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He closed to within twenty feet before one of them beca around in bewilder he’d set his AK-47 on the floor next to the table he was sharing with his partner Juan kept coroped for the weapon and carowled a warning, as his tea an assault rifle of his own, though the sling had tangled around his hands

“What is the antly in pitch-perfect Arabic “I auest of your base commander, Admiral Ramazani”

The two guards blinked at hi Arabic, “You are who?”

“Captain Hourani,” Cabrillo snapped testily “For the love of the Prophet, I have been in and out of this building a dozen times in the past week Surely you know I am here to watch the demonstration of your new miracle weapon, the torpedoes that will drive the Crusaders out of our waters once and for all”

Juan knew the Farsi speaker was catching every three or four words of his rapid-fire delivery, but it was the attitude et theed here, despite the late hour There was a walkie-talkie on the table next to an overflowing ashtray, plates of congealed food, and a rumpled heap of newspapers If they called base security, the jig was up

“I lost track of tiave a trace of an embarrassed smile “That is not true I fell asleep in the captain’s cabin, dreaainst the American imperialists”

There was still wary suspicion in the guard’s eye, but the adh from a different navy, could succuhtly at ease He translated to his partner what Cabrillo had said

It didn’t seeuard, gesturing with the barrel of his AK The Arabic speaker asked to see Juan’s identification

Juan withdrew a billfold and presented it to the senior of the two As the guard looked it over, Juan plucked a pack of cigarettes from his breast pocket and lit up The smokes were Dunhills, a vastly superior brand to the cheap local tobacco the men choked down, and he saw that both had noticed the distinctive flat pack The guard kept the billfold and was turning to grab the walkie-talkie when Juan offered hiarettes

He hesitated for an instant, so Juan thrust the pack closer

“We must call the m

ain security station,” the younger guard told him

“Of course,” Juan said, jetting sarette while they yell at you for not knowing I am authorized to be here”

Sheepishly, both hter for the their first drag, before the fast-acting, narcotic-laced tobacco hit their nervous systeround

Cabrillo ground his cigarette into the floor with his foot “Usually, boys,” he said, crushing out the guards’ s all the evidence into his pant pocket, “these things’ll kill you In your case, you’ll be out for a couple of hours However, I don’t envy you when your superiors discover your dereliction”