Whiplash

79

Some sixty miles to the southwest, Nuri and Flash had gassed up the car and were heading for the sea, traveling as fast as Nuri dared. They were a bit over three hours from the resort town where Danny had stashed the boats.

Tarid lay passed out in the back. Flash had stopped the bleeding and cleaned the wound in his leg. He’d lost a good amount of blood, but the injury didn’t look life-threatening. Flash had given him three hits of morphine from their first aid kit, enough to keep him slumbering for at least a few hours.

They hadn’t bothered to tie his hands. Nuri figured it was worth the risk; it would be hard to explain if they were stopped.

Tarid’s Guard ID was in Nuri’s pocket. It would be useful, if they were stopped.

Not that he intended to stop.

Flash reached over to the radio and turned it on. Europop music blared from the speaker. Flash jiggled the volume down, then began scanning the dial for a station that played something a little more friendly to his ears. The radio stopped for a few moments as it scanned to a station, then continued on. It hit a classic station, then a news channel. A sonorous voice said the word “emergency” before the radio continued on.

Nuri slammed his hand to stop it, but it moved on.

“Get that back,” he told Flash.

Flash hit the button. The radio went forward, but the same program was playing on several stations at once.

“What’s he saying?” asked Flash.

“The president is announcing there’s been an attempt at a coup,” said Nuri. “Shit. They’re closing the airports, mobilizing troops. It sounds like they’re going after the Revolutionary Guard, too.”

“Not good.”

“Not for us, no.”

The Voice told Nuri that Danny had succeeded in blowing up the missile. Nuri turned down the radio and told the Voice to connect him to Danny.

“Danny, are you all right?” he asked.

There was no response.

“We’re going to the rendezvous point. We’ll meet you there,” he said. “You hearing me?”

Still no answer.

“Problem?” asked Flash.

“I don’t know. He may just be too busy to open the communications channel.”

“Think they need help?”

Nuri glanced back at Tarid. His lips were moving but he made no sound.

“We’re not in much of a position to help them if they do,” Nuri told Flash. “Hopefully they don’t.”