Redback. Lindy Cameron

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СКАЧАТЬ the street. The bald guy was sort of looking their way, but not really; perhaps wondering if Kaisha was going to come out again, but more than likely not.

       Do not fall for it, Scott.

      He sat down again. For a moment.

      The bald foreign white guy gaijin left his 'companions' - without a word of farewell - and began weaving through the crowds towards him. The man was on a mission.

      Shit.

      Scott threw some money on the counter, and dashed through the long narrow noodle bar after Kaisha.

      Chapter Eight

      HMAS Harris, Pacific Ocean

       Tuesday 11.10 pm

      Gideon wondered whether shock had finally set in and rendered her package if not speechless then at least floundering for the usual chitchat. Not one to ruin a precious moment of silence, she turned to the small wall mirror so she could both watch her visitor, and give her short freshly washed hair a cursory brush.

      Jana fiddled with her own fingers, glanced around the tiny cabin, then finally asked, 'Um, who were you talking to?'

      'No one,' Gideon looked perplexed. 'Oh sorry, yes I was. We Redbacks are fitted with spanking new comm devices,' she said, tapping her collarbone.

      'Well I am; the others only have the aural gadgets so far. Mine is the whole aural-vocal catastrophe which, so far, is bloody annoying.'

      'Did you say fitted?' Jana asked.

      'Surgically implanted,' Gideon said. 'On, off,' she indicated by squeezing her left ear lobe.

      Jana shook her head. 'But you were all wearing microphones, I saw them.'

      'Yeah. The guys were still being fitted when we had to, ah, come and get you. So I have two-way comm with home; but until we get back to the lab, they can only hear the Link.'

      'Link?' Jana narrowed her eyes. 'Who or where?'

      'Not sure exactly.' Gideon pinched her left lobe. 'Link? You still at work, Oliver?'

      'Well, yeah. It's not like I take you home with me, Gideon,' said the voice inside. 'Why?'

      'Dr Rossi wanted to know. Out.' Gideon pinched her lobe again. 'Sydney,' she said, as if that answered everything.

      'So is it Oliver or Sidney or Link in your head?'

      'Um,' Gideon's bemused smile was little more than a quick pursing of the lips that lifted one corner of her mouth. 'Oliver is in Sydney,' she said.

      'During ops - operations - Oliver gets called Link, coz it's easier; and because the Link is not always Oliver. And you don't have clearance for the rest.'

      'Oh,' Jana said, none the wiser.

      'I can tell you,' Gideon continued, 'that on the next shift, the Link is a woman. And, that they swear it's only ever going to be one of two people.'

      Fascinating - not! Jana thought. Come on woman, ask her about the dead rebel. She stuck a hand in her pocket instead.

      Mistaking Dr Rossi's expression as a case of not getting her drift, Gideon did a rare thing - for her. She elaborated. 'I mean it wouldn't be productive to have us prototypes go stark-raving from a high rotation of strangers yakking away in our skulls.'

      Jana frowned and shook her head. 'Who are you?'

      Gideon simply raised her eyebrows.

      'I mean, who sent you? No, actually I do mean who are you? It seems you've told everyone,' Jana waved at the boat, 'something different. So, Ms Gideon, are you a commander, doctor, soldier, agent or what?'

      'Yes,' Gideon said, noting how much Dr Rossi used her hands when she spoke.

      'And a woman of few words, I see,' Jana commented.

      Hands, but not her arms though, Gideon was thinking. There was no Latin-style expansiveness in the woman's gestures. In fact she kept her upper arms close to her body, while both hands circled, or one waved thoughtfully or emphasised a point.

      As if confirming Gideon's observation, Jana flipped her hand questioningly away from her chin.

      'Okay, how about this,' she said. 'Who sent you?'

      'Specifically - I have no idea,' Gideon said. 'Truly,' she added, in response to an expectant look.

      'I don't understand. How can you not know?'

      'We're retrieval agents,' Gideon shrugged. 'You know, government sanctioned re-abductors.'

      'You're kidding,' Jana laughed, and then registered surprise. 'So our government…' Jana began, then changed tack. 'Was I really your, um, what did you call me?'

      'My PO. And yeah.' Gideon's tone implied of course, although her curiosity was nudged again by the fact that Dr Rossi seemed clueless about her own status, whatever it was.

      'This is too weird,' Jana said to herself. 'And our government actually sent you?'

      'Requested our services, would be more accurate.'

      'I don't understand.'

      'We're a non-government organisation, so we mostly do private work. In your case, however, who but the government could organise all this?' Gideon raised her chin slightly to indicate their surroundings.

      'I don't know,' Jana shrugged. 'Murdoch or Packer or Lane,' she suggested. 'I mean, Alan Wagner seemed to think he was important enough for someone to rescue.'

      'Who's Alan Wagner?'

      'You know, the TV journo from This Week, The World.' When Gideon looked unenlightened, Jana twirled her right hand, and added, 'The fuckwit you saved me from.'

      'Oh him. Wouldn't know him if he fell at my feet,' Gideon said, tucking her white T-shirt into her jeans. 'And you really don't know why you? Or who would?'

      'No,' Jana said emphatically, because the only person who came to mind, wouldn't.

      'Do you want me to find out?'

      'I could take a wild guess,' Jana was saying absently, 'but that's all it would be. On top of which,' she shook her head, 'highly unlikely.'

      Gideon frowned at the woman's irritating need for superfluous chatter. 'It's a limited offer, Doc.'

      'What? Oh, yes. Could you?' she smiled. 'And for heaven's sake, stop with the Doc and Dr Rossi nonsense. Please, call me Jana.'

      'Sure,' Gideon agreed. 'If you head back to the de-briefing room now, I'll check this out for you.'

      Bugger. 'Do I have to?'

      Yes. And enough now. Gideon pointed to her earlobe. 'Clearance, remember.'

      'But,' СКАЧАТЬ