Doc whips off his shorts. He is now totally naked.
Nevada's shocked by Doc's white, flabby body. "Oh my goodness."
"You want some of this?" Doc laughs at Nevada.
Nevada shakes her head, at a loss for words.
Still naked, Doc walks to the container and opens up the rear cabin door of the Humvee and pulls out a shovel. Back outside, he hits the shovel's neck against the side of the container. With a loud clang, the shovel breaks away from its wooden pole. He fixes his shorts to the pole.
"Hey, Doc, whatever you're doing there—it would work a lot better for all of us if you just put your clothes back on," Lloyd says.
"I came into this world buck raw naked, and if it comes to it, that's exactly the way I intend to leave it." Doc continues, "I find in times like these, words speak louder than actions, because"—he switches to fluent Japanese—"words give us the ability to negate conflict by peaceful means. Fighting does not determine who is right, but only who is left."
Lloyd looks blank. "Not sure I follow you?"
"Time for talking." Doc strides over to the Honda, jumps on, and starts it. He rams his makeshift truce flag into the quad's steel frame.
Books breaks away from his scope and calls down, "Hey, Doc, we need to stay together."
"What are you going to do, Books? Call the cops?"
"You're risking your life out there," Books yells.
Doc revs the quad hard. The engine is loud. He brings his hand up to his ear and makes out he can't hear Books. He grins, shakes his head, shrugs, then takes off toward the Japanese convoy.
"Shouldn't we stop him or something?" Lloyd watches Doc ride out.
Books returns to his sniper's scope. "He's made his choice."
***
The Japanese interrupt their wild debate. Something from the American container heads toward them. It is a naked Doc on the quad bike.
As he speeds along, his white shorts truce flag flutters above his head.
The Japanese team erupts in another heated exchange. Some of them raise their guns at Doc's quad, which is now only a thousand yards away.
Doc slows down the quad, then stops it. He stands on the Honda's seat. He pulls the truce flag out of the quad's frame and waves it at the Japanese.
***
Books puts down his rifle. In one quick movement, he jumps off the container roof, lands, rolls, recovers, then sprints into the container. He grabs two mortars and heaves them onto the salt pan. His powerful arm muscles flex and bulge with the exertion. Jim helps him and they work together, setting up both mortars behind the container.
"Hey, Books, give it a rest. Doc's out there doing the talking now. It's called peaceful negotiations. Right?" Lloyd asks but he looks unsure.
"If I agreed with you, we'd both be wrong." Books nods toward the mortars. "You okay with these?" he asks Jim.
"Just shout down the numbers, Son."
Books runs back into the container, and shouts at Matt and Jedi, "In here—now." He throws a folded canvas sheet at Jedi. "Lay this down for me—outside."
Jedi does what he's told. Books and Matt gather weapons and ammunition. Cutter and Nevada help. They ferry the deadly load outside and rest it carefully on the protective sheet.
