home away from home.
Their departure from Elizabeth’s home had been hurried, with Holly and Nan surprised and sorry to see them leave, and Elizabeth saying very little, frustrated at being unable to vent her remaining anger at Chase. Mac had also been surprised; though Mitchell’s reiteration of the classified nature of the mission meant Chase couldn’t tell him anything, the brief exchange of glances between the two former SAS men reassured Chase that Mac would use his own contacts to help if he could.
Now, Peach brought them to an office overlooking Grosvenor Square, where Amoros was waiting for them. ‘Hector,’ said Nina. ‘My God, you look exhausted!’
‘I’ve had a hectic twenty-four hours,’ he said grumpily. ‘It’s not every day that my Director of Operations - and her Special Assistant,’ he added, glaring at Chase, ‘get arrested for destroying half a town. Then, as if dealing with the press wasn’t enough, suddenly I’m told it’s now a national security issue and I get hustled on to a State Department jet and flown to England without even being given time to pack a toothbrush!’
‘Sorry about that, Admiral,’ said Mitchell, stepping forward to shake Amoros’s hand. ‘Jack Mitchell, DARPA. We spoke on the phone.’
Amoros regarded Mitchell as if he wasn’t what he’d expected before turning back to Nina. ‘They’ve filled me in about the situation. I imagine you’re not entirely happy about it.’
‘Hardly,’ Nina snorted. ‘Hector, I appreciate that yes, if what Mr Mitchell says is true then there are national security issues. But if that’s the case, surely this is now a job for the CIA, not the IHA. If we’re seen to be taking sides or actively working for one particular government, it could make it a lot harder to get cooperation from other countries in the future.’
‘I hear what you’re saying, and to a certain extent I agree. But this situation is different.’
‘Yeah? How come?’
Amoros was not pleased to be challenged. ‘Because, Nina, the chickens have come home to roost. The IHA might have been set up under the flag of the UN, but it was the NATO nations, and especially the United States, that funded it. The US has put a lot of money and resources into the IHA - and over seventy lives, I’m sure I don’t need to remind you. So now Uncle Sam is asking the IHA to do something in return.’ On seeing Nina’s disapproving expression, he went on: ‘Jesus, Nina! This is exactly why the IHA was created in the first place, you know that! If this Vaskovich gets Excalibur, we could have another Atlantis on our hands - and not that sanitised fairytale version we put out to the public, but the real story, the one that almost ended with millions of people dead!’
‘But we’ve got almost nothing to go on!’ Nina objected. ‘Bernd told me that the priest at that church in Sicily was murdered by the Russians, but the local police said they suspected the Mafia. And maybe they were right, maybe the death was just a coincidence.’
‘And if this thing was there,’ Chase added, ‘wouldn’t that mean Vaskovich has got what he needs already?’
‘The murder was three weeks ago. If he’d been able to use it to get his system working, we’d know about it by now,’ said Mitchell. ‘It’s possible the piece was too small to be useful - or that Caliburn isn’t an effective enough superconductor.’
‘Or,’ Nina countered, ‘Bernd could have been wrong about the whole thing.’
‘But he might not,’ said Mitchell. ‘Which is why we have to make sure - and why we’re asking you to help us, Dr Wilde. After everything you’ve accomplished in the past few years, you’re clearly the best person for the job.’ He nodded at the picture of President Dalton on the office wall. ‘We need you. Your country needs you.’
‘This has all come from higher up,’ Amoros said, glancing at Mitchell. ‘The IHA is committed to helping DARPA find these artefacts
Their departure from Elizabeth’s home had been hurried, with Holly and Nan surprised and sorry to see them leave, and Elizabeth saying very little, frustrated at being unable to vent her remaining anger at Chase. Mac had also been surprised; though Mitchell’s reiteration of the classified nature of the mission meant Chase couldn’t tell him anything, the brief exchange of glances between the two former SAS men reassured Chase that Mac would use his own contacts to help if he could.
Now, Peach brought them to an office overlooking Grosvenor Square, where Amoros was waiting for them. ‘Hector,’ said Nina. ‘My God, you look exhausted!’
‘I’ve had a hectic twenty-four hours,’ he said grumpily. ‘It’s not every day that my Director of Operations - and her Special Assistant,’ he added, glaring at Chase, ‘get arrested for destroying half a town. Then, as if dealing with the press wasn’t enough, suddenly I’m told it’s now a national security issue and I get hustled on to a State Department jet and flown to England without even being given time to pack a toothbrush!’
‘Sorry about that, Admiral,’ said Mitchell, stepping forward to shake Amoros’s hand. ‘Jack Mitchell, DARPA. We spoke on the phone.’
Amoros regarded Mitchell as if he wasn’t what he’d expected before turning back to Nina. ‘They’ve filled me in about the situation. I imagine you’re not entirely happy about it.’
‘Hardly,’ Nina snorted. ‘Hector, I appreciate that yes, if what Mr Mitchell says is true then there are national security issues. But if that’s the case, surely this is now a job for the CIA, not the IHA. If we’re seen to be taking sides or actively working for one particular government, it could make it a lot harder to get cooperation from other countries in the future.’
‘I hear what you’re saying, and to a certain extent I agree. But this situation is different.’
‘Yeah? How come?’
Amoros was not pleased to be challenged. ‘Because, Nina, the chickens have come home to roost. The IHA might have been set up under the flag of the UN, but it was the NATO nations, and especially the United States, that funded it. The US has put a lot of money and resources into the IHA - and over seventy lives, I’m sure I don’t need to remind you. So now Uncle Sam is asking the IHA to do something in return.’ On seeing Nina’s disapproving expression, he went on: ‘Jesus, Nina! This is exactly why the IHA was created in the first place, you know that! If this Vaskovich gets Excalibur, we could have another Atlantis on our hands - and not that sanitised fairytale version we put out to the public, but the real story, the one that almost ended with millions of people dead!’
‘But we’ve got almost nothing to go on!’ Nina objected. ‘Bernd told me that the priest at that church in Sicily was murdered by the Russians, but the local police said they suspected the Mafia. And maybe they were right, maybe the death was just a coincidence.’
‘And if this thing was there,’ Chase added, ‘wouldn’t that mean Vaskovich has got what he needs already?’
‘The murder was three weeks ago. If he’d been able to use it to get his system working, we’d know about it by now,’ said Mitchell. ‘It’s possible the piece was too small to be useful - or that Caliburn isn’t an effective enough superconductor.’
‘Or,’ Nina countered, ‘Bernd could have been wrong about the whole thing.’
‘But he might not,’ said Mitchell. ‘Which is why we have to make sure - and why we’re asking you to help us, Dr Wilde. After everything you’ve accomplished in the past few years, you’re clearly the best person for the job.’ He nodded at the picture of President Dalton on the office wall. ‘We need you. Your country needs you.’
‘This has all come from higher up,’ Amoros said, glancing at Mitchell. ‘The IHA is committed to helping DARPA find these artefacts
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