Deathrace

13

Lieutenant Murdock put down the phone and looked at Ed DeWitt and Jaybird Sterling, who had been listening to this end of the conversation with their CIA contact, Don Stroh.

"Our boys are in Tehran. Franklin and Douglas checked in by SATCOM this morning. The CIA guy there isn't making much progress. They're not sure what they will do. A chance they make a move fifteen hundred miles to the south, and try to find the nuke plant in person."

"Sounds dangerous moving over that much enemy territory," DeWitt said.

"Like walking through hell with an ice cream cone," Jaybird said.

They all looked up when Kat Garnet walked in wearing her spanking new cammies. "Morning," she said.

"Good morning to you, Kat. How's the shooting eye?"

"Better after yesterday. Two days with the long guns is about all I get, Ed tells me. I might want some more in a week or so."

"Good swim last night?"

Kat grinned. "I'm not used to an open-ocean swim at night. Different, especially on the surface. Soon I get to use the rebreather, I hope."

"Before you know it, Kat," DeWitt said. "Today you get to blow up things. Ever throw firecrackers as a kid?"

"Not many. They were outlawed early on in Virginia. Hand grenades?"

"Right," Jaybird said. "And then there's plastique C-4, and the new stuff TNAZ."

"A long ride?" she asked.

"Just down the beach to the pit," DeWitt said.

"First the run? It gets me loosened up."

"We can set up each day with the run first, if you want," Murdock said. "You're getting up to speed, how about ten miles today?"

"In the sand?"

"Soft or hard, your pick. You lead."

"Good, Who do I run with today?"

"Ron Holt is your patsy. He's our communications man, and works right behind me in the squad formation. You'll be right behind him, so I want you to know his moves inside out. Jaybird, give Holt the word. Holt will know the five mile point to the south."

"Thanks, Murdock," she said, and snapped him a proper salute.

He returned it. "Hey, you even learned how to salute the right way."

She laughed. "Got caught on the amphib base a couple of times, and had to return salutes to some men. Figured if I was going to play the part, I better get it all down right. See you in about an hour." She went out the door.

Jaybird came back. "She's doing the ten miles in an hour? Ron Holt is gonna be sweating by the time they get back. That's a six-minute mile."

"Yeah, be good for him," Murdock said. "Wait until you see what I've worked up for the rest of the platoon."

"Skipper, that must be the planning session I missed," Jaybird said.

Murdock tossed him the clipboard. "Check it out."

Jaybird looked down the six lines on the paper, and collapsed on the platoon leader's desk. He revived, and staggered to a chair.

"If that was a dive from the ten-meter board, I'd give you no more than a six," DeWitt said.

"All of this, today?" Jaybird finally stammered out.

"That's just the morning drill," Murdock said, and laughed at the expression on Jaybird's face.

"Of course, we could always add a few problems and marches to get the new men totally integrated."

Jaybird dropped the clipboard on the desk. "L-T, it looks just dandy to me."

"Waves are kicking up out there this morning from a storm. Be a good time to get in some refresher work on the IBS. We'll start with that just after oh-eight-hundred, Jaybird. Have the men on the beach ready to get wet at oh-eight-ten."

"Boats, sir?"

"Two reserved for us in the yard. Take your pick."

Jaybird went into the squad room and let the men know the first order of business. It would be with full combat gear, vests, full ammo load and issue weapon, including the heavy HK Mark 23 .45 pistol with silencer on the belt of each SEAL.

"Hey, Jaybird, you don't make it easy, do you?" Magic Brown called.

"Sure I do. The only easy day around here was yesterday, remember? We've got ten minutes to pick up those two boats. Let's move."

Back in the platoon commander's office, Murdock looked at DeWitt. "How is Milly taking your official duties?"

"She's still pissed. Says there isn't any excuse to have the expert be a woman, and no reason you gave her to me to train except that you're trying to split up me and Milly."

Murdock chuckled. "Milly knows that's a bunch of crap. She's just playing female for a while. She doesn't have a worry. You look so wrung out every morning no other woman would stand a chance. Thought you and Milly had Kat over for dinner."

"Kat said she didn't think that would be such a good idea the first couple of days. Put her off for a week. I think Milly thinks that by then she'll crash and burn, and get out of the operation, and go home."

"You really think so, Ed?"

"Hell no. She's tougher than half our guys. The only thing I'm worried about is how she'll stand up under actual enemy fire. We've seen some good SEALs come apart at the seams when the bastards start shooting at us."

"True, 2IC. But that's one test you can't give a SEAL. You have to wait and have that trial under fire to be sure. My guess is that she'll be twice as good in action as she is in training. Let's go jump some waves and surf in on some of those five footers out there."