Page 8 of Obsession of the Egoist
“Huh? I didn’t notice. You look usual to me,” Yugo said, and Greg, who stood by the door with his hands in his pockets, snorted.
“Fuck off,” Tobias snarled, but his shoulders relaxed as he wriggled himself into a comfortable position. Cracking his neck, he shut his eyes and let out a prolonged moan of relaxation.
“So?” Yugo urged, and Tobias cautious eyes popped open.
“Something big is going on. We aren’t talking about guns only. We’re talking about a complete military regime: C-4, tanks, helicopters. I was promised, if we manage to fulfill all of the Al-Amin’s needs, they won’t enlist anyone else. That’s billions.”
“Can’t remember you ever asking for my permission to make such a deal. What are you afraid of? Can we cover what was asked?”
“We can.” The air shifted as Tobias spoke in a careful, well-considered tone.
“Spill it, will ya? Do I have to torture you to get to the point, or what?”
Tobias grinned, showing Yugo his rounded, crooked teeth. He plucked a crumpled paper out of his pocket, spread it over his knee, and smoothed wrinkles with his palms before tossing it onto the desk. “Check this out.”
Yugo leaned back. His lips curled as he gave the paper a long stare before he pushed through his repulsion and picked it up.
“What is it?” Skimming through a long list of armor and weapon models, Yugo scowled, glanced up. “You wrote their order on a piece of paper?”
Tobias shrugged, scratched his neck, then yawned.
Written in small, rounded handwriting, the list contained everything to equip a decent army. “Cyanogen chloride, Tabun, Chlorine… Why the fuck do they need chemical weapons? Five tons of C-4 and trotyl? This doesn’t look like a coup d'état. This looks like…”
“Terrorism?” Tobias asked, yawning again.
“Is this the reason you didn’t close the deal?” Putting the list aside, Yugo linked his eyes with Tobias’ ever-tiny pupils.
“No.” The unshaven chin went to Tobias’ chest, as the corners of his mouth curled up in a wicked smile. “Full Sharia law? Stoning for adultery? I kinda fancy their girls. They are… shy.”
A creepy smile transferred to the colorless eyes, and Yugo shook his head, unable to tell if Tobias was serious.
“Implementing Sharia law is a political move to gain powerful allies.How many countries promised Ahmad Amin diplomatic recognition if he succeeded?”
“Four for now.”
“More to come?”
“Probably.”
“Which ones?”
“I don’t know.”
“Then find out.”
Greg’s head bobbed, as his attention jumped from Yugo to Tobias. He approached the desk and picked up the crumpled sheet. His eyes strained as he read through the list.
“Does Ahmad Amin intend to fight two wars at the same time?” Yugo rubbed his forehead. “What about the ILO?”
“A funny thing…” Tobias’ head snapped to the side as he brought his hand to his face and tapped his unshaven cheek with his index finger. “Their presence in Afghanistan has diminished. My informant said that after Ahmad Amin claimed his rights, at least five ILO’s bases were mothballed without any explanation.”
“Why would they do that?” Yugo muttered, squinting up at Greg. The bulky man shrugged without looking up. “The civil war will weaken the Al-Amin. Why leave at such a time?”
“Why not?” Tobias’ smile widened as he leaned forward and put his elbows on the dark-wood desk. “When two people quarrel, the third rejoices.”
“Huh? Why waste people and bullets when there are United Nations soldiers to do that for them? Most likely they will gain more with occasional, unpredictable subversive acts than with an open war, but that will bring them no fame. That doesn’t look like the ILO’s MO.” Yugo finished.
“Everything changes,” Tobias murmured, “if profit is involved.”
