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jackpot
July 20, 1970 - Cambodia
Leon was slowly adjusting to his belief that the Quiet One meant him no harm. It gave him some much-needed courage.
"What are we waitin' for out here, man?" Leon had been watching the Quiet One scan the trees and grass with his field glasses.
"Dunno who to expect. It'll be either Charlie or the Red Khmer." The man sighed. "It's getting late."
Leon was a bit puzzled. "Ah bin outa the loop fer a while. Late for what?"
"Cambodia." The Quiet One pulled his eyes away and looked directly at Leon. His eyes looked normal, not defocused & dilated like other junkies Leon had known.
"They neutral still?"
The man chuckled half-heartedly. "Yeah, in theory. In practice, Pentagon needed a victory, this was it. It'll be over in a few days."
"That's good, though, right?" Leon was still puzzled.
The Quiet One returned to his patient surveillance. "Good for the Pentagon, not so good if you're a peace-loving Cambodian." He turned his gaze back to Leon. "All these bombs are ours; there is no air war but ours. All real wars are fought with small weapons, not technology. The reason people hate us isn't envy. They just think we don't believe in anything. We wage our wars at arm's length. You bleed, I bleed, nobody back home gives a damn about Vietnam. How passionately committed do you think our government is to the people of Cambodia?"
"So, you, you're a communist sympathizer?"
"Nope. I never met an ideology I didn't loathe." The Quiet One turned back to his field glasses.
"But we're waitin' & watchin' for the enemy, right?"
"We're waiting on the drugs & money intended for McCrimmon." The Quiet One sounded matter-of-fact. "Right now, Corporal, everybody's our enemy."
Leon was feeling a little uneasy. "You fragged your squad just for the drugs and money?" Leon arranged his thoughts more clearly. "If it's just you & me, & they want me, you get all the dope & money yourself, you take them out plus me, & you're living large in Singapore? Fuck that shit! I thought you Firebirds had ideals and what-not. I know why ahm here, what the fuck do you believe in?"
The words were low. "You want truth, Corporal?"
Leon's courage had him edging closer to the man on the ground. "Yer fuckin' right I do!"
Without lifting his head, the Quiet One shattered Leon's perceptions.
"The truth is ransoming you was arranged by the same people in the Pentagon who arranged this incursion. It's good PR. McCrimmon trots you over to the little men across the way there, one guy tells McCrimmon where the drugs & money are, the 'squad' about whom you are so concerned guns down the nice little men in the pyjamas, then turns their guns on you, preferably on your back." He adjusted his hands & head, cricking his neck. "Then you become a martyr, a war hero, brutally slaughtered by the communists, McCrimmon delivers the drugs back to his Phoenix people, you get free room and board in Arlington & a posthumous medal."
Leon digested it all for a moment. "Tell me how your version of the plan works out."
"My objective is neither the drugs nor the money, it's to get you out alive."
"That tells me what? You're some kind of upstanding citizen even though you fragged your own people?"
The Quiet One laughed. "Aha! Hell, no, I have ulterior motives."
"Those bein' what, exactly?"
The man slipped his hand down to his belt and rummaged around for a minute before bringing out a crumpled and dirty piece of cardboard. He handed it to Leon with a brief "Here."
Leon looked down at the lettering through the grime. He reassembled his mental picture of reality including the new information. "So you know?"
The Quiet One had seen a movement in the grass across the way. His voice dropped again. "Yes, Corporal Freedman, that I do."
"So I'm a ... a thing ... a commodity?"
The Quiet One seemed somewhat pleased it had gone so well. "Yes, exactly." He paused for one beat. "And we have company."
Leon nodded as if he understood. "So, you & I, we're gonna kill everybody, & take the drugs and the money?"
To Leon's great astonishment, the man beamed at him as he checked his weapon. "Yep. We're the new face of war out here."
"So you're 'John A. Szymanski'?"
The Quiet One's grin widened and he looked up from his gun scope. "Where are my manners? Yes, I'm John Szymanski, you can call me Jack. I'll be your team leader. Welcome to Etterian Pharmaceuticals."
Leon was slowly adjusting to his belief that the Quiet One meant him no harm. It gave him some much-needed courage.
"What are we waitin' for out here, man?" Leon had been watching the Quiet One scan the trees and grass with his field glasses.
"Dunno who to expect. It'll be either Charlie or the Red Khmer." The man sighed. "It's getting late."
Leon was a bit puzzled. "Ah bin outa the loop fer a while. Late for what?"
"Cambodia." The Quiet One pulled his eyes away and looked directly at Leon. His eyes looked normal, not defocused & dilated like other junkies Leon had known.
"They neutral still?"
The man chuckled half-heartedly. "Yeah, in theory. In practice, Pentagon needed a victory, this was it. It'll be over in a few days."
"That's good, though, right?" Leon was still puzzled.
The Quiet One returned to his patient surveillance. "Good for the Pentagon, not so good if you're a peace-loving Cambodian." He turned his gaze back to Leon. "All these bombs are ours; there is no air war but ours. All real wars are fought with small weapons, not technology. The reason people hate us isn't envy. They just think we don't believe in anything. We wage our wars at arm's length. You bleed, I bleed, nobody back home gives a damn about Vietnam. How passionately committed do you think our government is to the people of Cambodia?"
"So, you, you're a communist sympathizer?"
"Nope. I never met an ideology I didn't loathe." The Quiet One turned back to his field glasses.
"But we're waitin' & watchin' for the enemy, right?"
"We're waiting on the drugs & money intended for McCrimmon." The Quiet One sounded matter-of-fact. "Right now, Corporal, everybody's our enemy."
Leon was feeling a little uneasy. "You fragged your squad just for the drugs and money?" Leon arranged his thoughts more clearly. "If it's just you & me, & they want me, you get all the dope & money yourself, you take them out plus me, & you're living large in Singapore? Fuck that shit! I thought you Firebirds had ideals and what-not. I know why ahm here, what the fuck do you believe in?"
The words were low. "You want truth, Corporal?"
Leon's courage had him edging closer to the man on the ground. "Yer fuckin' right I do!"
Without lifting his head, the Quiet One shattered Leon's perceptions.
"The truth is ransoming you was arranged by the same people in the Pentagon who arranged this incursion. It's good PR. McCrimmon trots you over to the little men across the way there, one guy tells McCrimmon where the drugs & money are, the 'squad' about whom you are so concerned guns down the nice little men in the pyjamas, then turns their guns on you, preferably on your back." He adjusted his hands & head, cricking his neck. "Then you become a martyr, a war hero, brutally slaughtered by the communists, McCrimmon delivers the drugs back to his Phoenix people, you get free room and board in Arlington & a posthumous medal."
Leon digested it all for a moment. "Tell me how your version of the plan works out."
"My objective is neither the drugs nor the money, it's to get you out alive."
"That tells me what? You're some kind of upstanding citizen even though you fragged your own people?"
The Quiet One laughed. "Aha! Hell, no, I have ulterior motives."
"Those bein' what, exactly?"
The man slipped his hand down to his belt and rummaged around for a minute before bringing out a crumpled and dirty piece of cardboard. He handed it to Leon with a brief "Here."
Leon looked down at the lettering through the grime. He reassembled his mental picture of reality including the new information. "So you know?"
The Quiet One had seen a movement in the grass across the way. His voice dropped again. "Yes, Corporal Freedman, that I do."
"So I'm a ... a thing ... a commodity?"
The Quiet One seemed somewhat pleased it had gone so well. "Yes, exactly." He paused for one beat. "And we have company."
Leon nodded as if he understood. "So, you & I, we're gonna kill everybody, & take the drugs and the money?"
To Leon's great astonishment, the man beamed at him as he checked his weapon. "Yep. We're the new face of war out here."
"So you're 'John A. Szymanski'?"
The Quiet One's grin widened and he looked up from his gun scope. "Where are my manners? Yes, I'm John Szymanski, you can call me Jack. I'll be your team leader. Welcome to Etterian Pharmaceuticals."