Rob stopped himself and glanced around until his eyes found the quiet dark-haired man who talked so often to Marie. “Never mind. I think I just figured it out.”
Wasit Prison Facility
East Central Iraq
Prisoner Barracks, 3:34pm
Since the Iraqis had not yet set up a prisoner of war detention center, they took Taylor and one other officer, a pilot from a downed helicopter, to the compound where passengers from Flight 1430 were being detained. Taylor was not expecting to see civilians when he walked into the dorm. Surrounding him were American, British, and Israeli civilians, including a civilian airline pilot. Every instinct told him he needed to take charge of the situation. He turned to the guard and began to list his demands, insisting on seeing his commander.
Esfandiari stepped into the room as Taylor was objecting to the civilians being held as prisoners on his compound. Having watched Taylor with interest for several minutes, he drew his gun and walked over to the military pilot who had been brought in with Taylor. He smiled, pointed the gun at the pilot’s head, and pulled the trigger.
The civilians screamed and ran toward the back of the room. Marie tried to shield her children from the horror, but they were screaming hysterically and clinging to her.
Without thinking, Taylor moved toward Esfandiari, poised to attack.
Esfandiari leveled his gun at the Taylor’s head. “For every demand you make, I will shoot a bullet into your head.”
Taylor backed off, lifting his hands in surrender. “No, No. I don’t have any demands. None at all.”
Esfandiari glared at Taylor in contempt, then walked over to Rob. “Will you beg me for this man’s life, or should I kill him in front of you?”
Rob knew that begging Esfandiari was the type of attention that he craved. Fear and admiration from Americans was his life-long ambition. If Rob gave him what he wanted, he would kill someone else whenever he needed another high.
Rob barely acknowledged Esfandiari. “I see a little man,” Rob held his thumb and forefinger one inch apart, “with a great... big... gun.”
The muscles in Esfandiari’s neck grew taut and his face turned red. He struck Rob across the face with the butt of his gun. His hands shook in rage as he held the gun in Rob’s face, and his breathing was so heavy Rob thought he would hyperventilate. Suddenly, he stepped back and holstered his gun. “You would like that, wouldn’t you?”
Actually, Rob had no idea what he was talking about.
“You would like to be the martyr. Well, you have much suffering to do first.” Esfandiari turned on his heels and stalked out of the dorm. The guards gathered the dead soldier and dragged him out with them.
Taylor made his way over to Rob. “That was a pretty stupid thing to do.”
Rob glared back at Taylor, then pointed at the blood on the floor. “That was a pretty stupid thing to do.”
But Taylor wouldn’t leave it alone. “Do you consider yourself the leader of these people?”
“If you’re asking me if I speak for them... you need to talk to them.”
Taylor pushed his finger into Rob’s chest. “People like you get other people hurt.”
Rob wasn’t about to take any lectures from this arrogant jerk. “No one got hurt until you walked in with your stupid demands, so get out of my face unless you want to become another red spot on the floor.” Then Rob put his finger on Taylor’s chest. “Got it?”
Taylor stood speechless as Rob turned away. Rob knew it would not be his last tangle with the egotistical soldier who was supposed to be on their side. Having no comprehension of the prison warden’s psychotic nature, this new prisoner was a greater threat to their safety than their captor.
An American soldier had been murdered right in front of him, and he was helpless to do anything about it. Frustrated, Rob limped over to the window, dropping his head against the bars. He couldn’t figure out Esfandiari. How much satisfaction did he get from the murder? If he enjoyed it, then he would kill again and again until they were all dead. Rob hoped he was able to humiliate him enough so that it would not be something he’d want to readily try again. He glanced toward the corner where Marie knelt comforting the children. She was eyeing him with a concerned smile. He knew that he had to remain strong for them.
Nancy couldn’t resist. She approached Taylor. “The answer is yes.”
Taylor’s eyes showed interest.
“Yes, he is our leader, and yes, he does speak for us. He’s not the captain. He’s one of the passengers, just like the rest of us. And he is the reason we are all still alive.”
He opened his mouth slightly as if to ask a question, but she didn’t give him a chance.
“Let me tell you about that man over there you just brushed off. When we were hijacked by five terrorists who were planning to destroy our airplane and killed our flight crew, he singlehandly killed the hijackers, disarmed the bomb, and landed the plane. He’s not the pilot; he’s just pretending to be so that crazy commander will focus his hate on him. Now that man has a proven track record with us, so don’t even think of asking us to choose between you. Just think about this: until you came along, no one had been hurt. And now that maniac has the taste of blood in his mouth. I only hope that if he shoots someone else, it’s you!”
“Wait a minute! I didn’t kill that man!” He was shaken by her angry words, and his face was covered with guilt.
She glared at him, sickened by his attempt to cover his own hide. “You may just as well have pulled the trigger.”
“I was just trying to establish some guidelines.”
She laughed sarcastically. “Is that what you call it? Well, that you did, and over there is the blood to prove it. Rob is our leader and the only one we’re going to listen to. If any of these passengers are hurt as a result of your recklessness, I hope I live long enough to see you pay!”
“I had no idea...”
“Just a suggestion. Don’t mess with Rob. He’ll take you apart!”
She turned abruptly to leave but was stopped by Taylor’s shaking voice. “Wait! I’m sorry about what happened!”
She turned around and sized him up. “You don’t owe me an apology. Save it for the widow of the man you just got killed.”
She stalked off leaving him shaken to the core. He had just lived through one of the hottest battles of his life, and up until now, he had not made a bad decision. Was it really true? Had he cost that soldier his life? He closed his eyes and turned away from the group. He was just following what his training dictated under these circumstances. But if his training was wrong, how should he act? He was not used to functioning outside of military guidelines. He needed a frame of reference in which to work. He wasn’t good at shooting from the hip.
He turned to look around at the ragged group. Almost everyone was staring back at him. He felt completely undone knowing that they disapproved of him. Moreover, he wasn’t sure that they shouldn’t.
Logan was slightly amused but concerned about the turn of events. Rob and Taylor were opposites. Rob was imaginative and intuitive. Taylor was methodical and meticulous. If they worked together, they would accomplish a great deal. That is, of course, if they didn’t kill each other first.
He noted the insignia on Taylor’s shoulder. He was part of an Armor division, and now he was a prisoner. That could only mean one thing. The war had started. The ground forces had engaged. His only consolation was knowing he’d been right when he tried to warn the U.S. and Britain. Inwardly, he wondered if those intelligence agents were thinking of him now, wishing they had listened.
If I live through this, he thought, I will take great pleasure in meeting those men again to say ‘I told you so!’
The door opened again, and four guards walked in. They motioned Rob to come with them. He studied them for a moment, and then, without a word, he walked back out the door with the guards.
Nancy slowly moved back toward Taylor as she watched Rob being escorted out of the room. “Do you see that?” S
he nodded toward Rob.
“Yes,” Taylor replied, guilt still written all over his face. His eyes darted back and forth like a dog looking for a place to hide.
She looked him over with pity. If he had a tail, it would be stuck between his legs, she thought.
“What’s going to happen now?”
“If we’re all lucky, he will live another day. You tell me what’s going to happen. He’s on his way to see a madman, and thanks to you, he’s not in a very pleasant mood.”
“What will he do?”
“He’ll do whatever he has to. He’s our leader.”
Wasit Prison Facility
East Central Iraq
Prison Commander’s Office, 4:23pm
Rob was taken to the same little room. Esfandiari was waiting for him, drinking wine from a crystal wine glass. Without looking, Esfandiari set down his glass. “My reports say that you murdered five Arab citizens.”
“You have a point, I suppose?”
“I could have you taken out and shot.”
“Yeah, you could, but you won’t. Will you?”
“What makes you so sure?”
“Because it won’t change anything, will it?”
Esfandiari stared at him, his face starting to darken again.
“If you killed me, you’d still be...” Rob hesitated, guessing at the proper button to push. “The Arab reject.”
The look on Esfandiari’s face told him he had scored. Encouraged by what he saw, he drove the point home. “You’d still be you, and I’d still be me. Only then, I’d be better than you... forever.”
Esfandiari sneered and picked up the glass again. Rob had struck another nerve. “The day you kill me,” Rob said slowly, maximizing the effect, “is the day you admit that I beat you, and you would have to live with that for the rest of your life. And you know what would be even worse? All these people and all your men will know it, too! Everyone will know what a failure you are!”
The wine glass shattered in Esfandiari's hand, and he stepped back. Then he slapped Rob with the back of his hand. “You may be rich, but that doesn’t make you better!”
Rob wouldn’t let it go. “Look around you. Why do you think they gave you a command out in the middle of a desert, a hundred miles from nowhere? Look around you, for God’s sake! Look at this compound. Look at what you’re ordered to do. You’re not even involved with any military units. You’re just police. Don’t you see? Whoever put you out here thinks you’re a joke! That’s what they’re trying to tell you! They’re probably out there right now laughing at you.”
Esfandiari’s fist slammed against Rob’s already bruised and hurting face. He fell to the floor, stunned. As he slowly regained consciousness, he realized that he was lying on the floor, and he could hear Esfandiari standing over him yelling or cursing in Arabic.
Smart move, he thought. You just don’t know when to quit.
Rob pretended that he was still out, but Esfandiari ordered his men to drag him to his feet anyway. “You gave me an idea. I shall test you. We shall all see just how good you really are.”
Rob sincerely hoped he didn’t have to find out what he meant by that.
Wasit Prison Facility
East Central Iraq
Prisoner Barracks, 4:40pm
Nancy was sitting next to Marie, trying to help her with the children and add moral support. She was bothered. In all the confusion, she’d overlooked the obvious. What were two American soldiers doing here? Had there been a rescue attempt?
She looked at Marie. She was talking to some quiet dark-haired man about how she had met Rob. That man seems too interested in her, she thought as she stood up. But right now, she had to get some answers from Taylor.
As she stepped in front of Taylor, he seemed totally lost in his thoughts. At first, he didn’t even seem to realize that she was there. “You’re a captain in the U.S. Army?”
“Uh, what?” Taylor looked up, seeming almost dazed. Apparently, she had interrupted something important.
“I can come back if you’d rather?”
“Oh. No. What can I do for you?” Taylor jumped up.
“Your uniform. It’s American, isn’t it?”
“Yes.”
“It looks as if you’ve been wearing it for several days.”
“I have.”
Nancy had hoped he would volunteer something. He was either not very perceptive or not willing to talk, so she tried the direct approach.
“What are you doing here?”
“I was captured.”
“Then you were attempting to rescue us.”
“Rescue? No, no rescue. Why do you...?” Taylor stopped himself, surprised, as he began to understand her question. “Then you don’t know, do you?” he said faintly, more to himself than to Nancy.
“Know what?”
“I’m sorry. You don’t know about the war?”
“War!”
Everyone in the room looked over at her. Logan was the first to his feet from Marie’s side and strode across the room to where Nancy stood. Several other passengers were also joining them.
Taylor was enjoying his newfound popularity. “Yes, war. Yesterday morning, Iraq invaded Kuwait and Saudi Arabia.”
“About the same time we were being hijacked,” Logan observed.
“Yes, but I don’t know that the two are connected.”
Nancy touched Taylor’s arm. “What does this mean for us?”
“I really don’t know. Perhaps more soldiers will be brought here.”
“No, I mean will this make our stay here safer?”
“Like I said, I really don’t know.”
Logan knew that since this man was from an Armor division, he probably wouldn’t know much about the American intelligence information, but he decided to ask his questions anyway. “Does the United States know about this place, and if so, do they know it’s a EPW camp?”
“A what?”
“EPW. Uh... You’ve probably heard of a POW camp?”
“Yeah.”
“Same thing.”
“Okay. As far as our government knows... I couldn’t begin to guess.”
“The reason I ask is that they will eventually see military activity here and could mistake it for an army compound. They might bomb this place.”
Taylor opened his mouth to answer, then paused. “Who are you?”
“Who I am doesn’t matter. What happens to us does. What corridor did the invading units use? Are they heading only south and east?”
Suddenly, everyone was talking at once. Taylor backed up and held up his hands against the barrage of questions. “Slow down, please. I’ll tell you all I know, and that’s not much. Yesterday morning, the U.S. and other friendly forces were attacked on a massive scale. I don’t believe we were prepared for it at all. I have no idea how this war affects you. At this time, all I can say is nothing looks very promising. Our forces are not doing so well.”
There was a loud noise at the door, and sudden silence fell.
Wasit Prison Facility
East Central Iraq
Prisoner Barracks, 5:20pm
Rob left Esfandiari’s office without being beaten. He probably should have been happy about that, but it concerned Rob because it was the first time that Esfandiari had done something unpredictable. He wondered what the colonel had in mind as he entered the dorm. As the huge doors closed behind him, he noticed Katz and Grant pouring over one of the camera crews’ cameras. I wonder if they could be a little bit more obvious, he thought.
Rob was met almost immediately by Nancy, Taylor, and several other passengers. Nancy spoke first. “Rob, did you know there’s a war going on?”
Rob was surprised and looked to Taylor for more information.
Taylor was only too happy to oblige. “Iraq has invaded Saudi Arabia and Kuwait.”
“When? You mean since we arrived here?”
“I was part of an Armor company that was attacked by the initial Iraqi invasion of Saudi Arabi
a. I think you all should know what’s going on. I don’t know if your hijacking was part of this war or not, but we’re all in this together now.”
Obviously, Rob was not prepared for this news and didn’t know quite what to say. “Do you think this will help or hurt our chances for rescue?”
Marie, looking very worried, came over to join them.
Ron Schwartz - The Griffins Heart.txt Page 8