"08 - Metal Fire" - читать интересную книгу автора (McKinney Jack)

"We caught him in an off-limits joint, ma'am. He has a valid pass, but what shall we do with him?"
"Not a word, Dana!" Nova cautioned. Then she asked the MP, "Which off-limits place?"
"A bar over in the Gauntlet, ma'am."
"Wait a minute," said Bowie, hoping to save his neck. "It wasn't a bar, ma'am, it was a jazz club!" He looked back and forth between Nova and Dana, searching for the line of least resistance, realizing all the while that it was a fine line between bar and club. But being busted for drinking was going to cost him more points than straying into a restricted area. Maybe if he displayed the guilt they obviously expected him to feel...
"Where they have been known to roll soldiers who wake up bleeding in some alley!" Nova snapped. "If the army didn't need every ATAC right now, I'd let you think that over for a week in the lockup!"
Nova was forcing the harsh tone in her voice. What she actually felt was closer to amusement than anger. Any minute now Dana would try to intervene on Grant's behalf; and Grant was bound to foul up again, which would then reflect on Dana. Nova smiled inside: it felt so good to have the upper hand.
Bowie was stammering an explanation and apology, far from heartfelt, but somehow convincing. Nova, however, put a quick end to it and continued to read him the riot act.
"And furthermore, I fully appreciate the pressure you've all been under, but we can't afford to make allowances for special cases. Do you understand me, Private?!"
The implication was clear enough: Bowie was being warned that his relationship with General Emerson wouldn't be taken into account.
Dana was gazing coldly at Bowie, nodding along with the lieutenant's lecture, but at the same time she was managing to slip Bowie a knowing wink, as if to say: Just agree with her.
Bowie caught on at last. "I promise not to do it again, sir!"
Meanwhile Nova had turned to Dana. "If Lieutenant Sterling is willing to take responsibility for you and keep you out of trouble, I'll let this incident go. But next time I won't be so lenient."
Dana consented, her tone suggesting rough things ahead for Bowie Grant, and Nova dismissed her agent.
"Shall we finish our coffee?" Nova asked leadingly.
Dana thought carefully before responding. Nova was up to no good, but Dana suddenly saw a way to turn the incident to her own advantage. And Bowie's as well.
"I think it would be better if I started proving myself to you by taking care of my new responsibility," she said stiffly.
"Yes, you do that," Nova drawled, sounding like the Wicked Witch of the West.

Later, walking back to the barracks, Dana had some serious words with her charge.
"Nova's not playing around. Next time she'll probably feed you to the piranhas. Bowie, what's wrong? First you louse up in combat, then you, go looking for trouble in town. And where'd you steal a valid pass, by the way?"
He shrugged, head hung. "I keep spares. Sorry, I didn't mean to cause any friction between you and Nova. You're a good friend, Dana."
Dana smiled down at him. "Okay...But there's one thing you can do for me..."
Bowie was waiting for her to finish, when Dana's open hand came around without warning and slapped him forcefully on the back-almost throwing him off his feet-and with it Dana's hearty: "Cheer up! Everything's going to be fine!"


CHAPTER TWO
I wish someone would call time out,
They're welcome to disarm me,
We are the very model of
A modern techno army.
Bowie Grant, "With Apologies to Gilbert and Sullivan"

Thirteen, Rolf Emerson said to himself when he had completed his count of the staff officers grouped around the briefing room's tables. The tables would have formed a triangle of sorts, save for the fact that Commander Leonard's desk (at what would have been the triangle's apex) was curved. This was also a bad sign. Ordinarily, Emerson was not a superstitious man, but recent developments in world events had begun to work a kind of atavism on him. And if Human consciousness was going to commence a backward slide, who was he to march against it?
"This meeting has been called to discuss strategic approaches we might employ against the enemy," the supreme commander announced when the last member of his staff had seated himself. "We must act quickly and decisively, gentlemen; so I expect you to keep your remarks brief and to the point." Leonard got to his feet, both hands flat on the table. His angry eyes found Rolf Emerson. "General...go ahead."
Emerson rose, hoping his plan would fly; it seemed the only rational option, but that didn't guarantee anything, with Chairman Moran holding Leonard's feet to the fire, and Leonard passing the courtesy along down the chain of command. Brief and to the point, he reminded himself.
"I propose we recommence an attack on the fortress...but only as a diversionary tactic. That ship remains an unknown quantity, and I think it's imperative we get a small scouting unit inside for a fast recon."
This set off a lot of talk about demolition teams, battlefield nukes, and the like.
Rolf raised his voice. "Gentlemen, the goal is not to destroy the fortress. We have to ascertain some measure of understanding of the aliens' purpose. Need I remind you that this ship is but one of many?"
Leonard quieted the table. Twice, Emerson had said alien as opposed to enemy, but he decided to address that some other time. Right now, the major general's plan sounded good. A bit risky, but logical, and he stated as much.
To everyone's surprise, Colonel Rudolph concurred. "After all, what do we know about the enemy?" he pointed out.
Leonard asked Rolf to address this.
"We have tentative evidence that they're Human or nearly Human in biogenetic terms," Emerson conceded. "But that might only apply to their warrior class. We do know that the Robotechnology we've seen them use is much more advanced than ours, and we have no idea what else they're capable of."
"All the more reason to recon that ship," Rudolph said after a moment.
There was general agreement, but Colonel Rochelle thought to ask whether a team really could penetrate the fortress, given the aliens' superior firepower and defenses.
"If it's the right team," Rolf answered him.
"And the Fifteenth is the one for the job," Commander Leonard said decisively.
Emerson contradicted warily: it was true that the 15th had had some remarkable successes lately, but it was still a relatively untested outfit, and there were some among the team who certainly weren't qualified for the job...
But Leonard cut him off before he had a chance to name names, which was just as well.
"General Emerson, you know the Fifteenth is the best team for this job."
There was general agreement again, while Emerson hid his consternation. Dana and Bowie had entered the military because that was where they were needed, and a stint in the service was expected of all able-bodied young people. Emerson had encouraged Bowie to enter the academy, because Dana had already decided to and because Emerson was well aware that that was what Bowie's parents would have wanted.