Pandora's Legion

out of ten, she told herself.

Leopole suspected he was being conned. He enjoyed the hell out of it. “Well, then, what’s the problem with staying?”

“Actually, Frank, it’s my sense of self-worth. I accepted this contract with a specific purpose — to evaluate filoviruses. The fact that we’ve found so little after so long makes me feel that I’m accepting payment for no services rendered. That’s why I wonder if I shouldn’t go home until…”

“Yes?”

“Well, perhaps I could come back if you do find something. I could be here in barely a day.”

Leopole leaned back, hands behind his head. He was not as relaxed as he appeared. “Yeah, I suppose you could. But Admiral Derringer and Dr. Catterly want you on the job. And so do I.” He grinned at her. “For whatever that’s worth.”

The violet eyes lowered demurely to her lap; she wished she could blush on cue. “Thank you, Frank. I do appreciate it. Truly.” She raised her gaze to him again. “But there’s only so much I can do here. While the lads are dashing about, I’m mostly cooped up here. I can’t go out on my own, and it’s inconvenient to get an escort every time I feel like shopping or sightseeing.” She spread her hands. “Frank, besides the medical inactivity, I’m going stir crazy. I believe that you Americans call it cabin fever.” She found the right tone for the occasion. “If I don’t get some outdoor activity, I shall burst!”

He nodded, assessing what was coming. So that’s it! She wants to go on the next mission. “Carolyn, I understand your position. And it speaks well of your professional ethics. Some people would be happy to fort up here and collect their check. But you know we can’t send out a crew just for you to climb some rocks or cross some hills. The only way is to send you on foot with one of our teams.”

She inhaled, held her breath, then pressed the attack. “That’s what I’ve been thinking. Now, the upcoming search of the Chaman area is expected to last, what? Three or four days?”

“Affirm. But…”

“That would be marvelous! I’m perfectly fit — ask any of the boys I exercise with. And if they find something, I’d be right there. You wouldn’t have to fly me in.”

“Carolyn, are you saying that if you don’t go on this op you’ll take the next plane to London?”

She shook her head vigorously. Her light brown hair swirled around her ears. “Oh, Frank…” That’s exactly what I mean. She gave him a patented CPS How Could You? look. “I am merely saying that I’m not earning my keep just lazing about here, and that I may as well go home unless there’s something really useful for me to do.”

Leopole stood up and turned away, looking into the evening. When he pivoted, his mind was made up. “Carolyn, have you really thought this out? You’d be the only female in the most desolate countryside you ever saw. You’d be traveling with some hard cases— Americans and Pakistanis — who may like and admire you, but they won’t cut you any slack. And they shouldn’t. Furthermore, if you get separated from our people, you’d be a white woman, alone in a Muslim country. You need to think about that. You really do.”

“I have done. Truly.”

“What would your husband say?”

Padgett-Smith was taken aback. She felt an emotional bump; it was a legitimate question. She realized that she had given Charles little thought over the past few days. He encourages me to follow my dreams. She rose to face the American. “He would tell me the same thing he would tell you: she’s a woman grown. She can make her own mistakes.”

Leopole almost flinched. Yeouch. You are one tough lady. After four seconds of locking eyes with the Britisher, he heard himself say, “Alright. I’ll check with headquarters for an okay.” Before she could respond, he added, “I just hope that you don’t regret it. And neither do I.”

QUETTA AIRBASE

Leopole had an announcement. “We’re moving to search an area near Chaman.”

Bosco perked up. “Where’s that, Boss?”

“It’s the area where J. J. was held. About sixty miles northwest, halfway to Kandahar. You would know that if you ever looked at a map, Boscombe.”

“Uh, yessir. Rightyouaresir.”

Leopole turned his attention to the rest of the room. “Chaman is right on the border, so it’s prime smuggling territory. Major Khan and Dr. Mohammed have developed a plan that I think has possibilities. Khan’s sources indicate that al Qaeda operates around there, playing both sides of the border, and there’s indication of a veterinarian who’s active in the region. So that’s where we’re going.”

Steve Lee shifted in his seat. “All of us, Colonel?”

“Ah, no. We can’t have too many foreigners running around so we’ll send part of White Team. But you’ll have Dr. Mohammed and Dr. Padgett-Smith owing to their specialties.”

Lee nodded his assent. Whether he agreed with the extra baggage was problematical.

“And there’s one other specialty,” Leopole added. “Major Khan has offered a couple of military mule skinners, since you’ll be packing some bio gear. A few of our local contacts have dropped information that a medical aid team is going to be working the area. Major Khan will bring along an army doctor for realism. We reckon you’ll draw less scrutiny with low-end transportation rather than running up and down the highway with a paramilitary convoy. Besides that, Khan has enough horsepower to handle any suspicious types you may meet.”

“Roger that.” Lee glanced around at his team, sorting out which operators to take. “Ah, Colonel, what about a quick trip up there to scout the terrain?”

“Steve, I agree that recon is time well spent, but we’re short on time. With the guides you’ll have, there shouldn’t be any big surprises. I’m told that the uphill climb is fairly easy on this side of the pass but pretty steep on the Afghan side. The scenery is supposed to be spectacular.”

“Okay, roger the scenery.” Lee grinned at his colleague. “Ah, what about extraction? I mean, if we find something, there’s not much point coming out by mule.”

“Right. Depending on what turns up, we can send some trucks to your area or we can have at least one helo there in less than an hour. Just keep us informed. I’ll coordinate frequencies and comm schedules with you.”

After the briefing, Lee waylaid Leopole. “Frank, I’d like to talk about Doc Smith.”

Leopole had expected some resistance. He folded his arms, nodded his head, and said, “Fire away.”

Lee glanced over his shoulder. Seeing no one nearby, he said, “Don’t get me wrong. She’s an impressive lady, and I have no doubt about her professional ability. But I gotta wonder what’s the point in taking her along? I mean, if we find something out there, we can secure the area and you could fly her in.”

“Steve, I understand your position. Hell, I agree with you. But she’s really concerned about pulling her weight. She told me she doesn’t think she’s earning her pay, and unless something turns up pretty soon, she wants to go home.”

Lee rolled his eyes. Behind the blue orbs an exclamation flashed on his mental screen. Women! “Damn it, she’s like the rest of us. She starts earning her keep when and if we find something. Until then, we’re all just warming our motors at the start line.”

Leopole shook his head. “Actually, she’s in a different boat than the rest of us. You know she’s not a regular SSI employee. Well, I checked on her status when she told me she’s thinking of going home. Because of her research work in England, she inserted a clause saying she could back out if she’s not needed here. Corin Pilong’s in charge of contracts, and she confirmed what Padgett-Smith said.”

Lee’s shoulders sagged visibly. “And there’s nobody else.”

“No lie, GI. We’re buyers in a seller’s market.” Leopole then moved to the next order of business. “Who do you want to take with you?”

Lee already had his preferences. “I think some of the original Blue Team guys would benefit from being in the field again. So I’m picking Norton on radio with Hendricks and O’Neil. But Bosco and Breezy are a strong team and it makes sense to keep them together.”

Leopole thought for a moment. “What about Ken Delmore? He could come in handy.”

“Yeah, he’s strong as two oxes, but he’s just so damn big. He’d probably draw attention.” Lee laughed. “Besides, we have three mules, remember?”

QUETTA AIRBASE

Padgett-Smith overheard Terry Keegan’s latest rant. The tone of his voice caught her attention as much as