Minutes to Burn

"Though it's probably a big surprise to you and that pain-in-the-ass scientist-" Mako continued.

From his crouch by the creature's body, Rex gave a big, smiling, beauty-pageant wave. The others were arrayed around the fire, the larva snuggled along the base of one of the logs. Cameron stared at the body, drowning in something like disbelief.

"-there are more important things on my desk and in the world than you and your cataclysmic troubles getting a couple of satellite dishes nailed down to some shit-stripped island in the middle of the goddamn Pacific."

Derek's face was pale, his voice wavering. "We lost Tucker, sir," he said.

There was a long pause. "You lost Tucker? How the fuck did you lose Tucker?"

"There's something here on this island, sir. A…a creature of sorts. We're concerned there are more."

A longer pause. "Mitchell, let me talk to Kates. Cameron, that is."

Cameron rose to her feet and clicked on. "Yes, sir."

"Is this aboveboard, Kates?"

Cameron cleared her throat. "Yes, sir. It is. We seem to have run into some kind of a… what appears to be a large insect, sir, and I-"

"A large insect? "

"About nine feet tall. Sir, I know it doesn't sound… " Cameron sat back down on the log. She looked at Diego and he raised one eyebrow until it disappeared beneath the shaggy line of his bangs.

"And this large insect ate Tucker? Is that what happened?"

Derek blinked hard a few times. "Yes. Sir. We really need…we really need that extraction. Sir."

"Or the large insects might eat you."

"Well…" Derek looked at the enormous body slumped beside the fire. "Actually, there's no longer…we don't know…it's quite compli-cated. Sir."

"Indeed," Mako replied. "Perhaps you can comprehend some com-plications with which I'm contending on this end of the wire, soldier. The army's deploying two more battalions this week to deal with out-breaks along the Peruvian border. Colombia's a mess from the southern border through Bogota, we're down to our last task force, and I have NATO, the UN, the OAS, and my own lovable superiors leaning on me to provide more manpower from Mexico to Chile. That's not even bringing domestic problems into the equation. To say that our air assets are one hundred percent committed is something of an understatement. In light of this, you'd like me now, at three thirty-seven in the fuckdamn morning, to call the Commander of Naval Special Warfare Group One and ask him to redirect a helo from the mainland to the Galapagos Islands so that a half-platoon of reserves don't get devoured by giant bugs. Is that about the gist of your request?"

Derek's lip twitched. Szabla stood with one foot on the corpse like an old-style game hunter while Diego and Rex examined it. She turned and headed for the tents.

"Yes. Sir."

"Mitchell, I have two words for you, and they're not especially pleas-ant. Would you like to hear them?"

"No, sir."

"I didn't think so. I don't know what kind of peyote you've been smoking down there, but I don't like having my chain yanked unless it involves soft lighting and Vaseline. Don't be surprised to find yourself waylaid with a Page Thirteen when you limp your sorry ass back to base. Do I make myself clear?"

Derek opened his mouth, but nothing came out. The others exchanged frustrated glances. Cameron stood. "Sir," she said. "This is not a joke."

"Listen, Kates-"

"No," Cameron said. "You need to listen." Tank drew back his head, eyebrows raised. "This is a real threat," Cameron continued. "There is a large organism here that appears to be predatory. We have no weapons, and we're stranded on the island. You need to take steps to assure our safety, and we need orders in the meantime."

Her transmitter hummed with silence. "First of all," Mako finally replied, "you watch your goddamn tone when speaking to a superior. Is that clear?"

"Yes, sir."

"Now, I don't know what the fuck is going on down there, but I will arrange for an extraction. We'll untangle this mess when you get back. In the meantime, Dr. Rex Williams is still running the show-I can't over-turn a direct order from Secretary Benneton. Do I make myself clear? Mitchell?"

"Yes," Derek said. "Sir." Mako clicked out.

Four flares protruding from her back pockets, Szabla reemerged from Rex's tent, holding two tripods. She threw one tripod on the grass and turned the other upside down, spreading its legs. About an inch thick, each leg was a hollow aluminum cylinder tapering to a strong steel-alloy point. She began to unscrew a leg from the tribrach.

"What are you doing?" Rex said. "Those are my tripods."

The tripod leg came free and Szabla tossed it to Tank. He caught it in front of his face. "Not anymore," Szabla said.

Once detached, the legs were good weapons-metal spikes that could be used as blunt or stabbing instruments. Szabla disassembled tripods until each soldier was armed with a spike. Rex glanced at the large body near the fire pit and elected not to protest.