The Project 01 - White Jade

hadn't even gotten to Texas yet. She was damned if she'd let the others see it.
    She looked at the broken green and gray and black patterns on her uniform , touched the pistol strapped on her chest. The shape of her knife dug into her leg. The hard molded radio helmet was an unfamiliar intrusion on her head. She was encased in armor.
    She felt like she'd fallen through the looking glass into the fantasy world of a video war game, but this wasn't a game. This was re al.
    Three weeks ago she'd been standing at a podium at Stanford, giving a lecture on Indo-European languages. Life was predictable and safe , if a little boring . Now she carried enough weapons to take out a small village . There was a reason for that, namely that she might have to use them, which meant someone might be using weapons against her. She was n't at all sure she could handle it.
    If that wasn't enough, she was about to jump into the Himalayas to look for a two thousand year old emperor and the elixir of immortality.
    How did she end up here?
    She looked over at Nick. She didn't know what to do about him. She wanted him, but she knew herself. She could fall for him. She knew enough about him to know he was wrapped in emotional armor a tank couldn't get through. She could try to break through it and the only thing that would happen was she'd hurt herself.
    He was still in love with his dead fiancée. She'd be an ass to let herself love him. But damn it, she wanted him.

Chapter Thirty- Four

    At Dyess Air Force Base an armed security escort met their plane . Brilliant lights lit the tarmac. A B-1B Lancer waited nearby.
    M en transfe r r ed their gear under the watchful eye of a sergeant . The air smelled of rubber, jet fuel and Texas sage. The detail commander was a young Lieutenant wearing pilot ' s wings on his fatigues. His name tag said Markham . He saluted.
    " Welcome to the 7th Bomb Wing, Colonel. Y ou ' ll be ready to go within the hour. "
    Carter returned the salute. " Thank you, Lieutenant. We ' re looking forward to the ride. "
    " Ever been in a B1 before? "
    " No. "
    " It ' s a hell of an airplane, great avionics and defensive measures. Top speed is Mach 1.2, but we can come in at a hundred and twenty knots at low altitude and lay in precision targeting. You ' ll be flying in one modified for combat drops of personnel and equipment. "
    He looked around. " Where ' s the rest of your team? "
    " You ' re looking at it. Just the three of us. "
    Carter saw him note the lack of insignia on their uniforms. They had no jump insignia, unit flashes or name tags, just rank markings, and Selena didn ' t even have those. Lieutenant Markham started to say something, thought better of it.
    " Right, sir. Your jumpmaster is Senior Master Sergeant Johannsen. Once you ' re in the aircraft, he ' s your boss. He ' ll make sure you ' re checked out and everything is a go for the jump. You ' ve jumped before? "
    He g lanced at Selena .
    " We have. Is that Sergeant Johannsen I see coming? "
    The man moving toward them was compact, about five nine and a hundred and s ixty pounds. He was dressed in flight gear and wore a radio helmet. Johannsen moved with purpose, tight as a spring, with no wasted energy. He had eyes of pale blue ice and the look that comes from a lot of years in the service. Nick relaxed a little. They were in the hands of a pro. He saluted and gave them the once over. His eyes narrowed as he looked at Selena, but he said nothing.
    Lieutenant Markham said, " They ' re all yours, Sergeant. Colonel, come back safe. "
    Markham saluted, got in his jeep and drove away. Sergeant Johannsen gestured at the bomber.
    " Follow me, sir . "
    They walked to the plane and climbed in. It was hot in the Texas humidity but things would cool off soon enough.
    The Humvee was lashed to a pallet near the converted bomb bay . The chute was being rigged by four airmen in flight gear. Johannsen took three chutes from a locker.
    " I packed these myself, Colonel. You may not have used one before. "
    " It looks different. "
    " This is the High Altitude Precision Parachute System, HAPPS for short. This is the stealth model, no one will see you from the ground. "
    " It looks like a skydiving chute, but it ' s got more attachments on it. " That was Selena.
    Johannsen eyed the lack of jump insignia on her uniform. " You ' ve jumped before? "
    " Over seventy jumps. Seventy-two, to be exact. But maybe you could show me the ropes on this unit. "
    It was the right thing to say