Still slightly travel weary, Max and Carla entered Sam’s office and approached his desk. He offered them chairs and he spoke even before they were seated.
“Anna short is alive and well. She landed in London on Saturday 30th with her father, his men and Philippe. The girl used the rescue helicopter to fly back to the atoll, on her own.”
The blood drained from Carla’s brain and she felt violently ill. It was like she had been badly winded and could not breathe for several long moments, now she had to control hyperventilation, while pretending to listen calmly and matter-of-factly to the statement. If Max ever found out she had seen the girl climb out of the cave-in, that would be the end of their relationship.
Max turned deathly pale, he was unsure what he was experiencing, but he felt giddy enough to fall off his chair, of that he was certain. His emotions churned and his grief turned to disbelief, then shame, then relief that she was alive. What the fuck was he going to do now, with two women in his life?
Max looked at Carla and she tried to look back at him. He was certain then that she knew more than she had told him, but what?
They had both seen the girl lying there, motionless on the ledge. How could anyone have pulled her up to safety, carried her to the helicopter and let her fly away on her own? Perhaps there were some natives unaccounted for on the island that had not turned violent. He could think of no other explanation.
Max had seen the rock face of the cavern down to the ledge, it was not climbable. Not only that, the rim or crust at the top projected out slightly, so anyone climbing down would have to swing under it on a rope, to reach the rock face. The thought that someone climbing up could reach out to the rim never occurred to him.
Sam continued to speak, “it has been difficult to see Anna’s report to the authorities, so we had to make do with an embassy copy. She has not mentioned the work we were doing on Dom Island, or the US1. I suspect that her reason has everything to do with Philippe.”
Max and Carla were aghast, and looked at each other in disbelief. Their arch enemy was still actively plotting to ruin their lives and damage The Organization, there could be no other reason for his involvement with this girl.
“The control tower said they picked up a radio transmission from a young female to US1, but there was no conclusion made and it meant nothing to anyone who read the report.
“This leads me to explain the seriousness of the situation. I can tell from your faces, that you don’t fully realize what it means to all of us.”
Carla looked away from Max, back to Sam, while Max processed what he had heard, still looking at her. Carla was guilty of something. She could not face him for some reason.
“Chatter amongst the security forces confirms they believe you two are dead. Carla crashed into the sea and you Max, died on the island. Their follow up reports confirm no ships were in the area at the time and if a small boat picked you up, there was no evidence of it. Effectively, both of you will be taken off the watch lists and could be as free as you ever were, working for us.
“This girl Anna, with Philippe’s help, can expose you both, the US1, the work we did on the island and this organization.
“We are worse off now than when we started, way back at Robert’s party. At least we could have killed you both and ended it there.”
Sam let the weight of his statement sink in. He could still kill them both, hand over their corpses to the Americans and get rid of part of the problem. They both realized they could never get out of there alive, if Sam turned against them. He was god and they knew it.
Sam continued, “I have already arranged for a team of assassins to go to the UK, to deal with the girl and Philippe, but so far, we have not tracked down either of them. I suspect they are staying with the girl’s father and have not shown themselves yet.”
Just then, Sam’s phone rang.
“-.What! How did that happen? -.
SO15 were watching Short’s place and you didn’t see them? For goodness sake, are you all blind? -.
So, how did you get away? -.
Well, at least that is something in our favor. Your team, being locals, will not point back to us. If they had caught you, we would have more problems. How long will it take you to get another team in place? -.
A week! Don’t you realize, every minute they are alive, we are at risk? You will have to do better than that. Can’t you handle it yourself? -.
So, you’re saying it is not possible, because the place is surrounded by SO15, it’s like a fortress and Short’s men are patrolling the grounds. You are going to get a new team and pounce when they leave the house. -.
OK Demetrio, I agree the risk of you getting caught is too great, but we have never been as vulnerable as we are now. Get this sorted, as soon as you can and keep me informed.”
Sam hung up and sat quietly for a minute, thinking things through and weighing alternatives, as he regained his composure.
“We have never faced a situation like this before. Investigations into our affairs go on all the time, but they go nowhere, either because we have covered our tracks so well, or we remove the problem.
“The difference in this case is that the girl knows everything about the work on the island and the fact the US1 was involved, not to mention you two.
“We cannot hide our connection with the US1, or the antibodies in the blood of the girl and the visitors to the island. That all ties up with the Antarctic virus, that only the highest level people in the world know about. The fact she knows about it confirms she is telling the truth.
“We are all done for this time.
“Can you imagine what will happen when the world leaders are exposed for hiding the risk of the virus from the public? There will be mass panic as people demand a cure. We will be forced to hand over the cure, while the world waits for the first victim. It will be like waiting for the date of execution, which might take years to be announced. What will the public do with so much uncertainty?”
Sam was certainly rattled; Carla had never seen him like this before. This was a nightmare that would run and run.
“Max, on the basis that we might wriggle out of this alright in the end, will you undergo some plastic surgery to change your appearance? If you do, you can either continue to work for The Organization or leave, whatever you wish. Either way, we will provide the necessary identity papers for you.”
After several seconds pause, Max agreed. He could see there was no real downside and it was better than the alternative Sam had not offered.
“Carla, you have managed to keep a lower profile, as far as the public are concerned. I know there are passport photos of you out there, but we will alter the recognition data as we did for Max, when he was on the run. That worked fine, so if you are happy with that, I will get it done. I hope you will stay with us but, like my offer to Max, you are free to go if you want.”
“I will do what Max wants to do, so I will let you know very soon. Thank you Sam.” Carla already knew what her answer was, but had another plan. This delay was vital to her alibi.
Sam pressed a buzzer and a woman in her 50s entered the room.
“OK then, please go with Mary and debrief, I have work to do.”
As Max and Mary walked away, Carla turned back and whispered to Sam.
Later that morning, Carla received a call from Sam. She told Max that Sam wanted her to run an errand for him, so she would be away for several days.
Max knew he would miss her, but it would give him time alone to sort out his feelings. He wanted to spend the rest of his life with Carla, perhaps somewhere quiet, though this girl obviously attracts trouble, so that might only be for a short time.