by Andrew Lane
At the other end of the roof he looked around to get his bearings. If he slid down to the guttering on the right-hand side, then he could shin down a drainpipe to where he could then launch himself across empty space to another, flatter roof. From there he knew a route that would get him to Calum Challenger’s apartment.
He glanced backwards. The two Eastern Europeans were gone. The problem was that he knew he would see them again, unless he got away from London in a hurry.
Tbilisi was looking more and more like a good thing to him.
Sitting cross-legged on the ground, Rhino glanced around at Tara, Natalie and Gecko. They were sprawled out in a rough circle on the grass, obviously exhausted, tucking into sandwiches and drinks from a cool box that he had brought with him. Behind them lay the wooden aerial pathways, ropes, climbing frames and zip-wires of the adventure playground that extended for several acres through the forest, and off to one side, near the cars, were Gillian Livingstone and Calum Challenger.
It was two days since he and Tara had arrived back from America. Rhino let them all rest and relax while they were eating. They’d already been through an intensive morning of running, climbing and various other kinds of exercise. They had benefited, toning their muscles and learning how to work together, and he had got the chance to see them in action and get some idea of how they were going to function as a team.
Gecko, the Brazilian lad, had been fastest and most confident, just as Rhino had expected. The rope ladders, rope bridges and thick branches that formed the woodland assault course were like home to him. If he could survive up on London’s rooftops, jumping from roof to roof, then this was just a walk in the park for him.
Natalie Livingstone – Professor Gillian Livingstone’s daughter – was adequate. She obviously had quite a degree of athletic ability, and Rhino remembered her mother saying once that Natalie was on the track-and-field team at her school, but she was held back by the simple fact that she so obviously hated doing the assault course. She tottered primly along the aerial walkways as though she was on a catwalk wearing high heels, and she seemed determined not to get a single speck of dirt on her hands. Every so often she would look down at Rhino with daggers in her eyes.
Tara Flynn was the worst, of course. Still wearing her hoodie and black jeans, she showed no natural grace or skill at all, but where Natalie was spending every moment wishing she wasn’t there, Tara was grimly focused on finishing. Rhino wasn’t sure if she was trying to impress him, or the lad Gecko, or just trying to prove something to herself, but he was proud of the effort she was making. He’d got to quite like her in America, on their trip to the Aberdeen Proving Ground. She was tough and resilient, which counted for a lot in Rhino’s book.
As he sat there, watching them eat, he could see that Natalie was actually the weak link. Tara and Gecko had thrown themselves into the idea of the expedition – he suspected that both of them were running away from something – but Natalie was effectively being forced to go along. That would breed resentment, and resentment would breed anger. And that could tear the team apart.
The next few weeks were going to be interesting.
Calum wheeled himself forward, interrupting Rhino’s thoughts. ‘Can I have everyone’s attention? I’d like to test out something that could potentially help all of us during the expedition.’
Rooting around in a box on his lap, he brought out something that looked like a towelling headband – the kind of thing middle-aged men wore to keep the sweat out of their eyes when they were playing squash. There was something attached to it, and Rhino shifted position to get a better look.
‘It’s a communications system,’ Calum said, holding it up. ‘There are miniature loudspeakers and a microphone woven into the headband itself, along with a long-life battery. But the important part is this.’ He turned the headband to show a small metal tube stitched to the side. ‘It’s a high-definition digital camera that’s positioned so that it’s looking along the line of sight of the person who’s wearing it.’
Rhino frowned. He didn’t like being surprised by the sudden addition of kit to the expedition he was supposed to be organizing. ‘I can’t see the point,’ he said. ‘We’re not intending to split up, but if we do then Georgia has a good mobile-phone network that covers most of the country. We can keep in contact with each other if there’s a problem. And why would we want to see what the others are seeing?’
Calum stared at him for a moment. ‘It’s not for you to keep in contact with each other,’ he said slowly, as if explaining something to an idiot. ‘It’s so that I can see what’s going on and give you instructions. There’s an antenna in the headband that sends the audio and visual signals straight to my computer via whatever geostationary communications satellites are available.’
Rhino felt a small, cold ball of anger forming somewhere near his heart. He stood. ‘Calum, we need to talk.’
‘That’s exactly why I got hold of these things.’
Tara, Gecko and Natalie tensed. Rhino could sense it from the corner of his eye, although he kept his attention focused on Calum.
‘Is there a problem?’ asked Calum.
‘I’m supposed to be in charge of this expedition. I’m supposed to be the one who makes the decisions and gets everyone in and out in one piece. Now I find that you’re going to be watching us every second of the way and giving us “advice” whenever you feel like it. Who is in charge of this mission, Calum? What’s my role, if you’re going to be looking over my shoulder and countermanding my orders?’
Calum put his hands up. ‘Hey, sorry. I didn’t realize you were so touchy about this kind of thing.’
‘Yes,’ Rhino said patiently, ‘I am touchy about this kind of thing. Confusion over who is giving orders leads to problems, and problems lead to someone getting hurt. In the military we call it the “long screwdriver” effect.’
Calum frowned. Rhino went on to explain: ‘Imagine you’re working on defusing a bomb, an improvised explosive device, and suddenly your boss reaches in over your shoulder with a long screwdriver and starts poking around in the guts of the bomb. It could be disastrous. In military terms, that might lead to politicians watching military operations as they unfold and throwing in orders that just serve to confuse things. We need to be very clear about who has authority out in the field, and as far as I am concerned it’s me.’
‘OK,’ Calum said slowly. ‘I’m sorry. I just wanted to make sure that I could see what was going on. I had no intention of leading the expedition by remote control.’
Calum seemed genuinely contrite, but Rhino wasn’t so sure that he was telling the truth. Maybe he was lying to himself. He gestured to Calum to join him, walked over to the minibus and sat on the footplate at the back. Calum wheeled himself over.
Calum started to say something, but Rhino raised a hand to stop him.
‘I don’t mean to embarrass you, or contradict you,’ Rhino started, ‘but I’ve seen this happen so often on military missions, and it always ends badly. There has to be a clear chain of command, and it has to be headed up by the commanding officer on the ground, not the general back in his office.’
Rhino could see the emotional struggle playing out across Calum’s face. ‘You don’t know how much I want to go on this expedition,’ he whispered.
‘I do.’ Rhino shrugged. ‘Look, six years ago I was looking like a potential Olympic team member. I was a long-distance runner. I broke my leg in three places in a car accident. By the time I came out of physiotherapy and rehabilitation, it was too late. I missed my chance. I realize it’s not quite the same situation as yours, but I had to watch other people go off and do the thing that I had spent years building up to.’
Calum nodded. ‘OK,’ he conceded, ‘maybe you do know.’
‘I know it’s tough being in a wheelchair. I know you try not to think about it. It’s obvious from your apartment that you don’t want to make any concessions to your problems, and I admire that. But you have to take a step back. Yo
u’ve set all this up – and it’s a big, ambitious undertaking – and you’re funding the whole thing, which means you’re pretty much my boss in all of this, but you can’t lead the expedition from five hundred miles away. You have to trust me.’
Calum nodded.
‘Good.’ Time to give Calum some concession in return, so that he didn’t feel completely ousted. ‘Look, we’ll take the headbands. You can watch what we do to your heart’s content. If we have any questions, or need support, we’ll tell you. If you want to direct our attention to a particular thing that we might otherwise miss, that’s fine. But you don’t get to give orders, OK?’
‘OK.’
‘Right.’ Rhino leaned forward and clapped Calum on the shoulder. ‘Glad we could sort that out.’
‘I never got a chance to ask,’ Calum said, changing the subject, ‘but how did the ARLENE work out?’
‘I was impressed.’ Rhino nodded towards Tara and the others. ‘And by Tara as well. She asked some very direct questions. Got some backs up. But yes. I think the ARLENE could be very useful to us.’
‘The company is cooperating?’
‘They are. They’ve promised to have one of their demonstration models shipped directly to Tbilisi for us to pick up when we arrive. Professor Livingstone must have some friends in high places.’
Calum glanced over at her. ‘Yes,’ he said thoughtfully. ‘She does tend to spring the occasional surprise.’
‘What, like her daughter coming on the expedition?’
‘Yes.’ Calum grimaced. ‘I must admit I wasn’t expecting that. I tried arguing with her, but . . .’ He trailed off, shrugging.
‘She’s very determined that Natalie is part of the team,’ Rhino said. ‘Do you believe the story she gave you?’
‘What, about her setting up business meetings in Tbilisi so that she could check that the ARLENE was working OK and not likely to be damaged, and her not wanting to leave Natalie alone in London or send her back to America?’
Rhino nodded. At least Gillian had given Calum the same story as she had given him, but it didn’t quite make sense. ‘I wonder. Heading out into the foothills of the Caucasus Mountains isn’t exactly a walk in the park. Things can go wrong, even in the best-planned expeditions.’
‘Why – what do you think she’s up to?’ Calum asked, intrigued.
‘I’m not sure. At first I thought she wanted someone on the team who could be her eyes and ears. Like a human version of that headband of yours.’
‘Funny,’ said Calum quietly. ‘I originally thought that was why she had suggested you.’
Rhino smiled. Calum obviously wasn’t stupid. ‘But I dismissed that argument, on the basis that nobody would willingly send their own daughter into danger.’
‘So what other reason could there be?’
Rhino glanced at Natalie. ‘I think this is like an outward-bound course. I think Gillian expects this expedition to toughen her daughter up and make her more . . .’ He trailed off, unsure what the word was.
‘Human?’ Calum suggested.
Rhino laughed. ‘That’s cruel,’ he said, ‘but entirely fair, as far as I can see from my short experience. She’s difficult, isn’t she?’
‘She is,’ Calum agreed, but the way his gaze lingered on Natalie’s face indicated to Rhino that the boy was thinking about Natalie as more than just an extra and unwelcome addition to his expedition.
CHAPTER
ten
Tara Flynn was heavily jet-lagged. This was the fourth time zone she had experienced in four days, and her body had given up trying to tell what time it was. Somewhere in her head, a little part of her brain had thrown up its hands and said, ‘You know what? – I can’t do this! Just tell me when time starts behaving itself again!’
It was some hideously early hour of the morning, although as far as her body was concerned it might just as well have been mid-afternoon. Tara glanced around. Gecko was beside her, sleeping like a baby. Natalie was next to Gecko, on the aisle seat. She had earplugs in and a padded blindfold across her eyes, but Tara didn’t think she was sleeping. She kept drumming her fingers and making unhappy shapes with her mouth.
Rhino was across the aisle. He was reading a travel book about Georgia that he had picked up at Heathrow. It was difficult to tell from where Tara was sitting, but she thought he was trying to memorize some phrases in Georgian. Not that standard phrases were going to come in useful. Can you direct me to the British embassy? was all very well, but what was Georgian for Have you seen a thing that’s a cross between a man and an ape anywhere around here?
Rhino seemed to sense her gaze. He glanced up, and smiled at her. Are you OK? he mouthed. She gave him a thumbs up as the plane descended smoothly towards Tbilisi airport.
The aircraft’s tyres hit the runway and it rolled towards the terminal building.
Gazing out of the window, Tara was strangely impressed. She hadn’t quite known what to expect, but she’d had a feeling that any country that had spent so long as part of the monolithic, communist Soviet Union would be dull, drab and grey. That wasn’t the immediate impression she got. The terminal building looked new, and designed to impress. It was also a mass of blazing lights, sending out a welcoming signal to arriving travellers.
Inside the aeroplane, all the lights went on. Natalie pulled off her blindfold and gazed around unhappily. She did not look like she wanted to be there.
Gecko was already texting on his mobile. He glanced at Tara and smiled. ‘Just letting Calum know we have arrived,’ he said.
‘You’ve got a signal already?’
‘Yeah, the phone locked straight on to a local mobile service. This is civilization!’
Across the aisle, Rhino put his book down. ‘Time to disembark,’ he said. ‘Customs and immigration should be a doddle. Just present your passports, smile and don’t cause any trouble. I’d hate to have to bail any of you out of jail this early in the expedition. Then we have to pick up our luggage from the reclaim area. We’ll get a taxi from the airport to the centre of Tbilisi – it’s about a thirty-minute drive. We’re staying in a hotel in the city centre. Given that it’s still stupid o’clock in the morning, I suggest you all get your heads down and get a few hours’ rest. We’ll meet at lunchtime, get some food inside us and decide on our next move. Everyone OK with that?’
They all nodded.
‘What about the ARLENE system?’ Tara asked. ‘Isn’t it supposed to be here with us?’
Rhino nodded. ‘Good point. The crates should have been loaded on the aircraft as cargo – along with our tents and other camping supplies. First thing in the morning I’ll arrange to hire a van, then Gecko and I will come back and pick all the crates up. When we head off into the Caucasus foothills, we’ll take the van along as far as we can, then unload ARLENE and construct the beast. It’s modular, and it was designed to slot together easily. We’ll load it up with our tents and supplies, and it can follow us and take the strain.’
‘I don’t suppose it comes with a saddle?’ Natalie asked.
Rhino raised an eyebrow. ‘Worried about a little exercise, Natalie?’
‘Not worried.’ She pouted. ‘I just don’t like it.’
Gecko raised a hand. ‘While we are here, should we check that the crates have made it off the aircraft OK? I mean, if there is a problem it is best that we find out now, rather than tomorrow.’
‘Goodpoint.’ Rhino nodded. ‘OK, change of plan. Tara and Natalie, when we’ve got our luggage, you two stay in the arrivals hall. Gecko and I will go and check the crates.’
Natalie groaned, but stopped when Rhino glanced over at her.
Passengers were disembarking from the aircraft now, and Rhino gestured to Natalie, Gecko and Tara to go ahead of him.
‘Can you believe this is happening?’ Gecko said over his shoulder to Tara.
‘I stopped believing in what’s happening a few days ago,’ she replied. ‘I just keep going so I can find out what’s going to happen next.’
‘Are they going to be OK by themselves?’ he asked Rhino.
‘If anyone tries to mess with them, Natalie can freeze them out with her withering stare and Tara will kick them in the nuts,’ Rhino replied. ‘They’ll be fine. Besides, there’s a visible police presence at the airport, and the Georgian police force is very good.’
They headed down a side corridor. Rhino stopped a passing uniformed security guard and asked him something. The man pointed at a swing door.
‘This way.’ Rhino pushed the door open and went through into a featureless, utilitarian corridor. Gecko followed. A sign hanging from the ceiling was labelled in flowing Georgian script and also in English. It said Cargo pickup – straight ahead.
‘Is there not supposed to be some kind of customs demarcation between passenger areas and the runway side of things?’ Gecko asked as they walked.
‘In theory, yes,’ Rhino said over his shoulder. ‘In practice, not so much. Besides, we’re customers, which means that we’re always in the right. Just keep with me and you’ll be fine.’
Gecko wasn’t reassured. The corridor led them to a stairway, and the stairway led out into the open air. Gecko could smell the sweet aroma of the aviation fuel drifting across the tarmac. The air was cold, but dry.
An airport cargo vehicle went past them, the orange light on its roof flashing. Behind it, like carriages on a kids’ toy train, followed a series of wheeled wire cages all connected together. They were piled up with wooden crates.
‘That’s probably the cargo from our flight,’ Rhino observed. ‘I don’t think there is any other aircraft scheduled for a bit.’
