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Thorpe winced and turned his face away for a second, then turned back with a forced smile. "I'm glad you're having a good time, son. I like your sneakers."

Another silence ensued, then finally Thorpe spoke. "I'm looking forward to you coming home. We can go hiking in the mountains. Maybe do some climbing."

Tommy stepped closer to his father and spoke in a low voice. "I miss you, Dad. I want to come home."

Lisa gave Thorpe a warning glance.

"Your mother and I have to talk about some things first," Thorpe said.

"I just want to go home," Tommy repeated.

"I know that, dear," Lisa said, a hand on his shoulder gently separating the two. "Your dad and I need to talk. Can you go wait by the car like I asked you?"

"I have to go to the bathroom," Tommy said.

Thorpe pointed at the hangar. "There's one in there."

"Hope we can go hiking soon," Tommy said, giving him another salute.

"I hope so, too, Tommy."

Tommy disappeared into the hangar.

"I was surprised to get your call saying you were here," Lisa said.

Thorpe was looking at the hangar. "I'm just passing through. I'm not even supposed to be here. The rest of my team is at Fort Polk but the chopper had to fly here to refuel and pick up a part. I have to get back to the chopper soon."

"That's not what I meant when I said I was surprised to hear from you."

Thorpe looked at her, his face resigned because he knew what she meant. "I'm still deployed most of the time," he said. "We were surprised ourselves to get orders to come here this weekend. We have to check out some nuclear materials storage facilities for security."

"I know very well that you are deployed most of the time," Lisa said. "I lived with it for thirteen years."

Thorpe didn't say anything.

"I'm not going to let you do to Tommy what you did to me," Lisa said. "He deserves better."

"What did I do that was so bad?" Thorpe asked resignedly.

"You put me second. I could live with that until I realized you were putting Tommy second. You can't do that to your child."

"I do all I can," Thorpe said. "I've taken care of you and Tommy as best I can."

"You don't understand, do you? There's more than rules and form. There's substance. There's priorities. There's being a human being, a father. A husband. Being those things before being a soldier. If you'd understood those things, we wouldn't be in this situation right now."

"Please, Lisa," Thorpe begged. "Come home. We can work it out."

Lisa shook her head. "You wouldn't even be there if I went home tomorrow, would you?"

"I'll be back at the end of next week," Thorpe said. He wiped his face again.

"See?" She leaned close. "You're sweating out last night's drunk, aren't you? I can smell it."

Thorpe looked down at the tar.

"You've been like this since you came back from the Middle East. Something happened to you and since you can't talk about it, we can't help you. I'm angry, and maybe a little jealous."

Thorpe shook his head. "I've never given you a reason to be jealous, Lisa. Not in—''

Lisa dismissed his plea with a wave of her hand.

"I don't mean that. Don't you see, you're falling apart. You're destroying yourself and us because of some crap in your beloved job. There's nothing in your life with Tommy and me that could have brought you to this. The army has all of you, even your pain. I can't even hurt you like it does."

"That's bullshit, Lisa. Why, if something happened to you or Tommy, I'd die."

"Something has happened to me and Tommy— we've left," Lisa said. "But I don't think you know what to feel. You're drinking too much to feel anything. You're too caught up in the army to stop for a moment and try to feel." She moved closer. "What is so bad? What's gone wrong?"

Thorpe closed his eyes. "I don't know. I don't know what I believe anymore. All I know is I want you back."

"We can't come back like this. Not to the same thing," Lisa said. "Tommy looks up to you too much to see you like this."

Thorpe looked over his shoulder. Two pilots in flight suits, one man and one woman, were walking toward the Blackhawk. "I have to go." He turned back to Lisa. "Please come back."

"Not now. Not with you like you are. When you want us, then maybe we can talk."

Thorpe lifted his hands helplessly. "Lisa, I don't—"

"Go," Lisa said. "Before Tommy comes back. It only makes it worse for him to see you like this."

* * *

A mile from Thorpe and Lisa's location, a half dozen dump trucks and two Humvees were parked off the edge of a dirt road that ran alongside a chain link fence with Restricted U.S. Government Property signs hung on it. On the other side of the fence, through a hundred yards of trees that blocked the view, was the Barksdale flight line with helicopters and aircraft tied down in neat rows.

Inside the lead Humvee, two men sat, both dressed in black combat fatigues. The man in the passenger seat pulled a cellular phone out of his vest and punched a number in.

"Sim Nuke is in position," he said as soon as the other end was answered.

* * *

Four miles from that location and on the other side of the Anaconda River, two more Humvees and a backhoe were parked along a gravel road. The hydraulic shovel on the backhoe was carefully excavating earth from a six-foot-deep hole on the side of the road, right next to a sign that spelled out buried cable in large letters. Smaller letters informed anyone wanting to dig in that area to contact the barksdale air force base facilities engineers.

Inside the lead Humvee McKenzie listened to the report from the man outside the flight line. "All right, Drake. Just wait for further orders."

He put the phone down and looked at the man in the backseat. "Sim Nuke is in position."

"Sir!" the driver, Aldrich, called out, bringing McKenzie's attention to the front. A Security Police car was coming around the curve in the road, slowing as it neared their location.

"We've got company," McKenzie said.

A low voice spoke from the shadows of the backseat. "That's what you're here for," Professor Kilten said. "Remember, no one is to get hurt," he added.

McKenzie spit out the window. "What do you think will happen when you set off your simulated nuclear device outside the air base?"

The military police car had stopped and the two cops were talking to the man operating the bucket loader. The operator was shrugging and pretending he didn't know what they were asking.

"You know the plan. No one will be injured," Kilten said. "The flight line will be clear of personnel."

"Accidents happen," McKenzie said with a twisted smile. "After all, that's why we're here, isn't it?"

Kilten didn't answer.

McKenzie pushed open the door of the Humvee. He was dressed in black fatigues. His artificial left hand was covered with a black glove, his right hand was empty. Aldrich also got out and joined him. Aldrich had on a red beret with a distinctive badge above the left eye.

The two air force policemen turned, not quite sure what to make of the men in black with combat harnesses but no weapons in their hands. Both cops drew their side arms.

"Hold it right there," one of the policemen yelled.

"What's wrong?" McKenzie held up his right hand, palm empty.

"I said hold it!"

"Hold what?" McKenzie asked. He reached with his right hand and lifted his left arm. It stayed in place, straight out from his side. McKenzie tapped on the sleeve and produced a dull metal sound.

"You going to shoot me?" McKenzie asked. "A wounded veteran?"

McKenzie was walking closer as he spoke, now only ten feet away. Both cops stepped back, the muzzles of their weapons not quite steady.