Page 9 (1/2)

"Sounds like we have a winner," JC said "All right, skinny Here’s what you need to do Kick the guy behind you as he’s taking a step He’ll fall into the fellow next to hiunfire from behind, take his weapon froh his body at the men down there"

Ivy looked sick "That’s awful!"

"You don’t think he’s going to let us go, do you?" JC asked

"The Abu Sayyaf," Tobias said helpfully, "has been the source of nus in the Philippines They also are very brutal with the locals, acting as anized crime family than true revolutionaries"

"Sothat would be a no, eh?" JC said

We reached the ground floor, and Salic led us into a side roorenades on their belts and assault rifles in their hands

Between them, on the table, was a medium format camera It lookedordinary

"I need Razon here," I said, sitting down "To ask him questions"

Salic sniffed "He will not speak to you, Mister Leeds You can trust us on this count"

"So he’s not working with the hi at the ca Why, WHY didn’t I bring Ivans with me? I should have known I’d need a ht too many aspects--kept too s happened That was immaterial, now Ivans was a continent away

"Anyone?" I asked under my breath

"Don’t look at et the remote control to work half the time"

"Cut the red wire," JC said "It’s always the red wire"

I gave him a flat stare, then unscrewed one part of the ca My hands were shaking

Salic, fortunately, sent someone to do as I requested After that, he watched way Incident, where I’d disassembled, fixed, and reassembled a complex computer system in time to stop a detonation But that had all been Ivans, with some aid by Chin, our resident computer expert

Without the I tried ht back Razon I recognized him from the pictures Monica had shown , his left eye puffy, and he walked with a stu limp As he sat down on a stool nearone hand The stuhed "Ah Mister Leeds, I believe," he said with a faint Filipino accent "I’m terribly sorry to find you here"

"Careful," Ivy said, inspecting Razon She was standing right beside hi Don’t act too friendly"

"Oh, I do not like this at all," Kalyani said She’ddown for cover "Is it often going to be like this around you, Mister Steve? Because I am not very well cut out for this"

"You’re sorry to findmy voice harsh "Sorry, but not surprised You’re the one who helped Monica and her cronies get blackmail material on me"

His unswollen eye widened a fraction He knew it hadn’t been blackmail material Or so I hoped Would he see? Would he realize I was here to help him?

"I did thatunder duress," he said

"You’re still a bastard, so far as I’e!" Ivy said, hands on hips

"Bah," I said to Razon "It doesn’tto show me how to make this machine work"

"I will not!" he said

I turned a screw, h to speak to him quietly, but not draw suspicion? "You will, or--"

"Careful, you fool!" Razon said, leaping froun at us

"Safety’s on," JC said "Nothing to be worried about Yet"

"This is a very delicate piece of equip the screwdriver froood ar very softly, he continued "You are here with Monica?"

"Yes"

"She is not to be trusted," he said Then paused "But she never beat me or cut my hand off So perhaps I am not one to speak on whom to trust"

"How did they take you?" I whispered

"I bragged to ot to these monsters They have contacts in Israel" He wavered, and I reached to steady hiood shape