It was 6.00 pm Saturday the 9th of October 2010 on a quiet, tropical afternoon in the Athol of Diego Garcia. The duty air controller enjoyed a strong coffee at the start of his shift in the military airport control tower. He studied his screen and had a second look before calling his superior officer. "Sir we have an unidentified aircraft bearing due north two hundred and fifty kilometres doing two hundred and seventy knots at twenty thousand feet and descending heading directly our way." The naval officer rose from his desk and studied the screen.
"Something coming in from the Middle East we've missed?"
"Nothing till Monday Sir, everything else is coming in from the east and that's just the normal fuel tankers." The officer put on a head microphone.
"Unidentified aircraft bearing two fifty kilometres north of Diego Garcia at ten thousand. This is Captain Max Sivert Garcia operations tower; you have entered American Naval operations airspace. Identify yourself or we will intercept."
"Captain Sivert this is Dirk Truman CIA operations Pentagon, Washington. I’m in control of a British allie AC 130 gunship and require assistance; request landing permission and instructions." Captain Sivert put his hand over the microphone so he could not be heard.
"Check that out, scramble an F15." The controller picked up a phone. "Unidentified aircraft turn due east and maintain distance." Truman knew this was standard and complied but continued to descend. The controller made three calls.
"Sir Washington confirms Truman's identity but not his location; it's classified. The British confirm an AC 130 gunship out of Masroor Karachi has entered our airspace and requests full cooperation; invaluable cargo sir. We have an F15 already in the air and bearing on the target." Sivert thought for a few seconds with his arms folded.
"Unidentified aircraft you are ex Mumbai India, confirm."
"Negative Garcia we are ex Masroor Pakistan."
"Give me visual, I want visual," demanded Sivert and the controller responded.
"Eagle wing one unidentified aircraft can you confirm visual." The fighter passed the Hercules at around five hundred metres to the port side and well above in the opposite direction with a view of less than two seconds.
"Eagle wing one to Garcia confirm AC 130 gunship on descent turning and diving to observe." The F15 made a sweeping U turn and drew adjacent to the Hercules at two on her starboard side at one hundred metres. "Eagle wing one to Garcia I confirm Royal Air Force AC 130 now hugging the sea at three thousand feet gunnels open, she could have done me a long time ago and I’m heading home." The F15 banked right heading for Garcia.
"Commander Truman you have permission to land. No wind, bear south and approach from the east, taxi to dock four, repeat dock four." The Hercules turned south and Stanton got Mahir and showed him the island clusters now in view.
"Diego Garcia Mahir, things can get worse or they can get better. I need to know with whom in the Pakistan government you have been talking." Mahir looked blank as he stared at the island in the distance, his hair blowing all over the place from the wind coming in the gunnels. He was tired and in pain and spoke softly.
"All you have is a pawn that has been moved forwards Stanton. We have plans and many more like me. They come from all parts of the earth; like me they have been oppressed by the west and want freedom. We will recover; as I speak another has taken my place. You infidels will be put down; we will not give up our fight."
"Very nice, now your son and daughter in London." Stanton held up two pictures in front of his face. "You do remember them, they have large families scattered around Europe. Maybe they can tell us more than you can." Mahir turned his head from the pictures.
"I have no such families." He then looked back and studied the pictures for a while. "Where did you get these?"
"Your daughter is a nurse in a major London hospital, saves lives everyday; we take them every day. Where do you want it to stand?"
"Leave them be!" shouted Mahir.
"What I’m doing here is protecting them, without information to continue I wonder if you want them to enter the list of martyrs you’re currently racking up for your cause. Some of your friends get hold of what you’ve been chasing they’ll be finished with everyone else." Mahir looked around in a daze, licking his dry lips.
"I will give you a name; you will have to go deep into Afghanistan Herat mountain region. There you will find Peter Price; a westerner recruiting radicals as you call them for his cause; you will also no doubt find your end. If you think we have poor morals then look upon Price for he fears no person or spirit. There you will die seeing what you have created. Look at the route needed to build an oil pipeline from Afghanistan to the oil machine of Kuwait. Iran stands in the way. If you can find and get me out of Karachi you can find Price but you will never return." Stanton looked into space then out the gun portal at the sea. He stood with his arms folded looking blank.
"You know this Price guy?" asked Wayne. Stanton turned back into the plane and sat down next to Mahir.
"Yes, if it's the Price I'm thinking of. He was a top consulting expert for the British oil industry. He helped develop the North Sea oil and gas fields and was targeted by MI6 when found to have embezzled masses of government money. He had Albert Hollis's entire family murdered leaving Hollis and his wife alive to live in eternal grief. I thought I got him in Scotland in the early eighties but we never found his body. That Price Mahir?"
"Oh yes, he also has infiltrated the eastern governments undetected using pawns like me. He is very close to being able to offer Iran something they have been craving for in exchange for an oil pipeline passage."
"Could this be true Stanton?" asked Wayne.
"Absolutely, Tali here is not smart enough to think that up in his entire life let alone the last few minutes. I give it four out of six lottery numbers, I can find the other two in common information lines."
"I tell you this so you get Al Ahmadi before he gets my family."
"Al Ahmadi?" questioned Stanton.
"How would you negotiate access to oil installations in Kuwait if not through the people who drive them," added Mahir. "Now they know you have my critical information it is not safe and my family is in danger."
"It’s starting to make sense, Ahmadi got to Jahangeer Mashir before I could because he can talk and computers can’t." Stanton cranked his satellites and called Cadiche. "Where is Jacob?" Stanton asked hastily.
"He's about to leave to visit his father in Kuwait; short notice – a bit unexpected," replied Cadiche.
"Grab him and lock him away in the lair."
"What!"
"Repeat detain him and lock him away in the lair."
"What for?"
"Insurance." Stanton hung up. Cadiche headed for Jacob’s dwelling.
"You have Ahmadi's son?" asked Mahir.
"We do now."
"How did you do this? We have been tracking your calls and movements; we had no idea you were in Karachi and your phones have been silent for three weeks," asked Mahir.
"My rules of engagement skip the paper work phase," answered Stanton. Wayne chuckled and Truman asked everyone to strap in for landing.
Commander Sivert kept the Hercules isolated and met with Truman, Wayne Stanton and Legrand. Sivert had been given instructions to fully cooperate with the CIA operatives and was shocked to find Stanton present and calling the shots. Stanton claimed they had forty-eight hours to find the target before the target received too much information and went underground. Sivert demanded to be informed of all the facts but they all stood firm with Stanton. Stanton was not surprised by Sivert’s stand considering his position but became frustrated with him and talked to the group out of earshot of Sivert. Legrand would accompany Claude and the second taxi driver to the UK delivering them to contacts arranged and assist in securing their families. Wayne and Truman would give Mahir medical attention and escort him to the US, leaking the information on his capture to the press.
Stanton wanted a plane a little less c
onspicuous than an AC 130 gunship when landing at a commercial airport. Stanton gave no indication of where he was going; to include Sivert Stanton asked he be given the job of returning the AC 130 to where the British required it and make up a story on why it had arrived at Garcia. They dispersed and Truman and Wayne spoke to Sivert. Stanton's hunch was correct, Sivert was a sidelined hard-nosed air naval officer assigned to a desk in the middle of nowhere because he upset someone wearing a suit in Washington. After a short conversation between Wayne Truman and Sivert they disseminated and Sivert approached Stanton. "Thanks Stanton, you just got me back in a war; where I like to be. I'm going to assign myself a crew and fly this crate myself. With any luck I'll end up in the middle of some action; sure beats sitting around here waiting for the sun to come up." He saluted to Stanton turned and marched away.
Stanton talked to Mahir one more time. Mahir had been given pain medication and had his arms attended to. He asked Mahir for a western contact important enough for Price to talk to at short notice that would be of great advantage for Price to move forward with his goal. Mahir hesitated but when Stanton began to walk away he gave a name. Jean Forbes. Stanton stopped in his tracks and looked at the ground for a few seconds; he turned back to Mahir. "Jean Forbes in Washington or London?"
"You know who I mean Stanton."
"Okay you tell me what she does."
"She’s the minister for Customs and Police in Australia, with control of ASIO. Price has found her most useful and spends time with her when in Australia."
"Your family will survive. The ones that aren't lunatics like you will to be more specific."
"How did you find I had family?"
"It was given to me, I’ll keep that in mind." Stanton walked away.