ASYLUM: Chapter 26

 

Chapter 26

   “Good morning, Sir.”

   “Come in, Daniel, everything good on the home front?”

   “Yes, Sir. Debra is doing great and Danni is having fun being Auntie Danni. I think she’s jealous that Debra can nurse the baby and she can’t.”

   “Lord, I can’t imagine two new mothers in the same household.”

   I laughed, “Yeah, I have to make threats of physical violence in order to be included in ‘hold the baby time.’”

   He smiled again, but then sobered, “Gilly and I never had that, what you have. No one’s fault really, it just never happened. We investigated adoption, but because we moved so much as a military household, we were considered poor candidates.”

   “Why? There must be a great many people in the military that have families, hell, you have some right here in Asylum.”

   “Yeah, I know, maybe it was just me, I don’t know. Anyway, that’s why Debra and Sara are getting visited so much by Gilly; I think she considers herself sort of a surrogate grandmother.”

   “Whatever the reason, she, and you, are always welcome.”

   “Thank you, now for the reason I called you. Major Higgins is very interested in your proposal concerning the Denver Enclave and frankly, so am I. How in depth did the two of you get in your original talk?”

   “Not very, Sir, Schwartz put an end to the discussion.”

   “By-the-way, she has her own little cage on the loading dock beside Stevens and Parker, in case you’re wondering.”

   “Danni has been keeping me up-to-date, Sir.”

   “I thought so. Back to why you’re here. Higgins told me that most of the civilian personnel in their party, are dependents of the Africa Special Deployment Detachment. Are you familiar with it?”

   “Only so far as they were a Mercenary Battalion working through the British Army.”

   “You were aware the British Parliament voted down military operations outside of NATO Territories?”

   “I think I remember something like that about the time I came here to work on Phase Six.”

   “Yes, the timeframe is about right. They were working closely with U.S. forces in Africa and were very effective. They were fast becoming the Brits Foreign Legion, but with the pandemics, they were in essence, abandoned and on their own. They traveled to Somalia, were hired by the UN and what was left of them ended up in Denver.”

   “Yes, Sir.”

   “Now, here’s some information you may not know. I have personally worked with the first iteration of the AS Double D in Africa and I can assure you, these guys are extremely good at what they do. They are, all of them, SOG, understand?”

   “Special Operations Groups, yes, Sir, cream of the crop when it comes to training.”

   “There’s more to them than many know, these people weren’t hired just because they were good at what they do, they were hired because they supported a particular political spectrum. They are politically conservative and motivated. They have a strong sense of what is morally acceptable and are willing to fight for their beliefs. At the moment, they find themselves in a difficult situation, they are relying on a form of government they find reprehensible for the very food they consume, they are outnumbered, they are denied their heavy weapons, ammunition stores are depleted, and they are constantly wrangling with the powers that be, just to maintain their unit cohesion.”

   “Sounds pretty crappy, Sir.”

   “It is. Major Higgins has stated he, as a representative of the AS Double D, is willing to consider recommending a military revolt against the leadership of the Denver Enclave. What do you think?”

   “I agree, but with reservations.” I shifted in the chair I was sitting in and rubbed my shoulder.

   “That shoulder causing you some grief today?”

   “Everyday. Horne thinks he knows why, but can’t guarantee it’s going to get better. Apparently, the hydrostatic shockwave expanded and contracted the arteries and blood vessels in, and adjacent, to the scalene muscle group. There are a lot of nerve bundles wrapped around those veins and arteries and as a result they were expanded and contracted also.”

   “Aw shit.”

   “Yes, Sir, he says the damage could be temporary, or permanent; only time can tell.”

   “And it’s too soon at the moment to figure it out.”

   “Yes, Sir, with your permission, I would rather you didn’t mention what I just told you to Debra, or Danni. They have enough on their plates already.”

   “I completely understand, Daniel, there are a few things that Gilly was never told also.”

   Gilly walked into the office with a tray and set it down on Packer’s desk, “Such as?” She said.

   There was a moment of panic on Packer’s face, which he quickly hid, “Such as what, Hon?”

   She turned and smiled at me before saying, “I learned two decades ago, that every time he calls me, Hon, it’s time to start digging.” Then she looked at Packer, “And you, my love, have absolutely no secrets hidden away; I know them all.” She poured two cups of coffee, handed one to each of us and then uncovered a small platter of cookies, “Sugar cookies, Daniel, I know how much you like them, but they may be a little on the stale side, if so, I’ll make a fresh batch and bring some by when I come to visit the little one tomorrow.”

   I smiled and said, “Thank you, Gilly, I’m sure these will be fine.”

   She walked out and Packer stuffed a cookie in his mouth and sipped coffee before saying, “The bad thing is, what does she know, I mean really know?”

   I chuckled and said, “Is there anything bad, bad?”

   “No, just things I did in combat, stuff like that.”

   “Does she know the wives of men you served with?”

   “Of course.”

   “There you go, men tell wives, wives tell other wives, or girlfriends they trust.”

   “Shit.”

   “My reservations?”

   “Go on.”

   “Where are they housed? Deep within the Enclave? Do they have access to the exterior? Are they sequestered? Isolated? We keep our weapons close-by, are they allowed to? Is the leadership of the Enclave aware of their political and cultural leanings? If their ammunition stores are depleted, can we help supply them in a covert manner? How easy will it be to differentiate them from any enemy they face?”

   “All good questions; I want you to find the answers. Higgins will work with you and co-ordinate as necessary, but do not inform him of anything that might weaken our position.”

   “You think it’s possible he might double deal?”

   “I know the reputation they have, but I don’t know them personally.”

   “Yes, Sir. When do you want to start?”

   “No time like the present.”

   “Yes, Sir. “I stood up and took a step towards the door, but then turned back and grabbed a handful of cookies as I smiled at Packer, “She did say they were, MY, favorites.” Then I hurried out of his office.

 

   I dropped by the apartment and checked on the girls, Debra and little Danni, and then over to the Intel Office. Everyone stood up as I entered and I said, “At ease,” as I walked through and entered my office. Julia walked in after me and laid a folder on the conference table.

   “What’s this,” I asked.

   “Remember you wanted us to continue looking for correlations concerning the splinter group from Denver?”

   “Oh, yeah, this is it?”

   “Yes, Sir.”

   “Okay, give me a short breakdown and we’ll go from there.”

   “Yes, Sir, first off…”

   “Julia, remember I asked you to be a little less formal in here?”

   She nodded and then said, “Yeah, but it’s just hard shifting back and forth and trying to figure out when you’re Captain Tarn and when you’re Daniel. So, we decided from now on, when we’re on duty it’s Captain Tarn and when we’re not, Daniel.”

   “That’s what you all decided?”

   “Yes, Sir.”

   I nodded and said, “Okay, continue your report, Sargent Ortiz.”

   She smiled and then said, “Apparently, after the departure, the leadership in Denver ordered the Africa Corps to be…”

   “Africa Corps? Where did that come from?”

   “Uh,” she leafed through several sheets and said, “The teenage son of one of the Board of Directors…umm…Samuel Livingston, first used the term in a chat room communication. Then it sort of spread from there.”

   “Samuel Livingston, is that the director, or the son?”

   “Son.”

   “Next time, be a little more precise when identifying individuals. What is the father’s name?”

   “Samuel Livingston, he’s the Director of Human Resources and…” She looked at me and then said, “Oh, the teenage son is a junior, as in Samuel Junior.”

   “Continue.”

   “Uh, right, after the splinter group left, the Board of Directors ordered the Africa Corps to be disarmed and reassigned to work details. The commanding officer of the Africa Corps declined the order and refused to surrender their weapons on the grounds that the weapons were personal items that each and every member had purchased themselves.”

   “Really?”

   “I guess, I don’ know if that’s true, or not, but it is the reason given for not complying with the Board’s demands. If you think about it though, we have the Second Amendment, right? So, they can’t take their personal guns.”

   “I doubt the Board of Directors is currently paying any attention to the Constitution or the Bill of Rights. I’m pretty sure, like the leadership we had here, they consider it an outdated instrument.”

   “Really?”

   “Yes, when, oh, that’s right, you arrived after we invited the ZPGers to go elsewhere.”

   “You did?” She looked puzzled, “I thought they decided to leave on their own.”

   “Technically speaking, yes and no. They demanded we turn all power over to them or they would leave us without their wisdom and leadership. We declined to allow them to continue as a governmental body, so they left.”

   “But then they tried to come back and invade us, well you, because we weren’t here yet, and you guys handed them their asses.”

   “With help from Holloman, yes.”

   “If they come back again, will we still need Holloman’s help?”

   “Possibly, depending on what they could bring to bear, but we are also much stronger now than then. Plus, we have our patrols, observation posts, and very good relations with our neighbors.”

   She nodded, and then said, “I really should take my Militia training more serious.”

   “You have an important job here, Julia, but yes, you should get all the training you can.” I waited a few moments while the wheels spun in her head and finally said, “The Africa Corps?”

   “Oh, yes, Sir. Uh, okay, they refused to surrender their weapons and the Board told the commanders of the other two formations of troops to do the disarming, but they declined because they knew the reputation of the Africa Corps. They said as long as the Africa Corps was armed that they wouldn’t fight them.”

   “Why hasn’t the Corps simply left?”

   “We haven’t really established that yet, but we suspect the board is somehow forcing them to stay. You know, if we could talk to that Major that returned with you, maybe he could answer some of our questions.”

   “So, you trust him?” I asked. “And if you do, why?”

   “I don’t know him, so why would I trust him?”

   “Exactly, we don’t know him, in fact, the only thing we know for sure, is the woman who was leading his group to Phoenix shot me the first chance she got.”

   “Yes, Sir, there is that.”

   “Good, let’s learn all we can and then ask him questions, sound reasonable?”

   “Yes, Sir. Okay, the buses that were stolen, Denver was really upset about that and it took us a while to find out the reason why; they were being used to transport work details into the surrounding areas to salvage and confiscate people’s supplies. They seem to only be concerned with keeping the people inside the Enclave with food. That has caused a lot of anger around them and now military units accompany any salvage teams. They have yet to do like us, and create a thriving barter and trade alliance with the local inhabitants. They have planted no crops, even though they have all the room you could want to start farms. Heck, the whole region was covered with farms before the fall.”

   “That’s something we may be able to exploit. What else?”

   “They have a new monetary system based on what they call…”

   “Solars, short for Socialist Dollars.”

   “Yeah, yes, Sir, that’s right, you must have run into that when you were looking for Debra in Denver.”

   I nodded.

   “There are a lot of items that in, and of themselves, seem inconsequential, but cause a nagging curiosity in me. I would like you to do a spread and see what you can put together.”

   “Okay, let’s clear the conference table and see what there is.”

   We did and I started laying the sheets out so they covered the table, but then I stopped. “Julia, you know those cork panels I had made? Are they still in the storage room?”

   “Yes, Sir.”

   “Get some help from the others and bring them in here and hang them on the wall. I’ll be right back,” I said as I left and returned home. When I arrived, Debra was sitting on the couch feeding little Danni with an almost blissful expression on her face.

   “Hi, Honey! You’re early!”

   “I’m not home for the day, I just needed to find something.” I started searching for the box of colored pins Maria had given me and I couldn’t remember the last place I had seen them. “Babe, there was a box of colored pins that Maria, I mean Mary, gave me; have you seen them lying about?”

   “Yes, I put them in the junk box beside your night stand.” I went to the bedroom and opened the box, then dug through it some before I found them. Back to the Livingroom and I asked Debra, “Okay, remember those rolls of yarn that Mary gave you to knit a baby blanket with?”

   “Yes.”

   “You thought you would throw them away because it was Mary that gave them to you, did you? Or are they still around somewhere?” Reaching beside her, she held up a knitted blanket for me to see. “Oh, okay, where would I find more of that yarn in different colors?”

   “The last time I was in the Exchange, they had a good selection in the crafts area. Are you going to take up knitting?” She smiled.

   “No,” I retuned her smile and leaned over her to give her a kiss and lightly stroke Danni’s cheek as she suckled. “You know how I lay out information sheets and then start drawing lines and making connections?”

   “Yes.”

   “It works good, but there are always changes that get made as more information is correlated. Instead of marking up the sheets, I’m going to place them on cork board and then use pins and yarn to connect the dots instead of lines drawn on.”

   “That’s a good idea; I’ve seen some of your charts that were so confusing, I couldn’t make heads, or tails of it.”

   “Same here,” I said. “If I use pins and yarn, I can remove lines that change, or I no longer need.”

   She shifted Danni to her shoulder and started patting her back until she burped and then back to her breast. “I have a little yarn left over if you want it, but there really isn’t a lot of it.” She shifted again and pushed the side of her breast to position the nipple for the baby and then said. “Oh, Gilly is going to the Exchange before she comes here today, should I call her and have her pick some up for you?”

   “Could you? It would definitely save me some time walking back and forth.”

   “Of course, it looks like Danni is topped off for a while, so I’ll call as soon as I have her down. What colors do you want?”

   “Uh,” I opened the box of pins and checked. “Red, blue, black, white, orange, brown, green and yellow; can you remember those?”

   “Got you covered, Hon.”

   I gave her another kiss and headed back to the office. When I walked in, Julia and Anthony were hanging the last two panels. The panels were three foot by four foot, so the whole ensemble was six-foot-high by twelve foot long. Our other two analysts had regrouped the sheets by topic, so we started pinning the sheets to the cork board. A few minutes after we finished grouping the sheets of paper, Gilly delivered the yarn and we started making the connections we identified as a team. Two hours later, I sat in my chair behind my desk and started studying the results. The colorful groupings seemed to make the whole thing even easier to understand and I started re-attaching the yarn from one pin to another as the patterns began to suggest different conclusions. Finally, I was satisfied and called Packer.

   “What have you got, Daniel?”

   “It will be easier to explain, Sir, if you drop by and look at it yourself.”

   “Can I bring Higgins? Or do you have things you don’t want him to know that we know.”

   I studied the board and finally said, “Bring him.”

   “Give me twenty minutes and we’ll be there.”

   “Yes, Sir.”

   When the two men arrived, Higgins waited in the front as I directed Packer to my office/conference room. Packer walked to the cork board and began studying it as he said, “This is new, I like it better than the old way you used.”

   “So do I.”

   He continued to trace out the patterns of yarn and finally said, “Looks like maybe, if I’m seeing this correctly, Denver has come up with a way to rid themselves of two different problems?”

   “Yes, Sir, based on what we have at the moment, that’s my conclusion.”

   The colored twine, though appearing random at first glance, took on an appearance of a spiderweb which was centered on the lower right side of the board. “I wonder what makes them think they can pull this off? On paper they have the potential resources, but in material, especially ammo…” He moved to the center of the web and stopped. After reading the printout, he muttered, “Fuck.”

   “Yes, Sir.”

   “This is going to put a wrinkle in the plan we were thinking of.”

   “Yes, Sir.”

   “And I can see Higgins backing off from being involved.”

   “It’s definitely a possibility.”

   “Okay, can you invite the Major to join us please?”

   “Yes, Sir.” I walked out of the room and motioned Major Higgins to join us. He quickly walked forward and followed me in where he joined Packer at the cork board.

   “Colorful,” he said. “What is it?”

   I stepped up beside him and said, “Information, painstakingly accumulated over a period of time, entered into a data base that is basically just a word processing program with a search function. We enter words, terms, phrases, names, and locations and it spits clumps of related data back at us. The more information entered, the more precise our conclusions can be. This is how we stay on top of things.”

   “How effective is it?” He asked.

   I stood beside him and stared at him until I finally said, “Major, the more you learn about how we do things, the more dangerous to us you become. Are you sure you want to go there?”

   He shrugged and answered, “Our position in Denver is becoming untenable. If something isn’t done soon, we’re going to be forced into an action that will probably result in one of three results. Either the Africa Special Deployment Detachment fights its way out of Denver; we surrender our principles and become willing servants of the new world order; or, we are destroyed. I, myself, prefer the first option as does Colonel Rickett.”

   I looked at Major Packer and he nodded to me, so I asked, “You told the Major, Denver has been unable to resupply your command with small arms ammunition, correct?”

   “Yes, we used up most of our supplies just getting to Somalia. When we were sent to Denver, we discovered most of the security forces there were equipped with Eastern Bloc weaponry, so our ammunition stockpiles remained dangerously low. We basically have enough left to provide each man with at best, three full magazines for their individual weapons.”

   “Heavier weapons?” I asked.

   “We were, as a Light Infantry formation, expected to be supported by other assets in whatever theater we were assigned to, but we had a Mortar Platoon consisting of four sections with two mortars per section and equipped with L16 81mm mortars. Originally, while in Africa, the mortars were mounted in lorries, but the vehicles were left behind when we were transported here.”

   “Anti-aircraft capability?” I asked.

   “When we were sent to Africa, we were issued the old Blowpipe system, they were an abysmal failure and we destroyed all of them rather than waste the energy transporting them. We then received Stinger missiles and we brought those with us, but they were warehoused when we arrived in Denver.”

   “Anti-armor?”

   “Milan missiles, also warehoused.”

   “Those warehoused systems, are they under the direct control of the AS Double D?”

   “No.” Higgins said as I looked at Packer and Packer sighed heavily. “Why do you ask?”

   “Because Denver isn’t planning an attack on Asylum,” I said. “They want to knock Holloman out of the equation.”

   “I see,” Higgins said. “Lucky for Holloman that Colonel Rickett saw the possibility of those missiles being misused.”

   Packer’s head snapped around and he said, “Explain, please.”

   Higgins smiled and said, “We all have secrets we hold close, Major Packer, let’s just say, that, is one of ours.”

   “You want concessions?” I asked.

   “We want, assurances.”

   “We’ve already offered to assist you in the taking of the Denver Enclave,” Packer said.

   “Taking the Denver Enclave isn’t the biggest problem,” Higgins said. “I can see that happening. The problem is holding on to it after we take it. You admit yourselves; you have suffered through numerous attempts to retake Asylum and you came close to losing it at one point. The only reason you are still in control is the assistance you received from your Air Force at Holloman. What happens if Denver makes an offer to Holloman, that Holloman finds difficult to refuse?”

   “The leadership at Holloman took the same oath I did as an American soldier and will do what is necessary to uphold that oath,” I said. Packer nodded.

   “Perhaps, but warfare and political intrigue are a chess game; sometimes we sacrifice a piece in order to gain advantage later in the game.” Higgins said it, but judging from his expression, he took no joy in it. “At Sandhurst, I was taught why we send formations forward to attack and not people; it’s much easier to send 1st Squad to pay the butcher’s bill, than to send Tommy, Dick, and Harry.”

   As much as I hated to say it, what he said was true.

   “Whenever we make agreements, those are possibilities we have to accept,” I said.

   “Your wife, Lieutenant Tarn of the Rangers, she just gave birth to your first child, am I correct?”

   “Yes, Major.” I suddenly started developing a dislike for him.

   “Are you willing to trust the leadership of Holloman with the safety of your wife and child?”

   I turned and faced him fully, “I can only tell you what she would, Sir, hell yes.”

   We stared into each other’s eyes and in my peripheral vision I saw Packer preparing to step between us and then Higgins said, “I do believe you are sincere, Captain. May I be allowed the honor of meeting your wife and child someday?”

   “Let me give her a call and let her know we’re coming, so she can get things squared away, and you can meet her when we are done here.”

   He nodded, “I had a family once, Captain. My wife, my two adult sons, and my teenage daughter, all died during the Third Wave in London. There were so many dead, the authorities were burning the bodies in mass funeral pyres.”

   “My condolences, Major Higgins,” I meant it.

   “By the time I was able to return home from Africa, a group of Muslim men had taken over our flat and when I arrived at my door, they laughed and said it was the will of Allah. I delivered four bodies to the fires, returned to duty, and I have never been back.”

   “There’s a lot of room in America right now, Major, a man can spread his wings and fly if he chooses to. Not too long ago, I was a construction worker and helping to build this place. Now…” I left the rest open to conjecture.

   Higgins turned to Packer and said, “The guidance systems have been removed and are stored in a safe location. It will only take a trained technician a few minutes to make each missile operational again. As they are now, I suppose they’d make grand paperweights.”

   Packer said, “That’s good to know, Major. You should know, that Denver was able to relocate the ammunition you were promised when you signed on with the UN. We knew for a fact the shipment had been misplaced, but with the new intelligence we have acquired, it appears Denver found and gathered that ammunition. Initially we thought we were looking at approximately two million rounds of ammo, weapons and gear, but we now believe that number was light. They have salvaged a total of five million rounds and about half of that was originally supposed to come here, but was shifted to Denver instead. It appears the ammo we were supposed to receive was allocated to Denver in order to resupply your men.”

   “Which they never did,” Higgins replied.

   “It appears they came to find you politically unreliable.”

   “Bastards, and they wonder why they are suffering from a lack of loyalty.”

   “The good news is, the ammunition is there in Denver if your people can locate and liberate it at the appropriate time.”

   “That place is huge; did you know they built entire multiple story buildings and then buried them?” He shook his head, “There are miles of tunnels down there where they could store things and no one would know something was there.”

   “Captain Tarn will find it for us, sooner or later, in the meantime we need to prepare, and to co-ordinate with Holloman to let them know what we have learned, but I’m a little uncomfortable with electronic communication at the moment. How would you like to take a trip to Holloman Air Force Base?”

 

   Debra was fascinated by Higgins’ accent, and invited the Major to dinner the next evening. By the time all was said and done, there were fourteen guests and it turned into a buffet style meal. Major Packer and Gilly attended, the Banners, the Sorensens, the Morrisons, Matthew Thomas and his partner, Timothy Durant, Major Higgins and an SAS Lieutenant named Roger Taylor, and of course, Debra and I; Danni was on duty and wouldn’t be off until later in the evening, but she promised to stop by the ready room where we set up the buffet.  Straight off the start, I knew there was the potential for trouble. It seems Lieutenant Roger Taylor, a dashing young man, was rather taken with Debra.

   After they were introduced, he literally followed her everywhere, while she set up the serving tables, while she prepared the fresh salad. At one point, when she walked to the women’s restroom to feed Danni Lynn in private, he stood outside and talked to her through the door. I was beginning to become irritated and I think Gilly caught on to what was happening because she began to engage the Lieutenant in a conversation about what a wonderful marriage Debra and I had. He barely listened to her or even acknowledged her except when she asked him direct questions. His eyes were following every move Debra made and I noticed Major Higgins was beginning to take notice himself. We served Asylum Bock with the meal and quite a bit afterwards as well and I had noticed the Lieutenant had not eaten very much, which was a shame because Danni and Debra had used a recipe of John Cameron’s to prepare the Tri Tip roasts they cooked for dinner. The Bock seemed to be affecting the Lieutenant to a larger degree than anyone else and finally, Debra planted herself between me and Gilly as she held Danni to her chest.

   “Babe?”

   “I didn’t want to say anything, Hon, this is just a much a planning session as a social gathering, but if that motherfucker touches me one…more…time…”

   “I’ve been watching,” I said. “I guess it’s time to have a little talk instead.” I started to stand up and Debra placed her hand on my forearm to stop me.

   “No, Hon, there’s something off with him, I don’t know what, but something is off.”

   “How so?”

   “The night of the dance with those asshats that claimed to be from Holloman?”

   “Yes,” I glanced at Taylor and his attention, from where he was standing, was locked on Debra.

   “His smell, he smells like those guys did, just off, I don’t know how to explain it. Just not right.”

   Gilly leaned close to Debra as if she was checking Danni Lynn, and asked, “Dangerous off?”

   “Not overtly, just…” She looked at me and asked, “What the hell is a pram? And what the hell is a yummy mummy?”

   “A what?” I asked.

   “A pram, he said if we had a pram, he and I could take a walk in the woods and bring Danni Lynn with us.”

   “It’s a baby carriage,” Gilly said. “He actually suggested the two of you go for a walk in the woods, alone?”

   “Gilly, he didn’t just suggest it, he said it as if he thought I wanted to!”

   Gilly started standing and said, “I better talk to Jerry and Major Higgins before things get out of hand.”

   I reached around Debra and placed my hand on Gilly’s shoulder to hold her in place, “My job, Gilly, I’ll take care of this, myself.”

   “Daniel!” Debra said. “You’re still recovering from your gunshot wound, no!”

   I started to stand up from my chair and a hand from behind closed over the wound next to my neck. The slight pressure was enough to cause me to gasp and drop back into my chair. “Uh huh, and you’re going to take care of it?” Danni. “I’ll be right back.”

  She quickly walked around the table and approached Taylor. Coming to a stop beside him, she introduced herself and shook his hand when he offered it, but she didn’t relinquish the hold she had of his hand. She spoke quietly to him for a few moments and I could see from the set of his jaw, he was rapidly becoming incensed. I stood up and walked around the table to join them.

   As I moved up beside them, Danni said, “You will never be the man Lieutenant Tarn’s husband is, so you can save your swarmy charm for someone else, preferably somewhere other than Asylum. One last thing, if I hear from someone, anyone, that you referred to Lieutenant Tarn as a ‘yummy mummy’ again? I’m going to rip off your fucking head and shit down your neck, can you feel me, Lieutenant Taylor?”

   “Brave words for a small woman,” he replied. “You do realize I’m SAS, right? I find your comment about ripping off my head to be a little ludicrous.”

   “Lieutenant Monroe,” I said. “I believe the Major’s wife would like a word with you.”

   Danni released his hand and dropped her hand to her sidearm, “We’ll talk again, SAS Lieutenant Taylor, because I’ve known men like you my entire life and you won’t be able to help yourself. Yeah, you and I are going to dance.”

   He reached for the front of her armor vest with his right hand and I intercepted his hand with my left and locked it in place. I was looking into his eyes as they suddenly widened and he attempted to step backwards, but I held him where he was, “Lieutenant Monroe,” I said. “Why don’t you grab yourself a plate and fill it, there’s beer in the cooler.”

   I heard a solid thud and Taylor bent at the waist as he stepped back and groaned softly. Looking down, I saw the muzzle of Danni’s Glock pressed to his groin. “Yep, you and me, Taylor.”

   “Lieutenant Monroe! Secure that weapon!” Packer was walking to join us with Higgins behind him.

   “Lieutenant Taylor! Return to the Section and confine yourself to quarters until I return!” He waited a moment and then shouted into Taylor’s face, “Now Lieutenant! That is a direct order!”

   Taylor struggled upright as I released his wrist and he went to a semi-rigid attention, “Sir.” He saluted, made a right face and started for the area where the AS Double D had set up their tents. My right hand was resting on my sidearm as he left.

   “Someone want to tell me what that was about?” Packer asked.

   Danni was retuning her sidearm to its holster as she said, “Apparently, SAS Lieutenant Taylor, decided Lieutenant Tarn was available for his personal use. He invited her for a walk in the woods and he also referred to her as a ‘yummy mummy’, to her face.”

   I looked at Higgins and he appered shocked, Packer looked confused and then Danni said, “Major Packer, have you ever heard the term Milf, or the acronym M-I-L-F?” He nodded, “I served a short period of time alongside some British Paras in Afghanistan; what we refer to as an M-I-L-F, they call a ‘yummy mummy.’”

   Packer turned to Higgins and said, “We do not need this kind of bullshit, not when we are trying to forge an alliance.”

   “I agree, Major, but please, allow me to state that I have never seen the Lieutenant do such a thing. He has always been a perfect officer and gentleman in the presence of women. Especially the wives of fellow soldiers.” He looked over the table at Debra and said, “My deepest apologies Mrs. Tarn, I am speechless.”

   She nodded to him and said, “Thank you Major Higgins, and I accept your apology. May I suggest a possible reason for Lieutenant Taylor’s, shall we say, lack of focus?” Danni Lynn started to fuss a bit, so Debra shifted her to a shoulder and began to softly pat her back until Danni burped.

   The Major smiled and said, “Please.”

   Debra indicated the chair across the table from her and he sat down. Packer walked around the table and sat next to Gilly. I walked back and stood behind Debra with my hands on her shoulders. Danni picked up a plate and began to place food items on it in preparation for eating and everyone else were looking surprised by the whole event.

   “Major Higgins, my understanding is Denver was sprayed by a series of drones and tens of thousands of people died, am I correct?”

   Higgins replied, “Yes, we assumed it was some form of nerve agent at the time, but then the follow-on effects were very bad. It seemed to drive people mad with a murderous rage. The people who were not killed outright, began to kill those around them. We also discovered that people suffered from various degrees of mental illness, ranging from murderous aggression to some who could hide their desire to commit violent attacks.”

   “Yes, we had the same results here, and in the nearby towns. We also discovered that some people are able to control their anger and function normally once they realized they had been exposed.”

   “I find that part difficult to believe,” he said. “Do you know of any of these people yourself? Have you talked to them?”

   “My husband is one, and I, am another.” She said it rather tentatively, and then waited for his response.

   “How do you know this? That you were contaminated?”

   “My husband,” she said as she reached up and placed her hand over mine. “Is highly intelligent and his deductive reasoning leaves many of us astounded. He figured it out on his own and then Felicia Sorenson and Sara Banner developed a reliable test we could administer to the population of Asylum.”

   Higgins leaned forward and asked Felicia, “You helped develop a test for the contaminant?”

   She nodded and said, “Sara and I worked together on it. Though neither of us are trained Biochemists, Sara is an accomplished geneticist and my area of expertise lies in virology. In essence, we had to retrain ourselves in order to develop the test.”

   Higgins was silent for a moment and finally said, “Another example of the Denver leadership lying to us. We were told a method of testing was impossible to develop.”

   “Difficult,” Sara said, “But not impossible.”

   “There appears to be an olfactory effect in some situations that can be rather powerful,” Debra told him. “As an example, if I was blindfolded and told to pick out my husband within a crowd of men, I know I could do it and I know my husband could pick me out as well.”

   “Really?” Higgins asked, but I could tell he was dubious. “Perhaps he can tell by the perfume you wear?”

   “I don’t wear perfume, Major Higgins.”

   He snorted and said, “Earlier, Lieutenant Taylor commented on the perfume you were wearing Mrs. Tarn. He said you smelled of roses and cinnamon. He wondered if it was something that was being locally produced.” You could have heard a pin drop and finally Higgins said, “What?”

   “That’s the same scent that I can smell from my wife, Major, and other men who have been contaminated have also described my wife’s scent as roses and cinnamon as well.”

   Higgins looked at me, then Debra, and then Felicia, “Can you perform your test on Lieutenant Taylor?” Then he shook his head, “I don’t know what good it might do.”

   “Major,” I said. “As my wife informed you, once you recognize the problem, you have a degree of ability to control your actions. If what you have said about Lieutenant Taylor is true, once he realizes he can control his reactions caused by the contaminant we may be able to prevent a re-occurrence such as the one experienced this evening.”

   Higgins said to Felicia, “How soon can we have this test performed?”

   Felicia looked around and said, “It looks as though we’re pretty much done here this evening, so why not now?” She stood up and said to Sara, “Can you assist me?”

    Sara nodded and Ted Banner said, “I’ll come along and make sure there are no problems. Thomas, do you want to give me a hand?”

   Matthew stood up, “Of course.”

   “I’ll come too,” Danni said. “If he tests positive, I’ll offer to apologize, but if he tests negative the way Stella Morrison did…”

   Packer shook his head, “I don’t think so, Danni, I think it might be best if you passed on that idea.” He stood up and pulled Gilly’s chair out of the way when she stood also. “In the meantime, I have other preparations to make. Major Higgins, I assume you will wish to attend the testing of your Lieutenant?”

   “Yes, I’ll go explain the situation to him and bring him to the testing facility.” He glanced at Banner and then Thomas, “I assume you will escort us to where we need to be?”

   “Yes, Major,” Banner replied.

   Danni sat down next to Debra and started eating, while I started cleaning off the table. Rich and Nadia joined me and started cleaning up as well. When we finished, I sat beside Debra and asked, “Ready to go home?”

   “Not yet, I’ve been stuck in the apartment the last few days and it’s really nice outside, can we walk down by the rifle range and sit for a while?”

   Danni perked up and asked, “Want me to take Little Bit for a while? I’m almost done eating; I can take her home and give you two a little alone time.”

   “That would be nice,” Debra said. She started shifting Danni Lynne and Nadia hurried over.

   “Here, I’ll hold her while Danni finishes eating. I need the practice anyway.”

   Both Danni and Debra looked at her in surprise as Debra said, “Nadia, are you…”

   Nadia laughed and said, “No, but we’re working on it.”

   Rich laughed and said, “Diligently.”

   Debra surrendered Danni Lynn to Nadia and together we walked outside and then towards the rifle range. Debra had her arm around my waist and I had mine around her shoulders, but Debra kept looking back over her shoulder and I asked, “Separation anxiety?”

   “Yeah, this is the farthest I’ve been from her since she was born.”

   “Changing your mind about leaving her with someone else?”

   “Yes, but I think I need to. It’s going to happen sooner or later and she’s in the best of hands.”

   I squeezed her and said, “You set the parameters and we’ll walk back when you’re ready.”

   At the range, I sat down on one of the benches and she sat on my lap facing me. She laid her head on my shoulder and sighed as I held her to me and we listened to the breeze whispering through the pines.

   Debra finally stirred and softly said, “Sooner, or later, I’m going to have to go back to work.”

   “Why not stay home and be a full-time mom?”

   “I’d like to, but things aren’t ready for full-time moms yet. I need to continue training others, and I have responsibilities to the Rangers, the Militia, and to Asylum. There will be times when I have to, well, I’m a soldier, Daniel, what if something happens to me?”

   “Don’t think like that. My vote is for full-time mom that trains people to do dangerous shit. Not full-time warrior that stops by and visits her child once in a while.”

   “You know that’s not me. I need to be active and Asylum isn’t ready to become small-town-America yet. There are too many people that want to take away what we want to build. We are all going to have to be involved if we want things to be normal again someday and that’s what I want for Danni Lynn.”

   “I know, believe me, I know.”

   “I want you to think about what you will do if something happens to me, Daniel.”

   “No.”

   “Daniel?”

   “No.”

   “Listen to me, hear me out, okay?”

   “No, Debra.”

   “I’m going to say this whether you want to hear it, or not. We have a child and a responsibility to provide a loving home for her and any others we have, am I right? You know I’m right.”

   I didn’t say anything.

   “Daniel?”

   “Alright, I guess so, but…”

   “Danni loves Danni Lynn so much, and she loves you too. If something happens to me, if I don’t come home someday, I want Danni to be our baby’s mom.”

   “Debra?”

   “I’m serious, Daniel, she would be great for Danni Lynn and she would be great for you too.”

   I did not want to have this conversation. I thought furiously and then said, “Okay, if this is what you want.”

   She straightened up and looked at me, “Really? You agree?”

   “You’ve obviously put a lot of thought into this, so it must be very important to you.”

   “It is.”

   “Okay, but what if I don’t come home? What about you and Danni Lynn, who’s going to take care of you?” I thought for a moment and said, “John Trench, yeah, he might be a good choice for you.”

   “What?”

   “John Trench, he’s a little younger than you I think, but he’s definitely a good choice and I’m sure he would jump at the chance to take on the position.”

   “No, there’s no one else in the world for me, only you.”

   “Don’t be close-minded; he’s a good guy and if you want me to abide by your plans, then you should be willing to abide by mine.”

   “Dan…” I started to cringe, but then she smiled and said, “I’m thinking maybe Toby Tyler, yeah, his dad owns that farm and I’m sure Toby would be happy to keep me barefoot and pregnant.”

   So much for making her see the flip side of the coin.

   “I’ll think about Danni, but I don’t want to talk about it anymore, alright?”

   “I’m sorry, Honey, it’s just something I’ve started worrying about.”

   “I have one question though.”

   “Okay.”

   “Have you talked to Danni about this? Because if you have…”

   “No, I haven’t.”

   “Then why would you even think she would be interested?”

   She placed her hands on the side of my face and kissed me, “You can be so oblivious about some things, god I love you so much.” She glanced towards the Bunker and said, “From what I can see through the windows, I’m thinking everyone has left; we should go home too. Danni Lynn might be ready to be fed again.”

  

   It probably sounds odd, but I was nervous around Danni for a while. Did Debra really not talk to Danni about what she wanted to happen if she didn’t come home? If I don’t come home, even I used the phrase because the actual thought was unthinkable. If she was killed, that’s what she was saying and I don’t even like saying it. I know she cares a great deal for Danni and respects her even more, but Danni as my wife? I just don’t know. She can be domineering and ruthless, she doesn’t mince any words when she gets pissed, ask me how I know. Sometimes she gets moody and snappish and I don’t know how to approach her when she does. I’m not sure how I would feel about having a wife that could hand me my ass if she is having a bad day.

   I’m being ridiculous, Danni would never try and beat the crap out of me, I think, and most of the time we do act like siblings by teasing one another. Interestingly enough, she started training me after she spoke to the other me in the cart and Debra was right, she can be rather rough, but maybe that’s what’s needed to become good at hand-to-hand combat. As an MMA fighter she was never defeated and that appeals to me; she’s also good at training people. Remember Charlotte Maniker? Wow! She’s thirteen now and her boy cousins absolutely leave her alone. She has taken all of them down at one time or another and once she handled the two oldest at the same time. She calls Charlie her pride and joy. Danni didn’t teach me a single throw, armbar, choke, anything, for the first month of training, all she taught me was how to be thrown, how to deflect kicks and punches. She told me it was more important to know how not to get hurt, than how to hurt. She’s the expert, so yeah, I spent a month learning how to roll and deflect. Debra swears, that Danni says, I’m one of the best trainees she has ever worked with, not the best, but damn close. I keep in mind she dislocated the arm of the man she was in love with, so I tap out as soon as I know she has control of me. Yeah, she calls me ‘Tap Out Dan.’ I don’t fricking care, I like the way my body works just fine.

   I’ve written a lot of negative things about Danni, but in truth, I can’t imagine having a better friend. She can be kind, loving, gentle, loyal, and as far as filling in as Danni Lynn’s mom? I doubt I could ever find better. It’s just something I don’t want to contemplate.

 

   Lieutenant Taylor tested positive for the contaminant and once he discovered it was probably the reason he was reacting the way he did to Debra, he made a concerted attempt to avoid contact with her. Oddly, Major Higgins says Taylor seemed relieved to make the discovery, picked up the pieces and moved on. I ran into him in the Ready Room and he was having an animated conversation with Stella Morrison. As soon as I walked in, she bolted and left him looking a little disappointed and confused.

   “She didn’t take off because of you,” I said. “Stella and I have some history and we tend to avoid one another when we can.”

   “Oh, so the two of you were, uh, dating at one time, I guess?”

   “No, actually we weren’t.” I shrugged and said, “Let’s just say we didn’t see things eye-to-eye.”

   “Good, well, I don’t mean good in the way it sounded, I mean good you have no past, or present, interest in her. I find her somewhat intriguing, and would like to explore the possibilities.”

   “Hmmm,” I said. “Well, sorry I got in the way of slaking your interest, is Major Packer in his office?”

   “Yes, he and Major Higgins are wrapping up the plans for the mission to Holloman.”

   “Still leaving in the morning?”

   “Yes, I’m surprised you aren’t coming, what with you being Intelligence Officer and all.”

   “I’ve things to do here that are more pressing.”

   He nodded and then pointed to the windows of Packer’s office, “Looks as though they are finishing up.”

   Higgins was walking out and Packer was looking at me. As soon as he knew I was looking at him, he waved me in. I greeted Higgins as we passed each other and then walked into Packer’s office, “Sir.”

   “Sit down, Captain.” His abruptness and tone set me on edge. “We’re leaving in the morning, so I want you to understand what is going on.”

   “Yes, Sir.”

   “Captain Williams will be in temporary command while I’m gone, but frankly I’m a little concerned. Williams has never commanded combat troops. Don’t get me wrong, he’s good, but he was a SWAT Team leader before coming here and ending up in command of INSEC.”

   “Yes, Sir.”

   “I trust you, but again, you have no experience commanding troops in combat.”

   “No, Sir, you’re correct.”

   “I’ve informed Williams he will rely on Banner and Bellows in the event of problems, with Bellows as senior Lieutenant.”

   “A good choice, Sir.”

   “I need, Lieutenant Tarn to go with me.”

   I started to reply, but then I froze for a moment before saying, “Sir? Uh, how am I to feed and care for Danni Lynn if her mother is hundreds of miles and days away?”

   “Danni Lynn will have to come along for the ride.”

   “Respectfully, Sir, but no, Sir.”

   “I’m sorry, Daniel, but the decision has been made. Colonel Amherst at Holloman has already stated that it would be preferable if Lieutenant Tarn attended the meeting.”

   “No. Sir, it’s not going to happen.”

   “It will and you know it will; Debra has already agreed to attend.”

   “No, she hasn’t, she wouldn’t agree to taking our daughter cross country in the times we live in.”

   “Daniel…”

   I cut him off, “No, I’m her father and I will not allow it. Period, Major, end of discussion.”

   “Captain Tarn, you are treading dangerously close to insubordination.”

   I leaned forward and said quietly, “Ask me if I care.”

   He stared at me and then picked up his phone and dialed. After waiting a moment, he said, “Captain Williams? Bring four of your security personnel to my office on the double.” He hung up and then said to me, “You have until they get here to change your mind and get with the program, Captain Tarn, the choice is yours.”

   I stood up and said, “So, you are just like every other petty tyrant we have had to deal with.” Stepping around the chair I had been sitting in, I added, “If you don’t get your way, you enforce your way, right Major?”

   “Daniel…”

   “Oh, now it’s Daniel. Danni told me a while back, either, or, Major, but not in the same sentence.” I squared myself away and added, “Don’t worry, I’m not going to run, I’m waiting to see what my wife says. What will you do when she declines to place our daughter in danger? Throw her in the guardhouse also? I…will not…allow it!”

   He shook his head, picked up a clipboard and began to read as I stood at ease before his desk. Minutes passed and finally Williams stepped through the door behind me.

   “Major Packer?”

   Without looking up, Packer said, “Escort Captain Tarn to the Guardhouse and hold him there until I say different.”

   “Sir?”

   Packer looked up and past me, “I believe I was quite clear, Captain Williams. Do I need to repeat myself?”

   “No, Sir!” Williams stepped forward and placed his hand on my arm, “Captain? Will you come peacefully?”

   “Of course, I will, I don’t shit on my friends until they do it to me.”

   He held out his hand and asked, “Your sidearm please?”

   I unbuckled my duty belt and handed it to him, “I’ll be wanting that returned soon, Captain Williams; take good care of it.”

   Two of Williams’ men put their hands on my elbows and one of them said, “Sir? Will you come with us, please?”

   I looked at Packer a last time and then nodded to them. They escorted me from Packer’s office and to the room that Stevens and Parker had been in before they were transferred to the cells in the loading dock. After placing me in the room, they locked the door and walked away. I looked around and finally placed myself at ease and stared out the wire reinforced window.

   I stood there, at ease, for hours as the minutes dragged by. My shoulder began to ache and my knees began to tremble, but I continued to wait. I was waiting for Debra.

   Finally, she appeared. She was wearing her OCPs and a duty belt with her Glock at her side. Danni Lynn was swaddled in a camo fleece blanket, cute. “Daniel, what are you doing?”

   “It took you this long to finally come talk to me?”

   “Would it have been better if I had come sooner?”

   “Tell me you’re not going.”

   She was slowly swaying Danni Lynn back and forth, “I am, Major Packer says I’m needed.”

   I stepped to the window and I could see Packer and Gilly at the end of the hall waiting. “For what? Holloman knows who you are, they know you just gave birth to our child, they don’t need you there.”

   “Daniel, what we are doing is so important, you know that. We are building a new world, a world where Danni Lynn and all the other children can be safe. I know you understand, we’ve talked about it so many times and we always agree. Can’t you see…”

   “You’re not taking Danni Lynn.”

   “Daniel, you know there is no baby formula here. You know she has to go with me so she can eat and survive. She’ll be safe, I promise you.”

   I had a feeling I wasn’t going to get my way, “Don’t do this, don’t go. I’ll go, I’m the one that should be going anyway.”

   “Asylum needs you here, Daniel, working at what you do best. God, they are trying to protect you because…”

   Why couldn’t she understand my concerns? “Last time, Debra, I forbid it.”

   “Daniel, I gave myself to you with the understanding that I was free to do so, and I was free to reclaim that gift. There are things in life more important than mere existence.’ She dropped her head and looked at Danni Lynn’s face before again looking at me. “She’s MY child, I carried her, I nourish her, and I, will decide where she goes and when. She goes with me and when we get back, we will discuss our future together.”

   “I see, I’m just the sperm donor, okay, I get it, she’s yours and not mine.”

   “Daniel, that’s not what I’m saying! God, you always confuse me! Please, I’m trying not to get angry, I’m trying, but you need to try also, please, I know you understand what I’m saying, we can work through this, I promise, but I gave my word and I’m going.”

   I stepped away from the window and asked sarcastically, “Is SAS Lieutenant Taylor going?”

   She frowned and said, “I don’t think so.”

   “How unfortunate.”

   “What?” She stepped closer, “What do you mean?”

   Packer came striding up the hall and said, “Okay, that’s enough. Daniel, put that bullshit away right now.”

   I glanced at him and then back to Debra before I said, “You’re a self-declared free woman, with the power to decide what you will, and with whom you will; go ahead, go, when, if, you get back, we’ll have your…discussion.”

   “Daniel, what did you mean? I want to know, now.”

   I looked straight into Packer’s eyes and said, “If anything happens to Danni Lynn, on your little jaunt, I’m going to burn this place to the ground, with you in it.”

   “Threatening a superior officer during a time of war, will guarantee the idiot stupid enough to do it, twenty years in Leavenworth; do you have the time?” Gilly appeared and took hold of Debra’s shoulders and started leading her away.

   “Leavenworth is an historical footnote, Major, I’m not.”

   He looked at me long and hard before shrugging and simply walking away. I watched with my face pressed against the glass until I couldn’t see them any longer and then went to the cot in the room and laid down. I hate waiting, but I’ve always been very good at appearing outwardly patient.

 

   Three days passed before I finally tasted one of the meals they brought. The only reason I did was because Danni brought it.

   “The guards told me you weren’t eating,” She said as she placed the tray on my lap.

   “I’m not doing anything to burn calories.”

   “Doesn’t matter, Packer said to hold you for three days in isolation and then release you. Are you ready to go home and back to work?”

   “Is that what it was? Isolation? Is that why none of Debra’s friends have come to see me?”

   “Yes, Williams has been rather firm about it. Every one of us has tried to get in to see you.”

   “Why?”

   “Daniel, don’t start on me, I’m one of the good guys, I’m one of the people that love you, so back up a bit and let’s start again, okay?”

   “Sure, why not, it’s not like I have a choice in the matter.”

   “You suck at martyr.”

   “According to Debra, I just plain suck, so if nothing else, I guess I’m being consistent.” I picked at the tray and placed what I assumed was a chicken nugget in my mouth and started to chew it. “Ketchup?”

   She tapped a small plastic cup with a lumpy looking white something in and said, “Tartar sauce, they claim those are fish balls deep fried in cornmeal.”

  “It tastes like chicken.” Lifting a limp, room temperature, crinkled stick of potato, I asked, “French Fry? If so, why no ketchup?”

   She reached over and took the tray off my lap and stood up, “Come on, I was serious, Williams is letting you out.” She placed the tray at the end of the cot and walked to the door, “Unless you want to hang out here for a while longer?”

   I stood up and fought off a wave of dizziness.

   “Yeah, they said you weren’t drinking water either. What the hell, Daniel?”

   I walked past her as I said, “Let’s go.”

   At the end of the hall, one of Williams security guys was waiting and as I approached, he opened the door leading out for me, “Glad to see you out and about, Sir.”

   I nodded thanks and stepped out into the main drive leading into Asylum. Danni pointed to a cart and said, “Williams told me it was for our use, jump in and I’ll drive us home.”

   I nodded, and as I slid in, she handed me my duty belt. I strapped it on, checked and found the magazine loaded, but nothing in the breech, pulled the slide back and released it. Switching the lever to safe, the pistol decocked and I placed it back in its holster.

   She drove past the turnoff for our apartment and I asked, “Where are you going?”

   “Cafeteria, what do you want for dinner?”

   “I’m really not hungry, Danni.”

   “You will be once I start eating and you know I don’t share, so I’m getting you something.”

   “Alright, but I have no idea what I want.”

   “I’ve got you covered.”

   I waited in the cart when she went in and when she came out, my mouth started to water, “Rueben sandwich?” I asked.

   “Yeah, and not that canned sour kraut either. It’s made by some grandma out towards Reserve and it’s to die for!”

   I opened the package and took a bite; it even had the proper amount of mustard. “God, that tastes good!”

   “I thought you would like it, slow down, or I’ll be eating alone.”

   I rewrapped the sandwich and returned it to the bag as she drove us back to Phase Two and our apartment. Danni spread the food out and I pulled two bottles of Bock from the fridge. I finished much quicker than she did and she started pushing French Fries my way. I ate those too. When we were finished, I cleaned up what was left over, washed the plastic containers the food came in so we could return them and wiped down the table and counters as Danni showered. When she was done, I showered and then we sat in the Livingroom.

   “You haven’t asked me anything about Debbie.”

   “No.”

   “Why not?”

   “I try not to get interested in things that are none of my business.”

   “Daniel, come on, it’s been three days since she left, surely you’re getting over your mad?”

   “I am over it.”

   She waited for me to continue and finally said, “Well?”

   “Well what? What do you want, Danni?”

   “I want to hear you say you’re sorry. I want to hear you say you miss Debbie.”

   “Sorry for what? Sorry that I got pissed my wife, in essence, told me I’m the sperm donor and nothing else? Sorry because I didn’t want my daughter exposed to a dangerous world? Is that what I need to apologize for? You want me to say, I miss Debra? Danni, you can’t miss what you never had. I’m dealing with it my way, so let it go.”

   She drew her knees up and leaned her side on the back of the couch as she said, “Wow, I don’t think I’ve ever heard you whine so much.” I didn’t say anything, I just looked at her until she nervously looked away, “Okay, you’re not in the mood for my humor, but come on, she was really upset when she came back from talking with you, what did you say about Taylor? Did you insinuate…”

   “Yes.”

   “Daniel! You know how that shit affects her. The one thing she has always known was you believed she would never cheat on you. The night of the blowup at the dance? She never believed you thought that she did it; she was worried, of course, but she knew she could prove it to you if you would only let her. When Taylor was chasing her ass and trying to get her into the woods? What did she do? She ran to you and stayed there by your side so there could be no misunderstandings. Who was it, Daniel, that allowed another woman to kiss him and grab a handful of his junk and never said anything? That was you my friend and look what happened.”

   I refused to address her statements and ignored them instead. “So, tell me, Danni, when I’m, in essence, called a sperm donor and have no right to decisions concerning my child, should I just smile sheepishly and say, ‘yes dear?’”

   She looked at me closely for a moment and then cautiously said, “That’s the second time you’ve used that term, sperm donor, why?”

   “After I had been locked up for several hours, she finally got around to dropping by…”

   “Daniel, I’m sorry, that was my fault. I convinced her to hold off and give you a chance to cool down.”

   “Might be best if you keep your intimate knowledge of my anger issues to yourself. All the waiting did was add to the anger.”

   “I said, I was sorry.” She honestly looked contrite. “I was basing my advice on my own experiences, Daniel, and I shouldn’t have. You and Dan are so much alike, I should have known it was not going to work.”

   “Why do you mistrust men so much?”

   At first, I didn’t think she was going to answer, but then she said, “There was a guy, that went to the same MMA club as me. We started dating and I was enthralled with him. God, I was so naïve. We moved in together, I got pregnant and he started staying out into the late evenings without me. One night he came in drunk and smelling like another woman. I confronted him and he beat the living shit out of me. I had a miscarriage; he was arrested and went to prison for five years. He thought he was pretty tough when he went in, not so much when he got an early release. The first thing he did was hunt me up and he found me at the MMA club. He tried to beat me again for testifying against him. During the time he was in prison, I got really good at fighting; he got his ass handed to him and sent back for the remainder of his sentence.”

   I nodded, “Good.”

    “Yeah, you are.”

   “What?”

   “Good, at deflection; finish what you were telling me.”

   “I told Debra I was forbidding her to take Danni Lynn to Holloman and she informed me that Danni was HER child, SHE carried her, SHE gave birth to her and SHE was the one who provided her with nutrition. She said SHE was the one who would decide where Danni went and when she got back from Holloman, SHE would decide what our future together would be.”

   Danni’s eyebrows raised and she said, “Oh, she didn’t tell me that. Did she say that before, or after, your Taylor comment?”

   “Before; so, I said, I guess I was just the sperm donor, I said I understood now, and that Danni Lynn was hers, not mine.” 

   “And she said?”

   “She said that was not what she meant and that I always confused her. She said we could work it out when she got back, but she gave her word and was going.”

   “Well, she did give her word and she’s standing by it. I suppose you should be proud of her.”

   “Proud of her? Is that what I should be?”

   “You know what I mean, Daniel.”

   “Do I?” I stood up and brought another bottle of bock back with me, but he popped the cap off and said, “Why don’t you just cut Daniel’s balls off and pickle them for her?”

   Danni sat there for a moment and then slowly got to her feet and moved to the center of the room. I knew what she was doing, she wanted the room to fight if it became necessary to defend herself.

   “Figures,” he said.

   “Debra trusts you, but I have no reason to.”

   “I already told you, he would die for you and because he would, so will I. I mean you no harm Danni, and neither does Dan, so relax.”

   “I’ve got a split personality telling me to relax, oh, okay, I feel better now.”

   He shook his head and I said, “He really wouldn’t hurt you Danni.” She kept staring at me until I said, “Why don’t you take the bedroom, it has a lock on the door and I’ll sleep out here in the Marlow chair.”

   “Maybe I’ll stop by the Women’s Bay for the night.”

   I sighed and said, “If that’s what you want. Maybe you should stay there until Debra gets back and I’ll get my stuff cleared out and get gone. There’s not much sense in the two of you having me around when I’m not welcome.”

   “Daniel…”

   “Good bye, Lieutenant.” I sat down in the Marlow chair and got comfortable, “I think I’ll take this chair with me.” I said.