Part 15 (1/2)
”Thomas, it's time to go,” Brent told him for the nth time, checking his HUD for maps of the area. ”Take Copperfield Avenue northeast toward the woods. Shooting you the grid points now. Go around past the academy, and just keep moving through. We'll link up with you there.”
”I'm taking George with me.”
”We'll come back for him. I promise. You cannot cannot afford to be captured.” afford to be captured.”
”I'm not leaving my brother!”
Brent wanted to scream, but didn't. ”You need to go.”
Thomas hesitated.
”Voeckler, I'm warning you ...”
”I know! I know!”
Brent hardened his voice. ”Then ... get out of there. Run! Right ... now ...”
”We can't run. We need to make them pay.”
”We will. Later.”
”I need your word!”
”Jesus, dude, you got it. Just go!”
”All right. You watch this ...”
Thomas's tone was beginning to harden, too, and that was a relief. Brent needed him angry enough to stay alive so he could exact revenge. There would come a time.
After a deep breath audible through his microphone, the Splinter Cell took off in an impressive sprint, but not before shouting erupted behind him, along with gunfire.
”They've tagged you!” cried Brent.
Thomas cursed and bolted even faster down the street, suddenly ducking behind a row of parked cars. He glanced over his shoulder.
Three Spetsnaz troops charged after him.
Manoj Chopra pulled into the petrol filling station. There were no other cars.
The Snow Maiden instructed Chopra to shut off the engine and hand her the keys. She took them and said, ”Everybody out.”
”Please, no violence,” Chopra said.
She didn't answer.
They went into the small convenience store, where two old men stood behind the counter.
Without a word, the Snow Maiden raised her pistol, even as Chopra gasped.
The men barely had time to widen their eyes before they were tumbling to the floor.
It all happened too quickly for Chopra to fully comprehend. That someone could kill in such a cool and casual manner woke a hard shudder across his shoulders.
Hussein seemed less surprised this time, glancing up at her and asking in an eerily calm voice, ”Can I get a drink before we leave?”
”Get me one, too,” she said. ”Some juice.”
”Okay.”
”Are we this cavalier about murder?” shouted Chopra.
The Snow Maiden rolled her eyes, crossed around the counter, and began working one of the touch-screen computers to activate the filling pump.
”If you're hungry or thirsty, better shop now,” she told him.
Chopra eyed the men lying behind the counter. He had no thirst, no appet.i.te. Blood pooled around their bodies.
”I thought you promised not to kill,” he said.
”I did not,” she spat back. ”I said I make no promises. Let's go.”
Chopra just stared at her. ”You're a monster. And if I didn't have something you wanted, you would've killed me already.”
”What's your point?”
”My point is that balance will return, once you are gone from this world. Balance will return.”
She shrugged. ”Get yourself some cookies, and get back in the car. Hussein? Have you ever pumped gasoline?”
”You must be joking,” said the young sheikh, handing her a bottle of juice.
She popped the cap. ”There's a first time for everything.”
Brent wasn't sure how many now, four or five maybe, but they were on Thomas's tail, gaining on him as he reached the heavily wooded perimeter of the Royal Military Academy. Because the Russians had full control of the target area, this was at best a rescue operation of his remaining operator. They could engage in a stand-up fight against the Russians, but for what? He no longer believed they'd gain much from searching the house, and the Russians might have already secured evidence that indicated the Snow Maiden had been there.
Brent repressed a chill. Was his career already over? The Snow Maiden was gone.
Only for now, he convinced himself. Dennison was working in coordination with a dozen other agencies, and Brent had just learned that the Russian jamming had stopped, so eyes in the sky were busy probing every inch of the U.K. for their target.