[Sticks]

Episode I –Reckonings

Spoiler:

A dark plane in an unknown artificial universe


The Present day

Charlene Henshaw sat alone in her glass cell. It had everything for her physical needs including an en-suite bathroom. Periodically food would be delivered by a red wormhole.

She had lost track of how long she had been there. She had not been told why she was being detained and by whom

Suddenly just outside the cell she saw the tell tale sign of a red wormhole developing. Someone was coming into this artificial universe she was being held prisoner.

The wormhole grew and became full size.

Charlene saw a man in a suit coming through to speak to her.

As Charlene looked at him, a cold chill went down her spine. She had seen a photograph of this man. He was the nearest she had heard in recent times of evil personified and there was no way he should be here.

“Greetings Doctor Henshaw” the man said to Charlene in a public school British accent, “Sorry for the delay, but I was busy running my new empire on the QT. I do hope we can come to some accommodation”

Charlene looked straight at this man, “But you’re supposed to be dead” she said with horror

“As you can see Doctor Henshaw” the man continued, “In spite of your friend’s best efforts I am very much alive, and I have been busy recently. I mean for some it is their time of reckoning for what they did to me and my empire three or so years ago”

+ + +

J Edgar Hoover Building
Washington DC
United States of America



Twenty four hours earlier

Kathryn walked in the underground parking lot of the FBI headquarters with her old mentor at the National Security Agency, Walter Quentin. It was the first time that she had seen him in his military uniform for a long time, and she thought he looked good in it

Walter, like all the other directors of United States most secret agency, was high ranking in the military, having risen through the ranks of naval intelligence to Vice Admiral. Unlike most of the previous directors, in his normal day to day work, he rarely wore the uniform, even at Fort Meade in Maryland, the headquarters of the NSA.

Today was different, and a bitter sweet day. Walter was retiring.

He had already had his farewell ceremony at the NSA headquarters, but before he left the organisation, he had wanted to say a few farewells to some of his old comrades in the intelligence community in back DC.

Kathryn Cooper once the chairman and then director of the ultra secret Inter Dimensional Entity Control agency but now an assistant director in the NSA had been accompanying him, and was due to return to Fort Meade that evening.

The venue for Walter’s retirement presentation had been the FBI building, even though his long time sparring partner Jack Maddox was still director there. It had been just over three years since Walter had had to brow beat the FBI director into releasing one of Kathryn’s people from custody. It had been even more galling for Jack at that time, when he had been presented evidence that the person his agency had arrested had been innocent all along and the FBI had been played for fools. And if that was not bad enough, the woman that had been arrested, had very nearly committed suicide while she was being held in FBI custody, causing a long inquiry by the department of justice, which had highlighted procedural failings.

Jack had come close to having to resign, but in the end Kathryn had persuaded the Department of Justice who oversaw the FBI of certain extenuating factors, leaving Jack in her debt as well. Something Jack resented.

Needless to say that Walter and Jack’s relationship had been strained at the time, but it all seemed like water under the bridge now as Jack had the good grace to allow his building to be used for Walter’s presentation, and had given a half decent goodbye speech.

“Kathryn” Walter opened with as they walked across the parking lot
“Yes Walter?” Kathryn replied
“You know the deputy director is retiring next month as well” Walter let on
“He had mentioned it to me” Kathryn answered, “any idea who his successor will be?”

Walter stopped and turned round to Kathryn, “I’m recommending you Kathryn” he told Kathryn.

Kathryn stopped, shocked at the news, “well thanks, I don’t know what to say” she uttered

“Well it have to be confirmed Kathryn” Walter went on, “Hopefully it will be a mere formality, after all you were the chairman come director of Inter Dimensional Entity Control before it was canned”

“That might count against me Walter” Kathryn replied, “I mean since then most of the old team were definitely not flavour of the month with the current administration”

Walter sighed, “I heard the Secretary of State’s office were giving you a hard time”

“Well Samuel certainly didn’t help matters” Kathryn countered
“The Bentley girl” Walter sighed again

“Exactly” Kathryn went on, “You know there have been voices raised in Homeland Security about letting these former minor spirits of virtue breed”
“But they’re harmless Kathryn” Walter objected, “We both know that”
“But it doesn’t stop those voices Walter” Kathryn went on, “There are some still calling for them to be interned or at least sterilised just in case”

Walter shook his head in disbelief, “The spirit of Mr Blue and the Master Race lives on at Capitol Hill”. Walter sighed again, “So that was why Matthew Sands and his family moved to Toronto”

Kathryn nodded her head, “Somehow he got a heads up that they were going to put an implant in Rebecca that would leave her permanently sterile. I heard they got out the day before the court order was due to be served on them to force Rebecca to have that operation”

“I wonder who gave him that head’s up” Walter asked pointedly
“I wouldn’t know Walter” Kathryn replied with mock innocence

“I heard that Mazy Schneider is staying with the Sand’s family now as well” Walter added

Again in the same mocking tone Kathryn expressed surprise at that news.

“No wonder we had those problems with Mr Hargreaves when Celeste fell pregnant” Walter growled, “Where did they go to in the end?”

“San Francisco I believe Walter” Kathryn answered, “I believe they were in hiding for three months before we found him. Simon’s parents were totally distraught by that Walter, they still can’t get over how much he grew up in that alternative timeline. I was so glad you managed to persuade Jack not to put them on the FBI most wanted list” Kathryn told Walter with a genuine sense of relief.

“Well in one sense Celeste did help prevent Sue-Lim from committing suicide in the FBI’s custody so Jack owed me one” Walter responded. “As far as the NSA was concerned we wrote it off as an authorised leave of absence until Ashia was born. Once we had our medics prove that Celeste’s daughter was one hundred percent human with no powers, I think I managed to get them to back down”

“But didn’t they still want to have Celeste and her baby sterilised?” Kathryn asked
Walter nodded, “I was only just able to show them that as her first born was harmless, there wouldn’t be any point, just like the sterilisation of the Sands and Schneider girls would have been if they had not gone to Canada. Maybe the Brigadier General is right to withhold the whereabouts of the Bentley girl” Then after a pause, Walter went on accusingly, “But I suspect you already know where she is, so why ask?”
“The secretary of state never asked me if I knew” Kathryn grinned, “He just asked me to get Samuel to tell me where she is. I just hope he’s careful, since our secretary of state wanted him watched. He’s a hero Walter and they treat him like that, not to mention Colonel Mark Johnston”
“I’m kind of glad I’m going” Walter interrupted. “I would hate to be in office when someone brings back the old policy of the old IDEC of Incarcerate, Interrogate and Exterminate”.

“I hope we don’t go there either Walter” Kathryn said, and then changing the subject, “Anyway Walter I’m grateful for the nomination, even if it does get knocked back”

“They would be a fool to turn you down Kathryn” Walter told, “The NSA needs principled people like you”
“Thanks” Kathryn replied and pulled out her car keys and remotely unlocked her car. “Can I give you a lift down to Fort Meade?” she asked

Walter shook his head, “I have an invite from Senator Williams tonight at the Hotel Monaco”

“Ugh” Kathryn winced, “Not more parties”

“Afraid so it seems” Walter mused, “At least it gives me an excuse to Miriam to get out of all those jobs around the house she wants me to do” Walter then thought for a moment, “You must come to dinner some time. See if you can bring Simon, Celeste and Ashia along”

“I’ll try Walter” Kathryn answered, “But I can’t promise anything”

Kathryn got in her car and closed the door. Walter waved and then turned around and headed back to the entrance into the FBI building

Suddenly there was a loud explosion and Walter was thrown to the floor by the force of the blast.

In shock and pain he was just able to sit up and look back to where the explosion had been.

It was in Kathryn Cooper’s car.

Kathryn had been murdered by a car bomb that had been planted and detonated in the underground parking lot of the FBI headquarters.

+ + +

St Stephen's green park
Dublin
Republic of Ireland

Gregory O’Doyle the former head of the G2 Special section, the branch of the Irish military intelligence service that used to work with leprechauns sat down and watched the ducks on the lake. It was a beautiful morning in Dublin.

Ever since his wife died a year after his retirement when the weather was dry, as it was that day he would come here to sit and remember the old times.

Gregory would often reflect on the end of the G2 Special section, where leprechauns worked for the Irish intelligence service. It had been very rushed at the end, as the leprechauns did not have much notice to return to their home back on the Mystical Realms before passage way was blocked forever.

Staying on Earth was not seen as an option as they were not sure if they could exist if the link between the two worlds was broken.

According to the colonel at the time it was some hydrogen bomb going off between the two worlds, that was due to sever the link, It had been left there by the daughter of the Lord Low Troll as she had tried to send it to destroy Washington DC.

It had only been thwarted by the intervention by Celeste, the daughter of the Spirit of Death, and the Major Spirit of Second Chances. He had even heard that Celeste was living on Earth, somewhere in America, as she had acquired a human soul and lost all but one of her special powers.

As for the business of the severing of the connection between the two worlds, Gregory did not pretend to understand the complexities of these things, only that G2 Special section had come to an end. For a year after he had transferred to the normal G2, but with cut backs, he chose to take retirement early.

And now he just sat, looking at the ducks in a Dublin park.

“Mr O’Doyle”

The voice shattered his thoughts. It was of a strange European accent that he had heard before.

Gregory looked up at the young twenty year old woman who had dropped by.

It was Fidelity O’Docherty, the former Spirit of Fidelity, along with a young baby boy in a push chair.

“I never knew you had a child Fidelity” Gregory spoke up, stunned by this voice from his past.

Fidelity shook her head, “He’s gorgeous Mr O’Doyle, but I’m afraid he’s not mine” she admitted

“Oh sorry” Gregory said, suddenly embarrassed by his wild assumption, “Is he” he began to ask, but Fidelity anticipated his question

“He’s not Caer’s either” she interrupted, referring to her twin sister, the former Spirit of Fancying, “In fact here she is with this little boy’s sister”

As Gregory looked on, he saw Caer coming up behind, a push chair in one hand and leading what four year old girl in her other hand.

“They belong to a couple an agency sent us to work for at the moment” Fidelity explained.

Gregory stood up to greet Caer as she caught up with her sister Fidelity.

“Nice to see you Mr O’Doyle” Caer said as she arrived, “I thought it would be nice to bring the children to see the ducks”

“So you’re working as nanny’s” Gregory asked

“Child minders” Caer corrected
“It’s helping us pay our way through Uni” Fidelity interrupted
“Both their parents are working this morning” Caer cut back in, “So we are looking after them”

“Well it’s nice to see you again” Gregory went on, “And in better circumstances than last time”

“Don’t remind me” Caer said sharply, “I still have nightmares about that. That b*****d tried to hang me for something that wasn’t our fault” she said angrily

“Ow” the young girl complained, “my hand”.

Instantly Caer let go of the child’s hand, mortified at the language she had used and that she might have hurt a little child. Caer knelt down and cuddled the child, “I’m sorry” she apologised to the child, “did I hurt your hand”

The little girl nodded and began to cry

Fidelity also knelt down in front of the little girl, while Gregory looked on, “Caer didn’t mean to hurt you sweetheart” she said to her, “Someone tried to hurt my sister a few years back to make me”

The words were then unable to come as Fidelity became choked over that day when she had seen her sister standing on a block of ice, with a rope around her neck with the ultimatum that Fidelity be delivered to one of the other Dublin parks all those years ago.

Ironically it had haunted Caer worse than would have been expected if it had been the other way around. Fidelity before she came to be adopted by the O’Docherty’s, had lived under a cruel drow posing as an elven lawyer so Fidelity expected to be treated that way and possibly would have coped better. Caer by contrast, had been left as a baby in a Dublin police station and she had subsequently been adopted by the O’Docherty. Caer had lived an idyllic life, and had never experienced such hate and cruelty before. It had been a severe culture shock for her.

“Who wants ice cream” Gregory called out, and pointed to an ice cream vendor.

Instantly the little girl stopped crying and forgot about how Caer had squeezed her hand and cried out “me”

Caer looked up at Gregory and told him that would be nice.

Gregory noticed a tear in Caer’s eye, Caer’s anger that someone long dead, had inadvertently caused her to inflict, albeit minor pain on a child.

Gregory lead the twins and their charged to the ice cream vendor and bought cones all round, except for himself, citing type two diabetes as a reason for not indulging.

As Fidelity ate her ice cream and tried to feed some to the baby boy, she asked Gregory if he still heard from the colonel.

Gregory shook his head, “I believe he was promoted to Brigadier General before he ended up retiring”

“I heard his friend got” Caer interrupted, regaining her composure, and then mouthed the word “shafted” so the children did not hear it.
“I hadn’t heard about the commander” Gregory replied, “Does this mean he left the Marine Corps”

“Yeah” Caer answered, “Last I heard is that he was working as some kind of security consultant”
“That sounds highly lucrative” Gregory replied.

“I heard from his wife Jenny” Fidelity cut in, “She’s expecting again”
“Where did you hear that?” Caer asked Fidelity

“She messaged me on Facebook” Fidelity replied
“She never messaged me” Caer retorted

“We worked together?” Fidelity said in a tone indicating that Caer should have remembered this fact, from the time when Fidelity had been rescued from the clutches of the drow and for three months worked in a coffee shop in north east England.

“Of course” Caer relented, “I forgot that. Anyway, I’m not on as often as you are Fid”

Fidelity glanced at her watch, “I think we better get the children home” she told her sister, “The Geoffrey’s will be home soon and we should be able to make the library this afternoon for that tutorial”

“Ok” Caer replied, and placed the little girl in her push chair as she had finished her ice cream.

Then the two twins with the two children headed off out of the park.

Gregory was about to sit down again on his bench, when he noticed what was obvious to him with his experience of the intelligence service, someone following the twins.

Gregory pulled out his camera phone and surreptitiously photographed the man following the twins, and started following him while he sent the message to his old friends back in G2. Maybe they could identify who this person was as the way he followed them indicated to Gregory that he must be from an intelligence agency.

It seemed unthinkable that it would be his side, after all the Irish government knew full well that former spirits of virtue like Caer and Fidelity were harmless and even ideal citizens. Because of the old G2 special section, and the former special diplomatic service, Ireland was the most experienced of the main countries in dealing with entities from the Mystical Realms before the link was severed.

The twins left the park and stopped briefly at the crossing on the corner of St Stephen’s Green and Grafton Street. Gregory saw that the man tailing them was looking on from the Fusiliers arch.

Gregory’s phone rang. Luckily Gregory had put it on to vibrate, an old habit from his days in intelligence, so the man he was tailing did not hear it. Gregory answered it, using it as a cover to disguise the fact he was tailing the man following Caer and Fidelity

“Gregory here” he whispered into the mobile phone, “Who is he?”

“We believe his name is Kurt Travers Sir, and he’s CIA, but what are you doing following him?” the voice on the phone asked with incredulity
“What is the CIA doing following the O’Docherty Twins” Gregory countered
“You’re retired sir” the voice on the phone replied, “Let us handle it sir”

The traffic lights turned to let pedestrians cross the road and the twins began crossing. The man resumed his tailing of them

“You’re not here” Gregory replied, “I’m putting a stop to it now, you handle the paper work. You have my phone on the GPS”.

With that Gregory closed his phone up and increased speed towards the man tailing the twins, as he did so he pulled out a leather glove

The man was just about to cross the road when he felt a hand on his shoulder.

“Excuse me” Gregory said to the man, “Is this yours?”

“I don’t think so buddy” the man replied in an American accent

Gregory held onto the man’s shoulder firmly, “For one thing Mr Travers, I’m not your buddy and secondly, you never had the decency to inform the Irish government of your operation”

The man appeared to go for some weapon, but Gregory was just that bit quicker and disarmed him and pinned him to the ground.

Predictably a number of people started to crowd around watching this spectacle, fortunately Caer and Fidelity were oblivious to it and disappeared into the throng.

The sound of a police car sounded near by

“I expect you will be sent home for actions incompatible with your status, Mr Travers” Gregory said to the man on the ground as he pulled out his old id badge to flash at passers by while the Garda arrived.

+ + +

George Washington University Hospital
Washington DC
United States of America

Walter Quentin sat on a bed waiting for a doctor to certify that what he had were really superficial injuries and he could be discharged. He had been waiting all evening and through the night.

It was now just coming up to six thirty in the morning, as it had been a busy night in the emergency room

Walter was still somewhat shell shocked at what he had seen the previous evening

Jack Maddox approached his bed, showing the nurses his ID. Jack also had a sense of incomprehension at what had happened. It just seemed so inconceivable that a bomber had struck right in the heart of the FBI headquarters, and yet it had happened.

Like Walter he had been up all night dealing with the consequences of the bombing

“You look like c**p Walter” Jack opened with
“You don’t look so hot yourself Jack” Walter reciprocated
“We think it must have been Al Qaeda” Jack continued, “I mean taking out the head of the NSA would be”

Walter interrupted Jack in mid flow. “No Jack, I don’t think I was the target” he said staring into the distance, “The paramedics when I got here let me call Senator Williams. I wanted to say what happened and that because I was here I would not make it to his function”

“And he didn’t know anything about it” Jack said in anticipation, given Walter’s tone.

Walter shook his head, “Williams never knew anything about an invite Jack. Who this b*****d was, Jack, must have been after Kathryn”

“But she’s only an assistant director” Jack protested, “You would have been a bigger target.”

“I wondered” Walter went on before turning to face Jack, “if it was because I was going to recommend her to the position of the new NSA deputy director, but I hadn’t posted the letter yet” he said pulling out a letter in plain white envelope”

“Did you tell anyone else Walter?” Jack asked.

Walter shook his head, “Only Kathryn. I wanted her to be the first to know”

“Then why?” Jack asked accusingly

“Maybe because she was Chair of the old IDEC agency and effectively its director” Walter suggested

“Ancient history Walter” Jack answered back, “That organisation was wound up three years ago”

“How about rouge elements from the previous administration?” Walter suggested, “When the UK lost control to us there were quite a few who saw the new policies she pursued as a betrayal of the human race. It’s the only motive I can think of Jack. Let’s not forget the Sarah Bentley case in England, that was IDEC related”

“I don’t think I got the briefing on that Walter” Jack replied

“You wouldn’t have Jack” Walter answered back, “It was an overseas mission and out of your jurisdiction. Kathryn brought Brigadier General Samuel Peters back out of retirement for that one. She got him to look in to the reactivation of a clean up squad in England that went after a teenager called Sarah Bentley. Kathryn didn’t want to trust this mission to the CIA as the teenager in question was probably the last of the minor spirits of virtue. Unfortunately Samuel had to shoot one of the main players to save the girl before he could find out the brains behind it. That makes it look more like revenge on the one who ordered in the Brigadier General by rouge IDEC officers”

“Well if that’s who it was Walter” Jack went on, “I will put on every agent to hunt them down”

“You’ll have a hard job doing that Jack” Walter replied, “A lot of them were picked from the cream of special forces. They were trained to be ghosts. The question is why did they wait so long? I mean with the link severed to IDW01 they effectively got their wish”

“Well” Jack went on, “either way you look at it Walter, someone planted bomb at the FBI head quarters and killed a federal officer. It’s a matter of honour; we’re not going to rest until we get the dirt bags that did this”

Walter sighed, “I’m going to have to tell her family Jack”

Jack sat down on the bed next to Walter, “I know what you mean Walter. It’s always sucks when I have to inform the family when an FBI agent is killed in the line of duty”

“Damn it Jack she wasn’t a field operative” Walter said angrily, “She was an administrator, capable of running any federal agency here in DC. They were going to can her after they shut the IDEC down until I managed to get her appointed to the NSA” Then after a moments thought, Walter continued. “You need to check up on Pete and Sue Lim, especially with Doctor Henshaw’s disappearance as well a month or so back in that same operation Samuel was involved with”

“I thought those two went back to England Walter” Jack asked
“They were persuaded to stay in DC” Walter replied, “We got them a job as CSI’s for Metro PD”

“Ok Walter, I’ll get someone to check on them” Jack agreed, “But with the bombing at the Hoover building we are spread pretty thin”

“And Simon and Celeste down in Fort Mede” Walter added, “You may need to check on them as well. Simon and Kathryn’s family were close”

“She was the one who made the mess of my interrogation room” Jack remarked
“She was the one who saved you’re a**e back then” Walter countered before adding, “She also saved DC if I recall”

“We’ll have to get the local LEO’s down there look in on them Walter” Jack replied, “It’s the best we can do at the moment”

Walter nodded and then with his fist hit the bed “Kathryn was my protégé Jack. She would have been my chosen successor if the head of the NSA could be a civilian” Walter then said, “and some b*****d’s going to pay for this”

+ + +

Outer suburbs of Washington DC

Sue-Lim waited downstairs in her kitchen waiting for Pete to come down for breakfast.

It was going to be odd not going into work with Pete, but as she felt her large stomach and the child growing in her, it would be making life easier, sort of, as she was now on maternity leave. She was not far off her due date.

There was the sound of the doorbell, which due to the early hour of the morning made Sue-Lim jump slightly. Pete was most likely still in the shower, so Sue Lim pulled herself up off of her chair and headed for the front door.

“Who is it?” she nervously called out from behind the front door

“Federal Express” came back the reply

Sue Lim looked at the clock in the hall. It seemed quite early for a private courier and instinctively Sue-Lim sensed something was not quite right.

“Hang on” she called out, “I need to get the front door key” she lied

“Ok” the man called from behind the door.

Sue-Lim started to head up the stairs to reach Pete, but she met him coming down.

“Federal express at this time?” she mouthed to Pete

Pete directed Sue-Lim back to the kitchen and closed the kitchen door. At least Sue-Lim could get out through the back door if need be, and nervously opened the front door, expecting the worse.

Outside on the front porch was a man in his thirties carrying a package and wearing the uniform of Federal Express. Pete glanced down the drive at the van.

It seemed legitimate enough

“I’m Sue-Lim’s husband” Pete opened with “You’re early”
“Yeah” he replied, “Sorry about that sir, but we got a specific delivery instruction to call at this time. The client said that was the only time we would catch you in. Can you sign here please?”

For a brief moment Pete was stunned, Who would know that?. Still in a daze Pete took the electronic pad and pen and signed for the package.

The courier took back the pen and electronic pad and passed him the package, and then he turned around and walked back to the van.

Pete closed the door and examined the package. It was addressed to Sue-Lim and seemed soft. No obvious sign that it could be something like a parcel bomb, but even then he knew from his experience with the IDEC and working as a CSI that some explosives could be as thin as paper. There was no obvious clue as to who it came from and what it contained. If Mr Vee, Sue-Lim’s estranged father had not passed away last fall from a sudden brain aneurism, he would have thought it would have been from him.

Again, what was really unsettling was that whoever sent it, knew their routine.

Something was not right here.

He could not take the risk, especially with his wife and unborn child

Pete carefully placed the package on the hall table and retreated to the kitchen, where Sue-Lim stood waiting.

“We need to get out through the back door” he told Sue-Lim

“What is it Pete?” she asked, fear creeping into her voice.
“I’m not sure” Pete replied, “That was Fedex alright, but they were told our morning routine so we would be in”
“Someone’s been watching us” Sue-Lim said as colour drained from her face.

Pete moved quickly to the back door. He did not want Sue-Lim going out first, in case the package was designed to make them do just that into the arc of fire of something worse.

The coast seemed clear and so he took Sue-Lim’s hand and led her out of the house, continuously looking around.

Pete pulled out his cell phone and dialled his supervisor at Metro PD. The phone connected, but before he could speak, his supervisor told him that he was just about to ring him.

“Why?” Pete asked suspiciously
“The FBI are coming round to talk with you” his supervisor told him over the phone.

Pete glanced at Sue-Lim as she stood there in the back garden. He did not want to worry her as the last time the FBI came for Sue-Lim, she had been arrested on trumped up charges of assisting terrorists.

“Pete” Sue-Lim asked, “What is it” she pressed.

Pete stuck a finger in the ear that was not pressed to the cell phone. “What’s going on sir” he asked.

“Your old boss Miss Cooper was murdered last night” Pete’s supervisor told him, “The FBI are looking into it. Miss Coopers boss the director of the NSA asked them to check up on you”

Pete took the phone away and swore, then went back to the phone, ignoring Sue-Lim’s request for information.

“Tell them to be careful” Pete told his supervisor, “We had a suspicious package delivered this morning by Federal Express. From what the courier told us it seems someone has been stalking us as they were instructed to deliver it very early before we normally leave for work”

“Where’s the package now” the supervisor asked over the phone
“On the hall table by the front door” Pete replied

“Ok I tell them to send the bomb squad” Pete’s supervisor informed him, “That was how they killed Miss Cooper. It was a bomb in her car”
“I’ll go and open the door” Pete suggested
“You’ll do no such thing” his supervisor ordered, “Don’t go anywhere near it! Wait for the bomb squad, I’ll get on to Federal Express to see if we can trace who sent it”

“Yes sir” Pete replied and hung up

“What’s going on?” Sue-Lim pressed

Pete sighed. “The FBI are investigating and their sending the bomb squad to look at that package. We have to leave the house now”

At the thought of the FBI coming round Sue-Lim started shaking her head and repeating the word “No”
It seemed obvious to Pete that sue-Lim was remembering her last brush with the FBI, so Pete took her in his arms, “It not like back then” he said in reassurance, “There here to protect us.

+ + +

G2 Offices
Dublin, Ireland

Gregory O’Doyle sat in the interview room waiting for someone to show up. He had been kept waiting for about an hour since he had arrived back at G2 headquarters.

A woman in her late thirties entered the room

“Kelly McLaughlin isn’t it?” Gregory asked

“Yes Mr O’Doyle” Kelly replied
“So are you deporting that yank” Gregory asked in a defiant tone
“We haven’t decided yet” Kelly replied in an authoritative manner
“Come on Kelly, what’s there to decide” Gregory went on, “A foreign agent following two Irish lasses who had the misfortune to have a mother who was a major spirit of virtue, who gave up their special abilities, going about their lawful business. Plus we were not informed as a sheer act of courtesy”

“We only have your word that is what he was doing sir” Kelly said with a little venom
“So you’re calling me a liar then” Gregory snapped back, “I was in counter intelligence before you were born”
“We have to follow protocol Mr O’Doyle” Kelly asserted, “A lot has happened since you were in G2 Special section”
“And not all of it for the better” Gregory retaliated

“You don’t understand the wider politics” Kelly countered

“Oh I understand perfectly” Gregory interrupted, “Just like the UK we are to be the yanks lapdog. Always coming to heel whenever they say”

“America” Kelly went on with determination, “Is a partner in the War on Terror”

“BULL” Gregory shouted, “That agent was following two innocent girls, that the Irish government gave sanctuary to, both of whom, need I remind you Kelly are daughters of an Irish G2 officer who was killed by US friendly fire after he had saved their necks in Afghanistan”

“You’re retired sir” Kelly went on, “You have no business getting involved”

Before Gregory replied there was a knock on the door and a male officer opened it and called Kelly across.

Gregory could not hear what was being said, but could see an expression of shock form on Kelly’s face.

“How” she demanded to know of the male officer
“We don’t know” the male officer replied

“What’s happened” Gregory asked
Kelly shook her head in disbelief. “That CIA agent” she said with an ashen face, “He’s been shot dead in the holding cell”

+ + +

Outer suburbs of Washington DC

Pete had his right arm around Sue-Lim as he stood out in the street with his supervisor from the Metro police department CSI lab.

They were watching from behind the safety tape as the bomb squad official left their house.

A garbled communication came over a police radio, but Pete’s supervisor was able to make out what was being said.

“Sounds like their giving the all clear” his super visor told the couple

“We’re sorry sir if we have caused a false alarm” Sue-Lim nervously said as she suspiciously eyed the various people running around in FBI jackets.

“Don’t be, the fact that Federal Express were given your movements indicates someone may have been stalking you” Pete’s supervisor responded, “Have you ever told anyone your movements?

Both Pete and Sue-Lim shook their heads

“When we worked for our old agency back in England we were meticulous about that sir” Sue-Lim responded

“Yes sir” Pete confirmed, “Plus that was the case when we were relocated to DC. We always mad sure we changed routes for security reasons”
“Maybe we got careless Pete” Sue-Lim suggested.
“I don’t think so Sue-Lim” Pete replied, “We’ve been out of that game ever since we joined Metro PD. Why should we be any different from the other CSIs?”
“Pete’s right” Pete’s supervisor cut in, “Given the number of CSI and other law enforcement officers who work across DC you would have no reason to maintain the strict security protocols at that agency whatever it was you use to work for. I’m getting someone to try and track that parcel back to its source”
“But what if it turns out to be innocent” Sue-Lim asked.
“Then no harm done” Pete’s supervisor replied, “It doesn’t harm to be cautious, and given what happened to your former boss last night” the supervisor said to Pete and Sue-Lim

“Yeah I know” Pete agreed

“What happened?” Sue-Lim interrupted, confused by what her supervisor and her husband Pete had been saying about their former boss

“You haven’t told Sue-Lim then” the supervisor said with a hint of surprise in his voice.
“Why, what happened Pete?” Sue-Lim pressed, “What are you not telling me?”
“I’m sorry love” Pete apologised to Sue-Lim, “I should have told you, but with what I was told, the package, I was so hung up on getting you to safety, I forgot to say what had happened”
“What?” Kathryn asked Pete, “Pete, what’s happened to Miss Cooper?”
Before Pete could answer the supervisor told Sue-Lim in a matter of fact manner “Mrs Smith Kathryn Cooper was murdered last night. Someone planted a bomb in her car and detonated it when she was leaving the parking lot of the J Edgar Hoover building”

“Oh no, not Miss Cooper” Sue-Lim cried out and started to feel faint.

Instantly Pete and his supervisor grabbed Sue-Lim and held her so she did not fall on the ground, while Pete’s supervisor yelled for one of the paramedics that had been standing by.

Two paramedics came instantly wheeling out a gurney with which they insisted Sue-Lim sat on, while they gave her oxygen

The supervisor then turned back to Pete and Sue-Lim, “I have no idea what top secret stuff you did in that agency of yours, but it’s believed that Miss Cooper’s murder may have been linked to your work there, so the FBI will be assigning you both a protection detail until this is resolved”

Pete had barely time to respond when a member of the bomb squad brought over the remains of the package.

“It was clean” the bomb squad man told them, “No trace of explosive devices”, and then he pulled out of the package with his gloved hand a silk scarf and added “This was all that was inside”

Sue-Lim looked up at the silk scarf in terror. It was identical to the enchanted scarf that Celeste had been tricked into bringing her that one time she had been arrested by the FBI. It was that enchanted scarf back then that caused Sue-Lim to lose all hope and hang herself with it. It had only been the intervention of Celeste, that had saved her from death by asphyxiation.

“No” Sue-Lim kept repeating and trying to shake her head

Pete’s supervisor was about to take the scarf when Pete intervened and stopped him, “Careful sir” he yelled, “You don’t want to touch that. Sue-Lim was sent one just like that just over three years ago and it was trapped to make her to try and kill herself with it, and they almost succeeded”

“What was on it” his supervisor asked as he with drew his hand and started to put on gloves, “Some kind of psychotropic drug?”

“I would love to tell you sir” Pete replied, “But you would have to be read in to what our agency did back then, but I can tell you that it causes whoever handles it to loose hope and become suicidal”
“Ok so is it something like theat Chantix case a while back then?” Pete’s supervisor asked referring to a drug that had reported to have the effect of users getting suicidal tendencies

“More like Chantix on speed” Pete responded as he sat down beside Sue-Lim who was now sobbing and put an arm around her. “I have no idea if that is trapped like the one Sue-Lim received back then” Pete went on, “But when you have it processed, even if the usual tests we do, do not show anything, make sure whoever does that does not do it alone and they are kept under medical supervision for at least twenty four hours”
“It’s that dangerous?” Pete’s supervisor asked
“Sir if this is booby trapped like the first one Sue-Lim got, yes it definitely is” Pete confirmed

Pete’s supervisor took from his bag an evidence bag and motioned for the member of the bomb squad to place it in there, taking care not to touch it.

“Mr Smith” Pete’s supervisor went on, “I respect national security as a former air force officer, but I wish you could let me in on what sort of secrets you dealt at that agency you were part of, especially if they effect the safety of the rest of the team”

“Believe me sir” Pete replied, “I wish I could sir, but it’s not up to us”

There was a cough behind Pete and he and Sue-Lim turned around to see who it was.

For a moment anger burned through Pete as he recognised the man who had turned up, and forgetting what his supervisor told him earlier stood up to confront the man who had just arrived. It was the man who had been convinced that Sue-Lim had given IDEC secrets to loyalist terrorists in Northern Ireland, even when he had been forced to release her into Kathryn’s custody three years earlier.

“What are you doing here Maddox? You’re not laying a finger on my wife this time” Pete spat out as Jack approached

Jack Maddox took a step back and put up his hands, “Hey easy there Mr Smith, we know that your wife is innocent this time”
“She was innocent back then” Jack retorted

“That’s ancient history Mr Smith, get over it” another voice came from another man who had walked up to where Sue-Lim and Pete were. It was Walter Quentin, Kathryn’s old mentor. “We’re here to take over the investigation” he told Pete’s supervisor

“On what grounds” Pete’s supervisor objected.
“National Security plus the murder of a federal employee carried out at a federal building which could be related, makes it our jurisdiction” Jack replied, “And as this is looking like a targeted campaign against those from her old agency”
“An agency that I’m still to be kept in the dark about” Pete’s supervisor interrupted
Walter seemed to ignore the dig at him and Jack and pointed to the evidence bag “What’s in the bag” Walter asked.

“Just a silk scarf” Pete’s supervisor replied, “Why?”
“Just like the one Celeste delivered three years ago” Pete chipped in

“Then we’ll process that” Jack told Pete’s supervisor as he called over an FBI agent and motioned to collect the bag. “We have experience”

“Mr Smith here says it might be coated with something like Chantix” Pete’s supervisor said as he handed the evidence bag over.

“You could say that” Walter replied

“So any chance you can read me in on what the Sam Hill is going on?” Pete’s supervisor asked Walter, “Are we dealing with high end chemical weapons?”

“We’ll have to discuss whether we can do that” Walter said in a brusque manner, “There are national security considerations.”

Walter then turned to the bomb squad member and told him that he needed to report to Bethesda for observation and that they had alerted them what to watch out for. The bomb squad member looked at Jack for confirmation and Jack nodded.

“You better report to the medical section as soon as you get that to Quantico” Jack instructed the FBI agent before collecting the evidence bag, adding, “Make sure you don’t go alone”

Pete’s supervisor looked irritated that the FBI were taking over the investigation and not telling him why, beyond playing the National security card. “Should we be evacuating the other houses and getting a hazmat team in?” he asked in an angry tone, “I also have the address of the Fed Express depot that package came from, should we not be evacuating their distribution hub if this is so dangerous”

“That won’t be necessary” Walter retorted, “If it’s what we think it is, it will have been a point attack anti personnel weapon and not an area attack weapon, there will not have been a wider area contamination”

Just then there was the sound of a mobile phone’s ring tone. Pete realised it was his phone, which was odd because hardly anyone called him apart from his supervisor and Sue-Lim.

Pete looked at the number calling; it was not one he had heard from for a few months. It was the former lab technician at the old IDEC, Simon Hargreaves.

Pete got up and left his supervisor to continue to argue jurisdiction with the FBI and the NSA and answered the phone.

“Long time, no see” Jack said into his cell, “Look, can I call you back Simon, I’m kind of busy right now?”

“Have Celeste and Ashia arrived there yet then?” Simon said over the phone

“What?” Pete said in confusion, “when were they supposed to be coming?”
“But Celeste got an invite from you and Sue-Lim to come visit and show off our daughter” Simon said over the phone, equally confused, “They were due to arrive at your place last night Mr Smith. I saw them on to the bus you sent us the tickets for. They should be with you Mr Smith. I thought they were going to phone when they got there? Can I speak to Celeste Please?”

“Can I get back to you Simon?” Pete said as a cold realisation crept through him and he hung up.

“Mr Quentin” Pete interrupted the argument between his supervisor, Jack Maddox and Walter Quentin, “I think this has all been a decoy”

“What do you mean” Walter spoke up

“That was Simon Hargreaves on the phone” Pete went on, “Someone forged an invite from us for Celeste and her daughter to come up and see us. I think Celeste and her daughter may have been kidnapped”

“And since everyone was busy dealing with the explosion at the J Edgar Hoover building” Jack began
“All our officers were concentrating on that” Pete’s supervisor chipped in
“In that confusion and this morning’s alert, it would have been easy to kidnap a young woman and her baby” Walter finished.

+ + +

A dark plane in an unknown artificial universe



The Present

The man smiled at Charlene with an evil grin. “So now I have time to speak with you Doctor Henshaw, you are going to assist me in a little project I have in mind. You might even find it interesting as it is right up your street, so to speak”

Charlene glowered at this man on the other side of the glass

“You can just go to Hell” Charlene spat back, “There is no way I will ever help you after what you did to my friend”

The man grunted in disapproval and pulled out some remote control box, “I’m so disappointed that you have this attitude Doctor Henshaw”

Suddenly to the left of her glass cell, a new glass cell materialised.

In it was Celeste, who was hammering on an internal glass wall. On the other side of the glass wall, out of reach from Celeste was a young baby lying on the floor, naked and, crying because it was cold or probably hungry or both.

Charlene had heard that Celeste had had a baby and also that she was going to nurse her daughter naturally, and this b*****d had separated them?

“Please” Celeste pleaded at the business man, “Boss, I my baby needs me”

The businessman callously ignored her and spoke to Charlene, “Doctor Henshaw” he continued, pointing at Celeste and her daughter, “Here is someone you know. How would she and her daughter take your lack of co-operation? The temperature room where the child is kept is being taken down to a couple of degrees above the freezing point of water. I will keep mother and daughter separate until the baby dies either of the cold or hunger, I don’t care which. After the baby is dead, I will then remove all the air from Celeste’s cell, which as she is now human, will kill her too.”

The business man then brought up the remote control again, “In fact, I think I’ll remove the air from both cells right now and save time”

The business man pressed a button, and Charlene heard a hissing sound, as the air from the other glass cells started to be pumped out.

Then the business man pressed another button and the hissing stopped, “But then again my dear Doctor Henshaw, that would be too quick, don’t you think. I’ll remove the air from Celeste’s cell after her daughter has died. Then both mother and child will be dead and it will be all your entire fault Doctor Henshaw” the business man went on, “unless of course you work for me and do exactly as I say. The choice is entirely yours”

To be continued