Chapter 22

I woke up several hours later in a bed beside James.

I lay there thinking about the incident and Bindy in particular as I listened to the soft beeps of a machine. I knew that the Army personnel we’d been training with were all in the process of shifting to the MPs.

I guessed that was why James and I had liked them and related to them. The fact that we were still training with them for PT had made us part of their team in a superficial way. This incident would only bind us tighter. We had seen action together and had become brothers in arms.

I got out of my bed and went over to James. I took his hand and observed him. His breathing was better, and I knew that as soon as they got some more fluids into him that he’d be fine. It was a little strange, as I somehow felt even closer to him. It was as if by joining my life force with his, I had bonded him to me in some weird way.

I was sitting beside James when the Major rolled in. To my surprise, he came over and gave me a hug.

“Gave you a scare, didn’t he?” he said softly.

Oddly, his compassion made me want to cry. I nodded and sucked up the sob.

“The Doc says he is one lucky son of a bitch. If you girls hadn’t acted so swiftly, he would have died,” the Major told me.

“I couldn’t lose him,” I said with my choked-up voice.

“Yeah, it gets like that when you love someone as deeply as you two people do. From what I hear, you two are joined at the hip.”

I grinned at the Major, “Something like that.”

He chuckled and pulled up another chair. “By the way, since military personnel were involved, it has become an Army issue. The others have all given their statements, and the local Police are happy that you and James behaved as good Police Officers should.”

“The media have labelled it a terrorist attack, and we aren’t disabusing them of their assessment. We made sure you two were brought here to the military hospital so they couldn’t bother you. Our problem is what to do with you.”

“Why?” I asked with some trepidation.

“Young lady, you have upset a very dangerous gang. They will not be happy that we have another one of their people in custody. We think that these two were just hired thugs, not regular members of the gang.”

“But they did have the Glocks. Professor Ingles says the pistols are from the same batch as the ones your other friends had. The gang must have had a whole case of them stolen from somewhere. We are still trying to trace them.”

“We think they came from an Army resources stockpile located at the Scherger Base Camp up near Weipa. We have been letting the Americans stockpile crap there for near on a century now. I’m not even sure they know what’s missing.”

“They reported a break-in twelve months ago and now admit that some small arms were missing, but they are still tight-lipped about what else. The items in that warehouse you stopped the gang from robbing belonged to the Americans. However, I have learnt the items were manufactured by Connors Corp.”

“They have recently set up a new business in Port Douglas with the aid of the Australian Government. Apparently, they were some form of long-range probes for the new Deep-space Explorer ships they are building, like that one that headed off to Delta Pavonis earlier this year.”

“They were supposed to be shipped to the Spaceport the day after you stopped their theft. The Company is very thankful, by the way, as the damn things are worth a large fortune. They would have been liable for the replacement if they hadn’t been handed over to the buyer.”

He handed me an envelope and grinned at me. Inside were a business card and a black plastic card in a clear sleeve.

“That card is linked to an account they have put your reward in. It is thumbprint activated, so you never have to give your name or sign for anything.”

“Just remember to wipe the scanner so you don’t leave your print behind. You can also access the account online by placing the card on your tablet. From what I understand, you can use it as a regular account, and it’s tax-free, and you don’t declare it as income.”

“Why the high tech? How much is on the card?” I asked him, looking at the unusual card.

These days, most people use their links on their Mads, peepers or tablets, but I knew this type of card also worked on the point-of-sales machines as they were commonly used as corporate expense cards. Dad had one for his Police expenses.

“They didn’t tell me, but it is yours to use as you wish. Your father told Anne Connors that I knew where you were and so she gave it to me. She asked me to pass on a message that if you ever need a job or her help, to call her on the number on the business card.”

“Hum,” I said, a bit nonplussed.

I knew who Connors Corp. was. It had caused a big stir when they had moved some of their business to Port Douglas some 25 years before. They manufactured and repaired a lot of the machinery for the space shuttles being built. They serviced them at the Spaceport and hire over five hundred employees up our way.

“Not sure that would be your sort of thing, Dusty,” James said huskily and to our surprise. He must have woken while we were talking, and I was distracted.

“Hi, sweetie, how are you feeling?” I asked him as I leant over to check on him.

“Like some prick shot me in the throat,” he rasped out and motioned for the water.