‘Right, sorry, Jack. Next time I’ll say “Step aside because I’m just about to shoot Smith’s weasel through the face.” ’ He holstered his side arm. ‘What about the others?’

‘Two in the hospital and eighteen in the disciplinary cell.’

‘How many of the rest are in this with us?’

‘Thirty-two.’

‘So that means we’ve got about a hundred and fifty who might be a problem?’

Jack shook his head. ‘A hundred and eleven, since our friend in Tech Central killed forty-eight.’

‘Do you two have reservations?’

‘None at all,’ said Jack.

The other man, whose name Saul now ascertained, from reading the bar code on his uniform, was called Mustafa, said, ‘I’ve been waiting for something like this to happen all my life.’

What was going on?

The one called Jack had mentioned ‘thirty-two’, and a check showed Saul that thirty-two soldiers were gathered in Barracks One, while the rest were ensconced in the four other barracks. The first thing noticeable about the soldiers was that most, like Langstrom himself, were black men. He started scanning bar codes on their uniforms, and quickly realized that all these soldiers had been transferred from an Inspectorate assault group located in South Africa, specially trained for ground assault and hostage extraction. Though this hinted that they were proper soldiers rather than secret police, it did not necessarily raise them in his estimation.

‘Alan Saul,’ enquired Langstrom, ‘are you listening?’

‘Always,’ he replied, through their public address system.

‘We’re with you, then. Just tell us what you want.’

‘You’ll excuse me if I reserve judgement on that.’ Saul paused for a second. ‘Though I perfectly understand your change of allegiance, I don’t see why any of your men should want to stick with you, especially since assault troops are on the way.’

‘Then you obviously haven’t spent most of your life shovelling Committee shit.’

‘Apparently not.’

‘Just tell us.’

‘Very well.’ Saul considered the situation, and decided he wasn’t going to let Langstrom or his men get anywhere near Tech Central. ‘Since I disarmed you and sent you away, I see that you have all rearmed yourselves. I want you, Mustafa and Jack, and the thirty-two other men formerly of SA22 Assault Group, to now disarm and confine those other hundred and eleven soldiers with you.’

The three men just stood staring at the source of his voice for a moment, till Jack was the first to snap out of it.

‘Just bring ’em through one at a time,’ he said, gazing fixedly at Langstrom.

Langstrom shook his head. ‘No need. They’ll follow orders now Smith’s spies are out of the way.’

‘Smith’s spies would be the eighteen held in the disciplinary cell?’ Saul suggested. ‘And our friend down at your feet.’