hope I never set foot in that country again, he thought grimly, the events that had led him to the Order still fresh in his mind even after all this time.
Nick must have picked up on his discomfort, for he didn’t pursue that point further. “How long have you been in?” he asked.
“Ten years. Three in the general forces and the last seven on the protection detail for the Preceptor. I’ve seen my share of things get ugly, but I’ll be the first to admit it pales in comparison to Echo Team’s exploits. From the unit’s record, you seem to see combat fairly often.”
Nick smiled, and it was not a friendly smile. “You bet your ass we do. More than any other unit. When the higher-ups can’t figure out how to solve something, they call us in. This new job might seem quiet now; but I guarantee it’s going to get sticky, or we wouldn’t be here.”
“Can I ask you something then?” Duncan inquired.
Nick opened his mouth but before he could reply his laptop beeped. Muttering under his breath, he began to tap the keyboard with sure, quick strokes. “Go ahead, I’m still listening,” he said to Duncan, without taking his eyes off the screen.
Duncan nodded toward the rear of the aircraft and asked, “How do you feel about working for him?”
Nick stopped what he was doing and eyed Duncan in silence. Just as Duncan began to suspect that he had crossed a line he shouldn’t have crossed, the other man finally answered. “What you really mean is what’s it like working for the Heretic, right?”
Duncan grimaced at his transparency, but nodded nonetheless. “Well, he does have a certain reputation.”
Nick snorted. “Let me give you a piece of advice. If you’re going to be a part of this squad, then you need to get something straight, and it’s best that you do it from the start,” he said, the casual air now gone from his voice. “In our unit, no one ever calls Cade the Heretic. It’s a bullshit name given to him by someone not even fit to be in the same room with him. You’ll understand that the first time you find yourself facing something that belongs inside someone else’s nightmare, and it’s Cade that saves your ass.”
Nick laughed suddenly at his own harshness and softened his tone. “I’m not trying to be hard on you. Even I have to admit that things are a little, um, different on the team. Cade doesn’t always follow the Rule precisely to the letter, and he has certain abilities that, frankly, scare the hell out of me sometimes. But that doesn’t mean I don’t respect him or that he doesn’t deserve my respect. He’s the best damn commanding officer I’ve ever served under, that’s a fact.”
“So the stories are true?” Duncan asked.
“That depends on which ones you are talking about,” Nick answered, with a sly smile.
*** ***
From his position at his work area in the rear cabin, Cade could hear the soft hum of conversation between Sergeant Olsen and their new team member, reminding him that he had yet to go over the man’s personnel file.
With a sigh he turned away from his research in the Apostolicae Sedis and opened his laptop. Powering it up, he called forth Duncan’s service records.
He skimmed over the early details - born and raised in Georgia, the son of a preacher, home schooled for most of his elementary years, attended a parochial high school and later a Jesuit university, where he majored in religious studies - it was all fairly ordinary. Instead, Cade focused on the present, noting the short span of time Duncan spent in seminary before an unexpected departure for the Orient and a long missionary tour, then the equally short courtship to bring him into the Order. His zeal and desire to succeed once he had been christened a Knight was evident, and his service record over the last ten years was exemplary. He’d been selected early on to serve on the protection detail and had remained there, rising to his present position as detail command three years
Nick must have picked up on his discomfort, for he didn’t pursue that point further. “How long have you been in?” he asked.
“Ten years. Three in the general forces and the last seven on the protection detail for the Preceptor. I’ve seen my share of things get ugly, but I’ll be the first to admit it pales in comparison to Echo Team’s exploits. From the unit’s record, you seem to see combat fairly often.”
Nick smiled, and it was not a friendly smile. “You bet your ass we do. More than any other unit. When the higher-ups can’t figure out how to solve something, they call us in. This new job might seem quiet now; but I guarantee it’s going to get sticky, or we wouldn’t be here.”
“Can I ask you something then?” Duncan inquired.
Nick opened his mouth but before he could reply his laptop beeped. Muttering under his breath, he began to tap the keyboard with sure, quick strokes. “Go ahead, I’m still listening,” he said to Duncan, without taking his eyes off the screen.
Duncan nodded toward the rear of the aircraft and asked, “How do you feel about working for him?”
Nick stopped what he was doing and eyed Duncan in silence. Just as Duncan began to suspect that he had crossed a line he shouldn’t have crossed, the other man finally answered. “What you really mean is what’s it like working for the Heretic, right?”
Duncan grimaced at his transparency, but nodded nonetheless. “Well, he does have a certain reputation.”
Nick snorted. “Let me give you a piece of advice. If you’re going to be a part of this squad, then you need to get something straight, and it’s best that you do it from the start,” he said, the casual air now gone from his voice. “In our unit, no one ever calls Cade the Heretic. It’s a bullshit name given to him by someone not even fit to be in the same room with him. You’ll understand that the first time you find yourself facing something that belongs inside someone else’s nightmare, and it’s Cade that saves your ass.”
Nick laughed suddenly at his own harshness and softened his tone. “I’m not trying to be hard on you. Even I have to admit that things are a little, um, different on the team. Cade doesn’t always follow the Rule precisely to the letter, and he has certain abilities that, frankly, scare the hell out of me sometimes. But that doesn’t mean I don’t respect him or that he doesn’t deserve my respect. He’s the best damn commanding officer I’ve ever served under, that’s a fact.”
“So the stories are true?” Duncan asked.
“That depends on which ones you are talking about,” Nick answered, with a sly smile.
*** ***
From his position at his work area in the rear cabin, Cade could hear the soft hum of conversation between Sergeant Olsen and their new team member, reminding him that he had yet to go over the man’s personnel file.
With a sigh he turned away from his research in the Apostolicae Sedis and opened his laptop. Powering it up, he called forth Duncan’s service records.
He skimmed over the early details - born and raised in Georgia, the son of a preacher, home schooled for most of his elementary years, attended a parochial high school and later a Jesuit university, where he majored in religious studies - it was all fairly ordinary. Instead, Cade focused on the present, noting the short span of time Duncan spent in seminary before an unexpected departure for the Orient and a long missionary tour, then the equally short courtship to bring him into the Order. His zeal and desire to succeed once he had been christened a Knight was evident, and his service record over the last ten years was exemplary. He’d been selected early on to serve on the protection detail and had remained there, rising to his present position as detail command three years
Similar Books
