Murdock checked out across the Quarterdeck at five and headed home. Next week he would have something to come home to every night. Ardith would be there. She had quit her job in Washington, D.C., and was in the process of closing up her apartment and moving to San Diego. Some of her things had already arrived by truck, and he had stuffed them into the apartment. They would have to find something larger.
She had taken the job there in San Diego’s own Silicone Valley. She would be working on problem-solving and client applications for a whole range of computer problems. Nothing had been said about marriage, not yet. He had been considering it for the past month since she had agreed to take the new job in San Diego.
He parked in front of his apartment and took the steps two at a time. Only then did he notice that the front door was open and the security screen door was in place. Had he left it open?
A moment later he charged into the living room and heard a familiar voice from the kitchen.
“Dinner won’t be ready for another half hour,” Ardith Manchester said. “I figured I’d fly in and surprise you.” She came around the door into the living room, where he stood staring.
“Hey, did I get the wrong apartment?” she asked with a grin.
He saw her lovely slender body, her sweeping froth of blonde hair down around her shoulders framing her beautiful face. Soft blue eyes drew him closer, and he stepped forward and pulled her into his arms.
“I like these kind of surprises, young lady. I really do. Are you here for good, and if so, when are the rest of your household things due to arrive?”
She reached up and kissed him tenderly, then with more ardor, before she eased away. “Those special stuffed pork chops have to be watched.” She pulled him into the kitchen. “Yes, I’m here to stay. My roommate took over the lease in D.C. All my things are on a truck that will be here within a week. I go to work on Monday morning, and until then we can play house, make love, and house-hunt.”
“Sounds good,” Murdock said. “Which first?”
Ardith grinned. “Pork chops first, and this special dinner I’ve been slaving over for two hours. Then we’ll see what develops.” For a moment panic hit her face. “Oh, dear, this isn’t football season yet, is it?”
“Not nearly. Now where are those pork chops? I’m starved.” As Murdock worked on the dinner he watched the woman he would marry someday. But even with that kind of distraction, he couldn’t help but wonder what was next for the SEALs. Where would they fly off to? What job would they be given to do, either in the open or covertly? What dirty little project would they get next? He took a bite of pork chop, watched Ardith, and grinned. He couldn’t wait for the SEALs’ next assignment.
SEAL TALK
MILITARY GLOSSARY
Aalvin: Small U.S. two-man submarine.
Admin: Short for administration.
Aegis: Advanced Naval air defense radar system.
AH-1W Super Cobra: Has M179 undernose turret with 20mm Gatling gun.
AK-47: 7.63-round Russian Kalashnikov automatic rifle. Most widely used assault rifle in the world.
AK-74: New, improved version of the Kalashnikov. Fires the 5 .45mm round. Has 30-round magazine. Rate of fire: 600 rounds per minute. Many slight variations made for many different nations.
AN/PRC-117D: Radio, also called SATCOM. Works with Milstar satellite in 22,300-mile equatorial orbit for instant worldwide radio, voice, or video communications. Size: 15 inches high, 3 inches wide, 3 inches deep. Weighs 15 pounds. Microphone and voice output. Has encrypter, capable of burst transmissions of less than a second.
AN/PUS-7: Night-vision goggles. Weighs 1.5 pounds.
ANVIS-6: Night-vision goggles on air crewmen’s helmets.
APC: Armored Personnel Carrier.
ASROC: Nuclear-tipped antisubmarine rocket torpedoes launched by Navy ships.
Assault Vest: Combat vest with full loadouts of ammo, gear.
ASW: Anti-Submarine Warfare.
Attack Board: Molded plastic with two handgrips with bubble compass on it. Also depth gauge and Cyalume chemical lights with twist knob to regulate amount of light. Used for underwater guidance on long swim.
Aurora: Air Force recon plane. Can circle at 90,000 feet. Can’t be seen or heard from ground. Used for thermal imaging.
AWACS: Airborne Warning And Control System. Radar units in high-flying aircraft to scan for planes at any altitude out 200 miles. Controls air-to-air engagements with enemy forces. Planes have a mass of communication and electronic equipment.
Balaclavas: Headgear worn by some SEALs.
Bent Spear: Less serious nuclear violation of safety.
BKA, Bundeskriminant: Germany’s federal investigation unit.
Black Talon: Lethal hollow-point ammunition made by Winchester. Outlawed some places.
Blivet: A collapsible fuel container. SEALs sometimes use it.
BLU-43B: Antipersonnel mine used by SEALs.
BLU-96: A fuel-air explosive bomb. It disperses a fuel oil into the air, then explodes the cloud. Many times more powerful than conventional bombs because it doesn’t carry its own chemical oxidizers.
BMP-1: Soviet armored fighting vehicle (AFV), low, boxy, crew of 3 and 8 combat troops. Has tracks and a 73mm cannon. Also an AT-3 Sagger antitank missile and coaxial machine gun.
Body Armor: Far too heavy for SEAL use in the water.
Bogey: Pilots’ word for an unidentified aircraft.
Boghammar Boat: Long, narrow, low dagger boat; high-speed patrol craft. Swedish make. Iran had 40 of them in 1993.
Boomer: A nuclear-powered missile submarine.
Bought It: A man has been killed. Also “bought the farm.”
Bow Cat: The bow catapult on a carrier to launch jets.
Broken Arrow: Any accident with nuclear weapons, or any incident of nuclear material lost, shot down, crashed, stolen, hijacked.
Browning 9mm High Power: A Belgium 9mm pistol, 13 rounds in magazine. First made 1935.
Buddy Line: 6 feet long, ties 2 SEALs together in the water for control and help if needed.
BUD/S: Coronado, California, nickname for SEAL training facility for six months’ course.
Bull Pup. Still in testing; new soldier’s rifle. SEALs have a dozen of them for regular use. Army gets them in 2005. Has a 5.56 kinetic round, 30-shot clip. Also 20mm high-explosive round and 5-shot magazine. Twenties can be fused for proximity airbursts with use of video camera, laser range finder, and laser targeting. Fuses by number of turns the round needs to reach laser spot. Max range: 1200 yards. Twenty round can also detonate on contact, and has delay fuse. Weapon weighs 14 pounds. SEALs love it. Can in effect “shoot around corners” with the airburst feature.
BUPERS: BUreau of PERSonnel.
C-2A Greyhound: 2-engine turboprop cargo plane that lands on carriers. Also called COD, Carrier Onboard Delivery. Two pilots and engineer. Rear fuselage loading ramp. Cruise speed 300 mph, range 1,000 miles. Will hold 39 combat troops. Lands on CVN carriers at sea.
C-4: Plastic explosive. A claylike explosive that can be molded and shaped. It will burn. Fairly stable.
C-6 Plastique: Plastic explosive. Developed from C-4 and C-5. Is often used in bombs with radio detonator or digital timer.