Matthew Reilly - Scarecrow Returns

DRAGON ISLAND

4 APRIL, 1400 HOURS

T PLUS 3:00 HOURS AFTER DEADLINE

It’s easy to feel when the daisies return to the battlefield that no battle was ever fought at all.

—GRE TEL KILLEEN

AIRSPACE OVER DRAGON ISLAND

1400 HOURS

SCHOFIELD’S ANTONOV shot through the air at phenomenal speed.

On the distant northern horizon, Schofield saw the silhouette of Dragon Island: its jagged southern mountains, and on the northern plateau, the disc-shaped tower with its lone spire and the two colossal vents.

He keyed the Antonov’s radio. “American listening post, do you copy? This is Captain Shane Schofield, USMC, in distress. Is anyone out there monitoring this frequency?”

A voice immediately came on the line, jabbering in angry Russian. Then suddenly, static cut over him and an American voice came in.

“ Captain Schofield, hold for secure line ,” some clicks, then: “ Captain Schofield, this is United States Air Force Listening Post Bravo-Charlie-Six-Niner, operating out of Eareckson Air Station in the Aleutian Islands. We’d been instructed to keep an ear out for you, in case you called. Please state your service number and comm-security passcode for verification. ”

Schofield did so, adding, “Now put me through to the White House Situation Room.”

“Patching you through now, sir.”

The President’s crisis team were still gathered in the White House Situation Room. With them now, however, were two extra people from the Defense Intelligence Agency: Dave Fairfax and Marianne Retter. And the CIA’s representative was no longer present: when Dave and Marianne had commenced their briefing, they had requested that he leave the room.

When word came in that Scarecrow was on the line, the National Security Advisor and former Marine general, Donald Harris, jammed his finger down on the speakerphone.

“Scarecrow, Don Harris. I have the President and the crisis team here with me. Where are you and what’s happened with the atmospheric device?”

“ I stopped the activation of the device, sir, but I need to know: with the uplink signal down, have the Russians launched a nuke at Dragon? ”

“Yes, they have. Three minutes ago.”

“ How long till it hits? ”

“Nineteen minutes.”

“ Shit. Can you get the Russians to self-destruct it? ”

“No. Satellite scans reveal that this missile’s guidance control systems have been disabled to prevent any outside takeover, even from its own base. After what happened to the last nuke they fired at Dragon, the Russians made sure this one would hit its target. Nothing can stop that missile now.”

There was silence on the other end of the line.

“Scarecrow?” Harris asked. “Where are you?”

“ In a plane about sixty klicks south of Dragon. ”

“Then what the hell are you thinking? Get out of there. In nineteen minutes that island is gonna be a mushroom cloud.”

“ I have people back there, sir ,” Schofield’s voice said.

The President leaned forward.

“Captain Schofield, this is the President—”

“ Excuse me, sir, but by any chance did a guy named Dave Fairfax get in touch with the White House? ”

The President turned to look at Fairfax.

“Why, yes, in fact he did. He drove right through the side gate, actually. He’s here now, with Ms. Retter from the DIA. They were just briefing us on some CIA plan called ‘Dragonslayer’ and an agent named Calderon.”

“ I’ve been doing battle with Mr. Calderon all morning. Hey, Dave. ”

“Hey, Scarecrow,” Fairfax said to the speakerphone, aware of all the eyes now on him. “How ya doin’ over there?”

“ I died for a while, but I’m okay now. Thanks for everything, buddy. That info you sent made all the difference. Hope it didn’t get you into too much trouble. ”

“A little,” Dave said.

“ Well, thanks. Tell the DIA director and the President that this Marine thinks you deserve a promotion. And Mr. President, one more thing. I may have stopped the ignition of the atmospheric device, but Calderon got away—the bastard had an exit plan—but he’ll have to turn up at Langley sometime. I may not come back from this, but I want him brought in. Can you do that for me? ”

“We’ll find him,” the President said. “You have my word on that, Captain.”

“ Thank you, sir. I’ve gotta go now. I just arrived back at Dragon. ”

THE ANTONOV soared over Dragon Island.

Schofield checked the timer on his old Casio digital watch. As soon as he’d been told that the Russian nuke was nineteen minutes out, he’d started the watch’s timer. It was now at:

14:41 . . . 14:40 . . . 14:39 . . .

Schofield did the calculations in his head. Another minute to land—perhaps ten to find whoever of his team was still alive: Zack, Emma, Mother, Baba and Champion—and then four to get back on the Antonov and get to MSD, minimum safe distance from the blast.

The numbers didn’t look good. There wasn’t nearly enough time, nor did he have enough weaponry to take on the Army of Thieves. All he had was Bertie on his back—out of ammo—and a couple of pistols he’d found on the Antonov.

Either we all survive together or we all die together , he remembered his own words back in their camp.

“Fuck it,” he said.

He scanned the base as he came in for landing and saw men running every which way.

The Army of Thieves had lost not only its supreme leader but its whole command group. Now the thugs were looking for someone to tell them what was happening and what to do.

He keyed Bertie’s short-range radio: “Mother, Baba! Zack, Emma! Renard! Can any of you hear me—?”

A man’s voice came in. “ I hear ya, buddy, although I sure ain’t your fucking mother .”

“ I hear ya, too ,” another reedy voice hissed. “ Calling for your mommy, eh? I think I fucked her once and she loved every minute of it. ”

There was no reply from Mother, Baba or any of the—

“ Captain, it’s me ,” a softer voice came in.

It was Zack.

“ I’m alive and have E with me .” Knowing others were listening, he was obviously being careful not to mention Emma’s name.

“We gotta get everyone off this island. You’ve got nine minutes to meet me at the spot where Baba emptied out some diesel fuel.” Schofield didn’t want to broadcast their meeting point.

“ Copy that. See you there. ”

A few seconds later, a woman’s voice came in, her accent French:

“ Scarecrow, this is ”—a pained cough—“ Renard. You ”—cough—“ came back? ”

“Where are you now, Renard?”

“ Where you left me. But I have ”— Blam! a gunshot, loud and close—“ a bit of a problem here. ”

“Stay there. I’m on my way.”

Blam! Another. “ Hurry .”

“ Ooh, aah! Yeah, stay there, Renard, we’re coming, too! ” another voice mimicked Champion’s over the airwaves.

14:01 . . . 14:00 . . . 13:59 . . .

As he banked over Dragon Island, Schofield tried to reach Mother and Baba, but he only got more crude replies from snarling Thieves.

Nothing from Mother or Baba.

Damn . . . he thought sadly.

Schofield brought the Antonov in for landing, shooting past the mighty vents before sweeping low over the disc-shaped tower—with one of its spires now lying on its side—and touching down on the runway. The Antonov’s tires hit the tarmac and it taxied down the length of the runway, before pulling up fifty meters short of the western cliffs.