before this Russian can.’
‘I’m convinced your friend was right about Excalibur - that it exists, and that he was on the right path to finding it,’ Mitchell said to Nina. ‘If Vaskovich uses his research to find Excalibur before we can, then he’ll have died for nothing . . . and a lot of other people might die as well.’
For the second time in two days, Nina knew she was being emotionally blackmailed - but she also knew there was no way she could say no. Not when the security of the country - of the world - was at stake.
And if Excalibur did exist, if the Arthurian legends were actually true, then she would be the one to prove it. Another great accomplishment, turning thirty be damned . . .
She turned to Chase. ‘What do you think, Eddie?’
‘Me?’ he said, shrugging. ‘Sounds like fun. Get some action and save the world at the same time - I’m up for that.’
Nina was silent, weighing her options. ‘All right,’ she said finally, ‘I’ll do it. But it’s going to be an IHA operation. Not some kind of split jurisdiction affair where somebody’s second-guessing everything I do, and definitely not a military mission. If I’m doing it, then I’m in charge.’
‘That was actually going to be the plan anyway,’ Mitchell told her, ‘so we took care of that without any problems! There are just two provisos - only little ones,’ he said with a perfect white grin as Nina opened her mouth to protest. ‘The first is that when we find Excalibur, DARPA gets to analyse it so we can figure out exactly how Merlin made a high-temperature superconductor about fifteen hundred years early. It’ll go back to the IHA as soon as we’re done.’
Nina nodded. ‘And the second?’
‘The second . . . is that I’ll be going with you.’
‘Oh, you will, eh?’ Chase said, raising an eyebrow.
‘I’ll be DARPA’s representative - but it’ll still be an IHA operation,’ Mitchell assured Nina, before snapping her a sharp salute. ‘At your service, ma’am.’
‘That was a proper salute,’ Chase realised. ‘You didn’t mention you were in the forces.’
‘Commander, United States Navy,’ Mitchell said proudly. ‘Before I transferred to DARPA.’
Nina was impressed; Chase rather less so. ‘A matelot, huh?’ he said.
‘Nuclear submarines - USS Jimmy Carter .’ Chase made a face. ‘You wouldn’t get me on a nuclear sub. Not without a lead codpiece.’
‘They’re not that bad. Well, ours aren’t - I don’t know about the Russians’. But what we need to do now is figure out where to go next. Dr Wilde, I need you to tell me absolutely everything you can remember about what Rust told you.’
‘Nina.’
‘Excuse me?’
‘If we’re working together, I think it should be on a first-name basis. So call me Nina.’
Mitchell smiled again. ‘That suits me fine, Nina.’
‘Okay . . . Jack.’ They smiled at each other.
Chase rolled his eyes. ‘So where are we going?’
‘I don’t know,’ said Nina, shaking her head. ‘The only place Bernd actually gave me a name for was Koroneou, in the Greek islands . . . but he said the sword pieces weren’t there.’ She thought for a moment. ‘But there must have been something there that led him to where he thought they were. And he said one of them was “close to home” - I think he lived in southern Germany, near Munich.’
‘That doesn’t exactly narrow it down,’ Chase said wryly.
‘It’s better than nothing,’ said Mitchell. ‘I’ll arrange us priority transport to Koroneou, then - it’s the only lead we’ve got.’
Chase grinned. ‘So, I guess Greece is the word.’
7
Greece
‘ P riority transport’ turned out to be a brand-new US State Department Gulfstream G550 jet. Although the aircraft was fitted out to accommodate sixteen people in luxury that put even first class on most airliners to shame, Nina, Chase and Mitchell were the only passengers - which made Nina feel slightly guilty that the three of them were
‘I’m convinced your friend was right about Excalibur - that it exists, and that he was on the right path to finding it,’ Mitchell said to Nina. ‘If Vaskovich uses his research to find Excalibur before we can, then he’ll have died for nothing . . . and a lot of other people might die as well.’
For the second time in two days, Nina knew she was being emotionally blackmailed - but she also knew there was no way she could say no. Not when the security of the country - of the world - was at stake.
And if Excalibur did exist, if the Arthurian legends were actually true, then she would be the one to prove it. Another great accomplishment, turning thirty be damned . . .
She turned to Chase. ‘What do you think, Eddie?’
‘Me?’ he said, shrugging. ‘Sounds like fun. Get some action and save the world at the same time - I’m up for that.’
Nina was silent, weighing her options. ‘All right,’ she said finally, ‘I’ll do it. But it’s going to be an IHA operation. Not some kind of split jurisdiction affair where somebody’s second-guessing everything I do, and definitely not a military mission. If I’m doing it, then I’m in charge.’
‘That was actually going to be the plan anyway,’ Mitchell told her, ‘so we took care of that without any problems! There are just two provisos - only little ones,’ he said with a perfect white grin as Nina opened her mouth to protest. ‘The first is that when we find Excalibur, DARPA gets to analyse it so we can figure out exactly how Merlin made a high-temperature superconductor about fifteen hundred years early. It’ll go back to the IHA as soon as we’re done.’
Nina nodded. ‘And the second?’
‘The second . . . is that I’ll be going with you.’
‘Oh, you will, eh?’ Chase said, raising an eyebrow.
‘I’ll be DARPA’s representative - but it’ll still be an IHA operation,’ Mitchell assured Nina, before snapping her a sharp salute. ‘At your service, ma’am.’
‘That was a proper salute,’ Chase realised. ‘You didn’t mention you were in the forces.’
‘Commander, United States Navy,’ Mitchell said proudly. ‘Before I transferred to DARPA.’
Nina was impressed; Chase rather less so. ‘A matelot, huh?’ he said.
‘Nuclear submarines - USS Jimmy Carter .’ Chase made a face. ‘You wouldn’t get me on a nuclear sub. Not without a lead codpiece.’
‘They’re not that bad. Well, ours aren’t - I don’t know about the Russians’. But what we need to do now is figure out where to go next. Dr Wilde, I need you to tell me absolutely everything you can remember about what Rust told you.’
‘Nina.’
‘Excuse me?’
‘If we’re working together, I think it should be on a first-name basis. So call me Nina.’
Mitchell smiled again. ‘That suits me fine, Nina.’
‘Okay . . . Jack.’ They smiled at each other.
Chase rolled his eyes. ‘So where are we going?’
‘I don’t know,’ said Nina, shaking her head. ‘The only place Bernd actually gave me a name for was Koroneou, in the Greek islands . . . but he said the sword pieces weren’t there.’ She thought for a moment. ‘But there must have been something there that led him to where he thought they were. And he said one of them was “close to home” - I think he lived in southern Germany, near Munich.’
‘That doesn’t exactly narrow it down,’ Chase said wryly.
‘It’s better than nothing,’ said Mitchell. ‘I’ll arrange us priority transport to Koroneou, then - it’s the only lead we’ve got.’
Chase grinned. ‘So, I guess Greece is the word.’
7
Greece
‘ P riority transport’ turned out to be a brand-new US State Department Gulfstream G550 jet. Although the aircraft was fitted out to accommodate sixteen people in luxury that put even first class on most airliners to shame, Nina, Chase and Mitchell were the only passengers - which made Nina feel slightly guilty that the three of them were
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