Free SALIM MUST DIE by Mukul Deva Page B

President.
    ‘Can it, both of you,’ the big man sliced in sharply. ‘We have enough to deal with, without you two getting your knickers in a twist.’ An uneasy silence fell upon the room, until he spoke again. ‘How much time do we have before the cocksuckers take over?’ No one answered since they could all count. There wasn't much time. Not for all that needed to be done . ‘We need to find a way to put an end to this… a way to ensure we go down in the history books as people who made a difference.’
    The discussion spun in circles and progressed deep into the night. It was sometime after midnight that things began to take shape. The conversation became quieter and more focused. Ironically, the rays of a new sun were beginning to lighten up the darkness when they finally took the three dark decisions that would change the lives of thousands of people in different parts of the world – the three last straws that were destined to finally break the camel's back.

The First Big Straw
    T HREE D AYS L ATER . B RUSSELS
    IT WAS A WELL-KNOWN FACT THAT THE MAN WHO MADE THE call was working for the American CIA. Even if he was not on the muster roll of that honourable organization, there was no denying that he had fronted for them on a number of deals where they did not wish to appear themselves.
    ‘We need the arms to be delivered to the Afghan army in the next three months.’ Like his appearance, his tone was accent-neutral and he had that peculiar easy-to-forget personality which was ideal for the line of work he was in.
    ‘What kind of quantities are we talking about here?’ the Russian representing Rosoboronexport, the Russian defence industry giant, asked. He had dealt with the American trouble-shooter before and they shared a decent working relationship, even if there was no trace of camaraderie evident.
    ‘To begin with, about 78 million rounds of AK-47 ammunition, 100,000 rocket-propelled grenades and 12,000 tank shells,’ the CIA man replied, his tone casual.
    ‘Wow!’ The Russian gave a low whistle as he absorbed the size of the order. The quantity was roughly equal to fifteen times the British army's annual requirements. ‘You guys planning to start a war out there?’
    ‘There is a war going on out there, in case you haven't noticed,’ the American retorted. Both men laughed. There was nothing even remotely pleasant about the laughter. ‘Can we have the quote ASAP?’
    ‘Of course you can,’ the Russian replied happily, visualizing the huge bonus he would make from this deal. ‘You are in a real hurry on this, aren't you?’
    The other man did not bother to respond. He didn't have to. It was no secret that the present US administration was in a hurry simply because they had no clue what the incoming Democratic regime would do about Afghanistan and Iraq once they took charge. It didn't seem likely that the Democrats would pull out, but they could reduce support levels for the locals.
    ‘Look!’ the American finally said. ‘You can imagine what you want to, but you need to make damn sure the deliveries begin in the next two to three weeks… if your quote is right, that is.’
    Right! Arsehole! Where else do you think you can buy the stuff? At the neighbourhood 7-11 ? The Russian didn't speak out loud of course. So what if he is an arsehole? His money is just as good . ‘Don't worry about it. The quote will be with you first thing tomorrow.’
    ‘Good!’ the American replied haughtily. He left the meeting satisfied that he had done his job well.
    A FORTNIGHT LATER, AN ADDITIONAL 29,000 US TROOPS WERE inducted into Iraq.
    On the face of it, the induction was justified by the worsening security situation in Iraq. But none of these troops was moved into any of the active theatres in Iraq. In fact, within days of their landing, the complete US contingent moved out to various locations and began induction and familiarization training. It was no coincidence that most of these training areas