Point Blank

there—and I got out of there, no thanks to you. Also, I’ve met some of those boys. One of them is a friend of mine. I promised I’d help him, and I will.‛
    ‚Not if you get killed.‛
    ‚I can look after myself!‛
    ‚Then it’s agreed,‛ Mrs. Jones said. ‚Alex will lead you in there, but then will take no further part in the operation. And as for his safety, Wolf, I will hold you personally responsible.‛
    ‚Personally responsible. Right,‛ Wolf growled.
    Alex couldn’t resist a smile. He’d held his ground, and he’d be going back in with the SAS.
    Then he realized what had happened. A few moments ago, he’d been arguing violently against doing just that. He glanced at the head of Special Operations. She’d manipulated him, of course, bringing Wolf into the room. And she knew it.
    Wolf nodded. ‚All right, Cub,‛ he said. ‚Looks like you’re in. Let’s go and play.‛
    ‚Sure, Wolf,‛ Alex sighed. ‚Let’s go and play.‛

NIGHT RAID

    THEY CAME SKIING DOWN from the mountain. There were seven of them, Wolf in front, Alex at his side. The other five men followed behind. They had changed into white trousers, jackets, and hoods—camouflage that would help them blend into the snow. A helicopter had dropped them two miles north and two hundred yards above Point Blanc, and equipped with night-vision goggles, they had quickly made their way down. The weather had settled again.
    The moon was out. Despite himself, Alex enjoyed the journey, the whisper of the skis cutting through the ice, the empty mountainside bathed in white light. And he was part of a crack SAS
    unit. He felt safe.
    But then the academy loomed up below him, and once again he shivered. Before they had left, he had asked for a gun, but Wolf had shaken his head.
    ‚I’m sorry, Cub. It’s orders. You get us in, then you get out of sight.‛
    It was the same old story. When they needed him, he was a man. When he asked to protect himself, he was just a kid.
    There were no lights showing in the building. The helicopter had arrived back from Paris, crouching on the helipad like a glittering insect. The ski jump stood to one side, dark and forgotten. There was nobody in sight. Wolf held up a hand and they sliced to a halt.
    ‚Guards?‛ he whispered.
    ‚Two patrolling. One on the roof.‛
    ‚Let’s take him out first.‛
    Mrs. Jones had made her instructions absolutely clear. There was to be no bloodshed unless absolutely necessary. The mission was to get the boys out. The SAS could take care of Dr. Grief, Mrs. Stellenbosch, and the guards at a later date.
    Now Wolf held out a hand and one of the other men passed him something. It was a crossbow—not the medieval sort but a sophisticated, high-tech weapon with a microflite aluminium barrel and laser scope. He loaded it with an anesthetic dart, lifted it up, and took aim. Alex saw him smile to himself. Then his finger curled and the dart flashed across the night, traveling at three hundred feet per second. There was a faint sound from the roof of the academy. It was as if someone had coughed. Wolf lowered the crossbow.
    ‚One down,‛ he said.
    ‚Sure,‛ Alex muttered. ‚And about twenty-nine to go.‛
    Wolf signaled and they continued down, more slowly now. They were about twenty yards from the school when they saw the main door open. Two men walked out, machine guns hanging from their shoulders. As one, the SAS men veered to the right, disappearing around the side of the school. They stopped within reach of the wall, dropping down to lie flat on their stomachs. Two of the men had moved slightly ahead. Alex noticed that they had kicked off their skis at the very same moment they had come to a halt.
    The two guards approached. One of them was talking quietly in German. Alex’s face was half buried in the snow. He knew the combat clothes would make him invisible. He half lifted his head just in time to see two figures rise out of the ground like ghosts from the grave. Two blackjacks swung in the moonlight. The guards crumpled. In seconds they were tied up and gagged. They wouldn’t be going anywhere that night.
    Wolf signaled again. The men got up and ran forward, making for the main door. Alex hastily pulled his own skis off and followed. They reached the door in a line, their backs against the wall. Wolf looked inside to make sure it was safe. He nodded. They went in.
    They were back in the hall with the stone dragons and the animal heads. Alex found himself next to