mask.
James raised an eyebrow. He could feel the rage coming off her in waves. He considered how pissed she could get, and what the consequences would be. “I didn’t do anything, Ms. Melore.” He tried something new, pushing a little sincerity her way.
He really needed it to work.
Kandy Melore got a slightly dazed look on her face, staring somewhat blankly at James. Finally she cleared her throat. “I believe that’s all, James. Report to the POW clinic at 0800 sharp tomorrow morning. I’ll see you at this time next week, as well.” She turned to her embedded datascreen, dismissing him from her mind. Or trying to appear to.
Well, that was interesting.
Chapter 5
M ATT got Andry again on vid in the morning, but insisted on talking to Lance this time. Andry then lurked behind Lance’s shoulder, sulking. “You’re going to make a hell of an agent,” Matt said. Andry scowled, but then made an effort to blank his expression and stand straighter.
God, you’d think he was eight and not eighteen most of the time.
“What’s up, Matt?” Grampa smiled at him over his plate of eggs.
“James is Psi-force, Lance.”
Lance’s eyes widened a little. “Ayala say anything about needing to stay?”
“He says it’s not some kind of down-low black op and he’s ready to go. There’s a complication. I won’t go into it now, but it’s need-to-know and I needed to know.” Even if he didn’t technically have that clearance.
Lance’s eyebrows went up. Andry perked up a little behind him. But Lance just asked for his current status.
“In Boise, heading out about 0945 if everything goes well. I’ll check in at 1930. Ayala wants to go with the backup route.”
“Understood.” Lance signed off.
James showed up—coming through the door of the empty supply room like it was unlocked—at 1007. Matt saw James’s smirk at his surprise, and it reminded him to shield his thoughts.
But Matt had rigged that door.
“I don’t get how you do that.” James kept his voice low.
“What?” Matt asked, inspecting the locking mechanism. “I can’t figure out how you did this.”
“I’m SOUF. How do you just turn off your brain waves like that?”
“I’ll tell you if you show me how to do that with the lock.”
“Fine, but not right now. I wanna get out of here. I think we need to leave now.”
Matt looked up at the suddenly sharp note in James’s voice. “Okay. Let’s go camping.” He saved his questions until after they’d silently crept from the room—the store below was open, now—and made it to the alley behind the building.
James beat him to it. “Tell me how you did that, turned it off like that.”
“I don’t really know. I just think about it. Like I think: ‘okay, stop broadcasting to James,’ and I do. I can turn it on again the same way. Or if I haven’t been around you for a while. Maybe it sort of wears off. You can tell me if you pick me up again. What camping gear do you have?”
“Stuff any hunter would have. I started buying it as soon as I got out. Hunting’s a fucking religion here, so they weren’t going to stop me.”
“They didn’t let you buy a rifle?” No way.
James gave him a sardonic look. “This is the Red, dude. I couldn’t get anything much, but I got an old projectile shotgun on the underground arms market.”
“No fucking way.” Matt was incredulous.
“Way. These people are serious about the right to bear arms.”
“These people are dumbasses.”
James gave his trademark snort. “Also have some digi-camo, hunter’s camo—no safety colors—and random other things. No food, no shelter except my sleeping bag.”
“The digi-camo could save our asses.”
“Money talks even if you have a pink triangle on your chest. And it helps when you know how bad your seller wants it.”
Matt headed out. James didn’t ask any questions, just followed Matt a klick or so through quiet neighborhoods, until they came to an ancient, decrepit bungalow.
James raised an eyebrow. He could feel the rage coming off her in waves. He considered how pissed she could get, and what the consequences would be. “I didn’t do anything, Ms. Melore.” He tried something new, pushing a little sincerity her way.
He really needed it to work.
Kandy Melore got a slightly dazed look on her face, staring somewhat blankly at James. Finally she cleared her throat. “I believe that’s all, James. Report to the POW clinic at 0800 sharp tomorrow morning. I’ll see you at this time next week, as well.” She turned to her embedded datascreen, dismissing him from her mind. Or trying to appear to.
Well, that was interesting.
Chapter 5
M ATT got Andry again on vid in the morning, but insisted on talking to Lance this time. Andry then lurked behind Lance’s shoulder, sulking. “You’re going to make a hell of an agent,” Matt said. Andry scowled, but then made an effort to blank his expression and stand straighter.
God, you’d think he was eight and not eighteen most of the time.
“What’s up, Matt?” Grampa smiled at him over his plate of eggs.
“James is Psi-force, Lance.”
Lance’s eyes widened a little. “Ayala say anything about needing to stay?”
“He says it’s not some kind of down-low black op and he’s ready to go. There’s a complication. I won’t go into it now, but it’s need-to-know and I needed to know.” Even if he didn’t technically have that clearance.
Lance’s eyebrows went up. Andry perked up a little behind him. But Lance just asked for his current status.
“In Boise, heading out about 0945 if everything goes well. I’ll check in at 1930. Ayala wants to go with the backup route.”
“Understood.” Lance signed off.
James showed up—coming through the door of the empty supply room like it was unlocked—at 1007. Matt saw James’s smirk at his surprise, and it reminded him to shield his thoughts.
But Matt had rigged that door.
“I don’t get how you do that.” James kept his voice low.
“What?” Matt asked, inspecting the locking mechanism. “I can’t figure out how you did this.”
“I’m SOUF. How do you just turn off your brain waves like that?”
“I’ll tell you if you show me how to do that with the lock.”
“Fine, but not right now. I wanna get out of here. I think we need to leave now.”
Matt looked up at the suddenly sharp note in James’s voice. “Okay. Let’s go camping.” He saved his questions until after they’d silently crept from the room—the store below was open, now—and made it to the alley behind the building.
James beat him to it. “Tell me how you did that, turned it off like that.”
“I don’t really know. I just think about it. Like I think: ‘okay, stop broadcasting to James,’ and I do. I can turn it on again the same way. Or if I haven’t been around you for a while. Maybe it sort of wears off. You can tell me if you pick me up again. What camping gear do you have?”
“Stuff any hunter would have. I started buying it as soon as I got out. Hunting’s a fucking religion here, so they weren’t going to stop me.”
“They didn’t let you buy a rifle?” No way.
James gave him a sardonic look. “This is the Red, dude. I couldn’t get anything much, but I got an old projectile shotgun on the underground arms market.”
“No fucking way.” Matt was incredulous.
“Way. These people are serious about the right to bear arms.”
“These people are dumbasses.”
James gave his trademark snort. “Also have some digi-camo, hunter’s camo—no safety colors—and random other things. No food, no shelter except my sleeping bag.”
“The digi-camo could save our asses.”
“Money talks even if you have a pink triangle on your chest. And it helps when you know how bad your seller wants it.”
Matt headed out. James didn’t ask any questions, just followed Matt a klick or so through quiet neighborhoods, until they came to an ancient, decrepit bungalow.
Similar Books
