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.“I don’t know,” he said, and reached out for his partner.Over on the other side of the world, the final clash was about to begin, and all they could do was watch.“I just don’t know.”“They’re good kids,” Linda said, firmly.“They’ll fit in well here.”“Of course,” Jim said, puzzled.Linda had been the one who had wanted them in the first place.“I think they’ll do fine.”“And I will have time for them,” Linda continued.“They won’t suffer at all.”Jim frowned.“Linda…?”“Men,” Linda said, with a laugh.Her face suddenly split into a grin.“Do you remember that time in the orchard, a month ago?”“Of course,” Jim said.It had been pure whimsy, prompted by the fact they were alone and that she had been wearing a short dress, shorter than usual.He’d tumbled her there, underneath the apples.If the boys had seen, well…somehow, the thought hadn’t crossed his mind at the time.“I…”He understood, suddenly.“You’re pregnant?”“It would seem that way,” Linda agreed.“You’re going to be a father again.”“But aren’t you too old…”“Typical man,” Linda said.She made to slap him and he twisted away from her.“I’m young enough to have one more child.” Her voice softened.“Do you see what I mean, hubby? Life goes on.”Chapter Forty-SevenThere is an Arab joke that goes something like this; my grandfather rode a camel and lived in a tent, my father struck oil and built a palace, I lived in a palace and swam in money…and my grandson will live in a tent.Oil is, of course, not a renewable resource.Once it is gone, it is gone.-Ambassador Andrew C.MadsenRiyadh, Saudi ArabiaDay 57“Sergeant Douglas Mann, I presume?”Doug laughed, tiredly.The 3rd Infantry Division – backed up by the 4th Infantry Division and associated units from allied powers – had made a sweep around Riyadh as soon as they had reached the city limits, sealing off all escape from the enemy-held metropolis.The Marine BCT had circled the city from the other direction, meeting up with the infantry at Highway 65.The long period of heavy fighting as the American troops had cleared the smaller towns and villages near Riyadh was almost at an end, now the heavy forces were in position.Riyadh was completely sealed off from the outside world.“That’s me,” Doug said, with a tired grin.“Gunnery Sergeant Dean Burtis?”The Marine laughed.He looked older than Doug had expected, his features marking him out as a man who would remain in combat arms until he was killed in combat, or retired by the military.Even after retirement, he would be involved in veterans’ affairs and coordinating military-related events in his hometown.if he had a hometown left.The last Doug had heard, New York was being evacuated and the gangs were being left to starve, or drop dead of Henderson’s Disease.“It’s a pleasure,” Burtis said.“And now.what do we do about the city?”They shared a long look, one that sergeants from all over the world would have recognised.The strength of a modern army was dependent upon its NCOs, who provided a bridge between the enlisted men and the officers – and gently steered newly-minted officers from making mistakes that would cost them lives, and their chances of a future career.The American military had not attempted to take the city by storm, but there had been some heavy fighting in the nearby Al Madinah As Sina’iyah Industrial City, to the northeast of the highway.The infantry – a combination of Airborne and Marine soldiers – had pushed into the industrial area after taking heavy fire from emplaced artillery and mortars, only to find themselves caught up in heavy street fighting.They’d been ordered to withdraw from the area and American artillery had opened fire, using counter-battery radars to track and destroy the enemy guns before they could be moved.The enemy seemed to have gotten the message after several dozen guns had been silenced, along with their crews.To the east, the 4th Infantry Division had engaged and destroyed the final known Saudi armoured brigade, after two hours of heavy fighting.American helicopters and combat jets had pushed in, slaughtering the Saudis and the foreigners backing them up, although the enemy hadn't broken until they’d been almost annihilated.The American reluctance to take prisoners had probably helped, although several dozen enemy fighters had thrown down their weapons and attempted to flee.They’d been shot down by their own side.“Fucked if I know,” Doug admitted, peering over towards the towers in the distance.The intelligence officer who had briefed them had claimed that many of the skyscrapers had been built by the Bin Laden construction firm, which was owned and operated by the same family that had produced Saudi Arabia’s most infamous child.Several of the buildings had been knocked down by American fire, but others remained intact, creating a strange vision of a city caught between east and west.“No, I do know.”He smiled, thinly.“They should sent over a couple of hundred Big Ugly Fat Fuckers and carpet-bomb the city until there’s nothing left, but rubble,” he said.“How does that sound?”“We may not need to go to all that trouble,” Burtis pointed out.“How many of them are going to die from Henderson’s Disease?”Doug shrugged.They’d recovered several bodies after a series of short, sharp engagements with Saudis who had clearly been pushed into coming out and launching a suicidal human wave attack on the American positions
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