by Sacchi Green
“Yes, I understand that you will be detecting landmines.” The woman came down the steps, her expression carefully neutral. “We have been wondering just how that works, what it is that you do.”
“I served in the US Army for many years, sometimes with mine clearing units, so I’ve had a good deal of experience in the field, and developed an instinct for detecting mines and IEDs.” She looked around at the circle of faces. Of course they had some doubts; their lives would depend on how well she did her job. “Based on my record, Colonel Razhan Khider has asked me to join this mission, and I’ve committed to putting my own life at risk carrying it out.”
“Experience and instinct only? Nothing more?” The voice came from behind Cleo. The older soldier who had questioned Ilham.
Cleo didn’t bother to turn. “Those are my claims, and those must be enough.” So much for anonymity. Had somebody, maybe Ariya, leaked their identity? More likely, Razhan had decided that this elite team needed to know everything about them.
Ilham was suddenly beside her, facing the others. “Think! If she steps wrong, she’s the first to go. I would follow her.”
Cleo, still facing the trailer, bellowed abruptly, “Drop that gun! You, behind the middle tent!”
Ilham laughed and clapped. “See? Good instincts, just like she said.”
Cleo turned in time to see the pretty young girl shuffle out from behind the tent, rifle lowered.
No point in alienating the people who would be her comrades and risk their lives with her. “Okay, one test is reasonable. We need to know what to expect from each other. Someone must have told you that I can also detect threatening guns.” Cleo’s tone was stern. “But if anyone else tries that damned trick, they can expect to discover how much experience I have in hand-to-hand combat.” She turned in a slow arc, meeting the eyes of every woman there. A few were translating for companions who looked bemused, but most nodded in agreement, and possibly respect.
The woman from the trailer offered her hand to Cleo. “Welcome to our camp. I am Captain Kizilhan, temporary commander here, but informally you may call me Shifra. Come in and have tea with me.”
A strong mint tea was already brewed. Cleo sat across a small desk from Shifra, looking over photos and maps of the territory they’d be working in.
“The irony of our plan,” Shifra said, “is that our best fighters go on this mission, but to succeed we must not fight, at least until near the end. We must not reveal that we are soldiers. Soldiers would be treated even more harshly, maimed and tortured with no regard for their market value.” She watched for Cleo’s reaction. Cleo nodded, so Shifra went on, “I’m sure that you are an outstanding fighter, but can you show convincing fear, even panic? Can you be timid and submissive? When you are captured, can you play the village woman or farmer’s wife whose terror surpasses even her outrage? It might be best to appear somewhat weak-minded, and say as little as possible. Do you speak any Arabic?”
“I hung around Arab truck drivers and laborers working for the Army, and I drove for a medical team treating nomadic women, so I can manage the language.”
“Can you manage to show fear? Most of all, can you be beaten without striking back in anger?”
“I can do what I have to do.” Cleo hesitated, debating how much of her inner demons to share. Something about Shifra made it seem safe. Or maybe it was the calming effect of the tea. She took a deep breath, but still didn’t say more than, “I have known gut-deep fear, felt blows and worse when I was young, and weak. I can tap into that fear when the time comes, but I won’t open the closed door until I have to.” Another deep breath. “As to not resisting brutality, I never did learn that well, but I’ve learned to resist my own impulses when needed, so I think I can manage.” Then she grinned and veered away from dangerous memories. “I’ll bet you have this same conversation with all the girls. Nice ice-breaker.”
Shifra’s answering smile was fleeting. “Yes, I do. And with myself, over and over again.”
Chapter 18
Ariya drove the truck while Mac and Razhan grew more and more obsessive about checking their phones. Ash witnessed the exact moment when Mac finally connected, her face shifting suddenly from frustration to intense alertness. The few words she barked into the phone didn’t reveal much; “Yes…you’re sure? How soon? Can’t you find out?” interspersed with long intervals of listening.
Razhan twisted around in the front seat to stare at Mac. Ash had debated asking what was going on, but was glad to leave it to Razhan, who blurted out as soon as Mac set down the phone, “Who have you reached? What is happening?”
“Just some news about a scheme of mine. It was a long shot, but looks like it may work out after all.”
Ash and Razhan kept on looking at her expectantly.
“All right, all right,” Mac said. “It’s still not a sure thing, but I guess it’s likely enough now that I can say something about it. Turn back around, Razhan, before you get a permanent twist in your neck. And Ariya, you keep your eyes on the road. You’ll all hear what I have to say, but keep it to yourselves.”
“This is the ‘business’ you said you had with me?” Ash asked.
“This is it, if everything aligns just right. Here’s the deal. I’ve commissioned a special kind of drone.”
“Drones?” Ash was aghast. “You’re going to bomb the walls after all? In spite of all the potential casualties? We can’t—”
“Not that kind of drone.” Mac looked like she was enjoying their consternation. “Not weaponized. This is a new optics development of standard spy drones, a device that doubles as high-tech field glasses. So top-secret that even the military doesn’t know about it, developed by an independent entrepreneur.”
“But you, Mac, of course, know all about it.” Razhan sounded both exasperated and impressed.
Ash expected a response like, “It’s my business to know about things,” but those words didn’t come.
“Not all. Not enough.” Mac’s brief elation faded. “And the gear may not come in time. It’ll be a close thing.”
“Gear?” Ash probed, determined to get some solid information.
“Yes. For you. As I understand it, you’ll have a helmet programmed to let you view what the drone sees, and you’ll have controls to make the image brighter, or magnify it, and steer the drone wherever you want it to go by movements of your head. It can even follow your eye movements.”
“As you understand it?” Ash struggled to keep from sounding as skeptical as she felt. “When will I get a chance to understand it?”
“That,” Mac said, the stress showing briefly on her face, “is the big question.” Her customary façade of confidence returned. “But with this gadgetry or without it, you’ll succeed. It’s my job to know things like that.”
Ash and the others didn’t arrive at the camp until well past noon the next day. As they neared, she looked eagerly for Cleo, but couldn’t see her at first in the turmoil of people and tents and piles of gear and munitions.
Then, abruptly, she felt her. Cleo was under great strain. Ash herself, as she came closer to the desert, had felt the pervasive anger of the goddess grow and grow, but that had become familiar enough that she could handle it and stay in control. What Cleo was feeling was far different.
But where was she? “You okay?” she called voicelessly. So many figures milling about, so many curious eyes on the new arrivals and especially on Ash herself, but no sight of the one figure in all the world she would know in an instant. Then, as her gaze crossed a beat-up old metal trailer, she saw Cleo slowly emerging from behind it. By her expression, Ash knew that the thought she’d sent had been received.
While Razhan and Mac conferred with Shifra in the trailer, and Ariya hung out with friends in the camp, Ash drew Cleo into the truck, where they could speak privately.
“What’s wrong?” It wasn’t just that Cleo looked d
ifferent, with her red hair toned down to auburn. Something was bothering her.
“Nothing’s wrong, now that you’re here.” Cleo leaned in for a long kiss and then bent her head against Ash’s shoulder, hiding her eyes.
Ash tilted Cleo’s face back up. “Something’s been going on.”
“Isn’t it always? We’re about to storm a walled city to save hundreds of women from slavery. So what else is new?”
Ash didn’t let her get away with that. “Plenty, from my perspective, but you won’t get my news until I know what’s eating you. Or who.”
“Nothing’s eating me.”
“Look, when I hand you a straight line like that and get nothing, there’s definitely something wrong.”
That got a smile. A very small one. “I’m just getting myself into gear for being captured. I need to will myself to show weakness, helplessness, fear—the bone-deep kind of fear that comes from tapping into memories from when I was a kid.” She shifted gears and shrugged. “Those are my orders. I’ll carry them out, no matter what. How about you?”
Ash’s answer had to wait until she’d hugged Cleo hard, and Cleo hugged her back. At first it was for comfort. Then one thing led to another until they were in danger of rocking the truck so hard folks would notice, so they had to pull apart. But that wasn’t the main reason, Ash knew; however compelling it would be to make love when it might be the last time, refusing to admit that it might be the last time was the better mindset. Plus, the truck had too many windows, and there were plenty of curious eyes around trying to look not so curious.
“So what’s your news?” Cleo was still breathing hard.
“It’s really Mac’s news. She may or may not have scored a major coup, involving drones.” Ash knew Cleo’s first reaction would be like her own, and she wasn’t disappointed.
“Drones? They can’t bomb—”
“No, not a weaponized drone. It’s some super-secret invention better than any field glasses, intended to let me see things brighter, and magnified, and to go wherever I want it to.”
“Wow! Mac must have some major pull with the Army. Maybe some major dirt on somebody in research and intelligence.”
“She says this isn’t connected with the military, at least not yet. It’s a prototype, one of a kind, developed by one of her many contacts.”
“So you get to test-drive this contraption.” Cleo shook her head. “You’re sure it won’t explode?”
“Want me to run it by you to scan? But it isn’t here yet. It may not even be here in time.” Ash heard voices coming closer to the truck, and decided it was time to change the subject. “Do you know when your crew gets going?”
“Nope. Special meeting coming up. In fact, they seem to be looking for us right now. I didn’t think it would be this soon.” Cleo could see out the window past the driver’s seat, and Ash turned to look. Ariya was gesturing toward them. Trust her to be keeping track of where they were and what they were doing.
The meeting was in the trailer. Ariya was there, along with several others who had also been captives, and Ilham, and a trained medic. Ariya translated when necessary, but all spoke at least some English and mostly kept to it for the benefit of the Americans.
“There are very few intact rooms,” Ariya said, “and the few doors with locks have only simple bolts on the outside, to keep people in. Only the central block where the important men are housed has roofs. We can get people out. There are not many guards where the prisoners are kept, since they are sure of their outer walls and mines.”
“We know that our commander has been drugged, and there may be others,” Shifra said. “We are prepared to carry her if necessary, but we also have a means of counteracting the drug they will likely have used.”
The medic nodded. “I’ll take a small hypodermic needle disguised as a fastening for my keffiyeh, and medications sewn under its lining. Some of the others will have them as well in case there are more in need, or mine is lost.”
“Nice idea,” Cleo said thoughtfully. “I thought those scarves were only lined to make them warmer.”
Ash was uneasy. “All this sounds just about plausible, but how will you keep the captives from panicking, even stampeding over each other, when the gates come down? The noise will be as terrifying as a cannon attack, or even greater, and the earth will shake. And what explanation will you give for it all?”
“Some of our people are already there, unwilling captives,” Shifra said. “Once told that we come with a top-secret plan to rescue our commander and lead all the prisoners to safety, they will work with us to keep order among the others. No explanation, simply a warning that it will sound as though iron and stones are being torn apart and smashed to the ground.”
Ash wasn’t convinced, but Cleo chimed in, “Neat! If they’ve heard of the Shadow Hand, they might have a clue. If they haven’t, or don’t believe in things like that, they’ll assume we’ve somehow got hold of a new kick-ass technology.”
“You must trust us,” Shifra said, “as we must trust you.”
There was a moment of silence, until Razhan, who had taken the single chair beside Shifra, stood and went on as though everything was settled. “Our most recent information is that the raid will occur soon, tomorrow afternoon. With luck, the sentries in our hilltop fortress will be able to see the enemy’s trucks raising dust along the road well before they reach the village, so we will have some warning. The villagers have already been told to hide in the hills, and our forces are ready to charge upon the raiders as soon as prisoners have been taken. They will fail to recapture the captives, but will prevent the village from being ransacked.”
Shifra looked from face to face. “Are we all agreed that we must dress and act as villagers taken unawares? Are we sure our soldiers are ready?”
“There’s no holding ’em back,” Ilham said.
“That’s what I’m afraid of.” Shifra sighed. “I’ll try once more to impress on them the importance of acting like villagers, not soldiers.”
A tall, weathered woman who had been leaning against a wall now straightened. “What’s the difference? Everyone’s prepared to fight, villager or soldier. Some resistance will be expected. But we know we must seem to lose in order to win this battle.”
“Then we leave here at dawn tomorrow, reach the village by midmorning, dress in the clothing that will be left there for us, and when our signal comes, climb into a large open-bed farm truck and ride along the road as though we were on the way to some shrine or social gathering and had no notion that we might be attacked.”
Mac, uncharacteristically silent so far, spoke up. “The sooner you’re captured, the more time you’ll have to prepare the women in the city for escape, but the more danger you’ll be in. We’re looking at a pre-dawn smashing of the gate, when most of the guards will be either asleep or preparing for their morning prayers, and there’ll be just enough light to see where you’re putting your feet.”
Ilham had been shifting from foot to foot. Now she burst out, “I should go too! My tough old hide rules me out as a salable sex slave, so I’d probably get killed right off, but…okay, right, I couldn’t do much if I got killed first.” She slumped back against the wall.
“We rely on you, Ilham,” Mac said sharply, “to work with Ash, to have her back while she’s taking down the gate, and mine as well while I’m watching her.”
Ash had been enjoying feeling invisible, but now everyone’s gaze turned to her.
The medic broke the sudden silence. “I must ask this, without offense, I hope. Are you really the Shadow Hand one hears about? Is there any truth to all of that?”
“Depends on what you’ve heard.” Ash looked around, making eye contact with each of them. “And on what you’ve seen. Yes, I can do things that seem impossible. No, I can’t explain why. I never asked for such power. But as long as I have it, I’ll keep using it for causes lik
e yours. I can and will tear down that gate.”
There was another moment of silence, and then Ariya, who hadn’t spoken before, cried out, “Ash can even tear mountains apart!”
Cleo started edging around toward Ariya as fast as she could. The girl saw her coming. “And Cleo is also powerful. She saved my life!”
“From what? Who?”
Ash wasn’t sure who spoke, but she knew, watching Ariya’s face, just when the girl realized the trap she’d laid for herself. How could she reveal who had threatened her?
Cleo got there, put an arm around Ariya, and faced the group. “Not that big a deal, really, just some falling rock. An accident, terrifying at the time. Right, Ariya?”
“Yes, right.” Ariya sounded breathless. Cleo must be squeezing her pretty hard. Ash was also sure that Mac had been holding her breath.
Now she said, calmly and authoritatively, “I have seen Ash hold up a large helicopter about to crash, with her mind alone. I have seen—and so have Razhan and Ariya—Ash lift up great boulders without touching them and then smash them down with tremendous force. I have even seen her do this at a great distance. Cleo has seen much more, and so have viewers of YouTube videos posted by an associate of theirs. Yes, the Shadow Hand videos are real. We would not ask any of you to put your lives in danger even to save others if we were not sure that Ash can tear down the gate, and Cleo can lead you safely through the minefield to the secure zone where our transport vehicles and troops wait. And one more thing; don’t be alarmed if you see something strange in the air, a drone. It would be carrying only a viewing device to help Ash see the city from a distance. No bombs.”
The silence that followed felt like it might be permanent.
“Any more questions?” Ash asked.
Cleo made her way back to Ash’s side and took her arm. “If not, I suggest we all get what little rest we can. I don’t know about the rest of you, but I’ve had damned little sleep lately, and I need some. So does Ash. We’re only human.”