got my fiver down at five to four on, Finny! You owe us money.’Finn caught sight of the reddest of the 2 Section redheads. ‘Oy, Broom, get over here and put your head right next to Connor’s.’‘I’m not snuggling up to no man,’ Broom protested but Finn had him now in an iron grip.‘Crouch down here and shut up.’Broom was small enough to push around. He squatted shoulder to shoulder with Connor, still protesting.‘Now, lads. Broom . . .’ Finn announced triumphantly, ‘is a pisswizard.’There was silence as everyone contemplated the two heads.Broom said to Connor, ‘You’re probably thinking this is one of them weird initiation rituals.’‘I’m thinking someone’s taking the piss,’ Connor said.‘Thank you, lads, for your patience,’ Finn said.‘It’s running out,’ Connor warned ominously.‘Side by side,’ Finn went on, ‘you can see that this is red.’He pulled a tuft of Broom’s hair.At that moment, Sol limped past, looking for 1 Section’s new recruits. They were standing at the edge of the group.‘You’re out on patrol,’ he told Finn. ‘Now.’‘Corporal Kasanita! Let Sol decide.’Sol glowered at them. His ankle was hurting and the medic was still refusing to let him do anything but light duties and he hated to miss another patrol.‘I’m not deciding anything,’ he said. ‘Finn, you’re acting section commander. So you shouldn’t expect me to get your men to the vehicles on time.’‘Shit!’ Finn looked at his watch.‘You should have them ready over there right now.’‘OK, OK, but just tell us something, Sol. Is this man’s hair red or not?’Sol barely glanced at Rifleman Connor. ‘Not really,’ he said.Finn’s face broke into a broad grin.Sol ignored the howls of protest. ‘Adam Bacon and Jack Binns? You’re in 1 Section, 1 Platoon and I’m your section commander, Sol Kasanita.’ He held out his hand.He thought how young these two kids looked. The black one could not take his eyes off the furore behind them, where the row over Rifleman Connor’s hair threatened to turn nasty. Sol saw Dave striding purposefully out of the ops room.‘Come over to the cookhouse and we can talk away from these idiots,’ Sol said. ‘The sergeant’s going to sort them out.’Even from the cookhouse it was clear that the redhead debate was turning into a fight. As they sat down, Sol heard Dave’s voice booming over the chaos. Then there was silence.‘That’s our platoon sergeant. He’s put a stop to their nonsense,’ Sol said. ‘Dave Henley. He’s the best. He takes good care of us. He’ll be having a word with you soon.’The recruits nodded nervously. The sound of Dave bawling out the lads had not been reassuring. It was followed almost immediately by the sound of everyone rushing to get ready for the patrol.‘They’re going out now,’ Sol said. ‘I’d be with them if I hadn’t twisted my ankle. Next time, you’ll go too. With Lance Corporal Finn as your acting platoon commander.’They nodded glumly. They already knew who Finn was.‘When will your ankle be better?’ Binns asked hopefully.‘Oh, a few days more.’‘Then you’ll be back in charge again?’Sol nodded.Bacon said: ‘Does it matter what colour the bloke’s hair is?’‘Only if you’ve put some money on it. Finn was running a book. He’s always running a book. If there were two flies crawling up the wall, Finn would take a bet from you on the first to get to the top.’The recruits grimaced.‘The lads don’t often argue like that,’ Sol said. ‘We’re usually very good mates. We have to be. Our lives depend on it.’He paused.‘So, how long you two been in for?’‘I only joined before Christmas, me,’ Rifleman Bacon said.‘Me too,’ Jack Binns said. ‘I’m working in Currys and we’re having a one-day special September sale and I’m getting really fed up and I think, right. So in my lunch hour I go over to Army Recruitment and I sign up. Just like that.’Sol gave his wide, lazy smile.‘Currys’ sale in autumn. Theatre in summer. Not sure which is worse.’The engines were roaring now. The platoons were leaving the base. Leaving without Sol, yet again. He tried not to listen.Binns said he came from Dorset. ‘See, nothing ever happens there.’‘How about you?’ Sol asked Adam Bacon. ‘Much happening where you’re from?’‘Yeah, there’s a lot happens in Wolverhampton. Sometimes too much.’‘So you came here for a bit of quiet?’Bacon smiled.‘My mum thinks it’s safer in Afghanistan than round my manor. But it’s the wrong time for me, maybe. I like to rap, see. And it’s all just started taking off and then it’s all over because I’m away training to Catterick.’Sol smiled back at him.‘There’s a lot of lads like rap here. They’ll want to hear what you got.’Bacon grinned. He didn’t want to admit that his greatest hope was not that he’d go home alive but that he’d get a chance to rap for his new mates.Sol heard the sound of the convoy fading into the distance. Soon it would be nothing more than a silent dust cloud making its way towards the Green Zone.Mal had been selected to use the new shotgun: he was obviously delighted but Sol would have liked to keep an eye on him. He didn’t believe that Finn gripped 1 Section fiercely enough. One man down and Sol knew he would blame himself and his stupid ankle for ever. Dave had told him he’d stay alongside them. But Sol knew Dave already had enough to do.‘OK.’ Sol turned back to Bacon and Binns. ‘Let me tell you some of the things you lads need to remember if you’re going to stay safe. I’ll start with foot powder . . .’
MAL SAT WITH THE BENELLI M4 SHOTGUN ON HIS LAP, CRADLING IT lovingly as the Vector bumped its way across the desert.‘Yes!’ he’d said, punching the air, when Dave told him he’d be the first to use the new weapon. ‘Let’s hope we get into close combat so I can use it!’‘Yeah, let’s hope so.’ Dave had rolled his eyes. ‘Never mind the rest of us.’Dave was still annoyed with Finn for leading the platoon into a punch-up. Since the new gunner from 2 Section had hair which might or might not be red, Dave had declared the betting void and told Finn to give everyone their money back.‘I don’t want any more bets,’ he’d said to Finn. ‘You’re a fucking soldier, not a bookie, and you’ve made the whole platoon late for a serious operation.’They were clearing a river crossing today. The OC had intelligence that the Taliban was planning to take control of it. Almost the entire company was involved and the civilians had been told they were confined to base with minimal staffing. Martyn Robertson had objected strongly but the OC had overruled him, explaining that if the Taliban took this crossing then getting the oil exploration team across the river would be almost impossible.They dismounted and left the track on foot. At first it was a relief to plunge beneath the canopy. Mal moved ahead with the shotgun. The only downside was that he was expected to carry his SA80 as well. The heavy rifle was like an old friend who’d overstayed his welcome. Until they came under distant fire, when he reorganized himself to use his SA80 and the shotgun felt like a gatecrasher at the party.The other sections of 1 Platoon advanced towards the firing on their right flank. Dave heard the new gunner giving it some with the gimpy. Poor bloke. Off a Chinook into a crowd of lads all staring at his hair like farmers at a sheep auction, then straight onto patrol before he’d drawn breath. But his fire was effective. The combination of Jamie with his GPMG on one side and Rifleman Connor with his on the other brought silence. Dave guessed the enemy had moved. The incoming rounds had been more of a warning than a threat.1 Platoon moved forward to the river, 1 Section on the left flank. They emerged from the trees and crossed an irrigation ditch into a field of high crops.Although it was early the sun showed them no mercy. Clouds of pollen were released by the plants, its pungent odour magnified by the heat.‘Christ, do they make their animals eat this shit?’‘It’s giving me a headache.’‘I feel ready to get me head down . . .’‘Stick some in your pocket for later and you’ll be fucking glad you did,’ Finn said.Dave’s eyes narrowed. He looked closely at the exotic plant. Each leaf consisted of delicate fingers, like a hand in a lace glove.‘Is it what I think it is?’His question was met with smothered laughter but no one replied. The plant certainly wasn’t a poppy: they had passed a field of these further back, their pods closed tightly like tiny purses. There were brown slits down the side of each pod where the resin had been extracted.It must be cannabis.‘Anyone caught trying to sneak this weed out of here’s in big trouble,’ Dave snarled. ‘Did you hear me, Finn?’‘Yessir,’ Finn said cheerfully. ‘I never touch it these days.’‘Oh, come on, Sarge. Can’t we pick the pretty flowers?’‘Who was that?’ Dave didn’t recognize the voice. It sounded drunk. Had someone already managed to help himself to this stuff? Could you consume it straight off the plant? A man who preferred a pint, Dave suddenly regretted that he hadn’t learned more on the warm summer evenings in the south London streets where he was brought up. They’d sometimes been hazy with its distinctive smoke. The smell in the field was far stronger and its acrid notes more jarring.Nobody answered Dave’s question. His head was throbbing badly. He wanted to close his eyes to shut out the bright sunlight. Unlike most of the fields around here, this one was enormous. They stumbled on without ever seeming to reach the other side. The clouds of pollen grew denser and the stench more pungent.When they finally reached the irrigation channel they found they were far more scattered than anyone had realized. In the dense cannabis forest everyone had thought his mates were close. Dave had believed he was bringing up the rear but now he discovered he was near the front.Finn instructed everyone to group and go firm. They dodged back into cover and waited for further orders.They sat down with relief, shading themselves from the flying pollen and beating sunlight. They gulped down water.Jamie couldn’t stop sneezing.‘You all right?’ Dave asked.‘Must be the sodding pollen,’ Jamie said. ‘It doesn’t normally get to me.’Finn wiped his eyes. ‘This stuff can really make you feel bad.’Angus’s face was pale. ‘It’s making me want to puke.’‘Me too,’ Mal said. He put both his weapons down. He hoped there wouldn’t be any close combat now. He didn’t feel ready or able to move to the front and respond.The firing was closer but sporadic. Dave could hear Major Willingham directing operations. They waited. There were still no orders for them. Finally, after almost half an hour, Boss Weeks told 1 Platoon to prepare to move closer to the river. Dave looked around 1 Section, slumped in the cannabis plants. He hoped the others were more prepared than
