Remington.
Goose checked himself, wondering if he was being unfair to the captain. He’d known the man a long time. Down deep inside, Goose refused to believe that Remington was anything less than a good man. The captain was just confused these days. With everything that had gone on, that was understandable.
And if that one-world army was coming, as Remington seemed to believe so fervently and the news channels were only now starting to talk up, then Goose was going to end up among their ranks anyway. Wasn’t he?
Even trying to think it through logically didn’t help. Goose knew it still felt wrong. He just didn’t know why.
Icarus’s stories about Carpathia kept cycling through Goose’s head.
A tank passed by on the street. The vibrations of its passage were almost enough to make Goose fall off the crutches. He repositioned himself and leaned against the sandbags.
So where are you going to go, Sergeant? Goose asked himself. Just what exactly is it you’re doing out here?
A jeep passed him, then braked to a halt and reversed to pull up in front of him. Danielle Vinchenzo sat behind the steering wheel. Her cameraman sat in the passenger seat.
45
Downtown Sanliurfa
Sanliurfa Province, Turkey
Local Time 0453 Hours
Danielle looked at Goose. “Aren’t you supposed to be in bed?”
“Got tired of lying around,” Goose replied. “Thought I’d get a breath of fresh air.”
Concern tightened the lines of her face. Her eyes were red-rimmed, and Goose would have bet his last dollar she hadn’t slept all night. “You look like you’re ready to fall over,” she said.
“Ma’am,” Goose said with a smile, “I’d say that’s a case of the pot calling the kettle black.”
Danielle grinned in return. “I guess neither one of us was meant for the life of a spectator, First Sergeant.”
“No, ma’am.”
“Want to go anywhere?”
Goose thought about it. “I don’t know. I just knew I couldn’t stay laid up in that bed anymore.”
“Gary and I were heading out to breakfast. If we can find a place. If I eat another MRE, I’m going to barf.”
Goose grinned. “Yes, ma’am. But like my first sergeant told me back in the day, if you find yourself turning your nose up at an MRE, you just ain’t gone hungry long enough.”
Danielle laughed. “I think it’s more likely an acquired taste. But the offer stands. If you stand out here much longer, one of those nurses is going to find you.”
“Yes, ma’am. You’re probably right about that.”
“Then get in.”
“You don’t mind?”
“First Sergeant, I insist.”
“Yes, ma’am.” As Goose hobbled over, the cameraman abandoned the passenger seat and sat on the rear deck. With difficulty and considerable pain, Goose managed to lever his bad leg into the jeep. A fine sheen of perspiration covered him by the time he was in.
“Are you sure you’re up to this?” Danielle asked.
“Yes, ma’am.”
“These streets aren’t smooth anymore.”
“No, ma’am. I can see that. It’ll be all right. But thank you for asking.”
Danielle put the jeep in gear and pulled out onto the street behind a convoy of United Nations vehicles. “I suppose you’re aware of what Carpathia is doing with the military?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“I’ve heard that Captain Remington is accepting a position with them.”
“You’d have to talk to the captain about that, ma’am.”
“I don’t think I’m one of the captain’s favorite people these days. Not only that, but I’ve heard a lot of Rangers aren’t happy about it either. Several of them plan to stay with the army.”
Goose didn’t say anything. He’d heard the same thing, and it weighed on his mind.
“Many of those Rangers,” Danielle added, “are the same men who were following Corporal Baker’s church. Before he was murdered.”
That statement gave Goose unpleasant thoughts about Alexander Cody. “Have you done any more follow-up on Cody?”
“Enough to get myself in trouble with the network.”
“They tell you to stay away from him?”
“Not in so many words.”
“It appears to me, ma’am, that you’re working for the man you’re wanting to declare as an enemy.”
Danielle smiled. “For the moment, yes. But Nicolae Carpathia, and especially OneWorld NewsNet, can’t control me.”
Seeing the fiery independence in the woman, Goose nodded. “I reckon not, ma’am.”
“I’m going to stay until they force me out. And I’m going to use my position to ferret out everything I can.”
“Given what you’ve found, ma’am, that might not be the smartest thing you could do.”
“You’re out here wandering around on crutches when you can’t even stand up, First Sergeant. I don’t think I’d be talking about smart things to do.”
“No, ma’am. I suppose not.”
“What about you, Goose?” she asked.
“Ma’am?”
“Are you going to join Carpathia’s army?”
Goose chose his words carefully. “The docs tell me I’ll be doing good to walk again after this. I get back stateside, I’ll talk to a few specialists. But I don’t think their diagnosis is gonna be much different. Me and this knee, we been through a lot. Got a lot of miles on us. A lot of pain.” But Goose couldn’t stop thinking about Megan and how she was coming to Sanliurfa.
“And if your knee wasn’t hurt?”
“I try not to deal in guesswork like that, ma’am. I’m a U.S. Army Ranger. I was trained to deal in realistic situations.”
“I think we left behind the kind of realistic situations you were trained for weeks ago,” Danielle said.
“Maybe so, ma’am.” Goose shifted and tried in vain to find a comfortable position. Even if he managed that, the bumpy street guaranteed a lot of pain. Some of his discomfort must have shown on his face.
“Sorry,” Danielle said. “If I go much slower, the engine stalls out.”
“I’ll be okay, ma’am.” Goose stared at the blocks lined with bombed-out and wrecked shops. Only a few days ago, many of them had still been open.
“Do you think Remington, as a captain or a colonel, is going to be able to hold this city?”
“If it can be done, I’m sure he’s just the man to do it.”
“You put a lot of faith in him.”
“He’s been a friend for a long time, ma’am.”
“He hasn’t seemed like much of a friend lately.”
Goose didn’t answer for a moment. “The captain’s got a lot on his mind lately, ma’am, but when push comes to shove, I’ve never known him not to do the right thing.” He tried not to pay attention to the doubts he felt as soon as he spoke.
