Time of the Assassins

'It was my decision, sir,' Sabrina said. 'I could have shopped Mike when I spoke to Sergei but I thought it best to work with him rather than against him. And I doubt Sergei would have understood that, do you?'

'Your loyalty's touching, Sabrina,' Philpott said. 'But the fact remains that Mike disobeyed a directive to return home with you.'

'And can you blame him?' she shot back. 'What would have happened if he had come back with me? Bernard would probably have succeeded in killing President Mobuto. It was only Mike's determination that eventually led us to Remy Mobuto and to ultimately preventing a serious embarrassment to the White House.'

'But those weren't Mike's intentions when he went after Bernard, were they?' Philpott said, glancing from Sabrina to Graham. 'Your sole intention was to put a bullet in him, wasn't it?'

'Initially,' Graham replied. 'But when Sabrina agreed to work with me, my first duty was to prevent Mobuto's being assassinated, not to put a bullet in Bernard. I've already explained all this at the hearing yesterday.'

'Which brings me to another point. You were even abusive to the panel of investigators. Why?'

'Four desk men: two ex-CIA, two ex-Feds. What the hell do they know about field work? All they've done is push pens all their lives. Their questions were loaded and misleading and my answers were twisted when I did try to explain myself. What was I expected to do, sir? Thank them?'

Philpott shook his head in dismay. 'The Secretary-General wants you thrown out, do you know that?'

'You have my resignation, sir.'

'Yes, I do. But that doesn't mean I'm going to accept it. I'm the Director of UNACO. You're my operatives and I have the final say on whether anyone is to be dismissed from this organization. And the Secretary-General knows that.' Philpott removed the letter from the folder and tossed it onto the desk. 'Get rid of it before it falls into the wrong hands.'

Graham got up and took it off the desk.

'That doesn't mean I condone your actions for one moment, Mike. I had to do a lot of hard talking to convince the Secretary-General that you were worth a second chance.'

'I appreciate it, sir.'

'I should hope so,' Philpott shot back. 'I realize this was a one-off situation. And now that Bernard and Bailey are dead, perhaps we can expect a little more co-operation from you in the future. Believe me, Mike, you screw up again and you will be out. That goes without saying. There's a black mark against your name right now and it's up to you to prove to UNACO, and the Secretary-General, that you're worthy of another chance.'

'I won't let you down, sir.'

'No, you won't, because I won't be here.'

'I don't understand, sir.' Graham said, frowning.

'My doctor nearly had a heart attack of his own when he found out I was back at work. He thought I was resting at home. He's told me that the next attack could be the big one. That's why I submitted my resignation to the Secretary-General last night. I'll be leaving as soon as I've handed over properly to Sergei. He'll be taking over as the new Director.'

'And who's taking his place?' Sabrina asked.

Philpott gestured towards Whitlock. 'I know all the Strike Force teams will give him their full support.'

Sabrina was the first to congratulate him, kissing him lightly on the cheek. Graham pumped his hand firmly.

'I know C.W. still has some reservations about the job, because, like you, Mike, he's not a great admirer of the desk man. But let's face it, C.W., you're not getting any younger, you know.'

'So Carmen keeps reminding me,' Whitlock said.

'How long have you known about this?' Sabrina asked Whitlock.

'A couple of months now. Look, I would have told you guys before but I was sworn to silence.'

'Has anyone been pencilled in to take C.W.'s place yet?' Graham asked.

Philpott nodded. 'We've been grooming his successor for the last six weeks. You worked with him on your last assignment when he was still with the Italian anti-terrorist squad, the NOCS.'

'Fabio Paluzzi?' Sabrina said.

'Yes. As you know he's been with Strike Force Nine since he joined us from the NOCS. But that was just to let him get the feel of the organization. He'll be taking over from C.W. in the next couple of weeks.'

'That's great,' Sabrina said with a grin then quickly patted Whitlock on the arm. 'Don't take that the wrong way, C.W.'

'I would if I didn't know you better.'

'I'll be briefing Fabio this afternoon, so if you do happen to see him before that, don't say anything.'

'Drinks at my apartment tonight,' Whitlock said. 'I'll invite Fabio after the Colonel's had a word with him. Mike, I hope you can make it but I'd fully understand if you wanted to be by yourself tonight.'

Til be there, buddy,' Graham said, wagging a finger at him. 'You just make sure the Perrier's cold.'

'It's already in the fridge,' Whitlock replied with a smile.

'C.W., Sabrina, I'd like a few words with Mike. I'll see you both at the flat tonight.'

Sabrina paused in front of Graham and put a hand lightly on his shoulder. 'If you want to talk, you know where to find me.' \

'I might take you up on that,' Graham replied. 'It just depends what time I get away from the safe house.'

'See you, Mike,' Whitlock said then followed Sabrina from the room.

Philpott activated the door behind them. 'I spoke to Sergei and C.W. after I'd seen the Secretary-General last night. They're both behind you one hundred per cent. Don't let them down.'

'Sergei? He's been on my back ever since I got back from Zimbala.'

'Quite right, too. You screwed up, Mike. Badly. But he also knows how valuable you are to the organiza-

tion. We all do, that's why you're still here. I doubt any other operative would have been given another chance if they'd flouted the rules as you've done. You've got the potential to be the best operative UNACO's ever had, but you've got to work on this maverick streak that seems to come out at the worst possible times. I know a lot of it has to do with what happened to your family. You always felt that someone at Delta had let slip your position to Bernard and Al-Makesh. Trust suddenly became a dirty word in your book. But now you know the truth. It had nothing to do with any of your men. Use that knowledge to channel your resources positively back into Strike Force Three from now on.

'I don't have to tell you how lucky you are to have Sabrina as a partner. There isn't a field operative here who wouldn't give his right arm to trade places with you. Not only that, she also thinks the world of you. That's a great compliment from a fellow professional. And now Fabio's coming in. He'll need to draw off both of you until he's found his feet. And that means supporting him. What use will you be to him if you're going to continue with these maverick tendencies? Now that C.W.'s coming onto the management side, you'll be the most experienced field operative not only in Strike Force Three but in the whole of UNACO. That's quite a responsibility, Mike. Added to which you'll be officially promoted to team leader when Fabio joins you. And a good leader always leads by example, doesn't he? You of all people should know that.'

'Yes, sir, I do.'

'There's a car waiting outside to take you over to the safe house.'

'Thank you, sir.'

Philpott activated the door then closed it again behind Graham. Sarah looked up from her typing as Graham approached her desk.

'Excuse me,' he said then leaned across the desk and dropped the letter into the shredding machine beside her. '"Things that are done, it is needless to speak about. Things that are past, it is needless to blame."'

She frowned.

'Confucius,' he added.

She watched him leave the office then, shrugging her shoulders, went back to her typing.