One of the men slammed him cruelly in the back with a rifle butt to get him going. He felt drained, as if his blood had left him. No amount of previous experience of the sight, sound and smell of death fully prepared one for it.
Stratton was placed in the middle of the group of ambushers. As he trudged along, his hands tied behind him, he could only wonder what fate had in store for him.
They walked along a track that led down into the valley and followed it until it entered another, larger valley, where they met the line of government soldiers in camouflaged clothing whom Stratton had previously spotted heading towards the rebel plateau. Each man carried a rifle and bulging backpack and looked equipped for a substantial campaign.They were accompanied by burros carrying ammunition boxes and machine guns.
Stratton’s group veered onto a different track and continued for several kilometres before arriving at a large, flat area next to a precipitous rockface. A number of dark brown canvas tents and a large white marquee had been set up to form what was evidently a headquarters. It included a flagpole with the army’s colours flapping at its top.
Stratton was made to halt in the open while the others headed for what looked like a field kitchen with a collection of tables outside. One of the men remained with him as a guard while the leader made his way to one of the brown tents.
The area beyond the HQ buzzed with activity. Dozens of horses were tethered in lines, their saddles and other accessories on racks beneath wood and canvas shelters. Burros carrying supplies trailed in from another direction. Soldiers grouped in companies, cleaning their weapons, chatting, smoking and generally hanging around. A whistle blew, accompanied by shouts, and one of the companies began to form up into a column.
A familiar noise began to drift above the general cacophony, the deep beating sound of rotors cutting through the air. It grew louder rapidly. The helicopters, unseen as yet, were closer than they sounded. Then the lead bird rounded the rockface, heading for the camp, a large artillery piece suspended beneath it on a long cable. A second was close behind. The noisy machines slowed as they approached the landing area, the rotors changing tone as their pitch altered. Some of the horses obviously resented the unfamiliar intrusion and a couple of the burros kicked out in fear.
The choppers came into the hover, kicking up a storm of dust, and men ran to the artillery pieces to disconnect them. Stratton noted the twin M60 machine guns mounted inside the doors. They were obviously combat-ready.
‘They ain’t new but they’ll do the trick,’ a voice shouted from behind him.
Stratton recognised Steel’s drawl immediately but did not turn to acknowledge his presence.
The American stepped alongside him as the artillery pieces were disconnected, hitting the ground with rocking thumps. The lead chopper’s turbines increased power and it ascended vertically before turning on its axis, lowering its nose and powering away. The second moved close to the HQ tents and eased itself to the ground. When it was completely down, several officers hurried to the cabin door as it opened. Two burly soldiers climbed out. Behind them another man in military garb eased himself from the cabin and onto the ground. The officers came to stiff attention and gave crisp salutes. More men clambered out behind him.
The entourage headed towards one of the large tents, past Stratton and Steel. ‘In case you don’t know, that is Neravista himself,’ the American said.
Neravista was in his late fifties and fastidiously groomed from head to toe. He had a large, ugly face, with a bulbous nose and ears to match. His dark eyes flicked in Steel’s direction and he gave a perceptible nod on seeing the American. Steel returned it.As Neravista passed he glanced at Stratton just long enough to notice the Englishman’s tied hands. Stratton watched him until he entered the HQ tent.
‘He is as charming as he looks,’ Steel said. ‘I wouldn’t be surprised if his lifelong heroes were Hitler and Stalin. I’m sorry to see you like this,’ Steel said.
‘You don’t show emotion easily.’
Steel chuckled as he bit into an apple. ‘You made a mistake.’
‘Yes. I never realised how much of an arsehole you were.’
Steel continued to smile. ‘I meant after that. You got involved. You should know better, a man of your experience.’
‘You’re not working for the administration, are you?’
Steel looked round conspiratorially, as if he didn’t want anyone else to hear. ‘Keep your voice low, damn it. They don’t know that.’ He was clearly relishing his own sense of humour. ‘Well, truth is I am a little and I’m not a little. I was officially sent to monitor the situation and then was given some latitude when it came to offering assistance to the revolutionaries. But this country has a lotta valuable resources. Here, look at this,’ he said, digging something out of a pocket. He held up a dull chunk of ore the size of a golf ball. ‘Platinum,’ he said. ‘I could carry a fancy car’s worth out of here in my pockets. A lot of private companies are interested in investing in this place,’ Steel continued. ‘Hell, some of ’em are downright chomping at the bit to get in here. But you can’t bring in civilian contractors where there’s a war going on. It’s dangerous and expensive. So, yeah, I’m acting as point for a few of those companies, representing their interests.’ Steel grinned. ‘The sooner this place can get itself cleaned up, the sooner the investors’ll start doing what they do best.’
‘When did you switch from Sebastian to Neravista?’
‘You mean did I know I was sending you in to help the losing side? Yeah, I did. But I wasn’t clear how I was going to manage it. Switching sides was never gonna be easy since the Congressional funding was voted in to aid the revolutionaries, not Neravista. The trick was in reducing confidence in Sebastian and making him look more like a terrorist.That’s the magic word these days. Changes everyone’s perspective. We’re just putting the final touches to that right now. Look, Neravista was the tougher guy in the end. The revolutionaries couldn’t go the distance.They started squabbling. I had to take advantage of the situation as it presented itself. As long as Neravista can tone down the human rights abuses we should be fine. He may find that a lot easier now that his brother’s dead,’ Steel laughed. ‘Good job, by the way. Nice hit.’
‘Did you put the grenade in the weapons box?’
‘Neravista’s negotiator got a little pissed when he discovered how much ordnance you’d brought in. Shit, he went a little crazy. So I had to take some back. Sorry for any inconvenience caused.’
Stratton looked at him, doing his best to hide the venomous hatred he felt for the man. ‘Why am I here?’
‘I need you to kill Sebastian.’
Stratton just stared at him.
‘Of course I know you won’t do it. That’ll be our little secret. But it’ll get done and you’ll get the blame. You did it for the money, you greedy little mercenary, you.’
Stratton realised the implications. ‘What about Louisa?’
‘Sweet kid, that one. If she makes it, fine. I hope she does. I like that gal. She’s got oomph, you know? Great ass, too. I’m surprised you weren’t all over that one. A little out of your league, maybe. Then again, I think she’d go for a guy like you.’ Steel studied Stratton’s expression for a moment, looking for any clue that he might have struck a nerve.
He could not find any and gave the ambushers’ leader a nod. The man guarding Stratton came over to grip his arms, unaware of the pressure building in his prisoner. He gave Stratton a shove but the Englishman suddenly braced himself like a rock and would not move. The man was surprised and mustered his strength for greater effort. As he pushed again, Stratton bent away and then swung back, striking him in the face with his forehead with such force that the man’s nose burst and he fell, poleaxed and almost unconscious. The bearded leader lunged forward but Stratton flattened his testicles with a knee to the groin. The strength went out of the man as he grabbed his crotch and dropped to the ground where he began to cry with the pain.
Stratton turned on Steel who whipped his pistol from its holster and levelled it at his face.
‘You don’t need to be alive for this next phase,’ Steel said. ‘It’s just more convenient if you are. Which is it gonna be - dead or alive?’
Stratton did not doubt that Steel would shoot so he stopped in his tracks, glaring at the man. The other ambushers came running over, grabbed Stratton roughly and hauled him away.
‘You keep a good eye on that boy,’ Steel called out as he lowered his pistol. ‘Tie ’im up good.’ He grinned as he put his gun away and looked down at the two men on the ground, one of them sobbing in agony, the other still trying to figure out where he was. ‘I told you,’ Steel said, chuckling as he walked away. ‘You gotta watch that
