Part 11 (1/2)

I can't hurt you. I'm dead. See? I'm not even breathing. Now come on over here and get your d.a.m.n knife you son of a Someone touched me.

I sprang to my feet, whirled, slashed with the knife. It was hardly an expert move but it would gain me some time. A few seconds to leap, to drive the point home and then - 'Benny what the h.e.l.l are you doing!' I swore.

Jason.

I sucked in a breath, tried to control the shakes. 'Where's the Soldier?'

'He's gone.' 'He'll be back.' 'What do you mean? He thinks you're dead.'

'He didn't retrieve his knife. He knew there could be others about. He's gone to get the others.'

'He'll be ages then.'

I almost screamed, 'Haven't you ever heard of radios? And compa.s.ses?'

'Oh.

'Yes, ”Oh”!' I sighed. 'We have to get out of here. Now. Get the others.'

We ran.

Well, we stumbled, we fell, we swore. But we moved. Dilaver lead us through the night. I didn't know where he was going and I didn't ask. I don't know how he managed to put one foot in front of the other. It seemed impossible. He did it anyway.

As we ran I thought of the people we were leaving behind. I thought of Raelsen. Was he alive or dead? I asked myself that question over and over again until I fell and almost broke my ankle.

I stopped wondering then and thought seriously about looking where I was going. I accepted Tanner's helping hand, and concentrated on putting one foot in front of the other in a frantic limp.

After twenty minutes Dilaver stopped. We all but b.u.mped into him in the darkness.

n.o.body spoke. n.o.body needed to.

There were voices. Gruff, male voices. Soldiers. One issued orders in a quiet voice.

Soldiers.

We had practically run into them.

'They must be following us.' That was Jason; fear edged his voice. Never mind, dear. I'm sure Denton will give you a hug.

I told him to shut up.

Dilaver moved backwards away from the voices. He began to circle the spot where the soldiers were. That wasn't easy because they were obviously moving forwards.

A thought struck me. There seemed to be more voices than those of the four soldiers Jason had described. What if Tammuz had called up reinforcements?

I suddenly remembered something Tanner had said earlier: 'Why are there soldiers on both mountains?'

It all clicked together.

The mountains were linked. The sites were linked. Both sets of soldiers had Geiger counters. Their actions had been identical. Whatever her affection for Jason, Denton was right about the nature of the geological formations here. Finding uranium on one mountain, let alone two, was about as likely as my growing wings.

This wasn't about uranium. Whether they realized it or not.

I thought that one through in a heartbeat. The answer was obvious; ironic and terrifying. Both forces were going to try to occupy each other's site.

And we were caught in the middle.

Dilaver yelped suddenly. The yelp was followed by the soft punch of a silenced gunshot. The sound of running footsteps stopped abruptly, in a sound like someone dropping a sack of vegetables.

Then nothing.

I stood quite still. I felt nothing. I was numb. Some part of me knew Dilaver was dead. Far away streaks of grey crept across the sky. Dawn was coming. Would it find us dead on this mountainside? Would it find me dead here?

Shapes emerged from the pre-dawn gloom. Soldiers. With guns. The soldiers pointed the guns at us.

'Benny!'

Jason turned to run. I reached out to grab him as guns s.h.i.+fted to cover us.

'Shut up, Jason. Keep still and shut up. Maybe they won't kill us.'

He shut up. It was a small victory. Getting out of this one seemed unlikely.

Denton, Schofield and Tanner pressed close. I saw Dilaver huddled nearby on the ground. He groaned, twisted.

We waited.

One of the figures said, 'Kneel down. Do not move. I do not want to kill you.' I recognised him from Jason's description.

Tammuz.

Tanner looked at me.

'Do as he says.'

We knelt.

Tammuz moved closer to us. He seemed on the point of speaking again when a shot punched the air and the soldier standing next to him fell over.

Immediately Tammuz and the others dived for cover.

I turned. More soldiers, grey shapes in the misty dawn, were clambering over the rocks.

Iraqis.

Samran.

A blood-red sun hoisted itself over the rocks.

The black insect shape of a military helicopter hung before it, rotors shredding the fog, black smoke coughing from its exhausts, weapons pods deployed and facing us.