Temple of Fire (19 page)

Shotgun Alley

Aboard the
Alamiranta

 

Hawkeye and
Aiko
stood in the holographic simulation, fully armed.  The simulator was currently programmed for jungle conditions in
Malaysia
.

“Impressive,” said
Aiko
.  “My Dragons naturally conducted training exercises under diverse conditions, but this Shotgun Alley of yours looks far more efficient.”

Hawkeye looked at
Aiko
, who stood by his side.  Hawkeye had frequently admired the Asian beauty of Grace
Ngyuen
, but
Aiko
was not only easy on the eye — she was also a soldier.  The sunlight filtering through the jungle canopy fell across
Aiko’s
face in thin lines, making the white scar on her cheek temporarily invisible.  He thought that her severe beauty had softened since joining Titan Global.

“Who is our foe today?” asked
Aiko
.

Hawkeye punched a keypad on the wall. 
“How about your everyday insurgents attempting to topple a stable democracy?”

“Is it common for Titan Global to intervene in such matters?”

Hawkeye shrugged innocently.  “It happens.  We spare governments from getting involved in conflicts that might be very unpopular with legislators or the citizenry.”

“Interesting.
  I saw a movie in the ship’s theater the other night.  The heroes staged quite a lot of . . . interventions.  The star was someone named John Wayne.  Is Titan Six a bunch of . . .  cowboys?”

Hawkeye laughed.  “We wear the white hats, Commander.”

Machine gun fire erupted from a bamboo thicket to the right. 
Aiko
and Hawkeye dove to the ground and returned fire.

Bullets from above chewed up the dirt on either side of the Titan soldiers, who rolled onto their backs and fired into the canopy.  Two bodies fell fifty yards to the leaf-littered jungle floor.

“Nice shooting,” said Hawkeye.  “You have a keen eye.”

Low, throaty growls drifted from behind a clump of palm fronds.  A ten-foot long tiger appeared, its muscular shoulders rising and falling as the predator padded into the clearing.

Hawkeye inched backwards like a spider.

“Stay very still,” the Commander warned.

Aiko
stood and began slowly waving her open right hand back and forth in front of the majestic, terrifying creature.  She spoke softly in Chinese.  Her other hand then moved in slow, hypnotic circles.  The tiger turned and left, as if it were no longer interested in its prey.

“Incredible,” said Hawkeye.  “Where did you learn to do that?”

“You in the west have your
mojo
, and we in the east have ours.”

“I think I’ll have to buy you a white hat.”

“Can you program the Alley so that people could ride out west and camp under the stars?”
Aiko
asked.

“Yes, we could do that and
— ”

The voice of Catherine
Caine
interrupted the conversation.

“Hawkeye, please report to the command and control center,” said
Caine
.  “We have a hostage situation.”

“Duty calls,” said Hawkeye.

He wasn’t entirely sure, but Hawkeye was almost positive that
Aiko’s
hand grazed his as they turned and left Shotgun Alley.

 

The End