by Dave Hazel
The President pointed to Jill. Without words spoken Jill grabbed a notepad and writing utensil. “That’s what I would like to hear.”
“The main thing I would like to take with me, as you suggested, is an army. I know what I’m going to be up against. At the same time it will give Towbar’s people the help they need to defeat the Sosos. I honestly don’t care if it’s Army, Navy, Marines or the Air Force. Hell, I don’t care if it’s the Coast Guard or High School kids as long as they can shoot and as long as we have plenty of weapons and ammunition. With that I would like plenty of vehicles and refueling vehicles as well. Tanks and equipment like long range artillery wouldn’t really be necessary because the Sosos are on foot and fight primarily hand to hand. A few helicopters would be nice because there will be a lot of ground to cover to try finding these--”
“Wait a minute,” the President interrupted him with a snap of his fingers and turned to Jill. “We could really use this as an opportunity to bring our world closer together.”
“Yes Sir, I see what you’re thinking Sir,” Jill said and nodded. Jill seemed to know what President Edmonds had in mind. “We will announce to the world that we are mobilizing a task force to go back to Towbar’s world and we will accept token forces from any country that would like to participate on a rescue mission, to rescue the people who disappeared today. It is well known what type of people the Sosos are so the polls will clearly favor such a response.”
“Sir, there are a couple of other things I would like to bring up as well,” Mykal politely interrupted their brain storming. “These are important.”
“What would that be?”
“I will take your cash reward for my family, but I will leave that up to you for the amount, because I know you’re an honest and fair man,” he said so he would not come across as greedy. “I just want my family to be comfortable. I’m not greedy and I’m not looking for a reward but if you want to give it I will take it,” he repeated in hopes of not presenting himself as greedy. “I’ll leave it up to you Sir, and you can show me my worth by what you decide to give me,” he paused and allowed them to look at him like he was out of his mind. “I’ll never bring it up again.”
“I’m a man of my word,” the President declared.
“I don’t want you to feel I’m doing this for the money. But there are a couple of things I do want. One thing I want, is to be guaranteed that once this is over, all this stuff of rumors is gone forever.”
“Done,” the President said and smiled.
“I also want to be done with the military. I don’t want to go there if I’m gonna have to be pushed around by some uppity officer or some enlisted men who out ranks me.”
“Let’s think that one over,” the President held his index finger up. “If you go as a member of the Air Force, I will guarantee that all those deployed with you will be under strict orders and will have to agree to ignore your rank. You may be a sergeant but you and Towbar will be the leader of this mobilized force in so much as to allow you to accomplish your mission. We will work this out in the days ahead. My hesitation is only because I know what a valuable asset you are to the Air Force. So let us work on this,” Edmonds said and nodded for Jill to write it down.”
“The next one is very important to me Sir. To me, this is thee make or break provision,” he said and nervously hesitated. “I need Robert ‘Boris’ Traginsky to come along with me.”
“Traginsky of the Minot Massacre?” Jill raised his eyebrows.
“Yes. I’ll guarantee that he’ll never come back here.”
“Oh my. Mykal, this one cannot be done.” President Edmonds sounded labored “The press would eat us alive on this one. He is such a lightning rod of discussion in the public eye. There is no plausible way I could justify granting him a pardon. I would essentially be rewarding him by sending him to Towbar’s world. The public outcry would be unbearable.”
“Sir, this is the one item I will not budge on. He had saved my life on a couple of occasions, and I promised him that if Towbar ever devised a way to go back I would get him to go. That was how I managed to have him surrender. Otherwise he would have killed all his hostages and would have fought to the death. I owe him Sir. I know everyone hates him and I fully understand and agree, but he is one of only a couple of people I trust to watch my back. I owe him my life, Sir. And it will not be a reward to send him to Towbar’s world for the rest of his life. You’re telling me to go on a mission that is impossible, but I better get it done. I’m telling you,” he paused for fear of his tone. “If I go on this mission, you better get it done,” he said with a gulp and couldn’t believe he just spoke to the President of the United States that way.
“Mykal,” the President sighed. “I just don’t know--”
Jill whispered into the President’s ear.
“We’ll discuss this after I’ve had a chance to speak with legal experts,” the President said. “Lawyers and legal experts may have a way for us to finagle around this.”
“I think this can be worked.” Jill nodded to Mykal. “We will just have to wheedle the Press properly. I’ll work on this one. I will acknowledge you’ve got balls,” Jill smirked while writing. “No one has ever demanded something of this magnitude from a sitting President as you have.”
“I need him and I owe him.” Mykal looked at Jill with distrust. He wasn’t sure if Jill was just telling him what he wanted to hear. “Alright. Having Traginsky is the most important request that I have. But one other thing, I would really like to know it was who gave you information that you classified as ‘rumors’?”
“I’m afraid we can’t give you that information Myk,” Jill chuckled before Edmonds could say anything.
“I want those names,” Mykal demanded calmly. “When I come back from doing this I don’t wanna ever have to worry about someone opening their mouths and trying to start trouble for me. I’m going to be risking my life for you. I’ll be at risk every moment I’m there. I don’t want an ugly problem to creep up a few years down the road. I’ll take care of this problem myself.”
“Whoa, slow down cowboy,” Jill started to laugh. “We can’t allow you to go around killing people because they might have something on you. The President does not authorize nor does he condone, nor does he turn a blind eye to such activity.”
“I never said I was gonna kill anyone,” Mykal snapped at Jill. “I’m just gonna make sure they see things from my point of view and who knows, maybe they’ll wanna come back to Towbar’s world and they’ll have a change of heart. You need the contents of that brief case. I need those names.”
“Give him the names,” President Edmonds turned to Jill and waved his hand as if it wasn’t important. “These words I’m about to say never left my mouth. I don’t want those stinking cowardly rats to interfere with his assignment. I don’t want Mykal’s mind to be preoccupied with anything other than retrieving that attaché case.”
“Is there anything else you will need?” Jill asked.
“Not that I can think of right now.”
“How soon before you are ready to depart?” Jill asked.
“Like I said, I don’t even know if Towbar will be able to make it happen. He is confident that he will be able to, if, he can communicate with Nidious. But that’s a big ‘if’! That means we need to be left alone for the next few days so he can do whatever it is he’s gotta do. But the real question, should he do that, is how long before you have the things that I need?”
“I would say in a week. Finding volunteers should not be a problem whatsoever,” Edmonds said with a smile. “With all the attention you have received and the positive spin that had been put on your story will have people lining up in droves. I will have the Press working on this angle of the story while behind the scenes I will put the word out to our Armed Forces that we need volunteers. We’re not at war so I will not order any of our boys to go on such an unprecedented mission.”
A buzzer sounded from the desk. “That’s your reminder call, Si
r,” Jill said after he looked at his gold watch.
“I have a prior engagement Mykal,” Edmonds said. He smiled and stood to end their meeting. “Jill will be in constant communication with you. He will be your PM, your Project Manager, and he will be the key point man to work out all logistics. You will have direct contact with him,” he turned to Jill who agreed with a nod. “Any questions, suggestions, problems et cetera, you will go through him. Do not speak of this mission. Do not confirm nor deny any part of this mission to anyone. I’m sure it will be leaked to the Press after the word is out that volunteers are being sought. Only after you are given the green light by Jill will you be able to speak to the Press. With today being November 30th, I would like to have this all wrapped up and everyone home by Christmas. Is that possible? It will give everyone something to look forward to.”
“I will do my best Sir,” Mykal sighed under his breath. He suddenly felt an incredible amount of pressure placed on him. “Please Sir, understand, I’m not sure we can get there. If we get there, I’m not sure we’ll even be able to find those people. If we find those people, I’m not sure we’ll be able to come back home.”
“It doesn’t sound too difficult,” Jill gave a cruel chuckle.
“I have confidence in you, my boy. I’m sure you will get it done,” the President said in all sincerity as he placed one of his long slender hands on Mykal’s shoulder. “You are Mykal Graves, and you have already accomplished the impossible. You will succeed and I will be indebted to you.”
“Let’s go,” Jill said and nodded to the door.
“Well if you’re going to be my go to guy,” Mykal spoke as they walked to the door. “The first thing I need is for reporters and the military people to leave us alone. I can’t do our little dog and pony shows. You have to get Captain Roberts off my back.”
“Uh, well, uh yeah,” Jill stammered. This was the first time Jill was caught off guard and at a loss for words. “He will not be a problem for you.”
“Yeah, but you don’t know what a pain in the ass he is when it comes to all this military show stuff.”
“I will put him in his place,” Jill said with a smirk.
“Why don’t you just get rid of him?” Mykal asked as they walked through the doors.
“He will be dealt with,” Jill said to ease Mykal’s mind. “I want you to understand that you will be under twenty-four hour surveillance. You will be given all the freedom for Towbar to accomplish his task. I don’t want you to get freaked out if you noticed you’re being watched while we’re waiting,” he said while they walked.
“But why?” Mykal paused and looked into Jill’s deep black eyes and he sensed distrust and evil. He knew in an instant that this man Jill was capable of doing bad things to people.
“For your protection and for our protection. I believe all you said about being a loyal and committed individual, but we can’t allow you to flirt with the temptation of taking your family and skipping town. There is too much riding on this.”
When they joined a group of other secret service types, William stood there in the presence of them. William talked as if he knew most of them very well. Mykal got the impression William and Jill knew each other though they kept apart while the others talked. Mykal wasn’t sure if it was just fearful paranoia, but they more he watched them the more he got a sense by their looks to each other that they were more than just acquaintances. Their greeting, though brief and casual made it clear they weren’t newly acquainted. It concerned Mykal. Now more than ever he feared he couldn’t trust William.
3.
Within a couple of hours Mykal and Towbar were on a plane out of Washington D.C. Mykal’s thoughts were all over the place. He was overwhelmed with fear. ‘What if Towbar can’t produce the green fog and we can’t make it back to Towbar’s world? If Towbar succeeds, what if I can’t find those people with the special brief case? What if I get injured again? What if I get killed this time? What if we can’t return home again? How is Pam going to take this?’ He wanted to break down and allow his anger to vent. The pressure seemed too great and he felt too small. He wanted to pour his heart out to his best friend, but Jill sat there with them. He never felt more like a prisoner.
He looked at the giant, humored by Towbar’s expression to be on a plane and experiencing flight. Towbar was like a little child flying for the first time though he had been on countless flights in the past several weeks.
“I am truly amazed that man has learned to fly,” Towbar said almost as many times as he had flown.
Mykal just wanted to be able to tell someone how scared and angry he was. He wanted to get it off his chest that he feared going back to Towbar’s world, that he dreaded facing the Sosos again. The terror at the thought of not being able to complete his impossible mission wracked his brain. He was scared of losing his family after fighting like hell to get back the last time. His outer shell came across as calm and relaxed, but inside him was a hurricane of wild raging emotions.
William didn’t catch their flight because President Edmonds had called him back to visit with him. Mykal heard Jill say that the President had a special job for William to do. Mykal hoped the special job for William would mean he’d never have to deal with William again. There was so much about the man that just didn’t make sense. He didn’t want to face William because it felt like William had lied to him the entire time he had known him.
How could such a ‘nerdy’ Air Force captain be on a first name basis with the President of the United States and it had never once come up in conversation? How could this ‘dorky’ lawyer type be called to do a special job for the most powerful man in the world? It begs the question, was William really an Air Force captain? Was it just by chance William had been selected to control Mykal’s schedule and act as his promoter and manager? Or was he a plant from the start? All the little odd things made it hard not to be leery of William and not to trust him in any situation. Mykal wasn’t a conspiracy theory ‘nut job’, but all the small pieces of evidence made it hard not to believe there was something much bigger behind William.
Mykal pulled out a piece of paper with four names on it. They added to his misery. The four names of the people Jill said were trying to ruin him, confirmed what Boris had told him before Boris went on his rampage.
‘Backstabbing scumbags,’ he thought as he read the names. Sergeant Douglas, A1C Spencer, Airman Cann, Senior Airman Burns. Mykal felt some relief and happiness that Baby Hulk Jordon and Lopez weren’t on the list. He liked those two guys.
‘Why the hell can’t people just leave me alone?’ He thought and wanted to shout his anger. ‘I just wanna be left alone!’
“I will do what I can to encourage those people to come along,” Jill said when he noticed Mykal eyeing the four names. “Then whatever happens from that point on I don’t care. People like them could become a big embarrassment for our Company as I call it.” Jill smiled but with his black eyes it came across as sinister.
Jill’s eyes were like black orbs between two slits of flesh painting a picture of evil. ‘He’s probably into devil worship and sacrifices animals. Or people!’ Mykal thought but wouldn’t dare voice his thinking.
Mykal nodded but didn’t say a word. He didn’t trust Jill since Jill easily made threats against his family. He didn’t trust William and felt he may not be able to trust the President. When he looked at Jill’s black eyes, suddenly Mykal wondered if he would have to be careful of the things spoken in his own home. Mykal believed they would wiretap his phone, and bug his home and cars. ‘Am I getting’ paranoid or what? But Jill did say I would be under surveillance.’’
Mykal looked at the list of names again. “I can’t believe this,” he mumbled under his breath. The four names hurt more than it made him angry. Mykal made it possible for them to survive and he made it possible for them to return home.
“Just between you and me, Mykal, do you think you’ll be able to find them?” Jill asked.
“How many times are you gon
na friggin ask me that?” Mykal snapped and wished he could take the words and the tenor of his voice back. He didn’t want to get on the bad side of Jill. “Honestly, if you’d never been here on earth and I just sent you here to find someone carrying precious cargo, what would you think? How impossible would it be?”
Jill looked irritated by Mykal’s attitude. “Well, it’s not me, it’s you. You’re the great Mykal Graves. I believe you will get it done,” Jill said as if forcing the words to be an encouragement.
Towbar looked over and could see for the first time that something troubled Mykal. “What is it, my friend?” He then looked at Jill but didn’t understand the tension in the air.
“I didn’t mean it like that Jill,” Mykal apologized. In a worst case scenario he would have to play Jill along and get away at the first possible chance. “I just have a lot on my mind. To be honest there are too many ifs to answer your question. If the precious cargo is where we were, we could come back the next day,” Mykal said though inside he felt totally lost and confused. “But it could take time.”
“Good. We’ll keep our fingers crossed and we’ll hope for the best,” Jill said and sat back but kept burning a hole through Mykal with his black eyes. “I know you feel a great amount of pressure. Don’t allow it to weigh you down. Focus on what you can do, not on what you can’t. Don’t trip yourself up by dwelling on all the ‘what ifs’ and ‘maybes’. Do what you know you can do. I don’t want you to feel pressure from me. I am here to help you get this done.”
Looking at the ‘bad man’ Mykal wondered if Jill really was into devil worship and sacrifices. “Tell me about the man with the special attaché case.”
“The case will be attached by handcuffs. Two sets of special handcuffs. The case will stand out because it looks like a heavy duty metal case. It’s larger than a regular brief case. When you make contact with him, his name to you will be Mister X and he--”
