The Sacred Vault_ A Novel - Andy McDermott [169]
A trilling sound interrupted him. ‘What’s that?’ Vanita demanded. ‘A security alert.’ A gesture, and Zec’s face appeared on one of the screens. ‘What is it?’ he asked the Bosnian.
‘Radar has picked up a plane,’ Zec told him. ‘About five minutes out - and descending.’
Khoil immediately raised both hands, fingers playing a silent concerto in the air as virtual keyboards flashed up. A radar tracking display appeared, showing the intruder’s course. A dotted line predicted its final destination: DYE-A’s long ice runway. A flick of a finger, and the aircraft’s identity was revealed, its transponder code cross-checked in a millisecond against Qexia’s vast database. ‘A government aircraft,’ he said. ‘But they would not turn up unannounced, unless . . .’ His gaze snapped back to Zec’s image. ‘Jam its radio! Shoot it down - and send a team to eliminate any survivors!’
The de Havilland shuddered, buffeted by the winds sweeping across the ice plain. Nina grabbed Eddie’s hand. ‘Ow,’ he complained.
‘What?’
‘Bloody nails, digging into me!’ He pulled open her clenched fingers.
‘I’m just nervous - we’re about to land on a glacier hundreds of miles from anywhere, and I’m pretty sure we won’t get a warm welcome.’
‘Oh, come on. You’ve been to the Antarctic - this is like Central Park in comparison. Besides, we’ve got all these guys and their guns on our side - and the Khoils don’t even know we’re coming.’
Shouts of alarm in Danish from the cockpit, the plane banking sharply—
A bright flash outside the windows - then a hole burst open in the fuselage with an earsplitting bang and the shriek of shredding metal. One of the cops was hit in the head by shrapnel, a splash of blood flying across the cabin.
The plane dropped, loose items tumbling in freefall as a freezing wind screamed through the rent in the hull. One of Probst’s men had not fastened his seat belt - he was dragged through the torn hole, the jagged metal ripping his clothing and flesh before the slipstream snatched him away.
Another light outside, the orange flicker of flames. The engine was on fire. The de Havilland lurched, the rasp of its remaining propeller rising as the pilots increased power. ‘What the hell’s happening?’ Nina shrieked.
Eddie clutched his armrests. ‘A missile! Those fuckers are trying to shoot us down!’ He twisted to look into the cockpit. The co-pilot yelled into his headset, declaring a Mayday - but from his expression was getting no reply. Beside him, the pilot struggled with the controls. The plane was dropping fast, nose angled downwards. Through the cockpit windows, Eddie saw a light in the distance, a glowing blue sphere on the snow.
DYE-A. The Khoils’ base. They would crash within sight of it.
A loud whine and a shrill grind of metal ran through the cabin as the pilot extended the wing flaps. The de Havilland’s dive started to level out. ‘Can you land?’ Eddie shouted.
Panic cracked the co-pilot’s mask of professionalism. ‘We can’t make the runway! Crash positions! Brace for impact!’
‘Oh, shit,’ Eddie gasped. He faced the cabin, relaying the instruction to the others before turning to the terrified Nina, who was leaning forward with her hands on the back of her head. ‘No, no!’ he said, pulling her upright. ‘We’re facing backwards - crash position’s different. Sit up straight, keep your back against the seat. Sit on your hands so they don’t flap about.’ He demonstrated.
She followed his example. ‘Eddie, I’m scared!’
Eddie tried to think of something reassuring to say, but all he could manage was ‘I’m not fucking thrilled about it either!’ He glanced sideways, seeing the aurora-lit landscape rising to meet them. A cluster of lights rolled past the windows - they had passed the radar station. He looked back at Nina, meeting her frightened eyes. ‘Stay with me-’
‘Brace! Brace! Brace!’ screamed the co-pilot. The engine’s snarl echoed off the ice as the plane reached the ground . . .
The de Havilland hit. Hard.
The landing gear, fitted with skis for a touchdown in snow, collapsed. One of the struts stabbed upwards into the cabin