Matombo sighed. “Because their signs and symptoms were not those of the type of radiation exposure they claimed it to be. They had all been exposed to raw ore, U-92 ore to be specific, and that could only happen in one of two places.”
“The Langer Heinrich or Rössing?” Manning inquired.
Matombo looked genuinely surprised. “You know your geography, sir.”
“No more than any other geologist,” Manning said easily.
In fact, Phoenix Force’s chief explosives expert knew quite a bit that would have surprised Matombo. His background in fighting terrorism coupled with the knowledge gleaned of terrain while serving with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police had become areas of keen interest to Manning, much more as a hobby than profession. The Canadian had been over plenty of rugged country and he could read maps like nobody’s business. His knowledge of explosives also implied a peculiar sense of what types of explosives would work on what types of topography.
“For those of you who may not be as familiar,” Matombo said, “the Langer Heinrich calcrete uranium deposit and the Rössing Mining Properties are located in the Namib Desert, approximately twenty kilometers apart. They are both owned predominantly by the Rio Tinto Group out of Australia.”
McCarter noticed Matombo had failed to mention that Iran also had a partial-ownership interest of fifteen percent in the Rössing. For a long time now, the Namibian government had sworn up and down to the world community that Iran had neither purchased nor absconded with any of the U-92 ore from the mine, the key ingredient required to make weapons-grade plutonium.
“These mines have grown to become the fifth largest producer of uranium ore in the world, gentlemen,” Matombo continued. “And I can assure you that the operation is well secured. If individuals that far south are experiencing radiation sickness, it is highly unlikely they were exposed to either of those sources.”
“You think that someone may have discovered a new source?” Rafael Encizo asked pointedly.
“I believe it is a strong possibility we must consider at this point.”
“What about your team?” McCarter asked. “You said they didn’t return.”
Matombo nodded emphatically. “They sent me an e-mail advising they had completed all of the research they could there and they were going to leave Lüderitz the next morning. They never showed up and they were not found along any of the usual routes, even after a considerable search by our national rescue teams and a military detachment.”
“Could you confirm they even left Lüderitz?” McCarter replied.
“We cannot confirm or deny anything at this point.” Matombo’s eyes narrowed. “And that is a very unusual question coming from a physician. You almost sound as if you’re more interested in the disappearance of the team than in the medical situation. I thought you were sent here by the World Health Organization.”
The Phoenix Force leader could see that Matombo was nobody’s fool, and he knew if he tried to lie his way through it that the doctor might just challenge his medical knowledge. That wouldn’t bode well for any of them, in spite of the fact they were there at the behest of Ombarta Nandago, the Namibian prime minister. Stony Man granted some leeway of judgment to McCarter in these matters and it was his discretion as to how far to take their cover.
“Look, guv,” McCarter said, “you’re obviously an educated man. Let me come to the point. We are here in a bit more of a capacity than your government led you to believe. But trust me when I say we’re here to help.”
“And we’re interested in finding your people, yes,” James said. “If you want our help.”
Matombo’s expression remained impassive during this time, but when James extended the offer, the physician visibly relaxed. “Finding my team and seeing them returned safely is my number-one priority. Of course, finding out how these citizens protracted radiation sickness is also of great concern to me. I appreciate your candor, gentlemen. You shall have my full cooperation and the resources of my office. No questions asked.”
“Thank you,” Encizo said.
“Yeah, the ‘no questions asked’ part will be especially nice,” Hawkins added.
McCarter lent him a sour eye as he said, “We’ll need to know everything you can tell us about your team, dossiers on its members…everything. It would also help if you could give us some idea of when someone last saw them.”
“At least an eyewitness who can confirm or deny they left Lüderitz when they were supposed to,” James added.
“You think one of my people could be involved in this?” Matombo asked with incredulity.
“Involved in what?” McCarter asked with a shrug. “We aren’t even sure what’s going on here yet, mate.”
“We simply want to know whether or not they left so we know where to start looking,” Encizo added.
“I don’t understand.”
“Well,” McCarter explained, “it already seems obvious whoever grabbed up your chums are operating out of Lüderitz. Knowing whether they met their fate in the city before they left or if they were ambushed after leaving will give us a better idea of who to look for.”
Matombo shook his head. “I trust what you tell me, Doc…er, I mean, Mr. Brown. But what I do not understand is how you can help just by knowing this.”
“Simple. We’ll know if those behind the team’s disappearance are operating within the city or if they’re being fed intelligence.”
“In other words, we know the search needs to start in Lüderitz,” James said. “We just need to be certain if it will end there.”
Hawkins grinned broadly. “You see, we generally like to terminate problems at the source. Hitting lackeys isn’t usually a permanent solution to a problem like yours.”
“I understand now,” Matombo said. “I will see what I can do to get this information for you.”
McCarter nodded. “Right-o. In the meantime, we’re going to head straight for Lüderitz.”
“Would you like me to arrange an escort?”
“That won’t be necessary. But some decent transportation would be helpful.”
Matombo stood as he replied, “We have a fleet of various vehicles at our disposal. I believe we can find something appropriate.”
DR. JUSTUS MATOMBO was true to his word, and before long Phoenix Force was headed southeast out of the city and bound for the port city of Lüderitz in a pair of matching, late-model Dodge Nitro SUVs. They split the equipment between the two vehicles. McCarter and Hawkins rode with Encizo behind the wheel in the lead vehicle, followed by James, Manning and Matombo in the second. McCarter had tried to discourage Matombo from tagging along but the man wouldn’t hear of it, citing his required oversight of their transportation, as well as his cooperation as the official representative of his government. McCarter decided not to fight the guy about it. Matombo still had plenty of juice and could make it very difficult for them if he really wanted to, and McCarter figured it better to err on the side of cooperation.
That didn’t stop them from having Matombo ride in the tail vehicle. That afforded the Phoenix Force leader some privacy when he contacted Stony Man with his update. Brognola and Price listened while McCarter gave his report, telling them everything including how he felt compelled to reveal they weren’t exactly as the U.S. government had initially represented them.
“You think he’s trustworthy enough to stay quiet?” Brognola asked.
“For now,” McCarter said. “I think he’ll keep still as long as we cooperate with him. I wouldn’t put it past him to shoot off