He chuckled to himself, the laugh of a man appreciating his own work.
‘They’ll think World War Three has broken out.’
‘And you, Nick,’ said Steve. ‘All set?’
‘Watch this,’ said Nick seriously.
The Hyundai had been pulled up on a gravelled courtyard behind the hostel where no one could see it. Steve followed Nick out to the vehicle, then climbed on board, switching on the engine.
The HPES was a simple black box, measuring eight inches by ten, looking something like the amplifier on a small hi-fi. Inside there was a mass of wire and a charger that would create the small but powerful electronic pulse needed to knock out any other electronic device in the immediate vicinity. But on the outside, there were just a set of three dials, and a charger.
Nick glanced up at Steve, then flicked a switch.
No sooner had he done so, than the engine switched itself off. And Steve hadn’t felt a thing.
‘Sodding brilliant,’ he said, stepping down from the vehicle. ‘Just make sure it works when we need it.’
‘Er - there’s one more trick,’ said Nick.
Steve nodded. ‘Go on.’
‘This works by screwing up the electronics, and that’s what switches the engine off. I’ll stop everything, and once the truck has halted, you can raid it. I’ll switch this off for a couple of seconds, then you start the engine. As soon as it’s going, shoot the ignition out. With that disabled, once I switch HPES back on again, your engine will keep running, but all the other vehicles will be disabled and you can make a clean getaway.’
‘But I won’t be able to start the truck again if it stalls, right?’ said Steve.
‘No. You get one chance at making the escape. After that, you’ve had it.’
‘I’ll take those odds.’
‘Oh - and the brakes might not work either,’ added Nick.
Steve grinned. ‘The way I’m planning to drive out of there,’ he said, ‘brakes are the one thing I won’t need.’
He checked his watch. Eight-fifteen. They needed to be in position in plenty of time to lose themselves in the hundreds of people expected to be lining the route. They’d have to make themselves as inconspicuous as possible. They were wearing cargo shorts, loose-fitting sweatshirts and baseball caps. There was no way they could carry AKs - the police would spot them instantly. But the Uzi machine pistols were small enough to fit snugly into the baggy shorts without creating any suspicious bulges. And they had tucked knives into their boots.
‘How about you, Steve?’ asked Ian. ‘You ready?’
Steve drew the Uzi machine pistol from his pocket, unclipped its mag to show that it was fully loaded, then slotted it back into place. ‘For a rumble?’ he said. ‘Of course I am. Now let’s crack on.’ He started to climb into the Hyundai.
‘I’m coming with you,’ said Sam. She was standing right behind Steve, dressed in blue jeans, a white T-shirt, and with her hair tied back behind her head.
‘Don’t be ridiculous,’ growled Steve. ‘This is no place for a woman.’
‘This is my battle as well.’
Steve looked into her eyes, and knew at once that what she was saying was absolutely true. But that didn’t make any difference. All she would do was get in the way.
‘There’s going to be big trouble brewing in this city by lunchtime. You don’t want to be anywhere near it. Get down to the Sheraton and book yourself a room. I’ll call you there when it’s all over.’
‘I can help,’ she said obstinately.
Steve pressed the Uzi into her hand. ‘Show me how you fire that then.’
Holding the weapon uneasily, she began looking for the safety catch. Before she could find it, Steve had already taken the gun back from her.
‘You can help best by letting us get on with the job,’ he said firmly.
As he finished the sentence, he slammed the door on the Hyundai, kicked the engine into life and started to pull into the road.
Forty
THE SOLDIERS PUSHED THE FIVE men roughly up the stairs, until they emerged blinking into the sunlight. Ollie led the way, followed by Dan, Ganju, Maksim and David. The air seemed fresher this morning, decided Ollie. There were some clouds scuttling across the sky, but the sunshine was bright, and the breeze cool.
‘Ready to die like a gentleman, Mr Hall?’ Wallace enquired.
Ollie nodded briskly. ‘I’ll be happy enough to die like a soldier.’
‘You gave up being a soldier the day you flunked out of the Blues,’ Wallace sneered. ‘You’re just criminal scum. And that’s how you’ll die.’
‘And how will you die, Mr Wallace?’