hours. No man with a rifle could begin to match that.
Morrison powered up the system for his 'test.' Warning buzzers started
to sound, a red light flashed on and off on the control board. He
reached for the control, a covered button. The buzzers continued their
howl, the lights their strobe, as he raised the cover, then pressed the
button.
/ got your blocks of wood right here, pal... Multnomah Falls, Oregon
John Howard stood by the stone restaurant watching his family look at
the thin ribbon of water cascading down from a great height to splash
into a cold pool at the base of the cliff. They were about twenty-five
or so miles outside of Portland, in the Columbia River Gorge, looking
at one of the highest waterfalls in the country, more than a
six-hundred-foot drop in the second stage here. It was beautiful,
though more impressive in the spring as the snowmelt fed the tributary
a lot more water.
Everything was damp here, lots of moss and mold, fed by the constant
spray off the falls.
Howard reached for the virgil--the virtual global interface
link--hooked to his belt. This was a great toy, not much bigger than a
standard pager or small cell phone, and it not only had a com, it was a
working GPS, clock, radio, TV, modem, credit card, camera, scanner, and
even a tiny fax that produced weave wire hardcopy. There were civilian
models, but the military units were better--at least for now. Sharper
Image was gaining, or so he had heard.
Sergeant Julio Fernandez appeared on the virgil's tiny screen,
smiling.
'Congratulations, General. I didn't think you'd make it this long. I
guess one of the others will win the pool.'
'I am merely calling to check in. Sergeant.'
'The country is getting along fine without you, sir. No wars, no
terrorists taking over at Quantico--well, if you don't count the new
feeb recruits--and the Republic endures.'
'I just wanted to let you know where I was.'
'John, your GPS sends us a homing signal as long as it's got power,
remember? We know where you are. You want me to give you your
longitude and latitude?'
'Nobody likes a smart-ass NCO, Julio.'
'C'mon, you're on vacation. Relax. Enjoy yourself. I'll call if the
Swiss or the French decide to invade the country, I promise.'
Howard made a suggestion that was anatomically impossible and unlikely
for a heterosexual even if it had been possible.
Fernandez laughed.
'That's a discom, General. Adios.'
Howard smiled as he rehooked the virgil to his belt.
Well, yes, he did sometimes think things would go to hell if he left
town. So he was a worrier, what could he say?
Nadine and the children were hot to climb up to the little bridge
closer to the falls, and Howard went along.
It was all part of the ambience, to get wet, wasn't it?
