Chapter 39
THIRTY-NINE
Noah Caldwell watched as Three, her spine completely straght, followed Bronson across the helipad.
The old man reeled almost drunkenly, but she simply paced evenly, graceful as a lynx.
She made the slippery crunching across deicer pellets look easy, even as Noah’s boots slid and slithered.
She also didn’t bother bending, though the bird’s blades roared overhead.
He hurried afterward, glad the ride was over.
Watching her move was a real treat. He’d always liked blondes, but she kept her hair pulled so severely back it did nothing for her.
Bronson had a ridiculous parka zipped all the way up, but Three was in her blazer and skirt as usual, plus pantyhose he’d sent a servicewoman to the PX for, sensible flats. She didn’t seem to feel the cold.
None of the agents did. It was enough to make you shiver.
She was the prize, the only one to survive the induction process, and Control wanted an eye kept on her.
Bronson’s useless, Control had wheezed while lighting another cigarette, just before he sent Noah out to keep an eye on this part of the project.
But he’s connected, and an easy patsy if the whole thing blows up.
Your job’s to keep track of Three. We don’t want to lose that one.
Four hours ago Thackeray—a civilian doctor, high up on the research side—had handed Noah a packet from Control.
The major now knew his orders, and enough about the general situation to make his hands sweat and turn cold while he burned the papers outside the sliding French door of his little onbase crackerbox.
Contagion vectors. Liquidation. And above all, keeping Three under wraps. Even if the other agents were going haywire, she was precious.
A country needed soldiers, and if you couldn’t tweak them as adults, well, maybe you could raise them. You could get little wrigglies anywhere, but an egg preloaded with Gibraltar and agents trained from birth? Those had possibilities.
That was for later, though. Right now, there were other considerations, including keeping Three on deck to help catch the others. Control was very clear: Caldwell just had to get the two agents in this part of the country dealt with, tie off any civilian flack, and neutralize Bronson.
Which would be, Noah thought as he ducked through a heavy steel door into welcome warmth, a distinct pleasure.