Part 70 (1/2)
”I need to be lower.”
The captain shook his head.
”Lower!” yelled Voda.
The microphone caught his voice, and it echoed through the cabin. The Osprey settled a little closer to the ground, close enough, at least, for Voda to see that the soldiers were kids: eighteen, nineteen. To them, the dictator was just some story their parents told when they were bored. They didn't know what it was like to be the slaves of a dictator.
Or free men, for that matter.
”Gentlemen of the army,” began Voda, his voice shaky. ”This is President Voda. I wish to thank you for your role in helping save me today. Our democracy has pa.s.sed a great test, thanks to your help. Romania remains free! Romania for the people!”
The soldiers didn't react. Voda felt a moment of doubt. Then he leaned out the door.
”Thank you, Romania!” he yelled into his microphone. ”We remain a free people, with a great future!”
The soldiers began to cheer. Voda waved so hard one of the Americans had to grab him to keep him from falling out.
”To Bucharest,” he told Danny Freah.
”d.a.m.n good idea,” said Danny. He waved toward the front. The door was closed and the Osprey wheeled back into full flight.
”Hey, Mr. President,” said Zen Stockard, sitting across from him. ”Whose fancy car is that?”
Voda crossed to the other side of the Osprey and looked out. It was a black Mercedes S series sedan with flags-one Romanian and the other...
The other bore the insignia of the Romanian army.
Locusta's car.
”I want that son of a b.i.t.c.h arrested!” he yelled. ”Get him, now! Kill him if you have to.”
”Now there's an order we can all live with,” said Zen.
Southwest of Stulpicani, Romania
0210.
LOCUSTA HEARD THE AIRCRAFT BUT WAS CONFUSED. IT couldn't be his helicopter-they were still several miles from headquarters.
A black beast swerved in front of the car. His driver hit the breaks.
It was the Dreamland Osprey.
What the h.e.l.l were they doing?
SAMSON HAD ORDERED HIM TO FOLLOW THE ROMANIAN president's orders. Still, Danny Freah didn't feel entirely comfortable shooting up the car.
”Get him to stop,” he told the pilots. ”Fly in front of him, train the guns on him. Then we'll have him surrender.”
The Osprey pitched around, settling in front of the vehicle. Voda was on the loudspeaker, talking to Locusta.
”General Locusta,” he said in Romanian, ”I order you to place yourself under arrest. You are to come with these soldiers. No harm will come to you, unless you try to escape.”
”Tell him to stop the vehicle,” said Danny.
”General, stop the car,” said Voda.
The Osprey was moving backward, its chin guns pointed at the Mercedes. Instead of slowing, the car picked up speed.
”Can he hear me?” Voda asked.
”Yeah, he can hear you. He's just being stubborn. I'm going to mash up his front end and take out his engine. The car is armored, but that's not going to be much of a problem.”
”Do it.”
”Yeah.”
A second after Danny gave the order, the pilot began firing his chin cannon. The Mercedes veered to the side of the road.
INSIDE THE CAR, GENERAL LOCUSTA THREW HIS ARMS FORWARD, bracing himself as it skidded off the road.
How could this possibly be happening? How had Voda managed to escape-and not only escape, but come for him?
The Americans. Dreamland. The b.a.s.t.a.r.ds. He'd kill as many of them as he could before they killed him.
He threw open the door and raised his gun.
DANNY SPRUNG FROM THE SIDE DOOR OF THE OSPREY, Sergeants Liu and Boston right behind him. The rear pa.s.senger side door of the car opened and a man leaped to the ground, rolled over, and came up firing a 9mm pistol.
The first two or three bullets flew wildly to the side.
Then one struck Danny in the chest, right above the heart.
His bulletproof vest saved him, deflecting the bullet's energy.