The Operation Lily Pad team had been reviewing various items which had been successfully extracted from these computers by Lisa and Marie, ever since Missy had started installing the virus the day before. She’d been working non-stop, going from place to place, person to person, learning passwords and waiting for opportunities when she could access each of their computers. The rest of the team had been checking to see what WIJO might be planning as data had been processed and provided to them.
For Karimi and Kahtar, Missy had managed to merely use her telekinesis ability to log into the specified website, click on the link, download the appropriate file and finish the installation per Marie’s instructions. For Aziz and a couple of others, she’d needed to Change to her human form in order to boot up their computers, infect them with the virus, and allow Marie about thirty minutes to extract some files; then, she had shut back down, put the computers away, and finally Shifted back to her spirit form. Naturally, all this had to be when the owner was either away or asleep.
It had been a good thing she didn’t need sleep since she’d been working without stopping ever since returning to Kabul three days ago. She kept extracting whatever energy she needed from her surroundings as she went along. During the few break periods when she’d returned to the office, she’d helped with translations since much of the data they were obtaining was in Pashto and “P” Branch didn’t have any translator on their staff back home for that language.
Marsha told Colonel Chory she’d have Gene and Amanda come over right away. They had all agreed earlier to bring the Tremblays over to translate if any Arabic data turned up; both were on standby at the embassy. It was time they got to meet Missy and learn more about what ”P” Branch was doing anyway.
Twenty minutes later the werewolf couple arrived and some introductions were made. Missy waited back in Mike’s room until they called for her; she thought it might be best to wait until Colonel Chory finished explaining a few things. And, sure enough, when the Tremblays entered the office and got to meet Mike, they immediately noticed Missy’s scent. They didn’t say anything but it was obvious they were very surprised about something.
“Missy was right!” said Marsha. “Are you two noticing any unusual scents?” She began giggling.
Gene looked around and said, “Does Mike Ryan here work with any wild animals? We do notice there’s a strong cat smell which seems to be coming from his direction.”
“I don’t work with any wild animals,” said Mike. “But, I suppose you could say I do sleep with one. My girlfriend Missy is a werecat. And, she does have a wild side.” This got several laughs.
It then took a few minutes for the colonel, Les and Marsha to further clarify what “P” Branch did and how they were using supernaturals to help in the fight against WIJO. The colonel reminded the Tremblays of the document they’d translated for the CIA back two weeks earlier which had been all about demons. Then he said he wanted them to meet Mike’s werecat, one of the demons which that document had referred to.
Missy came in and shook hands with Gene and Amanda. She said, “I’m very pleased to meet you. You’re the first werewolves I’ve ever met.”
Amanda said, “Well, you’re the first werecat we’ve ever met. But … Missy McCrea? Your name was one of those we read about in that document. Gene and I thought you were a witch, like Oliver Bessom.”
Missy smiled and said, “Actually, I am a witch as well as a werecat. Lucky me!”
Colonel Chory said, “Lucky us, actually. Missy and her various supernatural abilities are the reason we have more documents for you to translate.” He presented them with the Arabic messages and Gene quickly sat down and began translating them to English. They were from Shahid Aziz to one of his assistants.
Major Grimes began telling Amanda how Team Twenty-Two supported whatever operations came up which involved supernaturals and the Intel obtained during such operations. “Missy has not only confirmed for us who the top WIJO leaders are but has also given us actual locations where these men have been hiding. My team will now be able to keep close watch on them.”
Just then Gene said, “Hey? Isn’t today December twenty-ninth? These messages talk about some drone attacks which are scheduled for today. I’m only skimming through these messages quickly since I figure you need to know this. Supposedly, these drones will disburse some very toxic biological agents which will then kill thousands of people.”
The colonel said, “Well, we have a WIJO terrorist cell under surveillance in Boston and will be arresting them later today. Due to the time difference, that won’t be for a few more hours.”
Gene said, “Yes, Boston is mentioned. Do you have surveillance teams watching at the other two locations?”
There was a pause as the significance of what Gene was telling them suddenly became clear. Then, several spoke at once, answering, “No! What are the other locations?”
“Dallas and San Francisco,” said Gene. “WIJO wants to make a big statement by attacking three football stadiums all on the same day. There’s some mention of their three attacks on some Thanksgiving Day Parades all being stopped and so …”
Les was quickly checking on the internet and found that, indeed, there was a game scheduled at the AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas for the Dallas Cowboys and another at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California for the San Francisco 49ers. He said, “We’ve got to notify Drew at “P” Branch right away! He needs to contact Homeland Security, the FBI and whoever else might be able to respond ASAP. There’s very little time and stopping these attacks won’t be easy!”
Colonel Chory said, “Unfortunately, it looks like General Blake was right about there being more attacks planned. I only hope we’re not too late!”
-----
Tracy and John got the call late that morning. After a long conversation with Drew Martinson they got off the phone to talk about things. John was very upset and wanted Tracy to really think about this latest situation. While he had agreed to stay on the phone with “P” Branch later that day, as things unfolded, so they could monitor what actions the various agencies were taking to hopefully stop the attack, Tracy had insisted on their doing more than that. She’d asked Drew to arrange for tickets to the game so she and John could be there.
“You can’t do anything, Tracy!” exclaimed John. “This is crazy! Why are you insisting we actually go to the game? Don’t you realize if any of those drones manage to disperse whatever toxins they might be carrying, we just might be committing suicide?”
Tracy said, “Well, I can’t live with myself if anyone does get killed by those terrorists and I maybe could have prevented it. I have to be there. I can’t help with what’s happening out in California but I am right here.” She stared at John and knew she was asking him to risk his life since, if she went to the game, he too would go. Then she again said, “I have to be there.”
John sighed but knew she was going, no matter what. And, he knew he was therefore going, no matter what. She might need him and he would always support her. That’s just the way it was. No matter what.
-----
Missy was not surprised when Drew told her Tracy and John would be at the Dallas game. There had been a lot of calls made during the past hour and during that time, she had considered various possible actions, looking to see what, if anything, there was that she could do. “Drew, I think I can get to California in time.” Although it was already noon on the East Coast that was only nine a.m. on the West Coast. Kick-off time for the 49ers game would be one p.m., so she had four hours. “Can you somehow arrange it so when I arrive, I can find one of the agency’s special, super-duper radios or cell phones so I can call in? I’ll need to know what’s happening when I get there.”
Drew said, “But Missy? We’ve only established places for your teleporting which go back and forth to the Mid-East. I know you’ve been up and down the East Coast over here but how will you get out to the West Coast?”
“You’re forgetting how I can teleport to any
place or to any person which I might know within five hundred miles. And, all my West Point classmates have gone home for the holidays. I have people I can find in just about every state in the U.S. For example, my former roommate Kelly Wong is home right now, somewhere out in the Silicon Valley. That’s not very far from Santa Clara, right?”
Drew said, “You’re right. She’s probably only ten or fifteen miles from the stadium.” He paused as he realized Missy could probably manage getting there, just as she’d explained, in just a few hours. It meant she’d no doubt be again testing her limits, wherever the hell those might be, but Missy had never hesitated to give one hundred percent. And, of course, that hundred percent value kept getting bigger and bigger as she constantly gained more and more power.
“Can you also have some clothes waiting for me? Maybe you could put the phone and the clothes in a hotel room or some other place where I can find them. How about if I call you when I get to the States? I can pop in at Mike’s place and do that. You then can tell me where my stuff will be and who out there in California I can talk to about everything.”
Ten minutes later, after hugging Mike, giving him a big kiss, and saying goodbye to everyone in the Camp Eggars office, she disappeared in a shimmer of light and was gone. Moments later, a mountain lion appeared near the airport in Kandahar, but only for a minute. Before anyone noticed, it disappeared in a shimmer of light. Missy was on her way!
Chapter Forty-Five
Dec 29, 2019
“P” Branch had never been so busy or had so many lines of communication open to other government agencies. Homeland Security, the FBI, the CIA, NSA, the Pentagon, as well as half a dozen others: all were involved. The Secretary of Defense was keeping the President informed.
Law enforcement teams were scrambling to get into position, understand the threat as well as the rules for engagement, learn the ad hoc chain of command, and on and on. Medical alerts were likewise going out and mobilization plans for catastrophic events were all being readied in Texas and California. Meanwhile, in Boston, the BAT task force was now executing its plans; the surveillance was ending and the time for making arrests was now at hand.
When Missy called Drew from Mike’s apartment, he brought her up to speed on all the various activities and the progress which had been made during the two hours it had taken for her to teleport back there.
“Things have gone very well out at Foxborough,” he explained. “The BAT Team did a great job and arrested everyone, no problem. Since none of these guys were carrying any weapons, when they were forced to stop and pull over, there were no significant incidents. One vehicle did try to accelerate after being stopped but it was quickly cut off and forced to pull over again.”
Missy asked, “And, the toxins?”
“All accounted for. None of the containers had even been opened yet. As predicted, these guys were not putting the stuff into their drones until after they were parked down at Foxborough. Otherwise, the risk would have been too great. Any leakage while they were en route and they’d never make it to the stadium.”
“So, all arrests were good and the incriminating evidence clearly shows what they were planning?” Missy was glad to hear the terrorists had never made it to the stadium, regardless.
“Oh, yes,” said Drew. “We’ve got the three men with those devices to knock out the stadium’s anti-drone defense system. And, we’ve been filming all these guys for the past week, documenting how they’ve been working together. Thanks to our knowing their plans ahead of time, we’ve been able to gather all sorts of supporting evidence. Our case is solid.”
“What about at the other stadiums?” asked Missy. “From what we could decipher from those messages Aziz sent, the drones and toxins are the same for all three targets.”
“That should help,” said Drew. “We’ll try stopping all vans going anywhere near those stadiums. That’s going to require some tremendous resources, however. And, we can’t be positive they’re using vans like up there in Boston but that does seem pretty likely. There will be helicopters overhead, helping identify any vehicle which might be carrying a drone. But, there are thousands of trucks and vans out there.”
“Has the Dallas game started yet? Have you heard from my brother?”
“Yes, and yes. The game has been playing for an hour. John and Tracy are positioned up near the top of the stadium and we have John on an open line so we can keep them updated.” Drew wasn’t sure if Missy could answer his next question, but he had to ask. “If any drones do get up there … can Tracy stop them? You know … without toxins being released?”
Missy said, “I honestly can’t say, Drew. I admit I’m worried. She would need to hit each drone with one of her fire balls and then have that fire be hot enough to completely incinerate everything so the toxin never gets dispersed. I don’t know if she can pull enough energy to do that. The power required to be that accurate and produce that high a temperature? Off the charts. And, it’s not like she’s got her entire coven inside a circle with her. She only has John.”
“Let’s hope it doesn’t come to that,” said Drew. “Just as I’m hoping we won’t need your help in California.”
“Well, I can’t shoot down any drones. My plan is to find those devices these guys are using to disable the anti-drone systems. I’ve seen them in that one van at Zahir’s place so at least I have an idea what to look for. That way, any drones can be disabled and flown under control by someone in the stadium. Do you have a name for me? For when I get out there? You really should have your person be up there in that control room.”
“That’s an excellent suggestion,” said Drew. “I will have her do that. Ilka Levinston. She’s from our “P” Branch office in Los Angeles but was vacationing up near San Francisco. She knows about witches and I’ve sent her your file and explained about you being able to teleport.”
“Great! Will she have some clothes and a phone out there for me, like we talked about? And, I probably should have a ticket to the game. That way, I can start out in my human form. Once I Shift to my spirit form, I won’t be able to communicate. Mike’s still in Kabul, after all.”
“There’s a Holiday Inn Express right in Santa Clara.” Drew gave her the address and the room number. “I don’t think I can get a ticket into that room but Ilka will have one waiting for you. She’ll let you know where you can meet her to pick it up.”
Missy thought for a moment and then laughed. “Right! I can’t very well just present myself at one of the gates and identify myself to pick it up. No ID.”
After she got off the phone with Drew she continued studying maps of the Santa Clara area and Silicon Valley. She had booted up Mike’s computer right after arriving and had already been memorizing things while talking to Drew. Now she looked up the hotel address and noted where it was located. Okay. She was good to go. She Shifted to her spirit form and focused on a classmate she knew who came from a farm near Hershey, Pennsylvania. Ah, yes! Moments later she was there. She found a good spot where her cat form would not be noticed and Shifted.
When she arrived in the Silicon Valley, it was not yet noon local time. Her friends Kelly and Gary were indeed out there, visiting at Kelly’s home. She stayed in her spirit form and drifted over the area, searching for Santa Clara and then for the Holliday Inn Express. She realized she was getting really, really good at this whole teleporting thing.
She quickly made her way into the room where Drew had promised she’d find clothing and a phone. Yes, sure enough, those were right there on the bed. She Changed back into her human form and quickly got dressed. In addition to the cell phone there was a small purse with two hundred dollars in cash. She checked the contacts on the phone and, sure enough, both Drew and Ilka were in there. She called Ilka first and identified herself.
Ilka said, “Missy? You’re here already? Wow. That was fast. Do your clothes fit okay?” They talked for a minute and then Ilka explained where Missy could meet her, outside the stadium. The cash was for the cab fare.
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Missy went out and climbed into a cab which the hotel had waiting for her. She tipped the hotel’s man who had arranged for the cab and told the driver to take her out to Levi’s Stadium. While riding there she called Drew. She was merely checking in and explained she was not in a secure location so her side of the conversation might be limited.
Drew filled her in on what had evolved during the past hour, which hadn’t been much for California but in Texas there had been progress with some arrests at the AT&T Stadium parking lot. Five vans had been found with drones and canisters which all looked the same as those in Boston. Again, no weapons were found so these actions had been fully contained, without yet getting much notice by the media.
The big search was still going on at both locations and Drew assured her that Ilka would be kept fully in the loop for any developments.
-----
Ilka Levinston watched as Missy stepped out of the cab near the gate she’d designated for their meeting. She had read the file, looked at the photos and watched the videos, so she recognized Missy right away. She had monitored several witches over the years but this was the first Shifter she had ever encountered. Her first impression on seeing Missy in person was some surprise at how normal Missy appeared. Very pretty of course, in spite of no makeup and the rather plain outfit. But, after all she’d read and seen, somehow she’d been anticipating more.
As Missy approached, Ilka stepped forward and said, “Hi, Missy! I’m Ilka.” They shook hands and Ilka looked into Missy’s deep green eyes. Okay, she realized. Missy’s eyes were definitely more, with all those gold specks. She could definitely see this young girl was radiating an energy which was special.
Missy's Operation Lily Pad (Missy the Werecat Book 6) Page 31