by Bob Blanton
“Hey, Takurō, is your leg still attached?” someone yelled out.
“Yes, but that damn thing landed within one meter of me! What is it with me and grenades?” Takurō yelled. He had lost his leg in Iraq due to a grenade, and the leg had to be replaced again after he covered a grenade in Delphi City, protecting some teenagers.
“Hey, Sarge, we should put Takurō out on the flank to draw the enemy fire away from the rest of us!” the same guy shouted.
During this time, the sergeant’s HUD had been taking a roll call of all his men, identifying any injuries.
“Jefferies, since you’re not injured, get your ass off the ground with the rest of us and move out!” the sergeant yelled. “Miller, are you okay? I’ve got an alert on you.”
“I’m good, just got a little something in one of my seams, didn’t break the surface, so just bruised.”
Those Marines who hadn’t already gotten off the dirt stood up and got into formation; then, the platoon started forward again.
The Fox zeroed in on the same highlighted hostile that Ramsey had shot. Seeing more heat signatures in the area, it blasted it with its plasma cannon. Whatever had been there was now vaporized.
Barry’s platoon reached the ranch house before Emilio’s since they only had to travel half the distance. Barry crouched down next to Cpl. Vargas, “I want you to take a couple of Marines and scout the bunkhouse; we still don’t know where the rest of his men are.”
“Got it, Sarge,” Cpl. Vargas said. He stood up a little. CRACK! A shot rang out, and Cpl. Vargas was thrown to the ground. A laser from the Fox above them pulsed, followed by the sound of a rifle clattering to the ground.
“Sorry, guys. He was hidden under a cover,” Commander Vislosky said.
Barry ran over to Cpl. Vargas. The breastplate of his armor had a dent in it. “You still with us?” Barry asked.
“Damn,” Cpl. Vargas said as he coughed.
“That’s going to hurt,” Barry said. “I’m sending you back to the road, your armor is compromised. Send Cpl. Olivarez back.”
“That had to be an M1,” Cpl. Vargas said.
“Probably, and you took the hit straight on, too. Going to be a nice bruise to show the señoritas,” Barry said. “Cpl. Cueva, I’m sending Vargas to the rear, his armor took a hit. I need you to take two Marines and scout out the bunkhouse.”
“On it, Sarge,” Cpl. Cueva said.
“Don’t get shot!” Barry shouted.
“Oh, so you do care,” Cpl. Cueva said. “People will think we’re dating.”
“Move it, Marine!” Barry barked.
Friday, Nov 20th – 1800 CST
“Victor doesn’t look too happy,” Barry said to Kal as they watched Victor being shoved into the SUV driven by the National Police.
“No, he doesn’t,” Kal said. “I suspect he’s not too happy with the accommodations that await him when he gets back to Guatemala City. It won’t be anything like that house he appropriated.”
“What now?”
“I’m leaving the two platoons here under Lieutenant Teodoro and Sergeant Emilio,” Kal said. Everyone called Sergeant Emilio López by his first name since there were always at least two or three Lópezes in any unit he was in. “We’ll drop you and your four guys back at the hospital, then Catie and I are heading back to Delphi City.”
“You’re leaving that Oryx here, aren’t you?” Barry asked.
“Yeah, I think Catie wants to take it home so she can steal the grav drives out of it, but it’s just too valuable not to keep.”
“I’d let Commander Vislosky tell her that,” Barry said. “She has a habit of getting even if you tick her off.”
Kal chucked at Barry’s comment. “She does that, but I’m sure she’ll understand.”
“Just saying.”
Chapter 23
Damn that Sam
“Hey, how was Guatemala?” Liz asked as she and Catie were stretching before their workout.
“It was okay,” Catie said. “Didn’t really get to see much of it. Kal kept me on a short leash.”
“Well, we can’t have you going off and getting hurt, especially just before your birthday,” Liz said. “Hey, did you grow into your last shipsuit?” Liz asked, referring to the time Catie had grown hips and couldn’t fit into her shipsuit. She’d had Dr. Metra make a series of suits that, based on her DNA, would be the sizes she would need as she grew.
“No, still have one more to go,” Catie said.
“Let me see,” Liz said.
Catie stood up, and Liz stood next to her. “We’re the same height, one-seventy-seven centimeters; I might be carrying a bit more weight than you are. Turn around. What do you weigh?”
“Must be your big butt,” Catie said.
“You’re going to wish you had a big butt when I toss you on yours,” Liz threatened.
“Are you going to take your specs off?” Catie asked. “Or do you plan to spar virtually?”
“Oh, smart mouth on you; you are really asking to have a bruised butt today,” Liz said as she removed her specs, but not before she sent Samantha the two scans she’d made of Catie.
◆ ◆ ◆
Catie arrived at the hangar early. Today would be the first design review of the new jetliner where she would be physically present. And it was the big one; everything was in place to define the airframe and weight. If things went well, she would order a prototype built that they would be able to test in the wind tunnel.
“Hi, Catie,” Jackie said as she walked into the hangar. “And happy birthday.”
“Thanks, are you coming to the party tonight?”
“Yes, Blake has invited me and given me special instructions on what to wear,” Jackie said.
“Special instructions?”
“Oops!” Jackie gasped to herself. “Oh, apparently, your great grandparents think women should wear dresses.” Jackie hoped she hadn’t let the cat out of the bag.
“They are pretty picky about that,” Catie said. “I’m glad you’ll be there.”
Catie and Jackie chatted while the rest of the team trickled in. Finally, everyone was in place so they could begin the walkthrough.
“Hello, everyone,” Catie said. “I’m sorry I haven’t been here in person for the previous walkthroughs. Now, you are aware that I hope we can sign off on the airframe design after today. There is still a lot of flexibility inside the cabin, but we need to finalize the control runs, weight distribution, and placement of the security panels. This is Carsten Friedman, some of you have met him as we’ve worked through the design. For the rest of you, he’s the engineer responsible for the engines and airframe design.”
Everyone nodded their heads, and Catie led the team into the Alpha model.
“As discussed, we’re putting security panels in three locations across the aircraft. The first: the entrance to the cockpit as every airliner has; the second: at thirty percent of the length: and the third at sixty percent. These panels will allow the plane to be divided into three secure sections in case of any problems. But their locations will tend to define the separation between first, business, and economy classes. Each section will have a separate air handling system to refresh the oxygen in it. If it becomes necessary to isolate a section, the panels will keep the air in it completely separate from the other air on the aircraft.”
“Aren’t we being a bit paranoid?” Scottie asked.
“We believe in being prepared for the unexpected,” Catie said.
“No skin off my nose,” Scottie said.
“No, but you have to make sure that the power for the air handlers and lighting are isolated,” Catie said.
“They are; it was rather simple. A bit overpowered in the forward section if you cut back the seating to make it first class, but I suspect that Jackie will find a use for the extra power,” Scottie added.
“I’m sure I will,” Jackie said.
“Francisco, are the openings in the panels wide enough to allow your crews to reconfigure the seating and
do the necessary maintenance?”
“Of course they are. I was the one who specified the width,” Francisco said. “Jackie will want them to be partially closed during normal operation to provide more isolation, but when they’re fully open, the crews will have no problem moving around.”
Slowly they walked through the entire aircraft, verifying each specification that needed to be locked down before Catie had the prototype airframe built – finally concluding with the engines.
“They’re small, but we have four of them,” Carsten said. “With them, she’ll do Mach 3.5. If there’s a problem, she will be able to do Mach 0.9 on three and Mach 0.5 on two if they’re on opposite sides. If she loses both on one side, she’ll be able to stay in the air until she reaches an airfield.”
“Good,” Catie said. “So, are you happy with the walkthrough?”
“If you’re not going to change anything, I am.”
“Then you’re cleared to build the prototype airframe,” Catie said.
“Glad to,” Carsten said. “I’m looking forward to getting it into that air tunnel.”
“So am I.”
◆ ◆ ◆
When Catie returned to her condo at four o’clock, she was shocked at the number of people inside. “Liz, are you having some kind of party?”
“No, but we have to get you ready for your party,” Liz said.
“I don’t underst . . . Sam! ADI, where is Sam?” Catie asked.
“I’m right behind you,” Samantha said. She’d entered the condo right after Catie did, having been alerted by Liz that she was now home.
“What are you up to? You already ruined my life with the homecoming party!”
“Catie, we have to make a good impression on the world, and right now, you’re our best commodity. We have to take advantage of all that goodwill you generated during the war.”
“But I’m just now able to get around without being accosted,” Catie said.
“See, I told you it would wear off. So, will this one,” Samantha said.
“This what?”
“Your birthday party,” Samantha said with a big smile.
“My nice quiet birthday party at Giorgio’s with my family and close friends!”
“We had to change the venue,” Samantha said.
“To where?”
“The Grand Ballroom at the Four Seasons. And we changed the dress code to formal. So, you need to go take your shower so we can have your hair done and your dress fitted. It won’t take too long.”
Catie turned to Liz, “And you knew about this!”
“Of course; someone had to make sure you were going to be available.”
“And verify my size!”
“Yes, we didn’t want the seamstress to have to do too much work.”
“I hate both of you!”
“Oh, pish, quit being a baby; you can use it as an excuse to get your father to let you go off and do something fun,” Samantha said. “Kal said you didn’t have much fun in Guatemala. He told me he had to let you blow up a helicopter so that you would quit pouting.”
“I’m going to get even!”
“I’m sure you will, now hush and go get your shower so we can get your hair done,” Samantha said. She laughed as Catie stomped off to her room.
◆ ◆ ◆
“Still not very hot?” Catie said to Samantha as she examined herself in the mirror. Her dress was burgundy with a not-too-daring, vee-necked bodice. “At least the train doesn’t drag on the floor,” Catie thought.
“Still going for the fairy tale look,” Samantha replied.
“Not a tiara again,” Catie complained as the dresser brought a pillow with a diamond tiara, earrings, and a necklace on it.
“You’re a princess,” Samantha said as she put the necklace around Catie’s neck. “Can we adjust the length? I want the tip to be above the vee in the bodice.”
“Yes, ma’am,” the dresser said. “It will only take a moment.”
Samantha handed the necklace to the dresser who took it over to the side of the room where a jeweler was standing by to deal with any issues.
“You brought a jeweler!” Catie whispered.
“Of course, we want everything to be perfect,” Samantha said. “Now here’s your dance card, I’ve already filled it out.”
“What?!”
“You don’t get to hide tonight; the party is in your honor after all. Don’t worry, I’ve only picked your friends.”
“What if I want to dance with someone else?” Catie asked.
“You’re free to change it around, I’ve told everyone that you might. But now you have a perfect excuse to say no to anyone you don’t want to dance with, so you won’t need ADI to help you duck them.”
◆ ◆ ◆
“This way,” Samantha said. “We’re having a private reception before the big party. That way you’ll get a chance to spend some time with the special guests.”
“Like that’s going to be fun,” Catie said. “The Prime Minister of Austria is bound to be a load of laughs.”
“Don’t be such a pessimist,” Samantha said. “I’ve invited some people whom I think you’ll enjoy meeting. Right in here.”
There were eight security guards taking up station outside the ballroom. “Enough security?” Catie quipped.
“Some of our guests have their own. It’s nice that they’re willing to have them wait out here.”
Surveying the room as they entered, Catie spied several clusters of teenagers in different spots. “They’re appointing younger prime ministers these days.”
“They’re royals,” Samantha explained. “I thought you’d like to meet some people in the same boat you’re in.”
“I’m sure, we can compare notes about our security,” Catie said.
“Now, all the young people are royals,” Samantha said. “So, you guys can relax with each other. I’ll come by and get you to introduce you to the other guests in about thirty minutes.”
“I’m soooo looking forward to that.”
“Scoot.”
Catie walked over to the first group of teenagers, “Hello, I’m Catie,” she said.
“Hi, I’m Emmanuel, this is Ingrid, and that’s Sofia,” the boy in the group said. ADI immediately identified them as Prince Emmanuel of Belgium, 15 years old; Princess Ingrid Alexandra of Norway, 17 years old; and Princess Sofia of Spain, 15 years old.
“I’m pleased to meet you, and welcome to Delphi City,” Catie said.
“We were hoping that this would be on Delphi Station,” Ingrid said.
“We’re not really set up to host functions like this up there,” Catie said. “Maybe next year.”
“Oh, pish.”
“We can arrange a tour up there for you if your parents are okay with it, and your bodyguards,” Catie said. “I always have more trouble with my bodyguards than my parents.”
“Oh, I’m very good at ducking mine,” Sophia said.
“I tried that once, I didn’t get more than a hundred meters before they caught me,” Catie said. “I really paid for that.”
“How?” Sophia asked. “Surely they’re not allowed to hit you?”
“I practice martial arts with four of them, so they kind of are allowed to hit me,” Catie said. “Liz is one of my best friends as well, and she really took it out on me.”
“That sounds cruel,” Ingrid said.
“Are you any good at fighting?” Emmanuel asked.
“I’m pretty good,” Catie said. “I’m really good in microgravity.”
“You learn to fight in microgravity?”
“Yes, all of our key people train at the space station. We have an obstacle course up there and a dojo as well,” Catie said. “It came in handy when we had some bad guys try to take over the station. We stopped its rotation so that the whole place was in microgravity, so we had the edge.”
“Did you get to fight anyone?”
“Yes, but he gave up too soon,” Catie said. “But it was fun.”
<
br /> “Cool,” Sophia said. “And you get to fly spaceplanes. All I get to do is ride horses.”
“I rode a pony once.”
◆ ◆ ◆
“Hello, Princess Catherine,” a teenage boy said as Catie approached a second group of teenagers.
“Hello, call me Catie, and welcome to Delphi City.”
“I’m Christian, these are Gabriel, Elisabeth, and Alexia,” Christian said. ADI added the titles, Prince Christian of Denmark, 15 years old; Prince Gabriel of Belgium, 17 years old; Princess Elisabeth of Belgium, 19 years old; and Princess Alexia of the Netherlands, 15 years old.
“Hi,” Elisabeth said. “This is an interesting city. It actually floats?”
“Yes,” Catie said. “We’ve moved it a couple of times. And we just moved the airport so it’s closer to the city. That way we don’t have to have an active airport on the city itself.”
“But won’t a big wave damage the city?” Elisabeth asked.
“The city is ten meters above the water, so most waves don’t cause a problem. We have sensors that detect when a bigger wave is coming, and there are thrusters on the pontoons that then compensate for the wave action. In deep water, there usually aren’t very big waves,” Catie explained.
“What about a tsunami?”
“Oh, they’re only a few feet high in deep water, the thrusters can handle that. Tsunamis don’t get big until they get close to shore and ride up the offshore slope.”
“Interesting,” Elisabeth said. “Do you get involved with the government? I understand that your father actually runs the government.”
“I do some projects, but mostly for MacKenzie Discoveries,” Catie said. “I do get to sit in on the Cabinet Meetings.”
“Elisabeth, we’re not here to talk about boring stuff,” Alexia said. “Catie, tell us, are there any dreamy pilots in there?” Alexia pointed toward the other ballroom.
“A few,” Catie said. “I’ve got a dance card full of them.”
“Ohh, I’ve only got princes on mine,” Alexia said. “Let’s trade some.”
“Yes, let’s do some trading,” Elisabeth said as she waved Ingrid over. “Who do you have?”
“I’ve got Kasper, actually David, Kasper is his call sign,” Catie said. “He’s really nice.”
