Cloud Tower, Dubai
The comms signal sounded on Dimitri’s control panel in the Big Mac. He depressed a switch and a voice spilled from the speakers.
‘E-Force, this is J-Alpha on Eagle 1. This is an encrypted line. Can you hear me?’
‘J-Alpha,’ Dimitri responded. ‘Good to hear from you. My name’s Dimitri Godska on Big Mac, aircraft designation EF11334. I have your position as . . .’ He glanced at the holographic image floating above the control panel and could see two Lynx Mk8 helicopters. ‘Four kilo- metres due east of the Cloud Tower. Do you have us on your radar?’
‘Certainly do, Mr Godska. Quite a large signal too.’
Dimitri laughed. ‘What’s your ETA?’
‘Forty-five seconds.’
Dimitri checked the clock. It was 11.55 am local time. In the corner of the big screen over the control modules a counter displayed the estimated time until the collapse of the tower. It read: 47 minutes 5 seconds. ‘Excellent,’ Dimitri said into the comms. ‘We have the shooter on infrared. He’s still on the roof. We know exactly where he is.’
‘How on earth did the man get there in the first place?’
‘Microlight. We’ve looked back over satellite footage from before we got here. It’s still on the roof. Our sensors just picked it up. It’s covered with some sort of light-distorting camouflage.’
‘Good God!’
‘There’s something else,’ Dimitri added. ‘He’s extremely well-armed. Uses a S&W magnum and a L85 light machine gun. He also has at least seven M61 grenades.’
‘Don’t worry about that, Mr Godska. We’ll take him out.’