The Littlest Jackal

by Bruce Sterling

  "Police are coming from the mainland," Starlitz told her. "It's over. Time to split, girl. Let's get out of here."

  Aino ignored him. "I told you that Russians could never be trusted," she said to Raf. Her face was pale, but composed. "What did American mercenaries have to do with Finland? We could have done this easily, if you were not so ambitious."

  "A man has to dream," Raf said. "Everybody needs a big dream."

  Aino centered her rifle on Khoklov's chest. "Should I shoot you." she asked him, in halting Russian.

  "I'm not a cop," Khoklov offered hopefully.

  Aino thought about it. The rifle did not waver. "What will you do, if I don't shoot you?"

  "I have no idea what I'll do," Khoklov said, surprised. "What do you plan to do, Raf?"

  "Me?" said Raf. "Why, I could kill you with these hands alone." He held out his plump, dimpled hands in karate position.

  "Lot of good that'll do you against a chopper full of angry Finnish SWAT team," Starlitz said.

  Raf squared his shoulders. "I'd love to take a final armed stand on this territory! Battle those Finnish oppressors to the death! However, unfortunately, I have no arsenal."

  "Run away, Raf," Aino said.

  "What's that, my dear?" said Raf.

  "Run, Raffi. Run for your life. I'll stay here with your stupid hookers, and your drunken, naked, mercenary losers, and when the cops come, I'm going to shoot some of them."

  "That's not a smart survival move," Starlitz told her.

  "Why should I run like you? Should I let my revolution collapse at the first push from the authorities, without even a token resistance? This is my sacred cause!"

  "Look, you're one little girl," Starlitz said.

  "So what? They're going to catch all your stupid whores, the men and the women, in a drunken stupor. The cops will put them all in handcuffs, just like that. But not me. I'll be fighting I'll be shooting. Maybe they'll kill me. They're supposed to be good, these SWAT cops. Maybe they'll capture me alive. Then, I'll just have to live inside a little stone house. All by myself. For a long, long time. But I'm not afraid of that! I have my cause. I was right! I'm not afraid."

  "You know," said Khoklov brightly, "if we took that speed launch we could be on the Danish coast in three hours."

  Spray whipped their faces as the Alands faded in the distance.

  "I hope there aren't too many passport checks in Denmark," Khoklov said anxiously.

  "Passports aren't a problem," Raf said. "Not for me. Or for my friends."

  "Where are you going?" Khoklov asked.

  "Well," said Raf, "perhaps the Alands offshore bank scheme was a little before its time. I'm a visionary, you know. I was always twenty years ahead of my time--but nowadays maybe I'm only twenty minutes." Raf sighed. "Such a wonderful girl, Aino! She reminded me so much of ... well, there have been so many wonderful girls... . But I must sacrifice my habit of poetic dreaming! At this tragic juncture, we must regroup, we must be firmly realistic. Don't you agree, Khoklov? We should go to the one locale in Europe that guarantees a profit."

  "The former Yugoslavia?" Khoklov said eagerly. "They say you can make a free phone call anywhere in the world from Belgrade. Using a currency that doesn't even exist any more!"

  "Obvious potential there," said Raf. "Of course, it requires operators who can land on their feet. Men of action. Men on top of their profession."

  "Bosnia-Herzegovina," Khoklov breathed, turning his reddened face to yet another tirelessly rising sun. "The new frontier! What do you think, Starlitz?"

  "I think I'll just hang out a while," Starlitz said. He gripped his nose with thumb and forefinger. Suddenly, without another word, Starlitz tumbled backward from the boat into the dark Baltic water. In a few short moments he was lost from sight.

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  Document creation date: 02.06.2008

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