"Mobility"
By the following morning the suspects were considered stable enough for airlift and were loaded aboard an Aeronautica Militare Agusta-Bell AB212AM medical evacuation chopper. Kara accompanied them and Hillshire, Priscilla and Triela returned to Rome in Hillshire's E350. As had been expected, none of them were Giacomo Dante.
That afternoon, the sun shone down on the Milanese suburb of Carpiano as Michele and Claes walked out of the restaurant, appearing to any who cast an eye their way as father and daughter enjoying a late brunch after church services; he in a bespoke Italian suit of black and purple silk and she in a tan turtleneck, black pleated skirt and black boots. They'd driven to the restaurant to meet with the head of the Milan Office of the "Tourism Promotion Agency" for a face-to-face meeting about the alleged tip.
As they approached the Gallardo, Michele tossed an object over his shoulder in a high arc. Claes deftly snatched it from the air and found she held the ignition key.
"I was speaking with Kara and she agrees with me that you should learn to drive," Michele noted.
"Didn't we already have this discussion? I'm 12, okay, 15, but that is still three years too young to get a license."
Michele answered by tossing her a leather folio. She opened it to see a Patente B driving license issued in her name and an annoyed expression spread across her face. "Like they're going to believe this is legitimate."
"It is," Michele said. He squatted down to come eye to eye with her. Claes could see from his expression he was quite serious.
"I know you find me eccentric, even frivolous. You're a young girl and now I'm asking you, with no experience and only a basic understanding of the principles involved, to take control of a €250.000 vehicle that weighs one and a half tons and can accelerate from a standstill to 100km/h in four seconds and cruise at 300km/h. You're absolutely right when you think the idea ludicrous because why would a normal girl in her very early teens need to know how to drive?"
Claes nodded her head.
"This isn't about having fun or indulging a whim of mine, Claes. It's about survival. We are agents in a clandestine special operations unit whose mission is to interdict—which is a polite way of saying kill—people and those people never go quietly into that good night. I want you to learn how to drive because there may come a time when I need to depend on you to extricate us from a serious situation.
"When Marcello Palumbo shot me in Rome, the wound was not serious. However, if it had nicked my femoral artery, I would not have been able to operate the car and because you couldn't get me to assistance, I could have bled out if support had not been present. And when Kara and I were pinned down in Pioltello, because she could drive she could escape and return to extract me.
"Yes, if she didn't know how to drive she could have possibly sacrificed herself to let me escape, but I want her—and you—to survive, as well. And if I should ever be killed on a mission, I don't want you making a historic last stand over my corpse because you have no other choice. You get to the car and you drive to safety and contact the Agency to come get you. Do you understand?"
Claes wanted to fault his logic, but she really couldn't. Hillshire had enrolled Triela in a driving class at the start of the year and she now had her license. Triela would not say why Hillshire changed his mind about it, but when they'd returned from Naples Christmas week he'd looked haggard and she wondered if he'd been injured on a mission and she'd been unable to get him to immediate help.
"Yes, Michele. I still think this is dangerous, though."
"I intend to give you formal training at Vallelunga as I did with Kara, however there is an freighter warehouse complex just up the road with plenty of open space for you to at least start to get comfortable. Real roads will give you a better feel for how the car responds than on a smooth track with sharp bends designed to ring the last bit of performance out of the car."
Michele held out his hand and Claes returned the key fob and then settled into the passenger bay. It was a short drive to their destination and Michele slowly drove around the large loading bays, most of which were empty, as well as the wide roads that connected the buildings and docks. He came to a stop and handed the key to Claes before exiting.
Claes followed and walked around to the driver's side, settling into the seat. Michele told Claes where to find the memory button to activate Kara's preset seating position and after a few moments with the controls Claes found a comfortable driving position. Michele closed the door and took his place in the passenger seat.
Claes turned the key and the V10 barked to life, settling down to an angry growl.
"Okay, we're not going to worry about manual shifting, so put your foot on the brake and push this button on the center console to engage the gearbox in automatic mode," Michele instructed and Claes did so.
"Now this car has a manual gearbox with an automatic clutch. So the shifts, especially at low speeds, are going to be a bit abrupt, but don't worry. When you're ready, just take your foot off the brake and press down gently on the throttle. Not too gently, however, or the clutch will have difficulty transmitting the power."
Claes took a deep breath, removed her foot from the brake, and placed it on the accelerator. She pressed down, but she misjudged the throttle resistance and pressed harder than she had meant, the car launching forward as the RPMs climbed suddenly. She felt the pedal jitter as the traction control system kicked in and she lifted completely off and stabbed the brake pedal.
"It's okay, Claes," Michele said reassuringly. "Just pretend there is an egg under your boot and you don't want to break it."
Claes nodded and tried again. The car crept forward and she could feel a shudder from down below. She pushed down harder and the shudder stopped. She reached the end of the loading area and braked to a stop.
"How do you feel?" Michele asked.
"It's not that difficult," Claes replied, which she found surprising.
"Turn it around and when you reach the end, continue on to the road. We'll just do a big loop of the complex so you can get used to the steering and suspension feel.
Claes nodded and settled into a pattern, slowly increasing her speed along the long straights as she became more comfortable with the vehicle's dynamics and how it responded to her steering and throttle inputs. She noticed the faster she went, the better the car felt and Michele informed her that this was because the air flowing over the car helped push it down onto the road, improving the tire's effectiveness.
"Okay, time to escape a mythical pursuer," Michele ordered as they started on the final leg back. "As soon as you clear the dogleg, open her up."
"What about that egg?" Claes said.
"If you want to make an omelet…" Michele replied.
Claes gripped the wheel tight and pressed her boot down hard. She thought she knew what to expect from high-speed drives with Michele and Kara, however being behind the wheel herself gave the experience a new dimension as the acceleration pressed her back into the seat. In what seemed like seconds the end of the road arrived and she pressed hard on the brakes.
"Well done!" Michele said. Claes felt pleased at his complement, which surprised her. She turned the car off, pulled out the key and handed it back to Michele.
At the SWA compound that evening, Claes removed the suitcase and started up the stairs, passing Kara and Triela coming down on their way to the showers.
"Our handler is mad as a Hatter," Claes noted as she passed by.
"I can't argue with that," Kara agreed, whipping her towel over her shoulder and earning her a surprised expression from Triela.
About fifteen minutes later Claes joined Kara and Triela in the baths.
"I take it Michele taught you to drive today?" Kara asked as Claes settled into the tub next to hers. Triela stood in the shower stall across the way, washing off body soap.
"Yes," Claes said, sourly. "I hear I have you to thank for that."
"Someday it may save his life or yours. At that point, you'll be glad you know it.
