Counterfeit (The Jim Slater series Book 2) Page 2

  “Oh yeah? And what was the real reason?”

  I laughed. “It probably saved them money. I gather it was a disused Army Air Force base before the SAF came here.”

  He pointed a finger at a rectangular array of two-storey red-brick buildings.

  “That’d be the original part down there, I guess.”

  I smiled at the acuteness of his observation. “That’s right. It’s mainly accommodation now, plus the mess and recreation rooms. We expanded on this side of the parade ground to put in an administration complex.”

  We turned left and walked along a line of low ceramic-block buildings.

  “Here we are.” I opened the door and we went in. My office was simply furnished with a computer desk and a few sticks of furniture. I’d pinned up one or two maps, but that was mainly to cover the plain walls.

  He took the room in at a glance. Then he hung his jacket over the back of a chair, opened a billfold, and extracted a small black square. “You wanna put this in your reader?” he said, holding it out.

  “Sure.”

  I liked the way he got straight down to business. I took the memory tile and slotted it. The desk screen came to life with a high altitude satellite view. He came round to look at it with me.

  “East Africa,” he said. “To be more specific, Northern Tanzania.” His hand moved towards the screen and he zoomed in rapidly with the standard gestures. Now we were looking down on some scrub land with a group of buildings. “This here’s where my CEO’s planning to meet with the Ruskies.”

  “Before we start, have you ruled out a straightforward negotiation?”

  “No, I haven't. In the best case they’ll kick things around, agree or disagree, and go away again. But that’s the best case. It’s my job to cater for the worst case.”

  “Which is…?”

  He zoomed out again on the satellite view, then circled a finger above the screen. “This here's a game reserve. That’s why the lodge is where it is – they run safari trips from it. The reserve finishes at the border,” he pointed towards the top, “somewhere up there. Problem is, the border isn’t stable and you get militias roaming back and forth all the time.”

  I frowned. “Seems an odd place to have a business meeting.”

  “Exactly. Way I see it, they could knock the Cuprex delegation off and make the whole thing look like a guerilla operation. If Ridout had asked my advice I’d have told him that.” There was a grim smile on his face as he looked at me. “Unfortunately our CEO’s not famous for seeking advice.”

  “You want a protective cordon?”

  “Something of the kind. But it can’t be on show. We only have to turn up with a military escort and the Russians will go ballistic, no matter what sort of funny business they’re up to themselves. And it’s not just our people we have to worry about, either. I gather Washington’s conducting some major pow-wows right now. The last thing they want is for us to spark off a diplomatic row and louse everything up for them. So anything we do has to be real low-key – understand what I’m saying?”

  “What about your own company security?”

  “Oh sure, we can take a couple of bodyguards, no problem. But that’s not going to be much help against a fully armed militia.”

  I was beginning to see why Bob wanted the SAF in on this. I started to think aloud.

  “All right, worst case. These hostiles. Most likely an African outfit they’ve paid to do the job.”

  Keller raised his eyebrows. “I figured they’d use a Russian-trained squad. More reliable.”

  I shook my head. “Think about it. They’re planning on worst case, too. Things could go wrong for them. Your guys could put up a credible resistance and bring some of them down, or record them talking, or transmit some pictures. It’d be better if they at least looked and sounded like locals.”

  “I guess you’re right. So these guys kill the Cuprex delegation and the Mirovoi people walk off without a scratch. How do they explain that to the world?”

  “I don’t know. It’d be too risky for the Russians to stick around, though. They’d have to find some pretext for leaving the scene.”

  He chewed the inside of his lip. “That wouldn’t be tough to arrange. They just say they need to consult among themselves. Actually what they do is quit the building and haul ass. Afterwards they say it was because they weren’t making any progress. Incident? What incident? Must’ve been something that happened after they left.”

  I grimaced. “Anything more on that disk?”

  “There’s a walk-through of the lodge. You wanna see?”

  “Yeah, go ahead.”

  It wasn’t a movie; it was an interactive display.

  “I think the architect did this to sell the design,” he said. “Now they use it for prospective customers. You can get it on line.”

  We viewed the exterior of the property from several angles, zoomed through the entrance to go inside, and explored some of the corridors, meeting rooms, and bedrooms before emerging at the front again.

  “Seen enough?”

  “Yes, that’ll do. Okay. The best way to plan a defence is to put ourselves in the position of the attackers. How are they going to do it?”

  “Break in, spray everyone with bullets. Work from room to room.”

  “I doubt it. Guys like this don’t like taking risks, and they could meet opposition. It’s a fair-sized site, too, so they could screw up and leave some of your people alive.”

  “Fire?”

  “Much easier. Toss in incendiary grenades, here, here, and here. Lots of noise, flames, panic. The walls are stone up to this level. Above that it’s mostly wood, by the look of it – including the roof. The place would go up in seconds. Those who don’t get fried run out and the squad is waiting there to pick them off. Job done.”

  "Shit." Keller frowned. “How do we defend against that?”

  “I’ll tell you. Have one of your guys watch the Russians closely. If at any time they withdraw and go to their vehicles, he tells all your people to get the hell out of there.”

  “Right, I’ll watch the bastards like a hawk.”

  “You’re going yourself?”

  He gave a short laugh. “Look, if my CEO gets knocked off and these Russian characters take over the company I’m out of a job. I need to see it doesn’t happen.”

  I looked at him for a moment. He seemed pretty convinced that something was in the wind. I wondered if Harken was right to give this operation so little support. I went back to the screen.

  “I take it these lakes at the entrance are artificial.”

  “Must be, there’s no other surface water for miles. I guess it’s to improve the view – all the meeting rooms and lounges are on that side. You can see better on one of the stills… there.”

  I studied the picture closely. “Those lakes may be for more than just appearance; they may be to keep the local wildlife at a safe distance. See the way the paving overlaps the edges so nothing can wade in? Okay, let’s take another look at the front of the lodge. This is the entrance, in the middle, and guests come and go over the little bridge?”

  “Correct.”

  “Can we go back to the satellite view and zoom out a bit? I want to see how the opposition would make their approach.”

  Keller selected the last satellite view, then gestured again and the scene shrank.

  “Pretty open, isn’t it?” I said.

  “Maybe they used up all the trees when they were building the lodge.”

  “It’s big game territory, Max. Elephant probably did that.”

  Keller pointed. “The trees are denser here.”

  “Let’s get some contours.”

  He moved a hand and selected one of the icons that appeared at the margin. I studied the pattern of lines.

  “Right, so essentially the lodge has been cut into a slope with the entrance facing south. The ground rises to the east and drops away towards those trees to the west. Where’s the scale? I can’t see how far the trees
are from the target.”

  He selected another icon and scaled rulers appeared across the top and down one side of the view. I bent over the screen, looking back and forth.

  “About three hundred metres.”

  He pointed. “But that side of the lodge is pretty much blind. It’s only bedrooms, and the windows are small and high. Nobody would see if they came up through the woodland and along that side of the building.”

  I nodded. “It’s the only way they could do it – there’s no cover for them anywhere else.” I straightened up and folded my arms. “Okay, there’s just one problem left.”

  “What’s that?”

  “There’s no cover for us, either.”

  2

  I saw Keller safely off camp. On the way back I phoned the senior NCO, Sergeant Major McCaffrey, and told him I wanted Captain van der Loos in my office. David arrived ten minutes later, flushed and a little out of breath.

  “What’s up, Colonel?”

  “Have a seat, David.”

  It didn’t seem all that long ago that I was a Captain myself, being briefed by Colonel Harken. Now Harken was a Brigadier General and while he was away – usually in Washington – I was Acting CO. I really wanted to go out on missions myself, but the closest I got these days was organising logistical support and coordinating the activities of the guys in the field. This operation was different: Harken was on site at the moment and I sensed the opportunity for action. He’d asked me to take charge of it. That’s precisely what I intended to do.

  David was looking at me expectantly. He had a nice, open countenance, and features I’d have called English if his name, van der Loos, didn’t suggest an ancestry somewhere in the Low Countries. I could picture him in civilian life with his blond hair long and floppy, but of course he now wore it in the close-cropped fashion that was regulation in the Force.

  He was a pleasant enough chap, but I knew he wasn’t popular with the ORs. It was a problem of self-esteem as much as anything. He was anxious for approval to a degree I found disturbing, and the others must have picked it up. If he’d had a good day on the firing range he wouldn’t just be pleased with the score; he’d come away fretting openly about the points he’d dropped. I was prepared to believe he set himself high standards but we all did that, and we didn’t expect a pat on the back for it. There was one thing you could depend on in this outfit: if you made a pig’s breakfast of something, someone was going to let you know, swiftly, loudly, and in very colourful language. Still, I made allowances. He hadn’t said anything to me about his background, but you could tell from the way he acted and spoke that he wasn’t your average grunt, and it was my guess that the van der Looses weren't an under-privileged family. Maybe he had a lot to live up to.

  I could have dug out his CV but I had better things to do; once guys are in the Force I tend to judge them on what they are, not what they’ve been. In his case there was a clear need for more field experience, but that wasn’t the only reason I’d brought him in.

  “David, the month before last we sent you on a course. Was it useful?”

  “Yes, I thought so. Very.”

  “Good, because I have a problem that may need a technical solution, and you’re probably more up-to-date than any of us just now on what’s available. Come round here and take a look at this.”

  Keller had left me the memory tile and I went through the entire mission and the likely scenarios in detail again.

  “You think they’ll torch the place?” David asked.

  “I’m almost sure of it.”

  “Where are the fire exits?”

  “The entrance, and one in each wing, opening out onto the back.”

  He chewed his lip. “There’s limited access at the front because of this lake feature. An attacker could go over the bridge and roll a couple of grenades in, but it would take time for the fire to spread. The picture windows would be better, but if they’re laminated glass a grenade could bounce back.”

  He was putting himself in the role of the opposition. I approved of that.

  “What then, under-barrel grenade launcher?”

  “Yes. Smaller canisters, but if he fired off several in quick succession the effect would be just as big. He’d have to drop back and do it from the far side of the lakes. That wouldn’t be a problem.”

  Again he pored over the satellite view. “There’s not a lot of cover.”

  “That’s precisely the problem.”

  “Presumably they have safari vehicles. We could get in a couple of those and park them somewhere handy.”

  “If the hostiles are carrying grenade launchers those things would be death traps.”

  “True. The roof?”

  “Again, a smart grenade accurately ranged to explode overhead would wipe us out.”

  “If they have them.”

  “Even if they don’t, they could get the fire started and we’d be roasted up there.”

  “Mmm. How about an A310 not too far away? You could call it in if you see them coming.”

  “I thought of that. Two objections. One, it costs plenty to have one of those things and a crew on standby, and we’re on a tight budget. Two, the most likely approach for the hostiles is from that woodland on the west side of the lodge. That’s only about three hundred metres away. It’s uphill, but it’d take less than a minute to cover it. By the time our attack craft arrived it’d be too late – the hostiles could already be up at the lodge, putting the grenades in. Trying to target them from the air would put everyone at risk, especially anyone trying to get out.”

  “Well, there’s only one thing left: area denial munitions between the wood and the lodge.”

  “Mine the open ground, you mean?”

  “Yes.”

  “There’s only a week to go. It’s going to look a bit obvious, isn’t it?”

  “I was thinking of pencil mines. All you need is an auger; they create hardly any ground disturbance at all.”

  “Those things are antipersonnel. They’re effective if you tread on them but the area’s full of wild life. Something’s bound to set them off.”

  “You can replace the proximity sensor with a remote trigger. The radiofrequency antenna just looks like a short blade of grass. Nothing apart from the right signal will set them off. Do that on each one”

  I held up a finger. “I didn’t know that. Sounds good – just the sort of thing I was hoping you’d come up with.”

  He flushed with the praise but it was deserved; things were beginning to fall into place for me now.

  “Okay,” I continued. “One thing more. I need to know what’s going on out front of the lodge. If something’s about to happen, the Russians will make an exit. That’ll give us some advance warning.”

  “Can I have another look at your stills of the front of the lodge?”

  He studied them in turn. Then he said, “Mount a miniature video camera on the roof. There’s a satellite dish up there already; we can make it look like part of the installation. Transmit to a receiver-recorder. That can be wherever you like.”

  “Can you handle an installation like that, David? And the pencil mines?”

  “Sure. Remote triggering and sensing were the main goals of the course.”

  “All right, then. Requisition all the gear you need. You’re coming with me on this one.”

  3

  We entered the woodland before dawn. There were a few chirps and buzzes from insects, but otherwise it was deathly quiet, and it seemed like we were the only living things awake. We know how to move quietly when we want to, but we didn't want to: the last thing we needed was to surprise a large predator lurking in the bush. The idea was to penetrate just a short distance into the trees on the outer margin, deep enough to conceal our position but with a good view of the ground sloping up between us and the side of the lodge.

  The woodland provided the only available cover so we’d reccied it a couple of days earlier. The vegetation was thick at the edges. However, there were fewer low-g
rowing shrubs deeper inside, probably because it was a regular route for light grazers. For that reason I reckoned an attack group of any size would be most likely to come through the middle. If we were in the thicker stuff towards the edges we could escape notice.

  With me were Vince and Idowu. I’d been on missions with Vince before; he was an excellent shot and cool under fire. Idowu had been a tracker in his native Congo before he joined the Rangers and then the SAF. His skills could be useful on this job.

  David had taken up a similar position on the opposite side of the woodland with Charlie and Sally. Sally Kent was one of a small number of female soldiers with the SAF. We didn’t operate a quota for women but not many could meet our physical standards. The few that did compensated for any deficiencies in that department with sheer guts and determination. Sally was one of the best, and placing her with David was a calculated move on my part. Charlie Holcroft was a veteran in the Force and I knew he’d provide solid support. Before we deployed I gave them one last pep talk. We could set up a good crossfire from these positions but on no account were we to engage the enemy in the woodland. Doing that would be an excellent way of killing each other.

  The sun rose and the pitch blackness of the landscape began to acquire form, first in shades of grey and then in washed-out colour. I sensed the rise in temperature almost immediately. We were shielded from direct sunlight here among the trees, and it was probably ten degrees cooler than in the open, but the heat was in the very air we breathed and our shirts were soon sticking to our backs. I brushed a sweaty palm down my trousers, then switched on the video receiver and checked that the miniature camera was operating. David had done a good job. The view over the front of the lodge was cut off by the roof but the only thing missing was the entrance and the little bridge; the rest of the lake feature and the ground beyond it were clearly visible. What I couldn’t test was the panel with the arming switch – which powered up the transmitter – and the array of buttons, each of which sent a pulse-coded address to one of the pencil mines. I switched off the video receiver and spoke briefly into the throat mike to remind everyone to maintain silence from now on. Then we settled down to wait.