by Bella Juarez
“Be careful. Call me when you get there,” Tammy said
“I will.” Anna closed the door.
Anna turned to walk into the terminal. There was a small line forming but nothing major, and she wasn’t checking any bags. She was a little over an hour early as she got in line and waited patiently. When she finally got to the counter, the agent seemed to process her right away. She was handed her boarding pass and noted she still had forty-five minutes before her flight. Anna passed the security checkpoint and let out a sigh of relief when she noticed a Starbucks. That’s the ticket, a venti double mocha. Maybe that would jolt her from the haze she was in. She stepped up to the empty counter.
“Venti double mocha,” Anna demanded.
Anna waited for her drink and went on her way. Finding the gate, she saw the holding area was starting to fill up with the waiting passengers. They quickly called her group and she walked into the plane. She was searching for her seat. It was an odd number. It was 4A. She asked the flight attendant, who directed her to first class.
“Excuse me, is this right?” she asked
“Yes, it is. Can I take your bag, ma’am?” the flight attendant asked.
“Thanks,” Anna said.
Anna seated herself and looked out the window as other passengers started to board. She knew there had to be a mistake and any minute now, she would be asked to move. She decided to pull her iPod and large sunglasses out of her purse and settle in. She closed her eyes and tried to relax. She hated change and this trip was really stressing her out. She wanted to lose herself in the music.
* * * *
Jack smiled as he seated himself next to Anna. She was clearly putting out the do not disturb sign with her sunglasses and earbuds. Anna looked like a rock star hiding from her fans. And, sitting in first class, she was drawing a lot of double-takes.
“Would you like something to drink, sir?” the flight attended asked.
“No, thank you,” Jack said.
Jack glanced down at his newspaper, still watching Anna from the corner of his eye. She was wearing those jeans and a T-shirt that hugged her in all the right places. Jack briefly wondered if those full breasts were homegrown or the work of a damn good plastic surgeon. Anna looked years younger dressed like she was. Damn it! Good thing she doesn’t dress like that for work. I’d never get anything done.
Jack recalled the Saturday before, when she’d walked in wearing jeans and a T-shirt. This time she had on plaid Converse tennis shoes instead of flip-flops. Anna had stopped him in midsentence when she walked into his office. Her new look was amazing and he wasn’t the only who’d noticed. For the first time in his life Jack was experiencing the emotion of jealousy. Every time Rafe uttered a syllable about Anna, Jack wanted to punch him. He kept kicking himself because it was obvious she felt nothing for him. In fact that first day she’d worked in his office, Anna had asked to leave, but he’d made her stay. He wanted to look at her and smell her. Too bad he’d been distracted by that virus. Maybe not, she wouldn’t be sitting here now, if it hadn’t been for that little distraction. This is business, Jack. No time to play on this trip.
Anna was making it difficult for Jack to concentrate. She smelled really good. He decided to finish the financial page that he’d started in the bar. The pilot finally announced their departure. Anna sat upright, turned off her iPod, and removed her sunglasses. Jack never looked up.
“Good morning, Anna,” Jack said
“Good morning, sir. I didn’t realize you were coming on this trip.”
“Yes, ma’am. Don’t mind me. Go back to sleep.” Jack flipped the page, not looking at her.
After the usual drill from the flight attendants, Anna put her sunglasses back on and this time Jack could hear the music. She’d really cranked up the volume. He wanted to laugh, but he wasn’t sure if she’d closed her eyes again. After a while the flight attendant passed and asked if Jack wanted a drink. She was trying not to disturb Anna, but Jack held no such reservations. He hesitated a minute before he reached over and gently squeezed her hand. She turned off her iPod and removed her sunglasses. This time it looked as if he’d roused her from sleep.
“Yes?” Anna responded sleepily.
“Do you want something to drink?” Jack asked as the flight attendant handed him coffee.
“Please, some water,” Anna said.
Anna gratefully took the water the flight attendant offered her. Jack had long abandoned the financial page that he’d been reading and was on to something else. Jack watched Anna as she looked out the window and tried to stifle a shiver that ran through him. He’d made a big mistake touching her. What the hell is wrong with me?
“Did you get a nap?” Jack asked.
“Yes, sir,” Anna responded, turning to look at him.
“Have you ever been to San Diego?” he asked politely.
“No, sir.”
“It’s a lot like San Antonio, a lot of the same culture.”
“I would imagine so. Isn’t Tijuana very close? I imagine it’s more like the Valley.” Anna looked out the window.
“The Valley? What does that mean?” Jack asked as he tried to engage her in conversation.
“The Rio Grande Valley, down at the very southern end of Texas. I lived there for a while,” Anna said, taking another sip.
Jack turned and looked at her more intently. Did she just slip? “Really? Where?” Jack looked down at his paper
“Harlingen. I worked at a resort.”
“A resort? Like ‘a really nice hotel with a golf course’ kind of resort?”
Jack tried to act nonchalant. He turned his attention back to his paper and flipped a page.
“Yes, sir,” Anna answered.
“What did you do? IT stuff?” he asked, not looking at her.
“No, sir. I was the executive chef for eight years.”
“Executive chef, did you say?” Jack looked at her in surprise.
“Yes, sir.” Anna stifled a yawn.
Jack looked at Anna as if seeing her for the first time. Jack had always suspected there was more to Anna than she let on. He was a little stunned at the revelation.
“Executive chefs are pretty important people, aren’t they?” Jack questioned.
“Yes, sir, they are.”
No wonder she plays a rock star so well. At some point in Anna’s life, she really had been one. Jack waited for her to continue. Anna took another sip and looked out the window. Now Jack was suspicious.
“Anna, what are you doing running around fixing computers? Why aren’t you a chef?”
Anna turned and looked at him as if he were from another planet. Jack honed in on her hesitation.
“I needed to change my life. So I quit my job, sold everything, and moved back to San Antonio. My original college degree was in computer science. I went and got my MCSE and some other certifications and applied at Lackland,” Anna said.
“That was some change,” Jack stated, looking at her intently.
Most polite people would have let the conversation go. However, Jack had never been known as polite. It was clear this conversation was making her uncomfortable.
“So…what caused the sudden change?” Jack asked.
“Something really bad happened,” Anna said shortly.
Anna had shut down. By the look on her face, it was clear she wasn’t telling him anything more. Jack needed to call Mac as soon as he could and get the full scoop. Mac hadn’t found anything dirty or he would have told him immediately. He decided to give her space.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to pry,” Jack said quietly.
“I’m sorry, too. I didn’t mean to be so snippy.” Anna relaxed.
“Like I said, I really think you’ll like San Diego…”
Jack turned on the charm as he talked to her about San Diego as well as the surrounding area. It seemed like no time at all had passed and soon they were landing. He opened up the overhead compartment and removed his bag. The flight attendant retrieved Ann
a’s bag and handed it to her. He looked at the quilted, flowery suitcase. He didn’t know such a feminine set of luggage existed.
“Yours?” Jack questioned as he took the bag from the flight attendant.
“Yes. Is something wrong?” Anna asked over her shoulder.
“Move, Anna,” Jack said.
“I can carry my own bag,” Anna said once they were in the Jetway.
“Keep moving,” Jack commanded.
When they reached the terminal, Anna turned and looked expectantly at Jack. “I can take my bag now.”
“We need to get to our next plane,” Jack said, ignoring her.
They walked through the terminal in Salt Lake City. It was still early morning. Jack had noted they had a very short layover in Salt Lake City so by the time they reached the gate they had less than fifteen minutes until the next flight. After boarding the plane, Jack noticed that Anna had become withdrawn again. Since the flight to San Diego was short, he decided to leave her alone. They reached San Diego and began to deplane. Jack once again took Anna’s bag and followed her through the Jetway and into the terminal.
“Did you check anything?” Jack asked as they walked.
“No.”
Jack was surprised she didn’t have more stuff. He’d never traveled with a woman but knew from the complaints of his fellow SEALs traveling with them could be a pain in the ass. They seemed to need the entire house when they went somewhere.
“I can carry my own bag,” Anna said as they made their way through the terminal.
“We need to catch the shuttle for the rental,” Jack responded, once again ignoring Anna.
* * * *
They were shuttled to the rental car agency, got the vehicle, and were out in San Diego within an hour. As they drove, Anna began to get a gnawing feeling. She was hungry. Anna remembered she hadn’t eaten since yesterday afternoon. She’d been getting ready for this trip. She usually cooked all day Sunday, after church. Her entire weekend routine had been interrupted over this trip. She glanced at Captain O’Malley as they made their way into traffic and swallowed hard. She was dizzy again and could almost hear her heart pounding. Captain O’Malley upset her so badly and she wondered how she would get through this week.
Jack quickly led them out of the San Diego Airport complex and onto the streets of San Diego itself.
Anna’s curiosity quickly made her forget her hunger and calmed her. The first thing she noticed about San Diego was that it indeed resembled the South Texas Valley. There were lots of palm trees as well as mission-style houses and buildings. The only thing that stood out was the weather. It was much cooler than South Texas. They crossed a long bridge over the bay that resembled those found along the Texas coast.
As she was admiring the surroundings, Anna’s sightseeing seemed to be cut short. In almost no time they had arrived at Coronado Naval Amphibious Base, home of Headquarters Naval Special Warfare Command.
Chapter 15
Naval Special Warfare Command
Combat Support Systems Computer Lab
Coronado Naval Amphibious Base, California
August 6, 2008/1845 Zulu
Damn! Anna admonished herself again. This stupid macro was not cooperating. She sat back in her chair and let out a frustrated breath. She looked at the ceiling above her and heard Chief Brooks in the background obviously having another sort of problem. She turned slightly and looked at Sara. Anna and Sara decided to trade projects because Sara wasn’t getting anywhere with the macro and Anna wasn’t getting anywhere with the virus. Anna sat back once more and closed her eyes and railed silently at Captain O’Malley.
I’m so outta my league here. I’m not a damn programmer! Anna leaned forward again and went back to square one. She’d been at this for two days. Sara had been at it for two weeks.
“Any luck?” asked a familiar voice behind her.
“No, sir,” Anna responded, not turning.
Anna wondered how Captain O’Malley always managed to sneak up from behind without a sound. He took a seat next to her and watched as she typed. She was quickly scrolling through files and screens. Suddenly, she stopped.
“Whoa!” Anna’s eyes narrowed at the screen she was staring at. “Hold the phone,” she said to no one in particular as she minimized the screen and called up the Internet.
“What is it?” Captain O’Malley questioned.
Anna was furiously typing and changing windows. She was completely oblivious to the fact that someone was sitting next to her. She ignored Captain O’Malley’s question.
“Sara! I found it!” Anna called.
“What?” Captain O’Malley demanded once more.
“What is it, Anna?” Sara questioned, coming from her workstation to stand behind Anna.
“This is not a homegrown macro. This guy didn’t write anything. He modified it from something he found on the Internet,” Anna said without stopping her furious activity on the keyboard and mouse.
“Where did he find it?” Captain O’Malley asked impatiently.
“I’m Googling it right now, but every link I come across is dead. The webpage is gone.”
“That would make sense. That’s why we can’t manipulate it. We need to find the original and work our way back,” Chief Brooks said as she turned back to her workstation.
Chief Sara Brooks was still picking apart the virus files that Captain O’Malley had brought her a week earlier.
“Okay, from what I get from Google, it’s part of a package that has to be installed on the computer. It has a manifest and a help file that we should be able to find,” Anna said.
“Should people be doing stuff like that? Wouldn’t that be considered a security risk?” Captain O’Malley asked.
“Yeah, it’s a security risk. This thing could be a virus in itself,” Anna answered. She called up the search feature within the operating system and searched for the zip file name she found on her Internet search. “This macro is old. It was probably downloaded before some of the security standards were implemented.”
“Could also be another reason we’re having problems,” Sara added from across the room.
Anna nodded in agreement. “Who uses macros anymore anyway?” Anna added quietly.
* * * *
Jack could follow the conversation between Sara and Anna, but it was getting harder and harder to understand what exactly they were looking for. He sat back and watched Anna work. It seemed to him that when she was concentrating, she was a million miles away. He shook his head, recalling his observations of her. Someone could walk up behind her and shoot her in the back of the head and she’d never hear it coming.
“Yes! Found it!” Anna said triumphantly. She turned to Sara. Jack felt himself forgotten and suddenly rendered invisible. “Sara! I found the original zip file. The creation date is 2002. This thing is really old.”
“Copy the original from this machine and let’s run it on another workstation. I have one that still has Windows 2000 loaded on it. That should be the proper environment for this code.”
“Let’s see if I can still navigate Windows 2000. They screwed up the command line with that version,” Anna scoffed.
“The command line is not the issue. Let’s see if we can get this macro to work for us like it did for him…” Sara said seriously.
Jack rolled his eyes. This could take all day!
“English, ladies, I don’t speak geek. Does the computer it runs on matter?” Jack interjected.
Both ladies turned and stared at Jack as if seeing him for the first time. He suddenly felt a little stupid. Chief Brooks was horrified.
“Of course it matters, Captain,” the chief replied indignantly.
“What’s an OS?” Jack asked Anna.
“Operating System. Windows XP, which is what’s on your computer at the office and on your laptop, is your…OS,” Anna said with a smile.
“Why does it matter?” Jack asked.
“Because it matters!” Chief Brooks snapped.
“Anna?”
It had taken him less than an hour after their first day here to learn if he needed an explanation in English he needed to ask Anna.
“It matters because computer programs like this macro are written for the OS they’re installed on.” Anna took out a sheet of paper and drew a line. “Here is the OS, and it’s the primary layer.” She drew a second line. “Everything that’s installed on the computer, hardware-wise, has to have drivers developed for the OS the computer is running. Otherwise the hardware doesn’t work.” She drew a third line. “Likewise with software. Any application written for the computer has to work with the OS the computer is running.”
“Really! This is not a remedial computer class! We have work to do here. When you’re finished let me know.” Sara huffed as she turned back to her workstation.
“And the macro?” Jack questioned, ignoring Sara’s outburst.
“The macro is designed to work with an application that’s installed on the computer, in this case Microsoft Excel. Macros were developed to do repetitive tasks, like adding numbers, which is basically what this one does.”
“Microsoft is Microsoft, right?”
“Yes and no.” Anna smiled.
“They’re pirates! Highway robbers!” Sara screamed.
“I thought you didn’t want to be in our computer class? We’ll call you when we’re ready for you. Until then, don’t interrupt. Do you understand, Chief?” Jack snapped. Anna smiled at the exchange. He tried to remain serious but smiled despite himself. “Continue.”
“In order to stay competitive and improve their software, Microsoft changes things up a bit every release.”
“You mean, in order to hold up people for more money, they change things all the time! Sloppy programming—” Chief snapped.
“Chief, I thought I told you not to interrupt. Can it, or I’ll direct the command master chief to get you some badly needed remedial training. And I know you don’t want to go there with JJ,” Jack barked. He turned back to Anna and smiled. “So?”