since Sunday. The mission: to kill Michael Choi. The mission: to kill Michael Choi.
With the hammock and tow-rope gathered in my arms I pulled the mozzie screen open just as Aaron tiptoed out of Luz's darkened bedroom and gently closed the door. He put his hands together against the side of his face as he walked towards me.
I kept my voice low.
'Listen, I didn't know anything about Carrie, her dad, or any of the other stuff until today. I'm sorry if life is shit, but I've come to do a job and I still need to be taken to do it.'
He rubbed his face so hard that the bristles rasped, and drew a long, deep breath.
'You know why's she doing this, right?'
I nodded, shrugged, tried to get out of it, and failed.
'Something to do with a passport, something like that?'
'You got it. But you know what? I think she would have done it anyway. No matter how much she hates to admit it, she's just like George, takes the Stars and Stripes gig to the max, know what I mean?'
He placed a hand on my shoulder and forced a smile. I nodded, not really having a clue what the fuck he was on about, and not really wanting to explore it further.
There was a pause before he withdrew his hand and held up his wrist to show his watch.
'Anything you need?' He was right: it was nearly ten o'clock, time to go.
There is. I put all of that explosive from the hut in one of your tubs, and I've left it down there.'
'You taking it with you?'
I nodded.
He took another of his deep breaths, trying hard not to ask why. It seemed there were other things apart from the move north that Carrie didn't talk to him about.
'OK, gimme five.'
We parted, him to his bedroom and me back to the storeroom. Carrie was still sitting on the director's chair, her elbows on the desk, cradling her head. I left her to it and packed the hammock and other stuff into the bergen.
The mozzie screen squeaked and slammed as Aaron left to collect the device.
Remembering that I still needed dry clothes, I went back to the computer room.
'Carrie?' There was no reply.
'Carrie?'
She slowly lifted her head as I walked into the room, not looking too good, eyes and cheeks red. Things had changed: I felt sorry for her now.
'I need some more clothes.' I pulled at my mud-covered sweatshirt.
'A complete set of stuff.'
It seemed to take her a second to understand what I was saying.
'Oh, right.' She stood up. 'I'll, um ...' She coughed to clear her throat as she left the room.
'Sure.'
I rummaged around under the cot and shelves for more thin polythene blanket wrappers. With several ripped ones in my hands, I picked up the rifle and checked chamber by pulling the bolt up and back slightly to expose the brass case and head of the round. I already knew it was there, but it made me feel better to see it and know that when I fired I wouldn't just hear a dead man's click. Satisfied, I swathed the muzzle and working parts in polythene again, completing the seal with tape before checking the muzzle protection was still intact.
Carrie reappeared with a thick brown cotton shirt and matching canvas trousers.
She never seemed to provide socks or underwear; maybe Aaron didn't use them.
They went into the protective plastic in the bergen, which I then closed down with the other two mozzie nets on top.
She watched as I checked my leg. The bandage was covered with mud but that didn't matter; the important thing was that there was no sign of leakage.
I gave my trousers a good squirt of Deet before tucking them into my very smelly socks, then doused them as well. Once I'd finished the front I got to work on my forearms, my hands, all round my neck and my head, even getting it into my hair.
I wanted to be armour-plated with the stuff, and I'd go on replenishing it all the time I was on the ground. I carried on squirting it over my clothing and rubbing it in. Anywhere that wasn't covered in mud got the good news. I threw her one of the bottles as she stood, zombie-like.
'Do my back, will you?'
It seemed to snap her out of her trance. She started rubbing it roughly into my sweatshirt.
'I'm taking you.'
'What?'
'It's my job, I'll take you. I'm the one who wants the passport.'
I nodded. I didn't want to get involved and talk more about it. We had done enough of that. All I wanted now was the lift.
The rubbing stopped.
'We ought to be going.'
The half-used bottle appeared over my shoulder.
'But first I want to tuck my child in.'
She walked out, and I packed all the Deet bottles in the top flap and started to wrap the weapon in the blanket for protection, not too sure if I was looking forward to the ride or not.
TWENTY-EIGHT
The atmosphere was strained as Carrie and I shook around in the cab, following the beam as it bounced off the jungle around us. The wet foliage shone as if it had been coated with varnish.
For several kilometres her eyes had been fixed on the section of track carved out by the lights, trying to negotiate the ruts that rocked us rhythmically from side to side. I let my head wobble but kept a hand on the rifle between my knees to protect the zero.
We eventually emerged from the forest and passed through the valley of dead trees. At last she cleared her throat.
'After all that we have said to each other ... this doesn't need to change things, Nick.'
'Yeah, well, we all make mistakes.'
'No, Nick, it wasn't a mistake, I need you to believe that. What you said means something. I'll never abuse that trust.'
'Is that why you told your dad I had a fever?'
'Like I said, no one ever need know. I don't lie, Nick.'
Thanks.'
'Am I forgiven?' She glanced at me to check that she really was before her eyes darted back to the track as we tilted left.
'Can't your dad just give Luz a passport? Surely he can sort that out?'
'Sure he can, I know that. But he knows I'm desperate. I've never gotten anything from him for free. I always had to earn it first. It was only going to be for locating the relay board. Then it got worse, some food and stores, a few gallons of two-stroke. They didn't want to go to Chepo in case they got recognized, I suppose ... Then you came along.'
I sat and watched her as her eyes concentrated on the driving but her mind was elsewhere.
'Aaron was right. He told me that once it started it'd never stop, he'd keep using me. You know what? Maybe he's right, but as soon as the passport comes we'll be out of here.'
'You'll go to your mum's? Boston?'
'She's got a house in Marblehead, on the coast. I have a job waiting at MIT and Luz is set for school.'
What's the score with your dad? I can't work out if you hate him, love him or what.'
T can't either. Then, sometimes, I even get a little jealous of the attention he gives Luz, and others I think he only does it to keep an eye on me.'
Still concentrating on the road, it seemed it was her turn to open up.
'I never knew who he really was, what he really did. He just went away, came back sometimes with
