Andy McDermott - The Tomb Of Hercules

Nina and Chase sat on a small, worn couch. “So, what’s your problem with this guy?” Nina asked quietly.

Chase glared at Alderley. “SAS and MI6 sometimes do joint ops, with a spook as a sort of overseer. We went after some al-Qaeda wanker who was hiding out in a village in Pakistan-it was a secret op since Pakistan’s supposed to be an ally. Went in and bagged the guy without any trouble, but then this twat”-he jabbed a finger at Alderley-“decides to cover our tracks by blowing up half the fucking village!”

“It was an entirely normal false flag operation so we could blame al-Qaeda for making bombs in a civilian area and lose them Pakistani support,” said Alderley patronizingly, barely looking up from the computer. “And it was hardly half the village, it was three houses at most, and they were probably terrorist sympathizers anyway. You were the only person in the unit who objected.”

“Yeah, and I bet your nose still hurts.”

Alderley self-consciously rubbed the bridge of his nose, which Nina noticed for the first time had a prominent bump, the relic of an old break. “Anyway,” he said, “I have some news for you.”

Chase sat up. “Let me guess. Good kind and bad kind?”

“Actually, yes. The good news is that Mac isn’t dead.”

“He’s okay?” Nina asked excitedly.

“That depends on your definition of okay. Apparently he jumped out of a window just before his entire house blew up. He’s in a coma.”

Nina gripped Chase’s hand. “Oh no…”

“And the bad news, for you two at least, is that as soon as I put your names into the system all kinds of warnings came up.” He leaned back in his chair, resting his right hand across his chest-just an inch from the shoulder holster now visible beneath his jacket. “You’ve been busy. Diamond theft, assassinating the Botswanan minister of trade… Mac must have pulled some very long strings just to get you back to England. And then you follow that by blowing up his house and murdering a Chinese American billionaire!”

“We didn’t kill anybody!” Nina cried, before thinking about it. “Okay, maybe a few,” she corrected. “But they were all bad guys!”

“Sophia Blackwood’s behind the whole thing,” Chase said.

Alderley gave him a dubious frown. “You mean Lady Sophia Blackwood?”

“Yep.”

“Your ex-wife?”

“And Richard Yuen’s ex-wife as well. And René Corvus’s, seeing as he was just shot through the heart, and she’s to blame. Although I bet she hasn’t made that public yet. Having two billionaire husbands die in four days might make people a bit suspicious.”

Alderley checked the computer, raising his eyebrows. “You’re right-it says here that she married this Corvus chap the day after the other one was killed. Nothing about him dying, though.”

“She did it to gain control of both their companies,” Nina told him. “Yuen was using uranium he was secretly mining in Botswana to make atomic bombs that he planned to sell to terrorists. Sophia killed him so she could marry Corvus and he could start up his own little nuclear-armed Fantasy Island… but then she killed him too!”

“And now she’s got a nuke,” Chase continued. “Problem is, we don’t know where she’s taken it or what she wants to do with it.”

“Something to do with the financial markets,” said Nina. “That’s why Corvus wanted the contents of the Tomb of Hercules, to act as security. Presumably Sophia wants it for the same purpose-but with a different motive.”

“The Tomb of Hercules, hmm?” Alderley said, pursing his lips dubiously. “As in the Greek god?”

“Well, technically just a demigod , as he didn’t actually ascend to divine status until after he died-”

“I don’t think he wants a history lesson,” said Chase.

Alderley tapped a finger on his chin. “This all sounds, ah, quite insane, actually. Uranium mines? Nuclear bombs? Ancient tombs? Hercules?” He turned to Chase. “And you’re saying that your ex-wife is behind it all?”

“Mac believed us,” said Chase firmly. “He was going to persuade MI6 to check out the uranium mine.”

“Too bad he’s not in any condition to confirm that. Or maybe that’s a good thing, from your perspective.” The MI6 agent’s right hand slid towards his holster again.

“He believed us enough to get us out of Africa,” Nina said. “And enough to get Eddie the documents he needed to go to Switzerland. I’m sure you’ll be able to confirm that much.”

With a wary eye on Chase, Alderley worked the computer. “So he did. And he must have used up a few favors to pull it off so fast…”

“Mac trusted us,” Nina pleaded. “If you can too, then we have a chance of stopping whatever Sophia intends to do. Before she sets off her nuke.”

Alderley looked conflicted, but also exasperated. “It’s your word against hers,” he said. “And to be honest, she has a lot more credibility than you do. She’s titled, she’s a member of the establishment-and you’re both wanted for murder!”

“Having a title doesn’t stop you from being dodgy,” Chase reminded him. “There’s a couple of lords who’ve ended up in the slammer.”

“Even if I believe you, and I’m not making any promises, I don’t see what I can do. If I tell MI6 that I have you, they’ll just order me to arrest you both.”

“Then don’t tell ’em,” said Chase. “Just say you’ve found out something that means MI6 needs to check into what Sophia’s been doing in Botswana and Switzerland.”

“I can’t do that without telling them how I found out,” Alderley insisted, “and as soon as I do, they’ll order me to arrest you and we’ll be back where we started!”

“There must be some way you can help us,” Nina said.

“Not without proof of what you’ve told me.” Chase snorted. “Big smoking crater not enough for you?”

“If there isn’t a nuclear weapon at the bottom of it, then no. Just because Mac believed you doesn’t mean anyone else will, and so far all I’ve had from you are accusations. That isn’t proof.”

“What if we could get you proof?” asked Nina thoughtfully.

Alderley leaned back. “Considering your current lack of credibility, the kind of proof I’d need to show MI6 would more or less have to be a nuclear bomb with his ex-wife’s fingerprints all over it, tied up with a pretty bow.”

“We’ll get it.”

Chase looked at her. “We will?”

“Okay, maybe not the pretty bow. But if we find Sophia, we’ll find the bomb. And if we find the bomb, then Mr. Alderley can do what he needs to do.”

“How will she be traveling?” asked Alderley.

“In one of Corvus’s private jets.”

He nodded. “Shouldn’t be any problem to track down.”

Nina waved a hand at the computer. “Please, be my guest!”

“It’s in the air,” Alderley reported a few minutes later. “Took off about an hour ago.”

“Where’s it headed?” Chase asked.

“Flight plan says… Marsh Harbour. The Bahamas.”

“The Bahamas?” Chase’s expression became more intense. “That’s where Corvus was testing his underwater city stuff.”

Alderley checked the computer again. “Nearly all of Corvus’s merchant ships are registered in the Bahamas.” More clicking. “And it’s listed as his primary country of residence for tax purposes.”

“If he’s got a home there, it’s probably where Sophia’s going,” Chase realized. “She sure as fuck won’t be expecting to see us again. If we could catch her there…”

“Can you get us to the Bahamas?” Nina asked Alderley.

He blinked at her in momentary bewilderment before sitting upright. “Er, what? Are you serious?”