one occasion that I'd had direct contact with him, the job had fouled up because he'd supplied insufficient com ms kit.
He'd only been in the job since Colonel Lynn had 'taken early retirement' about seven months ago, but he'd already proved his incompetence more than once. The only thing he was good at was issuing threats; he had neither the personality nor the management skills to do it any other way. Lynn might have been just as much of an arse hole but at least you knew where you stood with him.
I was adjusting my position some more when the shutter rattled and I heard an engine rev outside.
They both stood up and put their wet shirts back on. Sundance walked over to turn off the TV. Neither of them bothered to look at me. It was still as if I wasn't there.
The engine noise got louder. Doors slammed and the shutter came down again.
The Yes Man appeared at the door, still in his suit and looking severely pissed off. Trainers slipped dutifully out of the room, like the family Labrador.
I wouldn't have thought it possible but the Yes Man's face was an even brighter red than usual. He was under pressure. Yet again, C and his mates weren't too pleased with their non-IB experiment.
He stopped just three or four feet away from me, looking like an irate schoolteacher, legs apart, hands on hips.
'What happened, Stone?' he shouted.
'Can't you get anything right?'
What was he on about? Only two hours ago he'd wanted me killed, and now he was telling me off like a naughty schoolboy. But it wasn't the moment to point this out. It was the moment to creep big-time.
'I just don't know, Mr. Frampton. As soon as I had three lights up I sent the fire commands. I don't know what happened after that. It should have worked, all four of us had com ms up until then but-' 'But nothing!' he exploded.
'The task was a complete failure.' His voice jumped an octave.
'I'm holding you personally responsible, you do know that, don't you?'
I did now. But what was new?
He took a deep breath.
'You don't understand the importance of this operation that you have completely scuppered, do you?'
Scuppered? I tried not to smile but couldn't help it.
'Fucked up' was how Lynn would have put it.
The Yes Man was still playing the school-teacher. There's nothing to smile about, Stone. Who, in heaven's name, do you think you are?'
It was time for a bit of damage limitation.
'Just someone trying to keep alive,' I said. That's why I taped our conversation, Mr. Frampton.'
He was silent for a few seconds while that sank in, breathing heavily, eyes bulging. Ah, yes, the tape and pictures. He must have just remembered why I was still alive and he was here. But not for long; his brain switch was set to Transmit rather than Receive. 'You've no idea of the damage you've done. The Americans were adamant that this had to be done today. I gave my word to them, and others, that it would.' He was starting to feel sorry for himself.
'I can't believe I had so much confidence in you.'
So it was an American job. No wonder he was flapping. The senior Brits had been trying to heal a number of rifts in their relationship with the USA for quite a while now especially as some of the US agencies just saw the UK as a route to extend its reach into Europe, and not as any sort of partner. The 'special relationship' was, in effect, history.
But the big picture wasn't exactly top of my agenda right now. I didn't care what had been scuppered. I didn't even care who had sponsored the job and why it had had to happen. I just wanted to get out of this room in one piece.
'As I said, Mr. Frampton, the lights were up and I ordered the shoot. Maybe if the three snipers were debriefed they could ...'
He looked at my lips but my words seemed not to register.
'You have let a serious problem develop in Central America, Stone. Do you not realize the implications?'
'No, sir' he always liked that.
'I don't, sir.'
His right hand came off his hip and he stared at the face of his watch.
'No, sir, that's right, you don't, sir. Because of you, we, the Service, are not influencing events in a direction favourable to Britain.'
He was starting to sound like a party political broadcast. I couldn't have cared less what was happening in Central America. All I was worried about was now, here.
The Yes Man sighed as he loosened his scarlet tie and opened his collar. Some beads of sweat dribbled down the side of his flushed face. He thumbed behind him in the direction of Sundance.
'Now, go with this man to collect the tape and all the other material that you claim to have on this operation, and I'll see about trying to save your backside.'
'I can't do that, sir!'
He stiffened. He was starting to lose it.
'Can't do that, sir?'
I'd have thought it was perfectly obvious, but I didn't want to sound disrespectful.
'I'm sorry, Mr. Frampton, but I need to make sure you don't have a change of heart about me.' I chanced a smile.
'I like being alive. I understand the reasons why the snipers were killed. I just don't want to join them.'
The Yes Man crouched down so that his eyes were level with mine. He was struggling to control a rage that was threatening to burst out of his face.
'Let me tell you something, Stone. Things are changing in my department. A new permanent cadre is being installed, and very soon all the dead wood will be cleared away. People like you will cease to exist.' He was nearly shaking with anger. He knew I had him by the bollocks, for now. Fighting his rage, he kept his voice very low.
'You've always been nothing but trouble, haven't you?'
I was averting my gaze, trying to look frightened and I was a bit. But unfortunately I caught sight of a large, freshly squeezed zit below his collar line. He didn't like that. He stood up abruptly, and stormed from the room.
Sundance shot me a threatening glare and followed him.
I tried to listen to the mumbling going on between the four of them in the garage, but with no luck. A few seconds later car doors slammed, the shutter went up, and the car reversed out. The shutter hit the floor once more, and then everything went quiet.
Except in my head. One half was telling me everything was OK. No way would he chance the job being exposed. The other was telling me that maybe he really didn't care what I was saying. I tried to make myself feel better by running through what had happened, convincing myself that I'd said the right things in the right way at the right time. Then I threw my hand in. It was too late now to worry about it. I'd just have to wait and see.
Trainers and Sundance reappeared. I looked up, trying to read their expressions.
They didn't look good.
The first kick was aimed at my chest. My body re flexed into a ball but Sundance's boot connected hard with my thigh. By now my chin was down, my teeth were clenched, and I'd closed my eyes. There was nothing I could do but accept the inevitable, curled up like a hedgehog, my hands still cuffed, trying to protect my face. I started to take it and just hoped that it wouldn't carry on for long.
They grabbed my feet and dragged me towards the centre of the room. One of the mugs rattled over on the tiles. I kept my legs as bent as I could, fighting against them being stretched out to expose my stomach and bollocks. I opened one eye just in time to watch a Caterpillar boot connect with my ribs. I brought my || head down further, in an attempt to cover my chest. It must have worked, because another boot swung right into my arse this time, and it felt as if the inside of my sphincter had exploded. The pain was off the scale and to counteract it I tried to clench my cheek muscles together but to do that I had to straighten my legs a little.
The inevitable boot flew into the pit of my stomach. Bile exploded from me. The acid taste in my mouth and nose was almost worse than the kicking.
