On Wings Of Eagles (1990)

There was some discussion about who should pay the bill when the meal was over. The guards wanted to pay, Rashid said. The Americans were anxious not to offend by offering to pay when they were supposed to be guests, but also keen to ingratiate themselves with these people. In the end Keane Taylor paid for everyone.

As they were leaving, Coburn said to the interpreter: "I'd sure like to call Tehran, to let our people know we're all right."

"Okay," said the young man.

They drove to the post office. Coburn and the interpreter went in. There was a crowd of people waiting to use the three or four phone booths. The interpreter spoke to someone behind the counter, then told Coburn: "All the lines to Tehran are busy--it's very difficult to get through."

"Could we come back later?"

"Okay."

They drove out of the town in the dark. After a few minutes they stopped at a gate in a fence. The moonlight showed the distant outline of what might have been a dam.

There was a long delay while keys to the gate were found; then they drove in. They found themselves in a small park surrounding an ornate, modern two-story building made of white granite. "This is one of the Shah's palaces," the interpreter explained. "He has used it only once, when he opened the power station. Tonight we will use it."

They went inside. The place was cozily warm. The interpreter said indignantly: "The heating has been on for three years just in case the Shah should decide to drop by."

They all went upstairs and looked at their quarters. There was a luxurious royal suite with an enormous fancy bathroom; then along the corridor were smaller rooms, each containing two single beds and a bathroom, presumably for the Shah's bodyguard. Under each bed was a pair of slippers.

The Americans moved into the guards' rooms and the revolutionary Kurds took over the Shah's suite. One of them decided to take a bath: the Americans could hear him splashing about, hooting, and hollering. After a while he came out. He was the biggest and burliest of them, and he had put on one of the Shah's fancy bathrobes. He came mincing down the corridor while his colleagues fell about laughing. He went up to Gayden and said in heavily accented English: "Complete gentleman." Gayden broke up.

Coburn said to Simons: "What's the routine for tomorrow?"

"They want to escort us to Rezaiyeh and hand us over to the head man there," said Simons. "It'll help to have them with us if we meet any more roadblocks. But when we get to Rezaiyeh, we may be able to persuade them to take us to the professor's house instead of the head man."

Coburn nodded. "Okay."

Rashid looked worried. "These are bad people," he whispered. "Don't trust them. We've got to get out of here."

Coburn was not sure he trusted the Kurds, but he was quite certain there would be trouble if the Americans tried to leave now.

He noticed that one of the guards had a G3 rifle. "Hey, that's a real neat firearm," he said.

The guard smiled and seemed to understand.

"I've never seen one before," Coburn said. "How do you load it?"

"Load ... so," said the guard, and showed him.

They sat down and the guard explained the rifle. He spoke enough English to make himself understood with the help of gestures.

After a while Coburn realized that he was now holding the rifle.

He started to relax.

The others wanted to take showers, but Gayden went first and used all the hot water. Paul took a cold shower: he had sure as hell got used to cold showers lately.

They learned a little about their interpreter. He was studying in Europe and had been home on holiday when the revolution caught him and prevented his going back: that was how come he knew the airport was closed.

At midnight Coburn asked him: "Can we try to place that call again?"

"Okay."

One of the guards escorted Coburn back into town. They went to the post office, which was still open. However, there were no lines to Tehran.

Coburn waited until two o'clock in the morning, then gave up.

When he returned to the palace beside the dam, everyone was fast asleep.

He went to bed. At least they were all still alive. That was enough to be thankful for. Nobody knew what was between them and the border. He would worry about that tomorrow.

Twelve

1_____

"Wake up, Coburn, let's move, let's go!"

Simons's gravelly voice penetrated Coburn's slumber and he opened his eyes, thinking: Where am I?

In the Shah's palace at Mahabad.

Oh, shit.

He got up.

Simons was getting the Dirty Team ready to go, but there was no sign of their guards: Apparently they were all still asleep. The Americans made plenty of noise, and eventually the Kurds emerged from the royal suite.

Simons said to Rashid: "Tell them we have to go, we're in a hurry, our friends are waiting at the border for us."

Rashid told them, then said: "We have to wait."

Simons did not like this. "What for?"

"They all want to take showers."

Keane Taylor said: "I don't see the urgency--most of them haven't taken a shower in a year or two; you'd think they could wait another day."