Farrow could understand this. "I don't disbelieve you, Sirec, and perhaps with you she'd have had a life as close to normality as could be, for a caged animal, but I think it's time to let her go home. Besides, I'm not sure if you could take her alive."
Sirec seemed confused. "Why's that?" he asked.
Farrow shrugged indifferently. "Like I said, Karen's tough, very mature for her age. I never once saw her cry. It was her help that got us the helicopter. That girl captured the pilot and then helped to force the others to give their weapons up."
Sirec grinned. "And you think I don't want a girl like that? She's my sort of girl, Farrow, can't you see that? But your comments interest me, why is it you don't think we can take her alive?"
Farrow stubbed the finished cigarette on the floor and looked up at Sirec, watching him. "Quite simply, Sirec, the girl wants to go home. Convinced if she's caught, you'll kill or force her into prostitution, she wouldn't take that believe me. Karen even suggested that if there was no way out, she'd turn a gun on herself. But even if she couldn't get at her gun, she's carrying two grenades, if she pulls the pins, that's it." He fell silent for a moment, then continued. "I believe she's got the courage to do that, I suspect it's something you wouldn't want to happen? I've a feeling you're still convinced she should be back with you," Farrow said, choosing his words carefully.
Sirec stood and banged the side of the cage with his fist; Farrow could see the determination in his face.
"Karen's mine and I want her back. I will give orders to take care with her. There's a lot of money at stake for her capture. People know she's worth nothing dead. Even more than that, their own lives are worth nothing if she is dead," Sirec retorted.
"Perhaps, Sirec, but does she want you?"
Sirec seemed suddenly to compose himself. "We shall see, Commander, but thank you for your observations. However, you and I have a more pressing point. I need to know how your people and Karen intended to leave this country?"
Farrow shook his head. "I don't know, Sirec. You see we missed the pick-up point by one day. Then the lucky break with the helicopter gave us the chance to get us over the border into Israel. From there, we'd be taken to a war ship standing off your coast. How the survivors of the crash and Karen are going to do that now is anybody's guess. They will contact control who'll arrange with them a new pick-up point."
"So you believe they'll still head for the border?" Sirec asked.
Farrow shrugged. "They could come in with attack ’copters undercover of dark, arrange a new sea rendezvous or direct them to the nearest border. Your guess is as good as mine," Farrow lied.
Sirec rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "I don't think it's your only option, Farrow. The helicopter, I agree, wasn't in the equation, so you'd have had to have an alternative. That's got to be where they're heading. I'm not one for torture or violence but I must have the location. You have five minutes to think about it. Tell us what we want to know and you may go home. The alternative's a quick injection and you'll sing like a bird. Unfortunately, the side effects are not good. The drug is, shall we say, still under development, all our tests up to now have resulted in brain damage. It is not something to relish, Commander, believe me."
With those chilling words, Sirec left the vehicle and walked slowly back to the command station.
Khan ran to meet him. "We may have her, Sirec," he said breathlessly.
Sirec's eyes lit up. "Where? Tell me, man, where is she?" he demanded.
Khan stopped him. "We've not actually got her yet, Sirec, but we have the ones she was with, so Karen can't be that far away. I've close to three hundred troops closing in, each one wanting the reward, so it's only a matter of time now," Khan blurted out before Sirec could finish.
Sirec just gave a growl under his breath and went quickly inside the command vehicle with Khan, listening to the radio traffic from the troops in the area. "Take care, Khan," Sirec began, "the girl's carrying grenades as well as a gun, but she's not to be harmed. She's convinced she's bound for the brothels before she is killed. The girl won't accept that and Farrow says she'll attempt to take her own life. If you allow that to happen, Khan, I will blame you. I'll also be very annoyed and perhaps take it out on those who run this operation. Do we understand each other?"
Khan nodded, understanding too well that Sirec's threats were not to be taken lightly. "I'm on my way, Sirec, I will take personal charge. Karen will not be harmed and she'll not be able to harm herself."
Sirec lit another cigarette and glanced at Khan. "Send your team to interrogate Farrow. I want the pick-up point in case your people miss her. This kid's turning out to be very good at melting in with the surroundings; I want insurance."
CHAPTER 19
Karen collapsed to the ground exhausted; they'd been running for some time before Chapman called a halt, so he and another soldier she knew as Stefan, could survey the area.
"There's a heavy convoy coming up from the south. They're heading towards the helicopter crash site," Chapman said softly. He watched for a short while, then made a decision. "We'll head north-easterly for about a couple of hours to circle away from the troops. I know it's a risk and we should travel at night, but we're too vulnerable in this position. Are you up to going on yet, Karen?"
She nodded. "Yes, but I'm glad I'm not in the S.A.S. permanently. I'm completely knackered with one of your operations while you two just keep going."
Chapman grinned; he needed to boost this girl's confidence, well aware she was close to the end of her endurance, but not admitting it. "You're doing well, love, when we take raw recruits on training exercises they wouldn't be still going like you are, believe me. Anyway, let's go, plenty of time later for resting."
Grabbing their equipment they were on the move again. The terrain was rocky, affording a large amount of protection, but as they progressed it was becoming more obvious that soon they'd be in open countryside with no places to hide. Just to the edge of this area they stopped and settled down.
Chapman pulled out a tin of corned beef and three cans of beer. "This will have to see us through; it's the last except for a small block of chocolate. We also have to make contingency plans. Each one of us must know how to get to the pick-up point, besides knowing the password and call signals."
"Why me, I'll be with you, won't I?" Karen asked, alarmed at his words.
Chapman knew she'd ask this. "We've still a fair distance to go, Karen, I can't guarantee we'll all be together or somebody isn't injured. So if we were to split up, or anything else happens, at least everyone will have a chance to get home."
They spent some time studying maps and sorting routes. With one GPS between them and only the soldiers with maps, Chapman had pulled out a note pad and began making drawings from the maps so they were easy to understand. It was a slow process as one had to be on watch all the time, however, it allowed the rest of the day to pass quickly and as dusk fell they were on the move.
Five miles followed of fast route marching before Chapman called a halt, taking time out to study the terrain before them. He glanced across at Karen. She was repacking her bag after slipping a jumper on. "Come and join us, Karen," Chapman called.
She came over and sat at his side.
"There's a large line of soldiers fanned out in front and to the side of us. They seem determined not to allow as much as a small animal to get past. I think within the hour we'll have nowhere to go."
Karen glanced at him, concern on her face. "So you're saying we're trapped?"
"It's going to be difficult to avoid them, so yes, we're trapped."
"And we can't fight our way out?"
He shook his head. "We can't fight an army, Karen, we'd be killed for certain. Alternatively, if we're captured then we'd have a chance of being kicked out of the country. Now the world knows about your plight, they'd struggle to keep you here as well."
Torn between hoping beyond hope that he was right, Karen deep down knew differently. She'd killed Saeed and his friends, so her fate was sealed. Besides which, the bounty on her head told her somebody wanted her back desperately. Tears were forming in her eyes, her voice low and hesitant. "They'd never let me go, probably not even admit they had me. You must keep the promise you made to me at the helicopter, Chapman. When it's absolutely definite and there's no escape, you mustn't let me be captured alive..." she hesitated. "You must put a gun to my head."
"You're serious about this, Karen, was it really that bad, love?"
She looked at him in the dim light. "I've been beaten, gang raped twice, spent more time naked than dressed, often paraded around. I was forced to learn some sort of lap dance, ending up naked as usual and then expected to offer myself. I've even had someone's balls forced into my mouth and made to chew them. If I was your daughter sitting here and you knew she was returning to that sort of life, what would you do?"
Chapman, for the first time, began to realise what this young girl had already been through and the sort of life facing her. She was right; he couldn't let her go back to what, for her, was a life of hell. He grasped her hand tightly. "I understand, Karen, so yes when the time comes, love, I won't let you be captured alive."
Nothing more was said, Karen now knew unless some miracle happened, which was hardly likely, she'd only an hour to live. Her only consolation was that the authorities were aware of Assam's involvement; she'd killed Saeed, so perhaps a few girls would remain safe in their homes because of her actions.
"Right, let's move and see if we can avoid capture, shall we? Chapman said, with some confidence in his voice.
They set off once more. In reality it was a token move, all of them knowing they'd soon be captured. Chapman again stopped them before surveying the landscape in front. It was hopeless, not only were the soldiers behind, but they were now in front; there was no way out, but a plan was forming in his mind. "Right, seriously we've no chance, if we stay together that is."
"What do you mean?" Karen asked.
He moved over and sat down at her side. "You should go on alone, Karen. Stefan and I will head them off. Even if we're caught, like I said, it probably only means them kicking us out of the country. They have no other option as we would be an embarrassment. For you, it's slightly different. They're after you and this time, like you believe, I don't think this Sirec will let you go so easily."
She sighed; typical, when the going gets rough they abandon her to save their own skins. "So I just sit here while you two move on, hoping they'll follow you?"
"Not quite, Karen, we'll break out into the open and use torches so we can be seen. With luck they'll turn to follow and give you a route through."
She sat for a short time saying nothing. At least he had some sort of plan and if there weren't so many soldiers coming their way it might possibly work, but she held out no hope of that. She looked across at him, "It wouldn't work, would it? I want the truth, Chapman."
"It's a long shot, Karen, and if you really want the truth, we'd have a very slim chance of pulling it off."
Tears were beginning to form. "Then this is the end of the road for me, I suppose?" She tried to give a forced smile. "Well at least I gave them a run for their money, didn't I?"
Chapman touched her hand. "You did, love, and you were very good to get this far."
Looking down, she clenched her hands together, hardly able to speak. "Will it hurt a lot?"
"No, love, I promise it won't hurt," Chapman lied.
"Then you'd better get it over with then. I'd just like time to tidy myself up, become a little more feminine again and say my prayers… Then, just do it."
No one said anything when Karen stood and began to remove her belt and weapons. Never in all her life had she been so scared and even now she was trying to delay the inevitable, by taking time combing her hair.
It was Stefan who broke the silence. "It's only an idea, but we could bury her, Chapman."
Both of them looked at him.
"How do you mean?" Chapman asked.
He grinned. "Well, I've been thinking and now believe it'd work. The search is fanned out and moving forward. When I was stationed in Vietnam, the enemy would bury themselves, breathing through a straw and just waiting until we passed; then the bastards would suddenly jump out, guns blazing, from behind. Get caught in that sort of ambush and believe me, you're in the shit."
"So you're suggesting we bury Karen, give her a breathing straw, and she waits until the soldiers pass before setting off to the pickup point. It'd work?"
"It might, except we don't take any chances that she shows herself too early, particularly when the soldiers were still around. We leave the radio earphone stuck in her ear and we tell her when it's clear to go."
"But how would we know?" Chapman asked, now more than interested in Stefan's suggestion.
Stefan pointed to the hills to the side. "We get the soldiers closing front and rear of us to turn and head for the hills by giving our position away. It would mean we get caught but that's going to happen anyway, so we bed down at the start of the hills and watch the searchers pass through where we're sitting now. When they are well clear, we just call Karen and then leg it ourselves up the hills so they are not sure how many there are of us, giving her more distance behind the soldiers."