Andy McDermott - The Tomb Of Hercules

Sophia nodded. “Mysterious women all over the world? Mm-hmm.”

“TD,” said Chase, making introductions, “this is Dr. Nina Wilde”-Nina couldn’t help noticing that he had omitted any mention of their relationship-“and Sophia Blackwood. Nina, Sophia, this is a good friend of mine, TD.”

TD’s curious expression indicated that she knew of Sophia’s past connection to Chase, but she didn’t comment on it. Instead, she shook their hands, her grip strong. “Good to meet you both.”

“How do you know Eddie?” Nina asked.

Chase shot her a warning look-more military secrets he wanted to keep, Nina guessed-but TD simply smirked at him before answering. “I’m a pilot, I have my own plane. Eddie and his chums have hired me to fly them to…” She grinned again at Chase, who seemed to have developed a facial tic. “… various workplaces around Africa. You know what his work is like, I’m sure!”

“Not so much now,” Chase cut in. “I usually sit behind a desk these days.”

“Oh, what a shame!” TD’s accent was a melodious mélange of West African intonations, hints of French and Dutch blended in. “I hope you’re not getting rusty in your old age!”

“I’m keeping my hand in,” said Chase, not amused at the “old age” remark. “You got everything I asked for?”

“In my plane. Come on.” TD jerked a thumb at a battered open-top Land Rover waiting nearby. The temperature was warm, in the midseventies, but not oppressively hot. “I got your parcel as well. I was impressed-I didn’t know you could send handguns by courier flight!”

“Working for the U.N. has the occasional perk. Like customs waivers and ‘do not x-ray’ stickers.”

They headed for the Land Rover, Nina at the rear of the little group. She looked TD up and down as they walked. She was not the first of Chase’s helpful international “girlfriends” Nina had met, and while it didn’t seem that his relationships with any of them went beyond friendship, she couldn’t help wondering what it was about him that inspired such loyalty. Especially when he could be so infuriating at times.

Maybe that was it, she thought. He never stayed around long enough to drive them mad.

TD certainly stood out among the others. She was easily over six feet tall, her height increased by a pair of chunky-heeled cowboy boots. And she dressed to draw the eye, wearing a pair of shorts that were only an inch of material away from qualifying as hot pants and a cutoff shirt that exposed her well-toned midriff. Her long hair was braided, the strands flowing down her back through a red baseball cap with its top cut out. Nina had no doubt that she attracted a lot of male attention-and also that she could handle it on her own terms. TD’s sole piece of clothing that could be described as “modest” was a faded denim jacket-under which, Nina was certain, was hidden a holstered gun.

They climbed into the Land Rover. TD drove them across Gaborone airport, her hair flapping in the wind. “You didn’t give me a lot of time to prepare for you,” she told Chase. “Twenty-four hours-it was tough!”

“But you managed it, right?”

“Of course! Have I ever let you down?”

“Only romantically,” Chase said, smiling.

TD laughed. “But the media passes, they were the hardest part,” she continued, serious again. “I would never have been able to get them without the information you gave me-not without a much bigger bribe than I could have managed at such short notice, anyway. How did you get it?”

“That was my doing,” said Sophia. “I still have friends within my husband’s company, and some access to its computer network. I was able to set things up for you.”

“Well, thank you! I always like it when someone makes my life a little easier-especially on a job like this!”

They reached a hangar section, windblown old structures housing light aircraft. TD pulled into one of the buildings. “This is my plane,” she said proudly.

Nina wasn’t sure that the plane actually was anything to be proud of-the twin-engine aircraft, its fuselage painted a time-scoured taxicab yellow, looked at least forty years old. “Oh, don’t worry,” TD told her, correctly reading her expression, “I take very good care of her, and in return she takes very good care of me!”

“Piper Twin Comanche,” Chase added. “Small enough to land pretty much anywhere, even on bush strips-and big enough to carry a team and their gear. And this one’s got a few extra tricks in case we need to make a quick getaway. Which after we have words with Yuen, I think we might need to.”

“Try not to kill President Molowe in the cross fire,” TD warned as she unlocked the plane’s hatch. “I voted for him.”

“Don’t worry, I’ll be careful. I’ve already got a death sentence on me in two African countries; I don’t need another one.”

“You’ve got what?” Nina yelped.

“Nothing to worry about,” Chase quickly assured her.

She spotted something on the aircraft’s wing. “Is that-is that a bullet hole?”

“Nothing to worry about!”

TD flew them some 450 miles north by northwest from Gaborone. Their course took them over the vast desert plains and dry bushlands of the Kalahari before they descended towards a private airstrip fifty miles west of the town of Maun.

Chase sat in the copilot’s seat. Nina looked over his shoulder in amazement at the view to the north. Beyond the dusty desert was a vast swath of vibrant greenery stretching over the horizon.

“The Okavango Delta,” TD piped up. “Biggest inland delta in the world. And a huge wildlife reserve, as well. If you weren’t here on business, I’d give you a tour!”

“Maybe later,” said Chase. “Besides, you’ve seen one pissed-off hippo, you’ve seen ’em all.”

TD smiled, then spoke to somebody on the ground over her headset to receive final landing instructions. The plane banked, turning westwards. The distant beauty of the delta was replaced by…

“Bloody hell,” muttered Chase. “That’s an eyesore.”

“I’m afraid environmentalism and diamond mining don’t mix,” Sophia said.

Nina couldn’t agree more. Ahead, growing rapidly as the plane descended, was Yuen’s diamond mine, a colossal crater gouged out of the earth. Nina could make out yellow vehicles moving up and down the long paths spiraling down to the base of the giant pit; she did a double take when she realized they were still miles from the hole. The trucks were enormous, in keeping with the terrifying scale of the mine itself.

Beyond the pit were numerous warehouselike buildings and cylindrical towers, all on the same massive scale. The whole complex of pit and support buildings spanned over a mile, and the distant fences around the mine suggested plenty of room for expansion.

The Twin Comanche made a bumpy landing, taxiing to the end of the runway and being directed into a large parking area off to one side. There were already numerous other aircraft on the ground, ranging from small chartered props to corporate jets. It was clearly a major event.

With equally major security.

Chase, Nina and Sophia-TD remained in the plane-were met at a cordon by a group of unsmiling armed men. Private security, not Botswanan armed forces. It took Chase only a moment’s observation to tell that they had military training. Their stance, alertness and hold on their weapons a dead giveaway. As he approached, he deliberately relaxed his own stance, trying to look as undisciplined as possible as he shambled up to the checkpoint with two heavy bags of equipment.

One of the guards held up a hand, his companions subtly shifting position to cover the new arrivals. “Good afternoon, welcome to the Ygem diamond mine,” he said mechanically. “May I see your visitor passes and identification, please?”