generator ceased. "See? It's off." He stood up. "I've done what you asked. My life is nothing, but I beg you to spare my son's life."
Arkadin, grinning, set the case on top of the plinth, unlocked it, and took out the laptop. "Now," he said, as he fired up the computer, "the ring."
Idir crept closer to the plinth. He managed to tap his fingernail along the top of the computer before Arkadin delivered a heavy backhand blow that swatted him back on his heels.
As Bourne was taking out the ring, Idir said, "It won't do any good."
"Shut the fuck up," Arkadin snapped.
"Let him speak," Bourne said. "Idir, what do you mean?"
"That isn't the right laptop."
"He's a liar," Arkadin said. "Look here - " He took the ring from Bourne and inserted it. " - it has the slot for the ring."
Idir's laughter was tinged with hysteria, or with madness.
As Arkadin slid the ring through the slot again and again, he tried in vain to bring up the ghost file on the partitioned hard drive.
"You fools!" Idir could not stop laughing. "Someone has been fucking with you. I'm telling you it's the wrong laptop."
With an inarticulate cry, Arkadin swung around.
"Leonid, no!"
Bourne leapt at him, too late to keep him from firing, but he ran full-tilt into Arkadin's right shoulder. The spray of bullets went wide, but two bullets struck Idir's chest and shoulder.
Both torches were on the floor, crackling as they burned down. They were more than half finished. Bourne and Arkadin attacked each other with hands, feet, and knees. Arkadin, the Magpul in his right hand, hammered at Bourne, who was forced to raise his hands in front of his face in order to deflect the blows. Deep contusions, then ragged cuts broke out on his wrists from the force of the Magpul's heavy barrel pounding him. He brought his knee up into Arkadin's stomach, but it seemed to have little or no effect. At the next blow Bourne grabbed the barrel, but it raked down his palm, slicing it open. Arkadin turned the muzzle on Bourne, and Bourne slammed the heel of his bleeding hand into Arkadin's nose. Blood flew as Arkadin's head snapped back, the back of it banging off the floor. He squeezed off a short burst, the noise deafening in the space. Bourne struck him again, slamming his head to the right, where a blur of movement shot toward him.
A large rat, terrified by the noise, leapt blindly at Arkadin's face. Arkadin swung at it and missed. He rolled away, grabbed one of the torches, and thrust it out wildly. The rat leapt away, scrambling across Idir's slumped body. The flames caught its tail, the rat screamed, and so did Idir, whose robes were now alight and burning with an acrid stench. Staggering to his feet, he slapped wildly at the flames with his good arm, but staggered, off balance, and fell against the plinth. His head struck the statue of Baal, knocking it off the generator housing. It shattered against the floor.
Rising, Bourne ran toward Idir, but the greedy flames had already engulfed him, making it impossible to get close. The sickening stench of roasting meat, the bright burst of flames, and then an ominous ticking counting down the three minutes of life they had left.
Arkadin swung his arm around and fired, but Bourne had moved behind Idir, and the burst of gunfire went wide. The flaming torch was fast guttering. Scooping up one of the torches, Bourne ran back into the doorway to the corridor. Under cover, he drew the Beretta. He was about to fire back when he glimpsed Arkadin on his hands and knees, scrabbling about in the rubble of the shattered statue. He picked out an SDS memory card, brushed it off, and, rising, stuck it into the appropriate slot of the laptop.
"Leonid, leave it," Bourne shouted. "The laptop is a fake."
When there was no response, Bourne called Arkadin's name again, this time more urgently. "We have just over two minutes to find our way out of here."
"So Idir would have us believe." Arkadin sounded distracted. "Why would he tell us the truth?"
"He was terrified for the life of his son."
"In the land of the blind," Arkadin shot back, "there is no incentive to tell the truth."
"Leonid, come on! Let it go! You're wasting time."
There was no response. The moment Bourne showed his face in the pentangle, Arkadin fired at him. His torch sparking and sputtering near its end, Bourne sprinted