Tanzania

"Rubber bullets. They defeated your guards with rubber bullets and a few, specially made, concussion mortars," Equinox said and he dumped a handful onto the table. Several continued to roll and clattered to the floor.

Bakari frowned as he picked a bullet up and examined it. "That didn’t stop you from turning one of my teams into human jelly."

"I’m sorry," Leopard said. "I didn’t mean to be so accurate with that first shot. A direct hit with a concussion round can be fatal."

"I noticed," Bakari sneered. He glanced at Koschei, who leaned against the wall with her spear propped next to her. She toyed absently with her LDA while starting at Bakari with a mixture of disdain and anger.

"Be sensible, man. I’m offering you the deal of a lifetime, here."

"What about her?"

"I realize you have a history together, but Koschei has informed me that she is willing to let bygones be bygones – right, Koschei?"

She grimaced and put on an obviously false smile. "I am willing to work with you. I don’t have to like you and I don’t have to like the situation, but I can overlook your past misdeeds in this instance."

"And what about the rest of the Conspiracy? How will the Alliance react to your betrayal?"

Equinox shrugged casually. "The Conspiracy is falling apart; you recognize this or you wouldn’t have moved when you did. What was once a unified association dedicated to world peace is now a loose conglomeration of varied agendas. The Commonwealth has made no secret of its interests towards the African continent, and we are willing to allow you free reign in order to weaken and embarrass one of its rivals."

Koschei and Leopard glanced at Equinox quizzically, puzzled over the sudden language switch. Bakari looked to the two agents, searching for signs of understanding, found none, then turned back to Equinox. "What happens when we have crushed the Alliance? Suddenly, you will have a rival for Africa’s resources and the rest of your Conspiracy will come after us."

"Leave the Conspiracy to us. Between the war against the Shop and our interference in the overarching policies, you will get but the occasional skirmish from the Alliance’s bit players." Equinox leaned forward. "I won’t lie to you, sir. The Commonwealth will expect compensation, but we are more than willing to share the continent or even leave it in the hands of a capable administrator – as long as you can promise to remain out of Europe’s affairs."

"Compensation? Compensation!? Why you mongrel, half-breed, inconsiderate…!" Bakari sputtered. Although his men were subdued and covered, they instinctively rose, determined to come to Bakari’s defense.

"Now, now. There’s no need for name calling. Look at your position: we could crush you if we wanted to, and you’ve seen the resources the Commonwealth has at its command." Equinox said, glancing at Leopard. "We’re offering you a permanent technological edge and the possibility of gaining legitimacy in the eyes of the shadow community. All we ask in return is a little loyalty to the ones who will elevate you to that status."

"Why do you need my troops? Why can’t you use your own?" Bakari asked, returning to English. "You and Leopard have already proven your superiority and prowess."

"Because this is an unsanctioned operation, quite honestly, because of your hate for psions and mystics, which I appreciate, and because your troops are some of the best in the world."

Bakari swelled with pride. "They are, aren’t they?"

"They are, and they can be even better," Equinox said and he glanced at Leopard.

"So let me get this straight: you want me to loan you some of my shocktroopers for an assault on the Parisian Institute in Paris, France in order to retrieve backup tapes for their mainframe computers. You will supply me with funding for ammunition and weapons as well as guarantee safe passage into and out of the area." He paused, pointing to Koschei and Leopard. "You will supply these two agents to serve as leaders for this assault. In return, you will allow me to send in several technicians who will have unlimited access to the Institute’s computers and copies of everything you pull from those tapes."

"Precisely. I don’t need your troops, Bakari, but it would make my life much easier if I had them. You scratch my back and I’ll scratch yours."

"I want more. I want Leopards service."

"I can’t do that. She is an agent in good standing with the Company."

"I don’t care. She is too skilled an agent to pass up, and that skill is not all due to training."

"I will consent to giving you tissue and blood samples for you to study, but she is not a freelancer to be bandied about or traded away. I will make sure she consents, but only after the job is done."

Bakari thought about it. "They wear my colors."

"No problem. That’s why I brought Koschei back to you. She’ll have no problems with that." Equinox thrust out a hand. "Do we have a deal?"

"We have a deal, Mr. Knox, although I suspect I’ve made a deal with the devil himself."

"We’re all devils in this business. I’ll be in touch." Equinox rose to his feet, assisted by his cane. "Ladies? Let us be off."

The car was quiet as Koschei drove back to their drop-off point. Equinox was taking notes on his PDA when Leopard finally spoke up. "You don’t really believe I’m going to submit to allowing them to have tissue and blood samples, do you?"

"You didn’t really think I was going to give them to him, did you?"

"So what are you going to do?" Koschei asked.

"I’m going to have a croissant when we get to France, and we’ll take care of future matters in the future." He put the PDA away and leaned the seat back. "Wake me when we get to our destination."

Koschei and Leopard exchanged glances in the mirror, then Leopard leaned back and stared out the window, lost in thought.