Lia's files 2_Heading down south

by Kathrin Kilambya

  “Of course, they also wanted to know where exactly we were heading in Kenya. I told them that Josh, Rob and Paul were from some place south of Nairobi, but that I didn’t exactly know where this was. What with me never yet having been to Kenya. Whether she believed me or thought me evasive I don’t know.”

  Winter shot her a brief glance and replied. “Thanks Yuki, I think you told them well.”

  We agreed with her and Yuki seemed relieved. Though, why she should have been worried, beat me. We were all very happy that she could communicate with the others so well. Without her, we would have had serious problems.

  She seemed tired now, utterly exhausted was more like it. After all, she had been talking and translating all afternoon. Nin had noticed too. He gestured for her to sit down next to him and said. “I think, you should rest a bit, Yuki. It’s all been too much for you. Why, Tsegaye is here, and he can translate for us. You look so tired.”

  Yuki smiled at him tenderly and settled herself in such a way that she could rest her head on Nin’s lap. She closed her eyes and heaved a sigh. “Thanks, Nin, that’s better. I really needed that. Could you ask them for a glass of water for me?”

  I hastened to comply with this and Tigist, who had observed Yuki with concern, immediately understood what was needed and brought her a glass of water herself.

  After having drunk some water and with a blanket wrapped around her, Yuki nestled close to Nin and soon dozed off.

  Safe for the fire, it was now utterly dark in the cave.

  Rob inquired of Tsegaye whether it wasn’t dangerous to leave the fire burning at night. Couldn’t it be spotted from outside?

  No, Tsegaye assured us that it was completely safe.

  Tigist had moved over to her ladies and they were now bringing some platters with food and jugs with water. I really didn’t feel like eating, and just took a glass of water, but Rob, Nin and Winter ate a little bit something. Alice came back to us and nibbled some food, too. She looked just as tired as Yuki and I decided that we would soon call it a day.

  First, etiquette dictated that we listen to what was being discussed. Alice climbed onto my lap and nestled close. Soon she, too, fell asleep. Rob, Winter, Tsegaye and Idris did most of the talking. Mostly about how to proceed tomorrow. They decided that they would send a little expedition to a nearby village to get some more cars. Meanwhile, we would all pack up. Idris said that we were only about forty kilometres from Metema and could easily cover quite a distance toward Addis Ababa once we’d have more cars.

  “So, we will travel in one big convoy?” Winter asked at some point. “Isn’t this too risky?”

  Tsegaye translated her question and I could see that some of the ladies obviously thought the same. But Idris and also Nin and Rob were adamant that to travel in a big convoy would only help.

  “Safety in numbers. That’s what it adds up to.” Rob said.

  “Yes, and what with all our weapons, we should be a formidable force. Unless we happen on a platoon of Nemesis, we will be able to defend ourselves.” Nin added.

  It seemed to me that this was all conjecture and wishful thinking. But I refrained from commenting. I was too tired by now and anyway, tomorrow would be another day. Josh, Paul and the other men would certainly have a say in this, too.

  Finally, my watch was showing that it was eight-thirty, everyone seemed ready to call it a day. The fire was covered and we settled in the compartments we had been allotted. Everybody else disappeared to their rooms after wishing us all a good night and restful sleep.

  Alice never woke up when I carried her over to our makeshift bed. I covered her with a blanket and lay down beside her. The others settled down near us. I couldn’t sleep for some time, despite feeling so tired. I lay on my back, an arm around Alice who was nestling close, the other hand clutching Josh’s medallion and looking up at the ceiling of the cave. After some minutes my eyes got used to the darkness and I could discern things. Like the shape of the ceiling and the extent of the cave. After a while, I could even see the chimneys that opened up into the sky.

  I listened hard, but I couldn’t hear anything from outside. Just the gentle breathing and occasional snoring of all the people here in the cave.

  I tried to figure out which direction Josh and Paul might be, but I wasn’t sure.

  My thoughts also kept returning to what had been said this evening. The willingness with which Nin and Rob had talked about fighting the Nemesis if need be. I didn’t want anyone of us to go and fight Nemesis people here. Yes, we would have to fight them. Of course. Eventually. First, however, I wanted us to get to Kenya and join forces with Uncle Phil, Mum, Nate and the others. Then we could start thinking about fighting the Nemesis. Not now, not here. We knew nothing about how things were here. We had just Abdella’s and Degu’s words that there were two Nemesis bases around here and that they were connected in some way. Also, we didn’t know the terrain. We were too vulnerable by far to contemplate a fight. Surely, the others must also see this. We would get enough chances for recklessness or dare-devilry once we reached Kenya.

  Chapter 5 – a gift of a kind

  22nd May 2072

  It must have been then that sleep got me.

  For, the next thing I knew was a commotion by the entrance to the cave that woke me up.

  It was still dark and I couldn’t at first make out what was happening or even where I was. Torches were wielded and I heard angry voices. Then I could clearly discern the voices of Josh and Idris; Paul’s, too. The others had also woken up by now and we all quickly got up and made for the central fireplace, where everyone else had assembled. Josh and Paul had sat down, but when he saw me, Josh tried to get up. He looked shaken and even in the light of the torch I could see that he was bleeding from a wound on his temple. I rushed over to him and knelt down. “What happened? Josh! Are you okay? Why are you hurt?”

  “It’s nothing, Lia. Don’t make a fuss.” Josh clearly didn’t like my concern, or the attention he got because of it. He embraced me quickly, but seemed distracted.

  It took me a moment to realize that both he and Paul looked embarrassed, just as did Goytom and Mekonnen who had followed them. Idris was talking in an angry voice to his two men and they looked decidedly uneasy; only Mekonnen eventually talked back to Idris.

  “And just what happened to you?” Rob demanded to know. “It’s two o’clock at night and we are all anxious to hear what this is all about? Nemesis? Or what?”

  “Nothing of the sort.” Josh answered with a sheepish smile. “It’s just plain embarrassing what happened. That’s what. We were out-manoeuvred like nothing, and then, to complete the humiliation, hit on our heads and left unconscious while Abdella and Serag made away with the car and the Pathogen.”

  “What!” I exclaimed incredulously. “Were you hurt badly? Do you need a bandage or something? Have you disinfected the wound?”

  I stepped back to examine his face and head, but he merely laughed and said. “Nothing to worry. Really, Lia. We will have a bit of a sore head for a while, but there was no real harm done. Our pride was hurt far more than our head. Really! Stop fussing!”

  I looked at him sternly and he smiled at me in return. He seemed okay and I refrained from further commenting; I felt a bit hurt, but I also knew how it would annoy me to be fussed over. So, after one last look at his head, I relented and smiled knowingly, briefly touching his cheek. He caught my hand and pressed a kiss onto my palm, whispering ‘thank you’.

  As if!

  Paul looked even more out of sorts than Josh. In fact, he was fuming. It was almost funny. All around us, everyone had gathered. Mahlet hovered as close to Paul as she dared. He certainly noticed it and it was cute to see that he liked it, despite feeling embarrassed at what had happened.

  Mahlet’s sister Ifrah, however, looked very distressed, tears streaming down her face. Senayit and Melat led her away and bade her sit down a bit aside of the main fireplace. They wrapped a shawl around her shoulders and Melat sat down next
to her and gently took her into her arms as she burst into sobs. Mahlet looked torn between going over to her sister and remaining near Paul. In the end, duty to her sister prevailed and she withdrew. But the parting look she shot Paul was intense, to say the least.

  “It seems that Ifrah had a marked preference for one of the absconded men, was it Serag or Abdella?” Winter matter-of-factly mused.

  Yuki fairly gasped, both at Winter’s detached way of putting it as at the actual meaning of her statement. She looked over at Ifrah and then on to where Idris stood with Tigist, talking earnestly to her. Then they joined us and Paul began their story. This time he let Tsegaye translate.

  “After we had parted from you all, we settled down a bit aside of the cars on a rocky platform from which we had a good view of the road in either direction. We distributed the binoculars, dusted the lenses to prevent them from blinking in the sunlight and began our watch. Not that I expected much in the way of approaching Nemesis units or so. But we obliged Belachew and Goytom who seemed to think it absolutely necessary that we carefully watch the road. We made sure that we were well covered and not visible from any side. While we were sitting there, looking out for whoever might come, we talked. Thanks to Goytom knowing English, we could communicate with him and Belachew; and we got to know quite some things from them. It was interesting to say the least.

  Goytom was very anxious to tell us about the way into Ethiopia and through it toward Kenya. He seemed genuinely concerned that we should know as much as possible about what to expect, where to pass and where not. He warned us not to enter Addis Ababa, on no account, but to steer clear off it. Apparently, he had heard rumours that another Nemesis base was being established there. However, he didn’t know anything for certain and was a bit evasive when questioned as to how he knew this in the first place. We were happy to learn more, anything, about our future route through this unknown country. After all, the more we know about how to proceed the better. Maps alone won’t serve the purpose, grateful as we may be for them, Lia.” he grinned at me affectionately and continued.

  “Anyway, both Belachew and Goytom wanted to know more about where we had left the plane and what was still inside it. We didn’t think it would do any harm to let them know. So, we talked freely about where we had left the plane. That there was enough fuel still in its tanks to cover over a thousand kilometres. But that we had deemed it wiser to touch down way before Kenya as we were keen on avoiding any hints about our ultimate destination. And all such things.

  In turn, we asked Belachew what he thought about how close to that Nemesis outpost with the light we had landed. However, he was unable to venture more than a guess. Both men were adamant, however, that there was no danger that this Nemesis base might have gotten wind of our arrival. Otherwise, they concluded, there would have been a Nemesis patrol heading this way long ago. When we reminded them of the plane that had flown past this afternoon, they both dismissed the idea that it had anything to do with our plane. They insisted that it had flown exactly the same route as all the other planes had done before and that nothing indicated that there was anything special about today’s plane. No, they concluded, we didn’t have to fear an imminent attack by the Nemesis.

  “When darkness fell, we ate a little bread and drank some water, all the while continuing our watch. It was around ten o’clock when Abdella and Serag suddenly appeared. They both looked excited and talked animatedly to Belachew and Goytom, after which they informed us that Belachew and Goytom had been called back to Idris to discuss something, which couldn’t wait until tomorrow. Abdella and Serag would take their place for the time being. First, they would accompany them back to Idris for a quick discussion of things. Belachew and Goytom looked confused and were reluctant to leave, but after much talking by Serag and Abdella they finally left. About ten minutes later, Abdella and Serag were back with us and settled down next to us.

  “Abdella and Serag soon started to talk and I was apparent that they had some kind of a dispute. About the issue at hand, we were left in the dark. When Josh inquired what their discussion was all about, Serag got very evasive. Their entire discussion didn’t take longer than maybe five minutes. Then Abdella got up and headed to the cars. Serag asked us to come along as Abdella wanted us to explain something. Abdella had disappeared around the first car. We walked over toward him; one after the other; I in front, then Josh, and Serag bringing up the rear.”

  Paul stopped his recital for a moment and looked at us with a mixture of rage and embarrassment. It really was almost funny to see. He shook his head and continued. “I don’t know how Abdella managed to contrive it, but just as I rounded the car, he assaulted me from the side. It happened so fast and unexpectedly that I was taken completely by surprise and couldn’t do more than expostulate something like ‘What the hell…’ before he hit me on my head with something and everything went black. He had knocked me out with one clean hit. Serag did the same with Josh. It didn’t take them more than a moment to knock us out. I feel ashamed to say so.” Paul looked utterly annoyed and motioned for Josh to take over.

  I must have betrayed my outrage at this treacherous behaviour, despite trying very hard not to interrupt their report, for Josh hugged me close for a moment, grinning reassuringly down at me before continuing their story.

  “Paul’s right. We went down like a bunch of incompetent nitwits. I, too, couldn’t do a thing to avoid the blow Serag dealt me. I feel utterly ashamed that we were so easily outmanoeuvred. Anyway, when we woke up, we were in the car and it was moving. Down the hill as far as I could make out. Just our hands were bound, but it was enough to render us innocuous. Very humiliating indeed! I saw that Paul was awake, too, and seething.

  “Abdella was driving, actually at a rather reckless speed, and Serag was talking soothingly to Paul. He tried to make him, us, when he saw that I was conscious, understand that they had had no choice. Him and Abdella that is. It took me a moment to understand what he was saying and then I got really angry. Serag told us that they meant to get to the plane, seize it and fly toward Khartoum to destroy the Nemesis basis there. With the Pathogen we had so unwisely brought with us! It was preposterous! But they were obviously hell-bent on this course. Serag talked with a feverish, almost religious zeal and his eyes shone unhealthily. It quite freaked me out, honestly.”

  Josh mused and looked over to Paul for a moment, as if to see what he thought.

  Paul nodded and curled his lips, as if in disgust. Josh went on.

  “Paul and I both tried to reason with them; but to no avail. Serag apologized several times for the underhanded manner in which they had treated us. But then he said something about it being their God-given duty to act; to revenge their families and loved ones. After that we understood that it was no use arguing with them.

  “I tried just once more; asking Serag why he had joined Abdella on this suicidal mission. What was to become of his little daughter Nulu, after all? But Serag wouldn’t hear anything. In fact, he expostulated that I should stop taunting him, that he was determined to fulfil this mission. That he would not fail in this honourable task. It was hopeless. It was as if he’d been brain-washed or something. And so, I just sat back and waited what would happen next.

  “When I had a look about in the car, I saw to my immense relief that they had left all our luggage behind and had only taken the box with the Pathogen as well as two guns along with them. Paul then rather caustically asked them how they were thinking to fly that plane. Or, did they expect us to join them in their hare-brained expedition? Serag assured us that they wouldn’t need our assistance as he had once had the chance to learn a bit about flying planes. That he was utterly confident that he’d be able to handle that plane as well. This naïve utterance effectively rendered us speechless for a moment. It was so absolutely and outrageously crazy that we both fairly gasped. I was about to argue the point, but Paul motioned for me to remain silent. When I looked at him inquiringly he just shook his head.

  “It was then
that Abdella slowed the car down and brought it to a stop in the middle of the road. Without turning the engine off, he directed an order at Serag. Then he briefly looked at us, but couldn’t hold our gaze. He said ‘Sorry!’ But I doubt that he really meant it. Then he got out of the car and opened the passenger door from outside motioning for us to get out and stand away from the car. Serag remained seated but informed us that they would now leave us here and that it was just about an hour’s walk up to where the other car stood. Also, they would drop a knife about thirty metres away; so that we might cut our bonds and be easier. He, too, apologized for the treatment we had received at their hands. After a little pause, he added a request to say sorry to Idris and to tell him that there hadn’t been any other way.

  “We hopped out of the car without saying a word. Abdella closed the door behind us and told us to stand several metres back, before he closed the door and got back into the car. He didn’t even said good-bye or something. He simply got back into the car and they drove off. After about twenty metres, the car slowed down, probably because they threw the knife out of the window, and then quickly accelerated and disappeared.

  “We stood there for a moment in stunned and angry silence. Then we looked at each other and used some language, which is unfit to be repeated here. We’d been dealt with as if we were little children! It rankled like hell. However, the comical side of it all was not entirely lost on us and in the end we burst out laughing. How good that felt! After this entire, rather surreal abduction, it was a relief to laugh. Still grinning we decided to try to find that knife. As it was dark, we couldn’t see a thing, but it took us only about five minutes to find it. So, at least in this we were lucky. We cut our bonds and started back up the road.”