She could hear several people clearing their throats and coughing, as if they were amused with her candidness. She mentally shrugged. She was a civilian; she didn’t have to kowtow to these men in their shiny buttons and talk to them as if they were emperors. Sure, they were probably very powerful people but she’d learned from experience that powerful people were often the blindest. Flyboy was looking down at his briefing papers and she couldn’t see his face.
She’d bet every dime in her bank account that he was hiding a grin.
“We’ve discussed this already, Jim,” one of the men above them interjected smoothly, “so your point’s been taken into consideration. Considering that this is a test, I think it’s going marvelously. Miss Roston’s answers satisfy me and I think we should let CCC proceed with their usual protocol in running an operation. It’s out of our hands now till it’s over. Then we’ll evaluate from there. Besides, we all sent out our candidates into the training program and CCC’s won. Unless, of course, you have a complaint against the very training program on which we, including yourself, have voted for and approved, Jim?”
“Of course not, Tom,” the other man said.
“Then let them do their job. Mr. De Clerq, you can proceed. Please call our respective offices when your operation is completed. I’ve already informed mine to take your call no matter what time it comes in.”
“Thank you, Admiral Madison,” De Clerq said.
“Good luck, Miss Roston.”
Helen looked at the man addressing her. He sounded much nicer than the other brassheads. Tall, maybe fifty-something-ish, he looked trim and dashing, unlike the usual bulky-looking guys in uniform.
“Thank you, sir,” she said. Wow, killer smile. She smiled back.
As she watched them file out from the viewing room above, an electronic curtain moved silently across the glass, shutting out the view like a window. She counted about a dozen people up there.
“Good job, Hell,” Flyboy said. “Good comeback to the snooty head of the department, too.”
Helen grinned at him. “I didn’t hear you helping me out. You were too busy swallowing your tongue.” She turned to T. “You were pretty damn quiet, too, Miss Montgomery.”
“Why bring attention to me?” T. countered. “Look at it from their perspective. Some of them are already miffed that their department didn’t get the project and funds. And some of them are military men who aren’t used to women talking back at them, let alone a contract agent beating out whom they consider their best candidates. How are you feeling?”
Helen rolled her neck. “Better. I’m good to go.”
Dr. Kirkland opened his medical case. “Next time, we’ll inject the serum before the RV session,” he said, “so we can compare the difference in stats and vitals.”
“Okay,” Helen said. She watched the needle in the IV being inserted into her vein. She took a deep breath.
“How long?”
“It’s straight into the bloodstream, so it’s going to be really fast. You’ve gone through the med courses to prepare you on what to expect.”
“What likely to expect,” Helen corrected. “You guys have added several other ingredients to the first serum. Do you think the other departments have been fiddling with their recipes too?”
“Scientists don’t fiddle, Miss Roston,” Dr. Kirkland admonished.
Helen laughed because he was doing exactly that right now, fiddling with tubes and needles as Derek wrote things in his notepad. “Whoa!” she said loudly.
“What is it?” Dr. Kirkland asked sharply.
Helen smiled at all the people around the table. They were looking at her intently. “Just kidding,” she replied serenely. “Just wanted to see how important I am to everyone.”
Flyboy chuckled. “Try standing,” he said.
Helen nodded as she watched the last of the liquid disappear into her. It was inside her. She didn’t feel any different. Everyone watched as she stood up slowly. She walked away from the chair. The exhaustion was gone. But she still didn’t feel any different.
“Rock and roll,” she declared, giving De Clerq the thumbs-up.
He wondered whether she was feeling the same sensation that he was—he couldn’t really describe it. Like loss. Or missing a part of himself.
Good to have Madison on their side. T. was right. That joint venture with the admiral’s SEAL team, giving him information on the drug lords and operatives who had caused the deaths of his men, had been a good move.
He liked Madison, anyway, a no-nonsense man under whom he’d have served willingly, had he stayed in Special Forces. A man of his word was hard to find these days.
He studied Helen for a few moments, his gaze lingering on her face, trying to read her mind. It was strange now, not being connected to her. He was growing used to checking on her emotions and her thoughts.
