Zara's Game

by Jo Black

  ‘Masato wishes you good health David-san,’ Masato replied with a bow.

  ‘He does, does he? That’s wonderful news. And what of his little playmate, Hamid?’

  ‘Peace be upon you,’ Hamid replied with a gracious bow of the head.

  ‘And upon you Hamid, and upon you. Isn’t this all jolly civilised? We could almost all be friends.’

  ‘Apart from the minor detail of you taking my wife hostage,’ Alex sneered.

  ‘Ah yes... I wondered when we’d get to the proverbial elephant in the room.’ The ship’s stewards served lunch, which David started on, but Alex declined, pushing it away. ‘You rejecting my hospitality? Isn’t that considered terribly rude in the Arab circles you like to mingle?’

  ‘You’re not an Arab. I can offend you as much as I want.’

  ‘Ha. Like some sort of modern Lawrence of Arabia aren’t you Alex, uniting them all against the meddling interference of Pernicious Albion and her colonial American chums. T.E Lawrence would be most proud of you.’

  ‘Indulge me Smythe. When you watched the Twin Towers burning, and all those desperate people jumping out to save their lives, knowing you had a hand in it, what went through your mind?’ Alex asked.

  Smythe stared back coldly without a shred of emotion. ‘Profit.’

  ‘No pity, no sense of compassion?’

  ‘I’m an arms dealer. War is business. War is profit. And business is about to become very profitable. Oh come now dear boy, don’t moralise on war to me! You are a mercenary. I may provide the tools, but you my friend; you are the one who gets paid to actually use them. Your hands are covered in blood and you know it. So save me the pithy lectures on compassion and kindness. You’re an assassin. You kill for profit, I merely supply the means.’

  ‘The Guild doesn’t kill for profit.’

  ‘Then what does it kill for? It’s never been entirely clear to me what your purpose is. From the crusades to the communists, you’ve sold your services to all. If not for coin then for what? For God? You serve all from Muslims to Jews, Catholics to Hindus. How do you reconcile a holy war when you are fighting your brothers? No Alex, you can hide behind your charters, and your codes, and your traditions, but you are merely a very out-dated, very antiquated, public limited company, whose time is nearly at an end. No more kings, no more crusades. Futures, derivatives, war traded on a stock market alongside iPods and Chevrolets. Welcome to the future.’

  ‘I’ve heard it all before. It’d all sound terribly grand and impressive if I didn’t remember you as the snivelling little salesman in a suit peddling surplus AK47’s to African warlords.’

  ‘We’ve all got to start somewhere Alex. I seem to remember you were rather unceremoniously kicked out of The Regiment before you even got your little hat to wear. Can’t even call yourself a Blade, can you Lexi? Have to content yourself with being a mere craphat like the rest of the failures peddling their wares on the circuit.’

  ‘Whatever helps you sleep at night.’

  ‘I sleep very well at night, my pillows are stuffed full of money.’

  ‘Doesn’t the blood stain the linen?’

  ‘Oh touché. Very drole Alexsandr.’

  ‘Do you mind if we just get the fuck on with this? Listening to you is like having my ears drilled out.’

  ‘Oh darling, you’ll hurt my feelings. But if you insist, I do have a conference call scheduled so let’s conclude this sordid affair before the main course arrives. Vane, bring out his whore.’ Vane looked at Alex, a silent communicated nod. Vane headed into the boat. ‘She’s been surprisingly well behaved. She has good breeding of course, quite why she felt compelled to marry a street-urchin from the Urals is anyone’s guess.’

  ‘If we’re going to go down that path, which one of these nonces are you pleasuring this week?’ Alex asked, nodding at the men stood around guarding Smythe.

  ‘Now now, Alex, don’t let your predilection for homophobic slurs upset me. We’re not all in the vagina business. These are enlightened times, no need for us to be ashamed of who we are in this brave new libertarian era.’

  ‘Paedophiles are still not exactly welcome though are they Smythe? At least not in open, even though your club is undoubtedly full to the rafters with them.’

  ‘Baseless accusations fabricated by your friends in the K.G.B.’

  ‘They’re the F.S.B now.’

  ‘They’ll always be the K.G.B, and the way the current king is directing things, I have no doubt we’ll see the Soviet star along with the old hammer and sickle flying over Moscow before too long.’

  ‘If that’s the case, it’ll be flying over Westminster not long after.’

  ‘I fear The King in the Red Castle over-reaches himself. Many have tried, many have failed. As will he.’

  41

  Vane returned with Zara, he led her over to the table and pulled out a seat next to Smythe. ‘Sit down my dear, you are just in time for lunch.’

  ‘I’m not hungry,’ Zara replied quietly, her usual self-confidence remarkably subdued.

  ‘Oh now, you really must. Otherwise your darling husband here will think we’ve been neglecting you, and get all cross.’ Zara’s gaze immediately shot across to Alex, she was unable to restrain her shocked reaction as her jaw dropped slightly and she gasped.

  Alex smiled softly. ‘Hello Zara.’

  ‘Alex...’ she barely whispered. ‘It’s not possible,’ she said with a frown.

  ‘I told her you wouldn’t come. Too busy dealing with filthy Chechens in the Caucasus. I’m sure she held out some hope of course, silly girls will be silly. But it seems you both proved me wrong. The reports of the death of your marriage appear to have been greatly exaggerated.’

  ‘I hope your host has been treating you well, I’d be terribly upset if I found out otherwise.’

  ‘I’m okay. The Tunisian hospitality was less than acceptable, but sadly my current captor has been remarkably...’ Zara spat out her final word with annoyance. ‘Gracious.’

  ‘See? Straight from the horse’s mouth. I don’t want you thinking I’m some sort of uncivilised brute old chap, man of Eton, who would stand for such a thing? Reputation to uphold.’

  ‘I don’t think you have to worry about your reputation these days Smythe. I’m pretty sure everyone knows you are a cunt by now,’ Zara hissed laced with a vitriolic tone.

  ‘Feeling brave now are we my darling? Haven’t had a single word out of her the whole voyage, and suddenly now the big bad alpha husband has arrived she’s found her tongue again. And there was me thinking you were a feminist my dear.’

  ‘I am,’ Zara said with annoyance at the suggestion otherwise. Zara looked back at Alex. ‘You shouldn’t have come Alex, this isn’t your problem to deal with.’

  ‘I don’t see how it could be otherwise.’ Alex turned his attention back to Smythe, his anger and tone rising. ‘I warned you Smythe, if you went anywhere near her I would not responsible for the outcome.’

  ‘Well, that was on the proviso that your dearly beloved kept her sticky little beak out of my affairs. Seems she couldn’t help herself. So you can hardly blame me for looking after my client’s affairs. And believe me Alex, you don’t want to put your foot any more up your arse than it already is.’

  ‘I’m here for Zara, I don’t care about your business affairs Smythe.’

  ‘I’m glad to hear it. Unfortunately your wife feels otherwise. Compelled to act for the little people. What strange bedfellows you make. The amoral soldier for hire to the highest bidder, and the loyal servant to Queen and Country, fighting for truth, justice, and the greater moral good.’

  ‘Opposites do attract.’ Zara shrugged.

  ‘They most certainly do. So, to business. I’ve shown you mine, now you show me yours.’

  Zara frowned. She looked at Alex. He nodded at Hamid. Hamid put the case on the table. ‘What are you trading for me?’ Zara asked.

  ‘Something that doesn’t belong to you, or to him,’ Smythe interjected.
/>   ‘You have to trust me Zara,’ Alex said.

  ‘Normally I would caution against such a thing, given his reputation, but since I’m the prime beneficiary then I’d suggest you listen to him,’ Smythe said. Alex entered the combination and opened the case before removing the dossier and videotape. ‘Check it for me would you Charles. There’s a good boy. Make sure Alex hasn’t done the old switcherooney on us since our little pet Jew took a looky-loo.’

  Vane walked over, he flipped through the files. ‘It’s authentic.’

  Zara frowned. ‘Is that my dossier?’

  ‘No my darling, it is my dossier,’ Smythe replied.

  ‘What are you doing Alex? That’s my work. You can’t give it to him.’

  ‘It seems you don’t have much choice,’ Smythe said with a smile.

  ‘No,’ Alex said. ‘She does.’ Alex replaced the dossier and videotape into the case and redid the combination. ‘Good luck opening that.’ Alex slid the case across the desk. ‘These things have a habit of blowing up in your face.’ Alex finally picked up his champagne and toasted his glass to Smythe then drank it in one and threw the glass across the deck, smashing it. ‘Nazdrovya.’

  ‘Oh bravo Lexi. Bravo!’ Smythe said slow clapping. Zara smiled to herself. Alex winked at her. ‘So what is it?’

  ‘Well, it was acid, but it seems to me destroying the documents simply served your purpose, not mine. So I had my boys change the package. Probably enough C4 in there to blow this whole fucking deck to pieces.’

  ‘It seems you have got the better of Mister Vane’s security precautions. We told you no guns so you bring a fucking bomb on board. Quelle Surprise. Why did you not check the case before they boarded Mister Vane?’

  ‘I don’t know,’ Vane replied.

  ‘No...’ Smythe said looking at him knowingly. ‘I think you do know, your little chummy-wummy from The Guild. Aw, poor Charly-choo. Is the nasty man being mean to your fwendy-wendy?’ Smythe said in a condescending infantile voice.

  ‘Go fuck yourself Smythe,’ Vane replied.

  ‘That’s the spirit Charles. Go down fighting like a champ. So here we are. Now what do we do?’ Smythe asked.

  ‘That’s down to Zara. As she said, it’s her work. It’s her life. I came to give her the freedom to choose her destiny. She can choose to give you that case, and leave with me. Or she can choose to blow us all to the afterlife. Alternatively, you can let us all leave, Smythe. I really don’t care. I’m not leaving here without her, be it in this life or the next. My soul is prepared David, how is yours?’

  Zara stared at the case then at Alex. Then at the case.

  ‘Think carefully Zara. Is it really worth it? If we all burn together then it won’t stop anything, the world will carry on turning much as it always has, and they’ll carry on without us. Why throw it all away for a few silly papers and a videotape of a banker that nobody much liked being strangled in a hotel room? All seems a little foolish, doesn’t it?’ Smythe said.

  ‘I don’t know what to do Alex.’

  ‘Do what your heart tells you to do,’ Alex replied.

  ‘Yes my darling, listen to your reckless emotions, not the common sense that leaving here alive is better than blowing yourself up for some bank records than nobody, but a few Guardian-reading peaceniks, will ever give a shit about,’ Smythe said.

  ‘You really don’t know when to shut up, do you Smythe? My heart tells me to leave here with the man I love and fuck you and your stupid plan. You want me to listen to my head? My head tells me the right thing to do is remove all you fucking people from the gene pool in the hope that at least some lives may be spared by your absence, and continued thirst for bloodshed. You want me to listen to my head Smythe, common sense tells me anyone who gets a chance should kill you at their first opportunity.’

  ‘Well then my dear, go with your heart,’ Smythe replied.

  ‘Zara, look at me,’ Alex said. Zara looked at him. ‘Kill him. End it.’

  Zara shook her head. ‘I can’t Alex.’

  ‘Of course she can’t. She’s not a born killer like you Aleksandr. Not in her D.N.A. She’s a woman, she wants to create life, not destroy it. It seems your little plan has been foiled. How terribly sad.’

  ‘Give him the case, Alex. I can’t kill you to kill him. Whatever is in there, it is not worth your life.’

  ‘And there it is! The voice of reason. Now I’ll thank you to disarm the device, if you please Alex.’

  Alex shook his head with a defiant look. ‘No. I don’t think I will.’

  ‘Really?’

  ‘Not yet.’

  ‘And what is the problem now?’

  ‘You think I don’t know about the guy now stood on the third deck with a wire-guided missile pointing at our boat, ready to blow it up the minute you’ve got what you want? What do you take me for Smythe, some little privateer playing soldiers because he couldn’t make it into the real army? If you think I don’t know what you are doing then you are very much mistaken. I see everything you do, right before you do it, and you will not kill my friend, he is a good man, he is a very good man, and that boat is his life. You will not destroy it, because if you do I will see you suffer more than you could possibly imagine.’ Alex’s eyes burned with a demonic rage.

  ‘Has somebody been telling tales again...’ Smythe said looking at Vane.

  ‘No, even I didn’t know,’ Vane replied with a frown.

  ‘How could you possibly see such a thing?’ Smythe asked.

  ‘I can feel him. I know he’s there. You put Zara on the boat, and you let them go. When they’re out of range. Then I’ll disarm it.’

  ‘Oh how terribly noble of you dear boy.’

  ‘Alex no, I’m not leaving here without you,’ Zara said.

  ‘No my dear you are not. And neither is he.’ There was a white streak of smoke off the side of the ship towards the fishing boat followed by an immense explosion as a towering orange fireball cascaded into a black column of smoke.

  ‘Damn you Smythe, damn you to hell,’ Alex said, with a controlled, but seething, tone of contempt. Zara got up and ran across to the rail. She looked out at the burning wreckage as it broke apart and the hull sank beneath the waves. She turned back to Alex and covered her mouth and held back her tears trying to shut out the memory from the sight of the burning bodies floating on the water. She noticed the solitary tear rolling down Alex’s cheek.

  ‘Oh. How sad! I never knew you even had emotions in you. I thought you were a completely heartless bastard,’ Smythe said with a sarcastic pout.

  ‘No...’ Zara said. She walked over and wiped the tear away from Alex’s cheek with her finger, wrapped Alex’s head in her arms and pulled him against her chest. ‘You don’t know him at all.’ She kissed Alex’s head softly.

  ‘Well, I hate to break up this sentimental reunion, but it seems checkmate. Now, you can disarm the bomb and let me have my files, or you can do exactly what I know you want to do, which is blow us all up to vent your immense rage for killing your little friends on their pathetic little boat.’

  ‘Don’t listen to him Alex, don’t listen.’

  ‘No don’t Alex, you don’t think about them burning to death painfully and then drowning without any hope of help while the big mighty Dragon sits here contemplating how to extract himself from the shit he is in,’ Smythe said.

  ‘It’s okay Zara. I know his game only too well, and I will not play it.’ Zara released Alex from her grip. He pulled the case over and looked down at the combination.

  ‘So what’s it to be sport?’

  Alex looked at Zara. ‘You do whatever you have to do Alex. I trust you.’ Zara kissed Alex softly. Alex looked down at the case; he flipped the numbers around then launched it across the table towards Smythe, sending all the table crockery flying.

  ‘You won’t know until you open it...’ Alex said.

  Smythe smiled. ‘Oh Alex, you do like to play don’t you? What do you think my darling Zara? Has he got it in him
to kill you? What do you think?’

  ‘My soul is prepared Smythe, how is yours?’ Zara said. She squeezed Alex’s hand tight. They both stared at Smythe.

  ‘I suppose this is your twist on Russian Roulette eh Aleksei? You know what I think? The man who comes all this way to collect his girl isn’t about to leave her scattered hither and thither about the poop deck. Nice bluff. But I call.’ Smythe popped the latch and opened the case. He flashed a smile. ‘I will admit, you got the old ticker working there for a minute. Thought you might actually do it. Well, it seems you’ve got no cards left to play, have you dear boy.’

  ‘I might have a cheeky ace up my sleeve, you do remember how I love to cheat you at poker.’

  ‘Never trust a Russian at the card table. I remember the lesson well. Will be sad to see you go, but needs must. If you please Charles. Kill this Cossack scum and his whore wife then throw their filthy dead bodies off my boat.’

  Vane looked at Alex. ‘No.’

  ‘Do as you’re told Charles, there is a good boy.’

  ‘No.’

  ‘I won’t ask again. Don’t try my patience.’

  ‘I’m done Smythe. You have no honour. Your word is worth nothing, you made this bargain and he came here in good faith, and now you breach your contract.’

  ‘In case you’ve been having a nap for the past ten minutes, the devious Slav brought a bomb on board and threatened to blow us all up with it. I think you’ll find he acted first.’

  ‘No, this was your plan all along; you had that guy up there ready to blow the boat up. You had no intention of letting them leave.’

  ‘Poppycock Charles. You’re letting your imagination get the better of you. In any case — monkey see, monkey do. Kill them now.’

  ‘Do it yourself. I’m done with your dirty work, and so is Group Thirteen. Any man who raises an arm to my brother or his wife will answer to me. You will honour your oaths. He came here in good faith. We are men of The Guild and we will not be party to murder of one of our own,’ Vane bellowed.