Part 22 (2/2)
”Hey, would you keep your G.o.dd.a.m.n head down,” hissed Buchanan. ”If they see us dancing along the roof, those slime b.a.l.l.s are liable to cut us into bacon strips.”
”I am doing the best I can, you patronizing b.a.s.t.a.r.d. I thought I had heard the last of you when that rocket went off earlier, and now here you are again even more of a pain in the a.s.s than you ever were.”
Buchanan turned and gave her a look. ”A simple thank you would be nice, but I will let that slide, on account of the fact you are sh.e.l.l-shock cranky, and you got more soot on you than a Siamese stoker on full-ahead Friday.”
Kellerman rolled her eyes, ”What the h.e.l.l are you talking about Buchanan?”
Buchanan crouched low, held his arm out to quiet her down. He remained motionless for a long moment his predatory eyes surveying the deck below.
Kellerman hung onto one of the antennas, her feet sliding across the sloping roof towards the precipitous edge. It was a long way down, a very long way and it wouldn't be an easy fall-there were a lot of things to hit on the way down- protruding gantries, metal rails and steel cabling. Kellerman clung tighter to the antenna. Maybe if she launched her self out, she would clear the hard deck and fall into the ocean, but what then?
The ocean swell played hard against the side of the s.h.i.+p, magnified by the backwash from the Wonsungi. Kellerman took a hard swallow. If the pirates still had their vessel with them, that seemed to indicate they were planning to use it again-and that would mean that the Nautilus would no longer be needed. Clinging to the antenna, Kellerman drew her feet back, away from the edge of the roof. She pressed her knees hard against her chest, feeling the rea.s.suring weight of the AK-47 slung around her neck. If they were seen now, there would be no way she could hold on and fire at the same time. She would fall off the roof for sure-either that, or be shot off. Kellerman wanted to close her eyes-the lull in the fighting had given her time to think and she didn't like the thoughts that were surfacing. She turned to Buchanan and hissed at his back, ”So what now genius?”
Buchanan half turned and over his shoulder said, ”We get the h.e.l.l out of here is what-would you quit with the griping? Anyone would think you had something to complain about.”
”How long before they figure out we are not trapped in the bridge?” ”Not long, those slippery little b.a.s.t.a.r.ds will be on to us before you know it, which is why we have to play it smart and stay off their radar just as long as we can.”
”So what are you waiting for? Let's go. We camp out up here any longer and I am liable to get a friggin' sun-tan.” But Buchanan was off again, bounding across the spine of the s.h.i.+p, like a great ape swinging through the jungle-Christ, the guy knew every inch of this s.h.i.+p-it was his domain.
Kellerman sucked up a deep breath and followed him as best she could. It wasn't easy, her feet slip- slided about on the sloping surfaces and the swaying vertigo of the s.h.i.+ps motion was magnified with each faltering step-the sick, stale taste of adrenaline queezed through her. She tried closing her eyes, and moving forwards by touch, but it was no use, with every additional step she took, the terror pulsed faster, churning through her until she could bear it no longer. They were on top of the winch housing now, just a few more steps and they would be back in the land of safety-rail stairways- The shouts came first, from back up the spine of the s.h.i.+p. Then came the bullets singing so close Kellerman could feel their pa.s.sage, as they zipped past her head. She tried to hurry forward, but lost her footing. She reached out to save herself, but gouged her hand. Sharp metal bit deep into her flesh, a jagged pain flashed through her. The momentum of the fall sent her spinning downwards onto a steel lattice gantry. The impact was so hard she felt the world spin out of focus- Then-gunfire-lots of gunfire-cartridge cases falling all around her.
The blurred world came back into sharp focus. Kellerman felt strong hands tugging at her arm. ”Come on, we have to get out of here right now.”
She felt a question rising to her lips, but her battered consciousness could no longer put words to the feelings, as they rose up within her. She struggled to her feet and staggered forwards-”my gun,” she said at last. ”I lost my gun.”
Buchanan's word came back hard and urgent, ”Forget about the gun, we are out of ammo.”
Again, Kellerman felt a question rising within her, but the steel grip that encased her arm pulled her roughly forwards-”Come on, let's go. We are getting out of here.”
Kellerman liked those words. They were the kind of words she could follow to the ends of the earth. The words conjured up images of a warm Medivac helicopter, followed by a lengthy rest in a bed with cool crisp sheets-maybe she would be able to lay back for a while, get some rest, fall asleep to the sound of some forties movie on TCM channel-knowing that once she awakened, she would still have a cold-cut sandwich and half bottle of lightly chilled Chardonnay waiting for her in the refrigerator.
She stepped out into nothingness. This didn't seem right- She hit the water hard and went under.
The ocean. She was in the G.o.dd.a.m.n ocean.
Panic seized her. She felt her heart beating so hard now it seemed like it was going to pound its way out of her chest. She wanted to take a breath, but couldn't. She was sinking, the glittering sun kissed surface of the Pacific growing farther and farther away, with each panic-stricken beat of her heart.
She saw the bullets now, a deadly fusillade cutting through the water. Sinking lower, her heavy waterlogged clothes pulling her down. Kellerman remembered how she had fallen overboard once before-on her maiden voyage for Christ's sake- she should have taken it as an omen. Back then-it seemed so long ago now-she had been wearing a life jacket, she had triggered the emergency inflator, knowing that as she trailed behind in the wake of the s.h.i.+p, she had a better than even chance of being saved. Not now. She had no life jacket, no concerned s.h.i.+pmates fighting to drag her to safety. All she had now was the deep, deep, ocean and a firestorm of hot bullets cutting into the water around her.
This was the end.
She was going to die for sure.
56.
Langley, Virginia In the strip light perma gloom of the CIA situation room, the Admiral looked at Jack Senegar and said, ”Where is the girl?”
Senegar consulted his laptop, ”She is going for a little cruise.”
”A cruise?” roared the Admiral, ”You hear that Parker, The girl is going on a cruise.” A look that might have pa.s.sed for the briefest of smiles flittered across Parker's face. ”Tell me,” said the Admiral, ”Just who is that little girl of mine taking on this cruise and where is she headed?”
Senegar pushed b.u.t.tons on his laptop and a series of global positioning maps flashed up on the big wall screens.
The Admiral studied the wide screen images and nodded thoughtfully. ”The Big Island. So, it is just as we thought. She is a smart little b.u.t.ton that girl of mine.” The Admiral tapped his fingers on the desk and turned his sharp, a.n.a.lytical gaze to Jack Senegar, ”Any further intelligence from our friends in the Bureau?”
”There were more casualties last night, the Oahu office is buzzing wilder than a hornets nest. There is so much signals traffic coming out of there my people can barely keep up,”
”And the upshot is?” asked the Admiral coldly.
”The hostiles are wise to the a.s.set. Our girl is compromised.”
”Then she can be of no further use-or can she? I am thinking we should let her follow through with this play Jack, see where she takes it.” Senegar said, ”She has taken the game to the exact point I predicted.”
”You certainly like to shake things up Laddie, I commend you for that,” said the Admiral.
His eyes had a fiery tinge, s.h.i.+ning wild like a tigers. Senegar didn't react. He looked at the tiny blip as it tracked slowly out into the Pacific Ocean, heading towards the Big Island. According to the Automatic Identification data streaming in from the Geosat, the girl was riding in a boat called The Fortune registered to Oahu Chief of Police Donald
Mlama.
The Admiral watched the blip for a long moment then turned to Senegar and said, ”She was never the same after Afghanistan Jack. When they dragged her back from that little episode, she was a whole different person.”
Senegar didn't look at him, just sat there staring at the screens on the wall. Finally he said, ”The Beach does that to people-sucks away their souls, but in your daughters case that wasn't a bad thing, it made her stronger, wilder more resourceful-it is impossible to train people up to that level. Your daughter is a very unique woman Admiral, you should be proud.”
”Proud doesn't even cover it Laddie, but I lost her-you know that-her mother as well.” Senegar nodded slowly, then said, ”You married your career Admiral same as me-for some men it is better that way.”
The Admiral thought about this for a long time then said, ”Some times very occasionally, I get to wondering.”
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