Where have all de weapons gone, long time hiding...?

It was the aftermath of the war. Adara rose early. She had just turned eighteen. The father, Baha al Din, had been high-up in the Ruling Party of her land for many decades and been responsible for organising the hiding of his Dictator's vast collections of armaments all over this ancient land. He had disappeared. Presumed killed. The mother, Aliyyah, had been abducted by the Dictator many years ago. For her beauty. Adara presumed that was why the father had been given his high position. A reward for keeping quiet.

Adara washed and dressed. Her nubile beauty hidden under the black burka. Not for religious reasons. More for self-protection. Protection not only from the Invaders but more from the religiously suppressed desires of the males in the ancient city. A command to do so generated internally.

She walked to the local market and bought the day's provisions. She passed many soldiers of the Invaders. Some appearing nervous. Some giving chocolate bars or comfort to the young orphaned children left homeless by the war. Wandering the streets. Sniffing glue or prostituting their bodies to survive. She knew these young ones would not have been there in the Dictator's day. They would have been jailed or killed. Hidden from the public view.

When she returned to the small apartment, the twin brother Habib was there. Smiling. He had sold a Soviet made AK-47 to the Invaders for $300 under their 'buyback programme,' and used the money to purchase 30 more on the black market. He could sell these for as little as $10 to $15 each, including all the ammunition that purchasers can carry, or get $300 each under the 'buyback program.' Business was good and it gave the pair life and a good 'working' income.

Adara knew the hidden arms caches were continually looted. The brother knew where many caches were. The sudden surge in supply now flooding the local market had caused prices to crash, making all sorts of arms available to anybody. They both knew the main reason why the International airport was not reopened for commercial flights. They both knew, as did the Invaders, that there were too many ground to air missiles in the country to guarantee the security of flights.

This knowledge gave them life.

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