“Sorry. It jumped out before I could stop it.”
“Let’s go,” Fritz said. “I’m going to pick up a paper and head home. We can talk about this another time. I want to read up on the lost generation. World War One had such an impact on them.”
“Did you know Hemingway was seriously wounded by a mortar and spent eight months in a hospital?”
“I think I remember that, but thanks for jogging my memory. Anyway, are you coming over, or do you have other plans?”
“For the moment, I’m with you.”
“I’ll call Linda and warn her.”
Chapter 13
LINDA STOOD by the sink peeling potatoes while she read an article for one of her classes on the open laptop sitting on the counter. Fritz kissed her, and Ashley said hello. Fritz asked if she had heard anything new about what was going on.
“Limited news stories, spotty so far,” said Linda. “The Eledorians attacked early this morning, their time, but the Israelis chased them out. Israeli troops are headed north to the Golan Heights to protect the settlements up there. That’s pretty much it, so far.”
Ashley asked, “Any news about Naria?”
“The New York Times Online reported that there’s a communications blackout, so the only reports are from the nearby countries.” She picked up another potato. “They’re guessing. And waiting for verification.”
“Do you want some help?” Fritz asked. She stared at Ashley.
“I’m fine for now. We’re having chicken and mashed potatoes for dinner. The chicken just needs to go in the oven. The potatoes are almost ready to cook. You look like the cat that ate the canary, Ash. What have you two been up to?” Ashley saw the slight head shake Fritz gave him, and Linda saw Ashley look at Fritz. She bit her lip, grabbed another potato, and squeezed as if to crush it with her bare hands.
Avoiding an answer, Fritz said, “Then I’m going to watch TV for a bit. If you need help, he brought his apron.” He winked at Ashley as he left the kitchen and went to the family room, turned on the TV, and opened his laptop. Only early online reports contained information about Eledorian bomber attacks and nothing about Naria, so he searched various news websites for updates. Although the news about political reactions was sparse and nothing appeared about military action, he found a two-paragraph item about an Israeli settlement that had been captured by Eledorian ground troops. The condition of the people there was unknown.
Fritz walked to the kitchen and said, “Look at this,” as he laid the laptop on the table. Linda and Ashley both read the report. Linda looked up as soon as she finished reading.
“Do you think the president’s going to ask you to help with another rescue?” she asked, returning to the potatoes.
“I don’t know, but I wouldn’t be surprised,” said Fritz.
“Why don’t you call him,” said Ashley.
“Lin, our friend Lothario here has a new tale to tell. It seems he was playing doctor after our exploits last night.”
Ashley blushed. “That’s a little exaggerated. I was more like a nurse.”
“Do tell,” said Linda. “Did you find out how she manages to work for the executive branch and be in the army?”
“She said she grew up in Civil War country, so in her mind, and I guess in her family, military service was sort of required. She enrolled in ROTC in college and studied the Middle East in school. The army made her an analyst. But she volunteered for Ranger school. I can understand her going into the army, but that’s the Army’s version of Seal school. When I asked her why, she said ‘Only those who will risk going too far can possibly find out how far one can go.’ That made me glad I asked.”
“Why?” asked Fritz.
“That’s one of my favorite quotes, Fritz. T. S. Eliot. Then she said, ‘You’re not the only literate one around here.’ She met the president shortly after his inauguration. He found a place for her in the administration, doing liaison work with the military. She said she would tell me a long, funny story, but it hurt to laugh. So I got her a pain killer and asked the medic to check the bandage. That was all. I went home around one. You know, Fritz, there are so many interesting writers we could go meet.”
“What do you mean, ‘go meet?’” Linda asked. “I swear you two are going make me nuts. Have you been somewhere again?” Fritz couldn’t meet her gaze, and Ashley just cleared his throat. “Where did you go? Fritz?”
Ashley said. “Paris. 1920s. We met Hemingway. And I shook hands with James Joyce.”
“Dammit.” She threw the peeler in the sink just after she pointed it at him. “You two are out of control.”
“Sorry Lin,” said Ashley. “This one’s my fault. But I was reading The Old Man and the Sea last night and started looking at stories about the lost generation in Paris in the twenties. So I printed a picture.”
“And you went, just to see if you could. And what happens if you alter their future? That could change ours too. Fritz, you have to stop this. It’s bad enough that the president wants to use it.”
“Speaking of the president, I think last night’s mission was successful, just because there is no news.” While they continued to talk about the previous night’s raids, Fritz began to fidget. He took out his phone. Ashley raised his eyebrows.
THE PRESIDENT had spent much of the day monitoring the Middle East. He received regular and continuing updates from his National Security Advisor, press secretary, and secretary of defense, the last of whom told him that their Narian assets had confirmed that the nuclear sites would never again be usable. He had also spoken to the Israeli prime minister four times. The first call went to warn the Israelis that the U.S. had picked up chatter about an impending retaliatory attack. Most recently, the prime minister had reported the capture of the settlement in the Golan Heights. About five-hundred settlers had been herded together in the community house. One of the settlers still had a cell phone and when possible, had sent messages. “I spoke to the Eledorian ambassador a little while ago. He is denying involvement,” the president told the prime minister.
“He’s lying. We identified their planes and our recon flights have pictures of the ground troops.”
“He told me the airbase in Sooksamad had been raided and planes were stolen. We’re trying to verify that with satellite images. Do you know how many troops they have at the community house?” asked the president.
“We’ve been told that only ten are inside, but they have AK-47s and grenades. We don’t know about outside. Probably quite a few. We can see them checking the houses and setting up a perimeter. They know we’re on the way.”
“How close are your troops?”
“About two hours in force.”
“I have an idea. Can you email me a floor plan of the community house?”
“Mr. President, I can send it right away, but tell me what you’re thinking.”
“I’ll get back to you soon.”
THE MAN HAD JUST returned from a news briefing on the Narian blackout. Listening, saying nothing, he sat in the back, gathering information that he knew to be incorrect. His desk phone rang, as if it knew he had returned. “What?” He listened. “Keep them on the outskirts. We’re paying enough to keep them unidentified. I have a bad feeling about what’s going to happen. There’s something in play, but I can only speculate right now. I’ll know more later.” He hung up, took off his suit jacket, draped it over a chair, and looked out the window. “Good start,” he said to himself.
WITH HIS PHONE in front of him, Fritz debated making the call. The late summer sun had followed the fast-moving storm, shooting beams through the backyard trees and streaming through the bay window. Ready to dial, he raised his hand to block the sun.
“I was just going to call you, Mr. President,” said Fritz. Linda and Ashley listened, watching Fritz.
“Fritz, simply put, there’s fallout from our mission. I need your help.”
“What is it, Mr. President?”
“Rescuing Israeli hostages from the Eledor
ians.”
“We were just talking about that,” said Fritz, pointing to his laptop for Linda and Ashley’s benefit. “What’s the plan?” The president filled him in on what he had learned.
“Mr. President, how can we get our group in unnoticed? It’s still daylight, football practice is still going, and other teams are still around, too.”
“Can we use classrooms as holding tanks until dark? I’m thinking we bring in an orchestra, plain clothes, to practice in your auditorium. The troops will have instrument cases with equipment, clothing, and weapons.”
“Like the gangsters during Prohibition. Machine guns in violin cases. What about the kids?”
“Do they go into the hallways after practice?”
“Yeah, to their lockers.”
“How late do practices run on a normal day?”
“Five, five thirty at the latest. So not much longer. Do we have the time? It’s about ten thirty now over there.”
“I don’t know, Fritz. It depends on whether the Eledorians plan to stay and fight or kill the hostages and retreat. And when.”
“What happens if the Israelis attack?”
“Don’t know that either. That’s why we have to move quickly.”
“We can be at school in ten minutes. How many troops are you going to send in?” asked Fritz.
“I talked to the secretary of defense. He’s thinking thirty. With backups, a total of fifty to sixty, including medics.”
The last word sent a shockwave into Fritz’s stomach, his brain fully engaged. Only the night before, he had witnessed the results of a skirmish. Unlike the stealthy entry to Naria, this mission intended to attack and repel enemy soldiers, to rescue innocents. No practice runs, only battle. From the start, alarms blared in his consciousness. He wiped his warm forehead.
“Have you spoken to George?”
“No. Some things I avoid for as long as possible.”
“Chicken. I’ll call him. He’ll be upset, but I’ll tell him it’s an emergency. You can talk to him later.”
“I’ll call Colonel Mitchell and the major. She’s still at the airport facility. They’ll be there in a half hour.”
“Make it forty-five minutes, Mr. President. I’ll tell George we need to end practice quickly.” Fritz imagined a sunlit parking lot and students being picked up after practice. “Can you have James get Jim Shaw?”
“Fritz, could you come here and take James back?”
“Mr. President, I need Tony here to do any of this. We had a thunderstorm earlier, but I don’t want to count on the weather.”
“He stayed in New Jersey, just in case. He’s with the colonel.”
“I’ll call George now and get everything moving,” said Fritz. “Are you going to be in your office?”
“Call my cell. You have the number. Good luck.”
With another long night coming, Ashley asked Linda if she wanted to stay home. She finished her notes, pushed back from the table and stood. “No.” Through the window, they could see two squirrels in the yard poking around for buried prizes. Fritz told George what had happened, and that they would be at the school in ten minutes. He didn’t give George a chance to complain.
As they walked to the car, Ashley said, “Why don’t you send everyone back to Israel rather than their staying here?”
Fritz stopped midstride, as if he had hit the brakes too hard. “That’s a great idea. I’ll call the president from school. He’ll need to decide. This is going to blow the cover off the portal.”
At ten to five, they climbed from Fritz’s tan SUV and went to his classroom. Within minutes, George and Lois arrived, George’s complexion already pink in motion and rising.
“What’s going on?” Lois asked.
Ashley said, “Lois, we’re going to have to stop meeting like this.”
She said, “If I didn’t know better, I’d think you were deranged. The two of you really found a great mess to get yourselves into. George can’t say no.”
Before George could get up a head of steam at Ashley, Fritz said, “George, we need to clear the kids out. The teams should be done about now. Can you and Lois go to the boys and girls locker rooms and hurry them out? If you need to, tell them we need an empty building for a visiting orchestra. Ash, stay here.”
Lois said, “If this weren’t so serious, I think I’d laugh at that.”
While Lois and George cleared the locker rooms, Fritz called the president. He relayed Ashley’s suggestion to send the hostages back to Israel through the portal, but he needed a map to wherever they would send them. “Mr. President, Linda has her laptop, but we didn’t bring a printer.”
“I’ll send it via the major. I’ll tell her to wait for it. In the meantime, Fritz, you’ll have to run things from your end.”
“Mr. President, Ash and Linda can get the printer. And the school has printers, of course. Should’ve thought of that. I could attach my laptop to one of those, but I didn’t bring a cord. The major can start out.”
“OK. I’ll talk to you shortly. I’ll call the prime minister.” Ashley and Linda were already headed out the door.
“You need my car keys.” Fritz took off the desk key and tossed the rest to Ashley.
Fritz emptied his desktop, put the key in the lock, and grabbed a piece of paper to write notes. He envisioned the arrival of the fake orchestra, which rooms to use, where to put the hostages as they came through, how to get them back to Israel. This is getting out of hand. Then Paris flashed in front of him, real enough to touch. He refocused on the night ahead. Running his hands through his hair, he tried to think of what else needed doing. Clean up. He knew George.
First the McAllisters returned. Then Linda and Ashley came back.
Officer Shaw came in from outside. “Hi, Mr. Russell. Mr. Williams called and said to come here right away. What’s up?”
“Hi, Jim. Another exercise. We’ll need to keep the grounds clear and the curious away. Can you do that?”
“Sure. I’m a tough guy. Can you tell me what’s really going on?”
“I can’t, Jim, but I expect James will tell you when he thinks it’s appropriate. No offense, but it’s need-to-know. Especially, Jim, we need to clear the kids away from here quickly. There’s an orchestra on the way.”
Jim gave Fritz a queer look, an are-you-nuts? Look.
“You’ll see.”
Chapter 14
NOT LONG AFTER, five school buses and five black Suburbans turned into the parking lot. The first Suburban stopped at the entrance by the end of Fritz’s corridor, and out stepped Tony Almeida in a black suit. Tony didn’t come in; he scanned the parking lot. He signaled to two men, also in black suits, who opened the rear hatch and removed a generator. Seeing this, Fritz and Ashley ran to open the doors. The hatch slammed shut, the Suburban moved into the lot, and Tony repeated the sequence for each car. The men deposited their burdens in Fritz’s classroom, and walked down the hall to Ashley’s room. Looking more closely, Fritz recognized some as the previous night’s team leaders.
Tony greeted Fritz and then signaled the buses. One by one, they pulled up, squeaked to a halt and discharged their passengers. In suits and wearing ties, each carried an instrument case. As the sun peaked through the trees, Colonel Mitchell stepped off the bus. “Mr. Russell, long time, no see. Certainly much sooner than I expected.”
“Colonel,” said Fritz, shaking his hand. “Where do you want everyone?”
“The classrooms. No one in the halls until we’re ready to go. Is the building cleared?”
“I think so, but I’ll have George check again.”
Returning to the others, Fritz related the colonel’s directive, and George began another check, this time with Ashley. Linda and Lois directed the “musicians” to classrooms. From the last bus, a young woman struggled to maneuver her cello down the narrow passage, her black cocktail dress revealing slim, muscular legs. Her auburn hair, flowing gracefully with each step, shimmered in the sinking sun.
The
major.
She really is beautiful. He ran to help her.
“Hi, Fritz,” she said.
“You’re going in again?”
“Not unless I have to. Tonight I am the conductor.”
“Well, you certainly look better with an instrument than war paint,” he said. “How’s your back?”
She placed her cello on the floor. “The docs put a few more stitches in this morning, and they gave me a couple of units of blood, too. It does hurt.”
“Need a hand with that?”
“If you would. It’s tugging on the stitches. It wouldn’t do to bleed through this dress. It’s my only one for Washington cocktail parties and special events.”
“What’s in here?” he asked, testing the weight of the cello case.
“Kevlar, guns, grenades, and camo. Everything a girl needs to play Mozart.”
“Where did you get the instruments?”
“From a local grade school that no longer offers music classes. Budget cuts.” When the buses finally emptied, Tony joined them. They were ready to go.
Ashley came tearing around the corner at the other end of the hall. “Clear the halls. Kids coming,” His attempted whisper sounded like a frog shouting.
Fritz said, “Let’s move into a room. We can get organized when the kids are gone.”
“We should close the blinds and turn off the lights, too.”
Fritz rushed to the other rooms to give instructions. It’s a good thing we’re bunched. Within minutes, a straggling student entered a hallway, empty except for Fritz and Ashley. “Hi, Mr. R. Hi, Mr. Gilbert. What’s going on?”
Fritz said, “Paul, between us, okay?” The wet-haired boy nodded. “It’s a surprise. We have an orchestra here practicing for a concert later in the fall. Please don’t say anything.”
“Sure, Mr. R.” Still sweating even after a shower, Paul banged his locker closed and headed out the door. This secret comes with a guarantee. Paul wasn’t likely to be interested in any orchestra.
Ash said, “You’re getting to be a pretty good liar, you know.”
Sand Storm (Quantum Touch Book 2) Page 14