CHAPTER 61

The only sound that Nate could hear was that of his fingers when they rolled over the little fold out table in front of him. It was in stark contrast to the ever constant sound of death that had been all around him for the better part of a day, or maybe even days, Nate was not too sure about the timing. He had never really gotten used to what the elves called day and night and, at this point, he was not really sure he wanted too.

Of course, the crazy way night and day just came out of nowhere was a lot better than this stupid room that his own people had imprisoned him in. It looked like an interrogation room right off the set of one of those cop shows you saw on television. It had those funky sound proof walls, a big two way mirror, a couple of cameras on the ceiling, and one door that happened to be locked. Nate looked up at the camera, his only company for a while now, and said, “is this what I pay my taxes for? So you guys can recreate old sets from old TV shows like Castle?”

Someone must have been listening. The door to the room opened almost as soon as Nate had finished talking. The woman that entered was some blond headed chick that Nate had never seen before. He realized that he should have known her for more than a couple of reasons. Nate had spent too much time at the embassy and it was not exactly that big. An attractive woman, like this, would have most definitely been noteworthy so Nate would have definitely remembered seeing her. He did not.

Then, there was that little fact that she was wearing the field duty uniform of the United States Army. She did not have any of her gear on but, from the rumpled look of her clothing, she had only recently taken it all off. Nate knew that look well and, if he were a betting man, he’d take a hundred on all her gear being not too far outside that door. She was also a Captain, just like Nate, and there were just not that many Captain’s in country. Nate should know this Captain Patterson and yet, she had completely escaped him.

Trust was something that Nate was having a hard time giving anyone right now. The one thing that surprised him was, he had not expected that his misgivings would be for his own people as much as anyone else. That’s why he was not exactly friendly towards his fellow Captain, that had walked into this room, looking over paper files, and did not even bother making eye contact with him as she sat down. She didn’t even say anything.

That was why Nate muttered, “when you came in here to rescue me, didn’t you have a plan for getting out?”

Captain Patterson looked up form her file, “excuse me?”

“Nothing,” Nate told her, “bad joke.”

She acted as if he had said nothing at all, “I’m Captain Sharron Patterson, two-twenty first Intelligence, on detached duty. Can I call you Nate?”

Nate glumly replied, with just a hint of anger, “you already missed calling me for supper.”

That line did make a dent. She actually chewed on it for a minute before saying, “look Nate, I was just going over your statement here and I do have a few questions for you.”

“That’s really good Captain,” Nate was not holding back his frustration now, “cause I got a few of my own. Starting with, I’ve been in here for how long now?”

She actually really answered, “six hours.”

That infuriated him, “we’ve got a missing soldier out there! How long are you people going to keep dicking me around when we need to be looking for her!”

His outburst did not rattle Sharon Patterson in the slightest. She simply closed her file and said, “Captain Caldwell, who says we can’t be looking for her and dicking you around at the same time?”

Was that a joke? Nate wondered about that for a few seconds before he turned off the anger and asked, “have you?”

“I am authorized to tell you,” Patterson replied, “that yes, there is an ongoing effort to locate Sergeant Thompson. It’s also out of your hands, now, Captain. Your job now, is to be a material witness. Consider that your current mission. There is a lot of information that you know, that we need.”
Nate’s eyes got big, “how much more can I tell you people? It’s not like I saw much of anything out there that would be vital to national security. I was stuck in a church!” When Nate calmed down he decided to also throw in, “where’s Patty?”

“Miss Walsh?” Patterson shrugged, “I don’t know. She’s being handed by the State Department people. I’m not involved in that.” Before he could say anything else, and he tried, Sharron put it bluntly on the table, “you, however, are an Officer of the US Military and that puts you in my domain, Captain. I’m trying to be nice about this.”

Nate settled back in his chair, “not trying too damn hard.”

When Sharron walked out of the room she casually strolled down the corridor and to the little monitoring center. She slapped her file in a tray and then mumbled, “god what I’d give for a laptop right about now.” Why couldn’t they use laptops here? It was probably because some moron at the Pentagon found out that there was no internet in Feyland, did not realize you could use a computer without said internet, so, now, everybody here was having to literally push a pen because that Pentagon guy was clueless!

Sharron’s boss, Major Koseki, was sitting in the same chair he had been in when Sharron began her tour. It was right in from the monitors for the interview rooms. He was also wearing his field gear, something they had all been ordered to do since the embassy was officially put in siege mode. Past that he was his usual casual self, complete with coffee in hand. He almost laughed as he told Sharron, “that Caldwell is a pretty slick customer.”

Sharron rolled her eyes at that and said, “reminds me of a used car salesman. I almost think that‘s what he should be doing for a living.”

Koseki put his coffee down and got a little bit serious, “I’m getting some heat from upstairs, Sharron. We’re going to have to tell them something and, soon. General Garret is not a happy camper right now.”

Why would the guy be? He was stuck here like everybody else and a General without something to command was, well, a grumpy bear. Right now, his meager forces included his intelligence staff and he was making up lost time by issuing twice the number of orders to them. None of which made Sharron any happier or her job any easier. People were not machines and you could not just flip a switch and get everything out of them. That was even true when those people were cooperative and, technically speaking, on your side. Sharron knew the truth of the matter about this business. The only difference between asking questions of a friendly or an enemy was what you called it, an interview or interrogation. Past that, it was pretty much the same.

Sharron poured her own cup of coffee and sighed, “what are we getting from the Walsh woman?”

Koseki pointed to the screen and noted, “you talked to her too. How did she seem to you?”

Sharron groaned, “she’s smarter than that Caldwell guy. Better observer too. I guess you could sum that up as, it’s good that she’s a reporter and it sucks because she’s a reporter.”

Koseki laughed because he could relate. He also reached over and picked up the files that had just been sent down from upstairs. They proved to all be print outs from the embassy database that was suppose to help relieve the problems of not having an internet. As Katie flipped through them she had to wonder why the embassy couldn’t have it’s own damn internet. It would speed this up considerably and, maybe, her bosses boss would not be chewing her ass constantly.

“Well, well, well,” Katie said as she saw one particular picture. She showed it to Koseki and said, “wonder what this ass hole was doing there?” Katie had suspected as much and she said, “can you get me a few minutes? I think I can put at least a few smiles on some faces.”

Koseki took the file and saw what Katie was looking at. He commented, “I noticed this. You sure about this? I flagged it and you do realize that this guy was, like, heavily involved in the original deployment?”

Sharron did not even bother to answer the question as she readied herself for a meeting. She did ask another question though. It was not of great interest but, a little puzzling to her, “what’s so special about Thompson and Caldwell anyway? I mean I can understand them getting their panties in a wad over Walsh but, those two? They were just two idiots that got lost in the woods.”

Koseki rehashed some old ground, “well you know, they gave your buddy there,” he pointed at the video feed of Caldwell, “the Silver Star for getting lost. They promoted Thompson but,” Koseki’s tone picked up, “we did get something new on her. It came in with the last drop and got sent down from State.” He pointed to the little fold out table where Sharron was touching up her make up, “right in front of you. You might should have a look.”

Sharron finished with her make up, picked up the file and began lightly scanning it. It did not take much for her to realize the significance. It also made her grumble, “oh this is just fucking perfect. So our little lost lamb is a media star?” Sharron slammed the paperwork down and spilled her attitude all over the room.

Kosecki knew that look, “what are you thinking Sharron? You do realize that it makes this a little bit more sensitive now? The ambassador is probably going to wet his pants when he sees that.”

“Actually,” Sharron tossed aside her studious demeanor and finished getting ready for her journey up the elevator as she told her boss, “I’m thinking something else entirely.” As she walked to the door, the Major asked her for specifics and all she said was, “motive.”

Sharon waited outside the door of the military attaché’s office for less time than she would have figured. She thought that Garret would have more pressing matters on his hands at a time like this, yet, Sharron was almost immediately shuffled in the door of his office. After the usual formalities she even asked about that and, Jim Garret told her, “you didn’t hear Captain?”

“I’ve been busy sir,” Patterson replied.

Garret told her, “the elves vanished as quick as they showed up.”

That confused Sharron and she had to ask, “something happen sir?”

Garret actually laughed, “isn’t that what I have you people for, Captain?” What could Sharron say to that? The guy had a point but, it was not like she was supposed to be handing everything. Sharron tried to explain that but, Garret only laughed harder and told her, “I’m fucking with you Captain. What did you find out about our hero’s?”

After Sharron explained her theory, the General did not act impressed. He also did not act unimpressed, angry, happy, or anything at all. The guy just sat there puffing on a cigar and appeared to be in deep thought. He then picked up the phone and said something really quick and too the point, “Bob meet me in Bunker’s office, asap.” He then stood up and told Sharron, “well there’s one thing I have definitely learned from this.”

“Sir?” Sharron asked.

“That you seem to know your shit Captain,” Garret nodded to the door as he walked that way and told her to follow as well. Sharron gulped and followed the man to the ambassadors office. She felt like she was being sent to the principals office instead. When she came up here she had not expected to be standing tall in front of the overall commander, his boss, and then the late arrival of the Task Force Commander, Colonel Isaacs. The General then put her on the spot, “tell them what you told me.”

Sharon had to actually muster her courage, “it was a black bag job, sir.”

Bob Isaacs had been reading both the State Department and Army intel memo’s coming from the debriefing. Up till now he had only paid them mild attention since this incident seemed to have already been, mostly, resolved and relatively minor. Bob had guessed that his missing soldier was either going to show up just fine, or dead. There was really nothing much he could do about it and there did not seem to be any room for middle ground. It was bad to say but, considering the reports that were now coming in from Seau-Neaut, Sergeant Thompson’s status was just a drop in the bucket. Her status as MIA was now only one of many, no matter how much TV time she was getting back home.

Bob said as much and the intelligence Captain handed over one of the files she brought with her. Bob looked at it and said, “yeah I know this guy. He’s an operator and stationed at CHIEF. What’s he got to do anything?”

“He’s more than that sir,” Sharron replied respectfully, “in fact, we recently got a flag on him from CIA. They want everything we farm on that guy. I don’t know why but, I suspect it’s not because he’s good at filling out paperwork. We did find, in our database, some operations that he was suspected of participating in, some in Africa, and the Middle East.”

That was news to the Ambassador and, after being handed the file, his attention most definitely perked up. He asked, “what kind of operations Captain?”

“Wet work sir,” Sharron told them. “In fact, if I’m looking at it right, he’s a bag man. Snatch and grab jobs are his specialty.”

Bob winced at the sound of that, “let me get this right. You think somebody sent an operator to snatch one of my Sergeants? What the hell for? Were they trying to find out the quality of our MRE’s? For everything that girl knows, they could have just asked.”

Sharron defended her theory, “with all due respect Colonel, I don’t believe they are after intelligence. Sergeant Thompson is hot in the news back home. I think,” Sharron paused for a second and then said, “they, the media, made her a target, sir.”

Still Bob had a hard time buying that, “why?”

Before Sharron could give an answer, Bunker glumly stated, “that’ll be all Captain. Good job.” Knowing when to retreat was always a good career skill and Sharron knew it was time. When she was gone and the door was closed, Bunker said, “she’s right Bob.”

Bob was still unconvinced, “Mister Ambassador, I can’t see being on television as grounds to risk an international incident like the Captain was talking about. If anything, it should have made that girl safer, not the other way around.”

Bunker nodded to the file on Major David Cross, laying on his desk, while he told his colonel, “our good Major there is one of your Knights of the Round Table buddies. That’s what I’m getting from your wife, back at Langley.”

Bob winced, “they certain of that?”

“Eighty percent,” Bunker replied, “if he isn’t he sure as hell has strong ties with them. I got the raw report in my safe over there. Doesn’t matter anyway, given what we know now, it’s a fair bet the elves were involved in this.”

The confusion that Bob had was obvious so Garret added, “I’ve had you running the tactical situation here, Bob. So we didn’t want to bother you with the other stuff. You had enough on your plate between that and what’s filtering in from the Hurt Again. Now that things are starting to cool down, I guess we can tell you.”

Bunker added, “there are factions here that seem to think the Emperor wanted us mixed up in this crap, to keep his strong arms from going at each other. It kind of makes sense. It certainly explains why you kept getting an audience over at the palace.”

Bob groaned and asked, “this didn’t come from Arbuckle, did it?”

The Ambassador answered the question by not answering it, “it fits with everything else we know. It comes down to this colonel, they’ve done everything they can to get us here, and then give us reasons to stay. That includes the carrot and the stick.”

Now Bob felt a little more than angry but, he kept it bottled as he pointed out, “sir, I just got off the phone with my acting commander in the field.”

Bunker asked, “how is Major Conner?”

“Physically,” Bob stated, “he’s fine.” There was no reason to state the rest of that. Bob figured that Garret and Bunker could figure it out on their own. They probably had more details on what happened to the firebase, than anybody else right now. Bob was not so sure they understood his feelings on the matter, “not all of my kids were as lucky as Major Conner.”

Garret humbly stated, “I talked to Sergeant Major Price, not long ago. He told me that Toto’s numbers are shaping up to close to eighty percent ineffective.”
“Ineffective Jim?” Bob looked at the man with pure contempt, “those kids are all dead. Hell, we could count the wounded on the fingers of our hands. I don’t want to even think about what’ll happen to the unlucky few who might fall into the hands of the Orcs, and let me remind you, our MIA list is pretty damn long.”

Bunker was looking at the file on his desk and drumming his fingers, “go ahead and say it Colonel.”

“I should have been there,” Bob told them.

“Couldn’t be helped,” Bunker said.

Garret added firmly, “and fixing that problem is one of the things we’re taking out of this Bob. Remember, it’s why you’re here. It was your job to find problems like this, so, we can fix it.”

“That’s supposed to help?” Bob snarled under his breath.

Garret surprised Bob by saying, “hell no. I don’t know of anything that will. You got to remember, those kids out there were mine too. Given what happened, I should be worried about my career right now but, guess what? I really don’t give a shit. I just have to keep reminding myself that our job here was to learn, and we did that.”

“So that’s it,” Bob told him, “we where sent here to be sacrificed on the altar of knowledge?”

Garret huffed, “not exactly but, I suppose it turned out that way. Not that it’s going to make me sleep at night any better. All I can do about it is make sure those kids didn’t die in vain. Maybe you should too.”

“If that’s all gentlemen,” Bob did not wait for an answer. He turned around and walked out the door. Later he found himself on the Cafeteria observation deck, leaning on the railing, and looking out at the city. Smoke was still rising from distant fires even if most of the shooting had now stopped. Life at the embassy seemed to already be getting back to normal, like all those distant fires were just the usual thing.

Bob got some unexpected company. She leaned up against the railing next to him, and shared the view. Patty said nothing at all, so, Bob finally commented, “so?”

Patty looked down at the coffee in her hand and said, “I feel like I just made parole.”

That was the first time Bob had chuckled in a while. He also knew exactly what she was talking about, “debriefing? I been through a few of those myself. I can relate.”

Patty returned the chuckle, “not my first rodeo either, Colonel. Course I was half surprised not to see you walk in that door with a bullwhip.”

Bob replied, “I left it in my closet with my leather jacket and fedora.”

That was actually funny and Patty was surprised, “oh, so he jokes does he. I’m surprised.”

“Why?” Bob told her. “I’m human and these days, that’s saying more than it used too.”

Patty let out her deep breath, “granted.” This was definitely a side of this blow hard she had never noticed before. She even risked a question, “they wouldn’t tell me downstairs. Do we have any idea where Angie, I mean Sergeant Thompson, is? Has anything really been done?”

Bob sounded very business like when he told her without hesitation, “she was kidnapped.”

Patty’s jaw dropped open, “what? By who? Um, street thugs?”

Bob realized he had said too much but, it felt damn good getting it off his chest. It was like that little girl represented every single person he had just lost. He still backed up though, “we don’t know.”

“Oh bullshit,” Patty replied. “You wouldn’t have said that if you didn’t know something a little more concrete.”

“Now,” Bob told her, “you’re starting to sound more like Captain Patterson.”

Patty rolled her eyes and laughed, “she’s a nice, sweet, young lady who also happens to be a lying bitch. She’s also not as smart as she thinks she is.”

“Now you really sound like her,” Bob said bluntly.

Patty actually laughed, “oh she said that about me too, huh? Doesn’t really surprise me though. What that kid doesn’t understand is, I have a lot more experience at interrogating people than she does. She wasn’t so good at not giving away answers. I got a lot out of the questions she was asking. Major Cross, he’s one of the Knights of the Round Table, isn’t he?”

Bob’s jaw dropped open and, once again, Patty laughed at him. Her laughter was more of relief than humor though. She shook her head at Bob and said, “what? How could I not find out? Jesus Bob, you really don’t have much faith in my abilities, do you?”

All Bob could say in return was, “that’s classified.”

“You’re not talking to a reporter right now, Bob,” Patty told him. “You know one of the big things you have to learn in my profession is, the act of discretion. I know we have a bad reputation. A lot of those little newbies run around, are pushy, and make an ass out of themselves trying to beat the pressure, to stay on top, or get ahead. I don’t have to do that Bob. I’m already where I want to be.”

“So?” Was All Bob had to say to that.

“The point is,” Patty told him, “you’re not talking to the Associate Press right now. You’re talking to someone who lost a friend and is worried sick. I don’t know how well you knew Angie Thompson but…”

“I didn’t,” Bob replied, “not really. I may have talked to her, hell I don’t know, I had a battalion to run. I couldn’t pick her out of a crowd if that’s what you mean.”

“Well I knew her well,” Patty replied. “She was a friend of mine.”

Bob raised an eyebrow to that and gave the woman a side glance. He was suspicious and somewhat accusing when he asked, “is that how she got famous?”

“Oh no,” Patty replied. “I knew Angie before anyone ever knew her and, she’s not mentioned in a single report of mine, most of which I haven’t even filed yet. To be honest, I felt sorry for the kid, you know, with that media shit storm. I heard about it and, I couldn’t bring myself to participate in the circus. I liked the girl too much.”

The strange part about what this woman said, to Bob at least, was that her feelings on the matter of one Sergeant Angela Thompson, were almost identical to Bob’s own. That’s why he just blurted out, “we think her status back home made her of value to somebody here. We don’t know why.”

Patty felt somewhat nauseated when she heard that. It was not because she hadn’t expected it. There had been suspicions lingering in the back of her mind ever since she escaped that gas cloud and Angie was not with her. Hearing a high ranking US official tell her that, especially in confidence and off the record, was enough of a confirmation for Patty. “I want to throw up.”

“Now you know how I feel,” Bob replied. “only multiply that by about six hundred.”

“Jesus Christ,” Patty replied, “I heard the rumors but, was it really that bad?”

“For once,” Bob told her, “the rumor mill isn’t over exaggerating. If anything it’s way under the mark. I don’t just mean counting numbers ether. My battalion, for all practical purposes has ceased to exist.”

That made Patty almost gasp. Her head snapped back and she looked at the city. Then she mumbled, “Curwin was wrong.”

“Losmun?” Bob asked in surprise.

“Since you’ve shared with me,” Patty told him. She knew he would understand the discretion thing, “he said your command was the only thing preventing an out right civil war. If it was wiped out then,” Patty motioned to the relative calm that had returned to the city, “why all this? They just stopped. I don’t get it?”

Unfortunately, Bob did, “that’s easy enough. Somebody got what they wanted. I don’t know who or what but, that’s for certain. I just wish they had settled the matter before…”

Patty could figure out the before part. She actually felt sorry for this colonel and, that was not something Patty would have ever imagined herself doing. Ever since she got this job, he had done his very best to ignore her. The few extended conversations they had, were quite often, battles themselves. Right now, they both needed someone to vent on and, Patty had to admit, it felt good.

Patty joined the sorrow, “Angie’s gone for good, isn’t she?”

“Probably,” Bob said in a low and business like tone.

Then Patty mumbled something else under her breath, “sorry bastards. They played us right to the hilt.”

Bob understood every word she said and it surprised him. That was mainly because he felt exactly the same way. He looked at this woman with surprise and, maybe a little scorn as well, and then he noted, “I thought you guys were supposed to be neutral.”

“Let me quote you colonel,” Patty replied, “I’m human too, and that means a lot more than it used too.”

TO BE CONTINUED