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“Except in your case, one of your drones didn’t nearly take your goddamn head off.”
“What was I supposed to do?” Brett said heatedly. “The drone was already in the airspace when the thing blew.”
“Which means it’s time for you to get your toys the hell away from the summit,” Mac said. “If you don’t have enough intel, then you’re wasting your time here. And wasting mine.”
“I wouldn’t need more imaging if you’d share some of yours,” Brett said. “You’ve been at this a hell of a lot longer than my team has.”
“Wait,” Mac said, “you mean the two people you just picked off frommyteam aren’t giving you enough help? Holy shit, Brett, did you draft the wrong players?”
Brett smiled at Mac. “I don’t see you how can blame them for wanting to be on the winning team when this is all over,” he said.
Mac stepped closer to Brett. “You’re out of line,” Mac said quietly. “You’ve pretty much been out of line from the moment you arrived on this island.”
“It’s how I get things done,” Brett said. “Over on my side of the line.”
“What you’re going to do is get people killed,” Mac said. “For the last time, this isn’t a competition. Are you not getting that, you arrogant prick? If we screw this up, maybe if we screw up anypartof this, you’re going to die along with everybody else. Unless you think you can somehow buy your way out of that too.” Mac was breathing hard. “The competition is againstthe goddamn volcano!” Mac yelled, unable to keep himself from shouting.
Brett shook his head in either disgust or disappointment. “Do you not understand thateverything’sa competition, MacGregor?” Brett said. “And people who don’t want to compete need to get the hell out of my way.”
“You’re the one who needs to get the hell out of Dr. MacGregor’s way,” Rivers said from the back of the ballroom, as imposing as ever. “Starting right now.”
CHAPTER 65
Sam Ito asked the admitting nurse at Hilo Medical Center if there might be a patient at the hospital, a soldier possibly in quarantine, named Mahoe.
Sergeant Noa Mahoe, he told her.
The nurse told Sam to wait a moment and walked away from her desk.
The soldiers came out of the elevator less than five minutes later. Both were young and built like football players. Or bouncers, Sam thought.
“Please come with us,” the taller and slightly wider of the two said.
“Where am I going?” Sam asked.
“Somewhere other than here,” the second soldier said.
Sam Ito looked up at both of them from his seat in the lobby.
“As the nurse over there probably told you, I’m a reporter,” Ito said, adding, “From theNew York Times.”
“Wow,” the first one said flatly.
They stared down at him with blank expressions.
“I’m just telling you that I have rights,” Ito said.
“Not nearly as many rights as you had before our boss put martial law in place on this island,” the first one said. “Now, either you leave peacefully or we arrest you.”
“Arrest me on what grounds?”
“I’m sure General Rivers will think of something,” the second one said.
As the first soldier reached for him, Sam Ito put up his hands in surrender and stood.
“To be continued,” Ito said.
“I will look forward to it,” the second soldier said.
