by Tom Hunter
The beauty and wonder of the city was completely lost on Pin and his company. During the flight, Pin, Pae and a select handful of mercenaries had changed into Tunisian military uniforms, liberated from the sleeper agents when the VTOL had been requisitioned. A casual observer wouldn’t notice that the uniforms weren’t as well fitted as they should have been, that certain little details were out of place. By the time anyone realized something was wrong, it would be too late.
The pilot deftly maneuvered the aircraft down to its mark. Pin, Pae and Valentina huddled around a table going over their plan one final time.
“Now remember, boys, you need to let me do the talking.” Some of Valentina’s cockiness returned now they were entering into familiar territory for her. “Much as I know it will be hard for both of you to look to me as your superior officer, we do things very differently in Tunisia to Korea. We can’t risk either of you slipping up and blowing our cover just because you aren’t fully aware with the customs of the land. If we had more time to prepare…” She shrugged to indicate the situation was out of her hands. “But we don’t, so I need you to follow my lead and believe me when I say that it will truly pain me to treat you as my subordinates.”
Nobody believed her.
Pin and Pae pressed a discrete button on their lapels to activate the hologram technology that would provide the final piece of their disguise. A subtle shimmer made their faces dissolve to be replaced by nondescript Tunisian features.
“How do I look?” asked Pae.
“Oh, you are very dapper,” purred Valentina. “Nobody would know you’re not a distinguished Tunisian soldier. You’ll be drawing admiring looks from all.”
“Now, you’ll lead us straight to the site supervisor, yes?” asked Pae, clearly flattered by Valentina’s compliments. It was all Pin could do to stop himself rolling his eyes so strongly it would give him a headache.
“That’s correct,” Valentina nodded. “From what I understand, the news is full of rumors about the Bruard’s plans in the area, which works in our favor. It’ll be much easier to persuade them to let us inspect the radio equipment and sweep the grounds so we can secure the site under the guise of protecting them. Once we’re established, it’ll be easy to stave off the real Tunisian military.”
“Yes, yes,” snapped Pin. “We all know what we’re supposed to do to gain control of the area. We’ll crush the Tunisians like the bugs they are. What’s more important is unlocking the final part of St. Augustine’s secret before McCarthy and his minions arrive. That way, all we have to worry about is wiping him out, which should be easy with two of the relics on our side.”
“I really don’t think that’s necessary.” Pae tutted. “I feel it would be best to take things slow and steady like we discussed. We have no idea what’s involved in recovering this relic. The way you described the discovery of the papal cap, you let Samuel defuse all the dangerous traps before swooping in and snatching it out from underneath him. The only reason you weren’t able to do the same with the scepter is because you were too far behind him. We know that’s not the case now. Let Samuel be the one to risk his life on our behalf. He is not to know he was serving the Bruard all along when he reveals the final piece of the puzzle.”
Yet again, Pin found himself itching to unleash the full power of St. Augustine’s hat on Pae, only to be thwarted by the presence of too many witnesses.
“Of course you’re right,” he nodded. “According to my agents, we have at least a few hours’ lead ahead of Samuel and his gang. I suppose we can use that time to prepare for his arrival so there’s no way he can escape us once he gets here.”
“Let Valentina do all the talking,” Pae reminded his men. “For now, she is your commanding officer. Do not speak unless she instructs you to, and follow her lead. She is in charge. Under no circumstances are you to reveal the presence of our true leader.”
As the soldiers lined up to exit the plane, Valentina waiting patiently behind for them to announce her arrival, Pin drew Pae to one side.
“I would advise caution with that one,” he whispered, nodding towards the finder. “Not only is she not part of the Bruard, she’s a woman to boot. We cannot trust her. She’s far too slippery and self-centered.”
“Nonsense,” retorted Pae. “We’re all here for the same objective. She hates Waleed with a burning passion that’s quite unrivaled. Whatever else she might want, her overriding goal is to get revenge on that man. No, out of all of us, she’s best placed to speak on our behalf to get us in with this rabble. She will not betray us, if no other reason than the fact that she knows she’d get a bullet in her brain before she finishes a sentence.”
Pin tucked St. Augustine’s cap under his arm. With the plane emptying out, now was the perfect opportunity to use it to reinforce his hold over Pae. If nobody saw him speak to the dictator, he could get him back on side and they could return to following Pin’s instructions.
“Much as I appreciate your dedication to protecting the artifact, you’re going to have to leave that on the plane,” Pae observed, sending a pang of hatred for the man right through Pin’s heart. “You’re an inferior soldier, remember? A grunt. There’s no reason for you to be carrying a non-uniform item of clothing and it would be terribly ironic if all our preparations were spoiled at the last minute because you were worried about getting it dirty. It’ll be perfectly safe for you to leave it here.”
“But what about McCarthy?” Pin protested. “He’s stolen planes from us before.”
“Yes. Very careless of you to allow that to happen. Men have been executed for less,” observed Pae wryly.
Pin gulped. “My point is I’m keeping the hat by my side so we know it’s safe. After all, most of the soldiers we’ve brought with us are mercenaries. Any one of them might view the cap as an opportunity to make some money on the side if they swipe it.”
“Is there a problem, gentlemen?” Valentina sashayed over to them.
Pae made a sloppy salute. “Remind Pin that he needs to leave the hat on the VTOL.”
“I have to keep it safe,” Pin insisted, starting to get jittery at the thought of being separated from the cap for too long.
“Now, now.” Valentina held up her hands to placate them both. “There is a very simple solution to both your problems. We can secret it within the mechanical equipment crate. I will then order for you to bring it in so we can sweep the site for bugs. That way, it won’t leave your side for long but you won’t arouse suspicion by carrying such a strange headpiece.”
She smiled winningly, but Pin was convinced he saw a level of sneer in her expression.
“Excellent!” Pae clapped his hands together. “So it is settled. Pin, go and stash the relic safely and follow us out.” He raised his voice to address the other soldiers. “One final reminder to you all. Follow our plan to the letter. Just because I am wearing the uniform of a lowly foot soldier doesn’t mean I won’t give the signal to have any of you executed should you do anything to undermine my success. Stay alert and follow Valentina’s orders to the letter. Your names will go down in history as the ones who enabled the final triumph of the Bruard Empire.”
Twenty-Five
The door in the side of the VTOL slid open, allowing the exit ramp to extend. Mercenaries marched down, lining up on either side of the ramp at the bottom to provide a welcoming corridor for Valentina in her guise as Colonel.
As she made her way down the ramp, a small group of site attendants came forward to meet her. Their nondescript uniforms weren’t enough to hide the toned muscles underneath. They might be working as tour guides, but there was something about the way they carried themselves that suggested they weren’t beyond defending their site with violence if the need occurred. Either showing tourists around the old city was a more dangerous occupation than she’d have thought, or there was something more going on here.
Pin and Pae marched behind Valentina, acting as her personal guard while she approached the tour guides, and saluted them.
“Greetings,” nodded the leader of the guides. “My name is Khalil and I am in charge of the Roman tourist area at Dougga. I oversee visits to our beautiful city, as well as coordinate our restoration efforts.”
“Good to meet you, Khalil.” Valentina reached out to shake his hand, smiling at him. “I am Colonel Bahloul.”
“What brings you to our magnificent site?” asked Khalil. “While this was once an important hub for the Roman army, we haven’t seen any significant military activity for some centuries.”
“We’re here to ensure that that remains so,” reassured Valentina. “While I’m sure there’s nothing for you to worry about, it’s always best to take the utmost of care in preserving our country’s treasures.”
Pin strained to listen to the conversation, but it was hard to maintain his focus. He could feel his hand starting to shake and he clenched his fist to try and control the tremors.
If only he hadn’t been forced to leave the cap on the plane. It was torture being separated from it.
“Now, you may not be aware, but the government has issued an alert due to the activities of a number of Bruard agents in the region,” Valentina continued.
Khalil exchanged a glance with one of his colleagues, but said nothing.
“As of yet, we do not know what their purpose is in the area,” Valentina told him, “but there is a possibility that they are targeting ancient artifacts, artifacts held in historic sites such as this one, which they can then use to hold the government to ransom or sell on the black market. As a consequence, we’re doing a sweep of all the important historic locations in the area to check for signs of Bruard involvement, as well as check on your radio communications equipment to ascertain that it hasn’t been tampered with or sabotaged. The Bruard have developed some very sophisticated bugging equipment that enable them to piggyback on our transmissions and plan their raids, so even if you believe that your comms devices are secure, that may not be the case. Indeed, I dealt with a site only recently that had been infiltrated by the Bruard for many months. If I hadn’t removed their surveillance devices, who knows what disaster might have ensued?”
Pin desperately fought to hide his disdain. Why had they entrusted such an important role to Valentina? There was no way the tour guides were going to fall for this.
It would have been easier to simply gun them down and be done with it.
“I see,” nodded Khalil. “I must say that I haven’t noticed any suspicious activity recently, but we all know how slippery the Bruard can be. I wouldn’t put it past them to have penetrated our site, even though we do keep the comms center on high lockdown at all times. Why don’t I take you on a tour of the facilities to ensure everything is as it should be before you inspect the comms center? You know more of what you’re looking for than we do. Anything we can do to make your job easier, let us know. My men are at your disposal.”
“Thank you, Khalil.” Valentina smiled warmly. “That’s good to hear.”
She turned to Pin and Pae. “I need the two of you to meet me at the comms center momentarily. Bring the supply crate with the equipment we need to carry out the inspection of the communication network. I want you to do a complete, thorough sweep of the system so we can guarantee Khalil that his site is under the protection of the Tunisian military.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
Pin and Pae saluted, turning smartly on their heels to troop back into the plane to collect the crate that contained the alleged bug detecting equipment and, more importantly, St. Augustine’s hat.
“Sergeant Beji?”
Pin turned when Valentina called him by his agreed fake identity.
“Yes, ma’am?”
“Let’s make sure that everything runs like clockwork, yes?”
She gave him a knowing look, as if to assure him she was still on his side.
“Of course, ma’am.” Pin nodded a salute.
Valentina left with Khalil and some of his team to inspect the city while Pin and Pae went to retrieve the crate, ready to reconvene at the comms center.
So far, everything was going exactly to plan.
Twenty-Six
“You know, I think we should record Basile’s snoring and sell it as a soundtrack to adventure movies about earthquakes,” quipped Josh, as the regular rasp of the Frenchman’s snores and snorts filtered through from the back of the car. “After all this is over, the one thing I’ll remember is just how often that man kept me awake with the sound of his sleeping!”
“Look on the bright side,” replied Samuel. “At least it means we’ll stay awake while we’re driving.”
“Speaking of which, isn’t it your turn to take the wheel?” asked Josh. “We said we’d swap at the half-way mark and we must be roughly about that.”
“Fair enough,” nodded Samuel.
Their journey down the P5 had been uneventful, a positive sign as they made for Dougga. Up ahead, Josh saw a sign for a roadside inn, and it wasn’t long before he’d pulled into the parking lot so he could swap seats with Samuel.
“What do you think?” the pilot asked as the two men met outside the car. “Shall we take a quick break and grab ourselves a bite to eat while we’re here? It looks like the café’s still open.”
Samuel looked at their sleeping passengers.
“Probably best if we don’t,” he sighed. “Shafira got really grouchy when she missed out on those breakfast pastries. I don’t want them to complain that we had food when they didn’t or complain that the smell of food woke them up or complain that their food has gone cold because the smell didn’t wake them up.”
“You’re right,” chuckled Josh. “That lot do seem to look for any excuse to complain, when they’re not fighting the Bruard. Let’s push on so they can wake up in Dougga. Nobody can complain about that.”
The two men switched sides of the car. The sun had only just set, the night air taking on a chill that was highly refreshing in contrast to their earlier trek through the desert.
Samuel pressed the button to wind his window down, enjoying the invigorating breeze on his face as he went back onto the highway. It wasn’t long before he regretted the lack of coffee. Now that the end was in sight and they weren’t being actively chased by anyone, it was getting hard to stay focused. Exhaustion started to set in as the day’s activities caught up with him.
“Keep it together, McCarthy,” he muttered to himself, slapping his cheeks to wake himself up, as he accelerated to a little over the speed limit. The sooner they got to Dougga, the sooner he could find a nice, comfortable bed to collapse into.
The miles slipped away, and Josh joined the others in slumber.
“Great,” muttered Samuel. “Thanks a lot, buddy. You couldn’t even stay awake to keep me company.”
Without the diversion of a conversation, it was getting harder for Samuel to keep his eyes open. There was something highly hypnotic about the rumble of tires on tarmac, and it felt as though his passengers had turned on their sleep fields in an attempt to get him to join them in Dreamland.
The car’s headlights lit up a sign that showed Dougga was only fifteen miles away. Beneath it was the symbol for another roadside inn, a mere two miles’ journey. Samuel yawned and debated whether he should stop there, but eventually decided against it. They were so close to Dougga that he might as well push on. Fifteen miles was nothing. He could stay awake for the twenty minutes or so it would take to cover it. After all, the Bruard could be heading there as well, so if they reached the city that night, they’d be able to get an early start in finding the final piece of St. Augustine’s puzzle.
He gripped the steering wheel, inhaling deeply through his nose and exhaling through his mouth to keep himself awake.
“It’s only fifteen miles,” he reminded himself. “Only fifteen miles…”
“Samuel!”
Shafira’s cries woke him up, as Josh grabbed the steering wheel to keep them on the highway.
“Wh-what?” Samuel shook his head, bleari
ly trying to get his brain around what had just happened.
“You fell asleep at the wheel,” Josh scolded. “If I’d known you were that tired, I would have kept on driving.”
“You fell asleep too,” Samuel pointed out.
“Yes, because I thought it was safe for me to do so,” Josh retorted. “I thought I could trust you behind the wheel. Guess I was wrong. It would have been good if, for once, I didn’t have to be the one to ferry us everywhere.”
“Stop it, the pair of you,” scolded Shafira. “Samuel didn’t mean to fall asleep, and we didn’t crash, so there’s no harm done. Look-there’s an inn just ahead. Let’s take a couple of rooms there and we can all get some rest. It’ll be easier for us to sneak into Dougga when there are lots of historical tours arriving there in the morning. We can lose ourselves among the crowd.”
“It will,” nodded Samuel, “but I’m not convinced we can spare the time.”
“What do you mean?” frowned Josh. “A couple of hours isn’t going to make any difference. We can’t do anything until morning anyway and if we get an early start, it won’t make any difference to our ability to find the relic-apart from the fact that we’ll all still be alive because you won’t have totaled the car.”
“It’s not that.” Samuel shook his head. “I know I was only asleep for a few seconds, but while I was out, I had a vision just like the ones I have when I’m wielding the scepter. I had the overwhelming sensation that we’d arrive too late if we took a break, and Pin would snatch the final part of St. Augustine’s secret right from under our noses. We’ll never get it back if he does.”
“It was just a dream, Samuel,” said Shafira gently, squeezing his shoulder. “We’ve all been under a lot of stress recently and that’s why you think you had a vision, but it really wasn’t anything other than the product of an overworked mind.”
