[Click here for Part V. Click here to start at the beginning.]
Sam sat and examined the neatly arranged china. Blue and white collaborated to produce timeless pieces. Sam wondered what to say both to the man in front of him and the voice in his ear. “You don’t see much china anymore.” Sam said not knowing what else to talk about. The man smiled knowingly: “We might not celebrate our decadent past but it is our history and we must never forget it.” The man shared his knowing smile. The voice whispered:
“I didn’t want this on paper, but you are here for The Face. He’s an asset of the Koli group. He’s decided that his interests are better elsewhere. You are to be feigning sympathy for the Kolis. I’ve had Magne vouch for you. Remember you are curious. The Face should help with the appropriate procedure for exit once you two meet.”
“So Mange got to you? I’ve seen your work lately and I have to say, you’ve paid your membership fees for a couple years. That work in Trigo was superb, I’d never thought I see Viktor running scared.”
“Well I’m not one to pass on a golden opportunity. I know these transitions can be…. messy.”
The man laughed.
“You are a grim one, Magne was right about you! Horace’s vision was so…negative. No one can thrive like this. He had to know that we’d be upset. If he wasn’t dead I’d call this a power play. Dead men don’t have our needs though.”
The man paused.
“Is he alright? Magne I mean.”
The voice whispered in his ear:
“Magne has been freed. You are the one who helped him escape at least that is what he’s been told to say. He’s a bit beat up but he’s been very cooperative lately.”
Sam hesitated but he had to be honest or what he hoped was honest.
“He’s beat up, but he’ll recover.” The man fretted but stood up and brought Sam into the dining room.
“Well I hope to see Magne soon, but we’ll have to celebrate our new partnership in the meantime. It’s what he would want.”
One could not mistake The Face for another man. Even in this den of snakes he exuded a palpable charm.
“Sam my old friend! I see you’ve finally come to your senses!”
He greeted Sam with a hearty handshake.
“You must try this bruschetta. Norman has a decent taste of appetizers.”
“I didn’t know you knew each other.” The man said. Sam didn’t know what to say. He didn’t really know The Face. “I’ve known Sam since my days in the PEF. That was before I got ‘kicked out’ you know.”
“Of course.” The man said. Sam was starting to wish Akara would tell him more about these things, but once again he was being dragged along. He had come armed to the teeth, but even with his concealed weapons he felt naked here. He was no spy, much less a diplomat. His pistols weren’t going to talk their way out of here. The voice whispered again as if reading his mind, or perhaps his pulse “You’re a thug you don’t have to act like anything but a thug.” Sam felt himself relax a bit. He was here as himself. He had no code name or secret identity. All he had to do was be a Sam interested in the Koli group and that wasn’t too far from the truth. The Face patted him on the back and they began to drink.
As they walked around the mansion The Face filled Sam in. The voice in his ear interjecting occasionally. The Koli group was an odd bunch. They had barely held together after the loss of their senior leadership. In the power vacuum they had quickly stepped up. Junior members had quickly filled the ranks of the leadership and they had aimed for the top. Horace’s faction had been influential, but his supporters had either defected or being true believers pledge their loyalty to the new “Duma”. Sam wasn’t sure what had brought The Face to switch sides but he was sure that he was a brave move. The Kolis had started 30 years ago when the last succession crisis had arisen. They had formed as a small but powerful block in the Duma and beyond. At the moment they seemed like a drinking club, but in their inebriated haze they told stories that would send chills through lesser men.
“Sam here is quite the up and coming PEF agent.” The Face told a chewing man. “I’ve brought him in because we need more eyes on that blasted airport.” “Right, right.” The man said happy that progress was being made. The man looked at Sam. “What is Akara like? We’ve all been wondering.”
“Tell them Sam.” Said the gloating voice in his ear.
“Not really like anything. You get orders and you follow them. Akara doesn’t talk or walk or really do anything just give orders.”
“Really?” The man said between bites of potato. You never think that little tin can has been picking us apart without so much as saying a word. I mean we are far from done yet, but I have to respect that… thing.”
Indeed Sam had heard murmurings of the trouble the PEF had been causing for the Koli all night. Sam had been unwittingly playing traitor but that didn’t mean that Akara was just going to let the Koli group go unscathed. There were other PEF squads to hit them with even if the hammer was out of play. Having had only his imagination before, now Sam began to see something more in these men. They were more than just money and flesh. The Kolis knew they had power. It was in their very movements. They still doubted the power of Akara.
The Face took Sam out the back into the gardens. Finally alone, he spoke with cheery candor. “So we’ll make a polite exit tomorrow at noon. You’ll have to lay off the Koli group for a while, but Akara knows that. Your new targets are going to be ours. More death and destruction, but a different team.”
This made Sam ask a question he perhaps shouldn’t have. “So what made you switch sides?”
“Ah, well that. I’ve always been a bit of a free spirit. The Kolis offered a good gig but after watching Akara at work. Well… I was in love. Really he’s not as good as me, but he’s good. The Koli group would put up a good fight with me behind them. But I’d rather not fight an uphill battle. I prefer a clean victory and a full purse. I’m not a mercenary, but I’m not a team player either.”
[Click here for Part VII.]
