Read Online TW12 The Six-Gun Solution NEW by Simon Hawke - Free Book Online
Authors: Simon Hawke
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officers throughout his military career.
That, together with his insubordinate nature, was one of the reasons why he held the record for the most reductions in grade in the entire Temporal Corps. He also held the record for the most promotions, due to exemplary service in the field.
Lucas Priest had often chided him about it, saying that if it wasn't for his temper, he would have surely been a general by now, to which Delaney always responded with an irate scowl. At heart, he was a noncom and had always detested officers. And now he was a major. The rank did not sit well with him. He still felt funny being saluted.
Andre Cross sat between the two men on the couch, looking less like a soldier than a model hired to pose for a recruiting poster. Her straw-blonde hair was long and straight, falling to her shoulders, and her sharp, angular features were more striking than pretty. She had the physique of a bodybuilder, with long legs, a narrow waist, small hips and broad shoulders. Neilson had always thought that there was something catlike about her, in the way she moved and in the way she held herself.
Their presence made him feel somewhat more at ease, as he had served with them once before on a mission in the past, that assignment to Victorian London where half the mission team had died. People who had gone through something like that together achieved a special camaraderie that only other soldiers could fully understand. But the Old Man still had Neilson feeling a bit shaky in the knees. It felt a little strange standing before them, dressed the way he'd been in Tombstone. Almost as if he were a boy playing dress-up in a roomful of adults.
As soon as he'd clocked in and made his report. Forrester's adjutant had decided that "the Old Man should hear about this." And Forrester had summoned the others, the agency's number-one temporal adjustment team. Neilson had just finished briefing them on what he had discovered when he had clocked out to check on Observer Outpost G-6898. And now he stood at parade rest, awaiting their response.
"At ease, Sergeant,” said Forrester. "Have a seat, please."
Neilson took one of the living room chairs.
"What do you think?" asked Forrester, addressing the others.
"If Neilson thinks those Observers were killed by laser fire. I'm not inclined to question it," said Delaney. "He doesn't leap to hasty conclusions. Of course, we won't know that for a fact unless we send an S&R Team back to exhume the bodies, but under the circumstances, I'm not sure if we should risk that."
"I agree," said Lucas, nodding. "If we've got an infiltration in that time sector, they could be on the watch for that. The Observers blew their cover and the opposition, whoever they are, probably know where they're buried. They could be keeping their graves under surveillance, waiting for a Search & Retrieve team to clock back for them."
"It wouldn't be very hard to keep Tombstone's Boot Hill under surveillance, sir." Neilson added. "A small remote unit concealed nearby would do it."
"I'm a little disturbed about the fact that Scott has become involved in the scenario to the extent that he has," said Andre. "I don't mean that as a criticism. It looks as if the situation just turned out that way. But as a result, he's become highly visible."
"Maybe," said Lucas, "but we could turn that to our advantage. If he's going to attract attention, we can stay in the background and see just what kind of attention he attracts."
"Which is another way of saying we can use him as a Judas goat," said Andre. "I don't like it. It leaves him very vulnerable."
"None of us are paid to play it safe. Andre," said Delaney. "Besides, Scott can take care of himself. And we'll be there to provide backup."
"That's always assuming that we'll have the chance to do that," Andre replied. "We don't know what we're going up against. That particular scenario doesn't seem to have a great deal of temporal significance offhand, but if there's a
That, together with his insubordinate nature, was one of the reasons why he held the record for the most reductions in grade in the entire Temporal Corps. He also held the record for the most promotions, due to exemplary service in the field.
Lucas Priest had often chided him about it, saying that if it wasn't for his temper, he would have surely been a general by now, to which Delaney always responded with an irate scowl. At heart, he was a noncom and had always detested officers. And now he was a major. The rank did not sit well with him. He still felt funny being saluted.
Andre Cross sat between the two men on the couch, looking less like a soldier than a model hired to pose for a recruiting poster. Her straw-blonde hair was long and straight, falling to her shoulders, and her sharp, angular features were more striking than pretty. She had the physique of a bodybuilder, with long legs, a narrow waist, small hips and broad shoulders. Neilson had always thought that there was something catlike about her, in the way she moved and in the way she held herself.
Their presence made him feel somewhat more at ease, as he had served with them once before on a mission in the past, that assignment to Victorian London where half the mission team had died. People who had gone through something like that together achieved a special camaraderie that only other soldiers could fully understand. But the Old Man still had Neilson feeling a bit shaky in the knees. It felt a little strange standing before them, dressed the way he'd been in Tombstone. Almost as if he were a boy playing dress-up in a roomful of adults.
As soon as he'd clocked in and made his report. Forrester's adjutant had decided that "the Old Man should hear about this." And Forrester had summoned the others, the agency's number-one temporal adjustment team. Neilson had just finished briefing them on what he had discovered when he had clocked out to check on Observer Outpost G-6898. And now he stood at parade rest, awaiting their response.
"At ease, Sergeant,” said Forrester. "Have a seat, please."
Neilson took one of the living room chairs.
"What do you think?" asked Forrester, addressing the others.
"If Neilson thinks those Observers were killed by laser fire. I'm not inclined to question it," said Delaney. "He doesn't leap to hasty conclusions. Of course, we won't know that for a fact unless we send an S&R Team back to exhume the bodies, but under the circumstances, I'm not sure if we should risk that."
"I agree," said Lucas, nodding. "If we've got an infiltration in that time sector, they could be on the watch for that. The Observers blew their cover and the opposition, whoever they are, probably know where they're buried. They could be keeping their graves under surveillance, waiting for a Search & Retrieve team to clock back for them."
"It wouldn't be very hard to keep Tombstone's Boot Hill under surveillance, sir." Neilson added. "A small remote unit concealed nearby would do it."
"I'm a little disturbed about the fact that Scott has become involved in the scenario to the extent that he has," said Andre. "I don't mean that as a criticism. It looks as if the situation just turned out that way. But as a result, he's become highly visible."
"Maybe," said Lucas, "but we could turn that to our advantage. If he's going to attract attention, we can stay in the background and see just what kind of attention he attracts."
"Which is another way of saying we can use him as a Judas goat," said Andre. "I don't like it. It leaves him very vulnerable."
"None of us are paid to play it safe. Andre," said Delaney. "Besides, Scott can take care of himself. And we'll be there to provide backup."
"That's always assuming that we'll have the chance to do that," Andre replied. "We don't know what we're going up against. That particular scenario doesn't seem to have a great deal of temporal significance offhand, but if there's a
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