The Revolution Trade (Merchant Princes Omnibus 3) by Stross Charles Read Free Book Online Page A

‘How’s your leg?’ he asked as the ambulance moved off.
    ‘Still bad, but I can get about indoors. Last time I asked they said I’d be able to get the cast off in another six weeks, be back to normal in three or four months.’
Why is
he asking me this stuff ?
Mike stared at him sidelong.
It’s not like he can’t pull my medical records any time he wants
. . .
    ‘Not good enough.’ James frowned, his lips forming a bloodless crease. ‘There’s a change of plan.’
    Mike shivered under the thin thermal blanket the ‘paramedics’ had draped over him. He could see what was coming next, like a freight locomotive glimpsed through the side window of
his crossing-stalled car.
He’s cutting around the chain of command. Which means I’m in trouble
. James was political, and even in the flattened wartime hierarchy of the Family
Trade Organization he was several levels above Mike. If he was descending from on high to give Mike orders in person, it meant that either Mike’s boss, Colonel Smith, was on the out –
or that Mike was being snipped out of the org chart. Spoiled goods, a deniable asset, disposable on demand. ‘What do you want me to do?’ he asked, keeping his face as still as
possible.
    The ambulance turned a corner and began to accelerate, swaying from side to side as it shoved across two lanes of traffic. ‘We’ve made a breakthrough in the past week, and it’s
led us to review our existing programs.’ James was looking at him, but not meeting his eyes. ‘You speak the bad guys’ language, as much as anyone does. We need you as an
interpreter.’
    ‘But – ’ Mike shook his head, confused. ‘What about the negotiations?’ Miriam’s crazy mother and her sidekick, the blond sniper who looked like a Russian
princess: They were supposed to be making contact, negotiating over the stolen nuke. ‘Don’t you want – ’
    ‘Son, don’t be naïve.’ Dr. James smiled, and this time he looked Mike in the eyes. Mike tried not to shiver; he’d seen a warmer smile on the pet alligator he’d
once tripped over during a raid on a drug dealer’s pad. ‘The missing gadget has been retrieved so the negotiations are over. We don’t need them anymore. Our job is now to hit
these people so hard they won’t ever mess with the USA again.’ The ambulance bounced hard across a pothole and Mike’s stomach lurched as he felt it accelerate down a steep
gradient. ‘I don’t think your contacts will be back, but if they are, it’s kill-or-capture time.’
    ‘The phone . . . ?’ Colonel Smith had given him an untraceable cell phone to pass on to the ice princess if the Clan wanted to negotiate.
    ‘It’s a Kidon special.’ Made by Mossad’s – the Israeli secret service’s – assassination cell. ‘It works fine, but there’s ten grams of C4 in
the earpiece. If one of them tries to call us, that’s one less bad guy to worry about.’
    ‘Oh.’ For a moment a vision of Olga’s blond head flashed through Mike’s mind, bloodied and slack-jawed. He bit down on his reaction:
That’s assassination!
He
swallowed, queasy. ‘If that’s the way you’re playing it.’
( You’re a cop, he’s a spook. You knew these things happened. So why’s he telling you
now?)
‘You said you want an interpreter, but you’re not talking to the Clan. So what’s going on?’
    ‘There’s been a breakthrough.’ Dr. James leaned back against the side of the ambulance, his death’s-head grin fading. ‘Pretty soon we’re not going to need the
freaks for transport anymore, so we’re winding up to restart CLEANSWEEP. This time we’ve got the logistic support to set up a full-scale expeditionary force on the other side.
You’ll be going over in about three months as a civilian advisor. But in the meantime, I’ve got a little extra job for you as soon as you’re cleared for duty again. You’ve
already got a clearance; you’re going to need a higher one for this job. Unless you think there’s