by Nancy Madore
“Oh, he’s in the military, alright,” remarked Ornias with his customary smile. “You might even say he is the military.”
“You…know who’s controlling him?” asked Will.
Ornias shrugged. “Of course!” he said. “There’s an electric current between the two that you’d have to be blind not to…”
“Why the hell didn’t you say so?” Will demanded.
Ornias seemed offended. “I couldn’t get a word in edgewise!” he exclaimed. “What with the arguing and the fighting…”
“Who is it?” Will cut in.
Ornias smiled. “Guess!” But when he saw Will’s expression his smile slipped the tiniest bit. “You’re right. You’d never be able to guess in a million years.” The smile returned. “Our puppeteer is none other than the head guy himself…the arrogant one. What was his name? Max something?”
“Max Wessler?” gasped Nadia.
“The head of the Department of Defense?” added Gordon, growing even paler.
“Christ!” exclaimed Will. “And if Ornias recognized Benderman, you can bet that Benderman recognized Ornias! It’s only a matter of time before Benderman tells Wessler. We’re done!”
“So Wessler sets up this top secret division and sticks a djinn in as the man in charge,” said Clive thoughtfully. “Only Wessler’s pulling the strings.”
“That’s right,” said Will. “Wessler. The head of the D.O.D. Or more specifically… our boss.”
“We’re only contractors for the D.O.D.,” said Gordon. “Technically, we’re an international…”
“Don’t even start,” said Will.
“Gordon’s got a point,” said Clive. “We represent the entire human race, not just the United States. Let’s not forget our objective. As long as the djinn are out there, they pose a threat to our existence. Like the Essenes who paved the way for us, we remove djinn. We can’t let ourselves get wrapped up in this political bullshit.”
“Yeah, well, I’m an American,” said Will. “And this could be a matter of national security.”
“Yes, it could!” agreed Gordon. “For all we know it could be jeopardizing our security!”
“Man, this reeks,” Clive said to Will. “Even you must see that.”
“It doesn’t matter anyway,” said Will. “Wessler’s in D.C. We can’t get close enough to him to get the ring. And without the ring we can’t get near that djinn, even if we kill Benderman.”
“You don’t have to,” interjected Ornias eagerly. “Let me do it for you.” When no one said anything he continued, encouraged. “I can do a quick in and out…of course it will be excruciatingly painful but that’s the kind of sacrifice I’m willing to make to help you guys out.”
The look Gordon gave Will reminded Nadia of a puppy who was silently begging for a bone. Even Clive raised his eyebrows as if to say, ‘why not?’
Will was incredulous. “You two can’t be serious! Explain to me how this is different from the head—the head, mind you—of the United States Department of Defense using a djinn! Tell me how this is different!”
Clive sighed.
“We’re doing it for the greater good,” said Gordon.
“I’m sure that’s what Wessler thinks too!” said Will. “I mean, how do you know T.D.M.R.’s actions haven’t been jointly approved by the president and the United Nations…?”
“Come on!” objected Gordon.
“Well…how do you know?” insisted Will.
“There’s only one way to find out for sure,” Ornias reminded them.
“It’s not our job to investigate political military objectives,” said Will.
“No, it’s our job to find and remove djinn,” said Gordon. “There’s no leeway about that—no clauses stipulating that certain people can have djinn while others can’t.”
“What you’re suggesting contradicts what you just said!” exclaimed Will.
“I know,” conceded Gordon. “But in this case it’s only for a brief space of time—and it’s for the sole purpose of capturing another, even more dangerous djinn.”
Will just stared at Gordon for several long minutes. He appeared to be between a rock and a hard place. Really, what choice did he have at this point? Gordon and Clive were in favor of it. Nadia felt dizzy, and she realized, suddenly, that she’d been holding her breath.
“I can’t do it,” Will declared at last. Gordon’s face fell, and Nadia could tell that he was profoundly disappointed. “I won’t try to stop you,” Will continued, “but I don’t want any part of it. I don’t even want to know about it.” Will turned to Clive. “Just know that if you do this, you’re going against procedure and you’re going against me. I wasn’t kidding about what I said earlier. When this is over, I’m requesting a transfer.” His blue eyes seemed to be boring into Clive’s face. “You can come with me now or stay with him.”
“How about I start fresh with neither of you,” suggested Clive. He looked from Gordon to Will, and then back to Gordon again. He shook his head. “Let’s get this over with,” he said.
Chapter 50
When Clive and Gordon returned, Hudgins was gone. They found Nadia and Will in the cafeteria where they left them.
“I figured you guys would still be here,” said Clive.
“That didn’t take long,” began Nadia, getting up.
“I don’t want to hear about it!” Will objected adamantly. They headed back to the conference room in silence.
“How are we going to explain our wandering around without a guard?” asked Nadia.
“Hopefully they’ll be too caught up in all the activity to notice us,” said Clive. “But if someone asks, we’ll just lay it in Hudgins’ lap, saying he got called away and instructed us to go back to the conference room.”
“Frankly, I’m more nervous that their djinn might’ve spilled the beans about Ornias,” said Gordon.
“Nah,” said Clive. “That djinn won’t talk unless he has to.”
“How do you know that?” asked Nadia.
“Why would he?” asked Clive. “Another djinn on the scene means he might get freed from captivity.”
Nadia thought about this. It would certainly explain Benderman’s initial receptiveness when it appeared that their facility might be in danger, as well as his peculiar apathy once he realized that T.D.M.R. was out of harm’s way.
“If Ornias could tell who was controlling their djinn,” mused Nadia, “don’t you think that other djinn figured out that Ornias was being controlled by us, as well?”
“So what if he did?” asked Clive. “What difference does that make? He’s probably thinking anything would be better than this.”
“How can you be so sure?” Nadia persisted.
“Think about it,” said Clive. “This is a djinn we’re talking about. You think it likes being forced to give up information that could destroy the only place it can exist?”
“We haven’t established that that’s what they’re doing here!” objected Will vehemently. It was clear that he was still stewing over Gordon and Clive’s rebellion.
“True,” said Clive. “I’m just saying that if this technology has the capacity to destroy the planet—and it’s starting to look like it does—then maybe this djinn is concerned about that. In which case he wouldn’t mind being saved from this fate worse than death.”
They were standing just outside the conference room now.
“I just hope Ornias went far enough out into the woods so that Hudgins’ body won’t be discovered for a while,” murmured Gordon. “Hudgins can identify us.”
“No one will believe him,” said Clive.
“Except Wessler,” interjected Will. “Wessler will believe him.”
“Hopefully Ornias will have gotten to Wessler by the time Hudgins turns up,” said Clive.
“I’m not so sure that Hudgins’ claims will be brushed aside in either case,” said Will. “It will be the second claim of this kind on the site of a major military incident.”
�
�When I first did it…back in the bathroom, Ornias said he would try to block Hudgins from seeing what he was doing,” said Gordon.
“I’m sure Lilith tried to do the same with Amanda, but you saw how much she remembered,” said Will. “And Ornias wasn’t in Hudgins’ body nearly as long as Lilith was in Amanda’s.”
“Yeah but this was Lilith’s first time out,” said Gordon. “Ornias has been doing this for centuries.”
“As long as Ornias gets to Wessler before Hudgins turns up, I think we’ll be okay,” said Clive. “If Ornias gets in and out before then, Wessler won’t be able to expose us without giving himself away. Everyone else will think Hudgins lost his mind. If things get sketchy we’ll leave. We can walk out of here anytime.”
Nadia was feeling anxious. “Do you think Ornias made it there yet?” she asked.
“I don’t imagine it takes very long for a djinn to get from one part of the world to another,” said Gordon.
“Maybe we should’ve asked for a copy of his flight plan,” said Clive, reaching for the conference room door.
Chapter 51
As they stepped into the conference room, every head turned in their direction. The silence was deafening. Everyone in the room—even those joining them from the Oval Office via the large screen that hung on the wall—just stared at them expectantly.
Nadia’s heart seemed to stop. They had been found out!
Benderman rose up from his chair and approached them slowly—or perhaps he was approaching cautiously. Maybe he was expecting them to put up a fight. “Where have you been?” he asked.
Nadia searched his face for some kind of sign. He had to know that they knew what he was. Was he hoping that they would take him out of there, as Clive suggested? Or had he already turned them in? Nadia tried to read the answer in his eyes, but could not.
“We…were in the cafeteria, getting something to eat,” said Will. “We missed breakfast in our rush to get here this morning.”
“And Officer Hudgins?” prompted Benderman. A single bead of sweat was slowly making its way down the side of his face.
“He was called away on an errand,” Clive cut in smoothly. “He told us to come back here.”
Nadia looked around the room. Why was everyone staring at them like that?
“The White House has issued a lockdown for this facility,” Benderman told them. Nadia turned to the screen, and suddenly noticed that the president, the chief of staff and Wessler had all left the Oval Office. Only a few of the previous occupants remained.
Nadia stared up at the screen with foreboding.
“On behalf of the United States government, you are hereby detained to this facility for a debriefing,” Nadia jumped when one of the men on the screen issued this proclamation, and her hopes sank further with every word he uttered. “Accordingly, in compliance with the United States military…”
Nadia listened to the man without comprehending. She reached out to grasp hold of Will’s arm in an effort to steady herself. He squeezed her hand reassuringly.
The man was now addressing Will. “We’ve been in touch with your headquarters and apprised them of the latest developments.”
Will glanced anxiously at Nadia. “What developments?” he asked. Nadia felt that he was remarkably composed, given the circumstances. She braced herself for the inevitable charges that the man would be hurling at them.
“As you are aware, there was a security breach in that facility last night,” replied the man. “This breach has led to an attack on U.S. soil. We have reason to believe that the attack was executed by at least two individuals, both United States citizens; a Miss Amanda Fioretti, who is already in custody, and another, Warrant Officer Wayne Timmons, who is currently deceased. You are hereby ordered to cooperate and surrender all evidence and testimony in this matter in the aforementioned debriefing, and you may be required to testify in a court of law.”
Nadia felt as if she might faint again.
“An attack…on U.S. soil?” repeated Will, holding Nadia steady with his hands. “The beam hit, then?”
Even as relief washed over Nadia that they were not going to be charged with a crime, a new terror seized her. She looked around the room in confusion. Everyone was now silently watching the man on the screen.
The man seemed to be examining each of them as he spoke. It was almost as if he were assessing them—analyzing their reactions for some undisclosed test. “The incident resulted in a disturbance to the north-eastern region of the pacific ocean,” he continued. “This disturbance triggered several large earthquakes.” The man provided these details in such a simple, straight-forward manner that Nadia couldn’t help feeling the smallest bit of relief. It had happened—it had really happened—but it mustn’t have been that bad, judging from the manner in which the man was relating it.
“Were there…any…casualties?” asked Gordon.
“We don’t know the full scope of the damages yet,” replied the man in the same, emotionless manner. “The west coast—particularly the state of California—has been hit hard. At the moment our priority is to get help to those in need.”
“Hit hard?” echoed Clive.
Benderman had been discreetly inching closer during this exchange with the official from the Oval Office. Nadia was suddenly aware of him, standing uncomfortably close to her. From this proximity, she was able to see the raging soul behind the heavy jowl and sagging skin. It seemed to be consumed with fury, though it was impossible to tell where that fury was directed.
Benderman leaned in even closer. He was so close that Nadia could feel his breath on her face when he spoke. Even so, she had to strain to hear him. “California,” he murmured quietly, “is the latest victim of the human race.” His fierce gaze seemed to be boring into her very soul. “And now it’s ancient history.”
Chapter 52
Nadia clutched Will’s arm. “I don’t want to stay here!” she whispered frantically. “It doesn’t make any sense. Why do I have to be briefed just to be debriefed?”
“Because you don’t have security clearance,” explained Will. “They have to brief you on the clearance requirements, and then debrief you on what happened today.” He gently removed her hand from his arm and held it firmly in his. “It just means we have to stay here a little longer, that’s all.”
“Jesus,” said Gordon. He was as white as a sheet. Nadia could tell that he was beginning to regret his impetuous actions.
“Where the hell is Ornias?” Clive muttered under his breath. “Any minute now, Wessler could make Benderman talk. Or Hudgins could turn up.” He looked at Gordon. “You do realize how easy it would be for them to pin all of this on us?” he asked, obviously regretting Gordon’s actions as well.
“We have to get out of here!” Nadia gasped. She could feel the panic rising. “Isn’t there anyone you can call?”
“All communications have been shut down with the lockdown,” said Will. He shook his head. “Why did I let it go this far?” he asked no one in particular. He’d been avoiding Gordon, but now his eyes turned in Gordon’s direction. “Any ideas how to get us out of this one?” he asked.
Gordon opened his mouth to speak but just as quickly closed it again. One of the officers was approaching them.
“If you’ll come with me, Ms. Adeire,” the officer said, “I’ll take you to the briefing.”
Nadia turned to Will.
“You’ll be fine,” he said in a tone that was hardly convincing. He held his hand up for the man to wait a minute, and took Nadia aside. “Listen, Nadia,” he told her quietly. “I know you’re scared. But remember that this is the United States military. They’re not cold blooded mercenaries. They want to do what’s right.”
“By covering up the truth?” she whispered back indignantly.
“They believe they’re doing the right thing,” he said. “And frankly, Nadia, I agree with them.”
Nadia was aghast.
“What about your father?” he asked. “You didn’t see
m to mind us covering that up.”
That was hitting below the belt! Nadia’s vision blurred. Will reached out to take her hand but she jerked it away.
“We kidnapped you, remember?” he continued. “That was covered up too. Nadia—that’s what we elect our government officials for. To do whatever they have to do to protect us. If the entire population was allowed to micro-manage every single decision, nothing would ever get done.”
But Nadia was beyond reasoning with. She could feel herself slipping away from him.
“There was no reason to expose your father,” he went on. “We had done all we could. And now—I know you’re very upset about California and I am too—but Nadia, you saw it. We did everything we could to stop that beam. And it was Lilith who did this, under the explicit instructions of your father. I mean, how much of the truth do you want us to put out there? Is any of it going to bring California back?”
This condition of always being confused—always being torn between right and wrong—was what Nadia found most disconcerting. The confusion exhausted her, destroying her resolve. She sighed. She could feel herself giving in—yet again.
“I just think this research—or whatever they’re calling it—should be stopped,” she couldn’t help saying. “Maybe just enough of this should get out to make that happen!”
Nadia glanced at the officer who was patiently waiting for her to accompany him, but he was discreetly looking in another direction.
“There’s a lot we don’t understand,” Will conceded. “But let’s not forget that other countries have this technology as well.”
Nadia realized that the trapped sensation she’d been feeling was the result of living in a world where nothing was safe, nothing was secure and nothing was what it seemed to be. She was suddenly afraid—not of the unknown, but of all that she knew.
She nodded. “Okay, I can do this,” she said. “What about Hudgins and Wessler?”
“Let’s take this one thing at a time,” Will told her. “Things are bad enough already without us—”