Stan Mason - Stopping World War Three

He placed the bags in the boot of the car together with the single trampoline when, suddenly, there was a tremendous howl like the wail of a banshee penetrating the night air.

‘Someone’s set off the alarm,’ shouted Devon with surprise. He thought hard for a moment. ‘Would you believe it! Someone else is trying to get in to steal those plans!’

I realise why Schmuel Musaphia had recalled me from Turkey so quickly, urging me to raid the weaponry division. There was competition and somehow he knew they intended to get there before me. All hell broke loose in the complex. A number of security guards raced out of their huts brandishing weapons, while others brought some vicious dogs onto the scene. Six of them jumped into two jeeps and drove off towards the research centre. Before they could get anywhere near the building, a solitary figure raced towards the fence in the darkness to the point where our car was parked. As he reached the fence, on the inside, he shouted to us in desperation.

‘You’ve got to help me!’ he pleaded. ‘You must help me!’

It was Tomar Duran with fear written all over his face.

‘Use the trampoline over there to get you over the top,’ suggested Devon helpfully, with an element of mercy showing through the careless façade he portrayed.

Duran stared at the trampoline for a few moments in confusion and then looked over his shoulder at the two jeeps approached the area. Realising what he had to do, he took a number of paces backwards and raced forward at speed. However, only one of his feet hit the surface of the trampoline and he lost height from the start. To his credit, he almost made it but a miss is as good as a mile, especially when stakes are at their highest. His body struck the fence near to the top and the flashes emanating from contact with the electrified fence lit up the night sky for a brief moment. Tomar Duran may have escaped death in Crete but this time it was for keeps! We drove away from the security area before the security guards arrived without leaving a trace of our presence behind. The plans still existed intact on their computer system while they would have thought that Duran had brought the trampoline with him. It would be inconceivable that two robberies would be taking place at the weaponry division at the same time… but that’s what had happened. And even if the computer pundits discovered that someone had gained entry into the system, there was nothing they could do about it!

The sweet smell of success was exceptionally good for morale. To achieve entry to the weaponry division and secure the plans fo the laser gun undetected, amid the wealth of technology employed in the security system by professionals, was quite remarkable. All my concern about the competence of Chris Devon for the task had been unnecessary. He had proved himself to be more than capable, showing skill and ingenuity, surpassing all my expectations. Not even the barbecued body of Tomar Duran could smother my jubilation. I drove Devon back to his home and helped him remove the equipment from the boot of the car into his garage. Then we went upstairs to unwind and he took a small bottle of brandy out of a cupboard.

‘I keep this for special occasions,’ he told me, pouring the liquid into two stained goblets. ‘Here!’ he went on, passing one of them to me. ‘I think we deserve it… don’t you?’

‘You deserve it,’ I retorted, not wishing to pretend that I had them to me. ‘I think we deserve it… don’t you?’

‘You deserve it,’ I retorted, not wishing to pretend that I had contributed anything to the success of the operation. ‘I don’t know what financial arrangements were made but I hope that you’re going to be paid well.’

He rocked his head from side to side in a thoughtful fashion. ‘They’re pretty good when it comes to money,’ he told me candidly. ‘Enough to set me up for a year. I’m not a spendthrift as you can see. In fact if I’d been poorer I’d have still had my teeth. I’ve got a sweet tooth so whenever I earn any money I buy lots of sweets and chocolate. My teeth have worn away,’

‘If I ask you a sensitive question, would you answer it honestly,’ I ventured. He shrugged his shoulders aimlessly so I continued. ‘Would you really have used those weapons you took with you in the complex… to kill innocent guards if the alarm went off?’

‘Man!’ he laughed, ‘you really are somethin’! Do you think I carried two bags of weapons and ammunition with me just for fun? No way! A few years ago I went to prison for somethin’ much less than what we did tonight. The judge was a bastard! He must have woken up on the wrong side of the bed that mornin’ and he threw the book at me. I made myself a promise that if I was ever caught again. I’d fight my way out of it and do whatever was needed to escape. I don’t intend to go to jail again… not now, not ever!’

It was my turn to shrug and I visualised both of us facing about eight security guards jumping out of their jeeps as we distributed death with machine-guns and grenades in the middle of the night.

‘Why actually hired you for this job?’ I asked impertinently. ‘Who’s going to pay you?’

‘Is this some kind of a trick question or are you double-checking?’ he riposted. He observed the quizzical expression on my face before he continued. ‘Oh, come on, man! What’s all this cloak-and-dagger stuff? You know your wife booked me for it!’

‘No, you’re mistaken,’ I returned. ‘Penny’s not my wife.’

‘I know Penny’s not your wife,’ he repeated as though I was trying to fool him. I’m talking about your wife… Janice! The first time I met her was when she defended me in Court a few years back.’

I stared at him in disbelief as the hair stood up at the back of my neck. ‘Jan’s the one who’s going to pay you,’ I asked him with my mind going into a whirl.

‘Well not out of her own money, man. The organisation’ll pay but she’s the one dealing with it.’

I swallowed the whole glass of brandy in one swig and took a deep breath. Jan was a solicitor. That much was correct. But how did she come to be involved with the 21st Century Crusaders, if indeed she was working with them… and why didn’t she confide in me?

I left the house and sat in the car nursing my mobile telephone. The revelation by Devon had sickened me and I was more confused than ever. Did anything serious happen to Jan… I mean was she abducted or not? Having been to The Golden Peacock to find that she had left the hotel of her own accord it seemed not to be so. Perhaps they had arranged for a double for her… the same way as they did for Penny and myself. Suddenly, I was beginning to lose track on who were the originals and who were the doubles.

I rang Schmuel Musaphia on the number he made me memorise and he answered immediately as though he had been sitting by the telephone waiting for it to ring.

‘I’ve got it!’ I boasted loudly. ‘I’ve got the plans on microfilm!’

‘Good!’ he congratulated with a token of excitement in his voice. ‘I must have that film tonight!’

I felt the edge of annoyance in my head. ‘At this time? It’s very late! Can’t it wait until tomorrow?’

‘Listen to me carefully,’ he ordered firmly. ‘Drive to Leyton underground station and wait for me there. I’ll be about twenty minutes. I must have that film tonight!’

The line went dead and I sat in the car for a while. My destination was only a short distance away so there was no discomfort on my part in getting there. The question was now one of morality. Should I give Schmuel Musaphia the plans or not? After all, I had only met him three times in high-class hotels. I really knew nothing about him and I was holding something very precious which could bring a fortune if offered to the outside world. He was an old man. Did he want to do something evil or wicked before he passed on to his maker? I now understood how