Chris Ryan [Geordie Sharp 04] Tenth Man Down (epub)

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.We haven’t answered the main question.What do we want to do? Go on or pull out? What’s the crack on that? Whinger?’‘It depends on Joss,’ he replied, his voice heavy and slow.‘He may have settled down by tomorrow.If he has, carry on.We’ve only lost one guy, and that was to an elephant.Pure bad luck.If we watch ourselves, there shouldn’t be a problem.’‘But if he’s still the same?’‘Then fuck off, fastest.’‘Okay.That’s you.Danny?’‘I agree.If Joss pulls round, no reason not to carry on.’ He shot me a look, and went on, ‘I dunno about you, Geordie, but it strikes me there’s something big going down here.’‘Like what?’ I waited, knowing that Danny often had good ideas, but was slow to articulate them.‘The South African involvement.This company, Interaction.These guys wouldn’t be pissing about with the rebels if it was just a question of diamonds.Southern Africa’s full of diamonds.’‘So?’‘There must be some other agenda.Something that’s really got them going.’‘Okay, I agree.But what are you saying? That we should stick with it, or what?’‘If Joss comes back on-side, yes, we should.’‘Right.Genesis?’‘I disagree.If we go any further south we could land ourselves in the shit.We might not be able to get back at all.And as we know, the chances of getting lifted out of the bush are zero.I’m for pulling off, first to the convent, then to Mulongwe.Bollocks to the uranium, and to the agreement.’Next round the circle was Phil, and I knew before I asked him what his answer would be.‘Fuck Joss.Go for it! Get stuck in with Alpha and go for the bridge.Let’s have another good shoot-out and hit the rebels where it hurts.’Before I could say anything else, Mart’s voice abruptly came up in my earpiece with ‘Green One’.‘Green One, roger,’ I answered.‘Got an intruder,’ he said quietly.I held up a hand to stop anyone talking, and asked, ‘What is it?’‘Somebody coming up the track from below.’‘Sure it’s not an animal?’‘Definitely human.I had him in the kite-sight.’‘Stand by.I’ll be with you.’Our meeting broke up as though a bomb had landed in the middle of the group.In seconds the guys vanished outwards into the darkness and took up prearranged positions – all except Gen, who grabbed Whinger’s cot by the head-end and dragged it alongside one of the pinkies.I ran the few yards to the seven-tonner and hissed at Inge, ‘Stay where you are.Don’t move.We’ve got problems.’Mart was about two hundred metres to the east.He’d stationed himself on a bank where the track came up over a steep little rise.He’d told us that from that vantage point he could see out over an expanse of open bush.We hadn’t expected any visitors, certainly no friendly ones.But the one thing we needed to avoid, above all, was any risk of a blue-on-blue – a clash between our own people.My boots made no sound in the dust as I scurried forward.The moon was still low in the sky, but the starlight was strong, and I could see quite well.When I reckoned I was halfway to Mart’s position I called him on the radio, and said, ‘Closing on you from behind.’‘Roger,’ he answered.‘Anyone in sight?’‘Negative.’He must have been watching me through the kite-sight.Long before I could see him, he came on the air with, ‘I have you visual.Keep walking.’ A few seconds later I saw his head come up from behind a rock and I crouched beside him, looking out over the drop.‘Where was the guy?’ I whispered.‘See the big tree?’ He handed the sight over.‘Just to the left of it.The track’s coming nearly straight towards us at that point.’‘What was he doing?’‘Walking slowly.Carefully.’‘Weapon?’‘Yep.At the ready.Looked like an AK47.’‘Where did he go?’‘Disappeared into that dead ground on our right.’As he whispered, I was scanning with the sight, which gave out a faint, high hum.I searched the ground to our front, checking every shape, looking for a black figure moving across the fluorescent green background.‘Nothing,’ I breathed.I switched the sight off.Its tiny scream died, and we crouched side by side without speaking, listening to the cicadas grinding away all round.The air was comfortably cool, but the mozzies were out and about.Every few seconds, one came whining past [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]

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