‘N’Jalabenadou, the General,’ she whispered to herself. ‘The fabled Elephant, one of the most powerful – if not the most powerful – living members of your filthy kind. History thought that you perished a long time ago. You did an excellent job of faking your own death, General. Outstanding, in fact. You had our intelligence fooled for so, so long. But now, you idiot, we know. Just the two of us, of course, Mr Deveraux and I. The rest soon will too, though, when we annihilate your army and capture you. And then … oh God, oh fucking Jesus fucking Christ, I can’t even begin to imagine the power I’ll have, the raw, godlike power. We’re coming for you, General … we’re coming.’
57
MARGARET
6th October 2020. CZ-17H2 Coltan Mine
‘Cohen!’
‘SIR!’
‘How many rounds you packin’ for that there .458 rifle?’
‘THIRTY-SEVEN SIR!’
‘Good. Should be enough for any lions, rhinos, hippos, gorillas or any other heavy-duty critters we come across, yeah?’
‘SIR YES SIR!’
‘Good. Now I know you’re a goddamn kike, an’ it’s easier t’ split a V-8 engine block in half with your fists than it is t’ pry a quarter outta your stingy Jew hands, but you’d best not be stingy with them big ol’ cannon rounds, y’hear? You see any a’ them big-ass critters out there in the jungle, you pump the fuckers so full a’ lead that they sink through the fuckin’ crust a’ the Earth an’ come out in Indo-China or Australasia or some other faraway shithole, you got it?’
‘SIR YES SIR! I WILL NOT BE A STINGY KIKE WITH THESE .458 ROUNDS SIR!’
‘That’s what I like t’ hear. You’ll be taking left flank, an’ cover is your priority; you ain’t no goddamned balls t’ the wall hero this mission, you’re a fuckin’ sniper, you got it?’
‘SIR YES SIR!’
Colonel Rudd then turned to Yamamoto, who was also armed with a heavy .458 calibre rifle.
‘Yamamoto, I don’t know how the shit you see through them tiny slanty lil’ eyes a’ yers, but by Jesus an’ Buddha an’ Muhammed you’re the best goddamned sniper in this here squad. Must be somethin’ magic they put in the fuckin’ rice in ol’ Japan there huh?’
‘SIR YES SIR! THE RICE IN JAPAN IS FULL OF SNIPER-MAKING MAGIC SIR!’
Rudd grinned and nodded with satisfaction.
‘I bet it is, you sneaky yellow fucker. You’re on right flank. Same as Jew-boy there, you make sure your cover is solid as fuck, then you take them sniper shots. For every headshot each one a’ you pull off I’m gon’ give y’all a ten-grand bonus. An’ that goes for any man in the squad! Did y’all hear that loud an’ clear, ladies? Ten grand in sweet green banknotes for every goddamned headshot you pansies pull off!’
The entire squadron of mercenaries let out a brashly loud, perfectly unified ‘sir yes sir’. Colonel Rudd allowed his eyes to roam over all of them, and in the eyes of each man he saw himself reflected, the greatest achievement he could have dreamed of claiming. He had moulded this rag-tag bunch of misfits, loners and sociopaths into one of the most brutally effective killing machines on the planet. He had done that, with the skill of any master sculptor or architect. And as he saw the bloodlust and savagery in their eyes – a primal wrath and unquenchable thirst for violence that was, paradoxically, under computer-precise control – a ripple of pride tore through his every vein and artery with the ruthless hunger of a virus.
‘My boys,’ he muttered under his breath. ‘My fuckin’ boys.’
He walked up to Jimbo, the black soldier from New Orleans, and McKenzie, a curly-haired, swarthy trailer park resident who was covered head to toe in poorly done tattoos, who possessed a striking pair of light green eyes that practically jumped out of his haggard, stubble-heavy face.
‘Jimbo, that bonus don’t go for you though. If you somehow manage t’ get a head shot with that M134D minigun, you’ll get a lifetime supply a’ fried chicken, courtesy a’ Colonel Sanders, who I happen t’ know on a personal basis! But more likely, you’re just gon’ use that beast in your hands t’ cut motherfuckers clean in half, like it’s a fuckin’ scythe, ain’t ya?’
‘SIR YES SIR! I PLAN TO SEPARATE THEIR LEGS FROM THEIR TORSOS SIR!’
‘That goes for you too McKenzie! If you can get that pinhead brain a’ yours off a’ your sister’s fat, hairy pussy for more than five seconds an’ make a headshot with your M134D, I’ll buy you your own fuckin’ trailer park, with enough trailers for all a’ your sisters and female cousins! You’ll have yourself a good ol’ harem right there, all the motherfuckin’ incest you could ever dream of! How does that sound, you white trash waste a’ jizz? Does that sound good, soldier?’
‘SIR YES SIR! I CAN’T WAIT TO GET ME MY OWN TRAILER PARK SIR!’
‘Good! Well you, you watermelon-eatin’ homeboy, an’ you, you white trash sister-fucker, you two got point! Y’all are armoured up as heavy as goddamned tanks so don’t be scared none a’ takin’ a hit or two from some kid soldier’s AK-47! Y’all lay down that minigun fire like it’s fuckin’ Christmas an’ y’all are Santa givin’ these poor jungle bunnies’ stockin’s full a’ hot lead! Y’all got it?’
‘SIR YES SIR!’ they replied in unison, their voices hoarse with unleashed aggression.
‘Fernando!’ Colonel Rudd then yelled, turning his attention to another soldier.
‘SIR YES SIR’
‘Well look at you, dressed in your gillie suit an’ all painted up like some high school skank eager t’ get her pussy licked for th’ first time! Good, good, them animal-changing motherfuckers won’t see you even with their special goddamn eyes! You an’ Hampel are on scout duty. Off y’all go! We’ll be right behind you.’
‘SIR
