"Good morning, Mr. Drake," Ironhorse said cheerfully as he emerged from the elevator. He started across the room toward the bio-lab, where Suzanne was bent over her microscope.
For a moment, Norton considered letting him go. But the slight limp in Ironhorse's gait, a leftover from Fort Streeter, brought out his natural compassion.
"Colonel." He held out his arm to stop the man. A dark gaze regarded him levelly, waiting an explanation. "Heading for the lab?"
"Yeah, I need to get a copy of that last analysis Suzanne ran."
"I wouldn't." Norton pointed toward a square of white paper taped to the glass partition. In bold print were the words "GO AWAY". "She's got her sign out."
Ironhorse stared at the sign, then back at Norton. In a haughty tone that indicated lieutenant colonels didn't tolerate such nonsense, he said, "It won't take me long."
Ironhorse started off and Norton turned slowly toward the Cray, wondering if he should get behind it.
"Suzanne," Ironhorse's voice carried out. "I need to get-"
It was as far as he got, and further than Norton had expected.
During the next few minutes, Norton wondered how Suzanne was getting any oxygen. She started with Ironhorse's intelligence, proceeded through the brains it took to walk in on an experiment, then finished with a statement on the general intelligence exhibited by Army officers throughout history - and how they related to Ironhorse personally.
Blessed silence filled the room and Norton hazarded a lookup to find Ironhorse standing beside him with a very dazed expression.
He had to clear his throat twice to keep from laughing, and even that didn't control the slightly higher pitch to his voice. "Do I get to say 'I-told-you-so?'" Norton questioned innocently.
"Man," Ironhorse said in an awed tone. "She should've been a drill sergeant. I haven't been dressed down like that since I put the goat in-"
Norton couldn't control the giggle or the ones that followed.
It stopped Ironhorse cold, much to the hacker's regret. At Ironhorse's hard glare Norton clapped his hand over his mouth; it didn't help; he continued to laugh. Very gradually, very slightly, Ironhorse smiled.
"I'll remember this, Mr. Drake," he threatened.
Before Norton could think of a defense, the elevator opened and Harrison walked briskly out. "Good morning, gentlemen," he smiled at them, heading for Suzanne's lab.
"Harrison," Norton tried to warn him. A strong hand on his arm stopped him.
Harrison turned. "Yes?"
"Nothing," Ironhorse supplied. "I'll take care of it."
Shrugging, Blackwood proceeded pass the sign without noticing it.
"I thought you were here to protect us?" Norton protested.
The black eyes that met his own were glittering with amusement, contrasting sharply with the seriousness of his words. "I can't protect him if he can't learn to read danger signs."
