Scott is panting as they negotiate the steep ascent through a deep incline in the rain forest. Aleska can hear his heavy breathing behind her. She looks over her shoulder when she hears something drop to the ground.
'Do not litter!' She narrows icy blue eyes at Scott. 'Plastic is not biodegradable.'
And I thought she could not speak English!
'I'm tired,' Scott mumbles. 'I am trying to get rid of my excess baggage.'
'And you wanted to bring two bags!' She glowers at him.
'Can we rest --- please?'
There are beads of perspiration on his face. He is out of breath. Perhaps they can rest. They have been walking rather briskly for close on two hours.
'You can rest for one minute,' Aleska scoops Scott's bottle from the ground and dumps it in to her backpack.
'Didn't peg you for a nature lover,' Scott states breathlessly.
'You should conserve your energy!'
'I'm not used to so much physical stuff' Scott complains. 'I'm the electronics guy. I get dropped, rig my stuff, then get picked up again.'
Aleska leans against one of the trees. She folds her arms across her chest. 'You are also the topographer and land surveyor, and the reconnaissance detachment frontman.'
'You remember the colonel mentioning that?'
'She ignores his question. 'You are trained in counter-terrorism; mountainous; amphibious; parachute and motorized activities. In order to qualify for special force duty, you had to run 5km cross country; swim 300m and walk 25km in full combat gear in specified times!'
She knows. She conducted those training programs back in Russia.
Scott is red-faced. He shuffles embarrassedly. 'Who taught you to speak English.'
She steps away from the tree and begins walking again. 'Your one minute is over.'
'No doubt before you arrived you were thoroughly briefed on each of our expertise and given our psychological profiles.'
'The Russian Military does not send its soldiers into a battlefield, unprepared.'
He runs to keep up with her long strides...so unusual for a lady. 'You love your country, don't you?'
She turns around, 'Don't you?'
Much as Scott finds her icy blue eyes frightening. He is fascinated by her unending strengths... not to mention she is one hot sexy babe. But she will probably kill him if he speaks his thoughts aloud. He looks down, begins walking again.
'How much longer?' Scott pants, after they had been walking for another thirty five minutes.
'We're here.' Aleska tosses her backpack on the ground. She retrieves a folded map from her pocket. She studies it for a few moments while Scott throws himself on the floor and rests his arms under his head.
'Set up your gear,' she instructs. 'Access to the Brazilian side is from the river mouth, there,' she points. 'I want three sensors high up on each tree right there.'
'Already?' He groans softly, not relishing the idea of tree climbing.
'Are the transmitters solar powered?' She asks.
'Yes ma'am.'
'Good. Get to work.' She retrieves a bottle of water from her backpack and takes a sip. She sees Scott drooling for some of her water. 'You can have a sip when you finish,' she offers.
'Slave driver,' he murmurs under his breath.
Aleska turns away and smiles. She calls Stone from her radio. Tells him they have located their position. Scott gives her the thumbs up that the sensors are in place. She asks Stone to relay to Nancy to integrate the transmitters to the main system. Nancy confirms she has a visual of a sweaty Scott.
'All done Major,' Scott dusts his hands, eying her water.
'Just a sip,' she warns, removing the lid and offering the bottle to Scott.
'Thank you,' he greedily takes two huge mouths -full, which she knew he would, before he returns the bottle to her.
'Let's head back before it gets very dark,' Aleska starts striding away.
'"Very dark" are you kidding. This place is dark even in broad daylight,' he complains.
'We were trotting on our way here, Captain. We're going to accelerate our pace out of here.'
'I like you better when you did not speak any English,' he murmurs under his breath.
Aleska is walking ahead of Scott. He can't see the smile hovering on her lips. After an hour, and tired of hearing Scott begging to rest, she stops for a minute.
'There is no moon to guide us out Captain. After dark, we will not be able to find our way out of here. You want to spend the night here?'
'No,' he gets up quickly. He did not relish the idea of being in the wild at night unprotected.
Scott was tired and slacking. He had finished almost all her water. There was barely a mouthful left.
'Umm --- you have it,' he offers her the bottle with much reluctance.
'Thank you, 'she pushes the bottle towards him. 'I can probably go another six kilometres without water. You on the other hand, need it more than I do. And if you faint, I ain't carrying you,' she continues walking.
'She has a sense of humour too,' Scott murmurs under his breath.
Scott feels a growing respect for her, not because of her amazing resourcefulness, but that she would share her last drop of water with him. He recalled an insightful phrase he'd read somewhere. "Nobody cares how much you know, until they know how much you care..." Seems like the Major Maric epitomised that selfless characteristic; Scott marvels.
Without a heave in her breath, Aleska's quick footedness negotiates the invisible path back to their base camp with the ease of familiarity. She had spent many months in this part of the rain forest previously. She could do it with her eye closed ...almost.
'We're almost at base camp Captain, about ten meters up that incline.'
'Hallelujah!' Scott beams. 'Umm Major --- you won't expose my --- limitations.'
She doesn't respond to his plea, instead climbs the last few steps to base camp, negotiating them with such speed as if she had not been walking for the last four hours.
The first member of the welcoming party is Captain John McDouall, Stone's right hand man and second in charge. He has a smug look on his face. His arms are folded as he stares blatantly at Aleska. She ignores him and looks straight ahead, aiming to reach Stone to give him a report back.
'Should have taken me with you Major. You would have been back two hours ago.'
She laces the explosives expert with a glacial look colder than the Siberian winter. 'Lose your arrogance, soldier. It's counter-productive,' she dishes out scathingly.
John McDouall becomes tongue-tied. His face is flushed with embarrassment.
Stone is resting on his laurels on the ground, against a tree. His arms wrapped around his knees. His eyes are trained on her as she approaches him.
'You've done a good job. Thank you Major,' he compliments in an even tone. He speaks in English. Seeing he'd just heard her verbal lashing at his second in command. Third in command now after Aleska.
She nods. 'It's all systems go,' she states, indicating their mission had been successful.
From the corner of her eye, she could see Scott approaching. He was putting on a brave front. His shoulders were puffed out. He was trying to breathe normally.
'Colonel,' Scott nods subserviently at Stone.
Stone rises to his feet. 'I trust Captain Scott served you well?'
'He talks too much,' Aleska speaks softly and starts to stride away.
'You are dismissed Captain.'
She hears the laughter in Stone's tone as he addresses his soldier.
'Thank you sir,' Scott bows and departs to the tent he shares with Lieutenant Mark Harris the weapons controller.
Stone catches up with her in easy strides. 'Why did you beat up my men?'
Aleska allows her eyes to wash over him. She is tall but she still has to look up, to meet his eyes. He is extremely tall. With grey brooding eyes, very exquisite bone structure, and when he smiles, one could get lost in the depths of those magnetic eyes. But he was not smiling now.
The unnervingly familiar --- tugged on her senses and reminded her of ...
'Why the hell didn't you speak up?' She queried with a voice of supreme scorn. 'They were pointing their firearms at me, thinking I was fair game!'
'And now you think you are not "fair game?"
'You were informed of my ETA,' Aleska accuses in Russian. Her breath hitches as Stone stealthily draws closer towards her. She takes a tiny step backwards. Not that she is afraid of him, but it was more, a fear of her own attraction to this handsome male species that was the problem. She has not forgotten how good-looking he is... or how well toned his athletic body is, or her naked body's response to his.
Don't go there.
She tears her eyes away. The dark dangerous eyes is fixed on her. The burning gaze not flickering. He is not just attractive. He possesses a raw animal magnetism. His response is controlled but a savagery underlines his tone.
'Maybe I was not sure you would pitch up,' he proficiently answers back in Russian. 'The last time,' his voice lowers to a hiss, 'I waited four hours in the freezing snow for you.'
How could he have been waiting when her General had told her that his unit had moved their precinct further north, whilst they were moving further south. It had become impossible for them to meet under those circumstances when their units were moving further away in the opposite direction.
Stone's eyes bore into her. He waits patiently for her to offer any excuses. He gets none. It had been her General that had informed him that she'd requested a transfer from their Serbian base back to her home town in Russia. She had left him without a word; had not even afforded him the courtesy of a good bye.
Aleska refuses to meet his eyes. 'Let's focus on the now,' she retorts. 'I know you received notice of my arrival.'
'You are very certain of the communications I may or may not have received,' he counters in the same language, his eyes holding hers.
As commanding officer of this special force operation, he had to have received the Intel, even here, deep in the Amazon jungle. Aleska knows from prior knowledge the high tech capabilities of the British communications and intelligence agencies. She knows he is just taunting her.
She mentally reminds herself; she is going to be here indefinitely. She has to find a way to ignore their past and focus on the task at hand. She keeps her eyes adverted. She has to remember they are no longer of the same rank.
In the past two years she managed to climb up just the one rank, to the position of Major. He on that other hand climbed three ranks to the position of Colonel. He was now her commanding officer. She had not wanted to be a part of this special operation because of --- their past, unfortunately even she sometimes has to follow instructions.
'Why are your soldiers treating me like public enemy number one?' She questions.
Stone ignores her question. He had deliberately kept the information of her ETA to himself. He had wanted to gauge his soldier's reaction to her arrival. His team knew a highly knowledgeable specialist was joining the operation. They did not know she was female or that she was sexy, with the most piercing blue eyes and long blonde hair that resemble a curtain of velvet silk. Neither did his team know her expertise extended to handling herself and any weapon better than most of his soldiers. He smiles inwardly. He opts to test the magnetic energy simmering between them.
'Perhaps you prefer a more rousing reception,' he murmurs, stepping even closer towards her.
She feels her cheeks becoming inflamed. Sweat trickles down her spine. 'No ---,' she automatically steps backwards.
Stone's eyes widen. 'Aleska, don't move,' he commands softly.
She is so distracted by his approaching body, her eyes magnetically held by his. She forgets how close she is to the edge of the bank, where a mere twenty feet below were the treacherous and unmerciful rapids of the Amazon River. Her foot slips, her arms swing out instinctively to regain her balance, but she finds she is unable to hold herself upright in the slippery swampy ground.
Stone reacts with lightning speed. His sturdy arms grip her by the ankles. He holds onto her tightly, bodily dragging her to safety away from the murderous rapids below.
'You trying to commit suicide?' he breathes heavily, his voice unsteady as he leans over her.
She feels his body trembling, concern in his voice. It was foolish of her not to have anticipated the danger, risking both their lives.
'I am sorry,' she murmurs.
'Get some rest after supper,' he mumbles gruffly. 'You're on watch duty, in four hours.
Aleska lifts herself up, adjusts her back pack on her shoulder.
'I'm doing the first shift,' she argues, walking away from him.
Stone smiles to himself. Since when did Major Aleska Maric obey instructions, even though he was now her commanding officer on this operation, he knew from past experience she was a law unto herself. Ironically she had taught soldiers that; before you start giving orders- you have to learn to obey them. Every soldier took the oath to serve and obey, but Major Maric clearly has issues with submission. She marches purposefully away. Never had any of Stone's subordinates ever addressed him so dismissively. Yet this soldier's rigidity and her nerve in doing so intrigue him unnecessarily.
Aleska wants to get out of the stuffy uniform she has on, wash herself and get some rest. She is exhausted from the hike. She is hungry too, but she does not feel like facing Stone again tonight or those excuses for supposed teammates.
'Supper in ten minutes,' Stone informs her retreating back.
'Very well, I will set my tent up in the meantime.'
Stone begins to protest. 'My men can ___.'
'I will pitch my own tent --- Colonel. Thank you,' she drags out again in Russian.'
Stone's face is blank. He knows better. She is stubborn, self -sufficient, meticulous, and annoyingly independent.
She inhales slowly, looks around, scans the immediate area to find a suitable spot to pitch her tent. She knows army food is no gourmet affair. She is not looking forward to the meal. What will it be? Canned beans in tomato sauce? Digestive biscuits with peanut butter? That was routine cuisine back home when in the field.
The soldiers stare with dropped jaws as Aleska rigs her own tent up in less than twelve minutes. Stone is not surprised. Aleska is self- sufficient; has a sharp incisive mind, but it was always hidden behind a reserved mask, Stone found intriguing. She is intelligent; imaginative; physically strong and energetic.
Part of the competence training Aleska facilitates back in Russia is to get recruits to pitch a tent in double quick time. The reason? To spot who appears as born leaders. Pitching a tent requires some co-ordination. Someone has to co-ordinate the actions of others.
They are even surprised with the double back pack she carries. They were here indefinitely and all she carried were two backpacks. Where is the accessories ...hair dryer... high heels... miniature bath tub?
Aleska completely ignores his men as she sits on a huge rock and focuses on her meal from a tin plate. She expected a bland meal of beans in a tin with maybe some bread, instead she is pleasantly surprised as she does justice to the fairly sumptuous meal... all things considered. She is having flame grilled chicken, with carrots, potatoes and canned asparagus.
So nothing's changed. Stone mulls over that conclusion, as he eats in silence. Aleska Maric is a lady of few words . She only speaks, when absolutely necessary. She never saw the need for conversation or 'small talk.' In Serbia, he had had to draw her out. He had almost succeeded. He did congratulate himself that one time when he'd made her laugh. It had been a beautiful, melodic soft laughter that made his insides hum with emotion.
-end chapter 2-