Recovery: V Plague Book 8 by Dirk Patton Page B

big frame standing on top of the vehicle, keeping
watch on their surroundings.  Tech Sergeant Scott and Irina waited at the rear,
shielding their eyes from the dust and debris as Martinez set us down fifty
yards away.  Unhooking Dog’s tether I jumped down and waited for Katie to join
me.
    We met Scott
and Irina half way and I waved a greeting to Igor who had stayed on top of the
Bradley.  He waved back then continued keeping watch on the area.  Dog ran up
to Scott and Irina, giving each of them a quick greeting, then lifted his nose
and headed for Igor when he recognized him.  The two had become fast friends
when we were in Texas and when Igor saw him coming he climbed down to pet him.
    “Good to see
you, sir.”  Scott said.  “Was starting to think the worst might have happened.”
    “Not very
likely, Tech Sergeant.  At least not yet,” I grinned and clapped him on the
shoulder.  Irina stepped forward and embraced me, placing a kiss on each
cheek. 
    “I’m glad
you survived.  And this is her?”  She asked, stepping back and smiling at
Katie.
    I made the
introductions, taking a moment to explain to Katie what Igor and Irina were
doing there.  She thanked each of them for having helped me then looked over
her shoulder when she saw Scott come to attention.  Crawford walked up with
Martinez at his side.
    “Relax, Tech
Sergeant,” he waved a dismissive hand.  “You and your team did an outstanding
job.”
    Scott smiled
and stood easier.  Martinez pushed past me, walked up to him and wrapped him in
a big hug.  He looked embarrassed but when she didn’t let go right away he
grinned sheepishly.  Finally releasing him she turned to Irina and surprised
the woman by embracing her tightly.
    Greetings
and introductions out of the way I led the group over to the Bradley and we
settled in on the shady side as I brought them up to speed.  It took more time
than I wanted to spend, but everyone needed to be on the same page.
    “So you’re
going to haul ass to Idaho while we poke along behind you.  That pretty much
sum it up, sir?”  Scott asked.
    “Yep,” I
said.  “Spotted a police station this morning on the way here and I’m going to
have the Captain take me there.  Should be able to get a fast car and maybe
pick up a few weapons and some more ammo.”
    “I’ve got a
shit ton of 5.56 in the Bradley if you want to take some,” Scott offered.  “But
what do we do about comms if you take the only sat phone?” 
    “I thought
you had an FSOC?”  Crawford asked.
    “Yes, sir. 
We do, but it’s not working.”  Scott shrugged his shoulders.
    “I’ll take a
look,” Martinez said, standing and starting to climb the outside of the
Bradley’s hull.  “I trained on them with the manufacturer’s tech rep when the
first units came in.”  
    While
Martinez worked on the laser comm gear, I stepped inside the vehicle and
spotted the ammo cans of loaded mags Scott had been talking about.  There were
five waterproof, metal cans strapped down to the floor and I took two of them. 
That left them with only 3,000 rounds, but my sole protection was going to be
thin sheet metal.  They’d have the Bradley’s armor and its other weapons if
they ran into any problems.
    “How we
doing, Captain?”  I shouted to Martinez when I walked back out into the open.
    “Almost got
it, sir.”  She said without taking her attention off of the device she was
working on with a small multi-tool.
    “Are you
kidding me?”  Scott yelled up at her.  She ignored him for almost a minute.  Straightening,
she collapsed the tool and smiled down at him.
    “There’s a
motion stabilized gimbal that keeps the laser locked on its target,” she said. 
“It has a tendency to get stuck if the unit is torqued down tighter than spec. 
The gimbal was binding so I adjusted the tension on the mounting bolts.  Give
it a try.”
    Scott stared
back at her with his mouth open for a moment before heading inside to