Part 6 (2/2)

Ostrander clipped, ”That's my responsibility. I'm taking you all in.

We'll solve such problems as jurisdiction and warrants when I get you to the Reunited Nations headquarters.”

”Ah?” Homer Crawford said. ”And then what happens to us?”

Ostrander jiggled the gun, impatiently. ”Sven Zetterberg is of the opinion that you should immediately be flown out of Africa and the case brought before the High Council of the African Development Project. What measures will be taken beyond that point I have no way of knowing.”

Bey took a step to the left, Kenny Ballalou one to the right. Homer Crawford remained immediately before the C.I.A. operative, his hands slightly out from his sides, palms slightly forward.

Ostrander snapped, ”I'm prepared to fire, you men. I don't underestimate the importance of this situation. If your crazy scheme makes any progress at all, it might well result in the death of thousands. I know your background, Crawford. You once taught judo in the Marines. I'm not unfamiliar with the art myself.”

Isobel had a hand to her mouth, her eyes were wide. ”Boys, don't ...”

she began.

Elmer Allen had been leaning on his pilgrim's staff, as though weary with this whole matter. He said to Ostrander, interestedly, ”So you've been checked out on judo? Know anything about the use of the quarterstaff?”

Ostrander kept his gun traversing between the four of them. ”Eh?” he said.

Elmer Allen s.h.i.+fted his grip on his staff infinitesimally. Of a sudden, the end of the staff, now gripped with both hands near the center, moved at invisibly high speed. There was a crack of the wrist bone, and the gun went flying. The other end of the staff flicked out and rapped the C.I.A. operative smartly on the head.

Fredric Ostrander crumbled to the floor.

”Confound it, Elmer,” Crawford said. ”What'd you have to go and do that for? I wanted to talk to him some more and send a message back to Zetterberg. Sooner or later we've got to make our peace with the Reunited Nations.”

Elmer said embarra.s.sedly, ”Sorry, it just happened. I was merely going to knock the gun out of his hand, but then I couldn't help myself. I was tired of hearing that holier-than-thou voice of his.”

Kenny Ballalou looked down at the fallen man gloomily. ”He'll be out for an hour. You're lucky you didn't crack his skull.”

”Holy Mackerel,” Cliff Jackson said. ”I'm going to have to learn to operate one of those things.”

Elmer Allen handed him the supposed pilgrim's staff. ”Best hand-to-hand combat weapon ever invented,” he said. ”The British yeoman's quarterstaff. Of course, this is a modernized version. Made of epoxy resin gla.s.s-fiber material, treated to look like wood. That stuff can turn a high-velocity bullet, let alone a sword, and it can be bent in a ninety degree arc without the slightest effect, although it'd take a power-driven testing machine to do it.”

”All right, all right,” Homer said. ”We haven't got time for lessons in the use of the quarterstaff. Let's put some thought to this situation. If Ostrander here was able to find us, somebody else would, too.”

Isobel licked the side of her mouth. ”He was probably following me.

Remember, I told you Homer?”

Kenny said, ”If he had anyone with him, he'd have brought them along to cover him. You've got to give him credit for bravery, taking on the whole bunch of us by himself.”

”Um-m-m,” Homer said. ”I wish he was with us instead of against us.”

Jake Armstrong said, ”Well, this solves one problem.”

They looked at him.

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