Cloud Invasion: R-D 2 (R-D #2)(6)

"If you say Colonel Hunter and his wife can come, I think I can make it happen soon," James said. "Very soon."

"Then make it happen," Rafe agreed.

"I'm all for that," Auggie walked into our kitchen. "Thanks for the information, Cori," he nodded to me. "The President may have other photographs soon. I have a feeling you'll be seeing some of the crime bosses from drug cartels."

"She thinks they may be involved in some of this?" I asked.

"It's possible," he shrugged.

"Yeah. It's possible," I agreed. There was another question I wanted to ask, and it involved the handful of people who'd survived the drug in Montana. More and more, that was on my mind and I figured the President hadn't told Auggie what happened to those people or where they were.

That, of course, could turn into a huge mistake.





Chapter 2

Corinne

Nick and Maye joined us for lunch; Jeff tagged along with them. I guess Auggie had this planned ahead of time, because he and James showed up, too, with Leo Shaw right behind them. Then, Marcus came looking for everybody else and decided he wanted soup and a sandwich.

"We have an appointment at two," Marcus reminded me.

"Did you get special classes on day-ruining?" I asked, handing him a plate of food. "James, we'll need to restock the pantry soon," I said, turning to him.

"On it," James said, pulling out his tablet.

"I got an A in day-ruining," Marcus grinned and bit into his ham sandwich.

"You're too competitive," I pointed a finger at him.

"Have to be the best," he agreed.

"Uh-huh. How long do you intend to torture me? Besides, you should consult with Rafe, because he can give you pointers on that sort of thing, in addition to honing your Krav Maga skills."

"An hour. He can teach me Krav Maga?"

"I can," Rafe confirmed with a nod. "Let me know when you have an hour or two to train on most days. I'll take care of it."

"You're moving pretty well today," Leo said, nodding in my direction. "How do you feel?"

"Good," I said.

"When do you think you can start running and training with Rafe?" Auggie asked.

"I'll let you know, Colonel Hunter," Marcus said.

"I will temper his assessment with my own," Rafe interjected. I could tell he was a bit annoyed with Marcus. Well, I was a bit annoyed with Marcus, too. He needed to consider his patient and not his brownie points, as far as I was concerned.

"How about I tell you when I'm ready?" I told Auggie. "I'll let Leo know, too, so we'll all be on the same page."

"I'll take all reports from all sources in a week," Auggie said, ending the debate.

"Good enough," I said. "Anybody want ice cream?"

*

"I hear you're pretty special," Marcus said while putting me through my exercise torture later.

"I don't think of myself as special in any way," I grunted as I lifted five-pound weights and held them until he said I could let my arms down. "The next time you're a hostage of terrorists and watch a bunch of people die, come see me. We'll talk special then."

"Dr. Shaw told me," he said. "After Colonel Hunter said he could."

"Of course he did," I muttered, dropping my arms when he gave the signal. I was sweating, and we'd only done fifteen minutes of exercises. "Is there any chance we can get in a pool and do exercises there?"

"There's no water in it, yet," Marcus offered a smile. He wanted to see me sweat.

The bastard.

"When will there be water in it?" I hefted the weights again.

"Maybe next week. Okay, let your arms down-we're done with weights for now. Get on the treadmill. I'll see how far you can walk."

*

I could have walked farther, but that would only make Marcus ask for more next time, so I settled for two miles.

Leo saw me after I'd showered and dressed.

"We haven't talked yet about you getting shot a second time and getting the drug a second time," he settled into the comfortable chair across from mine in his new office.

"We haven't talked about you being schlepped from pillar to post after all the bombings and moves," I countered.

"This session isn't about me," he said, but he smiled anyway.

"I thought about not coming back," I said.

"What made you decide to?" I could read the unasked question behind that-he was surprised that I thought I'd had a choice in the matter. Oddly enough, this time, that's exactly how it was.

"Rafe," I shrugged. "I came back because he wanted me to. I was worried about how all of you would see me now-that in your eyes, I might be a monster, able to kill on what some might think a whim. That has never been the case, but you might not understand that."

"I can see how you might think that," he said. "But Colonel Hunter and I trust you with our lives; you've saved them often enough. Maye and Nick have been briefed, and we've discussed your abilities in a few sessions. Both agree-without you, we'd all be dead."

"That's not a light burden," I pointed out. It wasn't. I felt responsible for so many people and so many things, now. It ramped up my anxiety to another, much higher level. After I'd wakened this time, Dr. Shaw hadn't put me on any drugs for my anxiety or PTSD. I knew he wanted to see how things stood before recommending anything.