SAECULUM ( A Novel: Part 27) – MATUTINUM V, VI, VII & VIII

SOL OCCAXUS (Sunset) Monday, 19 September, 2011

CREPUSCULUM (Evening Twilight)

I. Friday, 23 September, 2011
II. Thursday, 29 September, 2011
III. Thursday, 29 September, 2011
IV. Sunday, 16 October, 2011

VESPER (Evening Dusk)

I. Sunday, 23 October, 2011
II. Sunday, 30 October, 2011
III. Wednesday, 9 November, 2011
IV. Monday, 14 November, 2011
V. Monday, 14 November, 2011

CONCUBIUM (First Sleep – Coitus – Rest)

I. Thursday, 17 November 2011
II. Sunday, 20 November, 2011
III. Friday, 25 November, 2011
IV. Thursday, 1 December, 2011
V. Thursday, 1 December, 2011
VI. Thursday, 8 December, 2011
VII. Sunday, 11 December, 2011

INTEMPESTIUM (Midnight)

I. Sunday, 1 January, 2012
II. Thursday, 5 January, 2012
III. Saturday, 7 January, 2012
IV. Monday, 16 January, 2012
V. Sunday, 29 January, 2012
VI. Sunday, 29 January, 2012
VII. Friday, 3 February, 2012
VIII. Friday, 3 February, 2012

GALLICINIUM (Cock Crow)

I. Sunday, 12 February, 2012
II. Saturday, 18 February, 2012
III. Wednesday, 22 February, 2012

MATUTINUM (Dawn Goddess)

I. Monday, 27 February, 2012
II. Sunday, 4 March, 2012
III. Sunday, 4 March, 2012
IV. Friday, 9 March, 2012
V. Friday, 16 March, 2012
VI. Friday, 16 March, 2012
VII. Friday, 16 March, 2012
VIII. Friday, 16 March, 2012
IX.
X.
XI.
XII.
XIII.
XIV.

DILUCULUM (Dawn Twilight)
I.
II.
III.
IV.

SOLI ORTUS (Sunrise)

MATUTINUM

DAWN GODDESS

V

After General Arnold and the agents Karl and Sommers left to go downstairs the bedroom became very quiet apart from the noise of Dave’s breathing. It came in short bursts as he listened intently through the earmuffs of a radio direction mike. Moving closer, Michael Mara saw that one of the cables coursing across the floor had become detached from the mike’s receiver unit. He tapped Dave on the shoulder and whispered, “Dave.”

The agent startled. “What?”

“One of the cables has come loose.” Michael pointed towards the ground.

“What? Oh thanks.”

Michael watched as the previously cool agent flustered while reattaching the cable. “Are you picking up anything? May I listen?”

“What? Oh no. It’s very garbled. There was a mention of your stealth virus however and Alexander was wondering where you might be.”

“If only he knew!”

“Yeah,” the agent agreed as he replaced the earmuffs.

VI

From where Alexander, Isabella, al-Sa’igh and Sancho sat they could see the groaning Israeli Hertzog being dragged through the front door. His legs trailed behind him and he had one hand clasped over the weeping eye. Zoë looked back briefly at Alexander before she descended the steps. Isabella saw him give a slight but unmistakable nod of his head.

“What is the agenda now, Sahib al-Zuhur?” the Afghan, al-Sa’igh asked as he pulled a tin of tobacco from his pocket and began to roll a cigarette. Expertly he soon finished and offered the tin to Sancho. The smell of hashish wafted through the room.

Alexander waited for them to finish. He declined to smoke. “Mara’s business partner, the Australian Rod Mallory, will be here shortly under the pretense of finalizing my take-over plans for Hoxygene. I’ll use him to flush Mara out. You, and Sancho are to make yourselves scarce.”

“I did not mean your commercial activities, Overlord, though I wish them well. May Allah watch over you,” Hasan al-Sa’igh said in an irritated manner. Isabella saw Alexander bristle as the Nuristani continued, “I need to know how we are going to tackle the Taliban. You have the Voice as requested as well as access to the opium. My people will question my wisdom in these matters unless I can bring back a workable plan as well as funding.”

“I understand your concerns, Sahib al-Sa’igh and that is why I have asked Sancho to be here.”

“What do you mean Overlord?”

“Sancho and his fellow members of the Khannakiya have agreed, for a considerable consideration it must be said, to undertake the task of assassinating all of the Taliban leadership. This will - ”

“Is that true Sancho? Are you a member of the Khannakiya? Tell me!” Isabella looked shocked as she shot out the words.

“It is true, Solis, my sister.”

“I was saying, if you would allow me continue,” Alexander said with an amused sarcastic tone in his voice. He enjoyed revealing the unexpected. Nobody could relax. “They will be ready to begin their onerous duty in the New Year. Training camps are at operational status near Khorsud in Tajikistan. Targeting and information gathering is taking place as we speak. At that point, al-Sa’igh, you and your people had better be prepared to move. We will get one opportunity and one only. Do you understand?”

“Of course, Overlord. Forgive my doubts. May Allah bless you. We will hang and gut the dogs on their goalposts in Kabul. It will be a splendid victory. ”

“And profitable. You and Sancho will return together to Zurich. Some time will need to be taken to co-ordinate your operations. My chalet in Flims is at your disposal.”

“Thank you again, Overlord.”

In the background they all suddenly heard the sounds of muffled shots. Alexander stood up to getter a better view through the open doorway and Isabella joined him. He put an arm around her waist. She did not move away. “No loose ends, Solis. No loose ends!” he said. Suddenly the forecourt lights came on and both Zoë and the shaven-headed girl, who were standing near the rear of the car, startled and instantly stopped what they were doing. Alexander laughed as he spoke into a small microphone attached to his shirt, “Security. That must be Mallory. Confirm.”

“One Range Rover. Blacked-out windows. Moving very slowly. Two occupants,” a voice replied.

“Any other activity.”

“No. Vibration sensors and infra-red beams functioning at optimal status.”

“Good,” Alexander said as watch as the large jeep draw up. Zoë and the shaven-headed girl rushed up the steps. Zoë reached him first. “You and Jena were like rabbits out there. You seem very nervous Zoë. Why?”

“I have a strange sensation that we are being watched. I cannot pinpoint it,” the athlete assassin shrugged.

“When Mallory arrives you and Jena check out the car. Go outside and wait on the steps.” Alexander activated his mike again. “Security! Turn on weapons scan in doorway!”

“Copy that. Are you armed, Overlord?” The woman’s tone was polite.

“Yes.”

“Step away a little bit more please. You will activate the machine.”

Alexander stepped back into the shadows to where Isabella had waited and they watched as the large vehicle pulled up. The engine was cut and the car’s headlights turned off but there was no movement to open the doors. He waited. “Security. What the fuck is happening?” he rasped with an edge in his voice.

“Sensors indicate an opened telecommunications link from the car. Probably making a telephone call. Cannot be more specific than that,” the female security officer explained.

“Shit.” Alexander pulled away from Isabella. “Security. Zoë and Jena are going outside and will check the car. Order full perimeter check, section by section. Night vision equipment. Now!”

“Permission to shut down vibration and infra-red sensors.”

“Section by section only. Stay ahead of them. Understand!”

“Understood.”

VII

The two men in the car inhaled deeply. “It’s some set up. Our sensors and cameras confirm vibration mikes and infra-red. What should we do?” Luis Gonzalez asked.

Rod Mallory could see two women waiting near the top of the steps that led up to the house. “They look nervous," he observed. "I suspect that they will check us out and then the car. We’ll wait here for a while. Let them stew a bit. Force them to act.” Mallory pressed a console button to activate an open line to his teams. “This will get them going,” he laughed.

Eventually the two women outside the doorway of the house began to descend the steps. They made no secret of the fact that they carried guns. A small jeep exited from a side entrance and with screeching wheels accelerated down the driveway.

“Bingo, you beauts, a textbook response,” Rod Mallory said sarcastically as he watched. He lifted the console handset and spoke in a low voice. “Sierra One. Patrol coming, two lizards. Await opportunity to take them out. Once in, use the driveway. Frontal take out. Sierra Two. Probably another patrol dispatched to a different sector. Move to valley side of house. Wait for my signal. Over and out.” The connection severed, Mallory pushed the door open and exited the car. He bounded, with a big grin on his face past the two women on the steps, towards the doorway.

VIII

General Bob Arnold sat down in the chair beside the agent who was operating the console of monitors in the downstairs lounge. “What’s going on?”

“Put on this ear piece, General. We’ve lost the signal from inside the house but I’m getting good reception from the courtyard and doorway area. The villa is going hot.” The agent did not divert his eyes from the screens as he pushed the radio headset towards Arnold.

“What do you mean?” Arnold picked up the headset and put it on.

“Listen and look at that monitor sir. Alexander has started issuing lots of orders and something is happening on the steps.” The agent pointed to one of the screens. Two shadowy figures could be seen dragging a third person down the steps towards one of the parked cars. Reaching a large Mercedes sedan the bigger of two helpers leant the slumping third over the shinning silver bonnet while the other pulled out a set of keys and deactivated the cars central locking.

“Who’s that over the hood?” Arnold moved in close to the screen.

“The Israeli Hertzog, I think,” the agent answered.

“Drunk?” Arnold offered.

There was a brief silence. “Perhaps. They are being very rough with him though. Jesus!”

“What?” It was Hank Summers voice. He stood behind Arnold and the agent at the console. “Its very dark but the smaller of the two figures is opening the trunk. They are shoving Hertzog into the fucken’ trunk.”

“What should we do?” Arnold looked up at Sommers.

“Radio the field team to try and get closer. Hold it . . . Shit!” They watched as one of the women drew a gun and pointed it into the trunk. They couldn’t see Hertzog’s body but two distinct ppfaaaft sounds were picked up on the mikes.

“Jesus, they’ve murdered him.” Arnold stood up. “We’re fucken useless over here.”

Just at that moment the vibration and audio mikes lit up their signals. “Car coming.” The console agent said as he flicked a switch. “Bravo team. Car coming. Confirm previous instruction on movement. This is opportunity to move within perimeter. Copy?”

“Copy base. Moving in.” The response was a metallic echo.

The forecourt lights came on again. The monitor pictures were no longer hazy. The scene was lit up like a night hunt. “They must be activated by the roadway sensors. It’s caught those two who have just shot Hertzog out. Who are they?” Arnold asked.

“Taller shaven-headed woman unidentified but Alexander called her Jena. House security staff probably. Codename assigned Amazon One. Smaller red-headed woman recognized, codename Zoë,” Hank Sommers answered.

“That’s Zoë, Isabella Sanjil’s cousin, the girl who left me back to the café,” Michael suddenly said quietly from behind them as he and Dave arrived down from the upper floor.

They then all watched silently as the trunk was closed and the two women ran back up the steps and into the house. After a few minutes they came back out again and took up a position near the top of the steps. The incoming jeep soon drew up into the forecourt and stopped. Nothing happened for the next five minutes and the lack of activity irritated them all. “What gives?” Arnold asked.

At that precise moment the passenger door opened and a tall man unwound himself from the seat and stepped out. “Rod Mallory. What the fuck is he doing here?”

Arnold, Sommers and the console agent all turned simultaneously to see Michael Mara staring, his face flushed, at the monitor screens.

“Mallory identity confirmed,” Karl shouted from the far side of the room and a smaller bank of screens.

They then watched as the Australian bounded up the steps past the descending women. They seemed to hesitate for a moment, glaring at him as they unslung their weapons. Ignoring them, Mallory reached the patio in front of the doorway where he stopped abruptly and turned to walk towards the side of the house that overlooked the valley. There was a small low balcony wall and he leant against it.

“What’s he doing?” Arnold spoke again.

“Pretending to take in the view. He’s . . . he’s planting something on the outside wall, just under the balcony. It’s. . . camera three, zoom in. . . there, see!” Karl pointed to the enlarged and rapidly enhancing screen image. “It looks like a gun. Confirm Bravo One.”

“Confirmed. Automatic pistol. Beretta probably.”

“What the hell is happening here guys? Would somebody please fucken tell me,” Arnold said angrily.