"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."
14
Joe Douglas watched the dancer for a moment, then snapped his finger against the expensive stemware. It rang like a silver bell. Everyone at the table looked at him.
"If we can't find out from here where the damn plant is, then it's logical that we have to get down there to the south and dig out the location on the spot."
"But it's fifteen hundred miles or more all the way to the southern border of the country," George said. "How can we get down there?"
"Hitchhike, steal a car — I don't know, but we've got to be on-site down there to find the damn place," Douglas said.
"I might be able to help," the dancer said. "Tomorrow I have to go far south to the town of Bandar-e 'Abbas. It's on the Straight of Hormuz. That's only about four hundred miles north of Chah Bahar."
"Going down there," Franklin said. "Could I ask how?"
"Yes. I rent a plane at the airport here and fly down. I understand there's a small airport at Chah Bahar, but the four of us arriving for no obvious reason would stir up a lot of Secret Police and military questions."
"You mean we could ride in your plane down to Bandar-e without the authorities asking about us?"
"I do have a little bit of influence in this country. You'll be going as my bodyguards. I always travel with one or two. Three is not unheard of."
George frowned. "So we get that far, how do we get on to Chah Bahar?"
"Rent a car," Murrah said. "I can do so without a question. I'll tell them it's for a vacation, and I've never been that far south before. You'd be surprised how many people, and officials, will let me break a lot of the rules."
"if we're voting, I'd say it's a go," Franklin said.
"Sounds good to me," Douglas chimed in. "Once we get to that town, we can start working our way out those roads and feel our way along until we find the sucker."
George still had his frown. "I don't know. I'm not comfortable exposed that way. In Tehran, I can melt into the community. I'm going to have to check with the Office on this."
"Don't bother," Douglas said. "You stay here and we'll go with Murrah down south and find the damned location."
George sighed, and at last nodded. "Yes, you're right. I haven't done the job up here. I'd say it can't be done here. So we go south. If it's still all right with Murrah."
"I'd be delighted. You'll stay here tonight. I'll outfit you in some different clothes, and we'll take two or three suitcases. I have jackets that are just alike that should fit the three of you. Yes, let's do it. I have some phone calls to make. Lotus will show each of you to your room. We'll be up early. I like to fly out before seven A.M. It's an hour to the airport in my car."
Lotus, the maid, arrived on cue, and motioned the three men to follow her. Murrah took a cordless phone from its set in a drawer in the arm of one of the large sofas, and made her calls.
A half hour later, Joe Douglas had turned off the light in the room he had been shown to. He had stripped to his shorts and slid between white sheets. Murrah lived like a queen in this poverty-drenched country.
He had just closed his eyes, when he heard his door open. Damn. His pistol was halfway across the room.
"Don't be alarmed, Joe Douglas," Murrah said softly. She turned on one of the small lamps and sat down on the bed beside him. She wore a thin, wispy see-through gown.
"Joe Douglas, did you enjoy my dancing tonight?"
"Yes, fantastic. I still don't see how you can shake that way.
She laughed. "It is a gift and a craft. Tell me, was I sexy?"