rejoined Hyde. ‘He’s called Kurt.’ Revell indicated the leading deserter. ‘He says he is, or rather was, a captain in the 8th GDR Motor Rifle Division.’ ‘The hell he was.’
‘I agree with you, Sergeant. Those weapons they’re carrying must be the ones they had when they went over the hill, and the only units I know of that were still issued with those antiquated pieces when the war started were the Grepos, the border police.’
‘We’re not in very nice company, then, are we. I wonder how the girl got mixed up with them.’ The more Libby saw of her, the more she reminded him of Helga. It was the stance she adopted, her air of determination, independence, Helga’s qualities, the reasons he felt sure she must still be alive.
‘Who knows. Maybe you’ll get the chance to ask her. They’re going to show us exactly where the Russians were doing their digging. You don’t seem at all happy with the idea, Sergeant Hyde.’
The Yank was a perceptive bastard, Hyde had to give him that. How do you tell an officer you reckon he needs his bleeding brains tested? ‘It’s your decision, Major, but there’s a couple of precautions I think we should take while they’re around.’
‘OK, I’m listening.’
‘Main thing is to keep an eye on Kurt. If any trouble starts he’ll be the one to fire first. And don’t let them bunch us together. Stay spread out among them, that way we’ll make less of a target if they try any funny business.’
‘That’s a nice comforting thought.’ Libby deliberately lengthened a tear in his ragged over-clothes to make access to his pistol and grenades easier. It was a bloody stupid way of going to war: dressed like a tramp, working with scum who probably didn’t even trust each other and certainly couldn’t be trusted by anyone else. That was the Zone, slowly destroying even those it didn’t kill, grinding them lower and lower to a sub-human level where any action was acceptable or justifiable. But these men were border police, men who’d earned bonus payments for each would-be escaper through the Iron Curtain that they shot down. They had a head start on everyone else.
EIGHT
‘Can’t you do something to keep him quiet? Give him another jab, two if it’ll help.’ The intermittent screams from the wounded man were beginning to fray Burke’s nerves.
‘What do you want me to do, gag him?’ Rinehart was becoming irritated by the constant interference. ‘He’s had an extra shot already, but it doesn’t do any good, not with the skull fractures he’s got.’ ‘That’s not bloody fractures, half his bloody head is shot away. Why don’t you save him a lot of pain, get it over with now?’
The black had to wait until Nelson had finished another sequence of wailing and incoherent shouting before his reply could be heard. ‘In our outfit we don’t pull the plug on nobody, not even a specimen like you.’ ‘I would, if it were him.’ Dooley grinned broadly at Burke.
Cohen stepped back inside. He’d gone out on to the ramp for a while to get away from the bickering, and smell of sweat and blood and stale tobacco. There was little movement of air about the skimmer. Even with every hatch and port open, the fetid atmosphere inside was hardly stirred by the light breeze that ruffled the tops of the oaks.
‘I’ve counted. Between you, you’ve managed to start fifteen arguments in the five hours since the major left. Maybe you want to try for sixteen?’ No one took Cohen up. ‘You want to get some air, kid, you’re starting to look a bit green about the gills.’ He moved aside to let Collins squeeze past. ‘Don’t step off the ramp. If you want to have a pee you’ll have to do it from there, anything, else you’ll have to hang on to. I’ve spotted a suspicious lump below that might react rather loudly to having a pile of shit dropped on it.’
‘You sure are taking this being left in charge thing seriously. I ain’t never even heard an officer telling
‘I agree with you, Sergeant. Those weapons they’re carrying must be the ones they had when they went over the hill, and the only units I know of that were still issued with those antiquated pieces when the war started were the Grepos, the border police.’
‘We’re not in very nice company, then, are we. I wonder how the girl got mixed up with them.’ The more Libby saw of her, the more she reminded him of Helga. It was the stance she adopted, her air of determination, independence, Helga’s qualities, the reasons he felt sure she must still be alive.
‘Who knows. Maybe you’ll get the chance to ask her. They’re going to show us exactly where the Russians were doing their digging. You don’t seem at all happy with the idea, Sergeant Hyde.’
The Yank was a perceptive bastard, Hyde had to give him that. How do you tell an officer you reckon he needs his bleeding brains tested? ‘It’s your decision, Major, but there’s a couple of precautions I think we should take while they’re around.’
‘OK, I’m listening.’
‘Main thing is to keep an eye on Kurt. If any trouble starts he’ll be the one to fire first. And don’t let them bunch us together. Stay spread out among them, that way we’ll make less of a target if they try any funny business.’
‘That’s a nice comforting thought.’ Libby deliberately lengthened a tear in his ragged over-clothes to make access to his pistol and grenades easier. It was a bloody stupid way of going to war: dressed like a tramp, working with scum who probably didn’t even trust each other and certainly couldn’t be trusted by anyone else. That was the Zone, slowly destroying even those it didn’t kill, grinding them lower and lower to a sub-human level where any action was acceptable or justifiable. But these men were border police, men who’d earned bonus payments for each would-be escaper through the Iron Curtain that they shot down. They had a head start on everyone else.
EIGHT
‘Can’t you do something to keep him quiet? Give him another jab, two if it’ll help.’ The intermittent screams from the wounded man were beginning to fray Burke’s nerves.
‘What do you want me to do, gag him?’ Rinehart was becoming irritated by the constant interference. ‘He’s had an extra shot already, but it doesn’t do any good, not with the skull fractures he’s got.’ ‘That’s not bloody fractures, half his bloody head is shot away. Why don’t you save him a lot of pain, get it over with now?’
The black had to wait until Nelson had finished another sequence of wailing and incoherent shouting before his reply could be heard. ‘In our outfit we don’t pull the plug on nobody, not even a specimen like you.’ ‘I would, if it were him.’ Dooley grinned broadly at Burke.
Cohen stepped back inside. He’d gone out on to the ramp for a while to get away from the bickering, and smell of sweat and blood and stale tobacco. There was little movement of air about the skimmer. Even with every hatch and port open, the fetid atmosphere inside was hardly stirred by the light breeze that ruffled the tops of the oaks.
‘I’ve counted. Between you, you’ve managed to start fifteen arguments in the five hours since the major left. Maybe you want to try for sixteen?’ No one took Cohen up. ‘You want to get some air, kid, you’re starting to look a bit green about the gills.’ He moved aside to let Collins squeeze past. ‘Don’t step off the ramp. If you want to have a pee you’ll have to do it from there, anything, else you’ll have to hang on to. I’ve spotted a suspicious lump below that might react rather loudly to having a pile of shit dropped on it.’
‘You sure are taking this being left in charge thing seriously. I ain’t never even heard an officer telling
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