hon."
Kelly's mother could have been her sister. Her hair was as deep an auburn as her own. The only sign of her age was the slightly deeper crinkles at the corners of her eyes and the small pair of glasses perched on her nose. She had been pregnant with Kelly and Frank when she was only twenty-two, still in med school herself. Giving birth to fraternal twins was enough of a family for the med student and the young navy surveillance engineer. Kelly's mother and father never had any more children.
But that didn't stop Kelly from following in hermother's footsteps, getting pregnant in her fourth year of medical school at Georgetown. Yet unlike her mother, who remained married to the father of her children, Kelly divorced Daniel Nickerson when she found him in bed with a fellow residency student. He at least had enough decency not to contest Kelly's demand for custody of their one-year-old daughter, Jessica.
Jessie, now six years old, stood at her grandmother's shoulder, dressed in a yellow flannel nightgown with Disney's Pocahontas on the front. Her tousled red hair looked as if she had just climbed out of bed. She waved at the screen. "Hi, Mommy!"
"Hi, sweetheart. Are you having a good time with Grandma and Grandpa?"
She nodded vigorously. "We went to Chuck E. Cheese's today!"
Kelly's smile broadened. "That sounds like fun. I wish I could've been there."
"We saved a piece of pizza for you."
In the background, her mother's eyes rolled with the exasperation of all grandparents who've had encounters with the giant Chuck E. Cheese's rodent.
"Did you see any lions, Mommy?"
This earned a chuckle. "No, hon, there are no lions here. That's Africa."
"How about gorillas?"
"No, that's Africa, too--but we did see some monkeys."
Jessica's eyes grew round. "Can you catch one and bring one home? I always wanted a monkey."
"I don't think the monkey would like that. He has his own mommy here."
Her mother placed an arm around Jessica. "And I think it's time we let your mommy get some sleep. She has to get up early like you do."
Jessica's face fell into a pout.
Kelly leaned closer to the screen. "I love you, Jessie."
She waved at the screen. "Bye, Mommy."
Her mother smiled at her. "Be careful, hon. I wish I could be there."
"You've got enough work of your own. Did the...um..." Her eyes flicked to Jessie. "... package arrive safely?"
Her mother's face drifted to a more serious demeanor. "It cleared customs in Miami about six o'clock, arrived here in Virginia about ten, and was trucked to the Instar Institute. In fact, your father's still over there, making sure all is in order for tomorrow's examination."
Kelly nodded, relieved Clark's body had arrived in the States safely.
"I should get Jessie to bed, but I'll update you tomorrow night during the evening uplink. You be careful out there."
"Don't worry. I've got a crack team of ten Army Rangers as bodyguards. I'll be safer than on the streets of downtown Washington."
"Still, you two watch each other's backs."
Kelly glanced to Frank, who was talking to Richard Zane. "We will."
Her mother swept her a kiss. "I love you."
"Love you too, Mom." Then the screen went dead.
Kelly closed the laptop, then slumped to a chair by the table, suddenly exhausted. She stared at the others. Her gear was already packed and stored on the Huey. Free from any responsibilities for the moment, her mind drifted back to the red serpentine tattoo wrapped around a blue palm, the symbol of the Ban-ali, the ghost tribe of the Amazon.
Two questions nagged her: Did such a tribe exist, a tribe with these mythic powers? And if so, would ten armed Rangers be enough?
Three
The Doctor and the Witch
AUGUST 6, 11:45 P.M.
CAYENNE, FRENCH GUIANA
Louis Favre was often described as a bastard and drunkard, but never to his face. Never . The unfortunate sot who had dared now sat on his backside in the alley behind the Hotel Seine, a great decaying colonial edifice that sat on
Kelly's mother could have been her sister. Her hair was as deep an auburn as her own. The only sign of her age was the slightly deeper crinkles at the corners of her eyes and the small pair of glasses perched on her nose. She had been pregnant with Kelly and Frank when she was only twenty-two, still in med school herself. Giving birth to fraternal twins was enough of a family for the med student and the young navy surveillance engineer. Kelly's mother and father never had any more children.
But that didn't stop Kelly from following in hermother's footsteps, getting pregnant in her fourth year of medical school at Georgetown. Yet unlike her mother, who remained married to the father of her children, Kelly divorced Daniel Nickerson when she found him in bed with a fellow residency student. He at least had enough decency not to contest Kelly's demand for custody of their one-year-old daughter, Jessica.
Jessie, now six years old, stood at her grandmother's shoulder, dressed in a yellow flannel nightgown with Disney's Pocahontas on the front. Her tousled red hair looked as if she had just climbed out of bed. She waved at the screen. "Hi, Mommy!"
"Hi, sweetheart. Are you having a good time with Grandma and Grandpa?"
She nodded vigorously. "We went to Chuck E. Cheese's today!"
Kelly's smile broadened. "That sounds like fun. I wish I could've been there."
"We saved a piece of pizza for you."
In the background, her mother's eyes rolled with the exasperation of all grandparents who've had encounters with the giant Chuck E. Cheese's rodent.
"Did you see any lions, Mommy?"
This earned a chuckle. "No, hon, there are no lions here. That's Africa."
"How about gorillas?"
"No, that's Africa, too--but we did see some monkeys."
Jessica's eyes grew round. "Can you catch one and bring one home? I always wanted a monkey."
"I don't think the monkey would like that. He has his own mommy here."
Her mother placed an arm around Jessica. "And I think it's time we let your mommy get some sleep. She has to get up early like you do."
Jessica's face fell into a pout.
Kelly leaned closer to the screen. "I love you, Jessie."
She waved at the screen. "Bye, Mommy."
Her mother smiled at her. "Be careful, hon. I wish I could be there."
"You've got enough work of your own. Did the...um..." Her eyes flicked to Jessie. "... package arrive safely?"
Her mother's face drifted to a more serious demeanor. "It cleared customs in Miami about six o'clock, arrived here in Virginia about ten, and was trucked to the Instar Institute. In fact, your father's still over there, making sure all is in order for tomorrow's examination."
Kelly nodded, relieved Clark's body had arrived in the States safely.
"I should get Jessie to bed, but I'll update you tomorrow night during the evening uplink. You be careful out there."
"Don't worry. I've got a crack team of ten Army Rangers as bodyguards. I'll be safer than on the streets of downtown Washington."
"Still, you two watch each other's backs."
Kelly glanced to Frank, who was talking to Richard Zane. "We will."
Her mother swept her a kiss. "I love you."
"Love you too, Mom." Then the screen went dead.
Kelly closed the laptop, then slumped to a chair by the table, suddenly exhausted. She stared at the others. Her gear was already packed and stored on the Huey. Free from any responsibilities for the moment, her mind drifted back to the red serpentine tattoo wrapped around a blue palm, the symbol of the Ban-ali, the ghost tribe of the Amazon.
Two questions nagged her: Did such a tribe exist, a tribe with these mythic powers? And if so, would ten armed Rangers be enough?
Three
The Doctor and the Witch
AUGUST 6, 11:45 P.M.
CAYENNE, FRENCH GUIANA
Louis Favre was often described as a bastard and drunkard, but never to his face. Never . The unfortunate sot who had dared now sat on his backside in the alley behind the Hotel Seine, a great decaying colonial edifice that sat on
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