The End of the Beginning

by Eichholz, Zachary

  “Yes, Patrick Hernandez. He is the bases chief of security, in charge of all Base Tranquility ISAF operations,” confirmed Dao.

  “Right. He acted fine, but Hammond just seemed to want to focus on knowing what Samir had said before he jumped. I played dumb of course and said I didn’t know. It’s too bad about the drugs though. Hernandez said that was why he jumped. Overdosed on a mixture of synthetic amphetamines and hallucinogens. Made him go nuts.”

  “Drugs?” William said puzzled. Seong had said the same thing. That could not be. “I don’t think Samir was on anything Phillips.”

  “That's not what they showed me. I saw the report. It definitely said overdose. Suicide of course, yes, but because of the drugs. That mixture is called bath salts and have been known to make people literally go crazy.”

  “Salts Boss, ohh no. Hey, Mckay, you better not be putting salts on those steaks, yeah!”

  Vinny yelled from the kitchen, “Completely different thing, Mambiri!”

  William shook his head. “I looked into the eyes of someone who was desperate, not crazy or overdosing. He was clean. I know it. Who else has had their interview besides Phillips? I know Jeon has had his as well.”

  DJ and Amanda raised their hands.

  “What did they say to you?” William asked quizzically.

  “The same,” quivered Amanda. “Hammond made me feel very uncomfortable. I thought she thought I looked suspicious because her questions started turning against me. I’m not the best of interviewees.”

  William felt himself getting angry. Samir, the man he held in his hands, was not on drugs. He was absolutely sure of it. That autopsy was wrong.

  “Should we be… worried about this, sir?” said Abeo, breaking into William’s head.

  “Oh… ugh… no Lawal.”

  “But you say you do not believe them. What is the truth, sir? How did Mamedov die?”

  William avoided Abeo’s question. “Let me worry about this. This is not your mess it's mine. Go on with your interviews as you normally would. Answer their questions and be informative to the best of your abilities. That's all I need you guys to do. In my interview I will get answers for us all.” Everyone was still anxiously quiet. “It's okay guys. Come on, I want to know how to play this game. Let's get it going! Play on!”

  And so the festivities continued. William got his steaks and they all learned the art of Rummikub. Heather passed out some homemade desserts. She served them with some tea and milk. Mario insisted they go off base to drink and party as alcohol on the base was prohibited. Too full, everyone voted to stay in their chairs and just talk. William, finishing some homemade cinnamon buns, walked into the bedroom at the end of the container and joined Seong, Gaspard, Sergey, and Paul, who were just finishing their movie.

  “What are we watching, gentleman?” he asked the four.

  “Star Wars, episode nine. These three haven't seen it. Can you believe that, sir?” said his second sergeant, Paul Macom. Paul was a movie buff and had a collection on his glass tablet that nearly took up all of its memory space.

  “Umm, I was trying to fix Europe's water infrastructure network when this came out. I’m sorry, I was busy,” said Gaspard snootily.

  “I’m not really into films, sir,” admitted Sergey.

  “I was fi-fighting a war,” Seong said innocently and distracted, totally engrossed in the movie, not even really aware William had walked in.

  “That's a better excuse. It's almost over, Captain. You've seen it, right?” asked Paul.

  William put up his hands. “Guilty. I haven't.”

  Paul looked almost hurt. “Sir, this is the best movie of the twenty-first century. Get in here and watch this thing.”

  “It's okay, it's almost over anyways, right?”

  “Yeah but the ending is the best part. Just sit sir, please.”

  William sat behind Seong on the bed, holding a glass of milk. “I only saw the - ”

  “Shhh!” cutoff Seong, thinking Gaspard had spoken.

  Paul’s face took on a nervous look. William waved his arm silently to brush the nervousness away. He smiled. Seong’s enthrallment with the film was almost sad to William. Seong, like himself, never had a normal upbringing. The Second Korean War had prevented it. His lieutenant frequently questioned with intrigue many of what most took for granted in life.

  William just sipped his milk, happy that he could be there to not watch the movie but to watch this magnificent simple moment for his lieutenant. As the movie was reaching its climax the local news broke into it.

  “What the hell is this?” Paul cried, both his arms flailing up.

  “Oh… darn,” said Gaspard sarcastically. “It's over.”

  The screen turned red with flashing letters spelling out breaking news. The news anchor came on so quickly he was still fixing the microphone on his tie.

  “Your regularly scheduled program will return in a moment but first, this breaking news out of China. Moments ago the Chinese government released a statement saying it had lost contact with two of its FC-31 stealth fighter jets and one Y-20 military transport aircraft that were on a routine training mission in the Gobi Desert in Northwest China. China is at the moment not saying what it believes happened to the aircraft but rumors within the country are placing blame on India. Both fighters were said to be fully loaded with live weaponry and the transport carrying several ground vehicles with at least forty soldiers as part of the exercise. The president has reached out saying the United States will offer any assistance necessary to help find the missing aircraft and men but the Chinese have not yet responded. This is the third disappearance so far of Chinese military aircraft in the last eight months in the Gobi Desert. We will be following this developing story as the night goes on. Now, we return you to your original programming. Thank you.”

  The movie resumed where it had been cutoff.

  “Well, that's a problem,” said Gaspard.

  CHAPTER 50: A Friendly Interrogation

  ISAF Headquarters, Base Tranquility

  Tuesday, May 4, 2027

  William sat waiting in a box of white walls somewhere in the depths of ISAF’s headquarters building. A television was in front of him, a stark metal table in between. Behind him was a pane of one-way glass. A week after his team's late night dinner party, it was time for William’s investigation interview, the last interview within his team. His right leg bounced up and down. As he sequentially tapped his fingers on the metal table he noticed a small security camera on the ceiling to his left. A blue LED was blinking on it.

  “Captain,” Hernandez said, bursting into the room, “sorry to keep you waiting my amigo. I was attending to a small but urgent matter. Now, lets get this over with. You have enough to worry about.”

  Hernandez threw a glass tablet on the table. On its screen was Samir’s autopsy report and a few pictures from the incident scene. Instead of sitting down the chief just slowly circled the table.

  “Where is Hammond?” William asked.

  “She could not make it today unfortunately. She’s prepping to leave for Alaska tomorrow morning along with all senior base staff for the opening of the Bering Sea Dam.” Hernandez stopped behind William’s chair and leaned down close to his ear. “But I think we both prefer her not being here, hmm?” he said, tapping William’s shoulder.

  “I don’t know,” sighed William. “I was kind of looking forward to doing something stupid in this room with her if this meeting started going south. I want answers from her, Chief.”

  “And answers I have for you, Captain. Answers you may not want to hear but answers none the less.”

  “And what are those?”

  Hernandez gave a quick look up at the security camera. Then he pointed to the glass tablet. “Our official autopsy investigation has found drugs within Samir’s body, specifically a mixture of synthetic amphetamines and hallucinogens. This mixture is known as bath salts on the streets. I’ve seen a lot it in my time; believe me, Captain. It isn’t pretty, what
it can do to people.”

  William leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms. He still did not believe.

  “Who did the autopsy if you don’t mind me asking?”

  “One of ISAF’s medical examiners,” said Hernandez, seeing something was bothering William. “All the findings are in the report before you. It has been concluded that the bath salts in Samir’s body caused extreme agitation, confusion, paranoia, and sadly, self-destruction. It explains him fighting his brother, Sergey, as your eyewitness account, which you have previously submitted, states. It examples him believing someone was out to get him, hence all the they talk. It makes perfect sense.”

  “Chief, I don’t think - ”

  “Will, I know you wanted us to find something more, something that could…” Hernandez looked up at the security camera again. He lowered his voice. “Something that could implicate others. I know you were looking for connections, and trust me, I was too, but with this incident at least, there are none. The investigation ends here.”

  William grabbed the glass tablet and started scrolling through pictures of the incident scene. Some of the pictures were almost too gory to look at. Samir’s body was mangled in unnatural positions bleeding over a storm drain. The blood on his white uniform, combined with the flashes of investigators cameras, made for a dismal contrast in colors.

  “With all due respect, sir, I do not believe the findings.”

  “Captain?”

  “I held on to a man four stories up who was not looking to die over stupidity. I was holding a man who was looking to die over courage to fight against something he knew he could not fight alone, a man who had the courage to want to die to expose something far greater than all of us.”

  Hernandez kindly smiled at the retort as he looked at the security camera once again, still circling the table. “I remember when I was your age, Will. I always wanted there to be a story, to be a meaning behind everything. But, after my service, I realized that a lot of things in this world don’t have any meaning. Things can sometimes happen just because. Samir was the victim of simple but deadly drugs. Nothing more. Nothing less. And that is fact.”

  “If you have this conclusion already then why did you need to do this interview? What purpose can this have?”

  “Personal curiosity,” admitted Hernandez, speaking softly. “I wanted to know, simply, who it was you thought Samir was talking about? Who do you think he meant was coming?”

  “Terra Nova,” William said without hesitation.

  “I see,” nodded Hernandez. “Why them?”

  “Just jumping to conclusions I guess,” grinned William. “Terra Novan attack happens in India. Days later Hammond is in one of the warehouses all by herself talking on a landline to someone mysterious saying she can only hold off suspicion for so long. She says the name Toronto. Attack in Toronto happens, Terra Nova claims responsibility. Samir hands me a piece of paper saying ‘thou art amongst traitors’ as he appears scared shitless. Kills himself shortly after but before he does so he says that they are here and more are coming. Connect all that back to Hammond’s odd, guarded behavior, and she becomes the only other person I can think of that remotely fits into the category of traitor, and that is where you get my conclusion…”

  Hernandez rubbed his growing five o’clock shadow.

  “I think Samir was involved with Terra Nova and with Hammond. He was her puppet, her spy. But, he wanted the strings cut, so he cut them.”

  “And judging by your resolve it seems you will continue to believe this theory,” guessed Hernandez, finally taking a seat.

  “Yes.”

  “Do you intend to act on these beliefs yourself?”

  William sighed. “No.”

  Hernandez was pleased with this answer. “Good. Captain, do not interfere with the powers that be here. Let me do that. It would be in your best interest to know where you stand in our system. Push on the system and you may not like what the system pushes back... Exploration into this matter will only bring you more pain and confusion against your beliefs. Remember, fact is something one cannot just dismiss. Fact is not emotion, it is inherent truth.”

  “Very well,” said William. “Just give me a few days I guess, to let this all sink in. I apologize if I have come across as ungrateful for the work you and ISAF have done in this investigation. I know your only trying to help and find the truth, just as I am. I guess the truth really can hurt sometimes as they say.”

  “It certainly can,” Hernandez said, resting one arm behind his chair, the other outstretched on the table.

  William stared at the chief for a moment. “Are you alright, sir?” he asked.

  “Yes, of course. Why?”

  “You’ve been biting your nails,” William pointed to Hernandez’s hand. “I used to do the same thing when I was tired and stressed. My nails would look exactly the same. That’s why I ask.”

  Hernandez chuckled, “Observant. But, not stress, Captain. Merely… an old habit.”

  “Ah, well, that’s good then I guess.” For some reason William felt the moment getting awkward. He began to feel claustrophobic inside the tiny room. Something just felt, weird. “Well, are we are done here, Chief? I do have to get back to training.”

  “Oh, yes. Thank you for coming and for your cooperation throughout this entire process. As you can see, much progress has been made but we still must discover where he obtained the drugs from. The last thing I need on this base is a drug ring.”

  “Yes, sir. Have a good day, sir.”

  “And you as well.”

  William got up under an eerie gaze from Hernandez, one he had not seen the usually vibrant man ever give. He pushed in his chair and began to leave, slowly.

  “Do you trust me, Will?” asked Hernandez, just as William opened the door.

  William turned around, slightly surprised by the question. “Yes. I do.”

  Hernandez nodded his head. “Good. I’m glad.”

  CHAPTER 51: Finding More Evidence

  “Will, why are we here? I need to be packing,” John whispered to William, who was sitting next him in his parked Blazer.

  “We’re here because something weird is going on with Samir’s investigation,” answered William firmly.

  “What?! You told me we were getting food! What is that supposed to mean?”

  “Hernandez told me today Samir was on drugs and that’s why he jumped. They said the drugs made him go crazy. We’re here to prove that he clean.”

  William shut the Blazer door as softly as he could. John did the same. The two men began walking casually towards the rescue officer’s barracks that held Samir and Sergey’s room. The courtyard in front of it where Samir had died, and the building itself, were well lit and security cameras were everywhere. But, fortunately for them, there was a slight mist in the air. It was a very humid night.

  “You and Hernandez are biffles. Are you saying you don’t trust him?”

  “No,” said William, uncertainty in his voice. “Yes. It’s complicated. All I know is I got a feeling, and sometimes that’s all you need, right?”

  William slapped John on the arm, then burst off jogging to the open stairwell to get up to the fourth floor, leaving John behind momentarily.

  “I think I liked you better when you didn’t trust yourself so much,” mumbled John. He looked around once or twice, then made his own way up the barracks stairs.

  William doubled stepped all the way up. He stopped when he got to the final floor. He looked around through the mist. No one was around that he could see.

  “What are we looking for?” John asked loudly, coming up the steps.

  “Shhhh!”

  “Sorry!” exclaimed John, lowering his voice. “I’m nervous. What are we looking for?”

  “We’re looking for blood. That’s why you’re here.”

  “Blood?”

  “Yeah, blood, Samir’s blood. I want you to analyze some if we can find any so that you can prove there were no drugs in his system,”
explained William. He started moving again down the open walkway towards Samir and Sergey’s room.

  “Hey wait, Will. Ugh,” John said, trying to catch up again. “This happened days ago. The chances of finding an intact uncorrupted sample of his blood are extremely remote. And even if we did, I’m leaving for Alaska tomorrow to attend the grand opening of the Bering Sea Dam.”

  “You can analyze a sample there,” said William with growing agitation.

  William and John reached the rescue officers door. William already knew no one home. He began typing in his master code.

  “Well, yeah I guess but… Why are you so confident something is going on?”

  “Why do you care so much?!” snapped William, banging the door. John jumped back a few inches in surprise. His eyes narrowed. William sighed deeply and looked down at his boots. “I’m sorry.”

  “No, Will it’s - ”

  “No, it’s not okay. I shouldn’t do that to a friend.”

  “Nor should a friend doubt another’s resolve, especially when that friend is only trying to do good.”

  William smiled. “Before he fell, the last thing Samir said to me was, ‘this is the end of the beginning’. You ever heard that phrase before?”

  “No. What does that mean?”

  “I’ve never heard it before either. To me, it means that this is only the start of something, and that start is now over. Something greater is now coming and Samir wanted me to stop whatever that is.”

  “The end of the beginning.”

  “That’s right.”

  “You tell Hernandez he said that?”

  “No. I haven’t told anyone that part. I told him everything else.”

  “Why?”

  “Because I felt like… I felt that Samir didn’t want me to. He entrusted it to me. It was personal, in some odd way.”

  John cocked his head. He rubbed his right temple. To William’s surprise, he smiled. “Your need to rescue seems to know no bounds, Will. Now you’re even trying to rescue the dead. Open the door.”