Chapter Twenty-Three

Go For Broke

To commit all one's available resources toward achieving a goal.

*

Gloria Estate, Bali
Mid-September 2002

After more than a month away, Klaus finally found himself back at the Bali compound. The Alphabet were beside themselves with delight to finally have their commanding officer with them, while the thieves were just delighted to be on dry land again.

While Agent A got Klaus up-to-date on the latest developments, the others shuttled everything from the sub to the compound before finally settling in. It was very near the time for Agent Z to check in, which met with Klaus's approval. No one had shirked their duties while he was away, as had often happened in Bonn. Perhaps it was the nature of this rather dangerous mission. Or perhaps it was the fact that, if they were unsuccessful, thousands more innocent lives would be lost in a mindless and violent act.

After the boxes containing the Project: Eroica were deposited in one room, Klaus gave yet another startling order. "Copy everything."

Agent A was taken aback by this and exchanged an astonished look with the others. "Everything, sir? As in...everything?"

Klaus nodded. "K has been cataloging everything. The papers are in good shape, but the video tapes are starting to deteriorate. John Paul tells me it's a very simple process to transfer them to DVD."

"That it is, Major," John Paul said from behind him. "Just time consuming, as I'm sure you can appreciate."

Klaus turned to look at him, their eyes meeting briefly. Yes, he could definitely appreciate it. He'd watched every bloody one, something everyone on the sub was keenly aware of. In fact, it was the occasional haunted look that this viewing caused that had everyone wondering exactly what was on the tapes.

"I want all the documents scanned into a data base," Klaus went on to say. "Or two. Or three. Or however many it takes."

"Yes, sir," A replied.

Someone brought the Major some coffee and he gave them a questioning look. Now that they were no longer in cramped quarters, he had assumed the thieves would vanish. Instead, they seemed to be awaiting his orders, just at his own men did. He looked at the faces he had become familiar with over the past several weeks and then turned to Bonham. "I think your thieves need some time off."

Startled, Bonham turned to the others, a smile playing at the edges of his mouth. "Well, don't just stand there, you lot! You heard the Major."

The majority of the Eroica gang scattered. One of the few exceptions being Cooke, who had kept everyone well fed on the long journey across two oceans.

"If it's all the same to you, Major," Cooke said with a smile, "I think I'll have a look at the kitchen." He glanced over at Agent A. "That is, if your men don't mind?"

The thought of having a proper cooked meal was met with a chorus of ascent from the assembled Alphabet.

Cooke grinned all the more before vanishing down the hall.

* * *

"So you've finally made it back to Bali," Eroica observed when Z checked in, only to be greeted by the Major's voice rather than Agent A's. "Did you take good care of my sub, Major?"

Klaus's eyes narrowed but he did not snap back. He had noticed a pattern in the Earl's behavior since breaking cover. He would revert to the Eroica persona just before becoming deadly serious. This time was no exception.

"There's finally been a development," Eroica was saying. "That contact person surfaced sometime yesterday and is willing to act as a go-between with the person who--supposedly--has all three of your missing pocket nukes."

"What!" Klaus could not quite believe what he was hearing. "All three?"

"That's what he's claiming," Eroica replied. "He was also good enough to verify your suspicions that another group has expressed an interest."

"Al Jamaa al'Islamiya?" Klaus asked. This was the local terrorist group in Bali with alleged ties to al-Qaida and the main reason he had chosen to set up shop in the Earl of Gloria's island hideaway. Al Jamaa al'Islamiya continually denied any connection, not that anyone actually believed them.

"He won't confirm any details other than someone else is interested," Eroica replied.

"So it could just be a lie to drive up the price."

"Or it could be the truth."

Klaus's only reply was a grunt.

"Major, Mr. Bakchial is going to be setting things up this end," Eroica said guardedly. "When do you want that arranged?"

"Why ask me?"

"I'd assumed you'd be the one actually handling the buy."

There was something in the Earl's tone that set an alarm off in the officer's head. "Why?"

This question actually took Eroica off guard. He threw a puzzled look over at the other agents who were with him, seeing they were equally baffled. "Why? You fell off the face of the Earth with your Alphabet in tow to find these things, didn't you? Do you really expect me to believe you'd let anyone other than yourself handle this?"

A ghost of a smile passed over Klaus's face, his eyes flickering. "How soon can you send your jet back to get me?"

"That's what I thought," Eroica laughed. Then he was deadly serious again. "Major, this is a terrorist we're going to be dealing with."

"I am aware of that," Klaus replied coldly.

"Not exactly an honest businessman."

Klaus fell silent for several minutes as he thought this over. "Just get that jet back here. I already know how I'm gonna deal with your less than honest businessman."

* * *

After weeks away, Klaus found himself in the Earl's room in Bali again. He took a long hot shower, something he had not been able to do aboard the sub with its limited supply of fresh water. Then he got some well needed rest before going back for the status on the Earl's plane.

A subdued Agent A gave him the status and then held up a large manila envelope. It was addressed to Agent Marshall, the return address being Washington, D.C.

The DNA comparison had arrived.

Klaus took one look at the envelope and then went to another room where he and A could speak privately. "When did this arrive?" he asked as soon as the door was closed.

"While you were asleep, sir," A replied as he took a seat.

Klaus pulled out the contents of the envelope as he sat down. A saw an odd look pass behind the officer's eyes before he looked up. "Has anyone else seen this?"

Agent A shook his head. "Just myself, sir. I've kept it in my possession since it arrived." He cleared his throat nervously. "They all know what it is."

Klaus nodded. "What do these letters mean?"

At the top of each person's profile was a name. All except the last three, which had only L, D, C. A explained that when Bonham had contacted him about Eroica's DNA, they had discussed how best to separate the samples from Agent Marshall and the man in his grave. They finally decided on L for Living, and D for Deceased.

"And C for Control," the Major concluded, since this was the only sample--his own--that did not match anyone.

"Yes, sir."

Klaus gave an approving grunt. He returned the document to the envelope and handed it back to A. "Continue to keep this in your possession until I return from Beirut."

* * *

Klaus had scarcely returned to Bali before he was stepping onto the Earl's plane in Indonesia and off again in Beirut, Lebanon. Rather than travel as Agent Marshall, he used one of the false identities stolen from NATO. Within an hour of his arrival, he was sitting in a hotel room with the others. Eroica wasn't surprised that the Major brought several of his agents with him, but he was surprised to see one of his own men amongst the group.

"My dear Craig," the Earl said delightedly, giving the man a hug. "I didn't expect to be seeing you so soon."

Craig grinned. "The Major's got quite fond of make-up, m'lord," he said, receiving an angry scowl from Klaus. "But I'm not here to just do make up this time."

Eroica's eyebrows went up. "Oh? And what has the Major got you doing now?"

* * *

"Is this information accurate?" Klaus asked as he and his men studied a satellite map of the desert outside the city.

"Very," Eroica replied. He pointed to a location on the map that was marked with an X. "That's the place the contact said." His voice dropped in pitch. "This Mohammad must be a real gem. Mr. Bakchial must've asked me a dozen times over if I really wanted to meet with him."

Klaus looked up. "He's afraid of him?"

"Very afraid of him."

This was apparently the correct answer, for Klaus only grunted before returning his attention to the map. "And they made sure to say that I was the one doing the buy?"

"Oh yes. Mohammad is very keen to meet you."

"I'll bet he is."

"More like he's keen to meet your thirty million dollars," Craig injected as he entered the room. He had a large box in his hands that he set down on top of the map, completely ignoring the disapproving scowls this produced. "I've got everything we need, Major."

Eroica's eyebrows went up. We? He stood up as Craig opened the box, his eyes widening further when he took in the contents. "Now what are you scheming, Major?" he asked as he pulled out a bulletproof vest.

* * *