The Dark Lord of Oklahoma

by Ethan Richards

  "Financing what?" asked Gavan.

  "I wish I knew," she said shaking her head. "I was trained to say financing peace of mind, but -"

  “More like ‘piece’ of his mind. And I’m no psychiatrist, but that looks like the piece of an abnormal brain.”

  “Well, I think, no pun intended, the writing is on the wall. On that one -”

  The bell at the entrance rang. The theologian looked towards Julie who mouthed the name "Chance." Both looked at each other, and then searched for an alternative exit out of the room, but there was none. The youth minister looked around Chance's desk for something to throw at the approaching attacker. His hands reached out, grabbing a lamp and a metal-covered journal.

  Gavan and Julie could hear the person in the waiting room, walking towards their location. Gavan gripped the lamp, getting ready to throw. He planned to throw many things, and then he and Julie would run as fast as possible through the door and out the front of the Canton entrance.

  "Freeze!" the man screamed. His yell seemed practiced like he had given commands before. "I'm with the Oklahoma Highway Patrol!"

  "Wait," said Julie, "is that Willem Clark?"

  "Yes, Julie. You and that man in there, come out on your hands and knees," said Willem. "Then sit against the wall out here."

  The two looked at each other and Julie whispered to Gavan that she knew him. They complied and walked towards Willem.

  "Stop! You, the fellah, you come first. Turn around," said Willem.

  "But, I don't feel safe."

  "This is for both our safety. I don't want to shoot you by mistake. Turn around and put your hands behind your back," said Willem.

  Gavan did as he was told to do. Willem secured his hands behind his back. He traced his belt with his hand and felt Gavan’s pockets.

  "No weapons, go ahead and sit down," said Willem. He proceeded to do the same to Julie.

  Willem then unholstered his pistol and walked towards the office. Slowly he peered inside, then he holstered his weapon and came back to the two.

  "Alright, you can stand up. Theresa told me to come to check on the office after you left," he said, his voice still authoritative. Willem grunted and softened his voice. "What is that stuff in there?"

  "You better prepare yourself," said Gavan.

  "I already cleared the room, what do I need to prepare myself for?" his words stopped as he stepped into the office. Willem Clark, a man with over 25 years of law enforcement experience, could not keep his mouth from dropping as he stared at the office in disgusted awe. The board may have displayed the obsession of a dangerous man, but the office was not unlike some of the offices he had seen during an investigation.

  "It's a psychotic masterpiece!" he said aloud. He lifted his radio to his lips and immediately started calling in reports. He pulled his head away and looked at the boards again, “…her relationships, her interactions, everything. He recorded and analyzed her daily activities.”

  Gavan and Julie started to get up, and Willem stopped them as they began to movewhile he was still on the radio. The signal was feeble, and they could see the frustration on Willem's face.

  “The Henryetta Police Department - going to come to get you - need to secure this area,” he said as he struggled with the radio.

  Gavan and Julie looked around the room and started grabbing their things to leave. Quickly, they stowed items in their pockets. Willem, who was still struggling to communicate, turned away from them.

  “You dropped your ID,” said Julie.

  “That’s not mine,” said Gavan.

  "Put that down!" screamed Willem, "do not touch anything. This is a crime scene!"

  Julie and Gavan froze, realizing what they had just done.

  “Drop whatever you have in your hand, Julie,” commanded Willem.

  "But I think -" started Julie.

  “Nothing leaves this area -”

  “You might like to see this.”

  "What is it?" Willem asked.

  "It's Chance's driver's license," said Julie.

  "Okay," said Willem.

  "It has his picture, except, that's not his name," said Julie.

  "Whose name is on it?" asked Gavan.

  “Chance Tecumseh Freeborne," said Julie.

  "This must be some fake ID Chance used," she was still in shock from the past events. The shock seemed to turn into an unusual level of excitement as she shared the information with Willem.

  "No, I don't think this is a fake ID," said Willem.

  "But, that's Jon's picture on someone's ID," said Julie.

  “Why does that name sound familiar?” asked Gavan.

  "Do you watch the news?" asked Willem.

  "Yeah," said Julie.

  “The local news? That name should be very familiar. That is Chance Tecumseh Freeborne," said Willem as she shook his head in disbelief. "We found him. We found Chance Tecumseh Freeborne.”

  "Who is Chance Freeborne?" asked Julie.

  "Chance Freeborne? He was the ring-leader of the Governor's Death Squad."

  CHAPTER 2: THE SEARCH BEGINS

  Chance Or Gavan – Oklahoma

  Chance kept running forward. He wore the same equipment he left the office with, except he had changed into tactical clothes. He also carried an assault bag on his back. In addition to the tactical clothes and assault bag, Chance had with him a significant piece of equipment- a giant dog. It was as large as the dog Asher had used, but it was different. This dog was a hybrid animal. Blood from other dogs had been mixed with the blood from the same world as Elena's attackers' origin. The beast kept its nose to the ground. It followed Elena's scent while Chance stayed behind it.

  His body was sore, and the sling of his Famas dug into his skin. His leg was still hurt, and his limp became more pronounced with speed. Though he had lost weight, which was quick and felt unnatural, his decrease in size did not increase his running ability. His lungs burned because his body was unaccustomed to his new build. If he had been training the way he had in the past, with this weight, Chance would have been right on the dog. But Chance had not, and painfully he kept moving, following the dog. Everything in his body screamed for him to quit.

  "Quit," he said to himself, "not today. I've done that before and I have no intent in doing it again."

  Then he started on his power mantra for running, as he pushed through the Okmulgee woods.

  “Must find Elena.”

  After the incident at Canton Financial, and their interaction with Willem, both Gavan and Julie were asked to give witness statements at the Henryetta Police Department. The investigations prolonged their night. While the interaction with Chance only took a few minutes, reliving and relaying the incident took hours. After interviews from multiple agencies and officers, Gavan and Julie finally finished at the Henryetta Police Department. They had provided their information, and Julie went into detail about both Elena and Chance. Her interrogation with law enforcement went on for two hours. Gavan's interview was relatively short, and out of kindness to the friend he had just made, he waited for Julie. He decided to read some old magazines while he sat in the waiting room.

  An older officer noticed his restlessness and approached him for a small conversation. They both felt they had just gone 20 years back in time because they were unable to use their phones. Gavan worked up the nerve to ask the officer what exactly had happened. The officer told him there had been an apparent case of arson. There was also the situation with Elena Doolin though there currently was no proof of abduction. Gavan asked if there were any injuries.

  "Funnily enough, no. Not that we know of."

  Funny.

  It was funny, just like it had been odd that Asher Cries-For-War ripped Samson's shoulder out of the socket, with no other injuries. Asher Cries-For-War was a man wanted for multiple homicides. He seemed to be selective about the wounds he inflicted on his victims. That did not make sense to Gavan. Whoever had committed these acts was dangerous. Just like Asher, they were also selective
.

  They were professional.

  There had been accounts of people hearing shots fired, but no one had witnessed any of the transpired events. Everyone was so focused on the fire. There were rounds, and what appeared to be blood, but there were no bodies. There had been a small arms engagement between two factions. One of these factions potentially used a feint, and now Elena Doolin was possibly abducted. Still, no one had seen anything.

  No one knew anything.

  Except for Julie and Gavan, who just discovered one of the Governor’s loose ends.

  Jonathan T. Chance. Or is it Chance Tecumseh Freeborne?

  The thought had been stuck on Gavan’s mind all day. He had learned that he was Elena’s ex-boyfriend, and everything started to come full circle. After Julie gave her information to the police, she drove home, and Gavan did likewise. The day's events remained cemented into his mind.

  The anxiety had made him break out into a sweat, and he smelled horrible. After driving home, he went to take a shower. Before doing so, Gavan started removing items from his pockets so that the items would not get put in the washing machine. His shorts had cargo pockets; he laughed at the old fashion.

  “You never know when they are going to come in handy,” he jokingly said to himself.

  When he placed his hand inside his pocket, Gavan cried out in pain. He quickly pulled it out and noticed blood dripping from his finger. Carefully, he pulled his pocket and saw the culprit, a metal object. He removed it from his pocket and noticed the cased metal journal which he had picked up from Chance's office.

  "I must have absentmindedly picked it up from Chance's office," Gavan spoke to himself.

  He undid the hinge and the journal flew open sending old papers flying into the air. Gavan reached down and picked one of the clippings.

  Local Resident, Chance Freeborne Commissions into the US Army as a Second Lieutenant

  There inside the journal was an assortment of newspaper clippings, pictures, and Chance's writing. While everything else had flown out, there were clippings that had been pasted and glued into the book.

  “Who is Chance Tecumseh Freeborne?” asked Gavan. “Well, it looks like we’re about to find out.”

  CHAPTER 3: THE PATH TO RAGNOG

  Chance - Oklahoma

  Local Gene Autry Resident Earns Coveted Marshal Award:

  MAY 201-

  Former Gene Autry Resident, Chance Freeborne earns the US Army Marshal Award. The US Army awards the US Marshal Award to the number one cadet in their respective program. Chance graduated from Gene Autry in 20--. While at Gene Autry, Chance was a bit of a Renaissance man, playing tuba in the marching band and competing in kickboxing.

  After graduating high school, he attended the University of Central Oklahoma, where he earned the coveted 4-Year Army ROTC Scholarship. While at UCO, he excelled academically, earning numerous academic awards, highest of all being the Milton Blast Award, for overall Outstanding Business Student. He has also been very active in the ROTC program and was able to attend the challenging Mountain Warfare School in Jericho, Vermont, and Airborne School at Fort Benning, Georgia. Chance will attend a leadership conference in Washington DC, where he will gain valuable knowledge from key leaders in the US Army.

  Chance Freeborne will graduate this May and earned an Active Duty commission. Following his initial timeline and requirements, Chance will be stationed at FT Carson, Colorado, where he will serve as an Infantry Officer.

  ***

  [Clip from Chance's Journal. Cut, and physically pasted into the metal notebook.]

  MAY 201-

  It's happening. The biggest goal I have wanted to achieve in my life is suddenly within reach. Working with Professor Masterson, I believe I can try out for Special Forces in the National Guard immediately following my commission. I understand that Green Berets are the professionals whose maturity allows them to represent the US Army to multiple cultures and that they need a strong base in the fundamentals before being selected. I still believe I can do it. My background in economics and language has given me a level of maturity that my peers don't have. I believe this will be evident at Selection.

  Dr. Masterson has a personal friend who is in contact with the governor with an SF unit. He told me he would try and pull some strings so that I could get the governor's approval to go to selection. I have talked to my leadership, and they are not thrilled, but I am afraid my passion outweighs the negativity of my mentors. I will continue to work on my physical conditioning since Selection is in the next two months.

  ***

  Chance's Journal

  August 201-

  I got through and was selected, but only by the grace of Providence. My physical conditioning was excellent, but I was surprised by the remarks from my peers. While I was still selected, both my cadre and my peers, said I needed to show some significant maturing before my training. I was chosen, but it was still uncomfortable hearing those comments.

  Now, I have to get a job.

  Before this, when I had earned a commission on Active Duty, I knew I had a job. Now the process starts all over. I talked to Dr. Masterson about this problem, when he suggested I go the SF route. He said not to worry about and that he had some plans for me. I am not sure what exactly this meant but it sounds like I may have to look to him for employment.

  Dr. Cass Masterson is a good man and I would be very eager to work for him. I have talked to my leadership in ROTC, and they are not as happy about this as I am. My senior NCO said that Green Berets need to spend time in the conventional army, so they better understand their role and are more mature. I realize the need for time in the Regular Army, but then my instructor and my Professor of Military Science said that Dr. Masterson is a very shady man and that I should not be working with him.

  Don't get me wrong, I respect my cadre very much. But I completely disagree with them about the professor. He is an idealist and has always treated me with respect. It is confusing, am I to believe that every man who presents me with compliments is a con artist and that every man who - like my cadre - is hard on me, wants the best for me? I have always gone where I was wanted, and I feel that I am wanted and respected by Dr. Masterson. I still appreciate my cadre, very, very much, but their negativity towards the professor is unfounded.

  I will go to the professor and see what possibilities he has for me. I am very excited!

  ***

  Chance’s Journal

  May 201-

  My dreams are coming true! I have gone through Selection. My unit sent me to Infantry Officer Basic Course, Mortar Leaders Course, the National Guard Pre-Ranger Course, and finally Ranger School.

  Simultaneously, something crazy has happened. Dr. Masterson was elected Governor. I can barely believe it. I have been gone for almost eight months, and I did not even realize he was a candidate.

  I come out of the field, and… Boom! Dr. Masterson is the Governor of Oklahoma.

  It seems like he had everything planned out.

  Now to discover what this job is.

  ***

  Chance’s journal

  August 201-

  Wow! My dreams are coming true.

  That is, unrealized dreams are coming true, goals I didn't know I had. My hard work is paying off!

  Dr. Cass Masterson has offered me a job to create a team that follows the SF model to help combat criminal organization throughout the state.

  It all makes sense. It is apparent Dr. Masterson had this all planned out the entire time.

  He is smart, political, and cares about the state.

  We will be a squad that answers to him directly! This mission will be a super-secret-squirrel team at the state-level. I am very excited to work with the Governor and look forward to serving the people of my state. I asked him where we would be working, and he told me all over. But then he specifically mentioned he was concerned about some small town just outside of Idabel. I can't remember the name though.

  ***

  Chance's journal />
  September 201-

  The A-Team did it! We have nine selected for our squad. I know it will be tough, but I am 100% confident in my tactical abilities, and my level of maturity for a job like this. My peers are all young, but I think our technical skills and passion for the state will overcome any fears of inexperience. The Governor recruited forty potential candidates. We used the Special Forces A-Team as a model for our Squad. All candidates had to have a bachelor's degree and be in excellent physical shape. I was then in charge of the training, and from the forty, we selected nine. We conducted a 21-day gut check out in the Glass Mountains.

  (This is a personal journal, so if this information ever got out, it would be a massive security violation.)

  The Squad is composed of the following:

  Chance Tecumseh "Viking" Freeborne - Team Leader, Gene Autry, Oklahoma. I graduated with a degree in Economics from the University of Central Oklahoma.

  Kirby "Tex" Donovan - Weapons Sergeant, Texhoma, Oklahoma. Tex graduated with a degree in Agribusiness from Oklahoma Panhandle State University. Great guy, but in some ways, he is a walking stereotype; his nickname is Tex and he loves guns. Tex is super knowledgeable about guns. He is the closest thing on our team to not to being an Okie, in a lot of ways he is culturally more aligned to Texas. From talking to him, I've learned a lot of weird stuff about Texhoma town. He paid his way through college as an arms dealer, and just from his arms collection he has brought an insane amount of firepower to the team. While I am responsible for training tactics of the organization, Tex will be in charge of training marksmanship and other technical skills.