Mirror, Mirror at 1600 D.C.

by Edward Galluzzi

  Harrison retraced his path to the other side of the boxes and returned them one-by-one to their original configuration. He knew that this building could not be his safe house. Harrison headed back toward the window upon which he entered the cellar. He shimmied up the wall and pushed himself through the window. It was wise of him not to have forced entry into the structure. Harrison turned on his flashlight and headed in the direction of his abandoned jeep. He experienced sadness over the woman’s brutal death. However, Harrison had a mission to complete. He continued his long walk to his jeep as he mulled over in his mind what the dying woman told him. Harrison’s good fortune came at a very high price.

  Chapter 19

  Prelude to Engagement

  As Harrison approached his jeep, he looked carefully around the area to rule out that he might have been discovered, either by accident or by design. He climbed into his jeep after satisfying himself that the area was undisturbed. Harrison started the engine and slowly backed out of the area, as there was not sufficient space to turn his jeep around. It was considerably more difficult to see the path driving backwards and thus more treacherous than the drive in. Harrison got the break that he hoped for in Mary Lou Hawthorne. He did not want the opportunity wasted somewhere between this path and the ravine below.

  Although it took a long time to retrace his path, Harrison had two women to avenge: Elizabeth Ashton and Mary Lou Hawthorne. Time was of the essence as sunrise was just several hours away. Harrison decided to forgo his initial plan of finding a structure that he could use has his safe house, his center of operation. He did not know how many men and women Jacob Hawthorne had already recruited. Perhaps no building in the area was safe and undisturbed. With this uncertainty and the life of President Ashton at risk, that is, if she indeed was still alive, Harrison determined that the canopy of nature would serve as his safe house. He was satisfied with the decision and felt secure knowing that his center of operations was mobile. Harrison would not risk being discovered due to maintaining a single focal point. He would stay constantly on the move. There were plenty of shrubbery and trees that could hide a mere mortal man.

  Having made that decision, Harrison’s operative tactics would also change. He returned to the road leading to Sarhea and decided to scout out the ranch that the dying woman told him would be thirty miles to the north. The cloak of darkness would last for several more hours. Harrison knew, however, that such a vast operation by Jacob Hawthorne would not leave security to chance. He speculated that security would incorporate a large perimeter around the ranch and perhaps the entire town of Sarhea through the eyes of its inhabitants. Harrison would eventually have to go on foot and hide his jeep somewhere where it could not be discovered and traced. The veil of “Mr. Marshalli” would not hold up to the scrutiny of professional soldiers of fortune.

  It is not likely, Harrison thought, that the domestic terrorists would randomly hide President Ashton in a structure similar to the one where he found Mary Lou Hawthorne. The high recognition factor of Elizabeth Ashton as President of the United States was too great a risk for discovery by a passerby let alone trained government and local law enforcement agents. Security around the President would be tight whether she was alive or assassinated. They cannot afford to lose their trump card in Elizabeth Ashton for indeed the confrontation would be over!

  Harrison drove ten miles when he spotted a dirt road off to the left of the highway. He slowed down and steered his jeep off the beaten path onto the isolated route. Harrison crept along the path as it guided him deeper into a wooded area. He observed no buildings or structures although his perception was limited by the darkness. The path appeared to disintegrate before him as the forest of trees swallowed him and his jeep. ‘This area indeed would make good cover’ Harrison thought to himself. He looked for a spot to hide his jeep and equipment. He spotted another opening ahead and halted his jeep. Harrison left the vehicle and walked to the open area in front of him. The growth of brush disguised the area beyond the opening. Harrison decided that this was his place under nature’s canopy and walked back to the jeep. He steered the vehicle to the opening and held the brush up on the driver’s side allowing the vehicle to disappear into the mouth of the tamed jungle. Harrison drove slowly and as far as the disappearing path would permit him. He then stopped and jumped out of the jeep. Harrison reached to the rear of the vehicle and retrieved several briefcases and pieces of equipment. He cleared them away from the jeep and began covering the vehicle with brush, limbs and whatever else could be used as camouflage.

  Harrison stood back to view his deception as the light of dawn’s early morn began to peek through the darkness. It was unlikely that anyone would uncover the jeep unless they happened to walk directly upon it. Harrison opened the brief cases and unpacked his equipment. He would be mobile and travel fast necessitating that he also travels light.

  Harrison flashed a broad beam of light on the equipment before him. He scrutinized all the items before making his choices of what gear he could not do without. He scanned visually the items several times before establishing a sense of confidence in his selections. Harrison reached out and chose the following items: a cellular phone with extra backup batteries; a flashlight with blinking red warning beam and high frequency radio waves that would be set at the megahertz designated by Mentor; an eavesdropping device with the range of fifty yards; a miniature video lens that could peer around corners and under doors; high-powered binoculars with night infrared capability; compass with magnetic north; glass cutters; electronic safe-cracking devices; a semiautomatic weapon; a handgun; a knife; a backpack complete with deadly hand grenades, light and sound percussion grenades, delayed fuses and incendiary devices; and a small pack filled with dry food rations and a supply of bottled water.

  Harrison scrutinized the objects that he placed before him. He then reassessed his choices and was satisfied with his selection of armament and electronic equipment. Harrison gathered the unselected equipment and returned them to the jeep. He arranged the brush again to conceal the jeep and his equipment. Harrison returned to collect his gear and rations. He put on the large backpack of munitions and secured the backpack so that it fit comfortably. Harrison swung over his shoulders the food rations and water pack. They hung to the side at his waist. The remaining gear fit into a specially designed belt, freeing his hands for using high tech devices or weaponry.

  Harrison took one last look around at his home base and marked the area’s location on his map; however, he marked the area thirty miles due north of its actual geographical location in case the map should fall into unfriendly hands. Harrison grew nervous as dawn was quickly approaching and he would soon lose the protective cloak of darkness. Had Harrison the time, he would rest and stay put until evening. The stakes, however, were too high to play it safe and taking risks was now the order of the day.

  Harrison decided to travel quickly and cover as much ground as possible before sunrise dawned in a full glow. He took out his compass and headed north expecting to find the ranch of Jacob Hawthorne as identified by one of his murdered wives. The overgrowth was perfect in providing Harrison concealment. He made whatever slight detours were necessary to hike through the wooded area. Harrison hoped that nature’s canopy lasted for most of the hike northward. He knew that he could not travel in the daylight without some cover. Harrison repeatedly warned himself to ‘remain alert’ as the domestic terrorists had no intention of letting anyone waltz onto their property by accident or design. His stealth alertness started now, as he neither knew the expanse of the tentacles of the extremists nor their numbers. He did not know if they were ordered to ‘shoot to kill’ or possibly bring back all prisoners to interrogate them at whatever level necessary to gain their desired information.

  Harrison knew that the sooner he located President Ashton, the sooner that they could both travel out of harm’s way. If Elizabeth Ashton was still alive, he knew that she was capable and ready. President Ashton served in the Middle East conflicts, in
cluding Desert Storm in Iraq. She undoubtedly has assessed her situation and identified her options, including calculating the odds of escape and death. Harrison hoped that Elizabeth Ashton secured vital information about the terrorists’ routine and modus operandi. She may have overheard their plans. In any case, what Harrison knew of President Ashton, she had considered her fate if his rescue mission failed.

  Harrison was determined to make the President’s rescue a success. Failure now would send a green light to all factions, extremists and terrorists that the White House was available for the pickings. They could plan insertions at will with little concern of retribution by the government. What Harrison did not know—could not know at the moment—was the exact extent of Mentor’s success in concealing, misleading and duping the conspirators. He wondered how long Mentor could maintain his hoax of studying and implementing the seated President’s ten point plan. The unraveling of the hoax also meant the end of Harrison’s mission in securing the release of President Ashton and perhaps the demise of Mentor and himself. The attack by Clona Hawthorne before the start of this mission attested to the terrorist’s sophistication, planning and surveillance. The domestic terrorists knew to expect something and have contingency plans in place. The assassinations of Hardware and Mentor were certainly one of those contingencies. Their deaths were necessary if the conspirators were to finalize their plan to infiltrate the Office of the Presidency. Undoubtedly, a ruse was already developed to explain their deaths and preserve their attack on the people of the United States from the highest office in the land. He believed that the only way to interfere with the terrorists’ ultimate goal was to preserve the life of Elizabeth Ashton. With these thoughts weighing on his mind, Harrison wished he knew what Greg was doing and if his old friend was still alive.

  Chapter 20

  The Mirror of Ashton

  Mentor spent the past several hours worrying about the status of Harrison and reviewing the ten-step plan forwarded to him by the President. The stakes were never higher to him in his twenty-five years of government service. It was Mentor’s role to perpetrate a fraud on Capitol Hill that would deceive the treasonous conspirators sufficiently long enough for Hardware to resolve his mission.

  Mentor was busy outlining short-term objectives and long-term goals in response to each of the ten steps. For the fifth time in the early morning hours, he reviewed the President’s itemized solution to counteract domestic terrorism by assimilating domestic terrorism into American politics. Mentor attempted to formulate a believable response as directed by the President. He reviewed the ten steps for a sixth time:

  “Step one: Review prison cases and release those dissident terrorists in federal prison whose crimes do not include direct acts of violence against the people of the United States;

  Step two: Provide financial compensation to these individuals for time loss on the job and emotional reparation;

  Step three: Discontinue federal wiretaps on suspected terrorists where there is no direct, concrete evidence of intention to commit a crime despite a positive past history of such crimes;

  Step four: Direct the FBI and IRS to no longer use their strong arms in investigating individuals just because their views differ from our government’s stance;

  Step five: Develop a moderated committee whose membership includes people appointed because of their distinct dissident views to provide input to governmental activities, funding and law;

  Step six: Arrange that such a committee is solely responsible and reportable to the President;

  Step seven: Allow for equal access time in all broadcasting media, particularly during federal, state and local elections;

  Step eight: Provide guidelines and sensitivity training to all branches of law enforcement in their exchanges with our country’s dissident terrorists;

  Step nine: Provide guidelines to local governments on how to develop and maintain open forums so that varying viewpoints can be heard, documented and implemented; and lastly,

  Step ten: Reinitiate efforts to support vigorously the right of law-abiding American citizens to carry arms as provided in our Constitution.

  Mentor’s eyes grew tired and his head nodded slightly when he heard a knock at the door. “Come in” was his automated reply. The door opened slowly and the President walked into the conference room. She looked directly at Mentor and said rather ironically, “My, aren’t we up late? Or are we up early?” He made direct eye contact with the President and then briefly averted his eyes to the surveillance camera mounted on the wall before returning his stare back to her. “Late, Madam President” responded Mentor sharply. “I was finishing outlining a plan for implementing your ten points in counteracting domestic terrorism” continued Mentor.

  The President walked over to Mentor and took the working draft from his hand. She scanned the material quickly, nodding her head intermittently in polite approval. “Not bad,” was the President’s reply. She added, “For a first draft. Very good work.” “Thank you, Madam President. I hope it will meet with your approval.”

  The President smiled and then asked, “Where is Hardware? I thought you might have him working with you on such a major up taking.” Mentor responded, “I sent him home for a rest. I want him alert later this morning to finalize this draft before sending it to your desk for your review and approval.” Mentor hoped that the subterfuge would buy Hardware and himself some valuably needed time. The President looked at Mentor coyly and replied, “Very good. I’ll look forward to your draft. Do try and get some rest.” “Yes, I will. Thank you Madam President” responded Mentor. The President turned and was about to exit the room. She unexpectedly came back to Mentor and said sharply, “Be sure that Hardware is here tomorrow.” Mentor nodded and the President left the room. He was alone once again to ponder a believable reply to an impossible plan.

  Mentor hoped that he would hear from Harrison soon. Yet, he understood the need for silence and the risk that communication could bring to the mission. There would be no judicial judgment or appeal if the mission failed. Assassins would summarily execute Mentor and Hardware. He so wished that he could have briefed Harrison more fully or sent him assistance, but he knew that the risk of discovery was too great. Mentor’s best-case scenario was for him to continue the deception in Washington although he recognized that time was not on his side. The President will eventually insist on seeing Hardware and Mentor will have to produce him.

  Mentor reviewed what he had written in response to the President’s plan. What he offered was plausible although he felt it was treacherous. Moreover, Mentor knew that at some point he would have to begin implementing his pending plan in order to continue his contrived hoax. He gazed at his watch and knew that whatever cloak of darkness used by Harrison was now fading away. The light of day soon would betray him. He hoped that Harrison’s focus was not sidetracked by thoughts about Hannah and the loss of Pope Josetta. Mentor recalled that he had sent his friend on missions before when personal and, at times, tragic events unfolded. He knew from his conversations with Harrison how he felt about being absent from such events, the void he felt, and the guilt he carried—all because of his dedication to the security of the President. He understood that Harrison would take more risks than usual given the urgency of his task and daylight or not, he would continue his mission. Mentor signed heavily and nervously awaited a signal from his friend. The absence of such a signal was unthinkable to Mentor. He had relied heavily on Harrison’s skills and cunning many times before. Mentor found himself in this familiar, uncomfortable position once again where the best he could do was wait. Mentor’s ability to wait became less patient with age. Perhaps because the missions were more complicated and risky as they kept pace with the complex emerging American society—a society that contained so many factions with many conflictive viewpoints. Resolutions of such viewpoints also became less philosophical over the years giving away to rhetoric, restless conflict and physical violence.

  Mentor reached into his pocket and looked at
the special cellular device that was set at the frequency agreed upon for Harrison’s contacts. A touch of a button verified that the signal was set correctly and operational. Mentor kept a vigil on the device before reminding himself that “a watched pot never boils.” He returned the device to his pocket and glanced at the surveillance camera. Mentor decided he would remain in his office for now, composing his response to the President and eagerly awaiting a contact from Harrison.

  Chapter 21

  Hide and Seek

  As Mentor labored in D.C., Harrison continued his trek toward the Sarhea ranch of Jacob Hawthorne. He hoped that Mary Lou Hawthorne was truthful on her deathbed, or at least candid about the location of their ranch. Harrison tired from his quick pace. His backpack and the equipment he carried further burdened him. Dawn was breaking as evidenced by light leaking through the scattered clouds. Harrison could see better now which also meant, unfortunately, that he could be better seen. So far, he witnessed nothing unusual and that worried him. If the ranch was nearby, a security force was in place and patrols were guarding the perimeter. Harrison worried and wondered if he had missed something or someone. Had he succumbed to a trap even before he began his search for Elizabeth Ashton? Was he the captured rescuer? Was he the knight who tripped before he mounted his horse?

  Harrison stopped under some heavy brush. He breathed heavily from the pace that he maintained over the last several hours. Harrison bowed his head momentarily and caught his breath. He raised his binoculars and scoured the countryside around him. Harrison scanned the distant low and high ground. He looked for patrol and security clues near the trees and treetops. Unless well camouflaged, security equipment and personnel would be vulnerable to the magnified eye. Harrison’s initial search did not reveal such clues. He considered the possibility that the dying woman did not betray her husband despite the brutality inflicted in sanctioning her murder.