A feeling of melancholy overcame Jen. This was not a dig to find answers about the past to help explain why the Goliath had disappeared. This was nothing more than a naked grab for wealth and power.
A flame flickered in Romanov’s eyes while he stared at Jen, knowing that shortly she would bring him one step closer to his goal. Once he had the jewels, he would be able to offer the hardline nationalists a symbol from the past, a symbol with which he would ultimately cement his hold on Russia. However, Romanov had no intention whatsoever in sharing his newfound power and wealth with the nationalist fanatics that he had so carefully financed and nurtured. Once installed as ruler of Russia, he would unleash the army against the rebels and exterminate them all, like so many unwanted vermin.
“Now, ladies, we are wasting precious time. Please come with me, I want to show you the crash site,” said Romanov.
Led by a couple of Romanov’s thugs, Jen and Mrs. March walked to the edge of the ridge. Stopping, they looked down into a brightly-lit excavation site. Jen edged forward as her curiosity grew. Peering down into the ever-growing hole dug out of the hard rock and sand, she could see tall industrial searchlights illuminating the dig site, making it seem as bright as day inside the pit. At least two hundred Mauritanian soldiers slogged away with pick and shovel to remove the tons of debris covering the mangled remains of the Goliath. Jen had not known what to expect at the crash site, but the partial remains of the outer structure of the airship thrust out of the sand like the rib cage of some long-dead giant prehistoric beast. Looking around, Jen saw more well-armed men walking the perimeter of the site, keeping a watchful eye out into the pitch-black desert. They were a mix of nationalities and sexes. They did not look like the men in the pit; these people all looked like hardened killers to Jen. Just looking at them made a cold shiver ran up her spine.
Romanov walked over and stood beside Jen and her mother. In his hands was an iPad tablet with a computer-enhanced schematic of the Goliath’s superstructure superimposed upon the dig site.
“Now, Miss March, take a look at this and tell me where I should have my men dig,” said Romanov.
Taking the tablet in her hands, fear gripped Jen’s soul. She had no idea where the jewels could be. Looking at the image on the screen, Jen saw that the Goliath must have hit the ground nose first, as it appeared to have collapsed in on itself upon impact. She’d spent countless hours reading about the Goliath, but now, looking down at the image on the screen, Jen found it hard to discern one part of the airship from another.
Romanov turned his cold gaze on Jen. “Well, Miss March, where are the jewels?”
Jen fought to control the panic growing inside her mind. She looked down at the screen and froze. There was no way in hell she could possibly know where the jewels were.
The sound of a pistol being loaded snapped Jen out of her paralysis. Looking over, she felt her heart sink. Romanov stood there with a pistol pointed at her mother’s head.
“Jen, please!” pleaded her mother.
Her heart was racing in her chest. Jen bit her lip and then looked down at the image; nothing was coming to her. She felt like screaming at the top of her lungs that she was not what Romanov believed she was, when she heard the hammer on Romanov’s pistol being pulled back. Fearing for her mother’s life, Jen closed her eyes and then jabbed her finger on the screen and held it there.
Romanov calmly released the hammer on his pistol and walked over to see where Jen was pointing on the schematic. Her finger rested on a spot no more than twenty or so meters from where the soldiers were currently digging.
“See, Jen, I knew you could do it,” said Romanov as he gently took the tablet out of her shaking hands.
Jen was about to say something, when her mother moved over beside her and wrapped her arms around her. Both women looked at one another, wishing that they could wake from the horrid nightmare in which they found themselves trapped.
Romanov saved the image on the screen and, at the top of his lungs, called over the dig supervisor to give him new orders.
Looking over at Romanov, Jen could not decide if she had given him what he wanted or only bought them a few more hours of life. There was no doubt in her mind that the instant Romanov got what he wanted, he would have them both killed. Holding her mother tight in her arms, Jen took a deep breath and then peered up into the night sky. With a prayer on her lips, she wondered where Mitchell was and if he was even alive. Something deep down told her that he had survived the crash and would never rest until he found her. With a small smile on her lips, Jen knew that as long as she was alive the chance existed. He would come for her. Suddenly the night seemed less dark; there was hope.
24
Sweat ran like a stream down Jackson’s forehead. The rough ground, strewn with rocks as big as their Rover and deep holes spread throughout the uneven desert terrain, made driving hard at the best of times. Driving in the dark with NVGs was proving to be quite the challenge for Jackson.
It took them close to an hour to cover the ten kilometers from their hiding spot to the sheer cliff rising a hundred meters into the night sky like an impenetrable rock wall barring their way ahead. They were relieved to find that this portion of the desert seemed devoid of anyone else. If the army was busy looking for intruders, thankfully they weren’t doing it in this area.
Jackson parked the vehicle in a dry river gully and climbed out of his seat with his shirt glued to his body from perspiration.
Grabbing his AK, Mitchell moved over beside Jackson, who was busy shaking out the tense muscles in his forearms. Removing his NVGs, Mitchell let his eyes begin their adjustment to the clear star-filled night.
“Now, what are we going to do? And please don’t tell me that we’re going to climb that cliff in the dark,” said Jackson, rubbing out the ache in his neck.
“Ok then, I won’t tell you, but limber up, old man,” said Mitchell as he slung his rifle over his back.
Turning about, Mitchell walked over beside Fahimah and said, “Sorry to do this to you, but you’re going have to stay here while Nate and I see what’s going on up there.”
Fahimah nodded her head in understanding.
Mitchell moved over to the jeep, dug under his seat, and then pulled out a Russian-made 9mm Makarov pistol. “Can you work this?” Mitchell asked as he handed the pistol to Fahimah.
With a wink, Fahimah pulled the slide lever back, chambering a round. “Mister Mitchell, I may be an intelligence analyst, but I try to attend all the range practices I can back at the complex.”
Mitchell smiled at Fahimah and grabbed one of the hardened briefcases they had stowed in the back of the jeep. Opening it, he removed something that looked like a child’s toy. In Mitchell’s hand was a mini UAV that looked to Fahimah like a giant insect. It had four rotor blades on arms that extended out from the body of the craft and a powerful mini-camera that could send back images in clear or in thermal. Switching it on, Mitchell quickly checked that all of its systems were working before placing it on the hood of the Rover.
“Ok then, let’s see what we can see,” said Mitchell, as he moved his finger over the mouse pad of a small control tablet. Instantly, the UAV rose into the air. Moving his finger from side to side to get a feel for the UAV’s capabilities, Mitchell looked up at the cliff face and then sent the UAV climbing up into the night sky.
Fahimah and Jackson stood quietly, watching the feed on another small-handled screen.
It took the UAV mere seconds to reach the top of the cliff. Hovering in the dark, the UAV swung around so its camera could observe and record what it could see. Switching the camera over to thermal, Mitchell scanned the rocky terrain, looking for heat signatures that could indicate if soldiers were moving around up there. Seeing none, Mitchell sent the UAV up higher into the night sky. A few seconds later, the brightly-lit dig site came into view. The UAV’s distance was limited to one kilometer; it might make it over to the site, but then again, it might not. Mitchell decided not to press his luck. Banking the craft over, he looked for anyone hiding among the rocks, but found that the ground was cold and empty. He had seen enough and quickly brought the UAV back down to the Rover.