Whiplash

“Give us a price for five hundred guns, and a hundred thousand rounds of ammunition,” said Colonel Zsar. “And we will discuss it.”

“Fine.”

Da

“Half when you place the order. Another quarter paid the day before the exchange. And the rest at the exchange. It will be cash, placed where we say.”

“We prefer to deal in euros,” said Tarid.

“Euros are fine.”

“Vehicles are within three miles,” warned the Voice. “They will be within audible distance in thirty seconds.”

Da

“ID?” he asked.

“The guerrilla faction aligned with Red Henri.”

“I thought you told me Red Henri wasn’t invited to the party,” Da

“He’s not,” said Colonel Zsar.

“My lookout says he’s about three miles away.”

“What?” said Uncle Dpap.

“Impossible,” said Colonel Zsar.

“Listen,” said Tarid.

They could hear the trucks in the distance.

“Get behind the vehicles!” yelled Uncle Dpap. “Prepare your weapons!”

“It’s time for you to leave, Mr. Kirk,” said Colonel Zsar. “We will contact you later.”

“What’s happening, boss?” asked Boston over the radio.

Da

“Not having an argument with you won’t keep him from shooting you,” said Tilia. “You had better leave, or take cover.”

“Get behind the trucks with the others,” Da

Da

As Da

Red Henri, sitting in the back of his Hummer, took the microphone from his PA system.

“What happens when supposed allies are meeting behind my back?” he said. “So now I have three enemies—the government, Colonel Zsar, and Uncle Dpap. This is very disappointing. Especially from you, Uncle Dpap. Colonel Zsar believes he is holy, so we know not to fully trust him. We know this. But you, Uncle, are looked up to. I look up to you. And here—a stab in the back.”

The Voice translated everything for Da

“Estimate Red Henri’s force,” Da

“Ninety-eight soldiers in twenty-three vehicles. Six heavy machine guns. Two RPG-7 launchers. Sixty-eight AK-47 rifles of varying types. Six M-16s. One M-14. Additional weapons possible but not observed.”

Colonel Zsar had fourteen men with him, plus Tarid; Uncle Dpap had twenty. They had nothing heavier than rifles.

Every muscle in Da

He could get away by ordering the Catbirds to dive-bomb Red Henri’s force. He’d plunge through the bodyguards, swat Tarid, and run off in the confusion. But his legs were stiff and heavy, and he felt as if he couldn’t move.

Red Henri was genuinely upset, hurt by what he interpreted as a stab in the back.

“Uncle Dpap, are you so ashamed that you can’t even speak?” he shouted.

“This man claims to have weapons for sale at a very good price,” said Uncle Dpap. “We decided to check it out.”

“Without me?”

“We didn’t want to waste your time if he proved phony,” said Uncle Dpap soothingly. “You are a very busy man.”

“We are on the same side,” shouted Colonel Zsar. “We should be fighting the government, not each other.”

“I am not fighting you,” answered Red Henri. “Why are you pla

Da

Though he modeled himself after American rap stars, among others, Red Henri’s command of English was not very good, and he didn’t immediately respond.

“Translate,” Da

Red Henri’s ego was mollified, even though he didn’t believe him.

“That’s as it should be,” said the rebel. “But now that I am here, what sort of deal can you arrange?”

“We should talk close together,” said Da

“Come here, then.”

Da

“Why don’t we meet halfway, with Colonel Zsar and Uncle Dpap, and their advisors,” suggested Da

“You will come to me first and talk,” said Red Henri. “You will show the respect these others have not.”

“All right.”

Da

“Aircraft approaching,” warned the Voice.

“What aircraft?” said Da

“Six helicopters. Two Aerospatiziale Gazelles, equipped with rockets. Four Mil Mi-8MTV Hip-H troop carriers. Aircraft have been supplied by the Egyptian army to Sudan for use in this theater.”

“ETA?”

“Two minutes at present speed.”

“Why are you standing there?” demanded Red Henri. “What are you doing?”

Da

“The Sudanese army is sending helicopters to attack us,” he said loudly. He turned around. “They’re two minutes away!”

“This is a trap!” yelled Red Henri. “I’ll kill you all before I kill them.”

He threw the microphone aside and underlined his thoughts by picking up his rifle and firing through the window.

26

Blemmyes Village, Sudan

NURI WALKED AROUND THE BACK OF THE BARN. THERE WERE several windows, but all opened into small rooms protected by motion detectors.

The motion detectors worked by sensing infrared energy in front of them. He had a can of compressed air he could use to temporarily freeze the sensors, but to use it he’d have to get relatively close and move very slowly. And only one of the rooms looked vulnerable.

“What we want to do,” said Hera as he stared through the window, “is go through the wall.”

“We can open the windows,” said Nuri, confused by what she was saying, “but once we’re in the room, getting close to the sensor is tough. I need a much longer pipe, and we have to cool it down. It may be better to just bag it tonight and come back.”

“We go through the wall where the detector is,” she told him. “We stay behind it.”

“How?”

“The detector in that room is in the corner,” she said, pointing to the window at the extreme right of the building. “We get past that, and we’re in.”