CHAPTER 20
First thing Monday morning Martin led his troops on their morning run, showered
and headed for the Commissary for breakfast. Returning to his offices he checked
a couple of roster changes and then set up the training simulations for the day
in the departmental holodeck. It was one of the perks of serving on Mars that
the Security details had their own holodeck suite in which to run training
simulations without having to reserve time in the base facility with everyone
else assigned to the Mars base. When he was clear on the daily training
assignments he set up the preliminary simulation for Radcliffe for later that
night. Finishing that he hailed Radcliffe on his COMM badge.
“Martin to Radcliffe.”
“Radcliffe here, Captain.”
“We’re set up for your first training run at 1900 hours tonight. Do you know
where the Security holodeck is?”
“Yes I do, Captain. Do I need to bring anything special?”
“Just wear your workout clothes. We’re going to run you through a simulation to
get a feel for your skill levels now and then we’ll do a little sparring. That
sound okay to you?”
“It sure does.”
Martin chuckled evilly. “It won’t when we’re finished. 1900 hours. I’ll see you
then. Martin, out.”
Ethan arrived at the security department’s holodeck five minutes before the
scheduled workout and found Martin and two staff sergeants frowning at the
status readouts on the screen outside the holodeck doorway. All three Marines
were dressed in camouflage BDUs and carried workout bags.
“Good evening. I’m not late, am I?”
“No, you’re early in fact,” replied Martin still staring at the screen. “But
apparently somebody else had decided to use the holodeck tonight without signing
up for it. And I’m not sure I like what they’re doing in there.”
“What don’t you like, Captain?”
“They’ve disengaged the safety protocols on one of the advanced training
programs. Somebody could get seriously hurt doing that.”
“How seriously hurt?” asked Radcliffe quietly.
“Like dead.” Martin made his decision and entered the command override codes. He
froze the program and ordered the doors opened.
They walked into a scene of utter chaos. The setting appeared to be the hangar
bay of a Galaxy-class starship. It was filled with Starfleet troops fighting
Jem’Hadar invaders. Bodies and pools of blood were everywhere. Since Martin had
frozen the program only one figure was still moving.
She was tall, Radcliffe noticed, but not as tall as Seven of Nine. Her short
chestnut hair had some silver in it and clear blue eyes looked at them with a
glint of humor. There was a C-shaped scar around her left eye and she was
limping on her left leg. A duranium brace and heavy scarring around the knee
visible through a tear in her BDUs gave ample indication why.
She was armed with a flare stick and a hand phaser and apparently knew how to
use both; there were the bodies of four Jem’Hadar around her and a fifth doubled
over from what had been her most recent blow.
“Can I help you, fellas?” she asked nonchalantly.
“You can start by telling me who you are and what you’re doing in my holodeck,”
replied Martin.
“That must make you the new Security Chief,” Limping over to a bulkhead she took
a towel out of her workout bag and began wiping the sweat and blood off her
face. “I’m Lieutenant McDeere from Logistics and Supply. Lieutenant Commander
Neiral gave me the access codes and permission to use the holodeck.”
“Captain Martin. Even if you had permission, it’s customary to sign the log in
Security so others will know when you’re using it. And it is not customary to
disengage the safety protocols.”
“Sorry, the log was never an issue with Neiral. And as for the safeties…” She
caught sight of Radcliffe and the NCOs who had snapped to attention at the
mention of her rank. “Gee guys, at ease. Relax before you break something.”
Turning back to Martin she said, “As for the safeties, it’s not as much fun to
play with them on.”
Martin’s tone was icy. “Running an advanced simulation like this one alone in
the holodeck with the safeties off is a good way to get yourself killed. It’s
beyond foolhardy. It’s bordering on suicidal.”
“I assure you, I’m not suicidal. But my experience with the Jem’Hadar can’t be
duplicated with safeties on. They are terrifying adversaries; something you
don’t feel when they can’t actually hurt you. Because in real life they can and
do. Frequently. So I take the safeties off. It’s a better workout.”
One of the NCOs laughed as Martin looked at the blood dripping down her face
from a gash in her hairline.
“I see. And is the quality of your workout determined by the amount of blood you
lose?”
“No, one of them got in a lucky shot just before you froze the program. I’ve got
a dermal regenerator in here to take care of…” She rummaged through her workout
bag and came out with a dermal regenerator. As she felt around on her scalp for
the wound Martin stepped forward and reached for the medical device.
“May I? I have a better visual.”
Straightening, she handed it to him. “Thanks, I’d appreciate it.”
No one spoke for the minute or so it took to close and completely heal the
laceration in her scalp. When he finished Martin silently handed the regenerator
back to McDeere and watched as she casually tossed it back into her bag.
“So, what are you gentlemen planning on doing tonight?”
“We’re going to see what kind of skills Radcliffe here has. He thinks he wants
to qualify for starship duty in Security and Tactical.”
“You’ll need a strong class three rating in two weapons types and one form of
hand-to-hand combat for that Ensign. That can mean a lot of work…and a lot of
bruises.”
“You seen very familiar with starship duty requirements for a supply officer,
Lieutenant,” commented Martin.
McDeere gave him a strange look. “In another life I was assigned to a starship
or two. Some of us weren’t born rear echelon weenies. Some of us have it thrust
upon us.”
“Care to elaborate on that, Lieutenant?”
“No, I would not, Captain.”
The two senior officers glared at each other for several seconds before first
Martin then McDeere visibly relaxed. He extended his hand. Martin was too
professional to quarrel with the woman in front of junior officers. Technically
they were both of the same rank but he was the new guy on the block and he
couldn’t expect everyone to immediately change their way of doing things just
because there was a new commanding officer on deck. With what they might be
facing soon he would need the obedience and respect of his subordinates. He
wouldn’t earn that if he came in bristling and barking.
“I’m Jim, Jim Martin.”
She took it and shook it firmly. “Jordan McDeere.”
Martin introduced Radcliffe and the NCOs and everyone shook hands. When Jordan
got to Radcliffe she grinned. “So you’re the Ethan Radcliffe that’s been routing
all of Voyager’s refit requisitions to me.”
He grinned right back. “Then that must mean you’re the Lieutenant McDeere that
gets them filled and shipped on time so we have what we need when we need it.”
“Just don’t advertise that fact if you want it to continue. If Lieutenant
Commander Nixon finds out I’m expediting your requisitions he’ll be all over me
like white on rice.”
“Believe me I won’t, Lieutenant,” Radcliffe said earnestly, “We’re too glad to
have the supplies here when we need them.”
“So, you seem to know a little something about the Security needs of a starship,
Lieutenant McDeere. Would you like to help us evaluate Radcliffe here? You might
have a better grasp of what he’ll need to know than we do. Our tactical focus is
different in the Marines than it would be on a starship.”
“Sure, I’d be glad to help out. Besides, if helping train Radcliffe gets me into
the holodeck on a regular basis I’ll do it just for that.”
“Don’t worry; you’ve still got clearance. All I ask is that you call and put
your name on the schedule from now on and for the love of everything that’s holy
have somebody here if you’re going to go without safeties. Just so they can call
for a medic before you get killed. Do you have any idea of the paperwork I’d
have to deal with if you died in my holodeck?”
Jordan grinned and reached out to shake his hand again. “Deal, Captain.”
With the technicalities out of the way the group got ready to evaluate
Radcliffe’s skill levels. Martin called up a basic marksmanship program and
Ethan pulled his phaser and took a position at the firing line. As he assumed
his firing stance the NCOs stood behind him and observed while Martin and
McDeere stood slightly to one side and observed both his technique and his
accuracy on the range.
“He’s trying too hard and rushing the shot,” commented Martin. “Rookie mistake.”
“Looks like maybe he has a dominant left eye,” replied McDeere, “Look how he
tilts his head when he’s sighting.”
“You may be right.” Martin watched Radcliffe intently for a minute and nodded at
McDeere. “I think you hit it on the nose. He’s sighting with his left eye and
shooting with his right hand. We need to change his stance a bit to compensate.”
He told the NCOs the information and they began to work with Radcliffe on his
stance and sighting technique. By the end of an hour his accuracy had improved
by almost sixty percent. Both Martin and McDeere nodded their approval.
“Well done, Ensign. You’re going to need to practice that new stance and your
sighting until it becomes second nature. But the results are obvious.”
Ethan, for his part, was thrilled with the results. He’d passed his basic
marksmanship requirements at the Academy, but had never worked on shooting since.
The new stance the Marines had put him in felt awkward, but allowed him to use
his dominant eye in a more efficient manner and his aim had improved accordingly.
Martin next brought up a rifle range and one of the NCOs pulled a compression
phaser rifle out of his workout bag. Handing it to Radcliffe he commented that
for their purposes it needed to stay on a narrow beam setting. They again
adjusted his stance to compensate for his dominant left eye and he began firing.
This time his inexperience showed more readily.
“Practice. He’s going to need lots of practice,” said Martin.
“You got that one right,” agreed McDeere. “He’s going to be spending a lot of
time on this range for the near future. It’ll be best if he qualifies for his
weapons ratings first. Hand to hand will take more time to learn and he’ll need
to practice a lot. Once he gets his weapons ratings he can keep them up to date
with weekly practice while he works on his hand-to-hand skills.”
“Listen, I’m going to be busy for the next couple of weeks getting my troops
settled in and on a working schedule. Would you mind working with him for a
while? Once we get settled into a patrol routine I’ll have more time.”
“Sure, Jim. I can work with him. And I can start him on some basic hand-to-hand
techniques too.”
“Thanks, McDeere. Jordan. I appreciate it. And I know Ethan does too.”
“You’re welcome…I think. You did tell him honestly how hard this was going to be,
didn’t you?”
“I told him most mornings he’d wish he was dead. Was that honest enough?”
“Well, it’s close. But I wonder if he’s mentally ready for what he’s going to be
facing. Most kids fresh out of the Academy aren’t.”
“I actually think he is. The young man is what we would call highly motivated.
He wants this badly. And I think he’ll do whatever he has to do to make it
happen.”
“We’ll see, Captain. We’ll see.”
* * *
The next morning came far too early for Ensign Radcliffe. When he crawled out of
his bunk he could barely stand upright. The ‘light workout’ the Marines had put
him through to assess his hand-to-hand skills had seemed more like a barroom
brawl than a training session. He spent far longer than usual in a hot shower
before he felt capable of moving in a coordinated manner.
When he got to the Commissary for breakfast Max brought coffee over to the table
and joined him.
“Ethan, my friend, you look like death on toast. Had your first workout session,
did you?”
“Yeah I did. The Marines nearly killed me. But damn, Max, those guys can fight.
And they know their way about a shooting range too. It took them less than ten
minutes to figure out that I’ve been trying to sight with the wrong eye since
the Academy. They altered my stance a little so I could sight with my dominant
eye and all of a sudden I couldn’t miss the target! I was shooting like I knew
what I was doing.”
Max regarded him with a small smile. “You know, buddy, I’m beginning to think
you just might pull this off.”
“And I met somebody else last night too. I met Lieutenant McDeere from Supply.
She was in the holodeck working out when we got there. She had a simulation of a
Jem’Hadar attack running. She’d killed four of them and was fighting a fifth
when we came in. I just can’t figure out how somebody who works in supply ever
learned to fight like she can. That lady can kick some serious ass. Even the
Marines treated her with respect – they knew she could fight too. And she made a
funny comment about being a rear echelon weenie; like not being born to it or
something. I wonder what that’s all about.”
“There’s more to everyone than is usually apparent, buddy. Lieutenant McDeere is
no exception.”
“Well, she’s going to be working with me for the next couple of weeks until
Captain Martin gets his troops integrated into Security and gets settled into
his new job. She knows how to shoot and how to fight so I’m going to be learning
a lot from her. I just wish I could figure out…” His voice trailed off as he
thought a moment.
“Figure out what, Ethan?”
Radcliffe snapped back to the present and looked a Max. “It’s just the way she
handled herself with Captain Martin. It was like two people who had the same
experiences. She seemed a lot like the Marines. Like her under-tunic ought to be
command red instead of support gold. Does that make any sense?”
Max thought a moment before replying. “It might. I think I heard something about
her background…I just can’t remember what. Let me think on it. Maybe it will
come to me. But for now, I’ve got to get back to work. Are you coming in for
lunch?”
“Yeah, I’ll be here. Things are fairly quiet in the office this week with the
Captain and Seven in Indiana.”
“When are you leaving for the wedding?”
“Thursday evening. I’ve got a reservation at the hotel through Sunday morning.
Gives me time to recover from the party and get back to Mars before the work
week starts.”
“Okay then, I’ll see you at lunch. Enjoy that omelet.”
When Radcliffe got to the office suite it was still dark and secured. He opened
the offices and got the morning’s coffee started before settling at his desk and
checking his overnight COMM logs. He found one from Lieutenant McDeere outlining
a schedule for their workouts and asking him to check it over so she could
reserve the security holodeck for them. He immediately returned it with his
acceptance and turned to the rest of the overnights.
There was a message from Captain Picard in the list and he promptly opened it.
On the surface it was a confirmation of hotel reservations for him and Dr.
Crusher for the wedding. But when Radcliffe downloaded it to a PADD and did a
little decrypting he found a message from Picard to Janeway detailing Picard’s
unsuccessful efforts to get Admiral Nechayev to accept Seven of Nine on the
planning team for their mission. Not that it came as a surprise since Nechayev
had been highly suspicious of Seven since Voyager’s return, but Picard had a
sterling reputation and his opinion usually carried weight even with Starfleet
brass.
Radcliffe decided he’d wait a while before trying to contact Captain Janeway.
She was on leave for this week and the next and would probably not be keeping
military hours. He looked up as Lieutenant Torres walked into the offices.
“Good morning, Radcliffe. How’s it going?”
“Just fine, Lieutenant. I’m going through the overnights right now. I’ve got a
couple for you to take care of, but nothing critical. Want some coffee? I’ve got
a fresh pot brewed.”
“Kahless that sounds good, Radcliffe. I’d love some. Let me get my mug. Miral
was fussing a lot last night. Woke us up twice.”
“Did you ever find her little boots to go with her dress uniform?”
“Nope, I’m afraid she’s going to have to be slightly out of uniform and go with
the black booties,” laughed B’Elanna. “Hey, before I forget, did the crew
manifest requisitions go in yet?”
“Yes ma’am. Captain Janeway completed them Friday morning and I sent them
through that afternoon. You and the others should be hearing from the Bureau of
Personnel very shortly. Captain Janeway seemed to think that they would be
moving quickly to fill the senior officer positions.”
“Thanks, Radcliffe. I’ll go check my private COMM logs; maybe my orders are
already there.” She headed into her office and promptly came back out. “Oh, and
if the helm-boy shows up looking for me send him right in, would you?”
Radcliffe laughed at her description. “Yes ma’am, I’ll send Lieutenant Paris
right in.” Both of them went back to work.
* * *
The dimmed desk lamp provided the only illumination in the office. Quietly the
officer rose from the desk chair and crossed the room to listen intently at the
door for any signs of activity from outside. There were none.
Returning to the desk the shadowy form reached out and activated the COMM
channel, waiting for the distinguished face to take shape on the desk screen.
“There are a lot of rumors flying around here. Don’t you think it’s time you
told me what’s really going on?”
The flag officer on the screen contemplated the shadowed face for a moment.
“You’re right, it is time I told you everything. It’s been need-to-know up until
now. But I’ve put our plan into action and now you do need to know everything.”
As concisely as possible the admiral detailed what had transpired in the past
week.
“So now you can see the big picture. You’ve been flying under the radar long
enough. It’s time for you to do what you’ve been trained to do. You need to
prepare yourself.”
“How much time do I have?”
The admiral hesitated a moment. “Not long…a week…two at the outside. There’s a
definite time constraint here. You’ll need to be prepared to move quickly.
Remember, this is what we’ve been working toward all this time.”
“I just hope I’m ready.”
“I have complete faith in your abilities. But remember, there’s a new factor.
You need to familiarize yourself with both of them now…she’ll have a lot of
influence on your principal target. And Voyager’s senior staff will be in the
area too. You can’t let any of them distract you from your objective.”
“I understand. I’ll be ready when the time comes.”
“Remember, even if our plan goes flawlessly you’ll only get one shot at this.
Make it count.”
“I will. I won’t let you down.” The admiral nodded and terminated the call. The
officer glanced toward the door and leaned closer to the desk terminal. Fingers
flew over the keys and classified files appeared on the screen. The shadowy form
opened the largest of them and the face of Seven of Nine filled the screen.
* * *
By Thursday morning Radcliffe had decided that if he didn’t qualify for duty on
Captain Janeway’s starship that it wouldn’t matter because most probably he
would be dead anyway. If he had thought that Lieutenant McDeere would be easier
on him than the Marines that notion had been quickly disabused. She drilled him
on his weapons for an hour first and then worked him for two hours in the basics
of hand-to-hand combat. She was trained in the ancient Earth Oriental techniques
of karate and tae kwon do and was a formidable opponent. Radcliffe was
frustrated in his personal combat training, but Lieutenant McDeere told him not
to be, that improvement would come with practice. He believed her, but the
bruises were mounting up.
They had agreed to forget about training on Thursday night so that he could
travel to Indiana for the wedding. He spent the day tying up as many loose ends
as he could think of so that the office being closed the following day wouldn’t
impact any of the projects that were in the works. After a quick lunch with Max
he hustled over to his rooms in the BOQ to retrieve his packed carryall.
The afternoon seemed to fly by and by 1630 hours he’d completed everything on
his to-do list. He cleaned out the coffee maker, washed the cups and made sure
everything in the office suite was secured. When he was satisfied that nothing
was out that shouldn’t be he commanded the lights off and locked the suite.
Shouldering his carryall he walked quickly to the Transport Center.
The shuttle ride to San Francisco was only a half hour and Radcliffe spent it
chatting with another Ensign assigned to the TPG on Mars. The other officer had
been a year ahead of Radcliffe at the Academy and they knew each other slightly.
They spent the brief ride catching up.
At the Starfleet Transport Center he gave to coordinates for Bloomington,
Indiana, stepped on the pad and moments later was rematerializing at the Portage
Creek Transport Center in Bloomington. He walked out of the center into a cold
wind and snow flurries where Tom Paris was waiting for him with a hovercraft.
“Hey, Radcliffe! You made good time.”
“Hi, Tom. For once there weren’t any delays either on Mars or in San Francisco.
What’s with the weather? I thought it wasn’t supposed to be winter here for a
while yet.”
“There’s a front headed this way coming down from Canada. Snow’s predicted for
tomorrow night. Could actually be fairly heavy snow too. Did you bring your
galoshes just in case?”
Radcliffe laughed. “Nope, I’ll just have to suffer I guess. Anything big planned
for tonight?”
“Nope, just a friendly dinner with everybody out at the farm. And all we’ve got
tomorrow is the rehearsal and the rehearsal dinner so it’s going to be an easy
couple of days. I talked to the Captain yesterday and she said she’d had enough
cocktail parties to last her a lifetime. I guess the brass threw a big one
Tuesday night.”
“How’s Miral? Lieutenant Torres said she’d been a little fussy lately.”
“Looks like she’s getting her first tooth. That would be a little early for a
human baby, but with a Klingon-human baby they’re calling it normal. She was
fine last night so maybe she’s cut it through and it won’t be a problem.”
“Let’s hope so. It wouldn’t be too great if she was crying all through the
wedding.”
“Not to worry, we’re covered with babysitting if need be. Nobody will have to
suffer through the ceremony with a screaming infant if she’s in a mood.”
Tom pulled the hovercar over in front of the hotel and parked.
“Why don’t you get registered and we’ll meet in the lobby in half an hour to
leave for the farm? Oh, I’m supposed to tell you that dress tonight is casual.
Jeans are fine if you brought some.”
Radcliffe nodded and went into the lobby. He waved to Harry Kim and Karri
Jameson who were sitting in the lobby talking and moved to the reception desk.
It took only a few moments to get his room codes and he was back downstairs in
jeans and a sweater and carrying his parka well before the allotted time. He sat
and chatted with Harry and Karri until the rest of the dinner guests had
assembled.
Tom, B’Elanna, Harry, Karri and Radcliffe went in one hovercar; Tuvok, his wife
T’Pel, the EMH and Admiral Pulaski in another. It only took a bit over fifteen
minutes to travel out into the Agricultural Preserve to the Janeway farm.
Kathryn welcomed them into the large farmhouse and pointed everyone toward the
living room where drinks were set out. Seven emerged from the kitchen briefly to
greet her crewmates and then ducked back in to help Gretchen put the finishing
touches on the meal. Phoebe circulated, wine bottle in hand, keeping glasses
topped off as Kathryn, Seven and Gretchen brought the food to the table. The
dining room table had been extended as far as the leaves would allow to seat
everyone and laden platters, steaming bowls and place settings covered every
inch. When everyone was seated Phoebe rose to propose a toast.
“I know that over the next two days there will be lots of these so I’ll keep
this one short. For seven long and frightening years Mom and I hoped and prayed
that Kathryn would get her ship and crew home. We worried, as did every family
of the crew, that some would not make it back. But when Voyager finally did
return home and we met all of you, Mom and I realized that we needn’t have
worried so much. For while her blood family was back on Earth Kathryn had
another family who cared about and for her just as deeply as we did. Tonight,
Mom and I welcome that family – all of you, new and old – to our home.” Everyone
at the table applauded.
When they had drunk their toast Tom stood up and raised his glass. “To Captain
Janeway, who never let us lose hope that we would make it home.” That toast
elicited cheers from the Starfleet officers.
Then Janeway stood, raised her champagne glass and said simply, “To Voyager and
all who sailed on her.”
At that point Gretchen wiped a stray tear from her eye, stood up and said,
“We’re delighted you’re all here and the food is hot so let’s eat!”
Conversation at the table ebbed and flowed as the meal was consumed and it was
quite a while before everyone had eaten their fill. Over Gretchen’s objections
everyone made short work of clearing the table and washing the dishes. When
they’d finished pots of coffee and tea were put on and Phoebe lit a fire in the
living room fireplace.
Radcliffe had been quiet through most of the meal, fully realizing for the first
time how close these people had become on their odyssey through the Delta
quadrant. Almost everyone in Starfleet realized that the Voyager crew shared a
special bond but Radcliffe doubted that anyone who had never seen them like this
– relaxed and enjoying themselves – could truly understand how close they had
become. It was not just shared experiences that held them together, but a bond
of loyalty that they all embraced.
He felt vaguely disturbed, feeling like an outsider as he listened to them
recount stories from their journey. Just as he was about to stand up and excuse
himself to get a breath of air he felt a presence behind him.
“Did you enjoy the dinner, Ensign Radcliffe?” asked Seven quietly.
“Very much so, ma’am. I haven’t eaten that well since the last leave I spent
with my parents.”
“I am glad you liked it. The more I learn to cook the more I find I appreciate
the enjoyment others take in the meals. You look troubled, Ensign. May I be of
assistance in some way?”
Ethan looked at the beautiful former drone and decided he could ask no one
better about his feelings. “Would you consider stepping out onto the porch to
talk?”
“Of course, Ensign. Let’s get our coats.”
They sat in the swing on the porch and looked out over the lawns. The moon would
be full in two nights but scudding clouds heralding the arrival of the Canadian
front made changing shadows on the grass.
“What is wrong, Ensign Radcliffe?”
He considered how best to bring up what he wanted to talk about and decided that
a direct approach would be best with Seven.
“Ma’am, you know Captain Janeway best. Am I doing an adequate job for her?”
“From what I know, Ensign, you are doing an excellent job for her. She is very
pleased with your performance.”
“Then why won’t she take me with her when you all go off to fight the Borg?” he
burst out.
Seven looked confused for a moment. “Why would you think she would not take you
with us?”
“Because she told me that she was going to miss me when you all shipped out.”
Seven thought a minute before replying. “Ethan,” she said gently, “Kathryn is
unlike many of her peers in Starfleet. She will not be pleased that I’m telling
you this, but she knows the name of every crewman she lost in those seven years
and blames herself for their deaths. She has personally contacted the families
of each one of them since our return. If she does not take you with us it is
because she does not want to have to contact your family and tell them how
bravely you died in the line of duty. I believe you have become very special to
her and to have to do that would break her heart.”
“But I want to go with her…with all of you. You’re all willing to face danger
with her, why can’t I?”
“Have you spoken with her about the way you feel?”
“No, I didn’t want to upset her before the wedding.”
Seven smiled her small smile. “Thank you for that, Ensign. That would spoil our
honeymoon somewhat. But if you truly want to come with us then you must talk to
Captain Janeway about it. You are a persuasive young man, I’m sure you can plead
your case effectively.”
“And if I can’t? If she decides that she doesn’t want me along?”
“Well, there is always more than one solution to most problems. Entering a house
through the back door gets you inside just as effectively as walking through the
front. You should think about that. Of course, if Kathryn ever asks you about it
we never had this talk.”
Ethan grinned. “What talk?”
Seven rose and held out her hand to the young officer. “Shall we rejoin the
others?”
Radcliffe took it and stood. “I believe we ought to.”
* * *