3rd World Products, Book 17

by Ed Howdershelt

  After dumping our bags, the ladies and I went to the Dirtside Pub and found Wallace with a man and a woman at a table. Wallace introduced them as Chuck Draper and Louise Falco of Lab Two, then ordered a round of drinks. Figured. Cap wanted an immediate practical evaluation of Susan and her whiz kid math.

  We presented a brief overview of finding and collecting Susan, then Louise asked her something about how she solved a tricky bit of math. Susan began explaining enthusiastically, and suddenly it was almost as if Wallace, Marie, and I weren’t even at the table.

  I suggested a game of cutthroat pool to give them time to hash out whatever they were discussing. Marie and Wallace agreed and we each contributed a quarter to the first game.

  Preparing to flip a quarter, I said, “Call it,” and called tails as Wallace and Marie both called heads. Heads it was.

  I flipped it again and Wallace took tails. The coin came up heads, so Marie got balls one through five, Wallace got six through ten, and I had eleven through fifteen. Each of us had to sink everybody else’s balls to win and the eight wasn’t special.

  Marie broke the rack. When she missed a shot at one of my balls, she’d left three of Wallace’s balls and three of mine still on the table.

  Wallace made her two and my thirteen, then got stuck behind a small cluster of balls. He swore softly, shot at her five and missed, and almost put his own nine in a side pocket.

  I lined up on Wallace’s nine. Popping it gently into the side, I next shot one of Marie’s in the other side, using some spin to make the cue ball roll toward a corner. A few shots later, the table was empty of their balls and I shot my own in to clear it.

  I’d almost expected Wallace to give me some razz about shooting one handed, but he didn’t. Instead, he just clinked my bottle with his and said, “Good game. I’m going to leave you in Marie’s tender care and see how things are going at the math table. Don’t let her wander around loose, okay?”

  With a two-finger salute, I replied, “Aye, aye, Cap’n.”

  Marie asked, “You think he just wanted to get off the table?”

  “Maybe, but I think he’s more interested in reading people while they talk. They’ve had some time to socialize a bit.”

  Eyeing her beer bottle, she asked, “How many of these will we want? One’s really enough for me tonight.”

  I shrugged. “Suits me. I think we stopped being necessary. We could prob’ly disappear right now if we wanted.”

  Marie chuckled, “No, let’s be civilized and finish our beers first. Play another game? Regular pool this time?”

  “Sure.”

  I fed quarters into the table and she racked the balls. When I broke, the eight didn’t move at all. Marie chose stripes and made four of them before she got trapped behind my balls.

  Laying my stick on the table, I popped in three balls, then lined up for a long green shot close to a pocket. Enough spin brought the cue ball halfway back up the side and I snapped in another ball.

  Marie said, “You must spend a lot of time on pool tables.”

  “Used to.” I put another ball in and watched the cue ball roll a little too far past the next ball I wanted. Oh, well. A bit more angle.

  “Why shoot one handed?”

  “Just do. I started doing it years ago. Now I have a better chance of screwing up if I use two hands.”

  The cue ball again rolled just a bit too far, lodging firmly behind two of her stripes. In trying to sneak it out past them, I missed.

  Marie stepped up and managed to put in all of her stripes, then barely missed a long green for the eight. Swearing softly, she stepped away from the table and said, “Looks like your game.”

  It was. The next few shots were close and easy. I checked my beer. Almost gone. Marie checked hers, then swigged her bottle empty and set it on a table. I did the same and we put our sticks in the rack. Cap said they’d get Susan to her room, so after a round of goodbyes, Marie and I ambled out of the pub.

  Just outside the door, Marie said, “You know, the first time I met Wallace, I got the impression he didn’t like me much.”

  I chuckled, “He didn’t like me much at first, either. Tried to get rid of me, in fact.”

  “Why?”

  “He felt threatened. He and Linda were into a good thing together. I was ‘that guy‘ from her past. We’d reminisce a bit and he’d feel excluded. She had me on her speed dial and I worked alone. AIC on a mission. Wallace is a ‘team’ guy, so everything about me bugged the living hell out of him, but over a decade or so we’ve reached an understanding of sorts. I’d actually call him a friend now.”

  She mulled that for a moment, then stated, “That explains why he didn’t get along with you. It doesn’t explain why he’d automatically dislike me.”

  “Sure it would. You and I were on Linda’s A-team way back when. Another deep history he can never really share. In-joke laughs he can’t understand because he wasn’t there and wasn’t a spook. That kind of stuff. Then there was talk of you coming to work with 3rd World. He’d expect you to be like me about assignments. AIC, work alone, all that.” I chuckled, “He probably flinched pretty hard at the idea of having to go through it all again with you.”

  A few steps later, Marie asked, “So what changed his mind about me? He seems to like me okay now.”

  “Twelve years ago he was a captain halfway through his career. Now he can retire and let you be a pain in somebody else’s ass.”

  I’d expected a droll response and she gave me one with an eye roll to cap it, then said, “Yeah, well, he’d be right. I’m not a team player, either. I’m the one who’s going to call the shots on my missions.”

  I laughed, “The same general speech I made. I want to be there when you tell him. You’ll make his day.”

  “I was told I’d be working with Col. Horn.”

  “Yeah, but she’s his XO. All the military people on base are under his command.”

  Marie’s left hand rose to her lower stomach. She stopped and massaged the spot with gritted teeth for a moment.

  I said, “Gee, I didn’t think you’d take the news that hard.”

  Snorting a chuckle, Marie said, “I’m having cramps, dummy. For God’s sake, I’m over sixty. I thought I’d never have to go through these…” pausing, she grunted softly, “… again. Oh, damn.”

  “That bad, huh?”

  Leaning against the wall, she replied, “Ever had dysentery? Not quite that bad, but close.” After another soft grunt, she took a deep breath and added, “I’d forgotten what they were like. Damn.”

  Having my core check her over on general principles turned up nothing other than menstrual cramps. Also on general principles, I asked my core if it could do anything about them. It said they were her body’s response to complex blah blah and some arcane chemical and anatomical interactions and the answer boiled down to ‘no’.

  I asked Marie, “What do you usually do about them?”

  She shrugged. “Take a couple of Midol and rest.”

  “Ever tried the Amaran version of aspirin? Linda said it was actually a little too strong.”

  Shaking her head, she replied, “No, and I’ll stick with what I know this time around. Thanks, anyway.”

  I thought about telling her my first wife had discovered that having sex could ease them for a while, but realized I’d sound as if I just wanted to get laid no matter what.

  Leaning on the wall beside her, I said, “It’s late enough to call it a night if you want.”

  Marie seemed to give that some thought, then said, “Might as well. I’m beat and I wouldn’t be good company anyway.”

  I chuckled, “Oh, I dunno. Strangely enough, ma’am, I’ve actually been enjoying your company lately.”

  She gave me a little grin and, “Same here. I was pretty surprised, but I got over it.”

  Footsteps made us look up the corridor to see Collins coming toward us. She nodded in passing and continued to the pub. Less than a minute later, Wallace came out, stopp
ed at the door to turn, say something, and wave, and then came toward us.

  He called up a screen and spoke to someone as he marched, then let the screen vanish and called up his board, zipping past us with just a nod and a small wave. Linking to my core, I tapped into base ops. No commo traffic indicated a problem. Putting up a screen, I called the security office.

  Jim Philpot answered with, “Hi, Ed. How’s it going?”

  “I’m calling to ask you the same thing. Is something happening or about to happen?”

  Instantly guarded, Philpot asked, “What makes you think anything’s happened?”

  “Your expression and body language. And the guy who banned indoor board use just left the Dirtside Pub on his board.”

  Philpot sat tense and silent for a moment, then said, “The best I can do is tell him you called and let him get back to you.” After a pause, he added, “Sorry.”

  “Uh, huh. Later, then.”

  Letting the screen vanish and calling up my board, I looked at Marie. She called up her board and followed me to Guest Quarters and the door to her room.

  As she stopped next to me, Marie chuckled, “Well, thanks for a lovely evening and all that. Let me know how things go.”

  “Will do. Could be his people will handle whatever it is. I’m pretty sure he’d prefer that, in fact.”

  Marie regarded me for a moment, then said, “Go. Try to find out what’s going on, Ed. It’s just going to bug you all night if you don’t. I’ll watch a movie or something.”

  Standing on her toes, she gave me a quick kiss and patted my arm as she repeated, “Go,” then she turned and used her key card to enter her room. As she closed the door, she paused to give me a little hand-flap wave, then fully shut the door.

  Chapter Twenty-four

  Calling up my board, I headed for the security office. When I walked in, there were no overt signs of alarm. No hustle, no bustle, no comm chatter, no hovering officers. Philpot looked up from his console, nodded, and very obviously glanced toward Wallace’s office to tell me ‘the old man is in there‘.

  I pinged Wallace and a few moments passed until a screen popped up and he asked, “Yes, Ed?”

  “What’s up, Cap? You don’t use your board in the halls.”

  “Where’s Marie?”

  “In her room.”

  “Where are you?”

  “Outside your office door.”

  He eyed me for a moment, then reached off-screen and his door buzzed. “Come on in.”

  Pushing the door open, I entered the office to find Wallace standing at the small coffee bar on the far wall. He poured a cup and took it to his desk without comment.

  I topped off my mug and turned to face him as I asked, “Is it about Linda?”

  Still standing by his desk, he shook his head. “No. Not Linda.”

  “Family?”

  He nodded. “Yes.”

  Setting his coffee down, he went to his office closet and retrieved a blue hard-shell backpack, which he set by his desk as he sat down.

  Leaning on the coffee bar, I asked, “Anything I can do?”

  Sipping, he stared into his coffee and replied, “I don’t think so.”

  I sipped my coffee and waited. His hands were shaking slightly. I’d never seen Cap like this before and I found it disturbing.

  “Cap, you know me and you know I can’t just take your word for that. You’re too upset about it. Tell me what’s happening.”

  After a thoughtful pause, he sipped again and said, “It’s personal, Ed. Very personal.”

  “Uh, huh. But it’s someone you’d help if you could, right?”

  He shot me an irritated gaze and snapped, “Yes. Of course I would. Why the hell else would I be upset?”

  “Exactly. You know I don’t gossip, Cap. At the very least, you can talk about it and maybe vent a little.”

  Several seconds passed as he eyed me tightly, then sipped again and focused on his coffee. Sipping again, he took a deep breath and grunted, “Nothing leaves this office tonight. I’ll tell Linda tomorrow. Tonight it would just keep her from getting any sleep.”

  Hm. Linda knew the person involved? Or about the person involved? Maybe. Or not. Cap had no siblings or ex-wives and his parents were dead, so that left other relatives or friends. Or maybe an old flame or an extramarital child.

  Several more seconds passed, then he said, “I have a son, Ed. I didn’t find out about him until he was eighteen. His mother told him I was dead, but a Navy security update tipped him.”

  With a little shrug, he said, “He’d have found out anyway the first time anyone did a serious background check on him. After a big blowout with his mom, he called me and demanded a meeting. It didn’t go well. He’s twenty-five now. A cop in a town near Dallas. His mother called while we were in the pub.”

  “Does Linda know about him?”

  Nodding, Cap replied, “Yes.”

  “What happened to him?”

  Wallace looked up and said, “He was shot about two hours ago. Two in the chest and a bad fall. The operation’s over but he’s in a coma. They don’t really expect him to make it. Maybe not even through the night. As soon as Angie gets here, I’m flying down there.”

  Cap looked as if he was about to cry. Knowing him as well as I did, that indicated the true depth of his pain and frustration.

  “Where is he?”

  Eyeing me warily, Cap asked, “Why?”

  “You know why, Cap. All I can do here is listen, but if I can get some AI help to him in time, maybe…”

  He ranted, “You think I haven’t thought of that?!” Shoving his chair back, he stood up and walked to his office bathroom, where he slugged the door frame fairly hard, then turned to face me.

  “Ed, you got away with helping Marie. I’m damned if I can fully understand why the hell you aren’t in prison, but you got away with it. But if my son were treated the same way…”

  His sentence stopped there. I guess he couldn’t find the words he needed. I sipped coffee and waited for him to settle a bit, then said, “Your son. Or anybody else’s kid. Think about it.”

  He snapped, “About what, goddammit?”

  “The med laws are wrong, Cap. They’re bureaucratic bullshit and you know it. Control crap. Money crap. Political power crap.”

  He raged, “That doesn’t matter! Can’t you see that?! I took a solemn oath when I put on this uniform, damn it! Do you know how it’ll look if you show up there and do anything, Ed?! Do you?! It’ll look as if being an Admiral sets me above the goddamned law!”

  Sipping coffee, I shrugged and replied, “Only until the trial, I figure. And I’d love to see the bastards who wrote those laws be forced to explain them in a hostile courtroom. Cap, you only took an oath to defend the Constitution and follow orders. That doesn’t abrogate your responsibility to question and contend bad orders. Or bad laws.”

  Taking a breath, I said, “But that’s your problem. I don’t have to give a rancid rat’s ass how saving anyone’s life would look to a pack of scrofulous political jackals. And with your kid’s life on the line, why the hell do you?”

  He stormed about halfway to me and stopped, shaking and wordless with rage. And maybe expecting me to stun him?

  After a moment, I said quietly, “When you tell Linda tomorrow, she’ll ask why you didn’t tell her immediately. That’s ‘cuz she’d have called me to try to do something. Hell, you know her; she might even have come with me. And she’ll be pissed at you far, far beyond your ability to imagine her being pissed. Whether he dies tonight or not, Cap. She will-be-that-pissed. I guaran-fucking-tee it.”

  Standing up, I walked to the coffee pot to fill my mug again and said, “And now I’m leaving. You can either give me the info I’ll need or worry about official repercussions and how things will look. Either way, I’m going to go make an effort.”

  Stopping at the door, I turned to say, “And because he’s your kid and not mine, I’m not going to tell Linda. I won’t say one goddamned
word about it until she asks me why I didn’t.”

  Stepping out of his office, I pulled the door shut and walked through the outer office. Wallace’s door opened and he used a command voice to snap, “Ed!”

  When I stopped and looked at him, he glared at me as he growled, “Head for Dallas. Texas Memorial Hospital. I’ll pad you the rest.”

  With a little two-finger salute, I replied, “Dallas. Later, Cap,” and headed into the corridor. Calling up my board, I aimed it at the main doors and pinged Marie without a screen.

  As I sent a field ahead to shove open the doors, she answered with, “God, talking like this still seems so strange. Hi, Ed.”

  “Hi, Marie. You’re on your own. I’m on my way to Dallas.”

  “So something was wrong after all?”

  Ducking to shoot through the doorway, I said, “Yup. Sure was.”

  “Are you going to tell me what?”

  Galatea met me above the building. I replied, “Nope. It’s a private matter. For now. But ask Wallace why I left in such a hurry.”

  “Ed, are you in some kind of trouble?”

  “Nope. Not me. Not yet, anyway.”

  After a brief pause, she stated, “So you really only want me to ask about you to see if Wallace will talk about it. And probably to see if he’s told Linda about it yet. Does that about cover things?”

  “Gee, you’re as sharp as ever, ma’am.”

  “Yes, I am. You’re worried that he won’t tell Linda right away, aren’t you?”

  Calling up a bullet flitter, I said, “Yeah, and I think she’d take it very poorly. He’s been good for her, Marie. I’d hate to see that end unnecessarily.”

  “I see. Yeah. Okay. I’ll get insomnia and drop by his office.”

  “Thanks. I’m about to go hot up here, so I’ll see you later.”

  “Okay. Call if you need to. Bye.”

  “Thanks, Marie. Bye.”

  Letting the link drop, I climbed into the bullet flit and launched. Some minutes later the flit stopped and I used my board to zip down to the roof of Texas Memorial Hospital as I checked pad mail. The info Wallace had promised was there.