Stark by Ben Elton

Author:Ben Elton
Language: eng
Format: mobi, azw, epub
Tags: Modern fiction, General, Fiction
ISBN: 9780552773553
Publisher: Black Swan
Published: 2006-07-14T12:00:00+00:00

116: MISSILE FUEL

As they drove slowly towards town, Zimmerman was in a reflective mood.

‘It just goes to show,’ he remarked, ‘that sometimes it ain’t worth trying to do a guy a good turn.’

‘You were trying to do him a good turn?’ enquired CD, who remembered the whole thing rather differently.

‘Sure, I was trying to tell him that I reckon one of the tubes he’s hauling is carrying high octane rocket or missile fuel. You know, military grade stuff.’ Zimmerman was rolling a cigarette and he was talking like he smelt missile fuel most days.

‘Missile fuel?’ asked CD, trying to adopt the same casual tone. ‘You mean, the stuff they fuel missiles with?’

‘Yeah.’ Zimmerman borrowed CD’s Zippo and lit his cigarette with one hand, producing that casual snap of the fingers which CD practised so diligently and which had so far eluded him. Zimmerman was sensing adventure and it was almost as if he was changing himself in order to meet it.

‘What the hell is Silvester Moorcock doing shipping in missile fuel?’ said Rachel, feeling a little scared.

‘Well,’ said Walter. ‘You know, like it could be this, and like, it could be that, but I guess we have to entertain at least the possibility that you know man, it’s…to fuel missiles.’

‘It ain’t to fill his lighter, man,’ said Zimmerman, handing back CD his Zippo. ‘Maybe I’m wrong, you know,’ he continued, ‘I haven’t smelt it since ‘Nam, but if that stuffs what I think it is, man, it burns like the sun. About a thimbleful would put this car into fucking orbit.’ There was a nervous pause.

‘And it says petrol on the tank?’ Rachel asked, breaking the silence. ‘I mean, it doesn’t say, ‘missile fuel for entirely innocent purposes’ or anything like that?’

‘It says petrol. And it isn’t petrol,’ said Zimmerman. And they drove on in silence.

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