Chimera Code (Jake Dillon Adventure Thriller Series) (48 page)

Tatiana tapped Dillon on the shoulder, making him aware of
their unwanted aerial entourage and banked the helicopter in a wide
circle, the two marauders following suit. Then he suddenly spun the
aircraft and opened fire with the machine cannons.

The two Assassin helicopters attempted to evade the heavycalibre bullets... And in doing so, collided in a sudden tangle of
twisting metal and razor sharp rotor blades cutting through canopies
and then came fire and explosions. They plummeted towards the sea
in a ball of fury.

Tatiana smiled; she tried to calm her pounding heart but failed.
Vince looked round and smiled, “You okay, luv? You look awfully
pale.”

Dillon flew the Apache low over the sea. The helicopters that he
had destroyed had sunk slowly beneath the cold waves of the English
Channel.

Bringing the helicopter round in one last sweep of the area,
Dillon’s mood was lifted by the sight of the catamaran - sunk...
The rain and wind continued to lash down.
Before very long, it was all over and the damaged Apache
helicopter limped back to the hanger.

A bitterly cold north-easterly wind blew in off the water, rain
lashed down, beating the smooth surface of the tarmac. The new
BMW-7 Series saloon sped through the torrent of surface water, along
roads that were as quiet as a graveyard; towards Baiter Park near to
Poole Quay. Turned left at the bottom of the road and headed out
towards the deserted car park by the slip-way

It was early. Four-thirty a.m. and not yet light.
The BMW stopped, engine ticking over, headlights beaming
out over the water; one of the back doors opened and a bruised and
battered Dillon, yet cleaned up and bandaged, feeling very nearly
whole again - stepped out onto the gravel and breathed deeply of
the salt laden morning air. The rain had stopped, he limped slowly
across to the water’s edge, wincing with every step, and halted, staring
out at the black water lapping at the shore. He pulled free a packet of
cigarettes, took one and lit the weed with his gold lighter.
Smoke plumed and danced on the cold damp air and Dillon
sighed.
He turned at the sound of another car; the Porsche Cayenne
cruised slowly past the luxury BMW and approached Dillon where he
stood beside the water.
A cold wind whipped across the open space as the Porsche
Cayenne cut its engine.
Dillon glanced in at the four suited men. One of the doors
opened and two men stepped out; it was Edward Levenson-Jones and
a man Dillon had never met before, and yet Dillon instinctively knew
that he was part of the Whitehall machine; he was tall, had the air of
authority, and was expensively dressed. Somewhere in his late fifties
with neatly groomed sandy coloured hair, wearing a full length black
overcoat of impeccable quality and tailoring.
“Jake.” LJ smiled at Dillon.
The other man stood beside the chief operations director of
Ferran & Cardini. “Mr Dillon.”
Dillon shook the man’s extended leather gloved hand.
Dillon nodded, drawing deep on his cigarette. “Good morning,
gentlemen.”
“Yes, I’m sure it will be later,” said the stranger. “Come, walk
with us.”
They walked along the path at the water’s edge, the wind blowing
beneath their collars and making coat tails flap. An occasional seagull
cried as it swept low in its quest for a breakfast…
“You know who I am?”
“No, I haven’t got a clue who you are.”
“That is probably for the best. But it has been brought to my
attention that after your recent... exploits, shall we say, you have
come to know rather a lot of things about Scorpion that maybe you
shouldn’t. And yet we cannot forget that you have sacrificed much,
coming out of your retirement - leading us to the core of the Assassin
network, and destroying this terrorist scum Ramus along with the
traitor Kirill.”
“Thanks. It’s not often a field agent gets paid a compliment or
words of thanks, I appreciate it.”
The man stopped and gazed out across the world’s second
largest natural harbour. He then turned and gazed deeply into Dillon’s
eyes.
“Hmm,” he said. And then Dillon spotted something in the
man’s gloved hand.
The man smiled.
“Here, this is our way of showing our appreciation. We thought
it was the least we could do in light of your contribution.”
Dillon opened the white envelope, and read the contents
carefully.
Looking the tall man in the eye, he said. “Well I’ll be... This is
dubiously generous.”
“Putting your castle in Scotland back together as it was, along
with the impressive hi-tech security equipment, is the least we can do,
Dillon. After all, if it hadn’t been for your sheer determination and
those extraordinary skills that you possess. We would all be in a very
different place now. A dark place that one shouldn’t think too much
about as it’s quite unthinkable.”
“I had a
lot
of help from a few very good friends. They deserve
to be rewarded as much as I do.”
“Oh, they will all be suitably rewarded for the vital part they all
played in averting the threat of a global meltdown.”
Dillon smiled warmly, staring out over the water. “Did they ever
find him?”
“No.”
“Oh.” Dillon scratched an imaginary itch on his chin. “Look,
you can be assured of my loyalty and secrecy concerning the things
that I have seen and heard during this assignment. I admit that I was
maybe a little hacked off about being tricked back into service; only
because I thought I had been targeted for a hit at the beginning of
these... shall we say, adventures. But it soon became apparent that I
was mistaken.” Dillon’s voice had turned somewhat cool. His eyes had
a glint and his mouth had set into a grim line.
The tall man nodded. “Information is power, Dillon. Look
what too much information did for Ramus and Kirill. You cannot tell
everybody everything; as the best field agent that Ferran & Cardini
has, you are still a tiny cog in the machine, only a small player in a
very large game. Those two individuals were enemies of every state,
who very nearly succeeded in bringing this planet to its knees because
of information: their knowledge; their complete understanding: the
things that they
shouldn’t
have known.”
Dillon ran a hand back through his hair. He flicked his cigarette
butt into the water. The black waves took it and extinguished the
glowing tip. The wind howled softly; Dillon shivered, remembering
the beatings he’d endured over the last few days.
“I have questions...” said Dillon.
The man held up his gloved hand. He shook his head in the
negative, just once.
“Maybe another time, Dillon.”
Dillon smiled sardonically. “You mean another time as in never?”
“It’s for your own protection,” said the man. He smiled then, but
it was an uncertain smile, a smile without humour - a smile used by a
face not used to the expression. “I want you to remember Dillon, that
contrary to popular belief - people like you are not expendable.” He
lit a slim Cuban cigar. Held it delicately.
Dillon met the tall man’s gaze: greenish eyes, hooded from
years of overworking and masking a thousand emotions. Their stares
locked for a long time. Dillon held the man’s cool look. Without
another word, he nodded, turned and strolled leisurely along the path,
admiring the beauty of the natural harbour.
LJ held back for a moment, both men staring out across the
water, hands deep in pockets. “You did well, Jake. You did really well.
The partner’s want me to convey their eternal thanks and; I know this
is not really the time, but that a situation has come to light that requires
someone with special talents - the kind of talent that you possess. If
you’re interested, then come and see me when you return from your
holiday.” The two men shook hands. LJ turned and strode off to the
waiting luxury 4x4. He climbed back into the Porsche Cayenne which
started its engine, turned, and was gone.
Dillon turned back, staring out over the black waves. He
shivered, pulling the collar of his coat tighter around his neck. He
lit another cigarette. He heard the footsteps approaching and did not
turn. Tatiana came and stood beside him, staring out across the water
and Brownsea Island. They remained there in silence and then she
looked up at him. “You alright, Dillon?”
He nodded.
“They want you to join them?”
“They?”
“You do know who it was you were just talking to?”
“Haven’t the foggiest. All I know is that my home has been fully
restored to its former glory. So who was he?”
“Let’s just say that you’re a very lucky man, who has ingratiated
himself with one of the most powerful men in England.” Tatiana
took his hand; their fingers entwined and squeezed.
“You are a lucky man, Dillon,” she said. “Lucky to be alive.”
“Listen luv,” said Dillon grinning. “Lucky is my middle name.”
“Come on; let’s get back to the others. We have a party to go to.”
“What. At five o’clock
in the morning
?”
“Well, it’s the tail end of a party. You know what Alix and Lola
are like. They’ll still be drinking.”
“Where are they?”
“Sandbanks. LJ took out a short rental on a place named,
Emporio, it’s one of the most amazing properties I’ve ever seen,
Dillon. And it has the most breath-taking views overlooking the
harbour.”
Dillon nodded. “Yeah, I’m game,” he yawned. “Unless...”
“Yes?”
Their gazes met.
“I thought you would want to drink and sleep, in that order?”
Tatiana smiled.
“Oh, I’m not
that
tired. And the Champagne’s already on ice at
my place!”
“Really. But isn’t Scotland just a little too far away?”
“What. Oh, not Scotland. Here, out on the peninsula.”
“Are you kidding, Dillon. You own property down here.”
“I’ve always loved the place, Tats. Decided to invest about a year
ago when I left Ferran & Cardini and the prices hit an all-time low.”
“Oh, well in that case. I’m impressed Dillon.”
She moved away, and Dillon stood staring out across the water as
daylight started to break over the harbour. The cold breeze reminded
him of Scotland.
From the pocket of his overcoat he removed a small object: a
metallic looking disc. It rested in the palm of Dillon’s left hand and he
stood staring at it for a moment, wondering at the secrets it held. The
only surviving Chimera script in existence, and whoever possessed
it, also held the most destructive power on the planet. And he was
holding it in the palm of his hand...
“Time you didn’t exist,” he muttered.
Reaching back, he threw the silver disk as far out into the harbour
as he could. There was a tiny
splash
. The last copy of Chimera sank
without a trace in the deep water.
Dillon smiled softly.
“Thank God, it’s finally over,” he breathed. He walked back
towards the BMW thinking about LJ’s offer of another assignment.
Climbing into the warmth of the plush heated interior next to Tatiana,
he made a mental note to call his old boss when he returned from a
much needed holiday. The gleaming vehicle turned with a crunch of
tyres on the gravel and headed smoothly for the Sandbanks Peninsula...