Terrorist: Three Book Boxed Set

by Phillip Strang

‘That’s fine, but I doubt if even that will stop an Air France flight leaving.’

  ‘Can you get some soldiers over from the base at the airport? You can state the Presidential command.’

  ‘If I do, they will want to check, verify and double check. It will take hours. I will use another method. Our helicopters are based over there; I should be able to get a few people quickly.’

  ‘Thanks. Do what you must. Just don’t let the Prince’s plane leave.’

  Due to the efforts of both Captain Déby and Ahmed, it took only fifteen minutes before the Chadian Army arrived at the roadblock.

  ‘Release these men immediately,’ the Chadian Army officer ordered.

  ‘They are Nigerian soldiers,’ replied the lead police officer at the roadblock. ‘We cannot let them go.’

  ‘I am acting on the command of the President. Do you want to personally explain as to why you are delaying these men on a vital mission?’

  ‘I need authority from my superiors before I can let them go,’

  Harry pointed to his watch. ‘We don’t have time for this delay.’

  ‘Release them now, or I will be forced to take restraining action against you and your officers.’ The police officer relented when the soldiers levelled their rifles and pointed them at him.

  ‘Take them, but I will be making a full report.’

  ‘Make your report if you wish,’ said the Army officer, ‘but what I have told you is true. We do not have the time to wait for you to check.’ He turned to Harry. ‘We have seen the situation at the airport. We will follow and assist in any way we can. We are yours to command.’

  ‘Thank you,’ replied Harry. ‘We need to stop the aircraft leaving. There are two women on board as captives. Do not shoot at the plane, just stop it.’

  ***

  The Sheikh was receiving the anger of the Prince’s men. ‘This is your fault!’ Abdullah, the Prince’s lead agent screamed.

  ‘I did not auction the women,’ the Sheikh replied.

  ‘You are lying.’

  ‘It was the Islamists. They are the reason for the trouble.’ The Sheikh, still in severe pain attempted to defend his position.

  ‘How are we going to get out of here?’ said Abdullah.

  ‘Bribe your way out,’ the Sheikh said.

  ‘How can I bribe my way past the Army?’

  ‘Offer to leave the woman.’

  ‘And then the Prince will deal with us all, and he’ll want his money back,’ replied Abdullah.

  ‘Do you want to give your money back?’ Saleh shouted at the Sheikh. He had already spent his initial share on the purchase of an apartment in the South of France. He, like Abdullah and the Sheikh, was in an impossible situation.

  ‘Of course I do not. I have no home. It is only the money that will secure my future,’ replied the Sheikh.

  On the other side of the apron, Harry now backed up by seven Nigerian commandos and another ten Chadian soldiers, planned his next move.

  ‘We need the two women unharmed,’ he said. ‘They are our primary focus.’ The commandos, who wanted to storm the plane, concerned him. ‘We will need to negotiate. We may have to offer them safe passage if they release the women.’

  ‘Our military will not allow them to leave,’ Captain Déby said. ‘They have committed too many violations in our country. They have brought shame to us all.’

  ‘What you do after we have the women is not my concern,’ said Harry.

  ‘Then we will follow your plan until you have the women. After that, it will be up to the Chadian military.’

  ‘I agree,’ said Harry. ‘Have we managed to successfully halt their exit?’

  ‘It is halted for the moment, yes.’

  ‘What do you mean “for the moment”?’ asked Harry suspiciously.

  ‘There is still the issue of the departing international flights.’

  ‘I thought we had a presidential command?’

  ‘We do, but not all will abide by it.’

  ‘What do you mean?’

  ‘The head of the airport authority is aligned with the opposition party in Chad. For him to accede to the president is akin to working with the devil. He will not listen, and he will command free movement for any flights leaving the country.’ Captain Déby explained.

  ‘That is lunacy,’ said Harry, clearly exasperated. ‘Do you mean to say that he will condone the Prince’s actions?’

  ‘He is neither condoning nor disapproving. It is how politics works here.’

  ‘What about the local soldiers? What will they do?’

  ‘They will follow the command of the highest ranking person present.’

  ‘You mean the head of the airport authority?’

  ‘That is correct.’

  It was clear to Harry that the situation was tenuous. If the plane stayed where it was, it would soon be free and on its way to Saudi Arabia. He had to come up with a counter-plan.

  Chapter 27

  Harry knew he had to act quickly. He had to communicate with the Prince’s plane. Captain Déby immediately offered him the use of the radio on his helicopter.

  ‘TT-1OF to A40-AU4, do you read?’ said Harry sitting in the Chadian helicopter.

  ‘A40-AU4 to TT-1OF, we read you.’

  ‘I am Harry Warburton negotiating for the release of the two women on your plane.’

  ‘We do not have any women on board. We are here on a trade-related mission. You have no right to hold us.’

  ‘Let me talk to one of the Prince’s agents.’

  ‘We know of no Prince.’

  ‘Who am I communicating with?’ Harry asked.

  ‘I am the chief pilot on this civilian flight to Oman.’

  ‘Let me talk to one of the agents who took the American woman.’

  ‘We know of no American woman. We are purely a trade mission.’

  It was going nowhere. Unless Harry could talk to one of the agents, there would be no peaceable agreement. Eventually, either the Chadian military would let it go on the command of the head of the Airport Authority or the Nigerian military would storm it. Either way, it was going to be an unsatisfactory result.

  ‘What’s he saying?’ Abdullah, the Prince’s lead agent, asked of his pilot.

  ‘He wants to talk to you. I have told him that we are a trade mission. He does not believe me.’

  ‘Of course he doesn’t believe you,’ said Abdullah angrily. ‘We are not invisible here. They would have seen us bring the woman on board, and then we had the Sheikh sitting on the steps of the plane being bandaged. Let me talk to him.’

  ‘Is that wise?’

  ‘How would I know? We are not going to get out of this by procrastinating.’

  Abdullah took hold of the radio. ‘You have no right to hold us. We are an internationally registered plane. It is for you to grant us immediate departure.’

  ‘I assume that you are the agent of the Prince?’ said Harry.

  ‘I am nobody’s agent.’

  ‘I want the two women,’ said Harry firmly.

  ‘We want safe passage to exit the country.’

  ‘I can only attempt to secure you safe passage if you hand over the two women unharmed in the next five minutes.’

  ‘Attempt, what does that mean?’

  ‘I am not a citizen of Chad. It is not my decision as to whether you receive safe passage,’ Harry said.

  ‘There can be no further discussion until that assurance is given,’ replied Abdullah.

  The communication ended in an impasse.

  ‘What’s the situation?’ Saleh asked.

  ‘It’s not good,’ said Abdullah. ‘If we give over the women, they may allow us out of the country.’

  ‘May or may not? Which is it?’

  ‘The person I spoke to, he sounded English, said it is not for him to decide. It is up to the Chadian authorities.’

  ‘What did they say about the women?’ asked Saleh.

  ‘He said that we are to hand them over.’


  ‘Then we have no bargaining position. The Nigerian and Chadian soldiers would attack. What are our options?’

  ‘The best we can do is to agree to fly to a neutral airport outside of the country where they have no jurisdiction,’ replied Abdullah. ‘Give them the women and then we fly back home.’

  ‘Then we disappear and divide the five million dollars between us? It sounds a good solution.’ Saleh saw wisdom in Abdullah’s plan.

  ‘You don’t get it,’ said Abdullah angrily. ‘Use your brain for once. What will happen if we do not return with the American women? What will the Prince do?’

  ‘He will ensure we do not have an opportunity to enjoy our newfound wealth. So, why are you planning to hand over the women?’

  ‘I’m not. We only agree to hand them over. Once we are out of the country, then we can renege on the deal. You are using your dick instead of your brain. I see you lusting after the other woman.’

  ‘She is most desirable.’ A naturally intelligent man, although unfortunately Saleh’s intelligence invariably focussed on activities below his waistline.

  Abdullah continued. ‘If we go to a neutral country, let’s say the Sudan, we can bribe our way out. Even if we gave them several hundred thousand dollars, we would still be ahead. There is no way that either the Chadian or Nigerian military could follow us. The only person who could possibly follow is the Englishman.’

  ‘It sounds a perfect solution.’

  ‘It is if I can convince them to take the bait.’

  At Maiduguri, the Western and local media were frenetic; another planeload of women had since arrived. The Nigerian military was shuttling the hundreds of women from the three Boko Haram camps to the base. Helen Campbell was coherent and responsive and Aluko, conscious and talking. Phil had updated that twelve Nigerian girls had been freed from the Sheikh’s compound and were on their way to the airport. News of events at N’Djamena International Airport was slowly filtering through. The one piece of news that all those assembled at the airfield in Nigeria were anticipating was the release of Kate McDonald.

  The Western media, in their blundering, were badgering her parents as to whether she was at the airport in Chad. Were the rumours of a Nigerian and Chadian military standoff with an Omani-registered jet correct? If Kate was on the jet, what was the prognosis for a successful outcome?

  Harry from his vantage point inside the airport in Chad could see the build-up in activity on the perimeter of the airport. The standoff was starting to hit the local news, and crowds were forming to watch the action.

  ‘This is not ideal,’ he said. ‘We are too visible here. In situations like this, people get nervous, they panic, and that is when people get killed.’

  ‘What do you want us to do?’ Captain Déby asked.

  ‘Ideally, move the plane to a more isolated spot.’

  ‘If we give them any freedom to move, they may well just take off.’

  ‘It may be a risk we have to take.’

  Suddenly, the radio in the helicopter buzzed into life.

  ‘This is A40-AU4,’ said Abdullah. ‘We are willing to discuss a compromise agreement.’

  ‘We are not open to compromise,’ replied Harry. ‘Give us the women and you are free to depart.’

  ‘I have not seen clarification by the Chadian authorities.’

  ‘What is your compromise?’ asked Harry.

  ‘We will fly to a neutral location, preferably an airfield in the Sudan. We will give you the cargo that you require, and then we will depart for the Middle East.’

  ‘I cannot agree to such an agreement. What proof do I have that you will honour it?’

  ‘Then we will render the cargo valueless before you attempt to claim.’

  ‘Any damage to the women will ensure your safety is jeopardised.’

  ‘We are without any safety as long as we remain in this country,’ replied Abdullah. ‘The soldiers that you have will not let us go, and they are now starting to bring up anti-aircraft guns on the other side of the airport.’

  ‘I have not seen that,’ said Harry.

  ‘You better look. They are there, and they will use them on us if we give you the cargo here.’

  Harry had not looked. The Prince’s man had been correct. The Chadian military were bringing in some heavy weaponry; there was no way they were going to let the jet leave. The question was how to prevent them acting before the women were freed. Killing an innocent American woman due to some trigger-happy Chadian soldier would not reflect well in the international press, and what Chad did not require at this time was bad publicity.

  Harry made contact with Steve. ‘You need to get the Nigerian president to talk with his counterpart again. You also need to get your friend Abdul, the head of the Nigerian military, to speak to their Chadian head of the Armed Forces. The military are bringing up some serious weaponry. I do not want an unfortunate accident before we have figured a way to get the women back.’

  ‘I’ll organise it. Abdul is here with me now,’ Steve replied. ‘He will deal with the situation. Phil has phoned; he is waiting at the international terminal with the women. He will not move until you give the all clear. You are on the TV here, by the way. We’re all watching.’

  ‘That’s the last thing we want,’ said Harry.

  ‘What are you planning to do?’

  ‘It’s not clear at the present moment. They’ve offered to fly to a neutral country, offload the cargo, and then they leave for the Middle East and we return to Nigeria with the two women.’

  You don’t trust them?’

  ‘Trust them, not for a minute but I may need to offer a tentative agreement to calm the situation. This is Yanny’s expertise. I could sure use her now.’

  ‘It would take about ninety minutes by helicopter for her to get there,’ said Steve. ‘Do you want me to send her?’

  ‘I’m not sure we have that much time. Do you have a jet?’

  ‘Yes, it could make the trip in twenty to thirty minutes.’

  ‘Put her on a plane within five minutes,’ replied Harry. ‘She can speak Arabic to them. It can only help. Instruct the aircraft to taxi to the end of the runway on arrival, and make sure it has no military markings.’

  ‘Bob McDonald is listening over my shoulder. He’s nodding that we are to use his jet.’

  ‘He is not to come,’ ordered Harry. ‘It is to be only Yanny. Anyone else who attempts to board the plane, arrest them. We do not want well-meaning, emotional assistance.’

  ‘It will be only the pilots and Yanny,’ confirmed Steve.

  ‘Don’t fail me on this,’ said Harry. ‘These are unpredictable people, pushed up against a corner. They know how desperate the situation is. They must realise that their chances of exiting the country are slim. If they go down, they will take whoever they can with them.’

  ‘What is the situation at the airport? Are there any flights coming in or leaving?’

  ‘It appears the airport has virtually closed down. I haven’t seen a flight for the last twenty minutes.’

  ‘You better let them know a private jet is coming in with your lead negotiator who speaks fluent Arabic.’

  ‘I’ll let them know, although they will be suspicious. I just want to see Yanny get off the plane at the end of the runway, and for it to turn around and leave. It is important. I do not want them thinking there may be some more Nigerian commandos inside.’

  ‘Don’t worry,’ replied Steve. ‘I’ll personally stand guard until it leaves. Yanny is already on board, and the pilots are starting the engines as we speak. She will be there in less than thirty minutes.’

  Harry realised the limitations of his negotiating skills. He would rather focus on how to board the plane and release the women while Yanny kept them occupied over the radio.

  He picked up the helicopter radio again.

  ‘TT-1OF to A40-AU4, we are considering your request.’

  ‘We will give you ten minutes,’ replied Abdullah. ‘Otherwise, we will start off-loadi
ng some of the cargo. Do you understand?’

  ‘We understand, but we need longer than ten minutes. We are discussing with an airfield in a neutral country to accommodate your request.’

  ‘You are stalling. We have no need of an airport. We fly to the capital of Sudan and, if required, pay whatever money they want. We give you the cargo and leave.’ Abdullah knew that, with enough money spread around, they could leave and keep the white women.

  Steve had some trouble with Bob McDonald, but in the end, he managed to reason with him as to what was best. Yanny was on the plane, the only passenger. It was no more than two hundred kilometres, and twenty minutes would see her on the ground in N’Djamena. A car was already heading down the runway to pick her up on arrival.

  ‘What is the delay?’ Abdullah demanded of Harry.

  ‘We are bringing someone in who can discuss with you in Arabic.’

  ‘My English is sufficient. You only need to agree and then our problems are resolved.’

  ‘It is not so easy for us to arrange. I am in communication with my superiors for agreement. They are also facilitating a place for the transfer in the Sudan.’ Harry realised that he did not have the skills or the diplomacy required.

  ‘You are delaying us. The Prince’s lead agent sounded agitated. ‘You are preparing to storm the aircraft.’

  ‘That is not true,’ Harry kept his voice calm. ‘We would not do anything that would place additional risk on your cargo, as you prefer to call the two women.’

  ‘My patience is not infinite. We will move in ten minutes or we will throw the valueless cargo out of the plane.’ Abdullah raised his voice in anger.

  ‘I understand, and you must equally recognise that, with your cargo valueless, there will be no chance of a peaceful resolve.’

  ‘Then that is what fate has decreed. Do not bandy words with me.’ Abdullah replied angrily.

  As Abdullah responded to Harry’s mediocre attempts at a resolution, Bob McDonald’s plane landed. The airport was now in full lock-down mode.

  ‘You have brought in extra troops from Nigeria?’ Abdullah shouted. ‘Your cargo is forfeited.’

  ‘Wait, you can see the plane from where you are. Only one person will exit and then the plane will leave.’