Incarna

52 - Afghan Redux

Day 12: Australian Afghan Herb Research Centre, Kandahar Province - Afghanistan

“Shit that was close!” yelled Russ over the increasing roar of the dust storm. “Come on, there’s usually only one strike so lets get to the Bunker before the air’s too thick to breathe!”

Sallay nodded and as they cautiously emerged from the shelter he hesitated further, expecting another intervention. What had he seen in the wall of dust as it bore down on them? He squinted and as if it would help him to see again that silhouetted face. Had it been a Djinn as all the locals were talking about.

There was an intervention now, as Russ called them, every time a storm blew up. The Deepwater security boys he’d spoken to yesterday reckoned there wasn’t one functional Al Qaeda unit in the Kandahar valley any more. Sallay spat dust back into the murk. Damned infidel Deepwater, just crusaders in suits, that’s all they are! None of his compatriots in the research team had much time for them either, arrogant bastards was the general consensus. Still the yanks had to maintain some sort of security presence and privatising it was the most politically acceptable given the isolationist mood that had once again come to dominate Washington.

Sallay followed Russ through the murk. Russ had an excellent sense of direction and always walked around the place at night in the dark memorising the layout of rooms and buildings. Night time swearing and daytime bruises were usually the result of someone having left something other than where Russ had remembered it to be. Sallay was used to Russ now doing an evening patrol of the compound checking where everything was and putting things away that some slack arse had forgotten, and they heard about it the next day.

Russ was the number two of the research project and Sallay had come to rely on him more and more over the months they'd been here. They were a good team. The wall of the Bunker, as they called the bunk house come living quarters of the research facility appeared out of the murk. Russ pulled open the entrance door and closed it behind Sallay. They hung up their jackets and overalls careful not to dislodge too much dust and pulled on their house clothes. Sallay opened the inner door, closed it firmly and leant back against the door once inside. He always felt a deep sense of relief making that transition from out there to in here. It allowed him to leave behind the formal muslim afghan that he was to the locals that they worked with, and he could return to being the fourth generation Afghan Australian that he truly was.

He didn’t drink, had never used drugs and never really slept around like many of his mates had done. Some of them had gone completely off the wall as often happens with young men growing up in conservative house holds, and then released into the world without any real life skills or capacity for honest awareness and judgement. So many parent didn’t understand controlled risk taking with their boys.

Sallay had been sent on a camel trek with an uncle when he was sixteen. They’d walked for two weeks through the central Australian desert and he’d come to love every minute of it. His uncle ran, Father and Son treks for families in trouble and he’d brought Sallay and his Dad along to help out. He’d never seen his Dad in the desert though he’d heard the stories from his mum about how much of a bushie he’d been in his youth. Running a business in Canberra took all his time and except for weekend fishing and trips to the coast, this was the first time he’d seen his Dad out in the deep bush and desert.

It had been a wonderful awakening for both of them and a bond had been forged that Sallay swore all his oaths on still to this day. Shit, that’s where I met Barden too, he shook his head as the present came crashing in on his reminiscences. It must be Russ, reminds me a lot of myself, he added as he headed to the kitchen to see what he could do.

“No, don’t you dare Sarlie!” came Alison’s command as he entered. “This is my time, now piss off!” “Just trying to help Alli …” “Don’t need it and you know that. I’m stuck behind those bloody computers all day, this is how I relax. Now go get ready for dinner.” She looked up at the white clock on the mud brick outer wall of the kitchen, “you’ve got half and hour to be ready. I’ve got four courses and fresh bread, so be there!”

“You can get anything you want, at Allison’s restaurant …” he sang as he left and headed for the showers. “Yeah righto smart arse,” she yelled after him.”

Allison was one of those gorgeous women who cared for everybody when she could, even if that meant ripping their heads off and glueing them back on the right way round if they’d stuffed up some project!

“Oh and that’s the third intervention this week for the region!” she yelled as an after thought. She was in charge of data records for the project and publishing their reports and research papers. When the first Incarna event occurred she began recording as many details as she could and now had the most comprehensive files on everything that had happened in Afghanistan since the first so called Intervention 12 days ago.

Sallay had sent a summary of this to Barden a few days back and now they had commandeered their best drone as a result. Sallay checked the little office they kept in the bunker for personal communications and study after hours. Russ looked up from their big display screen as Sallay poked his head in.

“You need to see this boss,” he said simply. He came across the room with trepidation, then stood silently staring at the series of images of the wall of the dust storm they’d taken to record the face or whatever it was they’d seen. Sallay stood dumbfounded. There was nothing there. Just the storm. No face, no object, no fancy high tech drone, no nothing!”

“Shit eh!” Sallay said quietly. “Fuckin’ oath boss,” added Russ. The silence started to stretch. They heard Allison drop something on the kitchen and then her scream. They both bolted.

She was standing in the door of the kitchen pointing at the entrance door. A shimmering figure stood there holding an unconscious body. Sallay searched for words to describe what he saw but only came up with one. A bird like voice startled them into action.

“Take, him, care for him. You will all be needed soon!” Then it was gone and the outer door slammed shut and the dust from the Djinn’s exit swirled about them and made them cough. Allison was the first to move and ran to the slumped body. Russ turned and went for the nearest first aid kit. Sallay ran to the kitchen and grabbed water and clean tea towels to wipe the man down with.