his own weight – an extra 250, at least – bringing the total to more than 1000 pounds.
Alex stared straight ahead, not seeing the bar or Sam – and raised both without the slightest strain.
Franks clapped her hands again. ‘Yeah. Our very own weapon of mass destruction. Stand back, children.’
Children. An image flashed into Alex’s mind: a small boy holding a snake in his hand, squeezing until the flesh was crushed. He saw the boy waving to him as his mother carried him away . . . his child, his child . Alex lowered and raised the bar, again and again, machine-like, picking up speed.
The small boy was on a table now, strapped down, with wires attached to his head and body. People looked in at him through a toughened-glass window. Inside the room, a white-coated scientist was about to flick a switch – his child, his child, his child – Alex pushed his way to the blastproof window and drew back his fist . . .
Someone yelled into his ear, so loud it punctured his waking dream. ‘Huh?’ Alex blinked. He still on his back, holding the weighted bar up in the air. Sam was crouching beside him, his hand gripping Alex’s forearm.
‘Take it easy, boss. Put them down, slowly.’
Alex lowered the bar back onto its rack. He sat up and shook his head. ‘Sorry, must have zoned out for a second there.’
‘More like five minutes,’ Sam said.
His face was creased with concern. Franks’ wore a dead expression.
‘It’s nothing … I’m working on it.’ Alex rubbed his face, hard.
‘I know you are.’ Sam was still frowning. ‘And that’s good.’
‘Later,’ Franks said, and went back to her gun – but not before Alex had seen the suspicion in her eyes.
Sam pulled another bench over and sat down, looking deep into Alex’s face. ‘How’re the demons? Because you looked like you wanted to kill someone just now.’
Alex shrugged. ‘Under control, most of the time. But now and then … I’m a Jonah, Sam. People die around me. Not sure this is a good idea, coming back in and all.’
Sam sat back. ‘They die around me too – and sometimes I mean them to. That’s why we’re both here – with the only people who understand what it is we do, and maybe keep up with us.’ He leaned in closer and punched Alex’s knuckles with his own. ‘Remember, we are you, and you are us … always were, always will be.’
We are you, and you are us, Alex repeated in his mind. I can live with that. ‘I’m okay,’ he said aloud.
‘Hope so,’ Sam said. ‘No room to zone out in the field.’
‘I said it’s under control.’ Alex stared into Sam’s face, and the big HAWC held his gaze for a few seconds.
Then he stood. ‘Okay. If you’re not worried, then I’m not worried. Let’s take a walk around the base, get some air.’
Alex got to his feet. It felt good to be back, but that feeling of being pushed out of his own mind was happening more often. He hoped Marshal could give him some answers, fast.
CHAPTER 9
Polatli Military Base, 120 miles west of Ankara
Dawn was approaching slowly out of the east, for now little more than a slight orange blush on the far horizon. The small and ancient town of Polatli sat at the center of the Anatolian plateau, a large grassy steppe that stretched away for miles, and had a history stretching even farther. It was where Alexander the Great had cut the Gordian knot, and the mythological Phrygian King Midas was said to have been buried.
Corporal Mehmet Atalay rubbed his face with one hand and breathed in the cool dry air. The military base on the outskirts of the town was modest, with only around eighty men and women. But what it lacked in numbers, it made up for in sheer human toughness – these foot soldiers of the Turkish army had a fearsome reputation. Atalay’s soldiers were known for never retreating, and never showing fear. He was proud of every single one of them.
It was in this town, in 1922, that the bloody battle of Sakarya was fought, and the Turkish
Alex stared straight ahead, not seeing the bar or Sam – and raised both without the slightest strain.
Franks clapped her hands again. ‘Yeah. Our very own weapon of mass destruction. Stand back, children.’
Children. An image flashed into Alex’s mind: a small boy holding a snake in his hand, squeezing until the flesh was crushed. He saw the boy waving to him as his mother carried him away . . . his child, his child . Alex lowered and raised the bar, again and again, machine-like, picking up speed.
The small boy was on a table now, strapped down, with wires attached to his head and body. People looked in at him through a toughened-glass window. Inside the room, a white-coated scientist was about to flick a switch – his child, his child, his child – Alex pushed his way to the blastproof window and drew back his fist . . .
Someone yelled into his ear, so loud it punctured his waking dream. ‘Huh?’ Alex blinked. He still on his back, holding the weighted bar up in the air. Sam was crouching beside him, his hand gripping Alex’s forearm.
‘Take it easy, boss. Put them down, slowly.’
Alex lowered the bar back onto its rack. He sat up and shook his head. ‘Sorry, must have zoned out for a second there.’
‘More like five minutes,’ Sam said.
His face was creased with concern. Franks’ wore a dead expression.
‘It’s nothing … I’m working on it.’ Alex rubbed his face, hard.
‘I know you are.’ Sam was still frowning. ‘And that’s good.’
‘Later,’ Franks said, and went back to her gun – but not before Alex had seen the suspicion in her eyes.
Sam pulled another bench over and sat down, looking deep into Alex’s face. ‘How’re the demons? Because you looked like you wanted to kill someone just now.’
Alex shrugged. ‘Under control, most of the time. But now and then … I’m a Jonah, Sam. People die around me. Not sure this is a good idea, coming back in and all.’
Sam sat back. ‘They die around me too – and sometimes I mean them to. That’s why we’re both here – with the only people who understand what it is we do, and maybe keep up with us.’ He leaned in closer and punched Alex’s knuckles with his own. ‘Remember, we are you, and you are us … always were, always will be.’
We are you, and you are us, Alex repeated in his mind. I can live with that. ‘I’m okay,’ he said aloud.
‘Hope so,’ Sam said. ‘No room to zone out in the field.’
‘I said it’s under control.’ Alex stared into Sam’s face, and the big HAWC held his gaze for a few seconds.
Then he stood. ‘Okay. If you’re not worried, then I’m not worried. Let’s take a walk around the base, get some air.’
Alex got to his feet. It felt good to be back, but that feeling of being pushed out of his own mind was happening more often. He hoped Marshal could give him some answers, fast.
CHAPTER 9
Polatli Military Base, 120 miles west of Ankara
Dawn was approaching slowly out of the east, for now little more than a slight orange blush on the far horizon. The small and ancient town of Polatli sat at the center of the Anatolian plateau, a large grassy steppe that stretched away for miles, and had a history stretching even farther. It was where Alexander the Great had cut the Gordian knot, and the mythological Phrygian King Midas was said to have been buried.
Corporal Mehmet Atalay rubbed his face with one hand and breathed in the cool dry air. The military base on the outskirts of the town was modest, with only around eighty men and women. But what it lacked in numbers, it made up for in sheer human toughness – these foot soldiers of the Turkish army had a fearsome reputation. Atalay’s soldiers were known for never retreating, and never showing fear. He was proud of every single one of them.
It was in this town, in 1922, that the bloody battle of Sakarya was fought, and the Turkish
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