Operation: Unknown Angel

by Margaret Kay

  The needles on Dr. Keeling’s seismology equipment came to life for a few seconds, registering movement. There were only a few strokes, nothing that would indicate anything serious and she felt no ground shakes. Patrick theorized that these minor tremors were reactions to the oil drilling in the area, nothing unexpected or to be concerned about. Small quakes shook the area on a regular basis, mostly out to sea towards Kodiak Island or on the Aleutian arm. There hadn’t been a major earthquake on land in this region since November of twenty-nineteen when a seven-point-one quake struck north of Anchorage.

  Even though Mount Redoubt hadn’t erupted since two thousand nine, it was actively watched by Dr. Keeling and the USGS. Annaka was not an expert in geology or seismology, but she had to wonder what effect a major quake or an eruption would have on the oil drilling operations in the inlet.

  She knew that Dr. Remi Ipsen, the Environmental Biologist of their group was very concerned with the possibility and the resulting impact on the local environment if a quake caused oil spills. Remi had said once that her concern level was at a ten. Drilling should not be occurring near active faults, period. Of course, an earthquake didn’t need to be the catalyst for an oil spill, nor was oil the only potential pollutant that threatened Cook Inlet and the wildlife whose home it was.

  Several hours later, Annaka raided the refrigerator for party leftovers. She was starving. She made herself a plate and then opened the word game app on her phone. She nibbled on the food she’d piled on her plate as she read the message from Mother Grunt, the opponent she messaged with regularly. She enjoyed the challenge of playing against him as well as the friendship they’d formed. It always brightened her day when there was a message from him.

  Mother Grunt…Merry Christmas Annaka. I know you are working over the next few days, as am I, but I hope you have the opportunity for some relaxation and time spent with family or friends. My workgroup is having a Christmas Eve party this evening, before we all head off to be with family until the beginning of January. As you know, I am working until the twenty-seventh and will then fly home to visit with my family. I’m very excited to go home. It’s been too long since I’ve seen my parents. I know we have purposefully kept identifying details out of our communications, but I will tell you I was away for holidays for many years when deployed. I sadly haven’t made it home as much as I should have since I’ve been back in the States.

  Annaka took another bite of food. So, Mother Grunt was military, as she had assumed based on his name and his avatar. Well, she assumed current or prior military. She still wasn’t sure which. Not that it mattered or was really anything that was that identifiable.

  She stared again at his cartoon avatar, like she did often, trying to envision the human version. She knew it was silly, but she always envisioned her mystery man to be tall, strong, and sexy based on his avatar, and his intelligent insights. His sense of humor always brought a smile to her face or made her chuckle out loud, and his skill in playing the game made him attractive as well. They were well-matched opponents. She didn’t like to lose, so she challenged herself to be better so she would beat him at least fifty percent of the time.

  She doubted his muscles bulged like the cartoon character’s did. After all, her own avatar had breasts swelling out of the white lab coat that had to be double D’s. Her own cleavage was in the C cup range, so she knew they all exaggerated their builds on their cartoon avatars. Most people’s avatars did resemble them in hair and eye color, even skin tone. Hers did, with black hair, dark brown eyes, and a skin tone that matched her own.

  She went in and played one of the games, playing the word ‘jolly’ for one-hundred nineteen points, triple letter score on the J and a triple word score. She smiled proudly. She played two more of their games, in which she was merely holding her own, and then noticed a new message was in the inbox.

  Mother Grunt…Hi Annaka, nice one, jolly! And appropriate too. I’d ask for mercy in that game, but know you are an intense competitor and you would never give me any. LOL. Are you alone at work now? Your coworkers all with their families? I just got home from our Christmas Eve party. It was fun. Several of my coworkers have little one’s this year and a few more, their wives are pregnant with their first. All the family members were there. I’m home now, lying in bed and unable to sleep. I’m due back at the office at noon tomorrow. Did I mention that one of my buddies, his fiancé, and his brother are staying with me until they close on their new place later this week? I’ve liked the company, but it doesn’t take away the loneliness of lying here now. Do you ever wish you were in a relationship? I’ve never thought about it much before, but I guess since so many of my friends are in relationships now and I see how happy they are, I’ve thought about it, probably more than I should. Anyway, I saw you playing and wanted to say I hope your night is going well. I’m in the central time zone. It’s one a.m. here right now.

  Annaka reread his message. Wow! There were more personal details in his message than they’d ever shared. She reread it a few times. Then she responded.

  Dr. ASS…Hi Danny, yes, I’m alone at the office. Only one of us is needed here to monitor some equipment, though really, most of it could be monitored remotely if we were set up to do it, which we are not. I have quite a bit of paperwork to catch up on, so it’s probably better I’m here alone with no distractions. My coworkers all like to chat. Our Christmas Eve get together earlier this afternoon before we broke for the holiday was fun too. It was just coworkers though, no families. There are eight of us who work at this research station, six have families. No, you didn’t mention your houseguests. So, I’m guessing none of them are still up if you are feeling lonely. I guess I’ve never really thought about it before, the fact that I’m not in a relationship. I’m not opposed to one. It’s just that I haven’t met anyone lately who is interesting enough that I’d like to get to know better. I’m not sure if I feel lonely because of it. But I do know I don’t need a man in my life to be complete or successful. I don’t know, maybe I’m not built for a relationship. My work dominates a lot of my time and I’m used to doing my own thing. I thought I’d gotten the same vibe from you in the past, that you felt the same. Was I wrong?

  She paused, rereading what she was sharing. Anxiety rose as she realized she was telling him several identifiable pieces of information, the fact that she worked at a research facility, the number of employees, that she lived alone. She pushed her trepidation away and hit send. Then she went into another game and played her move.

  Another message popped into her inbox.

  Mother Grunt…No you weren’t wrong. I’ve never felt the need to have a woman in my life for any reason other than occasional companionship. As you know, my work too dominates a great deal of time and I travel often for it. But I’ll tell you, watching my buddy, who is also a coworker, with his fiancé while they’ve stayed with me makes me wonder if I’m missing out on a part of life I never thought I needed. He travels as much as I do, but when they’re together, man, they make the most of every minute. She’s special, fits in well, and he is really happy.

  Annaka really thought about what he’d said.

  Dr. ASS…It makes sense that you would question these things when seeing a friend so happy. And given what time of year it is, I’m not surprised that your feelings are intensified. I’d think you would go back to your normal self after the holidays and after your visit home with your family. And if not, then maybe it is time to change things in your life.

  She hit send and looked at the clock. Danny was in a time zone three hours ahead of her, the middle portion of the contiguous United States. She Googled what military bases were in that time zone, trying to figure out where he might be if he was still active duty.

  Mother Grunt…Thanks Annaka, I’m sure you’re right. Would you ever consider us talking on the phone? You could call me and conceal your number. By entering star-six-seven before dialing me, your number would be blocked from me and come up as private or anonymous. I would not be
able to dial you back either. I would trust you enough to give you my phone number.

  Annaka stared at his message. Oh my God! She thought. He’d never suggested a phone call before. Even though they had been playing for five years and conversing, he was a stranger. She didn’t even know how old he was. She chuckled to herself. He could be an old man or a twenty-year-old kid! A phone call would definitely change their relationship, could ruin it.

  She reread the conversations they had had this evening. Danny admitted he was lonely. He had trusted her enough to tell her that and several other pieces of personal information. Their relationship had already changed this evening. In addition to the anxiety this prospect brought, she was also excited at the possibility of hearing his voice and talking with him, possibly getting to know him better.

  Dr. ASS…Wow! I have to say my blood pressure shot up when I read your message. Talking on the phone is quite different than messaging, even in real time. Yes, I’m definitely open to a phone conversation. I appreciate that you would give me your phone number and let me be the one to hide mine. I’m not surprised though as you’ve always struck me as.

  The door to the outside exploded open. Annaka jumped in her seat, her eyes flying to the door. Three figures crowded in. She gasped, unable to make a sound seeing a gun pressed to Patrick Keeling’s head. She didn’t recognize the two men who forced him inside the building. Overriding her intense panic just as the other man stepped towards her, she hit send on the message and then exited the game app. The phone was ripped from her hands before she could dial nine-one-one.

  “Now that I have your attention, we will talk,” one of the two men said. “And don’t be foolish enough to try anything or Dr. Keeling will be shot.” He dropped her phone to the floor and stomped on it until the screen cracked into a million pieces and the light from it faded to black.

  Mother waited for the rest of Annaka’s message to pop in. He was thrilled that she was open to a phone call. Now would be the perfect time. He was sure that she was probably right, the time of year and the fact that he was so close to a visit home making him feel lonely. He waited, but an hour later, there was still nothing from Annaka. He even rebooted his phone, thinking that maybe it was timed out. It didn’t help. No message from Annaka displayed. Maybe there had been an emergency with the equipment she was monitoring. A research facility. This was new information. She’d always just said lab before.

  Finally, Mother fell asleep. He checked his phone first thing when he woke. Still no message from Annaka. He composed a quick one before heading to the kitchen for coffee.

  Mother Grunt…Hey, you seemed to send your last message without completing it. I’ve always struck you as what? LOL, you’re killing my ego by not completing that thought. Let me know when we can talk. I assume you are probably asleep now. I’ll check back through the day.

  He went down to the kitchen to find Brielle busy making breakfast. “Merry Christmas, Brielle,” he greeted. She’d already made a pot of coffee too. Bless her.

  “Hi Danny, Merry Christmas.”

  “Is Sherman still asleep?”

  “He’s dozing. I couldn’t sleep any longer and I know you are due in by noon, so I thought a hearty breakfast before we open gifts would be nice.”

  “I am going to miss your cooking when you guys move into your place.”

  “We’ll be just across the street. I’m sure we’ll invite you over for a lot of meals.”

  Mother laughed. He dispensed a cup of coffee for himself, and then took a seat at the table. They’d already established that Brielle didn’t want his help in the kitchen, and it was best for him to just stay out of her way. “Thank you. I will definitely take you up on that.”

  “Last night at the office was really fun,” Brielle said as she cracked an egg open and dropped it into a bowl. “I really love being a part of Shepherd Security.” She cracked another egg. “My life has changed so much in a few short months. I guess anyone’s can.”

  Mother wondered if there was a point to her statement. He watched her add more eggs and scramble them. “I’d say so. Look at Madison and Cooper, taking on the responsibility of Hahna.” He checked his watch. The Cooper family would be at the airport by now, getting ready to board the flight to Arizona.

  “Yeah, and Brian and me. Next year this time we’ll have a baby. Either you’ve been very gracious, or you do like having company,” Brielle said after a few quiet moments.

  Mother still didn’t know where she was going with her conversation. “I have enjoyed you all staying with me, especially the meals.” He shot her a grin.

  “It’s none of my business, but I thought you had a girlfriend or someone important to you. Why hasn’t she been around the last few days?”

  A pang of something hit Mother. He wasn’t sure exactly what it was. He never considered Claire a girlfriend, but he realized after he’d walked out of her place the other night that he did want something more, but obviously not with her as she didn’t want more than to be his booty call. He liked her well enough, thought there was a chance, but had to respect that it wasn’t what she wanted.

  While lying awake and searching his own soul, he’d recognized that when it came to female companionship, even though he’d never spoken to or met Annaka, it was communicating with her that brought him the most happiness. He had no idea how old she was. She could be in her sixties for all he knew, but he’d sure like to know more about her to see if there was even a chance.

  “No, not really a girlfriend. I have a woman who is a friend, a friend with benefits. If I’m being honest, we don’t have a real relationship outside of bed. Not that I’d be opposed to one with someone. She just isn’t that person, though.”

  “I’m sorry,” Brielle said. “Good thing that anything can happen, and people’s lives can change so quickly. For the record, Danny, I think you are a great guy and any woman would be very lucky to have you in her life.”

  Mother chuckled. “Thanks, Brielle. If I haven’t told you, I think Sherman is a lucky man to have you in his life. I’ve never seen him happier.”

  Brielle smiled. “I happen to think I’m the lucky one.” She shrugged. “Anyway, sorry if I overstepped.”

  “Not at all,” Mother assured her.

  After Mother got to the office and reviewed the prior shift log with Lambchop, who he was relieving, he played his moves in the game app and then he went into the messaging screen. There was still nothing from Annaka. She hadn’t played any of her games either. Maybe his request for a phone call had put her off. He felt bad if that was what he’d done.

  Mother Grunt…Hey, you haven’t messaged me back at all or played your turns. I’m sorry if I freaked you out by suggesting we talk on the phone. I promise, I’m not a threat, but I hope you already know that. I won’t bring it up again if you don’t want me to. Just let me know that everything is okay. I’m starting to worry about you.

  12/26

  It had been two days since Annaka had halted her message midsentence. She hadn’t played any of her games. Mother had checked back frequently and grew increasingly concerned. He clicked out of his game app. He knew that Garcia was in, even though he was officially on leave. The man was a workaholic. He was in his office across the hall.

  Mother’s eyes went to BT, who was his Ops partner again today. “Can you hold things down here for a few minutes? I need to go see Garcia about something.”

  “Sure,” BT replied. “It’s quiet. I’ll text you if I need you.”

  “Thanks.” He left the Operations Center and went to Garcia’s office. His door was open. “Hey, do you have a second?”

  Garcia glanced up from his laptop. “Sure. What can I do for you?”

  Mother hesitated. Then he held his phone up. “I need you to track someone down.” He took a few steps into Garcia’s office and closed the door. “I play a scrabble-like game. I’ve been playing with the same woman for over five years, Annaka.”

  The corners of Garcia’s lips tugged up. Yes
, everyone knew about Mother’s word games and the woman he had ten games going with.

  “We chat in the game, have kept it there, never talked outside of it, so I have no other way to contact her but through the messaging system in the game. I’m worried about her. Two days ago, she ended a chat midsentence and hasn’t been back on since. It’s her turn on all our games too. This isn’t like her. She always plays her turn within twelve hours.”

  “Her phone could have died or gotten stolen,” Garcia suggested.

  “Yeah, could be. I just have this gut feeling it’s something more, that she’s in trouble,” Mother confessed. “Her first name is Annaka. She can’t be too hard to find. And I don’t know if there is anything in the game program that will help lead you to her.”

  “What are your intentions once I find her?”