7 weeks after the war with New Bern, the day Jake and Hawkins arrive in Cheyenne
When Heather arrived at the office the next morning, after her day at Camp Cheyenne, she was refreshed and ready to work. When she walked into the wing that housed the Department of Redevelopment she stopped by the receptionist's desk to pick up her messages from the day before.
"Good morning." Heather said and then asked, "Do you have any messages for me?"
"Good morning, Miss Lisinski. Here are your messages. It was slow yesterday, you didn't miss much."
"That's good. I'm sure today will more than make up for it." Heather said as she turned and walked toward her office.
"Oh . . . Secretary Sheridan stopped by on his way in and asked me to tell you that he wants to meet with you at ten o'clock in his office."
"Okay, thanks." Heather replied. As she walked to her office, she wondered why the Secretary wanted to meet with her.
The first thing she did when she sat down at her desk was to check her email. The receptionist was right; yesterday had been a slow day. She only had five emails to which she needed to reply. Once she sent all her replies, she started on the folder of news that was left on her desk early that morning. The next couple of hours went by quickly, before she knew it, it was time to meet with the Secretary.
The Secretary of Redevelopment, Matthew Sheridan, was an old friend of President Tomarchio. They had met at Stanford where they both majored in political science. After receiving their undergraduate degrees, they had chosen different paths. Sheridan had obtained a Ph.D. in political science; then had accepted a professorship at Yale University where he taught undergraduate and graduate classes in governmental affairs and foreign policy. Tomarchio, after completing law school, had decided on a political career working himself up from a Wyoming state legislator to U.S. Senator. When he was elected to the senate in 2002, he had convinced Sheridan to join his staff as Chief Political Advisor. After the bombs, Tomarchio had established himself as President, Sheridan joined his cabinet as Secretary of Redevelopment.
Matthew Sheridan was an honest politician and did not subscribe to the ‘whatever it takes mentality' that was prevalent in some offices of the president. He believed that the integrity of the government was demonstrated by the ethics of its high ranking officials. Knowing that he was in a minority, he kept silent about his feelings and his suspicions of how the government was being run.
Sheridan was sitting at his desk when his assistant knocked on his door and told him that Heather had just arrived for her appointment. "Show her in now." He instructed his assistant.
Heather walked into the office and greeted Sheridan. "Good morning, Secretary Sheridan."
"Good morning, Heather. Have a seat." Sheridan replied.
Heather had met the Secretary a few times since she started her job. He was always friendly and really seemed interested in what his staff had to say. He was a good manager and Heather felt comfortable in his presence. She sat down and directed her attention to Sheridan.
"Heather, it seems as if Chief of Staff Valente has taken a personal interest in the report you wrote on retooling factories to meet the needs of the new economy. He sent me an email today and would like to meet with you on Monday to discuss the report."
"He wants to meet with me? Isn't that a little unusual?" Heather asked with some surprise in her voice.
"Yes, it is," Sheridan replied. "But like I said, he seems to have taken a personal interest in the report and insists on meeting with you to hear your ideas first hand."
"Okay, will you also be at the meeting?" Heather asked.
"No, I'll be out in the field on Monday. You know, Heather, I shouldn't be saying this, but a new position has opened in Valente's office for a Senior Research Analyst. He needs to fill the position immediately. I have a feeling that this meeting is Valente's way of sizing you up for the job."
‘Well, then I have to impress him,' Heather thought. ‘This could be the opportunity I've been looking for to move ahead with my investigation.
Working for Valente will give me access to more highly classified current news and I'll have full access to all the news in the government archives.'
Sheridan continued, "Heather, Valente has already asked me for a recommendation. I told him you've become our best analyst in the short time you've been here. I have to say I'd be disappointed if you left this office. You'll be hard to replace. However, I can understand if you would feel this would be a good opportunity for you."
"Yes, it would be. I guess I'll just have to wait and hear what he has to say." Heather replied neutrally, not wanting Sheridan to think that she was excited over the opportunity.
"I would suggest that you review your report again and check the news archives for more up-to-date news on the subject so that you're prepared on Monday."
"I will. Is there anything else?" Heather asked.
"No, we're all set. Good luck with your meeting on Monday."
"Thank you, Secretary Sheridan. Have a nice weekend."
"You too, Heather. Goodbye."
"Goodbye," Heather replied before heading back to her office.
Later in the afternoon, Heather pulled up the report she was to review with Valente on Monday. When she was done reading over the report, she logged into the news archives and searched for any recent news related to retooling factories. Her search only yielded ten new reports. She reviewed the first nine reports and found nothing new that would support or discount the arguments she had presented in her report.
She was surprised that the tenth item related to a piece of news that she hadn't read about. As she read the report, her surprise turned into shock. The report said that two months ago the town council of a small town in Nebraska voted against retooling a rubber manufacturing facility located within the town borders. One of the council members had come forward anonymously and told the stringers covering the story that the town council had been coerced into voting it down. He went on to say that a group of three men who were new in town had approached the council and told them that aid from the government would be withheld if they voted for the retooling.
That night, the stringers set up a twenty-four hour surveillance of the factory. They saw a caravan of vans entering the factory compound and observed young men and women with their feet shackled to each other being escorted from the vans into the factory. They also saw armed guards patrolling the perimeters of the facility. The next day the stringers approached a number of the town's citizens about what they saw but they refused to talk to them. Before they had time to investigate further, they were recalled to their news station and sent to a remote region for another assignment.
Heather was shocked by the implications of the report. Memories of what had happened to her in New Bern flashed through her mind. Tears came to her eyes. She gave into her emotions for just a moment, before putting them back into the ‘compartment' where she kept them and turning back to the matter at hand.
Her curiosity was piqued; she decided to check if the factory in the report was listed in the government database of manufacturing facilities in the west. As she suspected, there was no listing for it--just like there wasn't one for the brake assembly plant in New Bern when she checked a few weeks ago.
Not sure of what it all meant, but acting on her instinct that this information was somehow important to her investigation ,she printed out the report. She also printed out the list of the manufacturing facilities to show that there was not a listing for the factory in the news report or for the break assembly plant in New Bern. She folded up the printouts and put them in the zippered compartment of her purse.
Heather then went back to the report that she was going to review with Valente on Monday and made a list of the talking points she wanted to bring up at their meeting before leaving work for the day.
She walked to the bus top and arrived about ten minutes before she was supposed to meet Joe. Just as she arrived at the stop, the six o'clock bus pulled up and Joe got off.
"Hello, Heather. You look nice tonight."
Heather blushed at the unexpected compliment and studied Joe. She couldn't help but notice how good he looked. He had on a pair of fitted black jeans and a gray shirt that highlighted the muscles in his arms. "Thanks. You don't look so bad yourself."
"Thanks. I brought some dinner from the commissary for us. I thought that we could stop at Holiday Park and eat there before it gets dark. I know a place that has a wonderful view. After that I thought we could just enjoy a walk through the city. How does that sound?"
"That's sounds nice to me. Holiday Park is near my apartment. I've been planning to go there but just haven't had a chance yet. Here's the bus we need to take coming now."
At the park, they found a picnic table by the pond, sat down and ate their dinner. Afterward, they walked through town. The evening went by quickly as they spent most of the time talking and getting to know each other better.
Joe talked about his childhood in Colorado. After he told her how his parents had died when he was young, he described how his grandparents had been taken in him and his sister. He talked about how much he missed his sister now that she was gone and how much his niece and nephew had meant to him. He went on to describe how his uncle influenced him to join the ROTC program in college so his education would be paid for and told her stories about the time he was in the military.
Heather had talked about how her Dad had been a mechanical engineer and had taken her to help on various jobs. Her dad taught her about techniques she could use to figure out how different things were put together and what made them work. She also talked about the time she spent in her uncle's garage learning to fix cars. She also talked vaguely about her life in a small Kansas town where she taught and how her life had changed since the bombs went off. She did not mention the fact that the small Kansas town was Jericho and that the town she grew up in was the neighboring town of New Bern. She wanted to keep this information to herself for now.
Joe could read people well. He could tell by the far away look in Heather's eyes that she was not telling him everything--that there was more to her story. As he listened to her he realized that she had the back bone to help him in his mission. He knew he couldn't ask for her help now. He needed time to convince her that she could trust him.
When their walk ended at Heather's apartment, Joe turned to Heather.
"I had a really nice time tonight. Why don't we do this again soon?
Before Heather could mask it, Joe saw the hesitation in her eyes.
"I don't know, Joe. There are some things that happened. I don't know if I'm ready for what I think you are asking for . . ."
"Look, Heather. I'm only asking for you to be a friend right now. I could use one and I think you could, too. I'm not ready for anything romantic either, but I could use a new friend. What do you say?"
"I'd like that," was Heather's reply. "Seeing as we're friends and if you don't have anything better to do tomorrow, why don't we meet at the park for lunch? This time I'll bring the food."
"Now that's an offer I can't refuse." Joke said jokingly.
Heather laughed at Joe's comment before asking, "How about we just meet at the same picnic table we ate at tonight at one o'clock?"
"Sounds like a plan."
"Well, thanks for a nice evening. I'll see you tomorrow. Goodnight."
"Goodnight, Heather.
"Thanks for the dinner. Goodnight."
Joe stood there and waited until Heather was safely inside. He looked at his watch and decided that he had enough time to go to the safe house and check for messages before heading back to the bus stop to catch the last bus back to the FEMA camp.
*************************
Earlier that evening, Jake and Hawkins were sitting in the Roadrunner eating the last of the food that Gail had packed for them discussing their plan. Jake had been on edge since the arrived in Cheyenne. Hawkins couldn't say a word without Jake snapping back at him.
It didn't take long before Hawkins had had enough. "Jake, what's your problem?"
"Nothing's wrong with me," Jake snapped angrily.
"Right . . . whatever it is, get a grip on it. You're no good to the mission the way you are now. Either you snap out of it or you're heading back to Jericho. You need to be at a hundred percent if you want to help us."
"You won't get a hundred percent from me until we find Heather and I know she's safe."
Hawkins was losing patience with Jake's refusal to see the bigger picture. "It might not be possible to look for her right now, we don't know anything yet. We need to talk to my contact first. You may want to go off half-cocked looking for her but it's a dumb idea. You can't go out without knowing how your actions may affect our mission. Besides, you don't know what's out there. . . "
"Heather's in danger. Look, it's my fault she's in this situation. I don't want it to be my fault that something happens to her, too." Jake replied in a agitated tone.
"Use your head, Jake. You know I'm right. What if something happens to you? Where will she be then?"
"Okay, okay. We'll try it your way. If I don't find her in the next forty eight hours, we do it my way, agreed? Jake said impatiently.
"Jake, you don't want to go there right now. It's my way or you're on your own."
A look of anger flashed across Jake's face before it was hidden behind his usual cool exterior. He reluctantly nodded his head in agreement.
"Good, this is the plan," Hawkins said. "We're going to the safe house and wait for my contact to show up. He'll know the best place to begin the search for your friend. He'll also be able to provide us with some insight into the new government and can update us on intelligence gathered since our last contact."
"Okay," Jake replied. "Let's go."
A few minutes later they arrived at the safe house. They entered it using a programmed access card that Hawkins had on him. It was a three room apartment that was spartanly furnished. There was a small kitchen area with a table and four chairs. The living room only had a desk and chair. On the desk was a computer set up similar to the one that Jake saw Hawkins using when he was on the water tower the day of the fire. The bedroom had two single beds and one dresser.
When Chavez entered the safe house two hours later, Hawkins was sitting at the kitchen table and Jake was standing looking out the living room window.
"Chavez." Hawkins said.
"Hawkins."
When Jake heard the name Chavez, his mind went pack to the Delta Force team he piloted in 2002 and 2003. His last mission with them was when he piloted them to the Honduras to extract a senator's daughter kidnapped by rebel terrorists while she was volunteering at a Red Cross medical camp. The leader of the Delta force team was named Chavez. When Jake heard him greet Hawkins, he was sure it was the same man and turned to face him.
"Chavez, it's been a long time."
"Green, is that you?"
Hawkins interrupted, "You two know each other?"
"We do," Chavez replied. "He piloted the plane that took my team on a couple of extraction missions. He went by the code name ‘Stealth Flyer' before he dropped off the face of the earth in 2004. He could fly under any conditions and land anywhere.
Hawkins had thought that there was nothing that would surprise him but this piece of news certainly did. He had heard about the exploits of ‘Stealth Flyer' from other operatives and had always been impressed with his guts and courage. He would never have guessed that Jake and ‘Stealth Flyer' were the same man.
He turned to Jake and said "I see you have your secrets, too."
"Yeah, I do," was all Jake said.
"So, what happened to you in 2004?" Chavez asked Jake.
"There was an incident that I'm not at liberty to discuss. After that, you could say I was hung out to dry by the agency I was working for. I made it back home to Jericho the day the bombs went off." Jake replied.
Both Chavez and Hawkins nodded their heads in understanding. Jake's story was all too familiar in their line of work. There were many reasons operatives were hung out to dry. In the majority of cases, it was not the fault of the operative but a choice by the government who had chosen not to acknowledge its part in the mission.
Chavez then turned to Hawkins. "I haven't heard from you for seven weeks. What's going on?"
Hawkins filled Chavez in on the war with New Bern and told him about the tracking software on his computer which prevented him from filing his reports.
With a sideways look at Jake, Chavez asked Hawkins, "How much does Green know?"
"He knows everything except what side we're working for," Hawkins said with a solemn tone to his voice.
Jake joined the conversation. "We came here because I received a document that seems to implicate the government in the war New Bern started with Jericho." Jake took the document out of his pocket and handed it to Chavez.
Chavez read the document and handed it back to Jake before asking, "How did you come across this information?"
"A friend sent it to me. She's took it upon her self to come here to investigate what's in the document. I'm here to help Hawkins and to find my friend."
"I see," said Chavez.
"Chavez, we could use your help finding her. You know more about Cheyenne then either of us. Are you in?" Hawkins asked.
"Hell, yes. Of course, I'm in." Chavez replied.
Jake said to Chavez, "I heard you left Delta Force soon after our return from the Honduras. I know Hawkins is CIA, what are you?"
"I'm officially DIA. In 2003, the DIA and CIA formed a highly classified joint anti-terrorist task force that was sanctioned by the government. I was pulled from Delta Force to lead the task force. When I met with the upper echelon of the DIA and CIA, I was told that twenty five high yield nuclear devices that the U.S. reclaimed from the Soviet Union were stolen and were to be used for committing terrorist attacks against the country. My team was charged with finding the identity of the person responsible for the thefts and the planned terrorist attacks. When we found that the Department of Homeland Security was setting up a task force to investigate the theft the agencies called in a few favors to get Hawkins and Miller assigned to the team. My role was to act as their handler and relay any information they provided to my superiors. You know the rest of the story from Hawkins.
"Victor Miller?" Jake asked when Chavez was finished.
Hawkins spoke up. "Yes, he was the third member of our team. Our mission hasn't changed since the bombs went off. His death left us one man down which is why I asked for your help."
There's one more thing that you need to know if we are going to work together. We work for the government in the East who we believe to be the rightful successor to the U.S. government in existence before the bombs."
Chavez took over from Hawkins. "Based on the information that Hawkins provided about Valente, we believe that he is the man who was the mastermind behind the attacks. What we don't know is why and who, if anyone, he was working for. We also don't have the proof we need to bring him down.
Hawkins then spoke up. "Jake, I know it's important for you to find your friend but like I said before, you can't forget the bigger picture here. We'll do our best to find her but our top priority has to be this mission." He turned to Chavez and asked, "So where are you in the investigation?"
Chavez replied, "I've been looking for someone with a connection to the government that could provide us with information. I finally identified that person. I just need to figure out the best way to approach her. She works in the Department of Redevelopment as an Information Analyst. I've been trying to get to know her better but my first impression is that she is feisty, courageous and determined to do the right thing. She is a recent arrival in Cheyenne and says that she came from a small town in Kansas."
Jake's heart jumped to his throat when he heard the description of the woman Chavez found. He could barely get out his question. "What is her name?"
Chavez replied. "Her name is Heather Lisinski.
"There's not a chance in hell that you're gonna use her," Jake told Chavez with a stone face.
"Green, what the hell are you talking about?" Chavez replied, surprised at Jake's vehemence.
Seeing the anger on Jake's face, Hawkins stepped in. "Heather Lisinski is the friend that Jake came to find."
Hawkins looked at Jake and then said, "Calm down, Jake, you need to think this through. We may not have a choice."
Jake was getting angrier by the minute. "Maybe I need to repeat myself, there's not a chance in hell that you are going to use her."
Jake was beginning to annoy Chavez. He turned to him and said in a tone that would brook no argument. "Damn it. I'm not going to compromise my mission over this. I will ask her to help."
Chavez took a minute and continued in a placating tone, "Look, Jake, Heather's your friend. I get that, but have you considered what Heather will want to do? She came here hoping to find answers. If she's the person I think she is, nothing will stop her from searching for those answers. She'll be safer if she works with us rather than by herself."
Jake sighed as he rubbed his hand across his mouth. Knowing how stubborn Heather was, he admitted to himself that she would refuse to stand down and let them handle the investigation. Chavez was right; she would be safer working with them then by herself. "You're right, but I still don't like it." Jake said in response to Chavez's question.
"Just how well do you know Heather?" Chavez asked.
"We're good friends." Jake replied. He wished he could say that they were much more but knew he didn't have that right . . . not yet anyway.
"Good, she'll trust you. You can go to her and say that you're here to help with her investigation. You can pass on what ever information she finds to us. We might be able to get away without telling her anything depending on the information she brings you."
"No, she needs to know exactly what she's getting into. We're not going to be able to be with her every second of the day. If people begin to get suspicious of her, she'll need to know what she's up against so that she can deal with it. Besides, I won't lie to her even if it's by omission only." Jake countered.
"How do you know that she won't break under pressure, that if she's questioned she won't say anything?" Chavez asked.
"She's one of the strongest people I know. She has a determination and integrity that I've seen in very few people. When she sets her mind to something, there's nothing that can stop her. You can trust her." Jake replied in such a way that made Chavez wonder if there was more to their relationship that Jake hadn't said.
Hawkins provided his point of view. "I agree with Jake. If she gets into trouble, the only way she'll know how to effectively deal with the situation is if she knows everything. Not telling her, would not be fair. If Jake says you can trust her, you can."
Chavez looked at the two men and knew he wasn't going to win the argument. "Okay, okay . . . I can see I'm not going to win this one. Jake, after I took Heather to dinner tonight, we made plans to meet for lunch tomorrow. I'm meeting her at Holiday Park at a picnic table by a pond...."
Jake interrupted, "Oh, they'll be a meeting alright, but you're not the one going."
Before Chavez could say anything, Hawkins spoke up. "You know he's right, Chavez. He knows her better then you do. You said it yourself . . . she trusts him."
On a personal level, Chavez wasn't happy with this turn of events. Despite his assertion to her that he wanted to be friends, he was intrigued by Heather and had been looking forward to spending some more time with her. He realized that in terms of his mission, Jake approaching her about helping them was the best option . . . that he had a better chance of convincing Heather to help than he did. He had no choice but to agree with Hawkins.
Chavez looked at the two men and replied, "Okay, I'll give you directions to get to the park. Tell her what you think she needs to know so that she'll help us; then bring her to the safe house. We'll tell her the complete story once you get there. I'm supposed to meet her at one o'clock. How about if we give you two a couple of hours and meet back here at three o'clock?"
"That should work." Jake replied and the asked, "How did you meet Heather anyway?"
"All government employees are required to spend one day a week volunteering at the FEMA camp. I met her there we both served on a committee to revamp a training program for news stringers. I liked her instantly. She has this way about her . . . she's fresh and honest yet she's feisty and stubborn as hell. Not quite like the women I'm used to meeting. She hinted at dinner that something bad had happened to her . . ."
Jake was half listening to Chavez lost in his own thoughts. ‘'Dinner? Lunch? He's talking like he really knows her. The jerk has plans for Heather that have nothing to do with the mission. Damn it, he can forget that shit! Now that I've found Heather again, there is no way in hell I'm losing her again!'
"Jake, did you hear what I just said? I said that at dinner Heather hinted that something bad happened to her."
The expression on Jake's face when the words finally registered told Chavez what he was wondering all night. Jake did have feelings for her. He wondered how Heather felt about Jake.
Jake couldn't speak for a minute. Horrible scenarios of Heather being tortured tormented him. Anger and regret laced his eyes. Finally, he managed to say, "New Bern . . . Constantino."
Hawkins saw the struggle that Jake was going through. He gave Chavez the run down on the war with New Bern. He told him how Heather had went to New Bern before the war to help build windmills for Jericho, what she had found out in New Bern, how she and Jake's brother had tried to blow up the munitions factory and how everyone had thought she was dead until Jake got the letter from her. He also explained how Heather had ended up in Camp Nebraska and why they had sent her to Cheyenne.
By the time Hawkins had finished, Jake had calmed down enough to speak coherently again. "Constantino escaped two weeks ago. No one knows where he is. Heather knows too much about what went on in New Bern. He'll be looking for her."
Trying to reassure Jake, Chavez said, "All the more reason she works with us. We can protect her from this Constantino lunatic. She'll be safe with us."
"I hope you're right." Jake replied.
Wanting to get back to the matter at hand, Hawkins turned to Chavez and said, "Let's talk about cover stories."
"In this city, it's easy to stick close the truth. You two can be refugees who just arrived from Kansas. You can use the FEMA camp as your base. If you get to know some of the residents there, you might gain some intelligence about what's going on in other parts of the country."
"Sounds like a plan," said Jake.
"You need to stay here tonight. The registration desks at the camp aren't open now. They'll be open late tomorrow. I'll take you both to the camp tomorrow afternoon after our meeting with Heather. You'll both need to register under assumed names so leave any identification here. Also, you need to leave any fire arms and advanced electronics you are carrying here."
Hawkins and Jake nodded their heads in agreement. Chavez walked into the kitchen area and pulled a card out from one of the drawers.
"Jake, this is yours. It's the access card to the safe house. It will allow you to come and go from here as needed. It's been made to look like the ration cards that are given to all city citizens and residents of the FEMA camp."
"Thanks," replied Jake.
Chavez then turned to Hawkins and told him. "I'm going to head back to the camp now. Why don't you show Jake what he needs to know to access what's left of the DIA/CIA databases? I assume you brought your laptop and the necessary cables to connect it to the router on the desk. Three weeks ago the National Security Agency released a GPS firmware upgrade that will effectively disable the GPS chip in your computer. When you log into the network the executable will download to your desktop.
"Sounds good." Hawkins said.
"Hawkins, I'll be here at one o'clock. I can debrief you while Jake is meeting with Heather. Goodnight, Hawkins, Green"
"Good night." Jake and Hawkins replied in unison before Chavez walked out the door.
Hawkins turned to Jake and said. "Why don't you call it a night? I'm going to download and install the tracking defender software and then turn in myself."
"Yeah, that's a good idea. I'll see you in the morning."
"Goodnight . . . and Jake I know you're worried about Heather but things are going to turn out alright."
"I hope so. Goodnight." Jake said as he turned to walk into the bedroom.
The next morning, Hawkins provided Jake with the information he needed to access the CIA/DIA network on the computer. With Hawkins guidance, he learned how to use the search engine to access information, both classified and unclassified, that was stored on the network servers. He was amazed at the depth of information he found on various topics. He wasn't surprised when he looked up his dossier and found that all covert activities he was involved in after December 2004 had been purged. The morning went by quickly and soon it was time for him to find Heather in Holiday Park.
It was a nice spring day and Jake enjoyed his walk to Holiday Park. He couldn't wait to see Heather again! His mind was consumed with thoughts of her. He hoped that she would be as happy to see him as he was going to be to see her. If the truth be told, he was jealous of the time that Chavez had with Heather and worried that she may have started to develop feelings for him. He thought about the kiss that Heather had started the day he went to Rogue River. He remembered the look in her eyes when they pulled apart. He couldn't put words to what he saw in her eyes then, but now he could. He just hoped that it wasn't too late and that what he saw in her eyes was still true.
Jake found the entrance to the park and followed the signs to the pond. When he reached the pond, he looked around and saw Heather standing at the edge of the pond looking over the water. She appeared to be deep in thought. The sight of her took his breath away.
Jake remembered his conversation with Heather before she had left for New Bern. When she had told him that she had realized that he would never have feelings for her, he had been relieved. At the time, he hadn't wanted to deal with the strange, new feelings he had when she was around. But now, he was afraid--afraid that Heather might have moved on, might have forgotten how she felt about him, might not care anymore...
He needed a few minutes to calm himself. Finally, ready to approach her, he nervously walked up to her. Heather did not hear his approach and was still looking over the water. Her back was to him.
"Hello, Heather."