The much touted live hostage update involved a split-screen showing a correspondent on a beach, somewhere, and the TV anchor in a studio somewhere else. The reporter was talking about the ongoing discussions in Wellington while waving pointlessly at the dark Pacific horizon, allegedly in the direction of Laui Island where 'the PLA was still holding 36 hostages'.
Oh yeah, thought US Deputy Secretary of State Lyall, who knew otherwise. So much for the latest news. He, and the one man in the room he'd told about Kelman and the scheduled SEAL raid on Laui, knew that as of two hours ago the situation on that tiny spec in the Pacific Ocean would have to be quite different to the 'no end in sight' claimed by the reporter.
Adam Lyall also knew that the fallout from that mission would change everything, though not exactly in the way he'd imagined.
Chapter Ten
HMAS Harris, Pacific Ocean
Tuesday 11.30 pm
'Can you describe this foreign soldier?'
'They were all bloody foreign,' Alan said. 'It was a Polynesian Island, not a Barrier Reef resort.'
'The stray foreigner - amongst the locals,' Jana stressed, 'was a white guy with cropped red hair. He was maybe six-two and wearing neat black fatigues, but not an army-type uniform. It looked more like SWAT gear.'
'I didn't see anyone,' Alan stated.
'You were too busy asserting your - self, Alan.'
Alan glared at Jana before turning back to the studious-looking ASIS agent, John Brand. 'I did hear Ifran talking just before we entered but when we did, the guy was alone.'
Agent Brand nodded. 'Tell me about the equipment.'
'Let me think. He had a TV, a video recorder with the Sky News tape he wanted us to watch, a laptop.' Alan waggled his head, as if trying to shake more information loose, then shrugged.
Jana wondered, and not for the first time, how a person as unobservant as Alan had ever got beyond copyboy, let alone become host of a top current affairs show.
'There were several laptops,' she corrected, hesitating as the cabin door opened to admit Commander Gideon. Brand took no notice of her entrance and Alan didn't notice she had, so Jana continued.
'At least one laptop had a camera, you know so someone elsewhere could see Ifran, or whoever, on Laui. The image on its screen was a room somewhere but it was static or maybe it was online, but empty. There was a variety of other seriously high-tech gear, none of which I could name. And it was all new, which struck me as very odd.'
'I dare say,' Brand agreed.
Alan simply stared at Jana as if he had no idea what she was on about, or on.
'I don't think the island itself was under their camera surveillance though,' Jana frowned. 'Which, in retrospect, is also quite strange.'
'He had his horde of ratbag soldiers for that, sweetheart.'
'True, Alan,' Jana agreed. 'But they can be taken out without raising the alarm. Cameras however, would've given Ifran warning of any rescue attempt, even if his men had been killed or disabled.'
'Interesting,' Brand noted. 'Did you hear what Ifran and this red- haired soldier were talking about?'
'I said I heard Ifran,' Alan interjected. 'I didn't mention any…'
'I was talking to Dr Rossi.'
'Oh.'
'What red-haired soldier?' Gideon asked.
The next moments of Alan's life proved to Jana something she'd only suspected: that some men are too ridiculous to live.
Alan flinched and turned to see who'd crept up on him. In a he-man second he registered the presence of a gorgeous woman, stood, broadened his shoulders and all but shouted woo-hah. He was about to introduce his very handsome-genes to this mate-able woman when… Uh-oh.
It was all Jana could do not to laugh as she watched Alan's mind register that there was something familiar about this person.
Gideon, meanwhile, stared curiously at Alan as if she was actually expecting him to do something sensible, or entertaining.
'Alan,' Jana said, 'given you may not recognise her out of uniform, allow me to introduce you to Commander, um, Smith who led our escape from Laui.' She so enjoyed being helpful.
'Of course,' Alan nodded, reclaiming his proffered hand, which had been ignored anyway. 'Thanks.'
Gideon shrugged. 'You going somewhere?'
'No,' he replied. 'Not yet.'
'Good, then sit, Frank.' Gideon dropped casually into the empty chair opposite.
'It's Alan. Alan Wagner,' he said.
'What red-haired soldier?' Gideon asked again.
'I glimpsed this guy last night,' Jana smiled, 'earlier tonight, leaving the dining room as we entered.'
'And you heard him talking to Ifran?' Gideon asked.
'I heard a man's voice - not an Islander's - say that if Ifran had wanted to deal only with Kiwis or Australians then he should've made sure there were no Americans on the island.'
'So it's true?' Alan said eagerly, looking from Brand to Gideon for confirmation. 'There were Americans there?'
Gideon ignored him. 'And you're certain he wasn't an Islander?'
'No question about the guy I saw, who, I assume, was the one I heard. English was his first language I'm sure, but he had a nothing accent. It was so non-descript I couldn't even guess where he was from.'
'Americans?' Alan repeated.
It was Jana who replied. 'Of course there were, Alan. You've just left Mary and Colin in the mess.'
'That is not what I meant, and you know it, Jana,' he snarled her name, before turning back to the officials in the room. 'Did you have Americans with you?'
'No,' Gideon replied. 'But why do you care?'
Alan squinted. 'We've all heard rumours that most of the noise and ruckus on Laui was caused by US Navy SEALS.'
Gideon raised an eyebrow. 'Ruckus?'
'Yeah, ruckus; as in they blew up everything that, you know, got blown up.'
'You don't think we blew up anything?' Gideon said. 'How nice.'
'It's just, the story will be even better if they did.'
'Why is that a better story than 36 hostages being rescued without a single casualty?' Jana stared at Alan in disbelief. On our side anyway, you hack.
'What story?' Brand asked.
Alan ignored them both and looked at Gideon. 'Apart from the two hostages, is it true that there were Americans there on the island?'
Gideon rubbed the back of her neck, thoughtfully. 'Only if it's true that whenever there are Americans in peril, others are bound to turn up.'
'Yeah,' Jana laughed. 'And then usually the Americans who turn up also end up in peril.' When everyone glanced at her, she shrugged. 'What? Haven't you all seen Black Hawk Down?'
Gideon's smile of confirmation was brief and only for Jana's benefit but then she tapped her chest and said, 'Afghanistan, Iraq, Colombia.'
Jana grinned. 'You obviously know to stay low, or behind them.'
Alan frowned. 'Are you bad-mouthing our allies?' he asked.
'Well I wouldn't do that,' Jana said. 'Some of my best friends are Americans.'
Gideon raised an eyebrow.
'Really,' Jana grinned.
'I've got a great story here no matter what,' Alan continued, 'but I'd like