Seven Ancient Wonders - Matthew Reilly [75]
‘But something happened at Coronado that I don’t know about fully. Jack was injured in a helicopter accident and lay unconscious in the base hospital for four days. The four missing days of Jack West’s life. When he woke up, he was sent back home, no serious damage done, and after a few months, he was back on active duty—just in time for Desert Storm in 1991.
‘Jack West was one of the first men on the ground in Iraq in 1991, blowing up communications towers. After two weeks, however, he found himself serving under Judah. Seems Judah had personally asked the Pentagon to request that Jack be reassigned to him. Australia—ever loyal to the Americans—complied.
‘And so Jack West Jr made his name in Desert Storm. Did some incredible things deep behind enemy lines, including that miraculous escape from the SCUD base in Basra—where, it should be said, Judah and the Americans had left him for dead.
‘But when it was all over and he was back home, he walked into the office of his commanding officer, Lieutenant General Peter Cosgrove, and informed him that he would not be renewing his contract with the Regiment.
‘Now Cosgrove and I have known each other for a long time. He’s a very clever fellow and, through me, he was aware of this upcoming mission and he thought fast, and came up with a way of keeping West happy but also keeping him in the fold: he assigned West to me, as part of a long-term open-ended mission, to take part in archaeological research connected to the discovery of the Capstone.
‘That was how West and I came to work together again. That was how we came to be the ones who found the scrolls from the Alexandria Library and, ultimately, Lily and her ill-fated mother. And that’s why West is here on this mission.’
After discussing a few more unrelated topics, Zoe left.
Wizard returned to his work . . . at which moment, he seemed to remember that Lily was still in the corner, behind the boxes. He turned to face her.
‘Why, little one, I’d clean forgotten you were here. You’ve been as quiet as a mouse over there. I don’t know if you heard any of that, but if you did, excellent. It’s important that you know about our friend, Huntsman, because he’s a good fellow, a very good fellow. And although he doesn’t say it, he’s incredibly fond of you—in fact, he has been since the moment he first held you in his arms inside that volcano. He cares about you more than anything else in the world.’
That had been a big learning day for Lily.
Infinitely more fun, however, was the day she learned about the origins of West’s plane.
The Halicarnassus had long been a source of curiosity to her. From the moment she’d been old enough to comprehend jumbo jets—and how much they cost—it struck her as exceedingly odd that one man could own his very own 747.
‘Where did you get your plane?’ she asked him at breakfast once.
Others around the table at the time suppressed laughs: Zoe, Stretch and Wizard.
West actually looked a little sheepish. ‘Don’t tell anyone, but I stole it.’
‘You stole it? You stole an entire aeroplane! Isn’t it wrong to steal?’
‘Yes, it is wrong,’ Zoe said. ‘But Huntsman stole the Halicarnassus from a very bad man.’
‘Who?’
‘A man by the name of Saddam Hussein,’ Wizard said. ‘The former president of Iraq, a very horrible individual. Huntsman stole it from him back in 1991.’
‘Why did you steal Mr Hussein’s plane?’ Lily asked.
West paused before answering, as if he was choosing his words carefully.
‘I was near a place called Basra, and I was in a lot of trouble. And Mr Hussein’s plane was the only way for me to get out alive. He kept it there in case it ever became necessary for him to escape his country.’ West winked. ‘I also knew that he had a lot of other planes scattered all over Iraq for the very same purpose, so I didn’t think he’d miss this one.’
‘Why do you call it the Halicarnassus? Is it named after the Mausoleum that was at Halicarnassus?’
West smiled at her easy grasp of the ancient names. ‘I’m not sure, but I think it