Part 15 (1/2)
That they were dead, killed by soldiers, and that we'd be dead as well if we weren't both careful and extremely lucky.
Then I pa.s.sed out.
The first thing I remember clearly was the taste of coffee. The second thing I remember was Samran pressing a gun into my hand and telling me that I had to interpret our data for him or choose someone to kill.
I stood up, swaying, trying to wake up. 'What?'
He was patient with me. 'Either you pick someone to kill or I will kill everyone here, one by one, until you do as I have asked.'
'If you're going to kill us all anyway why should I -?' 'Because this way some of your friends will live.' 'But I have to choose which one will die.'
'And kill them.' Samran shrugged. His smile showed bright, even teeth. 'Or you could cooperate: interpret the data for me.'
I was fully aware again by now. The shock of being left behind and of finding Dilaver dead was starting to wear off? The coffee I had been given helped. So had the couple of hours' rest. I hefted the gun in my hand. I wondered how much control of the situation it would give me.
I became aware that they were all watching me. Raelsen. Levinson. n.o.ble.
Sehna Even Tammuz. They were all covered by Iraqi soldiers. I could see the fear in their faces, the confusion. And who could blame them? With the exception of Tammuz they had come here to investigate the past. They were scientists, not soldiers. Civilians. Now I could see from their expressions that they were scared and confused? They knew they might die here? I could see a terrible mixture of antic.i.p.ation and condemnation in their faces. Antic.i.p.ation that they might get to live; condemnation of me - for possibly killing one of them to save the others. They hated me for having the choice.
Only I knew it wouldn't work like that: that the choice I had was really no choice at all., Samran wanted information? He was going to get it no matter what the cost in human life. If we all had to die so be it: he would interpret the data himself - just a little more slowly and with a greater margin of error, that was all. We were a convenience. A luxury. One he could easily do without.
Samran watched me watching them and his eyes narrowed thoughtfully. I dangled the gun from its trigger guard, held it out towards him. 'I don't play these sort of games, Colonel?'
He looked at the gun, a mild expression creasing his face. He seemed amused, almost contemptuous. 'If I take the gun I will shoot your friends,'
he said simply. 'One by one. Until I get what I want.' He made no attempt to take the gun. 'Is that what you want?'
I frowned, flipped the gun into my palm, aimed it at Raelsen. I saw his expression change. His eyes widened. I s.h.i.+fted the gun around, pointed it in turn at n.o.ble, Sehna Levinson, back to Raelsen, then to Tammuz, tied to his rock. I watched Samran while I did this, hoping for some clue, an edge, something to give me an advantage. There was nothing. I moved the gun back to Raelsen. His expression didn't change but he was breathing harder.
I winked, then abruptly swung the gun to cover Samran. Half a dozen soldiers moved quickly to cover me. Too late. I had the drop on them.
'Back off boys. Or I turn your boss into a colander.' I grinned at Samran.
'The rules of the game have just been changed.'
His expression did not change. The soldiers did not move. For a moment we stared at each other, the gun a cold weight between us.
'You would give your own life? To take mine?' I said nothing. Be inscrutable. They hate that.
He thought it over, signalled to his men. The soldiers moved fast. Each covered one member of the expedition. That left half a dozen left over to cover me. Still Samran did not smile. 'The rules have just changed back again.' He shrugged, a casual movement of narrow shoulders. 'But the choice is still yours. Kill me and you all die.' He paused, then added, 'Of course you could still cooperate? In which case you will all live.'
I thought it over. There didn't seem to be any way to win? I let the gun dangle by its trigger guard from my finger.
This time he took it. 'Good. Your friends may live. We will begin interpreting the data immediately.' He smiled. 'I am glad you chose to end the game this way.'
'You better hope there's never a rematch,' I muttered angrily.
He ejected the gun's ammo clip. Gave it to me. There were no bullets in it.
He laughed as he took out a fresh clip. 'Brave words, Mrs Summerfield.
Maybe one day you will get your wish. For now - his eyes narrowed and his voice snapped out like a whip as he slapped the clip into place '-you will do as you are told.'
Interpreting the data was easy. Collating it was hard. Everyone had their own system, and all of them were angry with me for agreeing - as they saw it - to sell them out to Samran. I didn't blame them. They hadn't seen what I'd seen. Hadn't seen Dot and Reefer killed. I doubt if any of them had experienced anything more traumatic in their lives than university politics.
Well, maybe Raelsen had. He was an engineer. And there was that aborted conversation we'd had - nearly had - back in Dogubayazit. The one in which he'd hinted at some traumatic reason for his interest in the Tendurek Formation. Twelve days ago. That was all it had been. Grief, how things change.
Raelsen surrendered his notes easily. The others followed suit. All except Ed Levinson.
He stood an arm's length from me, clutching his laptop. His face was calm.
Too calm. 'You can't have it.'
I sighed. 'Look around you. You see any of these soldiers holding water pistols? They'll shoot you if you don't cooperate.'
Ed sat down, crosslegged., He said calmly, 'I claim diplomatic immunity. I am not subject to this conflict. I will not surrender my information.'
By now the soldiers were getting interested. One sauntered over, gun at the ready.
'Ed, please.'
Ellie n.o.ble said, 'Ed, don't be silly. It's a bunch of numbers. It's not worth your life.'
Levinson licked his lips. 'You don't understand. If we all refused to cooperate there's nothing they could do.' He looked at me and his eyes were bright with accusation. 'It's your fault. You're working with them.'
n.o.ble moved closer, put her hand on Levinson's arm. 'Benny's just doing what she thinks will save our lives. It will. If you cooperate.'
Levinson shook off n.o.ble's hand. 'No! You're both working with them. Give up our data? Then what? They get all the credit, we get nothing!'
The penny dropped. I said, 'Ed, listen to me very carefully. They don't want to publish. They think there are uranium deposits here. They don't want the Ark data. They're not going to steal any academic glory from you. They don't want to publish? They want to -'
Levinson jumped to his feet, still clutching the laptop to his chest. 'Sure, I see it! They want to dig up Tendurek, dig up the Ark! And for what? A bunch of uranium to make bombs out of? Don't you get it? The Ark is a symbol of life - we can't let them make it into one of death!'
By this time Samran himself had heard the argument. He came out of his tent and quickly crossed the hundred or so yards that separated us? 'What is going on here?' He looked at me. 'I told you to get the data. Is this man refusing to cooperate?' He drew his pistol.
I said, 'No, Colonel. Everything's fine. Ed's just expressing some ...
concern, that's all.'
Levinson turned to face Samran, 'You think we're fools! You think we'll just give up our data to you like that?' He stepped closer to Samran and snapped his fingers in the colonel's face.
Half a dozen soldiers had their guns levelled before the click of Levinson's fingers echoed away. Samran's own gun, aimed at the radar specialist's face, seemed almost redundant.
Ellie n.o.ble was holding Levinson's arm and whispering, 'Ed, no, please, don't be stupid,' over and over again? Levinson ignored her. 'Well we won't!
We have immunity. The American Emba.s.sy in Ankara will hear of this. In fact I'll b.l.o.o.d.y well phone them now, and then we'll see what you have to say to that!'
He reached into his pocket.
Samran jammed his gun barrel against Levinson's forehead. 'Do not move.'