The Wolves of Freydis

by J C Ryan

  Carter realized that the saying was true; don’t judge a book by its cover and smiled when he remembered the modern version; don’t judge a book by its movie.

  James and Irene gave Sean the details of the type of services they required from Sean’s organization without going into any of the details of Carter and Mackenzie’s projects, or the fact that she and Liam had been abducted. First, they wanted to make sure that Carter would be kept safe at all times, and not only that; they also required extensive counter surveillance measures to protect his research and detect anyone who had surveillance tabs on him.

  Sean remained quiet most of the time while James and Irene were talking, listening attentively, and asking few questions. It struck Carter as odd that Sean was not taking any notes; at least until he realized that he was now in a world where no records existed. It was a world where you had to rely on a superior memory and trust the people with whom you work.

  Sean smiled when they discussed the details of Carter’s safety and James told him about Carter’s ranch north of Quebec City and the need to extend their protection to include the times when Carter was there.

  “That’s going to make two of our sub-contractors euphoric. They are ex-JTF2 - Joint Task Force 2 - one of the Special Forces units of the Canadian Special Operations Forces Command. One of them is from Quebec and the other from Saskatchewan. I take it you want his protection detail in place right away?”

  “Yes, if that’s possible,” James replied.

  “No problem,” Sean replied, “I placed two people on standby after our telephone conversation. When we’ve finished this meeting, I’ll call them in, and we can go into the details.”

  James nodded.

  “Carter what are your plans? How much longer are you going to be in DC?” Sean asked.

  “I am flexible,” Carter replied. “My plan was to stay here for another five days or so, but I am happy to fit in with whatever you want.”

  “Are you planning to go back to Freydis from here?” Sean asked.

  “Yes, unless you have something else in mind for me.”

  “No problem,” Sean smiled. “I’ll just have to give the two Canucks notice to prepare themselves for a gig in their homeland.”

  “Sean, have you ever been up that way?” James wanted to know.

  “I’ve been in all the provinces of Canada quite a few times except for Quebec. Why?”

  “Do yourself a favor; go and have a look at Carter’s place one day. It was a life-changing experience for me,” James smiled.

  “You’re welcome anytime Sean.” Carter smiled. “My family and I believe it’s the most beautiful place on earth.”

  Despite Carter’s smile, Irene noted the shadow in Carter’s eyes when he spoke about his family.

  Sean nodded. “Sounds like I will have to go and see it then.”

  Next they discussed the electronic security requirements.

  Irene explained. “Sean, we want to keep most of Carter’s research off the A-Echelon record. I say most because from time to time we will allow selected bits and pieces to pass through the network, servers, and computers.”

  Sean didn’t have to ask; it was clear, A-Echelon had an internal security problem. At the very least, James and Irene were just being extremely cautious, and that was never a bad idea.

  “Okay, I’ll get our IT guru, Rick Winslow, to get in touch with you tomorrow morning to set it all up for you.”

  Sean called in his VIP protection expert, Norma MacMillan. Norma was a decorated former senior Secret Service agent assigned to the protection detail of a previous President of the United States.

  She was in her mid-40’s, about five eight, with shoulder length auburn hair, which she kept in a ponytail and lively, brown eyes. She was dressed in a dark gray pantsuit.

  Sean introduced her to his visitors and asked her to take a seat. He gave her a brief overview of Carter’s protection requirements.

  Within an hour of listening and questioning James, Irene, and Carter she had enough information and said, “If you give me an hour there will be two people ready to accompany you when you leave. I’ll work out a protection plan overnight and meet with you again tomorrow morning to finalize the details if that suits you, Professor Devereux.”

  “That will be fine, but since you’re going to be responsible for my safety, it would be best that you call me Carter.” He smiled.

  “Thank you, Carter, I’ll do that. You may call me Norma. What time tomorrow and where?”

  Despite her friendly smile, she was a quiet, no-nonsense person. Carter could see in her demeanor that she was efficient and every bit as professional as he always believed the Secret Service agents to be.

  “0900 hours at the A-Echelon offices?” Carter asked while looking at Irene. She nodded.

  “Thank you, I’ll see you there.”

  About 40 minutes later Norma returned with two men whom she introduced as Jack Simms and Peter Roderick. They were Carter’s bodyguards for the next 24 hours until the detailed plan had been worked out and approved by James and Irene.

  Chapter 26 -

  I had a dream

  Mackenzie sat on the edge of her bed. Liam was off somewhere playing, and it wasn’t quite dinner time. She was tired and depressed. It had been months since they’d arrived here and each day was the same as the rest.

  She pushed her hands through her long red hair; it was dry and listless. It was months since she’d been outside in the sun and fresh air. Her body was suffering just as her mind was.

  Having Liu working alongside her had been a real boost to her morale, but the constant care they had to take not to be seen talking about anything other than work was bringing her down. Indeed, the code Liu had developed from the language of the ancient texts they were working on helped a lot, but Nasser kept Liu in a different part of the facility, and she and Mackenzie were not allowed contact outside work hours.

  Discovering that there had been an explosion she knew nothing about, and knowing that Carter was inside the restaurant when it happened gave her cause for concern. And yet, if he was the man who had been found alive after the bomb detonated, it was likely he had survived, and that gave her hope. At least, she had some information, but it wasn’t nearly enough.

  Had he been injured? Did he survive? Somewhere deep inside her, she felt sure he had and maybe even now was back at Freydis. But how did he feel believing they had been killed? Was there any chance at all he would learn they were alive; how could he possibly know?

  This was a question that haunted her every night. Sometimes she would lie awake and try to imagine being on Freydis with him. She would try to recall the sun and the fresh air, the smell of the trees, the snow in winter, the autumn gold, but for all that, she was losing the battle because one of the most fundamental things humans need to know was denied her; where was she? Was it day or night? Not even that was known. Living underground, reduced to work and being controlled was having its effect on her.

  It was ongoing without end, laboring over the ancient texts, and trying to survive. The monotony was appalling, go to bed, sleep, get up, eat, work, go back to her two-room cell, eat, sleep and do the same again the next day.

  Indeed, her time with Liam was good; he brought the only brightness into her day and made her feel alive again. Their mutual study of Arabic was interesting and also helped break up the monotony a little. Each of them had reached a stage where they could make a basic conversation in the language, and it made her think of Carter and his long list of languages he studied as a hobby.

  She sighed, smoothed her hands over her swelling tummy, “Hello little one. How are you down here?” Talking to the new life inside her reminded her she had a lot to live for, and all she had to do was hang in and keep the days busy. If Carter were alive he would find them; she knew that without a doubt, and it was the only thing that stopped her from giving up. Surely, without that hope, she would slowly shrivel up and die.

  Liu had made a significant difference
to their work; she was able to ignite some fire into Mackie’s thinking when she felt beyond tired and unable to keep going.

  Maybe for Liu, not having to be afraid of losing a child here, and not having someone she believed could be dead made things easier, although she didn’t underestimate how hard it was for Liu as well. The confinement was pulling Liu down too. There were days they would barely code-talk to each other. They just sat side-by-side; working to translate the ancient texts in the hope of discovering something more that would move the work along.

  Mackenzie sighed and pulled herself to her feet; it was time to make some dinner for her and Liam. Afterward, as usual, they would settle down and study more Arabic before going to bed.

  Bed, another long night of lying in the dark trying to imagine being on Freydis. Sometimes she was fearful she was forgetting the place, afraid she would never see it again. Not Freydis, or Ahote and Bly, not her wolves, Keeva and Loki, would they even remember her? When her mind went to that point the tears would fall and her pillow became damp as she tried to wipe them away. She couldn’t cry, for Liam’s sake she must believe even when all belief seemed suspended.

  By the time dinner was over, Liam had recounted all he’d done during the day and provided news of each of his friends. They had spoken in Arabic the whole evening long, and now it was time for bed.

  Liam was happily tucked in and kissed goodnight, but as she left him he said, “Mummy, do you ever think of Freydis and all our loved ones there?”

  She paused in the doorway and leaned her head on the timber frame sighing quietly to herself.

  “Mommy?”

  She looked up and tried to smile, “Oh Liam darling, of course, I do, just as you do; it’s what keeps me going here. I can’t imagine we will be here forever, and when we leave it will be to go back to Freydis, you know that.” She smiled and moved over to kiss him again, “Just keep those thoughts in your mind; it’s what will make them come true.”

  Back in her own room, she undressed and slipped on another black gown - God, I'm so sick of black, - a soft light cotton, and climbed into her bed.

  Lying on her back with her arms folded above her head, she tried to cast off the day and move onto Freydis, but for some reason it was extra hard, maybe she was just too tired.

  With that thought, she turned over and dropped into a deep sleep.

  The first thing she was aware of was a cold nose pushing against her cheek. She tried to push it away, but it persisted, so she opened her eyes and found herself mirrored in the dark gold of Keeva’s eyes.

  “Keeva? What are you doing here?” she sat up and found Loki lying beside her.

  Looking around it was clear she was outside the cave on Freydis. She blinked her eyes trying to remember how she’d gotten here, but the memory simply didn’t exist.

  Around her, the air sparkled with a crisp spring freshness she had all but forgotten. The trees in their spring coats were lime green, and down the hill, the river ran fresh and cold. The dawn was coming up, and she watched the pink sky with awe and wonder as a new day began. This was something she had not seen for months.

  Turning to the wolves, she spoke to them, “How are you both?” she threw her arms around Loki and hugged him, reveling in the soft deep fur and the sense of strength in his body. His wolfy smell was magic, and she breathed deep, holding it to her.

  Keeva moved closer and then rolled on her back stretching her legs.

  Mackie gaped in sheer delight, “Keeva, you’re pregnant too. Oh, you clever couple.” And she burst into tears.

  Warm tongues dried her damp cheeks and for a long while, she just lay back against Loki’s body stroking Keeva's ears.

  She could feel exhaustion drain away as she lay there, a sense of vigor moving into her body as if rising from the grounds of Freydis to feed her.

  “Mom. Mommy?”

  “No, no please, I don’t want to leave, not yet.”

  “Mommy? Wake up, please.”

  Reluctantly she stirred and opened her eyes, letting the dream go, “Liam? Are you alright?”

  “Yes I am, but you were calling out, and I couldn’t hear what you were saying, I thought something might be wrong.”

  She smiled at the child and assured him nothing was wrong. Not one thing was wrong; it was all going to be all right.

  “Liam, I had a dream….”

  Chapter 27 -

  VIP protection

  James, Carter, and Irene were gathered in James’ office once again, a preliminary meeting between the three of them before Carter and Irene met with Norma to wrap up the details of Carter’s protection. Carter was pacing restlessly. He was finding it more and more difficult to control his growing impatience with all the planning and security arrangements. If it depended on him, he would issue orders to the American armed forces to invade the entire Middle East and do a house-to-house search for his family. It was frustrating to know that none of that would happen; no one knew where his family was.

  It was only a gut feeling that they might be somewhere in the Middle East, but by the same token, they could be in any country in the world, even in the United States. No one knew. That was if they were still alive; maybe that too was just another gut feeling. His emotions oscillated between excitement, hope, and belief one moment to doubt and despair the next.

  James and Irene could see his suffering and tried their best to help him to be pragmatic about it.

  “Carter, it would be an insult to say I know what you’re going through, I don’t,” Irene told him, “All I can say is; I can see you are suffering, and I’ll do everything possible to help you get through this.”

  James joined in. “Same from me Carter. I can’t even begin to imagine how you must feel and what is going through your mind, but you must believe one thing; Irene and I will stand by you and help you see this thing through.”

  “Thanks, you two, I appreciate that.” Carter quit pacing and sat down. “It helps a lot to know I have people around me that I can trust and lean on for support.”

  They all went quiet for a few moments, sipping their coffee before they continued.

  “Okay Carter,” Irene said. “Although it might be frustrating to have to go through all these security measures, it’s crucial that we get it in place as quickly as possible. We can’t take any steps forward in this case until we know that you are safe.”

  “Understood and agreed.” Carter nodded.

  “Okay. Our first priority is the meeting with Norma MacMillan so that we can finalize all the details and requirements for your protection. That will include not only your personal safety but also the security and secrecy of your research and communications.”

  Carter nodded.

  “Once we have that in place, we will meet with Sean Walker again to kick off the next phase which is to find Mackenzie and Liam.”

  Carter smiled. “I trust you and James will understand if I say that is the phase I’m most interested in.”

  “Yes, of course,” Irene smiled.

  James’ desk phone rang, it was his secretary letting him know Norma had arrived and was waiting at the security desk in the foyer for someone to sign her in.

  Carter and Irene went to meet her, and after taking her through the Airlock, they all went down to Irene’s office. Irene went through the entire office securing process, closing the blinds, scanning the room, unplugging and switching off the computers, desk, and cell phones.

  Once Irene was happy that the office was secure, Norma presented an overview of the plan. Irene had worked with the Secret Service on numerous occasions in the past and was familiar with how they operated. Carter, of course, had no idea what a complex operation VIP protection was.

  She explained at a high level how the security array would be setup and then went into more details about protection in different surroundings such as at home, a hotel, a restaurant, a conference, et cetera. She covered the basic principles of having a break in routine, identifying suspects, use of technical equipment,
sabotage awareness, planning and using escape routes, driving and shooting.

  Notwithstanding Irene and Carter’s varied levels of experience and knowledge of the subject of VIP protection, they were both highly impressed by Norma’s plan. There was no doubt that she knew what she was talking about.

  “After having said all of that,” she looked at Carter, “rule number one is always; the best personal protection we can provide will fail if our client is not cooperating.”

  Carter frowned.

  “Sorry, I don’t mean to offend you; it’s just that I need you to understand that we can only be as efficient as you will allow us to be. If you don’t tell us what your plans are, where you’re going, when, and how, we can’t help you,” she smiled, “in other words, we can’t read your mind; don’t surprise us.”

  Carter gave a slight shake of his head. “I won’t.”

  Norma continued. “Rule number two, an informed client is much easier to protect than an ignorant one. That means we will give you some training in our processes so that you know what to do at all times.”

  “Makes a lot of sense to me,” Carter agreed. “I’m in your hands now Norma; you just tell me what you want me to do.”

  “That’s a great start, Carter,” She laughed. “I wish all of our clients could hear what you just said. Some of them just don’t understand that it is a joint responsibility between them and us to make it work. The worst of the worst are politicians with their inflated egos. Sometimes it feels like I’m herding cats.”

  Irene exploded in laughter when Norma explained about the problem she had with some of her clients. Irene knew all too well how obstinate some politicians could be.