Shadow of the Hegemon, the - Book 2 (Ender)

bridge, far enough away that Virlomi wasn't actually under the blades, but close enough that it would be only a few steps for her to come aboard.
    Suriyawong ran to the door and opened it.
    Virlomi did not just walk to the chopper. She danced to it, making ritual-like circling movements with each step.
    On impulse, he got out of the chopper and prostrated himself again. When she got near enough, he said-loud enough to be heard over the chopper blades"Walk on me!"
    She did, planting her bare feet on his shoulders and walking down his back. Suriyawong didn't know how they could have communicated more clearly to the Indian soldiers that not only had Virlomi saved their bridge, she had also taken control of this chopper.
    She was inside.
    He got up, turned slowly, and sauntered onto the chopper.
    The sauntering ended the moment he was inside. He rammed the door lever up into place and shouted, "I want jets as fast as you can!"
    The chopper rose dizzily. "Strap down," Suriyawong ordered Virlomi. Then, seeing she wasn't familiar with the inside of this craft, he pushed her into place and put the ends of her harness into her hands. She got it at once and finished the job while he hurled himself into his place and got his straps in place just as the chopper cut the blades and plummeted for a moment before the jets kicked in. Then they rocketed down the ravine and out of range of the handheld g-toa missiles.
    "You just made my day," said Suriyawong.
    "Took you long enough," said Virlomi. "I thought this bridge was one of the first places you'd hit."
    "We figured that's what people would think, so we kept not coming here."
    "Greeyaz," she said. "I should have remembered to think completely assbackward in order to predict what Battle School brats would do."
    Bean had known the moment he saw her on the bridge that she had to be Virlomi, the Indian Battle Schooler who had answered his Briseis posting. He could only trust that Suriyawong would realize what was happening before he found the need to shoot somebody. And Surly had not let him down.
    When they got back to the staging area, Bean barely greeted Virlomi before he started giving orders. "I want the whole staging area dismantled. Everybody's coming with us." While the company commanders saw to that, Bean ordered one of the chopper communications team to set up a net connection for him.
    "That's satellite," the soldier said. "We'll be located right away."
    "We'll be gone before anyone can react," said Bean.
    Only then did he start explaining to Suriyawong and Virlomi. "We're fully equipped, right?"
    "But not fully fueled."
    "I'll take care of that," he said. "We're going to Hyderabad right now."
    "But I haven't even drawn up the plans."
    "Time for that in the air," he said. "This time we ride together, Suriyawong. Can't be helped-we both have to know the whole plan."
    "We've waited this long," said Suriyawong. "What's the hurry now?"
    "Two things," said Bean. "How long do you think it'll be before word reaches Achilles that our strike force picked up an Indian woman who was waiting for us on a bridge? Second thing-I'm going to force Peter Wiggin's hand. All hell is going to break loose, and we're riding the wave."
    "What's the objective?" asked Virlorni. "To save Petra? To kill Achilles?"
    "To bring out every Battle School kid who'll come with us."
    "They'll never leave India," she said. "I may decide to stay myself "
    "Wrong on both counts," said Bean. "I give India less than a week before Chinese troops have control of New Delhi and Hyderabad and any other city they want."
    "Chinese?" asked Virlomi. "But there's some kind of--"
    "Nonaggression pact?" said Bean. "Arranged by Achilles?"
    "He's been working for China all along," said Suriyawong. "The Indian Army is exposed, undersupplied, exhausted, demoralized."
    "But ... if China comes in on the side of the Thai, isn't that what you want?"
    Suriyawong gave a sharp, bitter laugh. "China comes in on the side of China. We tried to warn our own people, but they're sure they have a deal with Beijing."
    Virlomi understood at once. Battle School-trained, she knew how to think the way Bean and Suriyawong did. "So that's why Achilles didn't use Petra's plan."
    Bean and Suriyawong laughed and gave short little bows to each other.
    "You knew about Petra's plan?"
    "We assumed there'd be a better plan than the one India's using."
    "So you have a plan to stop China?" said Virlomi.
    "Not a chance," said Bean. "China might have been