed and maybe thousands of more people would be getting killed or injured by the weapons you destroyed. George Young wrote in your file you go too far sometimes but said it was worth it,” Dexter said before Jason interrupted him.
“I liked George Young. I’m going to miss him,” Jason said sadly.
“I agree with George. You may have a few issues with a temper, but overall, you are worth it. My report to Infinity will be positive. We would not have done it without you. However, you should have thought before you tried to block the stairwell by blowing up part of the wall. Luckily, the smoke raised the alarm and everyone fled. We don’t think any innocent people died. Although, when the cavern collapsed, two guards were crushed.”
“Yeah, I would have been disappointed too.” Jason grinned. His grin was soon wiped off his face when he noticed Dexter’s face change and disapproval of his joke.
Jason looked at Dexter. “I’m sorry. I never meant to blow the whole place up.” Jason paused. “When I get back to Infinity, I’m going to find a Sayokan karate school in Istanbul.”
Dexter sighed. “We don’t normally have students leave Infinity for additional training. I will have to ask and see if it’s possible. I doubt you will get a pass Jason, and currently, I would advise you to keep your head down.”
“It’s not up for debate. I’m doing it. I have mastered three styles and Judo and want to learn many more. I’m living in Turkey. It makes perfect sense to practice Sayokan,” Jason said.
“And I take it if we refuse you what, leave Infinity? Come, Jason why do you need more? You have three black belts. You are third Dan in one. Plus, you have black belt in Judo. Can’t you be content with that?” Dexter pleaded.
“Someone who is content has lost all ambition, and someone without ambition is already dead. Wong Tong said that, and I agree with him. Today, I came across a good fighter, someone with good martial art skills. If I had stopped at one black belt, maybe he would have beaten me. Cameron and I would both be dead. If Infinity wants me to work for them, I will but, I’m still learning and improving. Martial arts means more to me than anything else,” Jason said. He looked serious and spoke in a manner that surprised Dexter.
“I have never known anyone who likes martial arts as much as you. You treat it like a religion.” Dexter paused and folded his arms across his chest and nodded. “I know you’re like a hot house plant. You can’t grow under natural conditions. You need a purpose, something challenging and strenuous. But I also know you need love and need security to survive. I will make sure you get a pass so you can study Sayokan.” Dexter smiled.
“Jason, you are like a grenade, and at some point you are going to go off. I want to minimize the casualties when that happens. So it’s safer for everyone to keep you at Infinity, and we have orders to keep you here and keep you safe of course”… Dexter trailed off.
“Orders. Orders from who?” Jason asked.
“Let’s just say, someone in a very high place who knows about Infinity insisted you study here. I can’t say, but it’s for your own good. You are much better suited to being taught at Infinity than any school in London,” Dexter said as a matter of fact.
Jason thanked him and kept his thoughts to himself, although, he suspected the orders came from Catherine’s mother, the queen.
When he had been in Northern Ireland at the church with the O’Neills, he respected their religion, and he respected Cailin’s family’s religion. It gave them all a faith to believe in something. Wong Tong told Jason of the Chinese Buddha. At his first school, Jason made friends from around the world
, some who followed a Muslim or Jewish faith. It left him confused because adults of the same faith would fight and start wars. Jason chose to follow martial arts. It gave him a sense of wellbeing. It kept him fit, alive, strong, and had saved the lives of others. It was Jason’s religion.
After a light breakfast, Jason strolled down to the beach. He needed some time to himself. A time when he could be himself without obligations and a time to reflect on his own thoughts. He sat on a rock watching a boy no more than four or five with his mother playing in sand. It brought back a memory when he was six. His grandparents had flown out to see him in Hong Kong and had taken him to the beach for the first time.
It reminded him almost too vividly of the hot velvet sand and the painful grit of wet sands between his young, tender toes. He wondered what ever happened to the precious pile of seashells he and his grandmother collected. For a few years, they had been on his windowsill. Fond memories of his grandfather showing him to look under seaweed in rock-pools and finding tiny crabs that tried to scurry away. How far he had come from the carrot cake and ice cream suppers with lemonade mixed with a splash of his grandfather’s beer.
His pleasant thoughts were rudely disturbed when he was smacked in the side of the face by a large ball of wet, sandy seaweed. Before he could remove the clingy cold wet green slime and see where it came from, he could heard Connor bursting with laughter.
Jason screamed a curse and chased him. Connor sprinted up through the town with Jason in hot pursuit. For over a mile, Connor ran up and down the streets and eventually into the center of Bodrum. Jason was a few feet behind him, almost able to catch him. Connor kept going as fast as he could.
Eventually, Connor slipped and fell. He rolled onto his back, still laughing. “You should have seen your face.” Connor roared with laughter, his face red from exhaustion and laughter.
Jason pounced on him, pinning him down on the ground. He cursed again and started to laugh himself. He climbed off Connor and lay on the ground next to him, trying to get his breath back.
“That was so funny Jason. You were really angry.” Connor panted. “I laughed so much my stomach is hurting.”
“I owe you one now. When you least expect it, I’m gonna get you back.” Jason laughed.
For a few moments, they lay in the middle of the street taking in the sun before a car honked, forcing them to climb to their feet. The town was still trying to recover from the large explosion. Local townsfolk were astonished to find out that their beloved town was being used to store and sell arms all over the world. None would ever guess that the two boys playing in the street were responsible for blowing up a part of the town.
Back at Infinity, Connor, Cameron, and Jason were treated like heroes. Jason and Connor stayed close friends. Cameron actually smiled whenever she saw either of them. Although if any of her friends were looking, she would ignore them. Jason started Sayokan karate, and in mid-July, went home for two weeks to see his friends and family.
Jason never found out exactly who had intervened and got him a place at Infinity. All he was told was it someone very high up. The only person who he could think of was also the same person who did not want him seeing her daughter. He wasn’t sure if he should be grateful to her for getting him a place at Infinity or angry for her trying to keep him out of London. He concluded he would just put the idea out of his thoughts.
Ray and Brenda picked Jason up at London’s Heathrow airport. Jason was given a hug and kiss from his father, followed by the same from Brenda. Jason wasn’t sure what he thought of being kissed and hugged by Brenda. He still thought of her as Battle Axe Brenda.
“Did you notice anything different about Brenda?” Ray asked as they walked to the car.
Jason looked her up and down. “Yeah, she’s grown four inches.” He shrugged.
“No Jason, be serious. Look again,” Ray said holding her hand with one hand and carrying Jason case with the other.
“Are you pregnant?” Jason asked.
“Oh my, no Jason.” Brenda laughed. She held out her left hand and flashed a shiny diamond ring at him. “Your father proposed to me.”
Jason looked at his father and Brenda, unsure what to say at first. “Um. Congratulations. So no baby then?” Jason asked.
“No Jason, we have you, and that’s enough for now.” Ray smiled.
CHAPTER TWENTY FOUR
The black pants and sweater with the infinity logo was gone, and Jason was somewhat more comfortable in his jeans and T-shirt. For two weeks, he was home, and it felt good to be in his own room. Jason found it strange having Brenda in the house. He could no longer walk in the kitchen in just his underwear. Jason adapted and went along with the changes, because he noticed how happy his father was.
Scott arrived the following day. He was going to stay for a few days. Jason struggled to keep Infinity a secret. He tried to change the subject every time Scott asked about his school until Scott found his school report.
“German, A plus. French, A plus. Spanish, A plus. Japanese, A minus. Who’s a nerd now?” Scott teased before continuing.
“Martial Arts, A plus. Rural Studies, B plus, and aim is improving. English, A Minus. Jase, your grades are awesome. You must like this school.” Scott asked.
“I do, it’s great. Put it down, we are on school break now,” Jason said taking his report back. “Shall we go into town and see what movie is on?”
“Rural Studies. What’s that?” Scott asked.
“Oh, that’s em, you know farming stuff, about wheat and animals. Shall we go to the movies then?” Jason said, trying to change the subject.
Scott looked at Jason. “What do they mean your aim is improving?”
Jason colored up. He thought about saying aim for higher grades but didn’t like the idea of lying to his best friend, so he said nothing.
After a minute’s silence, Scott approached Jason and looked at him directly in the eyes. “Jason, you know I can work out a puzzle and have double your IQ. Don’t lie to me.”
“I didn’t lie to you. I would never lie to you. We are best friends. That would be like lying to myself,” Jason objected.
“Then answer my question. What is Rural Studies?”
Jason sighed and sat down heavily on his bed with his head down. “I can’t say.” Although as soon as he said it, he knew it would just provoke Scott to ask more questions.
“It’s not a normal school, is it?” Scott suggested.
“You’ve gotta promise you won’t say anything. Even my dad doesn’t know or Brenda,” Jason said.
Scott sat down next to Jason. “Do you really have to ask that of me?”
Jason told Scott everything regarding Infinity. He felt better for telling someone. Scott looked stunned by the information but believed it, and it was obvious that Jason was happy at Infinity.
“So does this mean we won’t both be working together for MI6?” Scott said. “Maybe I can work for Infinity?”
“Um, they already looked at you and… Well, they said you didn’t have the full package, meaning you would be no good out on a mission,” Jason said. “Although, I tried sticking up for you.”
“Thanks, but I’m allergic to pain, sports, danger, fighting, shooting, and anything other than a nice warm office.” Scott laughed.
“I like it at Infinity. I feel at home, and being in Turkey has its advantages. It’s warm, sunny, and I get to learn a new form of martial arts,” Jason said.
The two weeks flew by. Jason managed to spend an afternoon with Princess Catherine at Buckingham Palace before going back to Istanbul and rejoining Infinity. They bumped into her mother in a hallway. After the pleasantries and hellos, she told Jason she was proud of what he was doing in Turkey. Jason realized it must have been the Queen who Quinton Roosevelt was referring too when he mentioned that Jason had been recommended to Infinity by someone at the highest level.
He wondered what his new life would bring. How many more people would he get close to before having to say goodbye f
or good?
William Weinstein spent the rest of his life in prison. Ela and Farah were put into a foster home. Was the world a better place without Weinstein dealing arms to terrorists? Jason had to hope it was.
*
Within a few weeks, an elderly man sat at a café in Amsterdam sipping Earl Grey tea. He looked unlike any tourist. He was impeccably dressed in a Savile Row suit. He sipped his tea and twiddled with his handlebar moustache. His foot tapped gently in beat with the piano accordionist who serenaded diners. A thirty-four foot yacht launch pulled up to the riverbank.
Two men jumped ashore and fastened it to the jetty before checking up and down the busy promenade. The elderly man gently placed his cup in the saucer and marched towards his car that was parked just a few feet from the yacht. He stood by the trunk and waited. A bald headed man wearing a white suit stepped off the yacht, closely followed by two bodyguards. He looked the elderly man up and down. He smiled, although his face was badly scarred caused by an explosion many years ago, so you couldn’t tell if he was smiling or about to burst out in tears.
He passed a briefcase of cash to the elderly gentleman who responded by opening his trunk. The two bodyguards picked up four large wooden crates full of AK-47 Russian assault rifles. They carried them back to the motor yacht.
“So it seems you are the new guy to go to now Weinstein has become careless?” the bald man said in a deep Russian accent. “You can check the money if you want. It’s all there. What do I call you?”
“You don’t. If you need something, go via the underground route with your order. They will get it to me,” the gentleman scoffed in his upper crust British accent.
“But what do I call you?” The bald man asked, lighting a large Cuban cigar and blowing a large smoke ring into the air.
“SS.”
The elderly man who called himself SS climbed into his black Mercedes and drove off with his case of cash.
The secret underground world of arms deals that brought misery to thousands of lives had a new player. A man with no name other than SS, no family, no home. But most dangerous of all, he was a man who thought he was untouchable to the world’s most successful secret agent. Was he tempting fate? Did he know that one day his time would come? Would he ever come face to face with Jason Steed again? And if he did, what would be the outcome?
Jason Steed Royal Decree Page 19
