"William W Johnstone - Ashes 32 - Destiny in the Ashes (txt)" - читать интересную книгу автора (Johnstone William W)

Buck shook his head, grinning. "I guess you could call it therapy, after
a fashion," he said, "though Helga tells me the arm seems pretty strong
to her, especially when she's trying to keep it away from various parts
of her body."

"That settles it then," Ben said, laughing. "The sling comes off and
Coop will take the physical training with the rest of the squad from now
on."

Coop shook his head. "Traitors," he mumbled, removing the sling and
stretching his arm, as if in pain.

"Now, Mike," Ben said to Mike Post. "Tell us about the latest intel from
the USA."

Mike took his pipe from his mouth, tamped the tobacco a little with his
index finger, then snapped a Zippo lighter and fired the pipe up.

As clouds of cherry-scented tobacco wafted upwards, he began to talk.
"So far, President Claire Osterman has been too busy trying to
rehabilitate her country to get into any more mischief. The plague
organisms she unleashed in con-

9

cert with Bottger and Perro Loco last year have caused quite a bit of
illness in the states bordering the SUSA."

Ben glanced at the doctor. "Buck, have we sent her an ample supply of
medicines and vaccines to help stamp out the epidemic?"

Buck nodded. "Yes, sir, as well as a couple of hundred corpsmen and
medical team members to help with the treatment protocols."

"Anything else going on up there we ought to know about?" Ben asked Mike.

Mike shrugged. "Just the usual aftermath of another unsuccessful attempt
to take us over," he answered. "Claire has made a major change in her
command structure, getting rid of General Stevens and replacing him with
a General Maxwell Goddard."

"What do we know about this Goddard?"

"Pretty reasonable sort of fellow from what my men on the inside tell
me. Not at all the usual 'yes-ma'am' type Claire usually assigns."

"You don't mean to tell us he actually tells her the truth about her
hare-brained schemes to take out Ben Raines?" Jersey asked, a look of
incredulity on her face.