"William Bates, I must say, made a wise choice when he hired you to run
this project, Miss Andros," Ramirez was saying. He had just lit a new
cigar. "I have to commend his judgment."
"Well, if you think I'm doing such a great job, you'd better let me go
on doing it," Cally managed to answer, trying to get a grip on herself.
She had her arms crossed, mainly to try to keep her hands from shaking.
When Chris was shot, she was so stunned she'd repressed the horror. Now
the numbness was wearing off and she wanted to scream. Just one long
wail to purge everything. She was biting her lip to try to repress the
impulse. "I need to go down to the launch facility and check with the
tech crews."
Toughen up and think, she told herself. These terrorists are up to
something, and the sooner you figure out what it is, the better for
everybody.
"As a matter of fact"--he nodded--"I need to go down myself and see how
things are proceeding. So why don't we both go, Miss Andros."
"Around here I'm called Dr. Andros." She was feeling her control coming
back. Two could play the power game.
"But of course." He nodded. "In a professional environment we all like
to be treated accordingly. I respect that, and expect no less myself."
He surveyed the room, its SatCom technicians still stunned. Then his
eye caught the tall, bearded Iranian, Salim, now lounging by the door
with his Uzi, and motioned him over.
"Get this body out of here."
The Iranian nodded and strolled over. Cally studied him, wondering. She
had been trying to size up the team for some time, and she still had
not figured them all out. But this one, heavy-set and defiantly
bearded, seemed somewhat at odds with the others. He clearly had no
taste to clean up Number One's murder; you could see it in his eyes.
"Where--?"
"In the lobby. It's disrupting the professional environment."
He nodded again and without a word grabbed Chris Schneider by the
shoulders and began dragging him past.
"Dr. Andros"--Number One turned back to her--"already I feel closer to
you than I do to half of my men. I think you and I will make a good
team."
"You have got to be fucking kidding."
He merely laughed, then spoke to another of the terrorists, a young
Arab. After apparently ordering him to stay behind in Command to keep
an eye on things, he motioned Cally to lead the way through the
security doors.
They edged around Salim, still moving the body, and out into the lobby.
The first thing she noticed was that the guard was missing from the
front security station. Instead a wide dark stain covered the desk.
Blood.