Murray nodded. “You’re right. Nuke the bastards. They started it, and they deserve a cruise missile up the butt.”

  Nolan smiled. “That is a distinct possibility.”

  * * *

  Inside the laboratory building, they found a storeroom on the top floor with a strong lock on the door and a skylight to the roof. Nolan smashed out the glass, and they had a clear view of the sky.

  “This’ll do, I reckon. Plant it, lock the door, and let’s get out of here.”

  Zeke put the satcom on a shelf, switched on, and checked the digital readout of the transmission strength. Satisfied, he nodded at Nolan, and they went out, locking the door. They were running back down the stairway when Zeke stopped.

  “Did you hear that?”

  Nolan shook his head. “Just the wind, it probably broke something loose that was damaged when the bomb hit.”

  “It didn’t sound like that. It was more like footsteps. Someone inside the building.”

  “You’re hearing ghosts, Zeke. Let’s go.”

  They reached the square, where the Seals were boarding a truck the Pasdaran wouldn’t be needing any more, and the jeep that had brought Kareem into the village. Talley was looking at his watch, and he glanced up in relief as they arrived.

  “Thank Christ, I thought you’d got lost. We need to get moving, fast!”

  “Hey boss,” Will Bryce shouted. “Meir has gone missing again.”

  He was checking off the men and equipment as they loaded the truck. Talley looked around the square, but there was no sign of the Israeli. He grimaced.

  “If he’s got himself lost, that’s too bad. If we don’t leave now, we’ll fry when those missiles hit. Let’s go, Chief. We’ll take the SUV. You can drive. Abdul, we’ll help you put Kareem on the back seat, and I want you to take care of him. I don’t give a shit whether he wants to stay or not. He’s coming with us.”

  They lifted the old man, his body only a featherweight between the four of them, and laid him on the back seat. Abdul found a tight space on the floor. Finally, Talley made a final sweep of the square, but only dead bodies remained. He keyed his mic.

  “Zeke, which way is the wind blowing?”

  “It’s coming in from the west, Boss.

  “We’ll head east until we’re well clear of the village. Move out.”

  “That’s towards Mashhad,” Nolan observed. “And they’ll be sending in reinforcements from Mashhad, so we could run into them.”

  “I know the risk. But any other direction and we risk having our asses fried when those missiles blow that laboratory into the next century. Christ knows what they have in there, but I don’t aim to find out. We’ll head out east, and then make a course change when we’re clear of the fall-out. I want to make one stop on the way out. We just have enough time to collect those Iranian uniforms. They could still come in useful to get us out of this dump.”

  Nolan nodded, put the SUV into drive, and they headed into the desert. He stopped for a minute by the shepherd’s hut, and the men climbed down and collected the uniforms, throwing them into the truck. They set off again, and in the distance, lay the city of Mashhad.

  They crested the rise where the wreck of the truck that had been the funeral pyre for half the Platoon. Talley checked the time.

  “I don’t want to worry you, Chief, but we’re chasing the clock here.”

  “I’m going as fast as the truck can go. We’ll make it.”

  “If we get caught in a radioactive fireball, you’re fired, Chief.”

  “I’ll bear it in mind.”

  They plunged downhill, through the rolling dunes of the Iranian desert, and over another low hill. This time, they could see the city of Mashhad in the distance. Talley checked his watch yet again. “Twenty minutes.”

  They crested another low hill, and Nolan slowed. Then he stopped.

  “Tell that to the Islamic Army of Iran.”

  “What?”

  He looked up. Ahead of them, four trucks were stopped, forming a roadblock across the desert highway. A camouflaged SUV was parked next to them, and an officer was leaning on the hood. Even at a distance, they recognized him. He wore the uniform of a colonel of Iranian Regular Army. The dark brown hair was cut in a neat, military haircut. On his upper lip he had a clipped, military style moustache.

  “Christ, it’s that Iranian officer, Talley murmured. “What the hell’s he up to?”

  “Sher Parviz, I should have shot the bastard when we fought out way out of the barracks.”

  There was something unnerving in the way he leaned so casually against the vehicle, as if he didn’t have a care in the world. Nolan had no choice. They couldn’t go back. The missile strike was due to obliterate the village and saturate the surrounding area with toxic fallout. The desert stretched to either side of them. They could cut across, but the ground was littered with rocks; it would be slow going, and they’d be sitting ducks. On the other hand, the Iranians weren’t shooting at them. Not yet. He looked back and satisfied himself that Vince was ready in the cab of the truck. They’d pushed the windscreen flat, and his rifle lay along the hood, ready to aim and shoot. And Colonel Parviz was directly in the line of fire.

  “We have to stop, Chief. He looks to me like a guy with something on his mind. Why don’t we find out exactly what it is?”

  Nolan slowed and stopped the SUV fifty yards from where the Colonel stood. He and Talley checked out the ground in front of them, and what they saw was defeat. Parviz had brought around eighty infantry. So far, they were sat in the back of the trucks, and they hadn’t deployed. But they were trained regulars, and they’d be ready to start shooting seconds after the order was given. With some relief, both Seals noted that the order hadn’t been given. So far.

  “Boss, the trucks.”

  “Yeah, I see them.”

  Each of the four trucks had a roof hatch, and each hatch had a mounted machine gun bolted to the cab roof with a gunner stationed behind it.

  “How long until the missiles hit?”

  Talley smiled. “You think it might scare them away?”

  “It’s a thought.”

  “I think these guys are tougher than that. But we’re not finished yet. Let’s see what this guy wants.”

  The climbed out of the SUV and walked toward Parviz. He greeted them with a smile. “Gentlemen, I see you are safe and well.”

  “Not all of us,” Talley replied curtly. “What do you want, Colonel?”

  “Why, to protect my country from her enemies, what else?”

  “We all want the same, don’t we? So what can we do for you?”

  “You could surrender, and there’d be no more bloodshed. If I give the order, my machine guns would tear your men to pieces.”

  “And if I give the order, my sniper will take out your left eye before you can blink.”

  The Colonel gave him a cold smile. “Fortunately, I have no intention of giving the order. You think you have destroyed Goldiz, don’t you?”

  Talley couldn’t help his expression. He looked surprised. “Say again?”

  “You heard me, Lieutenant. But I’m afraid it’s not what you think. Did you know you have a spy in your group?”

  Talley said nothing. Parviz nodded.

  “Perhaps you did know, but you have not found him yet. Believe me, I would tell you if I knew.”

  Talley and Nolan exchanged glances. “What the fuck’s going on here, Colonel? I thought we were your enemies.”

  Parviz nodded. “Perhaps not. We have enemies here in Iran. In Mashhad, even.”

  “Yeah? And who the hell would they be?”

  “You have already tangled with them. The Pasdaran, the Iranian Revolutionary Guard.”

  Nolan frowned in disbelief. “You mean all this is about fucking politics?”

  “It is about survival,” the Colonel corrected him. “We have a saying in Iran, ‘The enemy of my enemy is my friend’. You are the enemy of the Pasdaran. That means for now, we have similar aims. To destroy them.”

  “I don’t believe you. No way, they’re your own people!” Talley exclaimed. “Besides, the Pasdaran are not our enemy, only those people who’re creating a dirty bomb to use against the US and its allies.”

  “You are referring to a Pasdaran unit here in Mashhad. Their plans include a plot to murder senior army officers here in Mashhad. Once they have established their power base here, they will continue to extend their control of the entire armed forces of Iran. This bomb is their route to power. Once they are able to threaten to deploy it, they believe that no one will be able to stand against them. Iran will be theirs. Listen, you came to destroy that filthy weapon they’re trying to create. If they’re ever allowed to succeed, the US and Israel would retaliate with an overwhelming attack which could destroy us all. Those people are my enemies, and they are your enemies too. We want that project destroyed.”

  Nolan watched the Colonel in disbelief. It was the most mixed up situation he’d ever been in. Enemies one moment trying to kill each other, and in the next offering some kind of an alliance. But it could be worth taking a chance.

  “Boss, maybe we should trust him.”

  Talley nodded. “Maybe. Colonel, what do you want from us?”

  Parviz nodded. “You have taken steps to destroy the facility at Goldiz. I know this. And it may be that you have succeeded in destroying the laboratory. But you are wrong. The people responsible are in Mashhad, the scientist who leads the weapons program, and the local commander of the Pasdaran. No matter what destruction you wreak on Goldiz, they have the means to start again in a backup laboratory. Within months, their weapon will be deployed.”

  “So you want these people stopped?”

  “I want them killed.”

  “So kill them.”

  He smiled. “If I could, I would. But whenever I am near, they are suspicious. If I tried to get my own people to act, they would hear about it, and I’d be arrested and killed. It can only be done in secret, and with no Iranian involvement.”

  The two Seals moved away from the Iranian to speak quietly between themselves.

  “What do you think?”

  Nolan shrugged. “I think those missiles are about to hit, and we should be anywhere but here.”

  “We don’t have much choice, Chief. If we make a move without his say so, those machine guns would shred us. We can’t go back, and we can’t go forward.”

  Nolan nodded. “It looks like we have to go to Mashhad. I don’t like taking orders from an Iranian, but there is an upside. We complete the mission we were sent here for, and we get out of this situation. I’d call that progress. We could also find the bastard who leaked to the Iranians. I’d like to stick my gun barrel right up that guy’s ass.”

  “Copy that. So we’re on a one-way street. We either do it the Colonel’s way, or we’re fucked.”

  Nolan grinned. “That’s what they pay us for, Boss.”

  Talley nodded, and they both walked back to the Iranian.

  “Who are we looking for when we reach Mashhad?”

  “The scientist is Mohammed Saradi. The local commander is Colonel Mahmoud Radan. Both men are quartered inside the Pasdaran barracks. He grinned. “I believe you know where that is.”

  “Opposite the old films studios, where your men ambushed us.”

  “That is correct, Lieutenant.”

  “Why you, Colonel? If this is a Pasdaran operation, why didn’t they come for us?”

  “Because I have people inside the Pasdaran who report to me. When the message came in that Americans were coming to attack Goldiz, he informed me straight away, and I told him to destroy the message. Then I came to set the ambush. I had not at the time decided what to do with you. In the event, you escaped. I could…”

  He stopped, as a massive explosion shook the earth. It came from the direction of Goldiz. Then another, and another. The Colonel stared into the distance. “Yours, I assume?” The Seals made no reply, as more explosions rocked the desert. “But it’s useless. They’ll start again in another laboratory.”

  “We have to move out, Colonel,” Talley told him. “They’ll be wondering what happened out there. We need to hit them before they recover.”

  The Colonel waved a signal to his men, and trucks started up and reversed off the road. He looked them. “I wish you luck.”

  * * *

  They drove into Mashhad. They needed somewhere to hole up out of sight, and there was only one place that fit the bill.

  “We have to go to the old film studios,” Nolan insisted. “It’s the last place they’d expect us to go, right opposite their headquarters. We can mount an operation from there and then get out of this place for good.”

  “Or just get out,” Talley mused. “We don’t owe that Colonel anything.”

  “Except that we’d leave the mission only half finished. The main guys are still around, still stirring up trouble.”

  “Yeah, I guess so. Head to the film studio. Can you find the back way in? I’d as soon not alert the Pasdaran that we’ve arrived.”

  “Unless whoever is ratting us out to the Iranians tells them. And he’s bound to.”

  Talley nodded tiredly. “I know that, but what the hell do we do? Besides, it’s probably Meir, and he’s already gone.”

  “That’s true. We’d better hope it was him. If it’s anyone else, we’ve got even more trouble.”

  “It had to be him. Why else would he bug out on us?”

  “I don’t know.”

  Everything had seemed clear. Everything points toward David Meir as a traitor. And yet there’s still a question mark over him. Is there another explanation for his actions? Probably not.

  Nolan heard Vince Merano riding in the truck behind, talking in his earpiece.

  “Chief, we have an Iranian police jeep following us. It looks like a stop.”

  “Copy that. I guess your driving license and registration won’t be enough for him. How many in the jeep?”

  “Two guys, and they’ve switched on the flashing blue light. It’s a definite stop.”

  “Okay, go past our SUV and make sure you draw a bead on them. When they go past us, we’ll have them boxed in. Stop the truck, and when they stop, take ‘em. We’ll cover things from here and make sure no one gets away. We can’t have anyone else knowing we’re here.”

  “Copy that.”

  He turned his head speak to Abdul. “Keep your heads down. We’ve got company.”

  The Arab nodded and spoke to the Mullah, and both men ducked down low. Nolan lifted his foot off the gas and slowed. Seconds later, the truck roared past as Will Bryce, who was driving, floored the gas pedal. The police jeep came level with their SUV, and Nolan could see both cops. They were staring at the fleeing truck and laughing to themselves.

  Yeah, laugh away, cocksuckers. We’ve had enough of being pushed around by fucking camel jockeys!

  The cops pulled in behind the truck, and this time Will slowed and stopped. The cops stopped right behind him, and Nolan pulled the SUV to a halt another twenty yards back. They watched the cops take their time getting out, in the way that cops do all over the world to emphasize that they were the guys in the driving seat. Nolan picked up his sniper rifle, keeping it low, and grinned. One of the cops had walked forward to speak to the truck driver, while the other stood at the side of the road, unzipped his pants and took a piss against the side of an apartment building. He keyed his mic and spoke softly.

  “Vince, you’re on that guy, the one taking the piss?”

  “Yeah, I can shoot his cock off if you want. Brad’s in the cab with Will. They’ve got the other guy covered.”

  “Understood. As soon as you have a clear shot, take ‘em both.”

  “Copy that.”

  Vince fired immediately, and the cop in the street was thrown back as a heavy 7.62mm round smashed into his head and almost instantly, a second shot hammered into his stomach. The sound suppressed shots were barely audible, but the cop walking towards the cab heard something, a sound that shouldn’t be there, and he looked around fast. He saw his partner going down in a heap, and his hand reached for his holster. His reactions were good, but not good enough.

  In a long, continuous, smooth motion, Nolan brought up the Mk11, jacked a round into the breech, aimed and fired. And fired again. The second cop went down, his hand still clamped on the butt of his pistol, which was still only part way out of the holster. Talley was already calling the men over the commo.

  “Four of you pick up those bodies, fast. You’d better toss ‘em in the truck. We’ll take them with us and dispose of them later. Leave the jeep where it is. They’ll look for their cops around here, and that’ll delay them for a while. Let’s move, people. We need to get out of sight.”

  Nolan checked his clip while he watched Merano, Murray, Moseley and Eisner jump down, and with two men to each body, threw them inside. In less than thirty seconds, they climbed back aboard and the truck lurched forward.

  “Shit, all we need now is the Iranian Air Force. We’ve had just about every other branch of their military after us.”

  Nolan grinned. “The film studio is not too far, just around the next corner. It looks like we’ll make it.”

  “Yeah, say hi to the Pasdaran sentries across the road as we drive in.”

  He grinned and drove through the open gate at the rear of the studio. It was just as he remembered it, except that the buildings were now backlit by the hot, baking sun. The rusting crane towered over the old sound stages, and the depredations of the local scavengers was more obvious. Inside the rusting barbed wire, a couple of the buildings had been badly torn apart so that they were little more than empty frameworks, supporting a partial roof.

  “We’ll get undercover and hole up until dark. See if you can find another building, not the place we were ambushed. I don’t want to hand it to that Colonel on a plate.”

  “You don’t trust him?”

  “Do you?” Talley replied. “That bastard has an agenda. Some of it he’s told us, and some of it we don’t know.”