Consequences Unforeseen

Departure from Tel Aviv - April 1982

He guided the car more sedately now as he approached the Tel Aviv Dov airport. This was a small airport close to the town center and to the beach, but for Douglas it was perfect. No security to speak of, no questions asked when he parked his plane apart from the other single engine private craft. The spot was well chosen because the road curved away from where he left the plane and there was small parking area adjacent to the gate. Ideal for the car and the pickup by the ‘clean team’ The wealth of Tel Aviv would ensure no one even spared the black Audi a second glance.

The Cessna 172 Skyhawk was hidden from the road by a huge advertising board blended into the wire perimeter fence. Choosing this spot to park the plane had been the work of the pre op team and he made a note to commend them. He previously prepped the plane before leaving for the city but being the perfectionist he was he went through another full pre flight check before deciding to take the wrath of Shona.

She was making her now conscious presence felt by subtle but persistent thumps on the trunk roof. He gave her several points for her self control though. “She must be mad as hell,” he thought, “but she’s careful and knows the score.” Shrieking and overt banging were not good ideas in the current situation.

“OK Shona, I’m gonna open the trunk now, so be quiet and don’t give me the need to whack ye again. Ye hear me?”

She responded quietly but with an edge to her voice. ‘You’re a bastard Douglas, and I don’t like what you’ve become. You have my word, I’ll keep myself quiet as a mouse, but don’t you dare touch me again”

The cliché, made him smile and he opened the trunk and reached in help her over the edge, but she pushed his hands away with force and mouthed, “Do not touch me, I told you! Do not look at me and leave me the fuck alone. I am not your prisoner, so do your job and get me back to London and whatever it is the government has planned for me.”

Douglas threw the clothes he had for her into the trunk saying, “Fine, get dressed in these and pronto. We need to get moving I want to be over Palestine and into Beirut by mid morning. We’ll need to refuel there and then head directly into Turkey.”

“Turkey,” she mouthed, “Why in God’s name Turkey. It seems you are taking me the long way home. Why not just fly me on one of our military planes straight into London? Jesus this whole thing smells like somebody’s bad dream. Do you know what’s going on and why all the smoke and mirrors? You killed Ali for fuck’s sake and he was a low level guy. Are you sure you got it all correct?”

Douglas responded, “Shona, look, as far as I was concerned the guy was my target free and clear. I did not know it was you in the bed. They never told me that, and I can only guess at their reasons. They use me when they need somebody killed in a particular way and they use me when they need an extraction. This time they wanted both and that is what they have. You’re alive because I was given only the one target and you are leaving with me today so accept it and get dressed – now,” he added with emphasis.

She shook her head but he continued, “Thatcher must want you bad Shona. She’s the one who sanctioned this and she asked for me in particular. I’ve done a lot of stuff for her, almost on a personal basis, so she owes me. She doesn’t see it that way, but somewhere in her brain, she knows she does. How the hell she knows about you and me and our past is beyond me for the moment, but I’m certain there’s something more to come out of this. Few people even know I exist, but Margaret does and she calls me her ‘soldier’. The only other person who addresses me that way is of Royal blood.”

He did not feel like having a dialog at all, but he could see her confusion and residual shock were still there. She had dropped the sheet to the ground and was once again naked and not the least bothered about it. She grabbed the clothes from the car and dressed quickly, never once looking at him again and with no further comments. Until at last she was dressed

“OK Bill, it’s your game, so let’s go,” she said, and climbed up into the waiting Cessna.

Bill completed one final walk round and pulled himself up into the left hand seat bashing his knees as he did on the damned dashboard. Not for the first time and not for the last, he thought as he turned the key to the on position and flipped the two mag switches to the on position.

He looked over at Shona and said, “OK, just relax as much as you can, I’ll have you safe and sound soon.” That said, he turned the key to start and the sweet engine came to life with not a splutter or complaint. He revved up to full and reduced again to taxi speed and moved out onto the runway. No clearance required. “Hell there’s nobody in the tower,” he thought and he eased the throttle up. The Cessna could have flown itself out of there and Bill let it do its job. Fifty five knots a gentle back pull on the stick and she was off into the early morning heading due North towards Beirut.

He leveled out at 1000 feet and took a look around the early dawn sky. Nothing was in the air and as he continued to scan the horizon his eyes once more made contact with hers. She held his gaze steady and when he was about to break the encounter, she stuck her tongue out at him and turned immediately away. It was like Ali had never happened, like she was not in the deepest shit of her life and she had decided to flirt for whatever reason in the most unfortunate space available.

It sent a shiver up his spine but Douglas just laughed quietly under his breath and pulled back on the controls, taking them to 5000 feet and 110 knots. He was in no rush, wanted no undue attention and mid morning breakfast in Beirut would be welcome.