Net Force - Tom Clancy [118]
Friday, October 8th, 12:18 p.m. Quantico
Toni went through her djurus, pausing after each one to do the corresponding sambut. She was the only woman working out. There were a few other men in the gym today, but Rusty was not among them. When shed told him she wasnt going to be sleeping with him anymore, she thought hed taken it rather well. No obvious anger, no tears, just a kind of surprised acceptance. Oh? It had gone much better than shed hoped or expected.
Except that she hadnt heard from him since. Shed said she was going to try to be in the gym today and she expected him-he hadnt missed a class before-to show up.
Surprise. So maybe it hadnt gone as well as shed thought.
She came up from the squat in Djuru Three, threw the right-vertical-forearm strike, then punched, continued to rise, alternating the next two punches.
She hoped Rusty wasnt going to quit class. She had been enjoying having a student, and learning a lot in the process of teaching.
But of course, it was his choice.
What was it with men that they could be your friend, then your lover, but they couldnt go back to just being friends if the other didnt work out?
She finished the series and shook her hands out. She was still tight.
A brunette in office clothes walked to the water fountain and smiled and nodded at Toni. Toni didnt recognize the woman, but she nodded absently back. Solving the Rusty problem didnt solve the Alex problem. How was she going to get him to notice her?
The brunette went into the locker room. Toni dismissed her from her thoughts, but a moment later, the brunette came out, all upset.
Excuse me, miss, she said. Theres a lady having some trouble in there-she looks like shes having some kind of seizure! I called Medical but, oh, Im afraid shes going to hurt herself! Can you help?
Toni nodded. Sure.
She followed the brunette into the locker room.
Friday, October 8th, 12:18 p.m. Quantico
Jay Gridley and John Howard had joined Michaels in the small conference room. He knew protocol said he should keep these two meetings apart, the need-to-know business the spooks were always hammering at everybody, but he figured his top people needed to know what each was doing. Besides, if he happened to feel like it, there wasnt much Jay Gridley couldnt find out from a computer system hed helped design and install.
Jay?
Okay, Boss, heres the way it lays out. He waved the presentation computer to life. Weve been able to piece together some of Plekhanovs itinerary over the last few months. I can give you the details and show how brilliant we were in making some connections, if you want.
Ill stipulate to your brilliance, Michaels said. Lets hear a bottom line.
All right. This is iffy, you understand, but what it looks like is, hes trying to buy himself a government or two.
Michaels nodded. Lobbyists did that all the time, and as long as they kept within the legally established limits, that was acceptable.
Some of the people he connected with are less careful than Plekhanov. We think hes got a good chance of deciding who the President and Prime Ministers for two, maybe three CIS governments are going to be in the next elections, including those in Chechnya, where he lives. We dont have any direct proof, of course. Wed need his files for that.
Howard said, What do you suppose our chances are of getting him turned over to us if the head of the government we ask owes Plekhanov big-time?
It was a rhetorical question. Michaels said, I dont much like this, Jay.
Well, then, youre really going to hate this next part. Some of those people we were able to put in Plekhanovs vicinity? There are a couple of generals in there.
Howard looked at Jay. Great.