Silver Shirts

by Lee Perry

  “Yeah, look…”

  “We’ll be back on Monday.”

  “Jordan…”

  “Come on, Stewart, I have a mountain of paperwork to finish for this case and Catherine still has a butt-load of work too…”

  “Fine.” He cut her off, “Jesus, Jordan there’s nothing wrong with taking some time off, okay?”

  “I know…” The last thing she wanted was to explain to her supervisor that she would rather not spend time away from Catherine and Cameron, even at work. “We’re taking off ten days over Christmas so… might as well get some work done till then.”

  “Okay, been watching the news?”

  “Hard not to.”

  “I’ve been teasing Bea she should expect to be stuck testifying for a least a week when the committee subpoenas her. Doctor Bernard should count herself lucky she doesn’t have to endure that.”

  “Trust me, she does.” Jordan was grateful Catherine’s identity remained protected and out of bounds from the politics of congress. The line fell silent for so long Jordan thought the connection was lost before he spoke again,

  “Do you think Jeffers really could have taken it all down from that data center?”

  “From everything Bea and Catherine saw in his code, he could have, yes, but he couldn’t have held out there for long. He’s so delusional, he really expected to just walk into the White House and take over.”

  “It’s just scary to consider the damage he could have done if he was able to say, shut down the entire grid and communication networks, like Doctor Bernard suggested as just one terrifying scenario.”

  “Yeah,” Jordan agreed, suddenly feeling tired, “he could have created one helluva mess.”

  “She explained the whole encryption thing to me; she said somewhere, some day, someone will crack that RSA, with quantum mechanics most likely, and then what do we do?”

  “Well, as odd as it sounds,” she tried to sound reassuring, “I think hope has to lie in good people researching quantum mechanics and Quantum cryptography so they can take this whole cyber-encryption business to the next level.”

  She could hear Stewart exhale heavily, “And this insane cyber hacking game will continue.”

  “Oh yes,” she nodded, “for sure it will.”

  “Fuckballs…” he muttered, making her smile, “Okay, well, on that happy note, have a great day after Thanksgiving on Thanksgiving tomorrow. I’m gonna’ see you at work on Monday, huh?”

  “I’ll be there, Stewart, happy Thanksgiving.” Jordan hung up and sat limply, watching Cameron play, “Hey buddy, it’ll be bedtime soon, want a snack?”

  “Can I have pie?”

  “I think we can all have pie, let’s find your mom.”

  Catherine cleared the dessert dishes from the table and Jordan nudged Cam, “Okay, before you go to bed…” she wagged her eyebrows, “I have a special surprise for you and your mom.” She grinned when the toddler’s brows arched high on his tiny forehead,

  “A present?”

  Catherine noted how Jordan still gripped the table for support when she stood, “Well, it’s more of a present for the Christmas tree, but you might as well open it tonight, okay?”

  “Okay!” He motioned to Catherine, “Mom! Jordan got us and the Christmas tree a present!”

  Jordan went to retrieve a small wrapped box, topped with a shiny green bow and placed it in front of him, “Go ahead…”

  He carefully tore the paper free and opened the lid, “Hey!” He pulled out a Christmas ornament in the shape of a golden hand, “Mom! It says I love you!”

  Catherine grinned, nodding, “It sure does.”

  The middle and ring fingers were closed into the palm while the thumb, forefinger and little finger were held extended in sign language for I love you and Jordan looked from Catherine’s shining eyes to Cameron and signed, “You can hang it on the tree when we get it home, okay?”

  “Okay!” Cameron grinned, holding the ornament by the hanger, “I will.”

  Catherine snickered, “As it turns out, I also have a special ornament for the tree…” She left the table and retrieved another, flatter box from her bag, “Same thing, Cam, can you open it for us?” She handed the box to him adding, “I got this for you and Jordan…” she grinned, “and the tree.”

  Cameron pulled off the wrapping paper and opened the box, “Jordan, look!” he held the ornament aloft, “It’s your FBI badge!”

  Jordan looked perplexed and tilted the ornament towards her, “Well, what do you know, it really does look just like it …” She looked at Catherine, “Where on earth did you have this made?”

  Catherine snorted, “For heaven’s sake, Jordan, you know the FBI has a gift shop…”

  She turned to her, surprised, “We do? I mean, I know we do, but they sell FBI badge Christmas ornaments?” She pulled the tiny hand holding the ornament for a closer look, making Cameron laugh. “Wow that really is a good likeness.” She released his hand and pulled on Catherine’s, pulling her in for a kiss, “Thank you…” she murmured, “from me, Cam and the tree.”

  Cameron climbed down from his chair and ran around the table to stand between them, “Thanks, mom.” He stretched up on his toes to give her a hug and kiss then turned to Jordan, stretching higher to hug and kiss her, “Thanks Jordan!”

  “How about you keep both next to your bed until we get the tree home?”

  “Day after tomorrow?” he asked as he retrieved both ornaments and their boxes and headed for his bedroom.

  “That’s right,” Catherine pulled Jordan in for another kiss, “tomorrow we decorate the house.” She added in a low voice only Jordan could hear, “If you’re feeling up to it.”

  “Of course I am.”

  “You can’t fool me, Agent Hawkins,” she gently scolded, “you’re still limping…”

  “Because my knee is sore, not broken.”

  “And your ribs are having what your doctor describes as complications, Jordan. The healing process is taking longer this time and I…”

  “Should stop worrying,” she scolded back. “And don’t even try to tell me I should stay home next week. I have too much work to do before Christmas and if I get too tired I can always take a nap with Cam in daycare, alright?”

  She stared at her for a long moment, “Alright. How about a back rub later?”

  Jordan’s brows wagged suggestively, “Like I would ever turn that down.”

  They went to bed as soon as Cameron fell asleep in his room and Catherine straddled Jordan’s hips, careful not to avoid the bruises, “The really bad ones back here are finally starting to fade a little.”

  Jordan smiled into the sheet; she knew Catherine was using the massage time to scrutinize her injuries as they healed, “Yep, I told you so.”

  “Yes, you did.” She chuckled and clambered off, putting the jar of lotion on her nightstand.

  Jordan rolled onto her back, wincing at the discomfort in her ribs, “Ugh, want to watch the news for a while until we…” She arched a suggestive brow, “turn out the lights and get busy, Doctor Bernard?”

  She laughed, “Oh my, how romantic…” Her voice faded as her eyes fell from Jordan’s deep blue to the scars at the base of her neck and just under her jaw line. “I still think it’s incredible…” She leaned over her and lightly outlined the new scars with her fingertips, noting how different they looked with the stitches removed.

  “I know.” Jordan took the hand in hers, pressing the fingertips against her lips.

  “Do you really not remember how you got the cut above your eye?”

  “I think I scraped my face on something when I went skidding on the floor under that workstation.” She shrugged, “I think. I’m not sure, a lot was going on.” While she spoke, she again committed to deepest memory the vision above her, beginning with the scars on Catherine’s neck; the crescent-shaped scar from the gunshot wound and scar left from an emergency tracheotomy. From there her eyes drifted languidly over her nude form, “Are the dat
es alright for the Christmas trip?”

  “Smooth way to change the subject.”

  “I know.” She snickered, “But we have everything we need now; plane tickets, park tickets, reservations for the resort hotel and the car rental.”

  “Then I’d say we’re all set for the Disneyworld Christmas experience.”

  “Good.” Jordan pulled her down for a kiss, “and that was a great Thanksgiving dinner, Doctor Bernard.”

  “We pulled that off perfectly, didn’t we, Agent Hawkins?” She turned out the light and propped pillows behind them as Jordan pulled the covers over them both, clicking on the TV with the remote.

  “As soon as you’ve decided I’ve recuperated enough I’d like to put the TV back in the kitchen.”

  “I know,” Catherine sighed, contented, “no TV in the bedroom.”

  “Reading before bed is okay, but this room should really only be for sleeping and making out.”

  “I know,” she snuggled close since Jordan’s broken ribs were on the other side, “does that mean we should get busy now?”

  Her smile was wicked; “We could…”

  The volume on the TV was low but they still heard the news anchor say, “As reported by the FBI.” Jeffers’s mugshot filled the screen and Catherine muttered,

  “Stewart said he’s had two surgical procedures so far to correct damage to his privates?”

  “Well,” Jordan rolled onto her side, running a hand over the smooth skin of Catherine’s arm, “He thought I shot him in the penis, but apparently I hit him a little above that. A gun gets heavy when you’re tired, it’s not like I was aiming for it. He’s spending the rest of his life in prison, so he’ll get the care he needs to pee or whatever.”

  “And he’ll be forbidden access to a computer?”

  “Forever.”

  “Good.” Catherine’s soft laughter faded abruptly, “So many lives lost that day.”

  “Arthur Mills, the two IT guys… and the security guard.” Jordan sighed, “And it could have been worse if more programmers had been working.”

  “One of them could’ve been you.”

  “Don’t think so, I didn’t feel like that was an option.”

  “Oh, really.” Catherine tilted her head back to look at her, “That wasn’t your destiny that day, huh?”

  Jordan emitted a soft snort, “That’s really how it felt.”

  She sighed, looking back at the TV, “Eleven innocent victims...” Catherine whispered, “All dead because of Jeffers.”

  “Thirteen, if you count his Silver Shirt minions, Parker and Patton.”

  “Stewart said the forensic evidence can only prove that one follower murdered the guard and programmers.”

  “Johnson, yeah well, ballistics and fingerprints proved it was his gun that killed them…”

  “But what about the other guy?”

  “Holden; he and Johnson were charged with assault and attempted murder of a federal agent,” she hooked a thumb at herself, “that’s me, conspiracy to murder all those killed in the data center along with the hedge fund guy in Center Island… and a bunch of charges relating specifically to terrorism I can’t remember. They’ll serve several life sentences.”

  “So crazy…” Catherine mumbled, suddenly aware the hand stroking her arm had moved to other places, “so senseless.”

  “So back to what I asked you… should we get started on the lovemaking? It’ll give you sweet dreams after.”

  She chuckled, “You’re just gilding the lily now…” she teased. “All my dreams lately have been nothing but happy.”

  Jordan felt her chest grow warm, “You having happy dreams always make my dreams happy.”

  “And they’re really ordinary too. I mean they’re ultra-ordinary dreams; dreams of daily home life with you and Cameron and Chelsea.” A lump formed in her throat but she was smiling, “And my mom is there a lot too.”

  “Your mom?” Jordan whispered, “Really?”

  “Yeah, she’s always around.”

  “And is she happy in your dreams?”

  “Yes, Jordan,” she snickered, “because we’re together.” She pulled her in for a kiss that quickly escalated, leaving them breathless.

  “Oh yes…” Jordan rasped, “Let’s have more of that.” She pulled Catherine closer as the news anchor continued her story,

  “…While the country was lucky to avoid rolling blackouts and those who did experience power outages only lost electricity for a few hours, it’s estimated more than a million customers waited at least two days for the lights to come back on. Emergency shelters were opened for those who depend on electricity for heat in regions where temperatures can drop into the single digits overnight. The senate majority leader has convened a special committee that will conduct congressional hearings to begin after the Thanksgiving holiday to investigate the incident. However, this horrendous act of domestic terror and multiple murders is just another frightening reminder that this country has an aging and outdated infrastructure we continue to ignore at our peril.”