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mandatory. I had hoped you would see the necessity of this unpleasant
solution. After all, you have had your life."
Henri Arnaud was a stubborn man. But he was also a sensible man. He drew
himself up proudly, even though he was alone in his genteel parlor.
"You ... you would find them good homes?" he asked quietly.
"The best. I know several wealthy collectors-much like you in your younger
days. Think of it not as a liquidation, if you wish, but as a bequest to the
younger generation."
"I have no choice," Henri Arnaud said finally, a catch in his raspy voice.
"You will send me a letter of execution?"
"Oui, oui. Naturellement. Now, please, I feel unwell."
"Then I will not keep you. It has been a pleasure to serve."
Only days ago, thought Henri Arnaud. But he had not slept since then. All the
fears of old age that he had successfully beaten off with work had come to
roost upon his stooped shoulders like heavy-headed vultures.
Within an hour, the transport men would arrive. The trains would be hoisted
onto great trucks and taken to the seaport of Marseilles, and from there
shipped to some distant port. Arnaud had not asked where. He did not wish to
know.
With an infinitely sad expression on his face, he stepped into the cab of the
de Glehn, and taking the woodenhandled throttle in one hand, leaned his lined
face out of the side window. In his mind's eye he imagined himself barreling
down the old Paris, Lyons nean line, the tracks ahead converging into an
infinity of promised adventure, the smokestack belching the coal smoke of his
younger days.
Page 85
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A breeze freshened out of the east to set his thin hair blowing. It was nice.
It helped the illusion.
Colonel Hannibal Intifadah received the first news reports of the carnage in
upper Manhattan with glee.
"This is what I hungered for," he said, slapping the briefing report on his
desk.
Pyotr Koldunov said nothing. He was thinking of the one thousand dead
Americans and felt queasy. There would have been many more dead, but he had
stalled until he knew it was Saturday in New York, when fewer would be in
their offices.
"I assume, then, that Comrade Colonel is satisfied with the performance of the
Accelerator," he said finally.
"Yes, of course. I would rather have pulverized the White House, but this will
do."
"Then may I assume that since you have achieved your objective, this project
can be quietly dismantled?"
"Dismantled? I said I was satisfied, I did not say I was finished. I have
struck a great blow. I will strike even greater blows in the weeks to come."
Pyotr Koldunov grimaced. He was about to speak when the colonel's desk
telephone rang.
"Yes, what is it? I told you that I was not to be disturbed. Oh, yes. Always.
Put him on."
To Pyotr Koldunov's surprise, the brutish face of Colonel Intifadah softened.
He actually smiled. Not a savage barbarian smile, but one of pure pleasure. He
wondered if he was talking to his lover-but then he dismissed the idea.
According to KGB intelligence, when Colonel Intifadah felt amorous, he took to
the desert. The speculation was that he mated with goats. His father had been
a nomadic goatherd, so it was not unlikely. Besides, he was calling the other
person his friend.
"Yes, Friend. How many? Three. Yes, definitely. What? That is quite a bit more
money than we discussed. I do not care if they are museum pieces. I am not
collecting antiques. Yes, I understand the difficulty. They must be
untraceable. And you say there may be more? At the moment, three will do. Yes,
I will pay your price, but only because I am in a hurry. Yes, thank you. The
bank draft will be deposited in your account at once."
Colonel Intifadah hung up, his face not quite as pleased as it had been
before.
"We have three more revenge vehicles. They will ship today."
Koldunov nodded. "Of course, it will take time to ready the launcher."
"I am a patient man."
Koldunov wanted to say, "Since when?" but he held his tongue. Instead he said,
"I have not been allowed to call my homeland in several days. I would like to
do so now."
"Impossible," said Colonel Intifadah. "The power shortage from the last launch
has disrupted our international phone lines."
"But you were just using them," Koldunov protested.
"Did I say I was speaking with someone outside of this country?" Colonel
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