Solo

the canvas was aqueous and shadowless. It was hot. Sitting randomly on rows of folding chairs were about two dozen journalists – almost all white – facing an empty dais beneath a huge map of Zanzarim. On this map, at the foot, a small bashed circle that was now the diminishing heartland of the Democratic Republic of Dahum was outlined in red chalk. Clusters of sticky-backed arrows threatening the circle indicated offensives by the federal Zanzarim forces, Bond supposed. He wandered down an aisle between rows of empty chairs to get a closer look.
    The scale of the map revealed in great detail the massive and complex network of creeks and watercourses that made up the Zanza River Delta. Port Dunbar was at the southern extremity, the notional capital of the secessionist state. Above it, written on a card and stuck on the map, was the name Janjaville, where the vital airstrip was to be found. It was immediately apparent to Bond that bringing an end to Dahum would be no easy task. One main highway crossing many bridges and causeways led south into Port Dunbar and it was here, judging from the clustered arrows, that the main federal thrust into the heartland was taking place. All other roadways were symbolised by dotted red lines, meandering around the obstacles posed by the creeks, swamps and lakes, crossing hundreds of makeshift bridges, Bond imagined. You didn’t need to be a military genius to defend this small patch of territory, it seemed to him. Bond wandered back to his seat – his close look at the map had also allowed him to calculate the distance from Sinsikrou to Port Dunbar – some 300 miles, he reckoned. He began to wonder how Ogilvy-Grant planned to ‘infiltrate’ him – it didn’t seem that straightforward . . .
    Suddenly there was a jaded tremor of interest amongst the waiting journalists as a bemedalled colonel in crisp, brutally starched camouflage fatigues pushed through a flap at the rear of the tent and took up his position on the dais, followed by the captain with the American accent, who was carrying a thin six-foot rod, like a billiard cue.
    ‘Good day to you, gentlemen,’ the colonel said. ‘Welcome to the briefing. We have interesting news for you today.’ The colonel took the pointing-stick from the captain and, indicating with it on the map, began to enumerate various federal victories and advances into the rebel heartland. Under his instructions the captain rubbed out a portion of the Dahum circle and redrew it with the red chalk so that a pronounced salient appeared on the main highway south. Bond sensed the minimal credulity in the room diminish, suddenly, like a balloon deflating.
    ‘With the capture yesterday of the village of Ikot-Dussa the Zanzari forces are now forty-two kilometres from Port Dunbar,’ the colonel said, triumphantly, turned and left the tent.
    A journalist raised his hand.
    ‘Yes, Geoffrey,’ the captain said.
    ‘According to my notes,’ Geoffrey said, his voice flat, ‘the village of Ikot-Dussa was liberated ten days ago.’
    ‘That was Ikot-Darema,’ the captain said without a pause. ‘Maybe our Zanzari names are confusing you.’
    ‘Yes, that’s probably it – my mistake. Apologies.’ There was a subdued ripple of badly suppressed chuckles amongst the journalists and many knowing glances were exchanged.
    Another journalist’s hand was raised.
    ‘You were predicting the unconditional surrender of rebel forces five weeks ago. What’s happened?’
    The captain leaned the stick against the wall.
    ‘You may have noticed, John,’ the captain said, not quite managing to disguise his weariness, ‘now you’ve been in the country for so long, that it’s been raining rather heavily these last couple of months. And now it’s stopped raining and the dry season has begun – therefore military operations are resuming at full strength.’
    And so the briefing continued for another listless twenty minutes as each loaded question was either batted away or rebuffed with confident fabrication. Bond found he rather admired the captain’s tireless ability to lie so fluently and with manifest conviction. He was good at his job but no one was fooled. This war had ground to a semi-permanent halt, no doubt about it. Bond stood up and slipped out of the tent. He had learned a surprising amount on his first day as an accredited journalist for APL. It was time, he felt, to make contact with the British Secret Service’s head of station in