Chapter Five

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The blast of a bugle outside the room brought me awake. I got up suddenly with all my body covered in cold sweat. I had a similar nightmare to that of the previous night, but this time, the chief priest was a woman. Her chiefs and guards were women too. The sacrificial subject was a man who had committed the same offence as the woman. The six women who had brought me to the priestess had been more aggressive and vicious than the men were, and had taken great pleasure in ripping off my pants, even before the priestess had instructed them to do so. And when she coaxed her snake to strike, it seemed to have looked at me with an evil leer before its fangs reached out to strike my groin area.

My groin area ached, and my head felt as if drummers were having a spree in it. I lay my head back on the pillow, shut my eyes, and placed my palm tightly on the muscles across my forehead. After a while, the aches subsided and I began to think straight. I quickly shoved the nightmare out of my mind, accepting it was the outcome of roaming in the bush for too long, coupled with the intense heat of the previous day. I checked my watch. It was 08.25. I got up and slipped into my boxer shorts, then relaxed back on the bed and began to feel a lot better as the pains and aches suddenly seemed to have disappeared.

Lydia was no longer in bed with me. She was on my own bed, fully dressed and perhaps fast asleep as her shoulders kept rising and falling. Making love to her had been wonderful and exciting. Though she was quite inexperienced, it had been great fun, having to take all the initiatives and watch her come around agreeably with so much passion and hunger in her black eyes that I wondered if she wasn't the same Lydia everyone dreaded. As I looked at her full figure on the bed, I knew something was wrong with her, and I was prepared to give anything to find out what it was.

I thought about the night again and concluded, without a doubt in my mind, that there was indeed something about her that I was missing, and I earnestly wondered what it was. With her disposition, I knew she wouldn't confide in me, and I was sure that even the lovemaking wouldn't make any difference. I was still thinking about her when I heard a heavy blow on the door. The door held as the intruder tried the knob. I had bolted it before the night's rendezvous and had forgotten to slide it back. I hurriedly got up as Lydia began to turn on the bed. I didn't want any trouble, so I slide the bolt back and opened the door. Three lads rushed into the room carrying automatic rifles.

"What the hell's going on?" I snapped.

"Put your clothes on, sir," one of them ordered.

"You had better have a good goddamn reason for bumping in on—"

"The colonel wants to see you immediately," another interrupted.

I obeyed and warned Lydia not to do anything silly as she sat on the bed while one of the boys had her covered. There was no trace of apprehension in her surprisingly calm but tired eyes, except contempt for the guy who held her at gun point and perhaps hatred for every other person in the room. Why should they jump on me that way? I wondered. What could have happened between the night and that morning to make them suddenly hostile, and where the hell had George drifted? Well, I decided to remain calm until I saw the man and found out what he wanted.

After I have had my clothes on, I quietly followed the boys out of the room and across the lawn to another building far to the left of the station. I noticed there were several doors on either side of the long corridor as we entered the building. The boys moved to the third on the right, and after some hesitation, one of them gave the door a slight knock with exaggerated caution, as if his knuckles would damage the door. A minute or so later, a faint response came from within, and the boy opened the door and ushered me in. They all saluted and instantly left while I stood before the big desk in the office facing the colonel.

He wore a bright red velvet jacket on brown corduroy pants, and I noticed there were folds under his eyes as he lifted his face from the papers in the file on his desk. It was obvious that the night rest, if he had any at all, hadn't done him much good. He had the same hard, serious, penetrating eyes as Steve, and was square-shouldered and solidly built too, although he was obviously older, the striking difference had been his height and bushy mustache. Undoubtedly, Steve was a tall guy, but the colonel had an impressive height. Even as he sat behind his desk, I could tell he was nearly seven foot tall.

He had thin, hard lips that often broke into a wry smile, and at first sight, he gave you the impression of firmness, a quiet confidence of unwavering power and assured authority, though it seemed the pressing problem on hand had its frustrating toll on him, and he looked a moment, like the shadow of himself. However, I warned myself that I had to watch my step with him; I knew the weight of the authority a man in his position possessed, and moreover, the setup could be a lot more ridiculous and dangerous than one could imagined. An unnecessary slip could earn one a bullet from the anxious hands of a stupid gun-toting boy, and I was sure that in his state of mind, he wouldn't hesitate to give out the order.

"I'm Colonel Morris Anderson," he began without stretching out his hand for a handshake, "and I'm sorry we had to drag you out in that manner." I remained silent. "George warned us that the girl was keeping a watch on you, so we made it seemed you are really wanted." He explained with his usual wry smile to indicate he didn't mean what he had said, but I instantly became livid. It was about time I did something with George over the issue, I thought bitterly as I stood looking at the man. He couldn't just presume to go round telling every Tom, Dick, and Harry that she was this and that. He could get us into more trouble than he was trying to prevent, and I couldn't help imagining if he was blind not to have noticed that the girl had been quite calm since we arrived at the station.

"Please do sit down," he said and waved to one of the two upright chairs in front of his desk. I brushed my anger aside at that moment, hoping to straighten out the issue when I set my eyes on him. I sat down quietly and began to take in the details of the office, and then blushed instantly as he passed his next comment without lifting his eyes off the paper on his desk.

"Did you have a good night's rest, or was she there to make sure you didn't?" he asked with the same wry grin on his hard lips, but I was quick to get a hold of myself and kept my face expressionless.

"The girl is all right," I returned guardedly. "George was only presuming, and I'm sure she won't make trouble for anyone," I stated promptly. He dragged his eyes off the papers and glanced furtively at me, but I still held my face expressionless.

"I really don't care if she made trouble with anyone, though I hope she doesn't for her own good," he said emphatically and returned his attention to the papers in the file while I remained calmly seated.

The room wasn't much of an office, but it would do for the type of place it was. His large desk occupied most of the floor, and there were heaps of flat files arranged on either sides of it. High iron shelves with books and more flat files lined more than half of the walls too. The air in the office smelt of strong coffee, and the ashtray was filled with cigarette stubs and ashes that I wondered if he hadn't been there the whole night.

"George also told me all about his kids, Legion, and the diamonds," he began again, almost abruptly, and stared intently at me. But I switched on my well, what do you know? expression, wondering what else he might have told him.

"I spoke with him last night," he went on as if my expression had demanded prompt explanation, "While you were kept rather 'busy' by the woman," he added perceptibly with a mocking grin lurking around his lips, but I kept my face deadpan. "He said you wanted the diamonds and—"

"It's the ransom for his kids," I hedged, interrupting him.

"All right, let's forget about the diamonds for now. We'll come back to that later," he said expressively after a brief but tense silence. "I believe you are here to see Mushini?" he asked seriously.

"That's right. I guess there's not much he hasn't told you already," I returned and went on. "Do you know where we might find him?" I queried, ignoring his hard stare. He had taunted me enough, and I thought it a good idea to let him have a taste of his own medicine.

"Where you won't dare go if I tell you," he scowled at me. "George told me Stephen mentioned it to him and that he had already told you. So you had better be careful how you throw josh around with me."

Well, that had the effect I wanted, and a score for me too, I thought, and kept quiet, staring back at him with my face empty of expression again, though I again warned myself to be very careful with him. He closed the file in front of him, pushed it forward, adjusted his bulk on his seat, and stared up at the ceiling for a while, then began abruptly again.

"We have just nine days to clear the hell out of here. We are fast running out of time and finances. Those who wanted this job done and believed in our ability to deliver have begun to call the whole thing a complete sham, and as minutes tick by, so also the pressure and frustration. And as I'm talking to you now, many people's jobs and lives are already on the line." He stated that emphatically, and I kept staring at him since I had no idea what he was talking about.

"You have heard of Diamond Island, haven't you?" he asked as abruptly as he had started.

"Yes, that's where George and his friends picked up the diamonds," I returned promptly.

"You're damn right, and the diamonds are back there."

"George said so, but I don't understand how."

"You will," he said, and pushed his chair back while still sitting, "maybe if I start from the beginning," he added, giving off a yawn as he stared up at the ceiling again. I followed his gaze but saw nothing of any particular interest except the fan rotating endlessly.

"Nine months ago," he began shortly after, "George and his 'friends,' as you called them, decided to pick up the old lady's diamonds at the island. Well, I guess he must have told you all about that," he said expressively, and I nodded, "but I'm sure he hasn't seen you this morning to tell you that Mushini and Legion were brothers." He grinned as he watched me.

"Brothers?" I asked, gaping at him.

"Yes, half- brothers, to be precise. Legion's parents were Dutch while Mushini's mother was an African. You know some men," he continued as he threw me a furtive wink, "they just won't give up until they've had enough of both worlds, and I can't say I blame the poor woman for giving her son an African name," he added unnecessarily. So that was some parts of the puzzle, I thought. Legion and Mushini were brothers; but Lydia had said they were enemies. Well, that wasn't uncommon; they might as well have started a family rivalry.

"Well, as I was saying," he went on after a brief pause, "when the police got to the scene of the robbery, they found Mushini's son's body at the island; Louis had been hanging out with Legion since he was sixteen, and at the age of twenty-four, he was already a full member of his crazy outfit. Though I doubt if there was any love lost between him and his old man," he stated spitefully.

"So, he was Legion's favorite nephew?" I asked.

"Maybe," he answered indifferently, anxious to go on with his story. "They called themselves The Blue Brigade and gained legitimacy as private military contractors, but they are not better than armed bandits. Their mischievous interests range from drugs, arms running, kidnapping, blackmail, and stealing, to name but a few. Connected people usually patronize them, so it's very hard to pin anything on them. However, luck ran out on Mushini," he beamed with a sudden light on his face, "when the police found his son's corpse on the island, they decided to talk to him. He didn't know his son was involved in the robbery, and so he least expected a visit from the federal cops. Hence, he hadn't enough time to hide the diamonds, and they found them on him. I reckon we both know how he got them," he said grimly with his hard eyes setting.

"Well," he went on after a brief silence, "they charged him with murder and robbery, and the judge didn't have to bother to look for more evidence. He sent him away for a very long stretch." He paused and then continued with so much bitterness in his voice. "But I know that in all that whole confusion, he will get away somehow; they always do."

He shut his eyes shortly after his last words and seemed to be deep in thought.

"I hadn't seen George for a very long time," he said abruptly, as usual. "He was one of our best out-men, and I thought that he had been killed too, when the news came that his drunk ally was picked up cold on the island. We checked on him and found his home deserted, but we couldn't start on that at the time because we had a lot of pressing issues on hand.

"Anyway," he exclaimed after a brief pause, "I now know he had been smart enough to get away but dumb to have given the diamonds to Mushini."

"I already told him that," I put in dryly. He looked up sharply at me but went on.

"That's neither here nor there," he stressed. "Perhaps it's just as good that he gave them to him. If they hadn't found the diamonds, there wouldn't be enough evidence to slam the gates on his face."

"When was this?" I asked.

"Nearly eight months ago."

"So Legion and George didn't know this?"

"I don't know about Legion; from what I have heard, he could be insane, but George said he didn't know before now."

"I suppose the woman now has her diamonds back?" I asked, paring the discussion.

"No!" he answered tersely, with his eyes on me.

"What do you mean by no? You just said the diamonds had been returned there."

"Just keep shut, will you?" he snapped. "I'm doing the talking, remember? Just listen," he said, scowling again.

"All right, I'm listening; keep talking," I grinned tauntingly.

"You had better watch it," he warned. "I told you, the diamonds were returned to the island, but I can't remember telling you the woman had them, or did I?" he asked and stared at me with seriously hard eyes. I said nothing but gave him my well, go on expression.

"The woman never came back, and we learned she dropped dead in London. Hell, it could be an accident or anything, and Legion, I was told, he is poisonous and capable of—"

"I've been told all that before," I cut in, irritated to hear about Legion's reputation. "What the hell happened to the diamonds?" I asked rather tersely, and just then, I realized how far I had stretched the man's tolerance. He warned me sternly that he wouldn't take it kindly if I interrupted him again.

I decided to stay quiet and just listen this time. I dreaded infuriating him anymore than was necessary, not after seeing that sinister light in his hard eyes. He looked considerably tough in spite of his age and commanded an enormous power and respect among his men. He could order them to do anything he wanted, and any such disagreeable situation would only complicate the problems on hand. Moreover, from what he had already told me, the business was getting even more complicated, and there was still a lot to be done if the diamonds were to be found at all. Above all, I still like him for the information, even though I wasn't sure where his interest actually lay in the whole affair.

"Well, as I was saying," he went on after a long silence, "even the smart boys at the Scotland Yard couldn't exactly give the cause of her death. A couple of weeks later, her son came down here and sold the damned place out, including the diamonds too; he hated everything about this place. The old nut who bought the place insisted the diamonds belonged there and rightly so. The island got its name from them, so the young bloke sold the whole damned thing to him," he stated, grunting bitterly.

"I don't care about the diamonds." He went on after a while. "The old nut who bought the place had other things in mind, and the destruction of these other things is the task I'm longing so much to accomplish," he said, clenching his teeth as I watched him with my face expressionless.

"I suppose you haven't been up there?" he asked unnecessarily and went on, as I said nothing. "Well, it's a perfect hideout for anyone who was into a pernicious business, and that is to put it rather lightly," he added rather superfluously. "You know what that means, don't you?" he asked after a brief pause with his eyes locked on mine, and continued as I nodded. "That's exactly how one could describe some of the things he was doing there."

He further told me that a month or so after the man had bought the place, he turned it into a fort, making more underground layouts in the building and installed hi-tech security equipment on the whole grounds and surrounding water. He also said the man had guards large enough to form a battalion, and that he has too many right people in the right places.

"If the authorities think he's straight, then why are you after him?" I queried skeptically when he paused.

"The authorities!" he hissed bitterly. "He's crooked and many of those that mattered in the country knew it, but because many of the very influential ones have vested interests in his crooked pies, they turn their faces the other way, but I will change all that in my own time," he added quietly, almost to himself.

He went ahead and told me that the man has a mint under the building, and that even money experts could hardly tell the difference between his counterfeits and the real U.S. dollar. He was also wise to go on the fives, tens, and fifties, and somehow gets them thrown easily into Europe and America through the black market. He also deals in narcotics, shipping hundreds of kilograms of them to and fro in Europe. However, the colonel made it clear that the money and the drugs weren't his real problem with the man, and that he could care less if he printed all the money in the world or sold drugs to baboons in the jungle, and as he paused, I kept silent and wondered what was coming next.

"There's one other gruesome thing he's been doing out there," he went on as usual, "and it makes me feel awfully bad that one gory loose end has yet to be tied up," he said emphatically.

"What's that?" I asked, gaping at him.

He stared at me with a strange expression on his face, as if he had just noticed I was in the room. He looked away, then sat back heavily; gripping the arms of his chair, stood up suddenly and went for the bottle of whisky on the drink cabinet. He took a shot and waved the glass at me, but I shook my head in response. He left the bottle and went back to his seat with the glass nearly half full.

"I can't go on without this." He raised the glass up, and I thought I saw him wink. "It's such a disgusting thing," he went on seriously and hissed as he seemed to think for a moment. "More than fifty percent of missing teenagers in this country probably ended up in his lousy laboratory. The incessant crisis here had no doubt made the kidnap racket a swell venture," he stated bitterly. I said nothing and kept gaping at him, but he ignored my look of astonishment and went on.

"He eviscerates them, extracts some kind of enzymes or whatever from their organs and brains, and uses the substances for making some goddamn drugs, which he exports abroad."

"What sorts of drugs?" I asked, looking and sounding truly astonished.

"I don't really know!" he returned with a worried frown on his brow as he scratched his rough beard. "Though I'm told the drugs were used to repel the effects of aging and, to some extent, prolong life." He slammed the glass on the desk, spilling some of its contents.

"You sure there can't be any mistake about this?" I asked, cutting into the silence that followed his sudden rage.

"There are no mistakes. We have had it properly investigated, and we have photographs to support our claims."

"But Steve said most of the men sent there never came back," I reminded him.

"That's right. They never did come back, and I guess they must have contributed to the nut's raw material." He winced as if the thought had bitten him. "That was a bad thing to say, wasn't it?" he said as he looked up at me, "but what else can I say? The two that managed to escape, returned with virtually nothing. They were half out of their minds and were barely able to utter the first letters in their names before they gave up the ghost. I still can't figure out how they left the island."

He stood up and opened one of the drawers on the chest behind his seat. He pulled out a file and placed it before me.

"That's the story and photographs. Help yourself," he said, then hesitated. "You sure you won't like a drink?" he asked as he moved toward the drink cabinet. Although it was a bit too early to start on drinks, I felt a little wouldn't hurt, and moreover, it might probably help to strengthen my nerves. So I told him I would like some without lifting my head from the file.

The hard cover of the blue file read, "strictly confidential" It was neat, not voluminous, and cool to the touch, giving one an impression of meticulous handling. I opened the file and began to read as he handed the drink to me. The stories were short, precise, and neatly typewritten. Each story had a postcard-size photograph referenced to it. Some of the photographs were really unpleasant to look at. Nevertheless, they were wonderful pieces of work, and as a matter of fact, the whole thing seemed to have been properly investigated and documented as the man had said.

"These photographs were a splendid job. How did you get them since your men couldn't leave the island," I queried as I sipped at my drink.

"Well, we have smart boys out here too," he smiled triumphantly as he stood watching me, "and they can handle a gimmick that could reproduce a photograph taken several miles away in just three seconds."

"Don't you think they might have given themselves away while trying to send these signals to you?"

"Perhaps, but the men knew it was a job that had to be done, and no sacrifice could be too much for the changes we had vowed to make. Twelve men had been sent to the island, but the last three had gone with the camera and the gadgets that produced this vital evidence."

"That was sheer suicide," I muttered as I turned my attention back to the contents of the file.

"I guess you could say that," he returned and began to pace the office with his drink in hand, "but we're running out of time, and the earlier we took action, the better for everyone involved."

"Since you have enough evidence, what's wrong with getting a warrant from appropriate authorities instead of the illegal sneak-in?" I asked, thinking there could perhaps be a catch somewhere in the whole situation, which he was certainly unwilling to say or admit.

"My dear friend," he grinned wolfishly, "our original intention was to get the evidence and hand them over to the authorities, but as I told you earlier, we found that the old nutcase has too many right people in the right places. No one would sign such a warrant; they won't even look closely at the evidence before it's swept away under the carpet, and the major papers won't touch the story, even with a twenty-foot long pole. So we have decided to act on our own, legal or not."

I pushed the file forward, sipped at my drink, and stretched out on my seat.

"It's the details of all you have told me so far," I began after a brief pause, "and it's supposed to be top secret, so why let me go through them?" I asked with my eyes on his broad back as he searched for something on the shelves.

"That's right, only senior officers of the unit were supposed to see those documents," he answered without turning around. "However, George told me you could help us, so I wanted you to see them first before I ask for your help," he stated without mincing words and with his back still turned to me.

"But I can't help you," I returned, after a brief silence. "I'm here to assist George retrieve the diamonds as ransom for his kids. We have wasted enough time already, and anything could have happened to those poor kids by now."

He turned around to look at me, and then grinned wolfishly again. He was not in the least shaken by my sudden response, which sounded rather provoking.

"Don't believe you could pick up the diamonds that easy, if you could pick them at all," he said with his face hardening.

"Why don't you let me find that out myself?" I returned.

"You will," he replied, still grinning. "The island is as impenetrable as a fort, and I can't imagine the bunch of you getting anywhere close, let alone on it."

He sat down heavily with his hand clasped on his desk and the corners of his eyes were set in bitterness as they stared hard at me. I stared back at him and said nothing.

"I want to break into that villa," he went on with flinty eyes, "to destroy those plates, the laboratory, and possibly the whole damn place. We can't do all this with official authority. It has to be secretly done, and we need competent hands to do it. You will come with us, and while the operation goes on, you may search for the diamonds, and if you find them, that would be your good luck. I've told you, we are not interested in the diamonds, and you have to take my word on it," he stated, still staring hard at me.

"The diamonds are the ransom for George's kids," I countered lamely.

"All right," he said with a wave of his hand, "I have heard that a dozen times from you this morning. I still couldn't recollect anyone who said the diamonds belonged to George or his kids."

He waved me to silence as I meant to protest and continued immediately.

"I want you to know that George has been very helpful to us in the past. He is still our friend, and we would be so delighted to be of help to him now in any way we can. The search for the diamonds could cause some difficulties in the operation, but since it seems as the only reasonable option that we could possibly think of now to free his kids, we have decided to compromise and add it to our plans," he emphasized and went on. "I tell you, that decision didn't come easy, and those behind us mustn't hear of it, but as I said earlier, George remains our friend and perhaps he would have contacted us first, if Legion hadn't stuck to him."

I thought about all he had said and was convinced that he had laid his cards bare and straight. Moreover, if the diamonds were on the island, as he claimed, then the only reasonable thing to do would be to go with them.

"So how can I be of help?" I asked after a brief silence.

"I'll come to that shortly," he answered, "but I want you to get the setup clearly first."

I sat more comfortably on my seat, listening and staring at the ceiling while I sipped at my drink as he went on.

"Fortunately, or perhaps I should say, unfortunately, we were able to learn from the two men who came back almost half dead that the third man was captured alive. We don't know how it happened, but it happened all the same. They had been warned not to expect protection from us if caught, so they were not supposed to be caught alive. If he blew the whistle while being tortured, then this unit will be in a big trouble. So we have to move in, and fast too."

So that was it, I thought as I kept staring at the ceiling fan on its work of endless rotation. The pressure on him and Steve was against time.

"Steve and two other men ought to have gone in three days ago," he went on suddenly, jolting me out of my thoughts. "But one of the two men became seriously ill, and I won't allow Steve and the other to do it alone, even though they had insisted, though we are well aware of the need to move in as soon as possible." He continued after a brief pause. "We also wanted the right men to do the job. We can't afford to fail this time—that's why we want your help."

"It seemed the guy had placed you against time; maybe you shouldn't have sent him," I put in casually.

"That's neither here nor there," he returned. "We have overstayed anyway, and we couldn't have sent anyone else. I told you he sent in most of that information and photos. He was one of our best men. If he weren't tough enough, this unit would have been in a big mess by now. He was as devoted and loyal as any one of us could be and would surely take his life for our cause. We just don't know what went wrong." He began to look worried again.

"What makes you so sure I could be the right guy for the job? After all, we have only just met," I asked gingerly, after a brief silence, quite aware of his remote bitterness. He stared at me for a long time before he answered.

"George said you were one of their best marines, with record for excellent composure in the face of hostilities, and that you are highly reliable. And I tell you," he exclaimed, "that coming from him was absolutely something."

"But that was many years ago, and I have since been out of training," I argued.

"Well, that's something I couldn't possibly disagree with," he said calmly, "but once a marine, always a marine. George can't be wrong to ask you down here, and Legion isn't a fool. If he thought you weren't capable, he wouldn't have sent you after the diamonds, would he?" he asked seriously with his eyes focused on my face.

"Legion is crazy; he's acting on George's wild presumptions," I returned promptly.

"Maybe!" he exclaimed. "But the presumptions seem to be somewhat right, since you were able to bring them all the way here and perhaps closer to the diamonds," he added, rather superfluously.

Although his confidence and trust in my unknown ability gave me a sort of sensational elation, I had to make an effort to keep a straight face. I found it totally absurd that a man of his caliber could have such faith in a complete stranger, irrespective of what George might have told him. His once a marine always a marine is just an old crap. It could only mean two things: they are desperate and have run out of stooges. I sat staring blindly at the open file while I began to think fast. This was crazy, I thought. He had said the island was highly fortified and no protection, or rather, help, could come from outside. What if the diamonds are not there or something went wrong? That would mean hanging my own neck for absolutely nothing, and I don't fancy any part of my body being used for experimental drugs.

However, to back out now would've been absolutely meaningless, having come this far, and I couldn't see how it would be possible, even if I wanted to. I had been crazy coming out here in the first place. The wisest thing to do would be to tag along and see how the whole thing would eventually end. Moreover, I still had old scores to settle with Legion, and there're George's kids too. I also knew he was only asking for my willing cooperation. He could easily force me to do anything he wanted, just as Legion had done. Though I was also sure he knew absolutely well that to do so would hardly be effective.

"All right," I said, after an exhausting silence, "I'll help if I can, but what's in it for me? After all, you're asking me to risk my neck, and I can't do that for nothing," I stated seriously but without much enthusiasm.

"That's fair enough," he returned, without lifting his eyes off the ceiling and still had his hands clasped together on his desk, "but we don't have anything to give you," he added after a brief pause with a hollow expression across his face as he stared at me.

"In that case, I guess you'll have to find someone else to do your dodgy job," I said with a sudden curtness.

He kept staring at me, even the more, perhaps feeling sorry that I had to be disappointed. Although I already knew I was in no position to bargain for anything, there was no harm in trying, and I wanted to make life a bit difficult for him.

"Well, what will it be?" I went on as he said nothing. "This dump is driving me crazy, and I want out," I said as I made to get up.

"You had better sit down," he said tersely in a cool and confident tone, with an opaque stare in his hard eyes which seemed to penetrate into my skull. "I haven't finished yet; please sit down," he added.

He stood up and strolled casually to the window while I sat down on the seat again because that was the only reasonable thing I could do.

"I hold all the aces," he quipped suddenly, but rather humorously as he stared out of the window. "We have a way of persuading people, and we could force you to do anything we want," he went on, "but this task is very important to us, and we are fully aware that to succeed, competence alone is not the only factor, but there also must be trust on both sides, so I would rather we enlist your willing cooperation."

He turned to stare at me, and then went on.

"I said it was fair for you to ask for something in return, and I truly meant it, but the fact is that we haven't got anything to offer you. But for this outstanding job, this dump, as you called it, ought to have packed up some three weeks ago. There was no finance coming in anymore. All that we had has been plunged into the existing facilities with which the operation will be carried out. There are outstanding bills to be paid and expert hands to be settled too," he stated emphatically, "so you can see, we have scrapped our barrel."

There was no guile in his hard eyes or an appeal for sympathy. He was merely stating the situation as candid as he could, and I could see by the look on his face that it took quite a bit to tell me all that. Shortly afterward, he left the window and went back to his seat. He sat heavily on the seat again and stared into my eyes.

"What I have just told you is strictly confidential," he went on after a while as if he had read my mind, "but I wanted to make the setup very clear to you, so that you won't get too enthusiastic about getting anything else from us but your life and that of your men." He stated, watching me closely.

"My life? What do you mean?" I asked and kept my face void of expression. He thrust forward on his seat with a mirthless grin playing at the corners of his hard lips as he answered.

"You came into this country as a tourist and had no right to carry a weapon. But you have contravened this law, all the way from Vryheid to this place, and have already shot and wounded several of my men. That, my dear friend, is a serious offence. We can either shoot you, and tell whoever that cares that you were shot in a gun battle, or release you to the authorities and have you thrown into one of the numerous smelly jails around here to rot away. But these options would certainly not benefit either of us. So I believe the wisest thing to do is to find a way to work together," he suggested staring harder at me.

"But your men attacked us first," I protested lamely.

"You are too intelligent to say that. I have spelled out the law to you the way it is, and you know it," he said with a slight wave of his hand.

He was right, I thought. I was being ridiculous protesting. I had no right to carry a gun in the country and more so roaming the wilderness with stupid men imposed on me by Legion. The thought of him infuriated me even more, and I longed to wrap my hands around his stocky neck.

"Will you help us or not?" he asked suddenly after a long silence with no conviction in his voice. I nodded dumbly, deciding to go along with them, knowing that under the circumstances, I had no other choice.

"That will be all for now," he said after another long silence. "There will be a meeting later this evening to discuss the details of the operation."

"That's good; we'll be looking forward to it," I said grinning.

"Thanks!" he said as we shook hands.

"You're welcome, sir," I returned as I stood up to leave.

"One more thing!" he called as I opened the door.

"Yeah?"

"When I spoke to George last night," he began while I stood at the door and stared at him with a frown knitting my brow, "he told me the girl had instructions not to let either of you out of her sight and . . ." He broke off briefly, then continued as I shut the door and stepped further into the room.

"Well," he went on, "I had to sit up all night fixing her into the setup at George's insistence, but I warned him that we may have to get rid of her if she becomes a nuisance." I stiffened.

"She won't!" I returned hurriedly. He looked up sharply at me and shrugged his shoulders, then scratched his unshaved chin and looked away with uncertainty in his hard eyes.

"Well, she had better not," he said after a brief silence. "We've come a long way, and now that we've gotten this far, we won't allow anything to stand in our way, and we would stop at nothing to assert our determination," he stated emphatically. I can't say I blame him, I thought as I left his office without any further comment. They are desperate, and time isn't on their side, so I wouldn't be surprised if they shoot half of their own men just to make their points clear.

When I got back to the room, George, Lydia, and the other two were already waiting. Lydia sat at the foot of my bed, away from the others, and she had already found the clothes and the shoes in the polyethylene bag. Though the clothes fitted her very well, her gloomy composure had taken the beauty away. George was also wearing his new clothes, and he sat on his bed with the two men.

"What's up?" I asked casually.

"We were wondering why the colonel had to keep you for so long," he returned, "and we couldn't help thinking if there might be some kind of trouble," he added glibly and scarcely concealing a wink to show that he was merely joking. However, the two men kept their faces deadpan as usual.

"Let's talk outside!" I demanded, ignoring his comments and the others in the room. Lydia looked up sharply but said nothing as George got up and followed me out of the room.

"Is there any trouble?" he asked as soon as we were out of earshot, with a worried frown on his brow.

"We will have one on our hands if you don't stop going around blabbering about her," I returned crossly. "For God's sake, can't you see she's been quite calm since we got to this damned place?"

"Well, I thought it would be helpful if I warned them, but I didn't expect them to make much of it," he returned defensively.

"Warned them!" I exclaimed. "Maybe you should have told them to shoot her outright," I remarked with more than a hint of sarcasm in my voice. "Just watch it," I went on. "The setup here might be as cockeyed as Legion's."

"You are probably heating up the situation unnecessarily," he returned calmly. "I know these guys pretty well, and I don't think there's anything cockeyed about them," he added tactfully.

"Maybe I am, but you can't trust them so easily. Have you forgotten so soon what Mushini did to you, and did Legion keep his promise to give us a free hand?" I asked grimly.

"Well, I guess you might be right," he returned.

"You damn well know I'm right," I said roughly.

"What did he say?" he asked quietly after a brief silence.

"Nothing you don't already know," I returned tersely. "I guess I should talk to her now."

"She couldn't be in a worse state. What's wrong with her, Mike?" George asked suddenly in a whisper as I turned to go.

"What do you mean?" I returned with a grimace.

"She's been acting very strange, and since I walked into the room, she has kept her lips set in a pout of annoyance," he replied after a little while.

"Well, I don't know what could be wrong with her," I returned. "Perhaps you should have asked her."

"You're sure you don't know?" he asked derisively, ignoring my comment.

"Of course, I'm sure," I hedged, grinning ruefully.

"You lucky bastard. You laid her, didn't you?" George whispered through clenched teeth.

"Well, I—"

"You son of a bitch! So that's what this is all about," he interrupted.

"Yes, I laid her, but that's not what it's all about. You can't just trust them completely, and if you don't watch it, you might talk us into more trouble than we're already in," I stated emphatically, and after a brief silence, he changed the line of discussion.

"I knew you're a damn handsome son of a gun with your smooth, smart-aleck ways," he said, "but I didn't think she was your type, and I could have bet my last dime that she wouldn't budge," he added and began to grin.

"They always do, if you handle them right," I returned, "or isn't she supposed to have feelings as we all do?"

"You tell me," he replied, still grinning. "Well, what was she like?"

"Just like any other woman," I returned impatiently, "but really, there's something about her that I'm missing."

"I bet there is," he returned as we walked back into the room.

"Okay," I said as we entered the room, "seeing you guys look like you've just lost your mothers makes me sick. Take them somewhere else," I beckoned to George. "I want to speak with the lady alone."

"A lady, my ass!" George muttered under his breath and instantly left the room, leaving the two men behind as they remained seated on the bed.

"Are you both deaf?" I screamed. "I said you should beat it," I snarled at them, while Lydia just kept mute as she sat on the edge of my bed staring into space. They looked up at her, but since she said nothing to them, they got up reluctantly and rambled out of the room. I slammed the door behind them and slid the bolt home.

"Did you know Legion and Mushini were brothers?" I asked abruptly, watching her closely. Her cold, detached composure didn't encourage me to pay her any compliments, even though the clothes fit her comfortably well.

"I didn't know, and I don't want to know," she answered without looking at me.

"All right, so you don't want to know, but let me tell you this; Mushini is right now in prison and—"

"When do we leave here?" she interrupted, still not looking at me.

"Are you deaf? I said Mushini is in jail, the whole setup has changed, so you had better listen to what I have to say," I screamed the words at her.

"I don't want to know anything about Mushini," she retorted with a sneer. "He can rot in hell for all I care." She scowled at me and went on, as I said nothing. "When are we leaving this dump?" she repeated. "We've been fooling around here long enough, and I don't imagine you've figured out plans on getting the diamonds," she stated, still scowling.

I was speechless with rage. It was hard to believe that the night before meant nothing to her, I thought as I watched her glare balefully at me. I felt like taking hold of her and damage her for good, but I knew I had to get a hold of my temper before I did something stupid. She sat still and shifted her gaze into space again after a long, tense silence. I stared at her for a while puzzled, then shrugged my shoulders and went on.

"Mushini is right now in jail," I repeated. "I guess you know all about the robbery at the island, so I'll save you the details," I said watching her and continued after a brief pause. "Well, they found the diamonds on him and slammed the iron doors on his nose. The island has been sold, and the diamonds have been returned there too. This bunch of cranks thinks they could raid the island, and they have asked us to come along and pick up the diamonds if we can." She stiffened and stared intently at me, but I ignored her reaction and went on.

"He's offered to include the take in the operation, though it would make their task more demanding and tricky. George had been helpful to them in the past, and that was the least they could do to help him with the ransom for his kids."

"Did you have to tell them it was a ransom?" she snarled.

"I'm going to replace one of their men who had taken ill," I went on calmly, ignoring her outburst and the look on her face, "George is coming too; he'll take care of the diamonds. And since Legion asked you to keep an eye on us, we have been able to obtain a passage for you as well, and that makes you an invitee to the hot spot," I stated rather dramatically.

"What did you say?" she asked, smiling, and for the first time I saw real excitement in her black, hard eyes.

"I said you're coming with us to the island," I returned impatiently, puzzled at her sudden change of expression.

"You mean these creeps are taking us to the island with them?" she asked dubiously.

"That's what I said," I answered tersely, "but I have to warn you that if you keep acting like a heroine in a gangster movie, then you'll be responsible for whatever happens to you."

"I can look after myself," she said smiling sultrily.

"I bet you can," I returned lamely, intrigued by her sudden show of excitement. I'd thought she was in a permanent state of gloom and not capable of being euphoric, but the cool, triumphant look in her black, hard eyes warned me that something was coming, and I wondered what it could be with ardent curiosity.

"My dear boyfriend!" she exclaimed as she clasped her hand with a sudden thud and grinned while I stood gaping at her.

"The poor devil had it all figured out, and how right could he be." She swayed to and fro. As I stood, still gaping at her, I thought for a split second that the thin thread that held her on to sanity had finally snapped, and I wondered if she hadn't suddenly gone crank.

"What the hell are you talking about, what devil?" I gave a double take, still puzzled.

"Legion, of course!" she exclaimed. "He knew these stumps were planning a crackdown on the island, and he also knew that George had worked with them in the past, and so, we won't have much difficulty persuading them to take us along," she stated excitedly.

I thought about what she was saying and realized she could be serious.

"I take it then that you knew Mushini didn't have the diamonds?" I queried as I sat down on George's bed.

"Yes!" she returned, rather tersely.

"And what about George?" I probed. "Does he know too?"

"Of course not. He would give away the plot too early if he had—"

"But it had been a slim chance that we would go with them, and we hadn't even asked them to take us along," I interrupted.

"Yes, I know," she returned with a wave of her hand as if my remarks weren't necessary. "Legion had built the whole thing on chance, and it has worked, hasn't it?" she said and smiled broadly.

"Yes, it has," I returned lamely, "and you're sure George doesn't know about this?" I asked doubtfully.

"It's not important now who knew or didn't," she answered impatiently.

Well, I thought, as I watched her across the room, Legion might have his own plans, and so do we. There was nothing else to say, so I grinned at her, left the room, and went in search of George.

Later that evening, everyone concerned with the operation was at the station's makeshift conference room, while the colonel presided over the crucial meeting. We had been called in to join them after they had previously had a short session. Shortly after we settled down, the colonel brought out a flat file, which contained detailed plans for the operation.

The island was a sand-covered rocky platform, about fifteen feet above sea level and more than twenty-five square miles in size. The plan further explained that the island was unapproachable on the surface of the water, but with great effort, a route from another smaller island, some four miles away, had been discovered and had been used to gain entry onto the island. Fortunately, this secret route had remained unknown to the owners of the island. It was barely fourteen feet wide, but provided enough passageway for the submarine that would take us on the trip. However, even the slightest slip on the route was certain to trigger off an alarm because there is constant radar surveillance on the surrounding water, both surface and depth, for as far as three miles.

After going through the details of the operation, I was convinced that if the gadgets were in good order, and with the right timing, it would be a cinch. I have always kidded myself that an operation would not fail until it does actually fail.

"We have added a few other arrangements," he said as we all stared at him while he dropped the two handwritten sheets of papers before me. "Go through them," he went on. "It concerns the three of you." I frowned at him and picked up the two sheets.

The additional arrangement was neatly handwritten. I guess the man hadn't the time to have them typewritten, but he was, nonetheless, a very organized leader. It was the details of our inclusion in the operation, and it stated specifically what our roles and duties were. I was going to replace the man who had suddenly taken ill, and George was to replace a man who was also at the meeting, referred to as captain, while Lydia would just be taken along. The write-up was only short of referring to her as an unnecessary burden.

The captain would be escorting us to the island as a reserved substitute but would return with the submarine if nothing happened to any of the men. The details were explicit enough, and I reckoned he hadn't been up all night for nothing; he had actually done a good job of it, but I refrained from passing any remarks. When I finished reading through the papers, I passed them on to George who was seated next to me. He just glanced through and hurriedly shoved them across the table to Lydia.

I watched her closely as the meeting proceeded. She had earlier notified Legion about the whole situation, and she had kept quiet and calm throughout the meeting, even as she went through the papers, and, I believed, absentmindedly too. But I certainly knew differently and so did George. The meeting took so long and finally broke up late in the night as we had to go through the details several times. We all returned promptly to our rooms bored and tired. Just to keep up appearances, she came in to dislodge George and continue her watch. Although I had accepted, without hesitation, that the night before had been a knockout, I had been too tired and busy with my thoughts to think about making love to her again.