Jedi skids the white Humvee to a halt next to the Australian container. A blanket covers Books' motionless body in the rear of the Humvee.
Lola pulls her bike up alongside.
The Americans disembark.
"Do your stuff, Jedi," Sophia orders.
"On it," Jedi says. He runs to the container and enters the code into the remotes. A seventh blue LED lights up on the collars, and he yells out: "Only three to go, people." He scribbles down the numbers into his notebook.
Cutter and Lola help each other up onto the container's roof and take up look-out positions. They scan the horizon with their binoculars.
Matt, Jim and Sophia gather around Jedi.
"Okay, kid, where to next?" Matt asks.
"Give me a minute." Jedi jogs over to the Humvee and checks the compass in the truck's front cab.
The Americans wait. They fidget. Matt breaks the silence. "Hide-and-seek at my age—whaddya know!"
"Yeah, sure been a helluva day," Jim says. "Back home, right about now, I'd be sitting down and opening a cold one."
"Sounds civilized—what's your drink?" Matt asks.
"Guys! Right now, right here, we're not having a conversation about beer! Okay?" Sophia says. She shouts over to Jedi, "Jedi, COME ON!"
"Nearly done," Jedi yells back.
Sophia calls up to Lola and Cutter, "Anything?"
"Nothing." Cutter continues to scan the horizon.
Jedi jumps out of the Humvee and sprints back to the Americans. "Okay, I got it. We go ten miles at two hundred and thirty degrees. It'll take us about—"
Cutter spots a glint of reflected sunlight in the far distance. He shouts out, "Hey, hey! Hold on!"
The Americans freeze.
"I see it too," Lola shouts.
"Call it!" Sophia yells.
Cutter shouts back, "One man, on a bike."
"He watches us," Lola says.
***
Pieter stands astride his dirt bike, two miles out from the Americans. He studies them through his binoculars. He realizes he's been spotted and stashes his field glasses back into his uniform. He spins the KTM around one hundred and eighty degrees and makes a fast getaway.
***
"He goes. He will bring more," Lola says. She watches Pieter's bike disappear into the distance.
"So what we waiting for? We're outta here, right?" Matt makes his way to the Humvee. "We've got what we wanted. Point the way, kid."
"We're staying," Sophia says.
"What? Are you crazy?" Matt says.
"We defend here," Sophia orders. "If they want the rest of the codes, then they'll have to attack us. It's probably only us or them left alive now."
"Yep, you're crazy. You've gone and lost your mind. Who the fuck are them anyway?" Matt asks.
Lola jumps down from the container and walks over. "It does not matter. We will use the container for cover. It is better than being out in the open. They kill us, they get our codes. We kill them, we get their codes. This is how it ends." She turns to Matt. "American, help me now."
"I'm not sure. I'm really not sure about this staying thing," Matt complains.
"I am sure enough for both of us," Lola says.
She strides over to her bike, and Matt follows her.
Sophia runs to the container and calls up to Cutter, "Keep watch up there."
"I'm looking. I'm watching," Cutter says.
Jedi and Jim follow Sophia into the white container. They collect up weapons and ammunition and dump them behind the container. Jim set up mortars. Sophia and Jedi break open the ammunition boxes.
Matt helps Lola prepare. Together they check and load up Uzis and M16s. They slot them into the KTM's gun holsters. Lola tapes ammunition clips to the bike's frame and clips some around her waist.
"You do something for me, yes?" Lola asks.
"Name it."
"The cases."
"Yeah?"
"After I go, put them out there." Lola points out over the white ground. "Follow our tracks for a mile, then leave them—but not the blue case. That is mine and only mine to give. Understand?"
"Sure—I think." Matt looks puzzled.
"Do—you—understand?"
"Yeah. Whatever you say."
"Good." Lola cuts off a piece of cord and ties a loose slipknot around the grip on the KTM bike's throttle.
"Anything else?"
"Yes, now we have had sex, we are girlfriend and boyfriend. This is true."
"Is that how it works in Sweden?" Matt asks.
"Of course. So now we do this." Lola unsheathes her combat knife and brings it to her lips and kisses the steel blade.
Matt looks nervous. "Is this gonna hurt?"
Lola holds her ponytail with one hand, then uses the knife to slice it clean off. She whispers to Matt, "Don't move." She places the tip of the knife against Matt's cheek.
"Do you do this to all the guys you meet?"
Lola presses the knife into Matt's skin and makes a small incision, then draws the blade lightly down his cheek. Blood trickles from the cut.
"Only the ones I really care for."
"Well, that's reassuring."
She presses the ponytail into the cut and smears Matt's blood onto the clump of blonde hair. It turns crimson red.
"It is a Viking custom. Now we are one." She unzips the front of her uniform and tucks the ponytail inside, then zips her uniform back up.
"Can we just do rings next time?" Matt cleans the blood from his cheek.
Lola leans over and tenderly kisses Matt's cut.
She breaks away from him.
He smiles at her.
She starts the bike, flicks the throttle, and races away.
Matt watches her until she disappears over the horizon. "Fuck it!" He shakes his head, and sighs, "Mom's sure not gonna like me bringing this one home!"
