Part 15 (1/2)
”Julio?”
”I'm okay, John,” he said. ”Took it just above the knee, to the inside. I don't think it hit the bone. Of course, I could be wrong.”
”We have the objective,” Alpha's team leader said over the LOSIR. ”Eight terries down, Alpha Team secure, no casualties.”
Howard blew out a big breath. Thank G.o.d. He said, ”Copy, Alpha, good work. Doc, Julio took one in the leg. We're at the southwest corner of the chicken coop, get over here PDQ.”
He couldn't see them, but the term LOSIR was not strictly accurate-there was always a little bleed, enough to keep coms working when somebody ducked behind a tree or wandered off center.
Doc, the medic, rode with Delta. ”On the way, sir. Let me drop my pa.s.sengers. Forty-five seconds. Go! Out, out!”
Thirty seconds later, Delta Team's vehicle, empty except for the driver, Doc, plowed right through a section of fence, slapped it flat, and skidded to a stop ten feet away. Doc bailed and ran to where Julio sat, both hands pressed against the hole in his armor.
Doc flicked his helmet spotlight on and used a suitcutter to open a big flap in the leg of the wounded sergeant's armor. He sliced away the pants leg to reveal the hole in the flesh. He bent the leg up and looked at the exit wound.
”Looks like twenty-caliber high-velocity hardball,” Doc said. ”Through-and-through, missed the bone, no expansion. Neat little hole about the size of a drinking straw, bullet hot enough to cauterize the wound. We'll have to clean out fibers. Otherwise, I don't see any problem.”
Doc grinned, leaned away from the leg, and looked at Fernandez. ”Jesus, some people will do anything to get a few days off.”
Fernandez said, ”You do what you have to do to get a break.”
Howard nodded, relieved. ”Let's hear it, people,” he said into the LOSIR.
The reports came in.
”A walk in the park, sir,” Alpha's team leader said. ”We make it six terries KIA, in the house, two wounded but still alive, two undamaged and in restraints. Objective is patent, no leaks, b.g. radiation levels normal. Send Doc on in when he gets a minute.”
”n.o.body came out this way,” Delta's team leader said.
”Three terry guards down, one KIA, two slightly damaged,” the head of the sapper team said. ”They didn't lay a glove on our guys.”
”h.e.l.l, we've been watching paint paint dry back here,” Beta's team leader said. ”We coulda stayed home and seen it on TV for all we had to do. We won't even have to clean our weapons.” He sounded disgusted. dry back here,” Beta's team leader said. ”We coulda stayed home and seen it on TV for all we had to do. We won't even have to clean our weapons.” He sounded disgusted.
The sapper who had gone to check out the shooters in the barn came out carrying a big bunched sheet of heavy material, black on one side and silvered on the other. ”Found this in the barn, Colonel,” he said.
Howard looked at the sensor shroud and nodded. That was why n.o.body picked up a heat sig on the terrorists who'd been hiding in the barn. They'd been s.h.i.+elded. He'd thought about radar, but not about heat-sink camo. A mistake on his part, but fortunately not a fatal one.
Howard blew out a sigh. They had the stolen nuclear material and Julio was going to be okay. It could have been a lot worse.
Time to call Michaels.
”Commander?”
”Colonel. Everything okay?”
”Yes, sir. Objective achieved, terrorists neutralized, we have one minor injury on our side. Sergeant Fernandez picked up a little scratch.”
Sitting on the ground with his leg bandaged and an amp of dorph injected to kill his pain, Fernandez said, ”Bet you wouldn't call it that if it was your your leg.” leg.”
Howard grinned.
”Outstanding, Colonel! Congratulations. Please pa.s.s it on to your team.”
”Thank you, sir, I will. We'll see you at field HQ soon as we get things cleaned up here.”
”I'm on my way there now,” Michaels said.
Howard frowned. ”Sir? You aren't there yet?”
”I, uh, took a little ride in the country,” Michaels said. ”I picked up a... hitchhiker you might find it interesting to talk to when you get back.”
”Sir?”
”Never mind, Colonel, I'll explain it when I see you. You got us out of a nasty spot and I appreciate it. I'll make sure the whole country appreciates it.”
”Sir. Discom.”
After he signed off, Howard considered his relations.h.i.+p with Commander Alexander Michaels. The man wasn't bad, for a civilian. Not bad at all.
”Can we hurry this up and go home, sir?” Fernandez said. ”I have an early tango lesson I don't want to miss.”
Howard laughed.
Chapter Nineteen.
Monday, December 27th, 1:30p.m. Was.h.i.+ngton, D.C.
Tyrone Howard thought he might just go nova, might just shatter into a million billion pieces.
He sat on Bella's bed, his arms around her, and they kissed. Everything he knew about kissing she had taught him in the last couple of months, and he thought he was starting to get the hang of it. Her back felt hot under his hands, even through her s.h.i.+rt, and there wasn't a strap across her smooth skin...
She broke the kiss and let out a big sigh. ”You have to leave now, Tyrone. I'm supposed to go to my aunt's house and we have to lift in like ten minutes. I have to change clothes.”
”Uh-huh,” he said. He leaned in and kissed her again. That went on for another minute or two. She leaned back.
”Really, Tyrone. I have to go.”
”Uh-huh.” He kissed her some more. It wasn't as if she was trying real hard to get away, given as how she had her hands on the back of his head pulling him closer.
Finally, she pulled away again and said, ”I'll see you at the mall tomorrow, you duplicate?”
”Uh-huh. I doop that.” He reached for her, but this time she put one hand on his chest and held him off. ”Come on, Ty.”