Net Force - Tom Clancy [128]
To the squad leader waiting on the other end of the scrambled comline, Howard said, Stand fast, Omega. The pack is on the way.
Copy that, Alpha. Thank you, sir.
Lets go, Julio.
Yes, sir!
Howard and Fernandez ran for the helicopters.
Saturday, October 9th, 4:10 p.m. Quantico
Michaels and Toni were in the small conference room, working on their second pot of coffee. As the doctor had predicted, Michaels was a lot more sore than he had been right after hed been shot. It hurt to move, it hurt to stand still, it hurt to sit. Hed taken pills at home, to sleep, but he wanted to stay sharp while Howards operation was in progress. He had finally popped a couple of the pain tabs from their plastic-and-foil blisters, and washed them down with his fifth or sixth cup of coffee an hour or so ago, and the sharp stabbing pain had faded to a more-bearable dull stabbing pain. And despite all the coffee, he felt relatively mellow.
Hows your arm? he asked Toni.
It was a nice clean cut. It doesnt hurt much, she said, but it itches.
He had thanked her after it had happened, but hed had plenty of time to think about it since. You saved my life in that locker room, he said. If you hadnt jumped that woman, she would have killed me.
Rusty saved us both. Id never gotten to her if he hadnt come in and started yelling. Holding an ink pen and pretending it was a gun. She shook her head.
Im really sorry about Agent Russell, he said. I knew you were teaching him your fighting art. Were you, uh, close?
She hesitated for a moment. Not really, no. She stared into her coffee cup. His parents are having the body flown back to Jackson, Mississippi, for the funeral and burial. Thats where he was from. They seem like nice people. Id like to go, if thats all right. Its in a couple of days.
Sure. After we get though all this-if we get through it-I wonder if I might get you to show me some of what you do-the silat?
She looked up from her coffee.
Lately, I dont know why, Ive kind of felt the need to know a little more about self-defense.
He smiled, and she matched his expression.
Id be happy to show you.
Might take a few weeks for me to stop gimping around. He touched his bandaged leg.
Ill wait.
He sipped at the coffee, then decided if he had anymore, he was going to have to have a bladder transplant. He put the cup down. I wonder how its going. They are supposed to be done about now.
Im sure theyll call as soon as they can.
Im sure. And I am confident that Colonel Howard will execute his mission.
She smiled again.
What? he asked.
Nothing. I was just remembering something from a long time ago.
Yeah?
Between my junior and senior year at John Jay, I moved to an apartment with two other students. My brother Tony had lost his job, so his wife and two kids moved in with my parents while he went to Maine to find work.
Things were a little crowded at home. We lucked into a rent-controlled place that actually had heat and windows that would open. Building is probably a parking lot by now, but it was perfect for three girls away from home for the first time.
Anyway, one of my roomies was an Eye-tie like me, that was Mary Louise Bergamo, from Philadelphia; the other was a tall, lanky black woman from Texas, a volleyball player, Dirisha Mae Jones. She was the funniest person I ever met. She was always coming up with these little homespun homilies shed gotten from somewhere. One night we were drinking cheap wine and making a lot of noise and she defined confident for us.
Well, girls, listen here. Theres this black man, name of Ernest, who is married to this here beauuutiful woman, Loretta, but Loretta is gone up and leave him cause Ernest got fired from his job-even though it wasnt no fault of his own.
Michaels grinned. Her imitation of her friends Texas accent was pretty good.
Toni continued: So Ernest gets up one morning and puts on his best tie and his only white shirt and his Sunday-go-to-meeting pants, and leaves the house to go to this job interview. Ernest knows he dont get this job, his woman is gone leave him. He also know the good