Somewhere Classified, Haifa, Israel, Monday

[lockestheway]

Peter wasn't sure how much of his life he'd spent on helicopters at this point. It had to be a lot; his spine no longer contorted itself into strange pretzel shapes while it was pressed against the uncomfortable seat inside. It had to be permanently pretzel shaped now, instead. The battle scars of a Hegemon, he thought, and snorted to himself

Comments

[lockestheway]

"You're welcome to take your first pick of a seat on our helicopter," Peter said, easily stepping aside. As soon as Alai had slipped past him, however, he immediately turned and motioned for Natalie to follow him back into the helicopter, ahead of Alai's men.

Alai's... bodyguard? Boyfriend? Made as if to protest, but Alai gestured for him to relax. Once inside, Alai exchanged nods with Suriyawong, then was seated.

Peter waited until the helicopter was back in the air before he spoke again, gesturing towards his own soldiers. "I assumed," said Peter, "that the lone hitchhiker our mutual friend told me about didn't need a large escort."

"Only enough to get me to where a certain thick rope is coiled like a snake."

Peter nodded. "I have friends currently trying to find his exact location."

Alai smiled. "I assume it's far from the front."

"If he's in Hyderabad," said Peter, "then he will be under extremely heavy guard. But if he's across the border in Pakistan, security will not be unusually heavy."

"Either way," said Alai, "I will not have your men exposed to danger."

"Or observed," said Peter. "It wouldn't do for too many people to know you were brought to real power with the help of the Hegemon."

"You do seem to be at hand whenever I make a play for power."

"This is the last time, if you win," said Peter.

"This is the last time either way," said Alai, then grinned. "Either the soldiers will follow me or they won't."

"They will," said Peter. "If they get the chance."

Alai indicated his small escort. "That's what my camera crew is here to ensure."

The bodyguardwhatever smiled and lifted his shirt enough to show that he was wearing a bulletproof vest and carrying grenades and clips and a machine pistol.

"Oh," said Peter. "I thought you had gained weight."

"We Battle School boys," said Alai, "we always have a plan."

Peter snorted and shot Natalie a sideways glance.

[whenshewasnice]

Natalie felt like this whole thing screamed 'male' in a way that was altogether off-putting.

But, she didn't think rolling her eyes would have been a good idea under the circumstances, so she returned Peter's glance with a dry look of her own.

[lockestheway]

It wasn't exactly Peter's favorite vibe in the world, either, and he was about as male as it got. Ah, well. He'd power through.

"You're not going to fight your way in, then."

"We're going to walk in as if we expected to be obeyed," said Alai. "With cameras rolling. It's a simple plan. But it doesn't have to work for very long. That thick rope, it always did love a camera."

"A vain and brutal man, my sources say," said Peter. "And not stupid."

"We'll see," said Alai.

"I think you're going to succeed," said Peter.

"So do I."

"And when you do," said Peter, "I think you're going to do something about the things Virlomi has been complaining about."

"It's because of those things that I could not wait for a more opportune time. I must wash Islam clean of this bloody stain."

"I believe that with you as Caliph, the Free People of Earth can coexist with a united Islam," said Peter.

"I believe so as well," said Alai. "Though I can never say so."

"But what I want," said Peter, "is insurance that I can use in case you don't survive. Either today or at some future point, I want to make sure I don't have to face a Caliph I can't coexist with."

Peter handed Alai a couple of sheets of paper. It was a script. As Alai began to read, Peter took a few steps back to be by Natalie's side again. "The sooner this is over, the better," he whispered, quietly.

[whenshewasnice]

"My thoughts exactly," Natalie replied under her breath. She was waching Alai, but she didn't particularly like what she saw. "Oh well."

There was always something comforting about a dry tone.

[lockestheway]

"And what if you are killed or otherwise forcibly removed from office?" asked Alai finally, looking up. "What happens to this vid then, assuming I say these things for the camera?"

"Try to encourage your followers not to think that killing me would be good for Islam," said Peter, "and my soldiers and doctors will guard against any other possible causes of my untimely death."

He offered what looked like it was intended to be an encouraging smile (it wasn't) that just happened to fail (it hadn't).

"In other words, I just have to risk it," said Alai, sighing.

"Come now," said Peter, "the only way this vid will be useful is if you aren't around to repudiate it. And if I'm dead, it will have no value to my unworthy successor."

Alai nodded. "True enough."

He stood up, opened his suitcase, and dressed in the flamboyant costume of a Caliph as the Muslim people expected to see him. Meanwhile, Peter's vidman set up his equipment - and the backdrop, so it wouldn't be obvious it was taped on a battlecraft, surrounded by soldiers.

Peter stuck his hands in his pockets, but he motioned towards Natalie with his head. He didn't have to be here for this, after all, and he preferred to be out of earshot for whatever merry quip Alai came up with next.

[whenshewasnice]

Natalie turned immediately in one fluid movement. She had no interest in lingering around for the filming. Of course not.

She had some private thoughts about the costume thing, but she wasn't about to share those right now.

[lockestheway]

"He thinks he's getting the better end of the deal," Peter observed. "I don't think he thinks he's going to be overthrown."

[whenshewasnice]

"Of course not," Natalie replied, a bit dryly once more. "Does anyone in this universe actually have a confidence level lower than that?"

[lockestheway]

Peter held up his hand. "I've been expecting an angry mob to storm into my room and hang me in front of my parents since I was fifteen," he said.

[whenshewasnice]

Natalie looked like this was not a convincing argument. "Your confidence is freakish in other ways. Still freakish."

[lockestheway]

Peter shrugged. "I have confidence in my intelligence and my abilities," he said. "And in yours, which seems to have worked out pretty well for me so far."

[whenshewasnice]

"You can't convince me you're not a freak."

But he was her favourite freak, so it wasn't that bad. Much better than Alai, for one.

[lockestheway]

Peter sighed. "You just don't understand my genius," he said. "It's okay. It'll come."

[whenshewasnice]

She made a show of rolling her eyes.

"Of course, Wiggin."

[lockestheway]

Peter wiggled his eyebrows.

"He is overestimating himself, though," he noted. "If he manages to thwart this would-be coup, maybe he'll last another year."

[whenshewasnice]

"He does seem like the type," Natalie agreed mildly. "A lot of show, in that one."