Sirens, page 11
a vengeful dog. how the Ukrainians loved me! "Hey, Jew," they'd call to
@,;@'C'mere, Jewboy. We gotta present for you." Fist in the ch, knees in
the groin, leather straps across the face. is your reward for killing
Christ, you piece of shit! ey beat me with a kind of cold, methodical
fury, as if had picked up from their parents the knowledge of un-
bestiality those Europeans had suffered at the hands Germans. It was
nightmarish, as if the Nazis had, even t, managed to resurrect
themselves through the children ir victims, cheating death to become
immortal.' lay there with her arms aroundhim, feeling something mside
him. He was silent for so long, she thought the finished. ere was one,"
he said so abruptly he startled her, ' always in the forefront, a large,
tousle-haired kid with blue eyes. He always wore his shirt open, even in
the of winter, so you could see the silver crucifix around his I used to
think it was there to remind him of what he nyway, it was his voice I
heard first during those enters; his fist, his knee, his laugh ... his
spittle on my face. h, I put up a fight. But they were bigger than I was
and 96 97 there were always too many of them. My mother cried to see me
bleeding but she said nothing to my father. The one tinle he noticed my
broken nose, he took my hands in his, turned them into painful fists,
said to me, "Haven't you learned yet to defend yourself? You've got
fists, use them"
"or a time after that, I dared not go out of the house. I was convinced
they were waiting for me. I knew "they" were not important. It was the
big boy with the blue eyes who invaded my dreams just as he punished me
for my imagined sins. ' one day, I did go out. It was Saturday, during
the summer, and I thought perhaps they'd be at Brighton Beach. I walked
for blocks without seeing anyone I knew; it was as if I were a stranger
in my own neighbourhood and, feeling this, I allowed my resentment to
surface. I looked down at my hands, flexed them. My father had been at
least partially right. I had to use something ... something I'd find
inside myself to defend myself. I knew it would never be my fists but
they weren't all I had.
"At that moment, I looked up and saw the white Cad y., The white Caddy
was a car that used to show up around the neighbourhood once or twice a
week. I knew what it sold - well, generally. Dope was only something I
had heard talked about. The white Caddy turned the comer into East First
Street. I stopped by the lightpost at the comer, watched it down the
block. It stopped about a third of the way down and I saw a figure
emerge from the shadows of a tenement doorway. It was the boy with the
blue eyes. He gave the man in the white Caddy some bills and got in
return a couple of small glassine envelopes. ' the next week, I charted
the white Caddy's movements down East First Street. Invariably, it
stopped outside the same tenement but I never saw the boy with the blue
eyes come out again. Several times, one of the other Uke kids took
delivery. But just as often, I saw them use any one of the younger boys
who hung around the stoops. They never used the same one twice. '
following Saturday it was raining. No beach that day. I slipped out of
the house, up Avenue C to East First Street. On the way, I had to duck
into old man Wcyczk's fruit store 98 @,the Ukes. They were beading
downtown, on their Loew's Delancey movie theatre. The boy with the was
not with them and I knew why. down East First Street, parking myself
high up on just west of his. In ten minutes I was drenched and ten I
began to shiver despite the heat but at last ' hissing that was like no
other and knew that the dy had turned the comer and was coming. ped just
past where I was sitting. For a moment, 1appened. Then the nearside
window hissed down rd a voice. "Hey, kid. Hey." I looked up. A hand
"C'mere a minute." I got up and went to stand e open window. "Here's a
coupla bucks. Take this up to 6F in that building." A blunt finger
pointed e-eyed boy's apartment. , on the stairs, I carefully unwrapped
the package. were three glassine envelopes. I repacked them, went
stinking stairway to the top floor. I could hear a radio blotting out
the sound of the rain on the roof. I put ge away and knocked on the
door. didn't recognize me right away. Why should he? I was t person he
expected to see. But I waited patiently until know. "I see you haven't
learned your lesson yet, y," he said. "I'll have to fix that." He lunged
at me danced away. "You don't want to do that," I said ably. "I've got
your dope." course he was too stupid to recognize the truth when rd it
and it wasn't until I spilled the contents of the envelope into the sink
and run the water over it that he ved me. "Don't," he said, "do anything
with the rest. I it2) But the Jewboy has it," I said, taking out the
second ope. I had never seen someone beg before ... I mean y get down on
his knees and beg. I saw the tracks in his He disgusted me. I poured the
contents of the envelope the drain. "Now there's only one." I said.
He looked up e and all the beautiful blue had disappeared; his eyes d as
brown as mud. "Here," I said, dangling the third envelope above his
head, 99 "is the Jewboy's gift to you." I let it drop into his
trembling palm, watched the agony come into those half-dead eyes as I
said, "I don't know very much about this. What would happen to you,
d'you think, if you shot the stuff I put in there?" Then I turned and
walked out of there. But his face was fixed in Iny mind for ever."
Gradually, in the ensuing silence, Daina felt all the tension flowing
out of him as if they were floating above a subterranean river. She felt
his breathing slow, knew he was close to sleep, ' ...' she said softly.
' happened to the boy? Did you cut the heroin?' For a long time he did
not answer. He turned on his side, holding her as she held him. '
doesn't matter.' ' can you say that?' He kissed her, so tenderly she
felt herself close to tears. ''s not the point of the story,' he
whispered so softly it might have been the night wind. ' go to sleep,
myv darling.' ',' Marion said to her. ' is why one gravitates to
Hollywood. There is more power concentrated here than in any other city
in the world. Oh, except Washington.' He gave a mordant laugh. ' don't
they wish they had our money!' They were walking along the periphery of
the set, passing in and out of the frame of the three enormous
Panavision cameras rearing like saurians out of a primeval swamp. ' to
Hollywood is the ultimate test of myself as a human being.' Marion
carried with him that rather formal English hauteur, a certain
distancing from the mere common citizen of the world not fortunate
enough to be a member of the Empire. It was nevertheless endearing
because it was part of his peculiar provincialism, a throw-back to the
ideals of the nineteenth century. You never thought he had anything but
your own best interests in mind. ' could have stayed in th theatre for
the rest of my life. After all, when I was a lad that was all I dreamt
of - being part of the West End and, of course, Broadway. But one is
changed by success, it's quite true. Well, take yourself. Since Regina
Red, you have been "turned on" so to speak. The public has been made
aware of you in the 100 te terms, d'you see what I mean? Your life must
because of that. case, the successes I had in the theatre made me long
... grander ... things. I made my decision to come rt of power, first,
to see if I could survive and, second, ether I could conquer it.' He
took her hand. ' one ite quickly that merely to survive here is a
victory ' an unimportant one. Many of the great ones have not know why?'
--place was beginning to fill up with the cast and crew pulled her away,
into a last pocket of shadowed grey He looked her full in the face. ''s
because, in the ing one is so intent,' - his hands made small orbits
them, punctuating his words -'so totally wrapped up gathering of power.
And one comes to believe that is d of it, that one has accomplished
everything.' He was ering now but his words carried more weight than if
he shouting. ''s not true, Daina. The really formidable 9 learning to
use one's power intelligently once one has it." ked sad. ''s not power
itself that corrupts but ignorin the application of that power.' ind
them, the buzzing had reached its peak and movewas everywhere as people
eddied about, taking their ' dear, I believe it's already far too late
for our - she knew he meant George - 'but for you it certainly
Controlling him is unequivocally my job so I want you that if you ever
find yourself in the crossfire again and aside and come to me. I don't
want you involved in s. You're far too brilliant an actress to allow our
friend's, aberrations to disturb you. e wants this role and I believe
he's right for it. But it's It for him. Heather Duell is obviously
written for a n - for you - and from time to time his resentment boils
.'He laughed and now it was a rich, jolly sound. ' may swine for all
seasons but the two of you have a chemistry creen that's absolute magic.
You see, clever chap that I I showed him the rushes of yesterday's
scene. Now he be many things but he's no fool, our friend. And he was
enough to admit that I know what I'm doing.' Marion 101 laughed again,
turned as a figure approached. '!' he cried.
"Come reacquaint yourself with the leading lady!' ',' El-Kalaarn said
into the telephone. ''s quite correct, r President. I've just been on
the line with the prime M e minister of Israel. He has spoken to his
daughter and is quite convinced she is alive and well. For the moment.'
He glanced over to where Bayard Thomas stood. ' secretary of state was
quite a bonus." Thomas' normally ruddy face was as white as the hair on
his head. His piercing blue eyes, too, seemed to have gone pale. His
gaze dropped. He stared down at his wrists. He seemed to be shaking.
Across the room James sat half propped up against the bookcase. He
appeared to be breathing easier but there was still a lot of blood.'Both
Heather and Rachel were watching him. ' was that, Mr. President? I
didn't quite catch what you said. This transatlantic line ... No, that
doesn't matter.' He kept staring at Thomas, willing him to meet his
gaze. The American secretary continued to stare at his shaking hands.
El-Kalaam.
grinned suddenly. ' secretary just wet his trousers, Mr. President." He
clucked his tongue against the roof of his mouth. ' sharneful'act." His
face sobered. He checked his chronometer. ' is now twenty-four minutes
past ten Am. At six Pm this evening I will expect a call from you
informing me that our thirteen brothers have been released from their
imprisonment in Jerusalem. By eight o'clock tomorrow morning, you will
have met our other demands. You know what they are. There will be no
further negotiation. ', at the end of that time, we have not heard over
local public radio, thirteen hundred megahertz, of your total
acquiescence, the daughter of the prime minister of Israel, your
secretary of state and everyone else here will be summarily executed."
He replaced the receiver with great care. ' is outrageous,' Ren6 Louch
said. ' demand that I and my attach6 be released immediately.
France has no quarrel with the aims of the PLO. On the contrary -' '
your mouth,' Malaguez said coldly. El-Kalaarn turned d. ' must take
better care of him,' he said with a amusement in his voice. ' think he's
getting too old . oflice.' I-Kalaam!' Louch called. ' to mev has not yet
learned,' El-Kalaarn said without inflection. was staring at Susan now
but it was obvious he was ing to Fessi. e rodent-eyed man seemed not to
move at all but the butt of his heavy AKM smashed into Louch's midon.
The French ambassador went down as if he were axed. His torso flew
forward and his knees collapsed under him. His arms went inward, his
fingers scrabbling his stomach. A peculiar high wheezing came from his
open th and tears rolled down his cheeks. Then Fessi tapped on the back
of the neck with the edge of his hand and ch passed out. -Kalaarn
wrinkled his nose and clucked his tongue as he done when he was on the
phone. He bent from the waist, red the muzzle of his MP40 until the
metal bit into the man's chin. I-Kalaam lifted upward until Louch opened
his eyes and staring him in the face. The Frenchman's skin was sallow
sweat-sheened, his eyes red-rimmed. on't ever," El-Kalaarn said with
great kindness in his e, ' to me unless you are told to do so first.' He
ed his lips. ' must come as a great shock to you, I know. there are no
allies here. You are the enemy just like all em' - his arm swung out
and-he indicated the other ges - ' the enemy. You are one and the same.'
He ed at the muzzle of his machine pistol as he stared down e other man.
The face bobbed. ''t that so?" he French ambassador stared at him, mute
and bleary- . El-Kalaarn fetched him a close-handed blow to the side the
head. He bent, pulled the other man's face off the floor. it is so, Mr.
Ambassador.' He said the appellation with ggerated diction. The scorn
was manifest. Louch's tongue came out, wiped at his dry lips. ''s .
voice faded out and he cleared his throat, began again. is so. We ... we
are the enemy.' 102 103 'Quite so.' El-Kalaam stared at him a for a
moment. Then a look of distaste crossed his face and he turned to
Emouleur. ' him up as best you can,' he said. ' else can an attach6
expect to do?' '?" the young Frenchman said. ' my hands tied behind my
back?' El-Kalaam took the muzzle of his machine pistol away from Louch's
face and the man collapsed at his feet. ' your tongue.' He turned away.
On the other side of the room, James was continuing to lose blood. His
left arm appeared to be paralysed, lying dead and useless at his side.
He was using his right hand to claw at the left sleeve of his shirt. ',"
Heather said, standing beside Rita. ' me help him. What harm can he do
you now?' El-Kalaam seemed to ignore her. ' is very interesting.
Quite' - he cocked his head, watching James' struggle - '.' He went and
stood before James. ' want to see if he can do it by himself!
"And if he can't?' Rachel said. Malaguez was just behind her and to one
side. ' saved my life. I would like to help him now. If you won't let
Heather, then let me.' ' you?' El-Kalaam did not take his eyes off
James. ' wouldn't let you tie your shoelaces by yourself. You'll go
nowhere near him.' James was concentrating on what he had to do. His
handsome face, knotted and sweating in pain, worked as he struggled to
get a piece of cloth between his teeth. He grunted and the cords of his
neck stood out as he stretched it to its limit. Then he had it. A moment
later they all heard a sharp shredding sound. James dug two fingers into
the rent, pulled sharply down. One long half of his sleeve came away in
his hand. Moments later, he had his bandage. Some odd look had come into
El-Kalaam's eyes. ''s very good,' he said, watching James adjust the
bandage. ' did that like a professional ... soldier.' James took his
time replying. He wiped at his forehead with the back of his good hand,
dried it on his trousers. It left a bookshelf, took as deep a He sat
back against the as he could. It came ragged, turned into a cough at the
mmediately James wiped away the pink spittle from his lips. But
El-Kalaam reached out, turned his hand @-upward. ',' he said and James
snatched his hand cleaned it off. Heather stifled a cry, closed her
eyes. ,.know a bit about soldiering,' James said, not looking at you.'
El-Kalaam put the tip of his MP40 against James' pushing away the shirt.
He peered inside. His face was dable. ' how is that?' was born and
raised in the Falls in Belfast,' James said. head went back; his eyes
closed. on't, Jamic,' Heather said. ''t tax yourself.' ta made a move to
silence her but El-Kalaam waved her ' it alone,' he said calmly. '
doesn't matter now she says. He'll tell me ... He crouched down in front
of .'Won't you?' es' eyes came open. He stared straight at El-Kalaam. he
Falls,' El-Kalaam said softly. ' were raised in the Is of Belfast.' ',
the Falls' James echoed eerily. ' bloody English come in with their
Proddy informers to and torture the young boyos who fight for their
freedom.' wolfish grin had spread across El-Kalaam's face and he ed his
head to glance at Mackinnon and Davidson. ' you two English gentlemen
