CHAPTER 15

The last reports from Feyland managed to finally make it to Bob’s desk. They were all stamped classified and even at code word level. With that kind of top secret, even the name of the level was considered a secret. Bob had spent a lot of time in the army, working in sensitive jobs. He had been cleared for all kinds of classified stuff but, with that kind of thing, even your security level only let you see what was relevant to your job. That meant, at any given time, most of the secrets that the US government kept were still off limits. That’s why Bob never dreamed he would be working at a job where he not only had clearance to see almost everything but, he so routinely did it that he never gave the big red stamps on the folders a second thought.

The irony to that was, as Bob had long since found out, most of those classified folders, that the government held in such high regards, contained nothing that the conspiracy buffs quite often drooled over. In fact, the majority of the information in them was known outside of the people who were cleared to see it. Some of it was even common public knowledge. It seemed yet another ridiculous government habit, and that was a part of it but, Bob did understand why it had to be that way. Even if everybody knew something, that was quite different from making it official. Then you put a spot light on it and that had consequences. As Patty had reminded Bob before she left, the consequences of the job he had now affected the lives of many people. Bob had to be careful what he said and did, and he hated every minute of it.

The reports in front of him were a good case in point, even if it was only about one little girl, Lieutenant Nicole Sayers. Hammond’s office had written up all kinds of crap and Bob figured he would get to that later. What he wanted to see was not far down in the pile. Phil Conner had thoughtfully written up the stuff that Bob really needed to know. After years of working together, Phil knew how to do that. In fact, Phil always did such a good job that Bob felt sorry for having to turn the guy around at the last minute. How could it be helped?

Then Bob saw the sticky note attached to the report of the British Troops at Coven hill. Bob pulled the note and read it aloud, “PS, Paulette is pissed at me now.” Bob winced and mumbled under his breath, “yeesh, sorry Phil.” He’d have to try and do something about that.

Bob finally got to what he really wanted. He began reading the summaries and saw where a copy of the video from the isolation ward was included in his packet. He would watch it later. Phil gave a more than adequate description of the girls behavior and, Bob was sorry to say, he was not very surprised. He had heard about what happened to guys who suffered in prolonged captivity. Sayers symptoms sounded pretty similar. That’s when Bob discovered the next sticky note from Phil, “PS, look at the chief medical examiners notes, it’s not what you’re thinking.” Bob crumpled that one up and threw it in the trash can as he said, “goddamn it Phil, stop reading my mind!” Then he started hunting down exactly what Phil had suggested.

Most of that was unintelligible to Bob. It was written in a doctors handwriting which meant, illegible scrawls that made elf almost seem readable. Bob had to find the typed transcripts and then he discovered he still didn’t understand any of it. The doctors used all kinds of big words that even the internet couldn’t find! Bob often thought that as soon as everybody found out what a doctor’s word meant, they’d change words just to keep their little language private!

There was one word that Bob knew the meaning of. He was more used to hearing it, so, it did not draw his eye in all at once. Once he realized what the word was and that it did not belong in this report, he concentrated on those specific lines and mumbled as he read what the doctor had written down, “scarring on the patients pelvic region and specifically in the vaginal cavity suggests extensive probing by medical foreign objects. The trace substances found in this region are as of yet, unidentified. Have now confirmed via service records, that subject has never,” Bob wasn’t sure about the next few words so he skipped to, “undergone a hysterectomy within the past six months, as indicated by the scarring in the,” he had no idea what the rest of those words were either.

Bob flipped to the last page and saw the next sticky note, “Boss, I know you will put it off so watch the last five minutes of the disk. PS right now.” Bob slapped the note down and remarked, “you forgot to say ‘love Phil,’ dickhead.”

Bob grumbled up till he put the disk in his computer. Then he began scanning forward and from the accelerated images, passing over the screen, he was kind of glad to be right about something. Most of that video was depressing and some it downright gross. At one point Bob actually froze the image and looked at the big guy in scrubs. Bob whistled and rhetorically asked, “didn’t that guy play for the NFL?”

Finally, Bob got the scroll bar towards the end of the video. He put it on regular play and decided to try and clean up some of the paper on his desk as he let it run. Then he had to stop and turn down the volume on his computer because the girl was screaming loud enough to carry down the hallway. Phil had said in his summary that she was speaking what they thought might be another language. Again, that was not too uncommon for cases like this. In this video she was screaming a sound, a word maybe, that Bob didn’t know. The first part sounded almost like “wiki” and it made him wonder if she wasn’t mad at an internet sight. The girl was putting up quite a fight and, at first, Bob thought she was garbling up the rest of the word because of that. Then she repeated it several times as they pushed her back down on the bed and began strapping her down. That is when Bob realized that she didn’t garble it. The sound was a word!

Now Bob stopped literally shuffling papers and watched that poor girl. He felt pangs of guilt and, suspected that’s why he had mentally decided to put it off. Phil knew he would do it and, just maybe, Phil was feeling that same remorse. After all, this had happened to Sayers on their watch. Bob wondered if he really wanted to watch the rest of it. The sight of that kid struggling furiously to get out of those restraints made Bob’s gut twist. He made himself do it though. Not because he really felt it was owed to her. It was more like he felt he needed to be punished for this. This was his penance.

Suddenly, that guilt turned almost to fear. The video definitely gave Bob a cold shiver. Sayers stopped struggling long enough to look at the big orderly, eye to eye. She had an indescribable look on her face but, for some reason, she had become calm for a second. Then she exploded screaming a word that sounded like it was English. She kept repeating it at the top of her lungs, “witch! Witch! Witch!”

Now Bob stopped the video and closed down the window. He mustered his sanity and announced to the empty room, “I am not watching that again.” Then he picked up his phone and waited till Alicia answered. Bob was somewhat surprised that she was with the very man he wanted to see, her father, the President. Bob headed right over to the Oval Office. He was a bit surprised at what he saw when they let him in the door.

The President was standing in the middle of the room and Alicia was hovering over him like a mother hen. Bill Devon had his arms out, a pout on his face, and the most ungodly looking clothes on that consisted of a sweater, plaid pants, and funny little cap that almost looked like a beret. Alicia was picking at it, probably for lent, and Bob had no idea what to say. He finally put his hand on the door knob and told them, “sorry sir. I didn’t mean to interrupt you in the middle of… what the hell are you doing?”

Alicia shot Bob a nasty look and then told him, “whatever it is General, make it quick. We have to be out of here in less than twenty minutes.”

Bob’s eyes got big, “dressed like that?”

It was obvious that Bill was not so happy about this either. He shooed his daughter away from her constant pecking and then glumly said, “I have to go play golf today. It’s a photo op thing and this is my costume. Think of it that way General.”

Bob acted like getting close to the man was contagious, “if you say so sir. I, um, didn’t know you played.”

“I don’t,” replied Devon in a way that spelled out his displeasure. “General, the only things I know about golf are, you don’t score touchdowns, a home run is called a hole in one, and your handicap does not get you a better parking space at the clubhouse. Past that I’m completely lost.”

“You’ll do fine Dad,” Alicia said as she tried to go back at picking lent.

Bill waived her off and then excused her, “go get ready. The helicopter will be here at any minute.” When Alicia stood her ground he had to tell her, “I have to speak with this man, all right?” She pouted as she left and Bill shook his head in resignation before he walked back to his desk and said, “I take it the latest dispatch got in from Coven Hill. I do know that the stuff on our resurrected lieutenant was on that.”

Bob raised an eyebrow, “have you seen it sir?”

The President replied, “no, that’s what I got people like you for. I also pretty much expect Mary to come stomping in here at any time but, she said you scanned the stuff so I figured you’d be first. Tell you the truth, I’m more interested in what you have to say.”

That surprised Bob. How could that be when Mary didn’t have to call to get an appointment to get in this office. Bob never understood that. The woman, technically speaking, didn’t even have a title! Bob was sure she had one but, it sure as hell wasn’t up on the door to her office. Nothing he could do about it though, Bob just explained, “they experimented on that girl, sir.”

The President raised an eyebrow of his own, “they did? Does that also mean we know who ‘they’ is? I’ve heard a lot of theories bouncing around and Congress is even getting in on that act now. Apparently she’s got a relative over there, or something like that. You don’t even want to know what the good Reverend Shoals is saying on cable.”

“He’s blaming the elves,” Bob replied.

“Who else,” Devon replied rhetorically. “He’s definitely got a hard on for them, to be sure. So, the real question is, do we have a clue as to who might have had that girl?”

“No sir,” Bob replied but, then he added, “do you want my opinion?” When he got the nod he said, “I really think it was the Orc’s now.”

“That’s certainly a change from the last policy meeting,” Devon noted. “Any reason why?”

“Given what we know they did to her,” Bob replied, “it’s the only thing that makes any sense. Somebody cut that little girls ovaries out and I can’t figure why anyone else would bother.”

“I thought,” Bill said as he rubbed his chin and thought, “according to what you have told me, that the Orcs were in the habit of cutting everything out and leaving the victim dead. Are we now entertaining the idea that they might do otherwise?”

“I don’t know mister President,” Bob replied before admitting, “I don’t have all the answers. I do know this, well more to the point, it’s about what I don’t know. We really don’t know anything about the Orcs other than what they do militarily. We’re pretty ignorant on that too, when you get right down to it.”

“Ok,” Devon replied, “that’s fair enough and, I get your gist here. We took a couple of them to study so why wouldn’t they return the favor. That’s plausible but, why give her back?”

“Maybe they didn’t sir,” Bob put forward, “we don’t know what could have happened. Maybe the elves were probing up north and rescued her or something. Maybe it was Losmun’s crew doing it. Maybe they rescued the girl, wanted to give her back but, couldn’t do it without having to explain how they found her.”

“I’ll think about that,” the President replied as he heard the helicopter coming in. “We’ve run out of time and I still didn’t get to ask you the main thing. Have you looked into that little project that I had Alicia drop on your desk?”

Bob almost gulped, “um, not yet sir. I was waiting for my man to…”

“No, no,” the President chuckled, “I don’t want you to send Conner. Why don’t you go talk to the guy.”

The ‘guy’ in question was some kind of meteorologist as near as Bob could tell and, he still didn’t have a clue why this guy was so important to the national security of the United States. Allegedly, that’s what Bob’s job was supposed to cover and he didn’t understand how knowing the forecast would serve his mission here.

As the President walked for the door that led outside, he snickered and said, “call it a vacation Bob. You need to get out of here for a while. You been working too hard and your little reporter girlfriend is off in Feyland or somewhere. Perfect timing.”

Again, Bob gulped. The President noticed and stopped before opening the door, “I’ll do you a solid Bob, that’s why Mary sent you the papers. Just don’t bring my name up because I’m not getting in the middle of that shit. I got one war to handle already.”

Bob left by the door he came from. He was in Mary’s office five minutes later and she was carefully picking over papers. She did look up for five seconds, long enough to make quick eye contact, then she went right back to what she was doing, “want something Bob?”

He closed the door and then told his ex-wife, “you had to go and tell the President?”

It was obvious by her smile that she knew exactly what he meant but, she taunted him anyway, “I tell the President lots of things. Which one are you referring?”

“You damn well know what I’m talking about,” Bob told her. He then angrily continued, “I did you a favor Mary. I considered your feelings and that’s why I told you about Patty. You know I didn’t want it to get around cause of where we work.”

“We?” Mary acted surprised but was really mad, “it’s we now? I got some news for you Bob. It’s your problem and there is no more we. I didn’t tell you to go screw that reporter.”

Bob slapped his forehead, mainly because Patty had used those exact same words. He then grunted and just blurted out, “why do you even care! We haven’t been together in how many years now? Don’t tell me you haven’t had some boyfriends that I didn’t know about.”

“You left me Bob,” Mary snorted. “Did that ever occur to you?”

“What?” Bob was genuinely confused, “I only left cause you were packing your bags. I figured you liked that house so much you might as well keep it.”

“When you left,” Mary replied, “I didn’t think you would stay gone. I just wanted you to stay home some more.”
“I’m in the army Mary!” He stopped and let his temper settled before saying, “you knew what I did when you married me! Hell, you were a spook, it‘s not like you didn‘t have to go work ether.”

“Stop throwing that in my face,” Mary told him. “You know damn well I sidelined my career by taking the European desk, so, somebody would be there for the kids. That way you could go play soldier.”

Bob wanted to scream but he was too mad. Then Mary huffed, “speaking of our children, the ones you ignore…”

“Look who’s throwing shit in the face now,” Bob came back with. “I told you Mary, I told them, they can call me anytime they want. In fact, Rick called me last week.”

Mary was in shock, “he did?” Then she turned angry again, “you didn’t tell me?”

“I um,” Bob backed off and rubbed at his eye while he thought about what to say next. She was already mad enough. He decided to lie, “I forgot. I been busy. Doesn’t matter anyway cause…”

Mary didn’t get angry. She was just mostly concerned, “what did he want?”

“The usual,” Bob said, “you know, money.”

“With all this Fairy Dust thing going around,” Mary mumbled.

Bob knew his son smoked dope. Rick had stopped keeping that a secret since not long before he ran off to California. Mary was talking about something else though, “the elf drug? He’s doing that now?”

“Bob,” Mary slapped her forehead, “I… look most people use it by sprinkling it over marijuana or tobacco. It’s also not a drug.”

Bob blinked, “what do you mean it’s not a drug? What was all that shit going on in congress for, you know, all them months that the President kept us on over time?”

Mary reached into her desk and took out a bottle of over the counter pain killers. She popped out twice the recommended dosage and washed it down with the open soft drink on her desk. Then she told him, “it’s a bacteria, it only feels like a drug.”

“Huh?” Bob was confused.

Mary added, “a fucking germ Bob. You know what a germ is don’t you?”

“I even know what a bacteria is Mary,” Bob shot back, “how the hell is that getting people high?”

“It’s technical,” Mary began babbling, hence, proving to Bob that she didn’t understand it either. Otherwise, she acted like she was about to have a nervous breakdown, “now both of our children…”

Bob felt a shot of electricity run up his spine, “wait a minute? Are you telling me that Janet is smoking dope too? She’s a doctor! You sure you don’t mean she’s selling drugs?”

Mary bowed her head and then picked up a paper off her desk like it was diseased. She handed it over to her ex and then said, “Rose Atwater noticed it a few days ago and faxed it to me from State. Look about halfway down the page.”

After scanning the opening paragraph, which said something about this memo being a list of applicants for a medical exchange program, Bob scanned down the list and saw that one of the names was none other than Janet Clarice Isaacs of Baltimore, Maryland. Bob exploded, “are you trying to tell me that my daughter is in Feyland right now? With a goddamn war going on?”

With no small degree of sarcasm, Mary smiled cheerfully and said, “nice to see you so full of parental concern.” Then Mary went back to angry as she explained, “no, she’s not in Feyland. She is on the list though. If she goes it’ll be sometime next year.”

“Oh,” Bob was still not sure what was wrong but, he felt like it was coming, “so? Um, she’s still in Baltimore then, all safe and sound?” Mary said nothing so Bob ventured an opinion, “lot can happen between now and next year. Maybe she won’t go.”

“She’s in training Bob,” Mary replied. “Guess where that is?” Bob didn’t answer so she told him, “she’s in London right now. I didn’t find out till I got that list and called the little nitwit.”

“London?” Bob pointed over his shoulder like it was right behind him, “you mean the one in England? That London?”

Mary would have never believed that she would be afraid for her daughter visiting a city that was, only a few short years ago, one of the biggest tourist destinations for Americans. These days, Mary would almost feel safer for Janet if she was visiting Palestine. She almost said that when there was a light rap at her door and Mary snarled out, “what is it?”

Alicia stuck her head in the door but, left it shielding most of her body. She had a meek little smile on her face and pretended to be surprised at seeing Bob here. She then told them, “excuse me guys. I need both of you down in the situation room, right now, please?”

Bob became confused, “I thought you were playing Golf?”

“No, just Dad,” Alicia replied and then repeated her point, “right now guys, please?”

Alicia led them down to the main chamber of the situation room. Bob noticed that everyone looked a little busier than normal. He also noticed that several of the key administration people were here and that included the Secretary of the Interior, David King. Bob still didn’t know why that guy was so important. At the moment he, like everyone else, had their attention turned to one of the big screens that was currently displaying some cable news feed. Bob nudged closer to King, “why Mister Secretary, I thought you’d be out opening a national park or something.”

King replied, “to be honest with you General, I wouldn’t even know how.” Then King went right back to the subject at hand, “Do you know what any of this all about?”

Bob looked up on the screen and read the little words at the bottom of it. Obviously the image was being transmitted from the top of some building in Jerusalem, Israel. From the looks of it, it was night time there, the image was all dark and greenish, and several fires were obviously raging off in the distance. Then there was a flash that caused the green screen to turn white for a moment. When it began to clear the air was filled with the distant streams of burning embers showering the area. That in turn set off even more fires.

Alicia Devon gulped, became nervous, and then grabbed Mary’s hand and squeezed. She asked the room, “what the hell was that?”

Bob replied in an almost mundane manner, “looked like an artillery round. I’m guessing a one of five, maybe, firing some kind of anti-personnel round.”

Mary did not bother to look at her ex as she followed up with, “in English, that means somebody just fired off a big gun. Who is shooting and who are they shooting at? Those are the real questions we need to be asking.”

The duty officer came over and began handing out summaries of what they had. Bob almost thought it was stupid since they had the game on television. For his money, he’d bet the Arabs had done something to piss off the Israeli’s. He also found it odd at how that seemed to be so refreshing now. It had been a while since he had to be worrying about the Middle East. It almost felt nostalgic. Then he knew that he should have knocked on wood after thinking that. Mary must have had similar thoughts because Bob saw her actually do it. Then the TV switched images to somewhere else. Bob demanded, “would somebody turn up the sound?”

Some little girl in an Air Force uniform did so with a remote control and the on screen reporters words were finally audible, “as you have seen, the violence is not contained to just the city of Jerusalem. Here in Mecca, in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, demonstrations began some time around nightfall. They have been largely peaceful here but, as I am being told, other cities are not so lucky.

A voice from off screen asked him, “Doug, have gotten any word on what’s behind this?”

The reporter had a finger to his ear as he listened. There was a delay before he said, “yes we have. We have talked to any number of local clerics here. They are all telling us the same thing. Ever since the first reports came out that this new substance, Fairy Dust, is a key element in the Elf religion, the Islamic clerical community has been in outrage.”

The image switched back to the woman at her anchor desk in Atlanta, “but Doug, I thought that Saudi Arabia had been one of the first countries to ban it.”

The image switched back to the reporter who was standing on a dark roof in Mecca. After he got the word from Atlanta he said, “why yes they did. You have to remember that of all the places on Earth, the elves have been the least well received here in the middle east. Many here already, truly believe, that they are demons. Now, as you may know, the Islamic community does not have an organized priesthood but, there are groups of clerics who do band together to follow, more or less, organized belief structures. The man I spoke of earlier, Iman Mohammed Al Farhasi, is the leader of one of the larger groups of the Sunni sect. He is meeting tomorrow with other Islamic religious leaders, here in Mecca.”

The anchor then asked, “do you know what they are going to discuss?”

“We believe we do,” this Doug guy replied, “if the word we are getting is true, and right now I believe it is, they will be calling on the Islamic world to declare a Jihad against the elves.”

Mary said it for them all, “oh shit.”