About Face

by Christian, Claudia Hall

  “It’s a classified mission,” Vince said. “It’s possible that this is the way they were covering their tracks.”

  “No way,” Sergeant Dusty said. “We were ordered by the CS Navy to find these men. We were sent everything they had. We have what they had.”

  “What was their mission?” Vince asked.

  “The CS Navy wouldn’t say,” Alex said.

  “Why?” Leena asked.

  “I don’t think he knew,” Alex said.

  “Could the map be some kind of a mistake?” Matthew asked. “The US military hasn’t been up into the Wakhan Corridor. Taliban, either. I mean outside of the Fey SF team, our team, and some goat herders, no one’s been through since the Chinese closed the border. The Taliban doesn’t even move drugs through this area.”

  “Do you think that’s why Joseph was targeted?” Margaret asked. “Because he was there with you and would know that something was wonky.”

  “It’s certainly possible.” Alex nodded. “Joseph is so detail specific he would never have sent the teams out with this kind of data. He would have known right off the bat that the list of check-in locations was wrong. Is there a video data?”

  “No video,” Margaret said. “They checked in with command at regular specified times, but not anything else.”

  “Could the locations have been to cover what they were doing?” Vince asked.

  “Possibly,” Alex said. “Raz? Colin? Can you put your screens on the board side by side?”

  Raz’s map showed the Wakhan Corridor, an area that looked like a lobster’s outstretched arm with a wide claw. The area went between China, in the mouth of the claw, Tajikistan on the north and Pakistan to the south. The check-in spots were all over the map. Kilik pass, the SEALs’ first entrance point, was miles and mountains away from the second check-in inside the Wakhan. Colin’s map showed the same thing but in satellite images. With out helicopters, there would be no way for anyone to get from one point to the next in the time given

  “I refuse to believe that Navy Intelligence didn’t see this immediately,” Alex said.

  She looked at Royce.

  “Raven?” Alex asked Royce.

  “Raven’s here on Coronado Island for the military exercises,” Royce said. “She said that the intelligence team that worked on this assignment is also here. And the NCIS team is actually out of Camp Pendleton. Would you like me to invite them over here?”

  “Let’s wait,” Alex nodded.

  “At this point, it doesn’t matter what the SEALs were doing,” Trece said. “They’re lost, and we need to find them.”

  “Absolutely,” Alex nodded.

  “Why are you so freaked out?” White Boy asked. “We’ve found people who were lost to the world before.”

  “Colin, can you back out of this picture?” Alex asked. “Raz?”

  The image went from the closer view. Very slowly, a ring of mountains appeared on the screen.

  “I’ll be damned,” Raz said.

  “Would you look at that?” White Boy exclaimed. “It looks like those maps you found this year. You know the ones from the bookstore in Paris and behind that map and . . . Wow.”

  “Not quite,” Colin said.

  “But close,” Alex said.

  “That’s no caldera,” Troy said. “Not even close.”

  “No, it’s not,” Alex said. “And from a U-2, it would look much more like a valley and less like a caldera. That’s the weird thing. They seem to know that the library is in a ring of mountains around a central point, but not that we think it’s a caldera.”

  “Exactly,” Raz said. “There’s a lake there. It looks enough like the area indicated in the maps that it could be the location.”

  “If they knew that Zack had seen it before, it’s a good bet that it could have been here,” Cliff said. “Those U-2s have flown over this region for more than a decade.”

  “Right,” Alex said.

  “Do you think they were looking for . . .” Leena blushed. “I don’t know what it is — a library, a storage house, a person . . .”

  “I don’t think we can be sure what we’ll find when we find it,” Alex said. “And yes, it looks to me as if these teams were sent to do recon on areas that look like they might match the map.”

  “The area we’re supposed to find,” Margaret said.

  “It’s not as nonsensical as you’d think,” Troy said. “The largest and most important library of all time was said to be at Alexandria. It held more than seven hundred thousand scrolls. And there were at least six Alexandrias in the region we were talking about. Alexandria Eschate . . .”

  “Which is in the Ferghana Valley, Tajikistan,” Alex said.

  “Near Khujand,” Raz said. “We’ve been to the Citadel, Alex and I, that is, when she was working with the Fey Special Forces Team.”

  “Alexandria in the Caucasus,” Troy said.

  “In Charikar which is northeast of Bagram,” Cliff said with a nod. “I flew cover for a squad out of Bagram. We got there more than once.”

  “That’s right,” Alex said. She nodded to Troy, “I think I know what you’re getting at.”

  “And Alexandria in Arachosia,” Troy said. “Which is modern day . . .”

  “Kandahar,” Alex said. “Which is also in the south. Can you mark those on your map, Colin?”

  Colin marked the sites with a large “A” The locations of these historic cities appeared on the map.

  “There was an Alexandria in Aria, which is modern-day Herat,” Alex said.

  “Where’s that?” MJ asked.

  “East Afghanistan, near Iran,” Colin said.

  “There’s also Ai Khanoum,” Matthew said. “That’s Alexandria on the Oxus. It’s in the northwest of Afghanistan, not far from the Wakhan. The ruins were looted after the Russian left, but it’s still there.”

  “Alexandria Prophthasia is thought to be at Farah,” Alex said, “but it’s too close. It’s more likely that it’s further south. We’re not exactly sure where.”

  “Is there a point here?” Colin asked.

  “You have all of these Alexandrias,” Troy said.

  “Including our Alex,” the White Boy said. “Right?”

  Everyone laughed.

  “What I’m trying to say . . .” Troy gave the White Boy a joking glare. The White Boy laughed. “Maybe the library we’re looking for is located at one of these Alexandrias. It would collect information from the entire Greco-Bactria region and pass it to the main library in Egypt.”

  “Greco-Bactria?” Leena asked.

  “What the region was called for a couple hundred years when it belonged to the Greeks,” Troy said.

  “You’re saying that it is possible that there was another Alexandria in the Wakhan Corridor, and it had a library?” Matthew asked.

  “Exactly,” Troy said. “One that is lost to history because of what it holds.”

  No one spoke as they digested the information and looked at the satellite map that Colin had annotated.

  “I didn’t think Greco-Bactria went into the Wakhan Corridor,” Alex said.

  “The only road into the Wakhan was built by Alexander’s men,” Sergeant Dusty said.

  “It was 300 BC,” Troy said. “We think we know where things were, but there’s no way to be completely sure. Alexander built seventy garrisons in Greco-Bactria. We just listed six.”

  Alex nodded.

  “I get it,” Raz said with a nod. “Troy’s saying that it’s not a huge stretch to say that there was another Alexandria since you have one very far in Tajikistan and two Alexandrias fairly close together to the southwest in Afghanistan.”

  “The Wakhan Corridor was on the Silk Road,” Troy said. “It would be a logical place for a garrison, even just for resupplying.”

  “I thought the point of the Alexandrian library was that information and knowledge would come in from the empire and pool in Alexandria,” Colin said.

  “Sure,” Alex said. She scowled. “One thin
g we should check is who destroyed the library. I don’t think anyone knows. So maybe . . .”

  “Black Skeleton?” Trece asked.

  “It’s as good of an explanation as any I’ve heard,” Alex said. “Raz, can you ask Dex if he knows anything about it?”

  Dex Zeno was, at one time, Raz’s partner on the New York Police Department. His family was involved in a group called Ambitum Rosa or Compass Rose, which documented the activities of the group Alex and her team were now calling the Black Skeleton.

  “The destruction of the library in Alexandria?” Raz asked.

  “And if there’s possibly another Alexandria in the Wakhan Corridor with a library inside,” Alex said. “That would make sense that someone who’s never been there, never seen the harsh conditions firsthand, might think that’s a good place to look.”

  Alex looked at the team for a moment before nodding.

  “You realize what this means, right?” Matthew asked.

  “Admiral Ingram sent the SEALs to find the library,” Troy said. “Our library.”

  “He also has to be behind the assault on Joseph’s family,” Leena said.

  “It’s possible,” Alex said with a nod. “Ingram did mock both the book and the Black Skeleton. Truthfully, we’re just guessing.”

  “None of this brings us any closer to finding the three platoons,” Vince said.

  “We know a few things,” Alex said. “Whoever planned this had enough juice to change the map, at least the electronic map. We need to check for the paper maps. We know that the team is not where they said they were. We’ll have to talk to NCIS and Navy Intelligence to see what they know. We also know that it’s possible that the SEALS went to look for the library we’re charged to find — the library that will tell us how to save the world.”

  “Why did you get so upset?” MJ asked.

  “Well, my map was wrong,” Alex said with a grin. “I really hate this kind of thing. No team should go in so completely blind from the people who are there to support them. That means that whoever set up this trip had no confidence in the security of their intelligence support or that they’re up to something they don’t want to be court martialed over.”

  “But look at the timing,” Vince said. “Ingram runs you and your team out of business. His very next move is to send this team out. Why? From where I sit, it looks like he thinks he can find this library himself.”

  “What do you think would have happened if you were not on leave when this team went out?” Colin asked.

  “The team leader would probably have called me or Joseph or you, Vince,” Alex said. “We could give them valuable intel and checked their map. Any decent team leader would make use of that.”

  “I also wonder — how do you know that he doesn’t want the platoons knowing?” Raz asked.

  “That the weather is fucking awful?” Alex asked. “Especially this time of year?”

  The team laughed, and Alex smiled.

  “I will tell you something,” Alex said. She looked from face to face. “It’s really nice to be back.”

  The team cheered in agreement.

  “Now, I need to speak with the intelligence team and NCIS,” Alex said. “Anyone want to come along for the ride?”

  Raz was the only one who raised his hand. Trece agreed to come along to guard them. Alex was waiting near the front when Vince came up.

  “Do you honestly think you can find them?” Vince asked.

  “I don’t know,” Alex said. “Our contact in the Wakhan haven’t seen the platoons. The trail they left isn’t readable. The weather is awful, so there’s no way to know what condition they’ll be in when we find them.”

  Vince nodded. He hugged Alex.

  “Welcome back,” Vince said.

  “Thanks,” Alex said.

  Trece pulled up in an armored SUV, and she got in the passenger seat. MJ and Margaret got in the back. Raz stretched out in the farthest back.

  “Ready?” Trece asked. “It’s a bumpy ride.”

  “Ready,” Alex said.

  Trece took off across the open terrain of Camp Pendleton. The SUV shook and rattled. To keep from screaming at Trece, Alex called the Intelligence Center. She almost instantly regretted it. The technician who answered the phone passed to the Captain-in-charge. The young man gave her an earful. He was disgusted with her incompetence. He blamed her outright for the error on the map. Alex asked for him to check the electronic map against the paper map. He swore at her instead.

  She had no choice but to hang up and call the new head of the Intelligence Center. As the SUV lurched and bounced along the rough road, the Intelligence Center head told her in no uncertain terms that her incompetence had killed the young SEALs. Between his imaginary expletives and derogatory comments about her, she repeated her request to check the computer map with the paper map. He went on to insist that she would never draw a map for him again. Thanking him for the relief of duty, she ordered him to check the paper map.

  The paper map was correct. The electronic map was wrong. She hung up when he started groveling for her to continue drawing maps. The rest of the ride was only slightly less awful than meeting the head of the West Coast Navy Intelligence Center.

  “I sure as fuck sent the F-15s after you,” the head of the West Coast Navy Intelligence Center said. “I was informed that the Fey is dead. My job is to protect the continental US. A copycat of an officer is definitely an attack against the union.”

  When he began to detail Alex’s stupidity, Alex started singing songs in her head. The man was so upset that his hands were shaking. His face was bright red. Every once in a while, spit flying from his mouth hit Alex’s face. When he seemed satiated, she thanked him and left the room. She marched out of the building with Trece in front and Raz by her side. Once outside, she weaved. Raz grabbed her and propped her up against the wall. Raz leaned into her and Trece in front of her.

  Her phone rang.

  Commander-in-charge of Navy Intelligence’s picture came up on her phone. Shaking her head, Alex sent the call to voicemail.

  Raz took her elbow and led her away from the building. They were on their way to the SUV when the phone rang again. Alex looked at her phone. The Commander-in-charge of the Navy Intelligence Center rang. She put the phone to voicemail, and the Commander called again.

  “They can probably see us on the security videos,” Trece said.

  Alex raised her middle fingers in a two-handed flip off. They continued toward the parking lot. The Deputy Commander in-charge of Navy Intelligence called. Alex sent the call to voicemail. The next call came from a woman Alex and the Fey Special Forces Team had pulled out of an Iraqi hovel fourteen long days after she’d gone missing.

  “This better not be about Naval Intelligence, Lisa,” Alex said.

  “That’s Captain Hummingsworth to you,” the woman said with a laugh.

  “Fuck you,” Alex said and hung up.

  Alex went up to a parking lot security camera. She threw her phone on the ground, took out her 9MM Glock, and shot three bullets into the phone. US Navy Police ran toward them. With Trece and Raz as her guards, they made it to the SUV.

  They had just gotten into the SUV when Raz and Trece’s phones began to ring. Navy Military Police surrounded the SUV. Inside the SUV, Alex heard the MPs phones ring at once. After a moment, the officer-in-charge knocked on Trece’s window.

  “Jules?” Trece asked.

  “She’s wanted on the phone,” the Navy Military Police Officer said.

  “She indisposed,” Trece said.

  “She discharged her weapon on a military base, Captain Ramirez,” the Navy Military Police Officer said. “I could arrest her right now.”

  “I’d like to see you try,” Alex said.

  The Navy Military Police Officer looked past Trece to Alex in the back seat.

  “The COMONI has asked me to apologize for her,” the Navy Military Police Officer said.

  “Bullshit.” The word popped out of Raz’s mouth.


  Alex raised her eyebrows to him. He was furious.

  The Navy Military Police Officer’s eyes flicked to Alex. He looked at her for a moment before nodding.

  “I understand your distress, ma’am,” the Navy Military Police Officer said. “But we cannot let these minor inconveniences get in the way of our greater mission.”

  “I’ve never been on a Navy mission,” Alex said with a sniff.

  To her surprise, the Navy Military Police Officer laughed. Grinning, he put his cell phone in Trece’s hand. Trece held up the phone.

  “I can chuck it,” Trece said.

  Alex shook her head.

  “Just give it to me,” Alex said.

  Trece gave her the phone. Alex closed her eyes and said a prayer begging for patience.

  “I was trying to decide whether or not to leave the military,” Alex said into the phone. “You can thank your men for the encouragement.”

  “He didn’t know who you were,” the Commander said.

  “Does it matter who I am?” Alex asked. “The man is out of control. He’s never met me, and he unloaded with both barrels. That’s beyond unreasonable.”

  “Plus, he’s fat as fuck,” Trece said in the background.

  “Trece would like you to know that he is also fat,” Alex said.

  Commander-in-charge of the Office of Navy Intelligence laughed.

  “As for NCIS . . .” Alex said.

  Commander-in-charge of the Office of Navy Intelligence stopped laughing.

  “I heard about that,” the Commander said.

  “What do you want?” Alex asked. Her voice was laced with exhaustion and despair.

  “I wanted to confirm with you that the electronic map at the Intelligence Center does not match the printed map,” the Commander said.

  “Of course, that’s true!” Alex said. “Why would you even ask?”

  “We were informed that the Fey had provided an incorrect map,” the Commander said.

  “How is that possible?” Alex asked. “Every single map is given to people in the field. The maps aren’t confirmed until at least twenty people agree the details are correct. These maps aren’t drawings of satellite images. They are real, living documents which reflect on-the-ground terrain. They are checked and double-checked on the ground before they go through satellite imaging.”