GSHs talents on Earth assignments, it would probably seem necessary in Alsterase to have a backup that could handle almost every situation. The dead Elite would have given his backup a complete description of her. The com would have provided a complete blow-by-blow of the action, and RJ knew the conclusion the GSH would have drawn. Even the Secondary had known, just before he died. That's why the GSH had ignored David; RJ was the target, the problem. And she wouldn't have been hard to find.
Impatient, David asked again, "RJ, why did that thing come after us?"
"I . . . I made a mistake. I was careless. I should have known he'd be linked. I . . . was . . . careless. I . . . made . . . a . . . . mistake ." She repeated herself in a tone of total amazement. It was as if she had made an impossible discovery.
"You sound surprised," David laughed. "You aren't infallible. No one is."
"I have to be." RJ took her hands from her face. Her expression was grim. "I just don't make that kind of stupid mistake."
David could have understood it if she was mad at herself. She wasn't. She seemed confused, as if she just really couldn't accept that she could have made a mistake at all, much less a stupid one.
"Oh, come on, RJ," David laughed in disbelief. "I don't know what this mistake was, but I'm sure you've made mistakes before, and I'm sure you'll make them again."
This enraged RJ. "What makes you so damned sure of that?" She demanded hotly. "People like you make mistakes, not me!"
"You know, I haven't said this before, RJ, but you are, without a doubt, the most pompous, egotistical jackass I have ever known." David stood up from the bed.
"I love you, too," RJ said, and blew him a kiss.
David ignored her and started to pace. "You made a mistake anyone could have made . . ."
"Well, I don't think just anyone could have made it," RJ said with a grin.
"That's exactly the kind of shit I'm talking about!" David steamed. "God, don't you ever listen to yourself? Have you always been this arrogant, or did you have to work at it? That . . . thing . . . almost killed you tonight." He stopped pacing suddenly, obviously struck by inspiration. After a moment, he continued, "I saved your life tonight!"
"You saved yourself," RJ said flatly.
"Yes, all right. But, by saving myself, I also saved you," he repeated smugly.
"OK," RJ conceded. "I admit that things looked pretty bad." She shrugged and rolled on her side, trying unsuccessfully to get comfortable.
"Bad!" David repeated in disbelief.
"I still had a trick or two up my sleeve," RJ stated calmly.
"I can't believe you! The thing was strangling you with your own chain. You were bleeding out of every opening in your skull. How were you going to get out of that? This I want to hear!"
She didn't answer. She was asleep, or at least pretending to be. "Bitch," David swore. He dug through the rubble till he found the sack of food RJ had brought him. In spite of the way it looked and smelled, it tasted pretty good. After eating, he threw the sack across the room, shut off the light, and slid into the bed beside RJ.
"Thanks for maybe saving my life," RJ mumbled.
"Bitch," David swore again.
She just laughed and went back to sleep.
He wondered just how badly she was hurt. RJ tossed and turned and moaned in her sleep, and David felt helpless. He didn't know what to do for her, and wasn't sure she would let him do it if he did. She was such an insufferable hardhead.
In her tossing, RJ rolled against David, reminding him again that she was female. Still, David felt nothing even close to desire. It wasn't that he was a gentleman, or at least no more than any other red-blooded man of his age and health. If she were any other woman, he would have done everything in his power to seduce her. But she was RJ, and he had no urge to possess her. To him, RJ was just a guy with an
Impatient, David asked again, "RJ, why did that thing come after us?"
"I . . . I made a mistake. I was careless. I should have known he'd be linked. I . . . was . . . careless. I . . . made . . . a . . . . mistake ." She repeated herself in a tone of total amazement. It was as if she had made an impossible discovery.
"You sound surprised," David laughed. "You aren't infallible. No one is."
"I have to be." RJ took her hands from her face. Her expression was grim. "I just don't make that kind of stupid mistake."
David could have understood it if she was mad at herself. She wasn't. She seemed confused, as if she just really couldn't accept that she could have made a mistake at all, much less a stupid one.
"Oh, come on, RJ," David laughed in disbelief. "I don't know what this mistake was, but I'm sure you've made mistakes before, and I'm sure you'll make them again."
This enraged RJ. "What makes you so damned sure of that?" She demanded hotly. "People like you make mistakes, not me!"
"You know, I haven't said this before, RJ, but you are, without a doubt, the most pompous, egotistical jackass I have ever known." David stood up from the bed.
"I love you, too," RJ said, and blew him a kiss.
David ignored her and started to pace. "You made a mistake anyone could have made . . ."
"Well, I don't think just anyone could have made it," RJ said with a grin.
"That's exactly the kind of shit I'm talking about!" David steamed. "God, don't you ever listen to yourself? Have you always been this arrogant, or did you have to work at it? That . . . thing . . . almost killed you tonight." He stopped pacing suddenly, obviously struck by inspiration. After a moment, he continued, "I saved your life tonight!"
"You saved yourself," RJ said flatly.
"Yes, all right. But, by saving myself, I also saved you," he repeated smugly.
"OK," RJ conceded. "I admit that things looked pretty bad." She shrugged and rolled on her side, trying unsuccessfully to get comfortable.
"Bad!" David repeated in disbelief.
"I still had a trick or two up my sleeve," RJ stated calmly.
"I can't believe you! The thing was strangling you with your own chain. You were bleeding out of every opening in your skull. How were you going to get out of that? This I want to hear!"
She didn't answer. She was asleep, or at least pretending to be. "Bitch," David swore. He dug through the rubble till he found the sack of food RJ had brought him. In spite of the way it looked and smelled, it tasted pretty good. After eating, he threw the sack across the room, shut off the light, and slid into the bed beside RJ.
"Thanks for maybe saving my life," RJ mumbled.
"Bitch," David swore again.
She just laughed and went back to sleep.
He wondered just how badly she was hurt. RJ tossed and turned and moaned in her sleep, and David felt helpless. He didn't know what to do for her, and wasn't sure she would let him do it if he did. She was such an insufferable hardhead.
In her tossing, RJ rolled against David, reminding him again that she was female. Still, David felt nothing even close to desire. It wasn't that he was a gentleman, or at least no more than any other red-blooded man of his age and health. If she were any other woman, he would have done everything in his power to seduce her. But she was RJ, and he had no urge to possess her. To him, RJ was just a guy with an
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