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 He s okay, Corky said loud enough for everyone to hear.  But he s on his back for the duration and
will be on the first flight out.
The news was met by communal relief and then disappointment.
 How bad& 
 Make a hole, Malory interrupted tersely from the doorway, waiting with a furious look for everyone to
get out of the way so she could enter the room. She strode through their parting bodies and leveled a
look at Clovis.
 Mr. Stokes, report to my office and wait there until I arrive, she ordered, her voice cold.  Now, she
barked when he didn t immediately rush from the room, startling him and sending him packing.
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 Airman Daly, report to the hall outside of my office and stand at attention, she added her voice harsh
and the man almost ran from the room.  The rest of you return to your quarters or stations immediately,
she ordered and waited for the room to empty before she turned to Corky.
 How is he? she asked, her voice noticeably gentler.
 Fractured pelvis, a good deal of internal bleeding, Corky reported sadly.  Could ve been far worse if
it had taken much longer to get him here. He ll be alright, but he ll need to go out with the first flight.
 I see, Malory said tonelessly.
Corky had a hundred questions to ask but settled for the most important.  Are you okay?
Malory smiled with an effort.  I m fine.
 You sure?
 Yeah, she said with a nod.  I ll see you later, I have things I need to do.
 Okay, Corky said reluctantly, watching her hesitate as if she wanted to say something else and then
turn to walk from the room.
  
Daly stood in the hall anxiously, the Commander had passed fifteen minutes prior to enter her office, not
sparing him a glance and slamming the door shut with enough force to make him wince.
His only hope was that the tirade she was directing at Mr. Stokes would tire her out before it was time
to deal with him. Her voice occasionally thundered from inside the room and earlier he had heard
something smash against the wall with enough force to shatter.
 Mr. McNeely report to my office, please, her voice suddenly blared over the intercom.
He stood ramrod straight, afraid to let the Sergeant Major see him at anything less than a rigid attention.
Shortly, he heard the man s approaching heavy footsteps and McNeely paused in front of him to clap
him on the shoulder.
 Stand easy, Daly, he said sympathetically.  You might be out here awhile, he added, rapping a short
knock on the Commander s door and stepping inside.
He sighed and slumped against the wall until the door opened almost half an hour later and Mr. Stokes
stepped out. The huge man plodded silently down the hall looking as if he had just been spit out of a
combine. He grimaced internally and braced himself; it didn t look good.
 Airman Daly, the Commander barked.  Your turn. Get in here.
He stepped into her office crisply and stood at attention, noting the shards of a broken coffee cup in the
corner.  Commander, he said respectfully, not meeting her eyes as she sat glowering at him from behind
her desk.
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 Rest easy, Airman, she said in a friendly tone.  Take a seat, she said gesturing to the chair next to the
silent Sergeant Major.
He blinked confusedly but did as he was told.
 I m glad I spoke to Mr. Stokes first or I would ve had a lot of egg on my face, she said mildly.  Since
it was my original intention to have your ass removed for discharging your weapon for no apparent
reason. However, I ve been informed that you probably saved Ballenger s life. Tell me, were you aware
that Mr. Stokes allowed Ballenger to unclasp his safety rope?
 No, Commander.
 That s what I hoped you d say, she said in satisfaction, rising from her chair.  On your feet, Airman,
she added authoritatively, waiting for him to rise.  In recognition for your quick thinking and action in the
performance of your duty, I m pleased to award you the JSAM. I ll make it official as soon as the new
season permits. Do you have any objections?
He smiled.  No, Ma&  he started,  & I mean no, Commander, he corrected quickly.
 Good, now go grab something to eat, she said with a grin.  Dismissed, please shut the door on the
way out.
He saluted crisply before turning on his heel and marching out the door, immeasurably relieved and
terribly proud of himself.
  
Corky stripped out of her scrubs and summoned Coy to watch over her patient for the night so she
could make a beeline to the mess to collect the gossip. As soon as she entered, she was beckoned over
by Dr. Lenard and company so she collected a tray and hurried over to join them.
 So what s the story? she asked as she seated herself.
 We hit another pocket in excavation, Watkins said.  Not as bad as the first but Ballenger was right on
top of it without a safety rope.
 Oh my, Corky said.  I guess that s why the Commander was so pissed.
 Yeah, he agreed.  She confined Clovis to quarters.
 Why Clovis?
 He gave Dr. Ballenger permission to disconnect his rope, it was giving him problems, Lenard
explained.
 So what happened? she asked curiously.
 The pocket was situated right above the section we were working to uncover. He fell about twenty feet
and landed on an exposed section of the spacecraft. We got down to him as soon as we could but there
was a large sheet of ice pinning him down. We couldn t lift it so Daly used his rifle to break it in half and
we were able to get him out of there, Watkins reported.  So how is Dr. Ballenger?
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Corky went through the medical laundry list.  & we ll have to watch him for the next few days, but I m
confident he ll fully recover.
 Damn, Lenard said sympathetically.  It ll kill him not be involved in this.
 At least he has his life, Corky pointed out.
 Very true.
 Hmmm, Corky grunted.  So you found a big piece of the flying saucer?
 Yes, Watkins said happily but then scowled.  No telling when we ll be allowed back down there
though.
 Why? Corky asked.
 When Lovecraft found out Dr. Ballenger disconnected his safety rope, she threw a fit, Lenard said.
 A fit?
 Oh yeah, Watkins said.  Threw her hat on the ground and kicked it. Then told us all we d be lucky if
she allowed us to return and if we couldn t follow simple instructions for our own safety, perhaps the
NSF could send another team that could.
 Ouch, Corky said.  So how long is Clovis incarcerated for?
 He didn t say, but he looked like he had been read the riot act and I m sure he s feeling bad over Dr.
Ballenger. He told him to take off the rope only long enough to fix it, Lenard said.  It was just freak
chance that what happened did when it did.
 Speaking of freaky things, Watkins said slyly.  Did you hear that screaming last night?
Corky immediately tensed and reddened guiltily, flushing darker as the men began to chuckle.
 My goodness, Doctor, Lenard said with a teasing smile.  You shouldn t save it up like that, it s
unhealthy.
 Yes, Watkins added.  For all of our sakes, please pace yourself in the future. I was jolted out of a
dead slumber thinking I should run for my life. [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]