Ice War (18 page)

“The icefloes have pretty much ceased to exist south of the Diomede Islands,” Watson said. “And the damage extends for over five kilometres south and west. If there are any tanks still in that area, they’re floating by themselves on a tiny bit of ice, and they won’t last long.”

“SAM activity has also completely ceased,” Russell said. “I think we’re in the clear.”

“All right, all right,” General Whitehead said, beaming. “Good work today. What were our losses?”

The room went quiet as Hundal read out a report of the F-35 fighters that were lost to the faster, better-armed Bzadian jets.

It was a heavy price.

Whitehead stood up at the head of the table. “During World War Two, Churchill said, ‘Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few’. He was referring to the Royal Air Force and how they held the line during the Battle of Britain. Well, it’s happened again, ladies and gentlemen. Our gallant aircrews have held the line for us, and although many have paid with their lives, their sacrifice was not in vain. Each year we get stronger. Each year our technology improves to match that of the alien invaders. Another winter without an invasion and I think we will be able to show these Pukes a few new tricks.”

This time there were cheers mixed in with the applause.

Wilton did not clap, nor did he cheer. His Angel friends had had a big part to play in what happened. Perhaps Whitehead was right, in a way he didn’t even know. Never before was so much owed by so many to so few. Six teenagers. Recon Team Angel. Were they alive or dead? Unless they made contact, he couldn’t know. He might never know.

The meeting hall smelled of smoke and rancid fish oil. Price had smelled worse. She followed Monster into the underground room, immensely happy that he was still alive.

The Inupiat filed in slowly and she scanned their faces, smiling at them all. Grateful for their help. The Inupiat sat around the outside walls, leaving space for the Angels in the centre. Price was struck by the quiet camaraderie of the locals. There was an air of success, as though they had just had a fruitful hunt, but none of the whooping and high-fiving of a group of ACOG soldiers after a successful mission. Yet they had taken on a larger force equipped with high-tech firepower, with weapons that had been around for thousands of years, and they had won.

Only when they were all seated did she turn back to Monster and raise an eyebrow.

“Emile?” she asked.

Monster shook his head.

Price nodded, acting calm, but her emotions were in turmoil. She had already convinced herself that both of them were dead. Then that they had both survived. It was worse somehow to have Emile snatched away a second time.

An old man began to speak in his own language and the room fell silent. The Inupiat listened with heads bowed and without expression. There was a short discussion when he finished, then most of the Inupiat stood and filed out, until only three remained.

Monster introduced them as Old Joe, Big Billy and Nukilik, then introduced Price and the team.

“Thank you for your help,” Price said.

Old Joe nodded but said nothing.

“Where have the others gone?” Monster asked.

“They need to prepare for a journey,” Nukilik said.

“A journey?” Monster asked.

Old Joe closed his eyes for a moment. “It is no longer safe for us here. The demons saw us helping you.”

“You think they will attack island?” Monster asked.

“Who can know?” Old Joe said. “We would not take that chance.”

“You know this, yet you helped us,” Monster said. “Where will you go?”

“There are many places,” Old Joe said. “Our people have lived here for generations. When it is safe, we will be back.”

“There are no words to expressing my gratitude,” Monster said.

“Words are not necessary,” Old Joe said.

Monster smiled, and agreed by raising his eyebrows. He turned to Price.

“I have something to tell you,” he said. “But is most secret.”

“Wait,” Price said, glancing at Wall. “Tell me later.”

Monster followed her glance. “You don’t trust Wall?”

She shook her head.

“Why?” Monster asked. He had gone very still.

“He’s a traitor,” Price said, “like Brogan.”

“Fezerker!” Monster said, his hands clenching into fists.

“Brogan was Ferzerker too?” Price asked. Monster didn’t answer her, but he didn’t need to. Suddenly, it all made sense.

Monster’s mouth closed tightly and he took three quick paces to cross the room, standing right in front of Wall. For the second time in her life, Price saw Monster truly angry. The first time had been on the dam at Wivenhoe with a Bzadian named Alizza. That had not ended well for Alizza.

“Go easy, Monster,” Price said. “He helped us.”

“Fezerker,” Monster said again.

“What she says is true,” Wall said mildly.

Long shadows from the tallow candles made dancing patterns on the faces that surrounded them. Monster’s fists clenched and unclenched. The Inupiat watched with interest, but made no move to interfere. Nor did they join in the conversation, preferring silence.

“I am Fezerker,” Wall said. “I grew up in Uluru, with a friend of yours.”

“She no friend of mine,” Monster’s voice was a low growl.

“You seem proud of this,” Price said.

Wall shook his head. “Not proud. Not ashamed. I didn’t choose where I was born, or how I was raised.”

None of us did, Price thought.

“Why did you help us escape?” Barnard asked.

“Believe it or not, I am on your side,” Wall said. “I’ve got something to tell you and you need to listen.”

“Shut your mouth, Puke.” Monster’s fists were raised.

It was as though all the tension of the last few hours, of the last few years, had boiled up inside him, and boiled over. Wall sat calmly, perhaps realising that doing anything to further inflame Monster might result in him getting torn to shreds.

“Does it even matter?” Barnard asked, clearly trying to ease the situation. “Let’s get out of this godforsaken place and get home. Get Wall back to ACOG for interrogation.”

“That would be a big mistake,” Wall said.

“I’m sure that’s what you want us to believe,” Price said.

“Let him speak,” Barnard said. “It can’t hurt.”

“Just don’t believe anything he says,” Price said. “If he’s like Brogan, then he’s trained to be a fluent liar.”

“Talk quick,” Monster said.

“There were no tanks,” Wall said.

“That’s bull,” The Tsar said. “We saw them.”

“We went inside one,” Price said, but she saw that Monster’s face was troubled. “Monster?” she asked.

“When we running from the missiles, I look back,” Monster said. “Saw some ‘tanks’ fall into sea.”

“So what’s the problem?” Price asked.

“No tank,” Monster said. “Only big pile of snow and ice.”

There was silence while they digested that.

“Maybe some of the hillocks were dummies,” The Tsar said. “To make the invasion force seem bigger than it really is.”

“They all were,” Wall said.

“That makes no sense,” Price said.

“I told you I had something to say,” Wall said. “Feel like listening now?”

“Tell us,” Price said.

“The hillocks were dummies,” Wall said. “Except for a few unmanned SAM batteries to make it look real. Nokz’z told me.”

“Why?” Price asked.

“Decoys,” Barnard said.

“Decoys,” Wall agreed. “Think about it. The Bzadians know that ACOG have only limited stockpiles of Tomahawks and icebreakers. They wasted most of them blowing up piles of snow and ice, and guess what, Angels, we’re the ones who told them to do it.”

“Do not say ‘we’ when talk about Angels,” Monster said.

Wall shrugged.

“If this whole thing was a decoy, where is the real attack?” The Tsar asked.

“Nokz’z didn’t say,” Wall said.

“It would have to be to the north,” Barnard said. “Decoy south, strike north.”

Old Joe cleared his throat. “Always to the north,” he said. “South is no good for tanks.”

“All we’ve got is Wall’s word for this,” Barnard said.

“What about Little Diomede?” Price asked. “How can they slip past the sensors?”

“One of the techs there is Fezerker,” Monster said. “Like Wall.”

“How do you know?” Price asked.

“Wilton told me. Brogan told him. The man, Able, he is Fezerker.”

“What about the other operator, the woman, Bowden?” Barnard asked.

“Wilton didn’t know,” Monster said.

“So we can assume that the sensors on Little Dio are out of action,” The Tsar said.

“In which case Wall could be telling the truth,” Barnard said. “There could be a whole invasion force there and nobody knows.”

“If so, we’re going to need proof,” Price said.

“If we can get into Little Diomede station,” The Tsar said, “I may be able to work out what they’ve done to the sensors.”

“No,” Monster said. “We must go north, find Puke army.”

“I think we need to do both,” Price said. “We need eyes on the invasion force, to make sure it’s there and that it’s not just piles of snow. But we also need to take control of Little Diomede. Plus we can use the radio there to alert ACOG of whatever we find.”

“Is too risky,” Monster said. He kicked at one of Wall’s feet. “He is lying. Tricking us. He just wants to save his own skin.”

Price looked at Wall, trying to see behind the eyes. Who was he? Was anything he said true?

“What’s your story, Wall?” Barnard asked. “How can you be a Fezerker, and on our side?”

“I was turned,” Wall said.

“And you expect us to believe that?” The Tsar asked.

“What about that guy on Operation Magnum; you said he was your brother,” Barnard asked. “Was that even true?”

“Darryl, yeah,” Wall said. “We had the same mother.”

“Really?” Price asked. “Which number was she?”

“I don’t know and it doesn’t matter,” Wall said. “It was Darryl that found out. About our mother. He had this thing about finding out who he really was and where he had come from.”

“So how did you end up on our side?” Barnard asked. “Let’s see if you can make this convincing.”

“Again it was Darryl,” Wall said. “They always told us that we were Bzadian, that we just looked like humans, but Darryl wasn’t convinced. He said if we came from human mothers, fertilised by human fathers, then we were human.”

“But you’d been brainwashed since birth to hate humans,” Barnard said.

“And you think most kids are messed up,” Wall said. “Try living my life.”

“So what happened?” The Tsar asked.

“Holly Brogan happened,” Wall said. “After she got caught out, ACOG came down hard on everyone else.”

“That’s true,” Price said. After Uluru, teams of investigators had gone through everyone’s background with a fine toothcomb. Price had been questioned three times, two of which were very unpleasant experiences.

“So they caught you,” The Tsar said.

“No.” Wall shook his head. “Darryl gave us up. Volunteered us to be double agents.”

“Why?” Barnard asked.

“I told you. He didn’t believe what he had been told. He felt we were humans. I wasn’t so sure, but even if I had been born a Bzadian, I don’t think I would have agreed with this war. Invading a planet and wiping out the inhabitants – that ain’t cool.”

“So why was your brother on Operation Magnum?” Price asked. “He was an MPC driver.”

“Bzadian command wanted him there,” Wall said. “They knew something was up, but they didn’t know what or where. He fed them false information right up until he was killed.”

“Who do you work for at ACOG?” Barnard asked.

“Bilal. Daniel Bilal,” Wall said. “Military Intelligence.”

“Never heard of him,” Barnard said.

“That’s kind of the point with those MI guys,” Wall said.

“Should be easy enough to check out,” Price said.

“Please,” Wall said.

“Even if it does check out, that doesn’t mean we can trust him,” Barnard said. “He’s already a double agent, why not a triple?”

“Why do you think I’m even here?” Wall said. “Why am I on this mission?”

“What do you mean?” Price asked.

“You didn’t think it was strange how all those more qualified people conveniently got out of the way just in time?” Wall asked.

“A little, yeah,” Price said. “So what are you doing here?”

“Bilal pulled strings. He wanted me on this mission.”

“Why?” Barnard asked.

“In case anything like this happened,” Wall said.

“He’s lying,” Monster said.

“Are you forgetting that I slipped Tsar the grenade? Saved your lives?” Wall asked.

“Unless we were supposed to escape, to tell ACOG about the supposed invasion force,” Barnard said.

Wall shook his head. “You were bound for Russia, and then to New Bzadia. It wasn’t going to be a pleasure cruise.”

“You say you can help us,” Price asked. “How exactly?”

“I can get you into Little Diomede,” Wall said.

[MISSION DAY 2, FEBRUARY 17, 2033. 1330 HOURS LOCAL TIME]

[BIG DIOMEDE ISLAND, BERING STRAIT]

Monster led the Angels down through the tunnel and up the trapdoor into Nukilik’s home. Wall, now roped and bound and guarded by Big Billy, remained at the
qargi
. One look at Big Billy and Price had been happy to leave Wall under his watch.