Free Ice War by Brian Falkner Page A

file,” Bilal asked.
    “Like what?”
    “Anything,” Bilal said. “I want to get to know these kids.”
    “Confidentially?”
    “Of course.”
    “She’s going out … in a relationship with Monster.”
    “Sergeant Panyoczki?”
    “She thinks no one knows, but it’s pretty obvious,” Wilton said.
    “Does it affect her work? Her decision making?”
    “I doubt it, but I haven’t been on a mission with her since Magnum, so I can’t really say.”
    “What about Panyoczki?” Bilal asked. “What’s he like?”
    “Um …”
    “Be honest,” Bilal said.
    “Well, he’s this big, funny, crude dude. Loves life. Nothing fazes him. You feel it’d take a nuclear bomb to kill him. But …”
    “But?”
    “He went a bit loopy after Uluru. All touchy-feely, spouting about the universe and all sorts of New Age crap. I don’t really understand him any more.”
    “What about Barnard?” Bilal asked.
    “She scares the hell out of me.” Wilton laughed.
    “Because?”
    “She doesn’t think much of people who aren’t as smart as she is,” Wilton said. “And that’s basically everyone. I’m always afraid I’m going to say the wrong thing around her and she’s going to give me that look.” He stopped and stared at his hands.
    “What look?” Bilal asked.
    “This look,” Wilton said, and showed him.
    “I think I know what you mean. How about Nikolaevna?”
    “Who?”
    “Dmitri Nikolaevna.”
    “Oh, The Tsar,” Wilton said. “He’s fun to be around. I like him a lot. I didn’t always though.”
    “Why not?” Bilal said.
    Wilton had to think for a long time about that.
    “I guess when he first came into our team he was kinda up himself. He’d been on some important mission in Japan and he was supposed to be a real hero.”
    “Did you think he was a hero?” Bilal asked.
    “Not really,” Wilton said. “He seemed to love himself a little too much. I thought Price was a hero for what she did at Uluru, and Chisnall was, well, Chisnall. But he came good, The Tsar. He fitted in all right.”
    “Emile?” Bilal asked.
    “Don’t really know him,” Wilton said. “He came on the team after I left. I mean I saw him at Fort Carson, but I didn’t get to spend much time with him.”
    “So no reason to think that any of them might be playing for the other team?” Bilal asked.
    “The other team?” Wilton asked.
    “The Bzadians,” Bilal said.
    Wilton was shocked. “No, sir. Not Price, Monster, Barnard or Tsar. Definitely not. And Wall’s brother was killed by the Pukes. He hates them more than anyone. I don’t know about Emile, but after the thing with Brogan I think they were real careful about who got to be an Angel.”
    “I thought so,” Bilal said. “But I had to check. Something has gone wrong out there.”
    “That doesn’t mean there’s a traitor. Perhaps they just can’t get reception,” Wilton said.
    “I’d think that too, if it wasn’t for what happened to the two Seal teams,” Bilal said. “We’re going to have to face the fact that whatever has happened to the Seals, has happened to the Angels.” He shook his head in frustration. “This is going to be difficult to explain to ACOG, considering the Angels officially weren’t even there in the first place.”
    Wilton stared at him.
    “They were friends of mine,” Wilton said, then corrected himself. “They
are
friends of mine.”
    Bilal evaluated him and Wilton felt uncomfortable under his gaze.
    “You wish you were back with them?” Bilal asked.
    Wilton shrugged. He did. But he wasn’t about to say that to a stranger. In any case, he sensed that this stranger already knew more about him, and the rest of the Angels, than he knew himself.
    “I’m sorry about your friends,” Bilal said, and Wilton felt that he truly was. “Maybe they will get in contact. They have only missed one radio call.”
    It was clear that he didn’t think this was likely.
    “Stay here for the rest of the week, just in case,” Bilal