About Face

by Christian, Claudia Hall

  “Or both,” Erin said.

  Erin placed a protective hand over her belly. Catching Erin’s gesture, Alex interrupted her mother before she started talking again.

  “Listen, Mom, why don’t you tell me all about Max and my flaws when you have dinner with us tomorrow?” Alex asked.

  Rebecca looked up at Alex. She glanced at Erin and softened.

  “Oh, Erin, I’m sorry,” Rebecca said. “I don’t mean to bring this up when we don’t know about your child. I just wanted to tell Alex that she and Max fit the criteria for autism.”

  “Still?” Alex asked with a laugh.

  “Well . . .” Rebecca tugged on an edge of her towel. “Yes.”

  Alex laughed.

  “I’ll tell you,” Rebecca charged ahead. “I was glad that you twins can’t have your own children.”

  Alex laughed harder.

  “The disability is supposed to be worse in the children of people with autism,” Rebecca said. “Which is not you, Erin, I assure you.”

  Alex shook her head and threw the ball for Maggie.

  “What am I supposed to do with this information?” Alex asked.

  “I thought you might be relieved that you can’t have real children,” Rebecca said.

  Erin gasped, and Samantha sat up. Rebecca looked confused.

  “What did I do?” Rebecca asked.

  “Mom,” Samantha started.

  “I’ve got this,” Alex said.

  “What did I do now?” Rebecca asked again.

  “When you say, ‘Your father’ to me, you mean . . .?” Alex raised her eyebrows.

  “Patrick. Of course,” Rebecca said. “I can’t believe you’d even have to ask.”

  “How can he be ‘my father’ if we are not genetically related?” Alex asked.

  “Oh, Alex,” her mother said. “Don’t start this again.”

  “No, Mom,” Erin said. “Think it through. How can Dad be Alex’s dad?”

  “I don’t know how it works,” Rebecca said. “It just is.”

  Rebecca abruptly stopped talking. She blushed.

  “You’re saying that Máire and Joey are your ‘real’ children,” Rebecca said.

  Rebecca fell silent for a moment. Samantha opened her mouth to add something. Alex gave a quick shake of her head, and Samantha closed her mouth. The surf pounded, Precious barked, and Maggie spit out the ball for Alex to throw. They waited for Rebecca.

  “Okay,” Rebecca shrugged. “I’m an idiot.”

  Alex grinned and Erin laughed.

  “You know that Alex and John can still have biological children — right, Mom?” Erin asked.

  “That means Max can have biological children,” Samantha said.

  “I just put all of that together,” Rebecca said. “I remember thinking that some of what they were saying was close to those creepy genetic supremacists, but then . . .”

  Rebecca wrinkled her nose.

  “Sorry,” Rebecca said.

  “I think the real issue is how to support the families who have challenging kids of whatever diagnosis,” Alex said. “In my team’s travels through bases, we’ve met a few families who are out of resources and patience. They are really struggling. They need real solutions.”

  “Maybe there’s a charity that could use your help,” Rebecca said.

  “Yeah, Alex,” Samantha chided. “Now that you’re dead, you can join a board or ten. Really do something with your life.”

  “Maybe so,” Alex said with a grin. “My question is — do you honestly think Max and I are autistic?”

  “Uh . . .” Rebecca’s forehead wrinkled in such a way as to indicate her thoughts.

  “You are antisocial,” Erin said with a grin. “Except with each other.”

  “And John,” Rebecca said. “Don’t forget him.”

  “You’re definitely obsessive,” Samantha said.

  “Repetitive behaviors,” Erin said. She pointed to the ball, which Alex threw out into the surf.

  “Truth will out,” Alex said. She shook her head to keep from laughing. “Try to be brilliant, and look at what happens.”

  “Brilliant?” Rebecca laughed out loud. Erin and Samantha snickered.

  “Autistic people aren’t weird,” Alex said. “They are spectacular. If we only understood what they needed and how to help them, now that’s the key. The real problem is like I said — how do we support their families?”

  “Yes, the families do need support even long after the child has grown up,” Rebecca said evenly.

  She glanced at Alex to make her joke. Alex, Erin, and Samantha laughed. After a moment, they fell silent. Maggie ran back to Alex. This time, her puppy lay down next to Alex. She gave Maggie some water. Precious lay down on top of Moose and he made space for her under the umbrella. Daisy lay down between Maggie and Erin.

  “So,” Rebecca started. Erin and Alex mouthed at the same time Rebecca said, “Am I forgiven?”

  With a loud groan, Samantha dropped back onto the sand, where she landed on Thor. The large White Shepherd yelped with surprise. Sif licked Samantha’s face. Thor joined in licking Samantha’s face. Not to be left out, Precious joined the other two. In a second’s time, Samantha was screaming like she was being murdered. Alex and Erin laughed, and Rebecca chuckled.

  “Good, because I wanted to talk to you about . . .” Rebecca started.

  “Incoming,” the male voice of one of Alex’s bodyguards said into Alex’s Bluetooth earbud.

  Alex raised a hand and Rebecca stopped talking.

  “Who?” Alex asked.

  “Not sure I know,” the male voice said. “Career military, probably a sailor.”

  “What is it?” Rebecca asked Alex, just as a middle-aged man appeared in front of them. Changing gears, Rebecca said, “Why Vice-Admiral Henderson! To what do we owe this pleasure?”

  Alex looked up, but the bright sun flashed in her eyes. Blinking to clear her sight, she shaded her eyes with her hand. Rebecca had moved into her friendly-General’s-wife routine, while Alex tried to see who was standing there. And then he came into view.

  The Vice-Admiral in charge of the Fifth Fleet was standing in the hot sand in front of them. She’d met him when she was attempting to rescue a platoon of Navy SEALs from Somalian Pirates. They’d worked together a few times since then. Alex could tell by the wrinkle in his forehead that he was livid, probably at her.

  “Ma’am, if you’ll excuse me,” Vice-Admiral Henderson said. “I need to have a not-so-friendly conversation with your daughter.”

  “Ah,” Rebecca said. She blinked at the man in such a way as to say, “Go ahead, we’ll listen in.”

  Alex got to her feet and pulled a large cotton shirt over her head.

  “It’s okay,” Alex said. “I’ll call you later.”

  She grabbed her towel and whistled for Maggie. They were no more than six feet away when Vice-Admiral Henderson let the reins off his anger.

  “What the hell do you think you’re doing?” Vice-Admiral Henderson’s voice asked in a terse whisper. “How is this safe? Or even reasonable?”

  Alex pointed to Vice-Admiral Henderson’s chest. Two red laser dots appeared on his chest. Alex nodded to him and continued across the sand to the parking lot. He followed her in sullen silence. She opened the back of her small SUV, and Maggie jumped in the back.

  “Did you drive?” Alex asked.

  “I brought a car,” Vice-Admiral Henderson said.

  “Dismiss it,” Alex said.

  Vice-Admiral Henderson scowled at Alex before giving her a slow nod. He went to a waiting small limousine and spoke with his driver. Alex made sure Maggie drank some water before shutting her into the back. She was sitting in the driver’s seat when Vice-Admiral Henderson got in the passenger’s seat. He’d been there less than a few seconds when US Navy Petty Officer Leena Carmichael stepped into the backseat. Leena’s long blond hair was in a loose bun, and she was wearing beach clothing. Only her M16A3 long range rifle betrayed her mission. />
  “Petty Officer, this is a private conversation,” Vice-Admiral Henderson started.

  “She is my bodyguard,” Alex said. “The threat against me is no less extreme.”

  “Sir?” Leena asked.

  “As you were,” Vice-Admiral Henderson said.

  Alex watched in the rearview mirror as Leena secured the rifle in a holster on the floorboard. When Leena nodded, Alex started her car and drove out of the parking lot. They drove in silence until they were on the highway.

  “Sir?” Alex asked.

  “What the hell are you doing?” Vice-Admiral Henderson asked.

  “I was spending time with my sisters and mother while our dogs played,” Alex said. “What are you doing, sir? This is a long way from Bahrain.”

  Vice-Admiral Henderson looked at Alex for a moment. She gave him a slight smile. He opened his mouth to say something and then scowled.

  “I heard you were passing as dead,” Vice-Admiral Henderson said, finally.

  “I was summarily informed that I needed to disband my team, force them to retire, or face court-martial and save the taxpayers the cost of our pensions,” Alex said.

  Vice-Admiral Henderson nodded. Before he could speak, Alex continued.

  “Outside of the years I spent recovering from wounds I picked up while I was in active service to my country, I haven’t rotated to off-duty since the week I spent between attending SF school at Fort Bragg and starting with Captain O’Brien.

  “So you asked me what I’m doing,” Alex said. “I’m spending time with my sisters and mother because my country clearly no longer needs me.”

  “Hargreaves,” Vice-Admiral Henderson started.

  “I get that you’re angry,” Alex cut him off. “But you could have warned me. You, Colonel Gordon, my former superior officer, and every other superior officer — no one had the decency of warning me about Admiral Ingram. Instead, without any warning from my friends, I’m standing in front of a man being told that the taxpayers should not be required to pay my pension.”

  When he didn’t say anything, she glanced at him.

  “You’re right,” Vice-Admiral Henderson said.

  “Of course, I’m right,” Alex said. “Why didn’t you warn me?”

  “Me?” Vice-Admiral Henderson asked. “The truth is . . .”

  “Yes — the truth would be nice,” Alex said quickly.

  Vice-Admiral Henderson turned in his seat to look at her.

  “Do you honestly feel lied to?” Vice-Admiral Henderson asked.

  “Lied to?” Alex asked.

  She fell silent as she contemplated the question.

  “Betrayed,” Alex said. “By everyone who said . . . they . . .”

  To keep from crying, Alex finished the statement with a nod.

  “And now, I’m . . .”Alex’s voice broke. “And my mother wants me to join some non-profit boards so that I can do something with my life.”

  The traffic slowed, and Alex stopped talking. Not known for his patience or empathy, Vice-Admiral Henderson didn’t respond. His silence drew Alex into speaking.

  “Do you have siblings, sir?” Alex asked.

  “Sure,” Vice-Admiral Henderson said. “I’m the eldest of five. Two boys, three girls. My father went to ’Nam. My brother was Desert Storm and one of my sister’s is career Coast Guard, of all things. Why?”

  “As you know, I’m a twin,” Alex said.

  “I’ve met your brother,” Vice-Admiral Henderson said. “Actually, brothers, both of them.”

  “Yes,” Alex said. “My twin is male. I’m sure it’s hard to imagine, sir. But from the time I was five years old, I’ve worked my ass off to be allowed to serve my country as a Green Beret. Now, the only thing that stands in the way of me doing the work I was born to do is my lack of a penis. If I had a penis, Admiral Ingram would be patting me on the back, on his way to name buildings after me.

  “I don’t have a penis, and I’m never, ever going to get one,” Alex said. “So the truth is, sir, that I may as well be dead.”

  She looked at him and nodded.

  “Hargreaves,” Vice-Admiral Henderson said.

  “Sir?”

  “No one was ever going to name a building after you,” Vice-Admiral Henderson said. “Penis or not.”

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  Alex laughed. She glanced at his serious face, and he laughed. Whenever one of them would stop laughing, the other would start laughing again. They drove north on the interstate. Alex checked Maggie in her rearview mirror. Worn out, the dog was curled up in a ball and sound asleep.

  “You want to get around to whatever made you come and find me?” Alex asked after a few minutes.

  “God, it’s nice to just drive,” he said. “I never have time to do this. Too much to do.”

  Alex smiled.

  “Before I get to that,” Vice-Admiral Henderson said. “I want to say this: Ingram did something that no one but the most paranoid among us, expected. That’s the truth.”

  “Thank you for that, sir,” Alex said. “But . . .”

  “Why did you come to find me?” Alex and Vice-Admiral Henderson asked at the same time.

  Leena laughed, and Vice-Admiral Henderson turned in his seat to look at her. Leena smiled.

  “It’s nice to see you smile, Petty Officer,” Vice-Admiral Henderson said.

  “I do a lot of it now-a-days, sir,” Leena said.

  “I’m glad,” Vice-Admiral Henderson said.

  Alex winked at Leena in the rearview mirror.

  “You’re a great leader, Hargreaves,” Vice-Admiral Henderson said.

  “Even without a penis?” Alex asked.

  “I won’t embarrass myself by commenting,” Vice-Admiral Henderson said.

  “Probably wise, sir,” Leena said with a grin.

  They drove in silence for a while before Vice-Admiral Henderson shifted in his seat.

  “Yes?” Alex asked.

  “I’m debating with myself if I dare ask you,” Vice-Admiral Henderson said.

  “Ask me, sir?” Alex asked. “You can ask me anything. As a dead person, it’s up to me whether or not I choose to respond.”

  “Fair enough,” Vice-Admiral Henderson said. “We have a platoon.”

  “A platoon?” Alex asked. “So, SEALs?”

  “SEALs,” Vice-Admiral Henderson said.

  “Where?”

  “Afghanistan,” Vice-Admiral Henderson said. “They are two days in.”

  “Where?”

  “Far northern mountains,” Vice-Admiral Henderson said. “Their platoon leader was DUSTWUN or possibly killed last night.”

  DUSTWUN stands for “duty status — whereabouts unknown,” the US military term for any soldier who has unexpectedly disappeared from their post.

  “How?” Alex asked.

  “It’s fuzzy,” this Admiral said. “Our contact with them is cryptic. We’re waiting for the satellite to get there to have direct communication.”

  “Where in the north are they?” Alex asked.

  “I’ve told you what was told to me,” the Vice-Admiral said.

  “Didn’t we meet on similar circumstances?” Alex asked.

  The Vice-Admiral cleared his throat.

  “You weren’t so happy to have my help then,” Alex said.

  “You didn’t care if I was happy or not then,” the Vice-Admiral said. “Why would you give a fuck about it now?”

  Alex scowled and thought about it for a while.

  “What else do you know?” Alex asked.

  “They are lost,” Vice-Admiral Henderson said. “Extraction is scheduled for the day after tomorrow. If we have to go in, it will be at least two days to get them.”

  “Assuming you can find them,” Alex said.

  “Intelligence has been tracking the target for two years,” Vice-Admiral Henderson said. “If the men abandon mission, it’s unlikely we’ll ever find it again.”

  “What’s the target?” Alex asked.

  “I’m
not at liberty to say,” Vice-Admiral Henderson said. “I can assure you. This is a high-value target.”

  “But we don’t know if they’re rescuing some citizen or killing some enemy,” Alex said. She nodded, before adding, “Or both.”

  Alex fell silent.

  “Where?” Alex asked under her breath.

  “I’m sorry — I missed that,” Vice-Admiral Henderson said.

  “What was their last check-in?” Alex asked.

  “Some place called the . . .uh,” Vice-Admiral Henderson scowled. “Something Corridor.”

  “There’s a bar in Denver called Corridor,” Alex said. When the Vice-Admiral didn’t respond, Alex added, “Great cheeseburgers and swanky desserts. But if you go, you should know that they are a champagne bar. No whiskey.”

  Alex shook her head and looked disgusted. Leena laughed.

  “Some kind of wilderness thing,” said Vice-Admiral Henderson, ignoring Alex’s previous comment.

  “Paseo Pantera,” Alex said. “Easter Himalayan? China-Russia Tiger Corridor? Tandai Tiger Corridor? European Green Belt? Siju-Rewak Corridor? How about the Ecolisch Hoofstructuur?”

  The Vice-Admiral shook his head, and Alex scowled.

  “You wouldn’t possibly have sent a platoon of nice, young American soldiers into the Wakhan Corridor in November, would you?” Alex asked.

  “That’s it,” the Vice-Admiral said. “And, it wasn’t me.”

  Alex swore. Vice-Admiral Henderson winced.

  “Where’s that?” Leena asked.

  “Northern mountains of Afghanistan, borders Pakistan, Tajikistan, and China,” Alex said.

  “I apologize. I was working on something totally different when I was briefed on this,” Vice-Admiral Henderson said. “I should have had a better idea of where they were lost.”

  “Military exercises or the war?” Alex asked.

  “Yes,” Vice-Admiral Henderson said. “I don’t usually lose track of that kind of detail.”

  Alex gave him a sideways look and shook her head.

  “Find a terrorist among the Kyrgyz?” Alex asked.

  “I’m not at liberty to say,” Vice-Admiral Henderson said.

  “Who pushed this through?”