'David, over here,' said Graham.
Tambese hurried across to where Graham was shining the torch into one of the cells. Remy Mobuto lay motionless on a palliasse in the corner of the cell.
'Remy?' Tambese called through the bars. 'Remy, it's David. David Tambese.' He glanced anxiously at Graham when Mobuto remained silent. 'Remy, can you hear me?'
Silence.
Sabrina appeared behind them. 'All the other cells are empty.' Then she noticed the concern on their faces.'What is it?'
'He's been drugged,' Graham said grimly, strapping the oxy-acetylene tanks onto his back.
'You say there are no prisoners in any of the other cells?' Tambese asked, turning to Sabrina.
She nodded.
'Which means they're moving out,' Tambese concluded. 'It looks like we got here just in time.'
Graham switched on the blowpipe then dropped to one knee and began cutting through the lock.
'Moving out?' Sabrina repeated. 'You mean they're preparing to march on Habane?'
'That's how I'd interpret it,' Tambese answered. 'Why else would they clear the cell block? We had it on good authority that they were holding at least twenty prisoners here yesterday morning.'
'Where will they have been taken? The garrison you spoke about earlier?'
'They won't have been taken anywhere,' Tambese said, shaking his head.
'You mean they've been executed?'
'More than likely,' Tambese replied matter-of-factly. 'The Security Police will only spare your life if they think you'll be of some use to them. And when you've outlived that usefulness, then they'll kill you. That's the way they've worked for the last forty-five years, why change now?'
'I've got the lock,' Graham called out before Sabrina could reply.
Tambese hurried into the cell and checked Mobuto's pulse.
'Well?' Graham asked behind him.
'It's steady,' Tambese replied. Til carry him. Mike, you take my Uzi.'
Graham shouldered Tambese's Uzi. Sabrina replaced the oxyacetylene equipment in the holdall then picked it up and moved back towards the stairs. Graham helped to get Mobuto to his feet then
Tambese bent down and draped him over his shoulders. He nodded to Graham then emerged from the cell and followed Sabrina to the stairs. Graham brought up the rear, his Uzi at the ready. When they reached the reception area Tambese gratefully offloaded Mobuto and eased him carefully onto the floor.
'I'll take him for a bit,' Graham offered.
'No,' Tambese retorted sharply. He smiled quickly to atone for his outburst. 'Thanks anyway, Mike, but Remy's my friend. If anything does happen out there, I'll be responsible for his safety. I'm sure you understand.'
'Yeah, sure,' Graham replied then gestured towards the double doors. 'Can we get through there?'
'I certainly hope so,' Tambese replied. 'It'll save a lot of time if we can avoid using the window. Getting him down the manhole is going to be hard enough.'
Sabrina tried the door. It was locked. Graham searched in vain through the dead guard's pockets for the key. Then he looked through the drawers under the counter. It wasn't there either. He sighed deeply and shook his head.
'We'll have to use the window,' Sabrina said. 'We can't risk shooting off the lock. Even with a silenced weapon, it would still make a lot of noise.'
'I'll go out first then you can — ' Graham stopped abruptly when someone rapped sharply on the door.
They exchanged anxious glances then Sabrina stepped back and trained her Uzi on the door. Graham took up a position by the window. A voice called out through the door. Graham and Sabrina looked to Tambese for an interpretation.
'They were names,' Tambese whispered. 'Whoever it is probably saw that the two guards weren't in the watchtower and thinks they might be in here with the guard.'
'I'm going outside,' Graham said softly, placing Tambese's Uzi on the table. 'We'll be trapped in here if he raises the alarm.'
Both Tambese and Sabrina nodded their agreement. Graham pulled the blind up carefully then eased himself gingerly through the window and landed silently on the ground outside. His breathing was shallow and ragged as he moved cautiously towards the edge of the building. There was another knock at the door, this time louder, and the voice called out again in Swahili. He wiped his sweating face as he reached the end of the wall. He gripped the Uzi tightly in his hands then swivelled round to challenge the guard. The man, who was dressed in a pair of shorts and a vest, looked round sharply at Graham, his eyes narrowed in surprise and amazement. He held an AK-47 at his side. Graham indicated for him to drop it. The man swallowed nervously then jerked the barrel up towards Graham who shot him in the chest with a burst from his silenced Uzi. The man stumbled backwards, lost his footing on the steps, and as he fell his finger squeezed the trigger and a row of bullets ripped into the wall several feet above Graham's head. The noise echoed around the delicate silence. Graham cursed loudly. It would only be a matter of seconds before the whole compound converged on them. He shot off the lock and kicked the door in. Tambese, who already had Mobuto in a fireman's lift on his shoulders, hurried down the stairs and lumbered laboriously towards the manhole. He could already see several lights on in the barracks.
Sabrina threw Tambese's Uzi to Graham and they ran ahead, waiting for the first of the rebels to appear. They were still a good sixty yards away from the manhole. A window pane was smashed in the barracks and the barrel of an AK-47 pushed through the aperture. Graham, holding an Uzi in each hand, raked all four of the windows facing out towards them, spraying glass across the floor of the barracks. The AK-47 disappeared. The door was flung open and a rebel darted through but was cut down by Graham before he could fire. The momentum of his body cartwheeled him across the ground and he came to rest in a crumpled heap several yards from where he had been shot. Graham and Sabrina stood their ground and raked the windows and door of the barracks, giving Tambese precious seconds to get closer to the manhole. Graham tossed one of the Uzis away when the magazine was spent then snapped a fresh clip into the other Uzi and shouted to Sabrina to keep up with Tambese in case any of the rebels were waiting behind the building for them. She nodded then sprinted after Tambese as Graham raked the side of the barracks again.
He continued until the clip was finished. He ejected it, pushed his last clip into place, then ran towards the manhole. The clip ran out as he reached the end of the building. He darted round the side and stopped abruptly as he found himself facing half-a-dozen rebels, all armed with AK-47S. He could see two of their dead colleagues sprawled close to the manhole. And there was no sign of the others. He grinned. They'd made it. A man who had been standing beside the manhole turned round and looked at Graham. He was dressed in a grey tracksuit. Graham immediately recognized him as Tito Ngune. His face still bore the bruises from the lynching he'd received several days earlier in Habane.