Black Storm by David Poyer

suggested the Army Reserve.
    Their last day together she came home to find a new set of drums in the living room. Mickey had charged it on their Visa card. Her accession bonus, money she’d counted on to see them through the semester. That night she told him he had to take the drums back, lose weight, and get a job. She took his stash from under the waterbed and flushed it down the toilet. He’d left without a word, a pout on his puffy but still-handsome face. She’d wondered for years if it had been her fault, if somehow she had turned him into that overweight, apathetic slug.
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    COLONEL EITZLER was the CO of the Ninety-third. He returned her salute as she reported, told her to have a seat and help herself to coffee, all he had was instant but it had caffeine in it. He’d be back in a minute. She sat down, picking up a copy of the September JAMA . It wasn’t a real office, just a medical headquarters tent, the kind she’d been in all over the world.
    The funny thing was that she’d been in Saudi Arabia since October, but so far hadn’t seen a single Arab. Landing at King Fahd had been like landing at a US base. Americans, American vehicles, what looked like light tanks, American aircraft and army MPs with guard dogs.An enlisted man met her with a Toyota jeep. He told her they were going to Ascon Village. “What is that?” she said. He told her the Saudis had built Ascon for the Bedouin nomads, who’d stayed two days and decided town life wasn’t for them. It looked like a suburb in Ohio, except for little raked-pebble front yards instead of lawns. From there she’d flown to Rafhā’, and here, except for the occasional trip to a unit that had reported intestinal complaints, she had stayed.
    Eitzler came back in. He introduced the stocky officer with him as Lieutenant Colonel Anders Paulik, US Marine Corps. The marine smiled grimly at her. “Major.”
    â€œGood morning, Doctor,” she said, rather coolly. He raised his eyebrows and she noticed too late he wasn’t wearing the caduceus. For some reason she didn’t like this man. It was the kind of instant impression she tried to guard against.
    Paulik was asking about her, if she was the one from Fort Detrick. She said there were several personnel here from USAMRIID.
    â€œBut you’re the one who works biodefense?”
    â€œNo—at least, not the way I think you mean. I’m a preventive medicine officer. Right now we’re having an outbreak of Shigella dysentery. We’re trying to identify the source and put preventive measures in place.”
    â€œBut that’s not your specialty, is it?” Anders said. “Back home?”
    â€œI specialize in zoonotic and other exotic infectious disease.”
    â€œIncluding anthrax?”
    She didn’t react for a moment. Then she said, “That’s what I spend most of my time working on back at Fort Detrick.”
    Anders had been looking at her legs, her chest. She didn’t like it, but she was used to it. From certain men. He said suddenly, “You play sports, Doctor?”
    â€œI beg your pardon?”
    â€œSports. You into anything physical? Tennis, maybe soccer after work?”
    She hesitated. Glanced at Eitzler, whose expression said, I’m as puzzled as you are . So she told the marine, “I don’t have time for organized sports. I ride my bike around Frederick. Last year I got into rock climbing.”
    â€œRock climbing?” That seemed to intrigue him.
    â€œYeah. I’ve been out to Seneca Rocks in West Virginia, and the New River Gorge. I’d like to do Mount Rainier someday.”
    Paulik asked Eitzler, “Can the major and I talk privately, sir?”
    â€œUh…sure. I was just going over to the physical therapy tent.” She caught his curious backward glance, then the door closed.
    She’d looked levelly at Paulik as he explained, and then, when she understood