Andy Mcdermott - Temple of the Gods

‘What about the blast radius?’

‘I’d say you want to be at least fifty yards clear — more if you’re taking out something that might produce shrapnel.’

‘We’ll definitely want to be more than fifty yards away, then,’ said Nina.

‘I see.’ Alderley took a sip from his bottle of Coca-Cola. ‘You’re really not going to give me any more than that? Even after everything I’ve done to get you here?’

She shook her head. ‘This will probably sound like a horrible spy cliché, but the less you know the better. The people we’re trying to avoid are extremely powerful.’

‘How powerful?’

‘Enough to have the ear of presidents.’

‘And bring down ex-presidents,’ Eddie added.

Alderley’s eyebrows flicked up. ‘Dalton?’ Nina nodded. ‘I was wondering what kicked that off. The Yanks usually let their former leaders get away with anything short of murder, so I thought something major had to be going on. You know, you two really do pick quite a high class of enemies.’

‘They seem to pick us ,’ Nina sighed. ‘But I’d imagine they probably have prime ministers on their speed-dials as well. Which is why we wanted to keep you out of the loop.’

‘Well, if anyone at MI6 asks why I used my holiday allowance to make a last-minute excursion to Africa,’ said Alderley unhappily, ‘I’ll just have to come up with some convincing excuse. If one exists.’

‘Tell ’em you found a 1973 Capri head gasket on the Ethiopian eBay and had to collect it in person,’ suggested Eddie with a smirk.

‘It’s a ’71 ,’ came the irritable reply, before his face became more sombre. ‘But… you found out who was behind Mac’s death, so that’s why I’m taking the risk. I owe you that much. You helped lay him to rest.’

Eddie’s mood became equally downbeat as he remembered his friend and mentor. ‘He’s not properly laid to rest yet,’ he said. ‘Not until we stop these arseholes. And I take care of Stikes.’

‘This isn’t about revenge,’ Nina gently reminded him. ‘It won’t bring Mac back. And you were the one who always said that revenge isn’t professional.’

‘Stikes stopped it being professional when he made it personal. When he made it about family. It’s the same with soldiers, cops… probably spooks too,’ he said, with a look at Alderley, who nodded. ‘You fuck with someone’s family, then you deserve anything you get.’

‘Speaking of family,’ said Alderley, ‘I really should get back to mine.’ He finished his Coke and stood. ‘So good luck with… whatever the hell you’re doing.’

Nina also stood and shook his hand, then kissed his cheek. ‘Thank you for everything, Peter.’

‘Helping your husband put me in rather an in-for-a-penny-in-for-a-pound situation, so I thought I might as well go all-out. Try not to let the world get destroyed, eh?’

‘Not on my watch,’ said Eddie. ‘Thanks, Alderley.’ There was an awkward silence before the two men finally shared a brief handshake.

‘No kiss?’ said Alderley.

‘Go on, fuck off,’ said Eddie, but with a smile. The MI6 officer grinned, then exited the café. ‘Thought he’d never leave.’

‘Oh, stop that. And we’d better leave ourselves.’ Through his contacts, Alderley had arranged supplies and transport in the form of a battered old Land Rover.

Eddie picked up the rucksack containing the explosives. ‘Where exactly are we going?’

Nina made an uncertain face. ‘That’s a very good question.’

The Afar Depression is appropriately named. Not only does the huge area contain the lowest point in Africa, over five hundred feet below sea level, but it is also likely to bring misery to anyone entering it. One of the hottest places on earth, it is also one of the most desolate, a great expanse of desert where only the hardiest scrubby vegetation survives. Within its boundaries there are no roads and, beyond a few isolated villages and nomadic tribes, no people. Adding to its inhospitability is the very nature of the region, a widening geological rift producing a chain of active volcanoes and even one of the world’s few lava lakes.

The Land Rover was three hours out of Dubti, heading north by northwest, and even that small town now seemed like a metropolis in hindsight. The baking desert stretched endlessly away to the rippling horizon in all directions. The 4×4 had a GPS receiver on its dashboard, but it couldn’t provide Nina and Eddie with a countdown of the distance to their destination. The reason was simple: they didn’t actually know where they were going.

Not on a map, at least. Nina was providing directions, but that didn’t stop Eddie, driving, from giving her a dubious look as the Land Rover jolted across the stony plain. ‘You sure we’re going the right way?’

It was not the first time he had asked the question. ‘No, I’m not sure, Eddie,’ she said tiredly, taking a mouthful of unpleasantly warm water from a plastic bottle. ‘I have a feeling , that’s all.’

‘Trusting your feelings is fine for Jedi, but I’d be a lot happier with something a bit more definite.’

‘So would I, but it’s all there is. So we’ll have to make do.’

‘Can’t you even explain it better?’

‘No, Eddie, I can’t!’ She composed herself, taking another drink before replacing the cap. ‘Sorry. I didn’t mean…’

‘Yeah, I know.’ He was silent for a moment, then with uncharacteristic hesitation said, ‘And… there’s something I want to say sorry for.’

‘What?’

‘When we were in Peru, and I found out about Nan… I blamed you for me not being able to see her again before she died. I shouldn’t have done. It wasn’t your fault, and I’m sorry.’

She put her hand on his shoulder. ‘That’s okay. I know what you were feeling. I was the same when I learned that my parents had died.’

‘Even so, I shouldn’t—’

‘Eddie.’ She stroked his cheek. ‘It’s okay. Really.’

A small smile of gratitude. ‘Thanks.’

They drove on, Eddie surveying the parched desert. It was as inhospitable and empty a place as they had ever visited. ‘So, this feeling of yours,’ he said. ‘Wish I could figure out how it works.’

‘Yeah, me too!’ Nina regarded the desolation ahead. ‘I can’t really describe it. I just know somehow that it’s in this direction. If all life on the planet really did originate from the meteorite, then technically everybody is connected to it at a genetic level. The earth energy effect apparently lets me feel that more directly.’

‘I thought it only worked when you were holding the statues — and that you had to be somewhere where the energy lines connect.’

‘So did I. But this is more like an after-effect, an echo. It’s like…’ She struggled to find the words. ‘The best I can manage is that I can… feel it tickling my subconscious, I guess. It’s this way. Somewhere.’

‘An idea how far would be good.’

‘Afraid it’s not as precise as GPS. Sorry.’

They drove on. Another hour passed. Eddie squinted into the distance — then looked sharply round at something in his peripheral vision. ‘What?’ Nina asked.

‘There’s a plane over there.’ Sunlight glinted off a tiny dot in the sky to the northeast.

Nina’s fatigue was instantly replaced by concern. ‘The Group?’

He snorted. ‘How would I know? I don’t have bionic eyes. It’s a long way off, though.’

‘Where’s it going?’

Eddie stopped the 4×4 and stared intently into the blue void. ‘Might be on its way to Djibouti.’

‘Or it might be searching for the meteorite.’

‘Or us.’

Nina looked into the back of the Land Rover. The rucksack had been secured in the cargo bed, padded as best they could manage against the vehicle’s jolts by other bags. ‘So long as we have time to blow up the stone before they find us, that’s the most important thing.’