

#### Nice Birthday Party, Governor

#### by David J. Wighton

#### 

#### Book #17 in the Wilizy Series

###

### Smashwords Edition

### Copyright 2019, David J. Wighton

###

### This e-book is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This e-book may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you're reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to your favorite retailer and purchase your own copy.

### Although this e-book might be sold at no cost to the reader at times, I retain ownership of the copyright and may elect to charge a small amount for its purchase at times.

### Thank you for respecting my copyright.

# Acknowledgements

This book is dedicated to my wife, Dale, and to my other family members whose support made it possible.

Cover design by Rita Toews at E-Book Covers, East St. Paul, Manitoba.

Birthday Cake Image © Can Stock Photo / jgroup

**Parent and Reader Advisory**

A reminder again that this is a work of FICTION which may depict the government and people in Colorado in a negative light. There is no resemblance between the descriptions in this novel and the real Colorado and the real neighbouring citizens.

# Wilizy Family Members as of October 2089

• Doc and Granny, about 78 years old.

• Hank (about 47) and Yolanda (about 44).

• Cowboy (25), Bean (22).

• Wolf (24), Mac (24), Jock Jr. (5), Emily (3), Jock Sr. (54).

• William (23), Melissa (23), Will & Izzy (5), MayaLou (2).

• Yollie (23), TG (24), Liset (9), Yo-Yo (5), Hank (4), Ivanika (3).

• Wizard (21), Dreamer (19), Wanda (59).

• Lucas (18), Lylah and Lohla (18).

• Theo (17), Nary (18), Marie (about 79).

• Mathias (16), Kashmira (16).

• Reese (14), Winnie (13).

• EmmaGee/Maddy (9)

• Stu McKenzie (49), Momaka (45), Petro (2).

• Cassie (the ghost).

**Main characters with Swiss Guards Bank**

• Eleanor, Henrik, and Sandy (Denver management)

**Main Characters in Colorado and California**

• Sheriff Stookenhap (Stook), Deputy Hoss Cranston, Sheila Enderby.

• Harold Swensen (dead), Paula Richardson (ghost)

ª Governor John Elway the Fourth, Gregg Popovich the Third, Annie Oakley the Twelfth, Frick, and Frack.

**Characters in the Cadet Camp**

• Billy Bump, Lieutenant Karlsson

This page is to help you if you get confused about who is who in the story. If that happens, click your way back to the Table of Contents and scroll back one page.

# Table of Contents

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

Chapter 20

Chapter 21

Chapter 22

Chapter 23

Chapter 24

Chapter 25

Chapter 26

Chapter 27

Chapter 28

Chapter 29

Chapter 30

Chapter 31

Chapter 32

Chapter 33

Chapter 34

Chapter 35

Chapter 36

Chapter 37

Chapter 38

Chapter 39

Chapter 40

Books in the Wilizy Series

About the Author: David J. Wighton

# Chapter 1

My readers may recall that in the previous book, Lillian had not been impressed with Paula's decision to apply frontier justice to the two men who had murdered her. Just to remind you, let's go back to the ending of _Coffee Can Kill Ya!_

### # # # # # # # #

"They died, just like I died. They deserved to die for killing me. I made their deaths as close to mine as possible. They received justice."

"Very well. Are you ready to go?"

"It was frontier justice. I was protecting my daughters. They're safe now."

"And when Hell claims that you murdered those two men, what will you say?"

"Coffee can kill ya!"

"Well, if that's the way you want to end your time here on Earth, that's your choice. You've already had a long wait in the Afterlife Sorting Station's queues. I'll pop you up to the front of queue this time."

"Wait..."

********************

"I'm waiting," Lillian said. "What am I waiting for?"

"That HEE that you mentioned."

"The Heavenly Entrance Exam. What about it?"

"Do ghosts have to pass the HEE?"

"Only if you want to go to Heaven. As a mortal, you would have passed. But those two premeditated murders from your afterlife put your HEE squarely in the Go to Hell camp."

"It was justice. They killed me, so I killed them. Self defense."

"An interesting argument. It might work if you had killed them as they were killing you. But your two murders were well after the fact. They were premeditated."

"I'm a ghost. Where in the ghost body manual does it say that ghosts aren't allowed to murder their murderers?"

"There is no manual."

"My point exactly. If there are no laws about ghosts murdering their murderers, how can I be found guilty of that?"

"Another interesting argument. But, your HEE score is still going to fail you."

"That doesn't seem right if Heaven has no rules against it. Has anything like this happened before?"

"We had a ghost who haunted some people who had killed a lot of young women and their babies. Those people ended up choking to death. But she's making herself more skilled now so that she can do a lot of good for people. We're keeping an eye on her."

"I could do good for people."

"Another interesting idea. A ghost helping people instead of haunting them. It might work. Hell doesn't know about you yet, so they can't complain if you stayed on Earth for a while. It could be dangerous though."

"I'm already dead."

"I have been looking for somebody who could conduct some science-based research for us. How's your chemistry knowledge?"

"Solid."

"Tell you what I'll do. I'll give you a temporary extension of your time here on Earth while you investigate the vice presidents of a chemical company called the Loveland Chemical Research Institute. When you're not doing that, soak up lots of sun in your garden.

### # # # # # # # #

Meanwhile, over in Switzerland, a cabinet meeting was in progress.

"I say we should just ignore it. This is some hoodlum trying to extort money from us. He doesn't even describe what he's going to do if we don't pay."

"Whoever he is, he's ambitious. I'll give him that."

"Trying to extort money from an entire country? Who does he think he is?"

"He's a crazy man, that's who he is. We have better things to do in this meeting than react to some lunatic."

"I agree. We should move on to the next item on the agenda. Geneva is asking for an increased police presence for their Oktoberfest celebration." This comment from the Swiss prime minister effectively put an end to any further discussions about hoodlums and extortion attempts.

"My forces are already stretched as far as I can stretch them," the Minister of Justice and Police warned.

"What about bringing up the reserves? Oktoberfest celebrations can get rowdy."

"Close the bars early?"

...

The rest of the cabinet meeting focused on Oktoberfest and ended thirty minutes later. Now that all the men had had a chance to talk, theoretically, the sole female in the cabinet meeting would be able to put a voice to her thoughts about what had been discussed so far in the meeting. But as usual, the men were standing up, collecting their papers, and streaming out of the meeting room. Who would listen to her? The walls? It was like she was invisible.

### # # # # # # # #

In Montana, the Wilizy were having a meeting about recent events in Denver. Operation Wasp Nest had gone well but the subsequent deaths of the body snatchers had been alarming. It was Thursday evening, October 21 2089 and nobody in the meeting was thinking about having a celebration like Oktoberfest. The mood was decidedly unfestive.

"We're completely dead in the water now," Stu summarized. "We have no leads that we can follow."

"The actual operation was a success," Melissa reminded them. "We know who the two murderers were and that they were part of the military presence in Colorado Springs. They also had apartments in Denver."

"We don't have verifiable proof that they were associated with the Denver Cattlemen's Association that controls the state government, but that link is likely," Mac added.

"We were going to track those men back to their boss, but they died suddenly," Stu added. "Their deaths killed anything we might do to get Lohla and Lylah their share of their uncle's estate. That's impossible now."

"Can we at least pursue the links between the DCA and the NORAD facility?" Hank asked.

"No," Stu killed the optimism. "We had three links - Swensen and the two murderers. All three are dead."

"Only the DCA would benefit from those three men dying. But, from all appearances, the two snipers died from natural causes. The Denver sheriff didn't even put up crime scene tape."

"Those two deaths were very lucky for the DCA. I've never believed in lucky coincidences that involve dead bodies."

"What are you saying, Hank?" Yolanda asked.

"Those deaths were murders is what I'm saying. The DCA or the military has another assassin working for them. If we find him, we'll find the link we need."

"Lylah and Lohla have expressed an interest in getting involved," Lucas interjected.

"We should take them up on their offer," Stu said. "We need more white skin if we want to operate visibly in Denver or in Colorado Springs."

The meeting broke up shortly afterwards. The new mission? Find the assassin who had killed the two men in their apartments no matter where he was. Nobody in the group even imagined that the assassin could be a woman or that she could have been a woman in another life.

Back to the Table of Contents

# Chapter 2

The following day, Stu was approaching the counter of the Denver Sheriff's office reception area when Stook came out of his office. "I'll take this, Sheila," he interrupted Stu as he was about to speak. "Sir, as I told you last week, we do not conduct searches for missing pets. You really should be talking to the people at the S.P.C.A. I'll give you directions."

Stook bustled Stu outside. "The S.P.C.A. is two blocks south and one block east." His hands mimed the directions.

"Why do I want to go there?" Stu murmured.

"There's a coffee house across the street. Have a bite to eat. Their roast beef sandwiches are good. I'll be there in half an hour."

Stook shook the stranger's hand and then returned inside. "Some people," he shook his head at Sheila on the way back into his office.

### # # # # # # # #

"I have been the recipient of a wonderful gift," Stook exclaimed to Stu as he put his sandwich and coffee cup on the table. He lifted the top of his roast beef sandwich and took a smell. "The reason this place is safe to meet is because of its proximity to the animal shelter across the street. This meat doesn't smell like cat. The sandwich should be safe to eat."

Stu looked around and noticed that nobody else was in the coffee house. He then stared with some alarm at the crumbs of his own roast beef sandwich.

"Kidding." Stook took a big bite and began chewing. "This place will be full at noon. That gives us twenty minutes and you need to be gone by then. I have to get back quickly too." Stook took another bite.

"The gift?"

"After years of asking for more personnel in the sheriff's office and being ignored, I received three new hires this morning - an office manager and two deputies. I didn't get a chance to even interview them, or a choice whether to keep them or not. I've since been able to determine that none of them has had any law enforcement training or experience."

"Somebody is watching you now."

"Ayup."

"Because of the two recent murders?"

"More likely because of my interest in watching the government extend the time limit before being able to declare murdered bagmen dead. I sensed that I was being watched after that." Stook drained his coffee cup before continuing. "Did you guys have anything to do with the two dead men in the apartment building? We're off the record here."

"We **were** interested in those two men but we didn't kill them. We watched them dig up Paula Richardson's coffin a few days before their deaths. How'd those guys die?"

"Too soon after they dug up that coffin for my taste. Was somebody watching you as you watched them?"

"No. We did notice that you didn't declare the building a crime scene. We were watching you at that point. Perhaps you sensed that?"

"Perhaps. Did you have a rifle pointing at me?"

"Course not."

"I've been in this business a long time. Experienced lawmen develop certain intuitions when they're in danger. I never ignore them. That's one of the reasons why I'm alive."

"Is that why you didn't open up a crime scene?"

"No. There was no reason to declare it a crime. There were no signs of violence. No signs of forced entry either. I'm trying to do background searches on the two men but I'm hitting a dead wall."

"We know that they had links to NORAD. They flew a military copter that came out of that mountain and tried to murder Paula's daughters. We don't know if they had links to the CBA."

"Feels to me like those two deaths would solve a lot of problems for somebody."

"And now you have new staff to keep an eye on you."

"Yup. In case I don't get to see you again... "

"Are you serious?"

"Yes, I'm serious. I've sent the two bodies to the mortuary and have requested post mortems. They were too young to die in their sleep. Some people may not appreciate my efforts to seek the truth."

"When do you expect the results?"

"The results should be ready early next week."

"Can you sense the difference between friendly watching and malevolent watching?"

"Yuh. I get an itchy feeling in the part of my body that the rifle is aiming at."

"One of us will be near you from now on. Don't worry if you don't see us. We're good at hiding."

### # # # # # # # #

Paula was in Loveland, Colorado, a small city that is about fifty miles north of Denver. She was wandering around the Loveland Chemical Research Institute. Her path to her redemption in Lillian's eyes obviously started inside this building. So, she was wandering around mapping out the building's offices and labs. Instantaneous travel inside the building worked. From now on, she could go wherever she wanted to in this building. Why Lillian would want her to do that remained a mystery.

Back to the Table of Contents

# Chapter 3

It was 6:30 one night later. Stook was standing outside the sheriff's office, locking up for the night. If you're wondering how a big city's sheriff's office can lock up for the night at 6:30 p.m., it's because Denver was a _very_ safe city. When he had first arrived, Stook implemented daytime and nighttime shifts but the nighttime shift was never needed. The office was busy in the day, but never in the evening. It was like burglars and other miscreants only worked 9 to 5. Now, unless he had a case to work on, Stook closed shop at 6:30 every night including weekends. This was a Saturday night.

"Hey, Sheriff," a young girl's voice intruded into the puzzle Stook was trying to solve in his mind. As in, the puzzle about where a Wilizy person could be hiding and watching him. Stook had already checked the tops of the buildings on the other side of the street.

"Hey, Sheriff," the young girl repeated.

"A-huh?" _Nobody is loitering on the sidewalks._

"Hey, Sheriff. I need directions to the S.P.C.A. My cat has gone missing."

Stook looked down. The little blonde girl looked vaguely familiar. She was wearing the uniform of the very exclusive Denver Academy. Only the ultra rich need apply. He stared for a bit and then the memory clicked.

"I saw you at the cadet camp. It was your first real day as a cadet. Your name is..."

"Maddy. Uncle Stu wants you to give me the key to the front door and you're supposed to tell me the passcode on your alarm system."

Stook did what she requested. "When do I get the key back?"

"We'll need half an hour."

"I'll grab a bite."

"Where?"

"Elite Diner, two blocks to your left."

"When you come out of the diner, another girl in the Denver Academy uniform will meet you. Her name is Liset. She'll say _SPCA_ and give you back the key."

In fact, Liset would be wearing the same uniform that Maddy had on right then. Denver Academy uniforms had been hard to find in the youth sizes on short notice.

### # # # # # # # #

To my readers wondering if the Wilizy were able to get a security blanket for Stook in place quickly, the answer is _Yes_. Stu made it a priority and Melissa and Mac developed the plans. One of William, Wolf, or TG would be invisibly within lasering distance of Stook when he was in public. In addition, TG created an extensive drone network around the perimeter of the sheriff's home and above the workstations of his three new employees. In both cases, a Wilizy Warrior would be watching the live feeds and would be ready to supply protection.

In addition to Stook's guard detail, Winnie, Mac and Melissa had trailed the three new employees home. While Maddy was talking with Stook, the Transcendental Trio was travelling back three months in time to break into three apartments and plant drones. They also were able to determine where the three of them had worked in the same time travel journey. Tomorrow they'd review the data from the homes. If nothing incriminating surfaced about their home life, they'd plant drones in their former work places.

Meanwhile, Stu was pursuing a longer-term plan to keep Stook alive.

_Narrator interlude: The only hitch that slowed the planning came from yours truly, sad to say. Remember that I was nine-years old at the time. When I heard that Maddy was going to be given a job in an operation and I wasn't, I acted my age. Our moms tried to say it was because Maddy had received infiltration training. I argued that I could infiltrate as well as she could. Then I pushed the favoritism argument. I added some pouting and temper tantrums and got my way. This was not my finest moment. Maddy was upset because I was going to cut her part in the operation in half. As you'll appreciate, Maddy never was too inclined to share the exciting parts of her life. She wanted to take charge of those. We weren't friends for a while after my tantrums. Later, when I saw what things Maddy could do that would freeze me in fear, we became friends again._

### # # # # # # # #

It was Sunday. Stook had left his copter in the usual parking lot by his apartment and was walking to the office for his afternoon shift. Now that he had two deputies, he was able to set up half shifts for everybody on the weekend. He was walking by a school playground, not thinking, mind in neutral, when...

"Hey, Mister."

Stook looked up and saw a young girl in the playground by the swings. She was bundled up against the cold so he couldn't see her hair or anything else about her actually. Stook was an experienced detective. It was Maddy.

"Yeah?"

"My swing won't work. Could you fix it for me?"

"Sure."

Stook ambled through the gate and into the playground. It would be an easy fix. Somebody had thrown the swing over the top bar so that it dangled only half way to the ground.

"It's too high for me," Maddy said.

"I can see that. Step out of the way and I'll throw the swing over the bar the other way."

...

"Thanks, Mister."

More quietly now.

"You have a deputy with black hair and long sideburns."

"That's Sully."

"Have him clean all the guns in your armory this afternoon."

"Why?"

"He's not your friend. Get rid of him tomorrow. You'll know how."

### # # # # # # # #

Later Sunday afternoon, Stook heard some explosive sneezing coming from the back room where the guns were stored. Curious, he ambled to the back. Sully was standing up behind the table holding the guns and a can of gun oil, sneezing. Each sneeze was getting stronger and stronger. Sully was holding his ribs by the time that Stook reached him and walked him outside. The room reeked of the smell of gun oil.

"What happened?" Stook asked.

"I was pouring a bit of oil onto my rag and the can slipped and the oil spilt onto the table. I started sneezing and couldn't stop."

"Are you OK now?"

"Yeah."

"You might have inhaled some of the smell. When you're ready, go on back in."

...

Later, Stook heard explosive sneezing again. He stepped out of his office. Sully was standing outside the gunroom, holding his ribs. Again, they went outside to get fresh air.

"I didn't even make it into the room," Sully exclaimed.

"I'll wipe the table off for you. That's a lot of gun oil on the table. How come you spilt so much?"

"I don't know. It was like my hand had a mind of its own."

"Come back in when you're ready."

...

More sneezing.

"Why don't you take the rest of the shift off? That'll give your lungs a chance to clear."

### # # # # # # # #

Monday morning. Sully arrived on time and looked refreshed.

"Are you OK," Stook asked.

"Yes. Some sort of sneezing fit, I guess. Thanks for giving me time off."

"Sure. Where's your side arm?"

"Desk drawer."

"Change the ammunition in it, will you?"

"Why?"

"Just do it."

"Six rounds in, six rounds out."

"Smell your hands."

Sully started sneezing and couldn't stop. Stook had to hold him by the elbow to steer him outside.

Later, when the sneezing had stopped.

"Son, I have some bad news for you."

Apparently, lawmen who become suddenly and inexplicably allergic to the smell of gun oil don't hold their deputy jobs for very long.

### # # # # # # # #

Tuesday morning. Stook was in the gunroom, washing the table down with bleach.

Sheila called down to him from the front desk. "Sheriff, there's a man here to see you. He says you know him."

"Send him down."

...

"Cowboy! What are you doing here?"

"I heard you lost a deputy."

### # # # # # # # #

Later that morning, Cowboy told Stook what the Wilizy had discovered about the new staff he was given.

Sheila Enderby, 25, had been a new hire in the Public Affairs Bureau of the government. This office is charged with giving the public news on government initiatives. In Colorado, that meant spinning stories to make the governor look good. Before that, she had been a flunky in the governor's office. She was young and good looking. It was entirely possible that she would be reporting what Stook was doing directly to the governor.

Hoss Cranston had arrived in Denver only two days ago. The Wilizy were able to track him back to Colorado Springs and to some military position inside the NORAD base. They couldn't track him any further. With his military training, he would fit in quite easily as a soon to be sheriff of Denver. They had no proof of that future scenario. But, installing a new sheriff seemed like the best way for the government to solve any problems that might exist in the Denver Sheriff's department going forward. The Wilizy would have preferred to send Hoss home early with sneezing fits rather than Sully, but he would have been very accustomed to the odor of gun oil and that trick wouldn't have worked.

New employee #3, Sully (Ellison Sullivan), had been lifted from an IT department in the Ministry of Education, which is the ministry where all the government's secret funds got stashed for later dispersal. Whatever his deputy job was in his new posting, his secret job have been to use the Denver Sheriff's computers to hide that dirty money coming in and going out. Nobody would think to look there. He had no background in anything remotely associated with law enforcement, nor was he an outdoorsman. The fake sneezing attack was likely to work on him.

Other aspects to the operation were known only within the Wilizy family and they never shared them with Cowboy.

Stu had flown to Toronto and told Cowboy that Stook was an assassin's target. Cowboy dropped everything and returned with him in time to appear the same day that Sully left. Seeing as how, somebody somewhere had authorized Stook to have two deputies, it would be bureaucratically correct for Stook to replace one with another. As a previous Denver deputy, Cowboy would be senior to Hoss meaning that both he and Stook would have to be assassinated. Not impossible, but less likely.

Marie had played a critical role too. She had entered Sully's apartment while he was sleeping, held a vial of gun oil under his nose, and cast a sneezing spell on him. Meanwhile, Cassie jiggled Sully's hand when he was trying to pour the gun oil and then returned to Australia after trying to slide inside a safety deposit box in Denver first. She managed to determine which box belonged to Swensen from an index file listing all owners and box numbers. Swensen's box was too small to get in and that meant that she couldn't snitch the journal or even read it.

All in all, the Wilizy had quickly blunted any possible attack on Stook and they had a private detective in place to keep an eye on Stook's back. They were now free to resume planning to uncover the man who had ordered five murders now. _[Narrator:_ _Swensen, Paula, Lylah, Lohla, and Stook.]_ It's too bad that they didn't have any idea how to do that yet.

Back to the Table of Contents

# Chapter 4

Yolanda and Hank were enjoying a leisurely breakfast in the almost deserted mess hall and talking about their upcoming day and what chores they would do. Hank was planning to clean the gutters that were getting full of tree droppings. Fall was the season when things from the trees fall onto roofs. Hence the name _fall._ The season could have just as easily been called _drop_. During _drop,_ house owners got to clean their roofs off, hopefully without _falling_. I know this doesn't make sense, but I wasn't the one to name the last three months of the year _fall_. In Hanks' case, he didn't have worry about autumning. He would simply hover in the air above the gutters and instruct one of William's robotic air blower devices to blow all the needles out of the gutters. It wasn't a lot of work, but it would be the highlight of Hank's day.

Yolanda wasn't that lucky. She had a choice of flipping the bed mattresses in the house - all four of them - or cleaning the insides of the cutlery drawer. She was going to do one task today and the other tomorrow. By spacing two chores out over two days, she'd have something to do tomorrow. For about fifteen minutes. They looked up from the consideration of their awaiting day when they heard a gentle masculine cough.

"Hey, guys," Yolanda greeted her table guests.

"What's up?" Hank asked.

Lucas had a little smile on his face, not something that his parents saw a lot. Normally, he would be very... let's call it ... intense.

"We're going to get married," he announced. "We wondered if you would like to come."

### # # # # # # # #

The Wilizy family didn't normally get to celebrate a lot of marriages/weddings. Hank and Yolanda essentially performed their own marriage ceremony the morning of Yolanda's 18th birthday _[Host the Jolly Lucas]_ and that set the tone for the family. William & Melissa and Wolf & Mac were married in a brief double ceremony in November of 2083 when they feared that they might not survive an upcoming war with the Alaskans _[Teenage Mutant Ninja Torpedoes.]_ Wizard and Dreamer had been living together for years but had not given any signs that they were considering a formal marriage. Same thing for Theo and Nary. The only member of Hank and Yolanda's family that had been married formally was Yollie and TG in March of 2082, over seven years ago _[Host the Jolly Lucas.]_ Doc performed the service, so while it was a formal marriage, no governmental certificates had been issued.

This lack of state-sponsored recognition was normal back in those days when few governments existed. Lucas indicated to his parents that he wanted to go the formal route, but the closest authorized marriage maker was in Helena, Montana in the person of Fuzzy the brothel owner and part-time Justice of the Peace. Another alternative was Sheriff Stookenhap in Denver who was also authorized to perform the ceremony. Deputy Sheriffs were allowed to stand in, so Cowboy was a possibility as well.

Those decisions could be made later. For now, a marriage celebration had to be planned and Yolanda quickly forgot about cleaning her cutlery drawer. They'd use the cadet camp, which had lots of room for guests.

Lieutenant Karlsson started training the cadets how to perform as a military honour guard. This involved forming two lines for a bride and groom to walk between while the military held rifles pointed into the sky above them. In this case, the cadets would point a bow and arrow into the air, and no, there wouldn't be any shooting. Arrows shot into the air have a curious habit of falling back down to Earth arrow tip first. General Jock would inspect the troops ahead of time to increase the formality of the ceremony.

As the plans started to circulate, Wizard and Dreamer indicated that they'd like to join in, if that was all right. Everybody agreed and Dreamer made a special trip to BC to invite her birth father and his wife to the wedding. Her birth father, Sam Buck, agreed to give her away. Well, that prompted Theo and Nary to join the wedding party too, but Nary didn't have a birth father unless you were to count Big Daddy who was not the kind of person you would want at a wedding party, especially since he was a dead slave owner. Stu volunteered to perform as Nary's father and that seemed to please Nary as well as Marie. Both Nary and Dreamer wanted to invite Bean and it was only natural that Cowboy was invited too.

The celebration took place on Saturday, November 26. The weather cooperated although it must be said that the wind was brisk. Those family members who had an aboriginal background came in aboriginal dress. Bean and Cowboy reprised their fancy duds that they had worn at the Helena dance. Jock wore a kilt although he commented later that he found it somewhat breezy underneath. (A true Scot wears nothing underneath a kilt.) Stu dug out a tuxedo from somewhere and Marie had a long flowing black dress that Momaka made for her. Momaka herself was dressed in Japanese formality. Kashmira came in her black with gold sparkles performance dress; Mathias could have worn his lab coat which was his constant companion these days, but appeared in aboriginal dress, as did Reese. Cassie was there in all her electronic aborigine splendour, all imagined of course. Granny and Wanda were dressed in their band chief regalia and made formal speeches of welcome. Doc spoke in his own language and offered a similar ceremony as he had at Yollie's wedding. Granny and Wanda made wedding gifts of feathers that were tied so tightly together that they could never be separated and presented them to each member of the wedding party.

After an evening of celebration, Jock pulled a drum from his copter and everybody came together in a long group hug complete with quickening drumbeats and foot stomps and hand claps. It was a great evening.

On Saturday, the wedding party boarded Wilizy planes and embarked for Helena for the formal part of the marriages. Fuzzy married Theo and Nary and then Lucas and Elle, as her name would appear in the marriage certificate. Official pictures were taken and certificates signed. Then it was off to Denver where Cowboy married Wizard and Dreamer, and then Lucas and Elle. And once again, pictures and certificates followed.

### # # # # # # # #

You're probably wondering which twin Lucas married. I'll give you a hint. When Granny presented her entwined feathers to Lucas, it consisted of three feathers.

### # # # # # # # #

The next week was a whirlwind of activity for the Wilizy who had remained in camp. Lucas and the Elles needed a house to stay in. Living in the barracks is not a good way to start a marriage. Wolf, William and TG started carving out a home site in a nearby mountain while Wanda ordered lumber. While Lucas was showing the Elles the secrets of sling travel, invisibility, mind-to-mind messaging, and time travel, the Wilizy women were hitting the closest Wilizy Cloth and Dye store to equip the house with furnishings. Hank was finding furniture for them in US second hand stores, which were like a dream come true for him. Turned out that US storeowners were very susceptible to low ball buy offers and their stores were crammed full of good stuff.

The construction of the house took the second week with all Wilizy males joining in. Maddy insisted on being shown how to wield a hammer and offered to work on the roof. This doesn't surprise you, I'm sure.

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# Chapter 5

It was Monday, November 22 and the Montana-based Wilizy had a chance to come up for air and schedule a meeting. Lucas and the Elles had moved into their new home after taking a brief orbiting honeymoon in the sub which was now back to its position high over Montana. This meeting was the first chance though for the Elles to see the invisible Wilizy/America sailing ship that was still over Denver. They were finishing Lucas' guided tour by the time the meeting was ready to begin.

The members of the executive (Granny, Doc, Hank, and Yolanda) were all there, of course. Also present were the scientists (William, TG and Wolf) and the Transcendental Trio (Melissa, Mac, and Winnie). Yollie and Momaka were at home taking care of domestic duties, Reese was trying to make sense of his colours database, and Wanda was back in BC managing her sawmills.

Stu and Marie were the last to enter the ship. Stu's appearance prompted the usual greetings; Marie's appearance prompted silence, at least at first. Instead of her usual gray smock and black leggings, Marie was now wearing black leather cowboy boots, a ruffled and flared cowgirl skirt that reached to the tops of her boots, a cowgirl blouse complete with short puffy sleeves, and a black Stetson on her head. The skirt was bright purple. The blouse was neon green.

"Stu and Momaka took me clothes shopping," Marie explained. "I was looking like an old fuddy-duddy."

"That's a striking outfit, Marie," Yolanda commented truthfully. "Where'd you go?"

"Dallas. Square dance capital of the world."

In truth, the clothes that Marie was wearing did come out of a square dancing shop. Nobody there had thought of putting the purple skirt and green blouse together on the same body though.

"These are my fanciest duds," Marie explained. "I also bought some day-to-day cow girl clothes. Now that I've married off my daughter, this will be the new me. I have enough cow girl duds to wear a different outfit every day of the week."

"The purple skirt and green top are very unique," Granny said. "Do you have a purple top and a green skirt outfit too?"

"Yup. I like this one best though."

"Why?" Doc asked without thinking first.

"Reminds me of my wonderful days on the ranch when I'd dress up as the Easter bunny and give out purple and green Easter eggs to all the little kiddies."

"You lived on a ranch?" Lylah asked. "Was it a big ranch? How long did it take you to deliver eggs to all the children?"

Lucas hadn't warned the twins about Marie yet.

"Not long. I just whipped through them," Marie explained.

"Whipped?" Lohla stepped into it this time.

"Yeah. We'd tie the kids to the ranch's whipping post. It was easier to deliver eggs when they were all roped together in one location. They tended to cry a lot when we did that."

"We should probably get started," Stu said before Marie could get rolling.

### # # # # # # # #

"What happened with the post mortem autopsies, Stu?" Hank asked. "How'd the two shooters die?"

"The autopsies were never done. The Coroner's office received instructions to release the bodies immediately to the families who would arrange for pickup."

"Who were the families?"

"Not identified. A transport copter picked them up. Paperwork was in order."

"What reasons were given for not conducting post mortems?"

"Religious objections."

"Who ordered the release?"

"Somebody in the governor's office."

"What about having Doc perform the autopsies?"

"Stook said that the transport company delivered them to a crematorium," Stu gloomed.

"We're at another dead end." Hank ended his brief interrogation with a frustrated conclusion.

"Yup. But there's good news."

"We could use some," Melissa reacted.

"Any investigation by us or by Stook has now been closed off. That should relieve the risk of personal danger to Stook and also to Cowboy."

"Fill me in on that, please Stu. I'm not aware that Stook was in danger or that Cowboy might be too." This request came from Lucas whose attention had understandably been occupied elsewhere. Stu explained what my readers already know.

...

"So Cowboy is staying in Denver and is watching Stook's back as a full time deputy?"

"Yes," Stu replied. "The sheriff's receptionist could be passing information directly to the governor. The second deputy is a military man of some kind. We're assuming that he's been put in place to take over as sheriff when that position becomes unexpectedly open. However, the CBA would be unlikely to act now. They've gotten away with five murders; six would be pushing it even for them."

"But still, his life is not assured," Lucas persisted.

"That's true. Stook is going to lose his job soon one way or the other. He could be fired. This Hoss guy could easily make him look guilty of something. Or, Stook and Cowboy could be ambushed on some investigation that takes them out of town."

"Could we say something?" Lylah asked.

"Just talk whenever you want to talk," Granny said. "We don't stand on ceremony here."

"Lylah and I do not need nor do we want you to pursue an inheritance for us. That money is dirty money."

"We don't want anybody's life endangered. It's not worth it." Lohla continued. "We'll work for our money at the cadet camp if you'll still have us."

"You can have those jobs for as long as you want," Hank said. "But if you want to pursue other careers, that's fine too. We'll help, but we won't give you a handout."

"That's what we do with everybody in the family," Yolanda softened Hank's mention of a handout. It's not like they was asking for one.

"Is our pursuit of Swensen's will and the contents of his safety deposit box now closed, Stu?" Mac wanted to shut that part of the operation down. You'll see why in a few more sentences.

"Marie can answer that."

"I won't get any further by making friends at the Swiss Guards, nor will access to my safety deposit box be useful. I'm at a dead end."

"Could we approach Eleanor in Zurich and ask her to give us access. Sort of a favour?" Yolanda asked Melissa.

"She has no reason to give us a favour, and breaking security on a customer is something that Swiss financial institutions are not going to do. Unless she owes us big time, I don't see that approach working."

"So, let's focus on what we want to do here. This operation was never only about getting Paula and her daughters a rightful inheritance." Mac was now taking charge, as she would do in the field. "It started that way, but we're looking at some crimes and injustices that go far beyond that. Isn't our interest in Denver really the Denver Cattlemen's Association and how they are controlling a state government that is supposed to be acting for the citizens? Hands up if you agree please."

The audience participation request cemented the direction of the Wilizy's future operations.

"So, let's forget about that safety deposit box and the will. Let's also forget about Paula's murderers. They're dead for some reason. Fate decreed that they would receive an early death for their actions."

"How do we take out the DCA?" Mac asked the critical question. "Winnie?"

"Winnie is barely able to sit here today," Yolanda interrupted. "Even shifting position in her bed is painful."

In response to all the eyeballs gazing at her, Winnie admitted, "I have nothing."

"All of our operations have started with a single lead. We open up one door and that leads to another door that we can open and then the next door opens. One line of attack is all we need right now," Mac said.

"Why don't we find out how and when Uncle Howard got his bagman job? Somebody before him would have been collecting dirty money and passing it around. What if that person kept records?"

"Which twin are you?" Granny blurted.

"Lylah," Lylah answered.

"That's a great idea," Melissa said. "Lucas, are the twins cleared for time travel?"

"Yes."

"Let's refocus the operation. Stu is still in charge. Coordinate everything through him. Who else wants to help with that research?"

Melissa and Mac started to raise their hands, looked at the anticipatory smiles on the newlyweds' faces and then put their hands down. "Later in the operation," Mac said.

"Marie?"

"I have to break in my boots. I have two more pairs at home. One is made of alligator skin which I particularly enjoy wearing because it keeps a certain somebody obedient." _[Nobody wanted to explain that one to the twins. They could find out on their own later.]_

"Winnie?"

"I can only do meetings right now."

"Give some thought to tattooing your names on your foreheads," Granny said to the twins on their way out.

### # # # # # # # #

"The first vice-president of the Loveland Chemical Research Institute is a man who insists on being recognized formally as _Mr. Cuter_. He's in charge of the financial activities of the company. He's a strange looking man. He is always dressed immaculately but he also wears gawd-awful bow ties that attract everyone's attention. If I were alive, I'd have to put my hand to my mouth to stop myself from snickering. He's got a handsome face though."

"OK, what else have you found about him?"

"That's it, Lillian."

"That's it? You've been back and forth to Loveland for about a month now and that's all you've found?"

"That's all I've found that's worth reporting. I've been able to look in their books but can't make any sense of them. I'm not an accountant."

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# Chapter 6

Let's check in with the Swiss government in Zurich now. It's been about a month since the Swiss cabinet decided to ignore some criminal's attempt to extort money from the government. It's now Tuesday November 23. The prime minister has called an extraordinary cabinet meeting for this evening and he is circulating copies of a map of Zurich around the table as I write. There isn't room for Eleanor at the table, what with how the chairs around the table had been arranged before she entered. Eleanor takes a chair in a corner. She deliberately chooses the corner away from the coffee machine so that it will be less likely she'll be asked to serve all the men. When the pile of maps goes by her end of the table, she has to get up and take a copy before the maps get passed on. She doesn't appear to be annoyed by this. Let's listen in.

"What's this then, Prime Minister?"

"This map came in my office mail yesterday. There was no return address on the envelope, but it was mailed in Zurich."

"What's with all the circles on the map? Did your office add those?"

"That's how the map arrived. Each circle shows the location of a Zurich bank. The person who created the map didn't circle every bank in Zurich because the scale of the map didn't allow that. My staff checked: every member of the cabinet has at least one circled location."

"That's all they sent?"

"No. A second document had these words: _Give us one hundred thousand francs worth of gold by November 30. Signal your agreement by issuing a press release where the words one hundred thousand and November 30 are included. You will receive further instructions. Ignore us and you'll rue the day."_

Eleanor listened to the deliberations intently, but was given no opportunity to comment, a restriction that she accepted without anger. This was her fourth cabinet meeting now and she continued to learn useful information from attending the meetings. Interactions between men at the table revealed where the established power was and where the threats to that power were building. She observed who acted with reason at the meeting and who acted with emotion. That information would guide her actions later.

This particular meeting was very useful because it revealed which bank CEOs were susceptible to threats. One CEO's simple suggestion that the cabinet should pretend to agree and then try to catch the extortionists at the handover location implied that that CEO was worried, perhaps about the upcoming quarterly results. The two CEOs who supported that suggestion also were worried about something. Eleanor had already identified one of those worried and weak CEOs; now she had three in her sights.

It didn't take long for the cabinet to reach a decision. They would ignore the threat and make no response whatsoever. Swiss banks had to be impervious to these kinds of threats. Later that evening, as they were getting ready for bed, Eleanor told Henrik about the meeting and the reactions that she had seen. Henrik was the vice president in charge of expansion. Another vice president, a woman, was in charge of banking operations. Eleanor gave Henrik some instructions on where expansion might be possible. One suggestion would require a trip to Denver Colorado. The other suggestion would require a walk down the street.

### # # # # # # # #

Montana, 7:30 pm. Billy and Maddy were in the mess hall working on some geometry questions. Let me rephrase that. Maddy was working on the geometry; Billy was trying to help her.

Maddy was facing a challenge that had been bound to happen eventually. She was a nine-year-old girl training to be a soldier with young teenage boys. She didn't have to contribute just physically to the corps; she had to contribute intellectually as well. The cadets were currently learning about angles of elevation which were part of planning artillery fire, for example. It was simple enough for the boys, but Maddy's knowledge of geometric angles was well below that of the other cadets. Some special help would be needed.

Mac offered to tutor her at home, but Maddy resisted because, as she argued, Billy knew exactly what she needed and he could explain things to her. Mac hadn't been in the classes. How would she know what to teach her? Mac attempted to reason with her, but Maddy was stubborn. She wanted Billy to help her. She would never dare say this to anybody, but the truth was that Mac was impatient and explained things far too quickly. Billy didn't look at her in exasperation when she didn't understand. Stubborn won out.

The review of simple geometric shapes had gone well but Maddy couldn't put that kind of geometry together with what she had to know with the military scope she had to learn how to use. Billy went into the maintenance room and came out with a big stepladder. They turned a cafeteria table over on its side, and Maddy crouched behind it with her scope to her eye. Billy put the stepladder in front of the table and climbed eight steps up.

"What angle is this according to the scope?"

"It says 80 degrees."

"Almost straight up."

"Yeah."

Billy moved the stepladder a few steps away and climbed eight steps up. "Now what is it?"

"70 degrees."

"What do you think it will be if I move it further away?"

"I don't know."

"Will it be more or less than 70 degrees?"

"Less."

"Let's see."

Billy kept moving the stepladder around the mess hall and climbing eight steps up. At one point, he put the ladder right below where Mac was invisibly watching the geometry class and she had to move. Then he changed the number of steps he climbed.

...

"So, the angle to a target is a measure of the height of the target is."

"That's right, Maddy. You got it. The scope gives you that information so that you don't have to guess."

When they started to put the mess hall back the way it was, Mac decided to head home. She'd tell Yollie and Melissa that the Billy's tutoring had been good for Maddy. Perhaps he was a natural teacher? She herself would never have thought about the stepladder. She'd have been drawing diagrams.

Billy put away the ladder and then the two of them put the cafeteria table back where it had been. He sat down, but Maddy remained standing.

"I'm going now. Thanks"

"How are you going to get back home?"

"One of my moms is picking me up."

"Which one?"

"They never tell me who's going to pick me up. I gotta go."

"I'll wait outside until your mom arrives. It's dark outside."

"Do you think I'm scared of the dark?"

"No. But if we're in the dark, you and Melody could hug. She's never had a girl-to-girl hug."

"I'm not a hugger. See ya."

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# Chapter 7

"How do we use time travel to find the bagman who collected and gave away money before Uncle Howard?" Lylah and Lohla were sitting on a very well used three-piece sofa that was covered in ugly brown and gold stripes. At least it was ugly to anybody who repainted her toenails every Sunday morning before lunch. Lylah had asked Lucas the question. You may wonder where Lucas was sitting on that three-piece sofa. You've heard the expression _between a rock and a hard place_? Lucas was a rock between two soft places. It's an invigorating life being married to twin curvaceous beauties.

"You can waste a lot of time with time travel if you don't plan ahead. Let's try to narrow down the years that we have to look at. When do you think your uncle started work as a bagman?"

"We don't know. Mom never said anything about Uncle Howard. We didn't know he existed until we met him in Nebraska."

"Well, was he older or younger than your mom?"

"I think he was younger," Lylah said.

"How much younger?"

"Maybe three years?"

"When was your mom born?"

"I know this," Lohla said. "June 5, 2032."

"That means your uncle was born in 2035 if Lylah is right. Let's assume that he might start work after he turned 18. We don't know if this was his first job or not, but it's very unlikely that the DCA would give the job to anybody younger. So, we'll go back in time to January 1, 2053 and plant an invisible drone with a recording device in a place that we're sure he's going to be. We'll collect the data from that device after a number of years and wait until we see Uncle Howard walk by. Once we know when he started being a bagman, we'll be on our way to finding the bagman who collected money before him."

"How do we know where he's bound to be?" Lohla asked.

"Winnie was watching him earlier and he had a predictable routine."

"How is Winnie?" Lylah asked.

"She's not getting any worse. So, in his routine..."

"Is she sure it's a growth spurt? Seems kind of painful for that."

"Doc said that it was a growth spurt. So in the routine..."

"Winnie is such a nice person. We had a good talk during the party."

"Was she asking personal questions about us?"

"No. She had a piece of paper and wanted to know if we thought it was her handwriting or not. She had another piece of paper and wrote out the same words on it. They looked identical to me."

"Me too."

"But no personal questions about us?"

"No, not at all."

"You have to be careful with Winnie because she's such a sn..."

"Lucas, aren't we supposed to be working on our time travel trip?"

"Yeah, let's stay on track here. What was Uncle Howard's routine?"

"OK. Winnie said that he would leave his house at 8:30 in the morning Monday to Friday. He'd walk eight blocks south and go into the Swiss Guards building. When he came out of the building, he'd be carrying a brief case. He'd walk two blocks east and go into the Denver Cattlemen's building. He'd spend almost all of his time in a semi-isolated corner of the Members' Lounge. He was never away from his briefcase. When he left at night, he walk to the Swiss Guard's building, leave the briefcase safely inside, and walk home."

_[You'll notice that Lucas did not mention anything about Uncle Howard's evening entertainment.]_

"We could put a drone right outside that Swiss Guards building. That way we'd see him go in and come out."

"Less chance of missing him."

"It would be a good idea normally, but the Swiss Guards building hadn't been built when your uncle started working."

"In front of the DCA building then?" Lohla suggested.

"It's very old," Lylah added.

"Sounds like a plan. Let's go."

"Now?"

"Sure. The three of us will sling to the spot where we want the drone to be in 2053. We have to make sure that we're high in the air where we are unlikely to have something run into us when we drop out of TiTr mode. We can't be too close to each other too. You already know how to set the dials on the TiTr machine. When we come out of time travel, we'll remain invisible and turn on the drone. Let's set it to record from 2053 to 2063 when he'll be between 18 and 28. Then we TiTr into the future to 2089. We should plan on arriving two minutes after we left. Tomorrow we can collect the data from the drone and start looking through them."

### # # # # # # # #

As Lucas had predicted, installing the drone took very little energy or time. On Thursday, they split the data up into three parts and started working through the days and weeks. Lylah was the one to find Uncle Howard on his first day of the job \- Tuesday, June 13, 2056, which worked out to be 21st birthday as they found out later.

"Lylah, can you pull up the video shots in front of the DCA for Monday, June 12, 2056 on the big screen?"

"Done. Presumably, this is the last day of work for Uncle Howard's predecessor."

"How do we find him?"

"Look for an older guy with a brief case?" Lucas suggested. He wasn't sure about this himself.

....

"Too many briefcases."

"Too many old guys too."

"We could put a drone above Uncle Howard's favorite sitting spot."

"But we don't know that the previous guy would use the same spot, Lohla."

"How many drones can we have, Lucas?" Lylah asked.

"As many as you want."

"Let's plaster the place with drones."

"Let's do that on their Saturday," Lucas said. "It could take a while to make sure we have every possible spot covered. It may not be the best way to find him however."

"What would be better?"

"Can't say yet. We'll sneak into the DCA building on a weekend when there's little risk of being discovered. I'll get some equipment from William and we'll break into the building through the roof door that Reese and Winnie used this last summer. I'll ask TG to confirm that there's no worrisome security system in the building back in 2056. That's not likely but let's not take the chance. If we make the simplest of mistakes while we're time traveling, that could change the future and we must not do that."

"How would setting off an alarm change the future? Nobody could see us if we were invisible."

"Here's how. An alarm goes off for no apparent reason so the DCA decides that their security isn't good enough. They fire their current security company and hire another. They add more people on the doors and they have their bagman change his routine so that he's not walking alone with a briefcase. More people on the doors means that some people's lives are changed. The security company that was fired may go out of business. Those peoples' lives will be changed."

"Oh."

"Got it."

"A small change can ripple through time and affect huge numbers of people after forty years. We can't make a single mistake. We have to be thoroughly rested this Saturday. Don't wear any clothing that can fall off. Don't have anything in pockets that can fall out. Don't wear jewelry that can come unfastened."

### # # # # # # # #

Entry into the DCA back in 2056 was not difficult. They decided to break in on Saturday, June 3 so that they'd have a full week to find the former bagman before he retired, if retirement was why he left his job. TG had scanned the building and had found no electronic emissions that might cause shrieking noises to erupt. William gave Lucas a lock picker that could lock and unlock doors of that era, so it was easy to enter the building through the door on the roof, as planned. The layout of the lounge was very similar to the lounge in 2089. The furniture was different, naturally, but members could still have privacy if they wished it. Instead of setting up numerous drones, and then having to analyze the data, Lucas suggested that they simply break into the building and park themselves high in the corners of the lounge on the coming Monday. They'd watch until somebody sat down by himself with a briefcase and stayed there all day.

Since the entire building was deserted, they used that Saturday intrusion to familiarize themselves with the building. The ground floor was all member services. Dining room, kitchen, and lounge. The bedrooms on the second and third floors were less intuitive, at least when the doors were shut. After Lucas used William's lock picker a few times, both twins saw a pattern in the contents and lay out of the bedrooms. Large comfy bed; big screen on the wall; tray of liquor bottles on the top of a bureau; male clothes inside the bureau; one fluffy white bathrobe inside the closet in a male size; male size slippers in the bottom of the closet. The bathroom held toiletries such as soap, toothpaste, a single toothbrush, male deodorant; several large fluffy towels and face clothes. Also found were a hair dryer, a large shower cap, and an old fashioned perfume bottle with a squeeze ball. The squeeze ball was irresistible to the twins who expressed their disapproval as follows: _Cheap. Slutty._

The smell of the perfume was all the twins needed to guess how that room was being used. Plus, they knew how _good old boys'_ minds worked. What was the point of having a club that banned wives from coming into the building if you couldn't take advantage of their absence?

"Did Uncle Howard come upstairs?" Lohla asked.

"Regularly," Lucas said. "Every weeknight as far as Winnie could see. He met a different woman each night but she didn't look to see if those same five would repeat each week. Stu figured that the prostitutes were one of the perks of his job. But he never looked at any monthly invoices. Not that the invoice would have been accurately detailed."

"And you didn't describe this part of his routine to us because...?"

"Best for you to see it yourself. You wouldn't have wanted to believe me. Puts your uncle in a bad light."

"We hardly knew him," Lylah said.

"I wondered if he were gay," Lohla said. "There were no signs of any woman ever being in his house when we were staying there."

"He couldn't cook for himself. I knew that," Lylah said. "He was always going out for his meals, even on weekends. Restaurants on those nights, I guess. I offered to cook family meals, but he wasn't interested. He did order groceries in for us to cook for ourselves though."

"I wonder if he ever had to pay," Lohla ventured. "Did his job give him free meals anywhere he wanted?"

"Any place that he had given money to, I bet." Lucas contributed. "Food, clothes, anything. Business owners who benefitted from the graft would know. They'd never charge him. They were part of the secrecy, I bet."

### # # # # # # # #

Lylah found the previous bagman easy enough the Monday morning of his last week at work. His name was Ezra and he occupied the same quiet nook that Howard would take. He had the same briefcase that Howard would carry. He was assigned the same dining room table that Howard would use. He had sex in the same bedroom that Howard would occupy. He was visited by the same prostitutes that Howard would entertain. Howard even took the ladies for a test run in that final week. The Wilizy had missed seeing Uncle Howard coming to the DCA building that week because he didn't show up until it was time for lunch.

The Wilizy followed Ezra Swensen home on that first Monday. They now knew his name; they now knew where he lived; they now knew where he banked; they now knew that there'd be no chance of seeing any records of Ezra's money collections or handouts because they had already been stymied by Uncle Howard who was using the same security protocol.

It was time for the Trespassing Trio to report in.

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# Chapter 8

Wednesday, December 1. In Zurich, this is the day that follows November 30. (The same thing happens in other places too.) I bring this to your attention because November 30 in Zurich was the deadline that the extortionists had set. Failure to agree to pay would result in the government _ruing the day_.

Very few people say _rue the day_ any more. It means that you're going to be very sorry. But nobody in Zurich was very sorry right now. Especially not Henrik who was telling Eleanor what he had found in Denver.

"It's a very rich city. Former capitol city of the US and there are still remnants of that association. Denver is also the capitol city of Colorado. Lots of government people work in the city. It has a very low crime rate, which is surprising because some very wealthy people live there. You'd think that all that wealth would attract thieves and con men, but a small sheriff's office keeps everything under control. They don't even run patrols in the evening."

"Must be a good man."

"Sandy says that he's been there for years and years. Mind you, she has our own security personnel to watch the bank, but nobody has made the slightest attempt to rob us."

"How's Sandy doing in her new post as manager?"

"The bank is making money hand over fist. Denver banks are old and reputable, emphasis on the word _old_. We have a brand new, thief proof building. We have the latest security technology and a popular and security provoking image with the Swiss Guards. Sandy's analysts can tap into investments around the world through our old Safe Haven personnel. They're making lots of money for Denver's business elite. Word of mouth has brought wealthy members of Denver Cattlemen's Association onto our client list now. Sandy is personally supervising their accounts."

"Denver Cattlemen's Association?"

"Known as the DCA, it a private club of the ultra wealthy who run the city. They used to be cattle barons. Now they have money in various industries but no skills in investing their personal money in international markets. They've outgrown what Denver can provide locally for wealth management. We're in the right place at the right time. As a pilot test of your North American expansion, it's a rip roaring success."

"Rip roaring?"

"A saying from when they had cowboys."

"Let's get some more money into Denver. We'll fund the North American expansion from there."

"Where do I find that money?"

"I'm expecting an influx of cash very soon. It will be a small amount at first, but much more over the course of this year and next year. You can ferry it over in a secure copter and that will hide our revenue from the Swiss government. Do you have our second Swiss Guards bank location chosen yet for North America?"

"Minneapolis, I think. We own a lot of land in their downtown core from the land that the old Safe Haven Group purchased back during the troubles. The gangs would destroy the value of the buildings in the inner city, and Safe Haven would pick up valuable property for virtually nothing. Now that the gangs aren't controlling the city, businesses are starting to come back. The same thing is happening in the other gang properties that Safe Haven owned."

"Guess we should thank the Wilizy for cleaning out those gangs for us."

"I wonder what they did with those boys. Whatever it was, they sure helped us out."

### # # # # # # # #

Meanwhile, back where the Wilizy had taken the gang boys, Erik Karlsson was meeting with Mac in her capacity as Cadet Commander.

"I've been thinking about a personnel change," he said. "Thought I would run it by you first."

"OK."

"I've been watching Cadet Sergeant Bump. He's been showing great leadership with the infiltration sub-platoon."

"That was his idea wasn't it?"

"Yes. He said he had seen that kind of force in some oldy-moldy. But, he's very intuitive with other military matters too. In the short time that he's been with us, he's become as militarily knowledgeable as any cadet in the Corp and those cadets have been with us for years. He believes in honour and in sticking up for a weaker cadet. He's determined to succeed."

"He's now the second best runner in the corp, I believe."

"Soon to be the first. He gets along well with other cadets; a natural born leader I'd say."

"He gave Maddy some help understanding geometry angles last week," Mac added. "She was able to understand it after he explained it. He didn't have to help her."

"I asked him about that. He said it was his duty to help her. An army is only as good as its weakest soldier, he said."

"He said that?"

"His exact words."

"What are you thinking for him?"

"Promotion to Blue Platoon Sergeant. I'll put the infiltration sub-platoon in with them. I'm going to move some of the other senior cadet posts around too. They need to learn how to work closer together as a cohesive group. They still have gang leadership tendencies. I'm the biggest and strongest, therefore I'm the leader. I'm going put thinkers into the leadership roles."

"OK by me."

"Thanks, Mac. I'll announce the changes at PT tomorrow."

### # # # # # # # #

At 11:34 p.m. Zurich time, the branch of the Credit Suisse bank serving the Altstetten district burst into flames. Investigators weren't able to get close to the bank until the afternoon. They were able to determine that the attackers had gained access to the bank by destroying part of the bank's roof. Probably by dynamite. From the roof, they would have had access to every room in the bank including the vault, which the investigators presumed had been forcefully opened by dynamite. All the cash in the vault was gone. The safety deposit boxes were ignored. They must have set fire to the bank's interior to remove any traces of their presence.

Four days later, Monday December 6, the Prime Minister called an emergency cabinet meeting. He circulated a single page of paper that constituted the meeting's agenda.

_Next time we ask for payment, think about this. We removed more than one hundred thousand francs worth of gold from the Credit Suisse branch before destroying it. It will cost you well over 1 million francs to rebuild. You should have paid._

Back to the Table of Contents

#  Chapter 9

Let's drop into the Loveland Chemical Research Institute where Paula is giving her second report to Lillian. Both of them are invisible, naturally, and they're hovering over a giant lab.

_This is the main lab for LCRI's agricultural business. Agricultural Enhancements had been a big revenue source for the company before The Troubles. At the time, the world was facing extinction from climate change and scientists were focusing on growing food in extreme conditions: very little land, high heat, minimal water, and constant threats of extreme weather. Some politicians were continuing to deny that climate change was a problem. All of these weather problems? Just a blip in how the Earth heated and cooled naturally over time. The cause that the politicians had identified? At first, it had been a Chinese plot. Later, the politicians began blaming each other._

_I know about their political parties._

_In such a political environment, and in such a difficult environment to produce food in any quantity, it's understandable that agri-scientists had trouble producing food without soil. At first, the artificial food was a Godsend. It was only a decade later that the few scientist that were still functioning inside research facilities discovered that the long term effects of artificial food manufacturing had a cumulative effect of intensifying food allergies and the body's ability to digest the food. People suffered and then died. By then, the world was in chaos._

_And now, what's happening inside this lab?_

_They're searching for ways to turn non-arable land into arable land. The world is still full of plastics. One group in the LCRI is trying to find a way to convert plastic into fertilizer. Another group is trying to develop seeds that can tolerate current climate conditions. They're using genetic mutations as a research thrust._

_Prospects for success?_

_Difficult to say. The research concepts are plausible. I've been spending all my time trying to make sense of the chemicals that they're using._

_The person in charge?_

_This department falls under the responsibility of the Second Vice President, Ms. Tory. She has average height, average age, and average weight and physical dimensions for that height and age. She has average hair and she wears average business attire. Nothing about this woman would inspire creativity or confidence. She gets along reasonably well with the other vice presidents because she doesn't challenge or comment on anything that they do. She's a non-entity._

_Time for you to move on to the next vice-president?_

_I might as well. I could study their work for another year and not be any closer to understanding how their goals are going to be met. I just don't see them having success in creating more food for the planet from the chemicals they're using. Certainly not food that's any good for people. If they had a better leader, perhaps._

### # # # # # # # #

"So the DCA's bagman before your uncle was another uncle?" Granny was a mite confused. Too many uncles.

"Yes," Lylah replied. Granny would know that it was Lylah who answered because she had written her name in eyebrow liner on her forehead. Lohla had done the same. The mood in the executive meeting began light and cheerful. That would change soon.

"Our uncle Howard, our mom's brother, was the DCA's bagman from June 13, 2056 to his murder on Sunday, September 4, 2089."

"Thirty-three years," Granny murmured. "Long time."

Lohla continued. "The previous bagman was named Ezra Swensen. He was my mom's uncle on her father's side. All we know so far is he was the DCA's bagman during the week just before Uncle Howard took over."

"We weren't sure if we should research Ezra's time with the DCA," Lucas informed the group. "Howard's routine in protecting the contents of the briefcase was the same as Ezra's. We couldn't find a weakness with Howard's routine; we are unlikely to find a weakness with Ezra's."

"Another dead end," Granny groused. Remember what I said about the mood changing? That happened here.

"And soon, there'll be another bagman operating just as secretly," Yolanda doomed.

"That just means that the records of the monies collected and disbursed by the bagmen are not available to us," Stu said. "That doesn't mean that we can't find a way to take down the DCA."

"What's your plan, Stu?" Hank asked.

"I don't have one."

"Winnie?"

"I have nothing."

"Melissa? Mac?"

Both women shook their heads.

"Lucas?"

"We should continue to collect information on the bagmen. Who knows what we'll turn up. We won't find it if we don't look."

"Focus on Ezra?" Hank asked.

"We know as much about Howard that we can find out," Lucas responded. "We could continue to time travel. Try to listen in on conversations?"

"We know what he's going to be doing," Yolanda doomed again. "Sitting in a corner and drinking."

"Could we follow the people who come by and talk with him?" Lylah asked.

"Very time consuming," Granny re-doomed. "And what if we do find that some guy who talked with Ezra owns a butcher store, for example. What then?"

"We need paper records, not surveillance tapes that we can't use in court." Melissa pointed out.

"Why don't we put the Denver sheriff's office to work? They have badges that may open doors or mouths."

"Good idea, Mac. Focus on Uncle Ezra, right?" Melissa again.

"I'll talk with Stook and Cowboy," Stu said.

### # # # # # # # #

Stook had received a lot of raccoon complaints recently and asked Cowboy to step into his office. _[Just to be clear. These were complaint about raccoons; not complaints from raccoons._ ] And yes, this is the type of complaint that the Denver sheriff's office frequently had to resolve. Wealthy people get annoyed when they hear raccoons rummaging through trash barrels; they get even more annoyed when they find upended trash containers and swathes of aforementioned trash spread over their yards.

For some unknown reason, raccoons had been very busy the last couple of nights. Stook responded to their spree of trashing trash bins by assigning Cowboy to formally investigate. Cowboy didn't appreciate having to pick up the trash but it was important that he be seen responding to the complaints. And, since he had been the one to spread the trash in the first place, justice was truly being served. After showing residents that he was on the job, Cowboy went underground to find the raccoons and deal with them.

You're probably thinking that raccoons don't live underground. You'd be right about that.

By underground, I do mean underground. Cowboy donned some different apparel and went to the Denver Archives, a building that stored thousand and thousands of historical and government document archives in its seven storeys, four of which were underground.

To the clerk at the front desk who issued the daily pass to him, Cowboy was a Ph.D. student who was researching 'The impact of climate change crises on populational shifts in Denver during the height of _The Problems_.' To get that pass into the building, Cowboy was required to read a set of rules that included bans against food or drink in the reading rooms. He was issued several pairs of blue linen gloves, which he had to wear when handling the documents whether they were in paper form or on film of some kind. The $10 daily fee would be refunded to him at the end of day provided that he had followed all of the rules. The clerk would be checking on him from time to time. The clerk made a mental note to check on this visitor regularly. His very pudgy body suggested that he liked to snack. Snacking was forbidden.

Cowboy toured the entire building to gain a sense of the types of documents that were in the archives. He decided to start with _Vital Statistics_ , which meant birth, death, and marriage records. These were organized alphabetically, so after he went to the right floor, he found what he was looking for relatively quickly.

_Howard Arnold Swensen, born June 13, 2035, in Denver, to Ezekial Esmeriah Swensen and Mathilde Constance Swensen (maiden name Albion)._

Next up: Howard and Paula's parents.

_Ezekial Ezmeriah Swensen, born October 4, 2010, in Denver to Frederick Wilbur Swensen and Kathy Annette Swensen, (maiden name Dunsen). Died July 18, 2053._

_Mathilde Constance Albion, born November 3, 2011 in Denver to James Arnold Albion and Michelle Amity Albion (maiden name Script). Died July 18, 2053._

Now Uncle Ezra

_Ezra Ezenwa Swensen, born March 11, 2006, in Denver to Frederick Wilbur Swensen and Kathy Annette Swensen, (maiden name Dunsen). No marriage. Died August 1, 2072._

As far as Cowboy was concerned, there wasn't much to note here apart from the Frederick and Kathy's love of boys' names starting with EZ. Paula and Howard's parents had died on the same day. That was interesting. Copter crash?

### # # # # # # # #

Cowboy spent a full day going through archive copies of the Denver Post from 2040 to 2070. He was looking for articles on the Denver Cattlemen's Association or articles mentioning Uncle Ezra. These archives were not searchable which is why it took him so long to find out that there were no articles mentioning the DCA. Given how important the DCA was in Denver, the absence of any media coverage whatsoever was amazing.

### # # # # # # # #

The Property Registration files were on the fifth floor. Cowboy wasn't expecting to find anything useful.

For Denver, property files were organized by the property address. The Swensen mansion was at 101 Bellaire Street, which in the early 21st century was part of Cranmer Park. These files recorded any changes in the ownership of the property from when it was first registered.

The first entry for this property was its registration on June 15, 2028. The owners were a family named Cruikshank. Cowboy interpreted this entry as meaning that they were the initial purchasers of the land and probably had the mansion built.

On August 1, 2030, Ezekial and Mathilde Swensen (Paula and Howard's parents) purchased the property from the Cruikshanks.

On January 1, 2034, Ezra Swensen was added to the registration below the names of his brother and sister-in-law.

On January 1, 2041, Ezekial and Mathilde Swensen were listed as the sole owners.

On August 1, 2053, Ezra was listed as the sole owner.

On August 1, 2056, Howard Swensen was listed as the sole owner.

Time for lunch. A local diner provided some renewed energy. So far, he had found nothing useful. He had Uncle Ezra's address to research plus the librarian had suggested he look in the census records and that would end his research.

When Cowboy returned to the table, he eased into his seat. _[The fat suit that he was wearing made agile movements impossible.]_ It was easy to find Uncle Ezra's address. He was living in an apartment building that had been owned by the DCA for over fifty years. Cowboy took his Stetson, placed it on his head, and stood up. "Well, stick my face in the carcass of a dead skunk and call me Stinky," he said.

Cowboy had spent an entire day searching the media for references to the Denver Cattlemen's Association and had found nothing over the decades. Now, here was the DCA's name on a legal document that revealed that the DCA owned property. Some people would call that a clue.

Cowboy returned the property registration materials to the shelf that had the sign _Return ALL property registration resources HERE!_ prominently displayed. Next stop? Census records.

### # # # # # # # #

Blue platoon was out in the prairie learning how to dig foxholes. The exercise of digging the hole and then filling canvas bags with soil would keep them warm in the face of a stiff cold breeze. Afterwards, the foxhole would provide some natural protection provided that the cadets had dug the hole deep enough. Each cadet was dressed in winter camouflage fatigues and had been issued a camouflage tarp. They had been given thirty minutes to dig the foxhole and had to stay out of sight for a further two and a half hours afterwards. In his capacity as platoon sargeant, Billy had assigned Maddy to team up with him.

When the air horn sounded for the cadets to throw away their shovels, Billy and Maddy were well protected in a very deep foxhole with the lip of the hole guarded by sand bags. Maddy started her time in the foxhole curled up in the bottom of the hole with her tarp gathered around her. Billy suggested that they should put their two tarps together and curl up together since their combined body heat would keep both of them warm. That made sense to Maddy and so that's how they were now keeping warm. With the tarp almost completely covering them, they were lying in the dark, talking. There wasn't anything else to do.

Maddy had agreed to share another secret and had told Billy about the slave ranch and what life had been like for her. However, she hadn't said anything about her escape and what had happened after that.

"Your turn," Maddy said. "Tell me about Melody."

"Are you cold?"

"A little."

"I'll squeeze in closer to you so that you can have more of my body heat."

Billy did just that.

"When you were in your home, did Melody ever take over your body?"

"What do you mean?"

"My sisters and I took turns sharing the body. That way, each of us could do things we wanted to do. Did Melody ever take over the Billy body?"

"Yeah. Sure. We agreed to do that."

"Freya liked to play school when we were young. She wanted to be the teacher cause she liked bossing people around. What did Melody like to do?"

"Girl things."

"What kind of girl things?"

"You know. Usual girl things."

"Like what?"

"Like playing with dolls."

"Did Billy join in playing with the dolls?"

"What do you mean join in?"

"My sisters and I would play board games together. Each of us had our own color piece that we'd move around the board. Did you do that?"

"No. Melody just liked to play dolls."

"How'd she get the dolls? Did your parents buy them for you?"

"No. My parents would never do that. They didn't like me being Melody."

"Then where did she get the dolls to play dolls with?"

"I had a set of army people. She'd play dolls with them."

"My family had a set of army figurines. Green plastic soldiers holding guns. The boys in the family used to play war games. Did your parents give you army people like that?"

"Yeah."

"So when Melody was using the army guys as dolls, where did she get the clothes to dress them with? And, how did you find really tiny clothes?"

"What do you means dress them?"

"If we were having a tea party, we'd dress dolls up so that they could come to a party and have tea and goodies. You couldn't have a doll coming to a party without any clothes on. So where did Melody get the clothes to put on them?"

"The soldiers already had clothes on. Their fatigues. They'd wear those clothes."

"To tea parties?"

"Melody didn't pretend to have tea parties."

"What did she pretend to do with her dolls?"

"Why don't you ask her?"

"Is she here?"

"She is now."

"You're Melody?"

"Yes, I am."

"That's weird. You sound like Billy."

"It's Billy's body so it sounds like him. But, I'm Melody. You can talk directly with me now."

"Melody, what did you do when you were playing dolls?"

"It was hard to play dolls with Billy's army guys. Instead, I'd pretend that I had a sister that I could play with. I'd pretend that my sister and I would have sleepovers where we would cuddle in the dark and talk.

"Sounds kind of boring. Whenever I slept with Liset, we'd stay on opposite sides of the bed so that our feet and legs wouldn't be kicking each other."

"Yeah. That's because you were facing each other. I never had that problem because I pretended that my sister and I were facing the same way. I'll show you. Turn on your side away from me."

"Now what?"

"I'll cuddle up behind you."

And Melody did. And because her left arm was in the way, she draped it over Maddy's waist.

...

"See our legs won't kick each other now."

"It's too hot this way."

Maddy rolled away, grabbed her own tarp, and wrapped it around her. "All I need is my own tarp to keep warm. Did you have any stuffed animals to play with, Melody?"

Back to the Table of Contents

# Chapter 10

It's the day after Cowboy copied out the census records for 101 Bellaire Street from 2030 to 2060 in five-year increments. Those records are below. Cowboy's handwritten comments are in italics.

2030: Owners: Ezekial Swensen, 20, businessman; Mathilde Swensen, 19, housewife. _(Paula and Howard's parents Ezekial and Mathilde own the house and the property as of August 2030 when they bought it.)_

2035: Owners: Ezekial Swensen, 25, businessman; Mathilde, 24, wife; Ezra Swensen, 29, businessman, brother to Ezekial. Also living in the house: Paula, 3, daughter; Howard, infant son; Laura-Lee Sullivan, 30, live-in domestic. _(Why is Ezra now an owner of the house? Is the live-in domestic a nanny?)_

2040: Owners: Ezekial Swensen, 30, businessman; Mathilde, 29, wife; Ezra Swensen, 34, businessman, brother to Ezekial. Also living in the house: Paula, 8, daughter; Howard, 5, son; Laura-Lee Sullivan, 35, live-in domestic. _(Ezra is still living with them and is still shown as an owner of the property.)_

2045: Owners: Ezekial Swensen, 35, businessman; Mathilde, 34, wife. Also living in the house: Paula, 13, daughter; Howard, 10, son; Laura-Lee Sullivan, 40, live-in domestic. _(Ezra is no longer living in the house nor is he an owner of the house. What happened? We know that he's still living. He won't die until 2072.)_

2050: Owners: Ezekial Swensen, 40, businessman; Mathilde, 39, wife. Also living in the house: Paula, 18, daughter; Howard, 15, son; _(No domestic now.)_

2055: Absentee owner: Ezra Swensen, 49, businessman. Living in the house: Howard Swensen, 20, student. _(Paula left for Canada in 2051; Ezekial and Mathilde died in 2053. Ezra is shown as the owner of the property but he is not living in the house. Why isn't Howard the registered owner? He's old enough._

2060: Owner: Howard Swensen, 25, businessman. _(Howard is shown as the sole owner of the property and is the only person living in the house.)_

### # # # # # # # #

"Best Step Forward?" ... "This is Deputy Jim Jackson with the sheriff's department calling." ... "No, this is not about the graffiti." .... "Yes, I'm sure that it is very troubling, but you can have somebody on your staff paint over it." ... "No, I don't think there are any city ordinances preventing your seniors from painting murals on your own walls." .... "I'm sure they'll be lovely, Ma'am." ... "Why am I calling? I'm hoping that you can help me arrange an interview with Laura-Lee Sullivan who I understand is one of your residents." ... "She's not? Thank you for your time Ma'am and good luck with those murals." ... "Sorry, Ma'am. Deputies are not allowed to paint over graffiti."

"Lovely Meadows, Blue Skies?" ... "This is Deputy Jackson with the sheriff's department calling." ... "No, I don't mind answering a question." ... "There's nothing the Sheriff's Department can do about men in your facility ogling the nurses, Ma'am." ... "Yes, Ma'am, I understand that the nurses might be upset by that." ... "No, Ma'am. You can't blindfold the men. If one of them fell and was injured, your care facility would be liable for damages." ... "No, Ma'am, handcuffing them to their beds is not allowed." ... "Yes, Ma'am. I'm hoping that you can help me arrange an interview with Laura-Lee Sullivan who I understand is one of your residents." ... "She's not? Thank you for your time Ma'am." ... "No Ma'am. I can't come down to your facility and threaten them with jail." ... "No, Ma'am, I'm not a chauvinistic pig." ...! ...! ...! ...! "The sheriff's department thanks you for your feedback, Ma'am."

"Beyond the Blue Horizon?" ... "This is Deputy Jackson with the sheriff's department calling. I wonder if..." ... "Yes, Ma'am. Operating without heat would be difficult for your patients." ... "No Ma'am you can't have a repair company arrested for being too busy to help you today." ... "Yes, Ma'am, I appreciate that it's cold there." .... "Ma'am." ... "Ma'am." ... "Ma'am." ... "No Ma'am, I'm not trying to be rude. I just want to ask you a question." ... "I'm hoping that you can help me arrange an interview with Laura-Lee Sullivan who I understand is one of your residents." ... "She's not? Thank you for your time Ma'am."

"Sex Doesn't Have to Stop When You're Sixty-Five?" ... "This is Deputy Jackson with the sheriff's department calling." ... "No, Ma'am, I'm not calling you about your care facility's name." ... "Yes, Ma'am. Seniors have a right to have sex as much as anybody." ... "No, Ma'am, I'm not phoning about becoming a member of your _To Heck with 65_ family." ... "It's sad that so many men have left your facility, but I'm sure they all died with a smile on their face, Ma'am." ... "No, Ma'am, I'm truly not interested in moving in." ... "Nobody has said that I had a nice voice before, Ma'am." ... "Ma'am, you might want to try contacting Lovely Meadow, Blue Skies care facility. I believe they'd be willing to send you some men." ... "You're welcome, Ma'am." ... " I'm hoping that you can help me arrange an interview with Laura-Lee Sullivan who I understand is one of your residents." ... "She is? Ma'am, I'll be right down. The Sheriff's Department needs her help." ... "Yes, I'm a real detective and not a stripper." .... "Yes, Ma'am. I'm sorry about that too."

### # # # # # # # #

"Is there any place in this building that we can talk without a crowd of women looking at us?"

"Looking at you, you mean."

"I have confidential matters to discuss with you, Ms. Sullivan. If we're overheard, people's lives could be in danger."

"Nice touch. Do you perform from a script, or do you wing it?"

"Ma'am, I'm not a stripper."

"Could you stand up?"

...

"Turn."

...

"OK, you don't have tear-away pants. You're probably a real deputy."

"Why is everybody here consumed with wanting me to be a stripper?"

"It's my birthday. Birthday parties always have a male stripper. Some times they're in their sixties. Not so much fun in those cases. You'd have drawn a crowd."

"Can we go somewhere?"

"There's a bar down the street. We're not allowed to drink here."

"If we go down to the bar, will the audience follow?"

"In a heart beat. The agile ones will beat us there. The ones with the walkers will be right behind."

"Do you have a suggestion?"

"Are those handcuffs real?"

"Yes they are, because I'm a real deputy."

"So, cuff me and take me away for interrogation."

"Works for me. Do you still want to go to the bar?"

"I always wondered what cuffs would feel like."

"We're not having sex. I am not a stripper or a male escort."

"You missed your calling."

### # # # # # # # #

They had found a quiet corner in Pud's Pod, which wasn't difficult to do this early in the afternoon. Cowboy ordered two drinks. His guest inhaled hers and then waited impatiently for him to catch up. She ordered two replacements, inhaled hers, and then took a breathe afterwards. Pud's Pod was a normal neighbourhood bar. It had booth seating down one side with tables and chairs in the big square restaurant area. All were very comfortable and close enough to be neighbourly. Cowboy and his guest were in a booth at the far end of restaurant, next to the corner where the washrooms were located. Not necessarily a good place to be at 11 pm, but privacy was worth it now.

Laura-Lee Sullivan was a spry 84 year old with white hair cropped close to her skull. If she had had pointy ears, she could have passed as an elf, her small stature being part of the disguise. She had insisted on being able to change clothes before being arrested and Cowboy ducked out of harm's way at that point. She emerged in a black pant suit with lavender blouse and wearing a pair of white plus lavender running shoes that she put to good use on the way to the bar. Cowboy had to stretch out to keep up with her. "The nurse guards try to discourage us from drinking too much. Normally I don't mind, but since you aren't a stripper, I'm going to celebrate my birthday with my new boy friend."

"Ma'am, I'm not..."

"You are now. I have a certain reputation to embellish."

Cowboy explained that he was investigating two murders that happened on the same night but in two different locations. He was aware that Ms. Sullivan knew both of the deceased and he was hoping she'd be able to provide background information.

"Who are they, Cowboy?" Laura-Lee asked. After three drinks now, they were on a first name basis. "I'm only half drunk. Why are we slowing down?"

"Howard Swensen and his sister Paula Richardson who used to be Paula Swensen."

Laura-Lee's mischievous smile disappeared and she pushed her drink away. "I'm sorry that I pulled your chain so much. Ask your questions. I'll be serious now. When you're my age, you look for things to keep you happy. Some of us pretend to be sex maniacs, or alcoholics, or both."

"When did you start to work for the Swensen family?"

"I was 28 or 29, so somewhere around 2033 or 34. I was just coming off a nasty divorce and I needed money. Plus I wanted a place that I thought would be safe from my ex finding me."

"What was your job?"

"At first, mostly caring for Paula who was still in diapers. Then Howard came along and I took care of him too. Paula was a sweet thing. Howard was a handful from the very first day."

"And as they were growing up?"

"I took on more domestic duties. Kitchen work mostly. I left in 2048. Fifteen years was more than long enough with that family."

"When you first came on staff, who was living in the house?"

"Ezekial and Mathilde of course. Paula, as I've mentioned. Ezekial's brother was also living in the house. His name was Ezra."

"Tell me about Ezra."

"Ezra was not a pleasant person to be around if you were female."

"How come he was living in the house?"

"I didn't eavesdrop."

"Of course you didn't."

"I had my own room upstairs near Paula and Howard's bedroom. They'd go to bed quite early. I wasn't allowed to roam around the house, so I'd be reading in my room and I couldn't help but hear the shouting."

"About what?"

"About Ezra. Ezekial and Mathilde had bought the mansion when they were quite young. Ezekial's father was in the cattle business and was quite wealthy. He encouraged Ezekial to buy the house while the price was still low. It used to be a park. Ezekial's business began to falter and they must have been having problems with the bank. Ezra offered to help them out. I don't know how much he gave them, but it was a lot. The deal stipulated that Ezra could live in the house for as long as he wanted. By the time I arrived, his presence was causing problems."

"Such as?"

"Ezra thought that he could bring his floozies into the house and bed them. They'd be there the next morning, expecting breakfast with two little kiddies watching and seeing what they were wearing, or not wearing as the case could be. "

"Floozies?"

"Prostitutes. No question about it. Some were high end, but others could have come off the street. They argued a lot about that and Ezekial laid down the law. If Ezra were going to live in the house, he'd do so alone. Ezra agreed that it was bad for the kids and said he'd take his friends to his club."

"What club was that?"

"Denver Cattlemen's Association building. Ezra was working for the DCA and said that he'd arrange something there."

"So, life got better in the house?"

"For a while. He didn't bring women home with him. He hardly ever ate at home on weekdays, but when he did come home, he'd be stinking drunk. I was in my early 30s, and not ugly. He tried to move on me, but I had my bedroom door closed tight, and I insisted that I be allowed to put a lock on it. So, I was OK during the nights, but he was always creepy to be around. Touching, touching, touching on weekends. I'd spend as much time as I could with the kids, which was my job, so that helped me to keep him away."

"So Ezra was still staying in the house when you left?"

"No. There was a big row somewhere around 2040. I remember distinctly that Paula was eight years old. Ezekial and Mathilde were entertaining one evening. I guess Ezra came home drunk as usual, and didn't join the party but came upstairs. Mathilde must have heard something, or perhaps she heard Paula calling for her. Paula and her mom had an ESP thing going for them. That was kind of scary the way they could do that. Anyway, Mathilde came upstairs, opened the door to Paula's bedroom, and found Ezra in Paula's bed. He was naked at the time. I remember hearing Mathilde screaming, _She's only eight years old, you pervert."_

"That's when he left?"

"A lot of fighting and arguing followed. I heard Ezra claiming drunkenness. I heard the word _pedophile_ a lot. They came to some sort of agreement. Ezekial and Mathilde found a way to buy out Ezra's share in the house. I don't know how they did that because Ezekial never really was rich. He wasn't in the cattle business, which is where the money was. I don't know what he did. Perhaps Ezra cashed out his share of the house to make up for what he tried to do to Paula."

"Did it get better afterwards?"

"No, not really. Ezekial and Mathilde would get into flaming rows. I'd hear Ezra's name during these rows, but I don't know why. I left in 2048 when Paula was sixteen and there was nothing I could do for her. She wasn't talking to her parents because they were arguing so much. I heard that she left to go to Canada and I knew why. Somebody was paying attention to her because her parents certainly weren't. Howard at thirteen was taking after his Uncle Ezra with boozing a lot. Womanizing was on the horizon. I didn't want to watch the family destroy itself."

"Did you know that Ezekial and Mathilde died on the same day in 2053?"

"I heard that somewhere. Do you know how they died?"

"No."

"And then Paula and Howard died on the same day too. That family was cursed."

"Just so you know, Paula had two lovely girls. Wonderful people with some ESP tendencies too."

"I'm glad for her. She was a real treat to be around. She deserved a better life."

Back to the Table of Contents

# Chapter 11

It was the second week of December and the Wilizy's planning meeting was scheduled for the cadet camp's mess hall since Stook and Cowboy would be attending. Meeting in invisible flying ships might raise some eyebrows. The cadets were out in the field working on team building and Lohla was with them. Lylah showed up with her name on her forehead as before. Granny showed up with the word _Doofus_ gracing her forehead. Some words of apology later, and with Lylah's understanding that it was frustratingly difficult to tell them apart, they reached a better system for knowing who they were rather than writing names on foreheads. Lylah would wear something with her current favorite colour (gold) and Lohla would do the same but in green. When their favorite colours changed, they'd let the Wilizy know.

University students were now on Christmas break so Wizard and Dreamer were at the meeting. Naturally, their presence in the meeting provoked questions on how they were enjoying their accounting studies and both expressed happiness in finding the field that was right for them.

Theo was at a basketball tournament and would be in camp next week. Marie and Nary came in together. Marie was wearing one of her subdued square dance outfits but was still in cowboy boots and a Stetson. She had a white scarf around her neck which, on closer examination, turned out to be a baby diaper. Some questions later, Marie revealed that Nary's job at the vet's office was not going well since all the animals were frightened of her. Nary was looking for another job. Marie was just pointing out that there were other things she might do besides taking a job working for somebody else. Nary who had already seen Marie in her white accessories statement commented on Marie's subtlety with a rude noise.

Others present were: Doc, Hank, Yolanda, Melissa, Mac, Lucas, and Stu. William, Wolf, and TG were examining the state of the world's oceans with the idea that perhaps somebody could come up with a bright idea on how to clean them. Yolanda reported that Winnie was not able to attend as sitting on the hard cafeteria benches could threaten the progress she had been making. She actually was lying comfortably in her sling in a corner of the mess hall and would make comments, as needed, by mind messaging her mom who would then pretend they were her comments.

When asked to start the meeting, Cowboy said that he didn't want to go through his findings in detail because that would take hours. Rather he wanted to focus on the key unknowns - the questions that had to be answered. If they could answer these four unknowns, shutting down the DCA might be possible.

_1. What was so sensitive about Howard Swensen not paying any taxes on his substantial income? He was killed shortly after Stu revealed that he knew about that._

_2. Why was the DCA so invisible? Why were they never mentioned in the media? They DCA not appear in any of the records of Colorado Income Taxation Bureau, which reports on all businesses reporting taxes. Why was that? DCA had to be a business. Why weren't they paying? If they weren't a business, what were they?_

_3. The DCA's name did appear in a property registration file. They owned an apartment building. Do they own other property? If so, where are the records of them paying taxes on those buildings? If they own an apartment building, surely that would make them into a business that was operating for profits. Why weren't they paying taxes on those profits?_

_4. Why did Ezra's name appear as owner of the Swensen mansion when his brother and sister-in-law had removed it before? Howard had reached legal age to own property. Why didn't his name appear as owner after his parents had died? He was listed as owner after his twenty-first birthday. Why did he have to be 21?_

"I think the answer may lie in the government files that I was using. As a start, those could be searched for any other reference to the DCA owning land. I've gone as far as I can go."

"Sounds like a job for Wizard and Dreamer," Hank said. "You guys up for it?"

"Sure. Our courses don't start again until second week of January," Wizard said.

"We'll need all of your raw data plus any notes that you may have made," Dreamer stipulated. "Did you find anything curious in your investigation that you haven't already mentioned?"

Cowboy had to think about that.

"I was curious about Paula's parents both dying on the same day, but it easily could have been a copter accident. If there were foul play, it would have been personal and not related to the DCA."

"Why do you say that?" Hank asked.

"Paula's parents, Ezekial and Mathilde, and her uncle Ezra had some major fights. In part, that was prompted because he was a drunk and a womanizer. Paula's parents forced him to give up partial ownership of their house when Mathilde discovered Ezra naked in Paula's bed after Paula made some sort of cry for help. She was eight years old at the time. Ezra claimed drunken innocence. I don't see that event being a DCA lead."

### # # # # # # # #

The strategy meeting was winding up when the mess hall was overrun by a horde of ravenous cadets. Most of the Wilizy and their guests packed up and left. Mac and Melissa were speculating on how they could bring the DCA to justice if Dreamer and Wizard found incriminating evidence. "They're way early," Mac said to Melissa as the cadets excitedly lined up for food. Maddy was with her Blue Platoon and was talking animatedly with a couple of the cadets. "I wonder if it was too cold for them."

Mac had a chance to find out when Lieutenant Karlsson walked by with a tray full of food. "Erik," she said and motioned him to join them.

"Too cold to continue?"

"No, not at all. We ended early because the Platoon Blue just clobbered the others."

"Clobbered in what?" Melissa asked.

"A standard team building exercise. Platoons compete against the other platoons to see who can complete a planning and work assignment first."

"Building a rope bridge across a fake gorge for us," Erik explained.

"They are given a wide assortment of materials in addition to the rope. Their platoon has to plan their bridge without any talking within the platoon."

"We put duct tape across their mouths. They couldn't see what the other platoons were doing because we had them at different sites."

"They have materials that will allow them to plan and to communicate within the platoon, but they have to recognize their value." Mac continued. "How did Platoon Blue do their planning, Erik?"

"Billy used some of the water to make a mud patch and used one of the marshmallow sticks to draw out the plans for the bridge in the mud. The other platoons put the marshmallow sticks aside with the marshmallows and forgot about them. Then he had Maddy using two of the sticks for semaphore flags and that's how they communicated after they split the platoon. Half of them on one side of the gorge and the other half on the other side. What did they use for flags?" Mac asked.

"Maddy ripped up one of the spare cadet shirts, sharpened the sticks with a jackknife, and stuck the ends of the sticks through the shirts."

"That sounds ingenious," Melissa sort of bragged about her daughter.

"Yes, it was," Erik said. "They extended the big ropes across the fake gorge by tying light cord to some arrows and shooting them across. Then they fastened the light cord to the big ropes and pulled them across. The hardest part was deciding what kind of bridge to build and then showing the platoon in mud how it would be built. Billy had a simple bridge design, so that helped them win."

"What did he do when he had to give instructions that couldn't be drawn in mud?" Mac asked.

"He mimed it out," Erik answered.

"Chocolate goodies for rewards. No wonder they're so high."

"Actually, that high is from their success. Billy had Maddy carry all the chocolates to camp in her pack and they're going to have a celebration in the barracks tonight. The platoon trusts Maddy not to dip into the pack."

"Billy is turning out to be quite the leader," Melissa observed.

"He is. That team building event last week is a good example," Karlsson observed.

"That was the one where they had to dig the fox hole and stay warm in it for almost three hours," Mac explained to Melissa.

"That's the one. It was his idea entirely. He came to me and asked if he could help his cadets work on team building. He had the whole idea planned out. That's why only Platoon Blue was out on the prairie."

"Maddy told you about that, right Melissa?"

"Yeah. She said she had a good time and never got cold at all."

Back to the Table of Contents

# Chapter 12

Ten days before Christmas the Swiss Prime Minister received another envelope, which prompted another emergency cabinet meeting. This time, the cost of doing business with this criminal had gone up to one hundred and fifty thousand francs worth of gold. They had until Christmas to respond. The reactions to the threat were predictable.

"This guy is never going to stop."

"He's demonstrated that he can and will destroy an entire building and loot the contents. That makes him very dangerous."

"Destroying a building is easy. He hasn't shown any real military capability."

"He has more military capability than we do. All we have are the police. We have no army, no navy, and no air force."

"We could call on neighbouring countries to help."

"Absolutely not," the prime minister responded. "Do we want all of Europe to know that we're defenseless against what might be just one man?"

_[That comment put an end to any further discussions on calling for outside help.]_

"But he's never going to stop. And the bill will get higher and higher each time."

_[That comment received a lot of head nodding.]_

"We should make a stand. The Swiss government must not negotiate with terrorists."

"Will your institution pay for the re-construction of the next bank that he destroys?"

"We could pool our resources and all of us would share in compensating any bank that was hit."

"Why would you think that he'll destroy only one bank at a time?"

_[That question put an end to any discussions about making stands.]_

"This is not just one person attacking us. This has to be a group."

"A group that will never stop until they bankrupt us all."

"Not if we catch them."

"We can't protect every single bank in Zurich."

"Even if we could defend Zurich banks, there's nothing stopping them from attacking our branches in other parts of the country."

...

Up to this point, Eleanor had remained quiet. In part, this was because she wasn't allowed to contribute to the discussion until all of the superior beings (the men) had stopped talking. Well, they've just stopped talking. However, Eleanor was in a ticklish position. The Swiss Guards Group was actually benefiting from these terrorists and their threats. At least right now. Why kill the golden goose? Eleanor remained quiet.

"What if we don't try to protect the banks? What if we agree to giving them the money and then catch them picking it up?"

"They'll be expecting that."

"So, we put somebody in charge who is sneaky and smart."

"I like that idea," the PM said, thereby guaranteeing that this was now the chosen strategy. "It will have to be somebody in cabinet."

All the people around the table started checking their briefcases for their calendars, spare pens, extra paper, or anti-anxiety pills. Nobody would want to be looking at the prime minister as he scanned the table looking for a person to take charge of a very perilous assignment. Perilous in terms of being in charge if the PM's bank got hit. They needn't have worried. The PM was very sneaky himself.

"We have somebody here who is very sneaky. But she hasn't contributed one single thing to this cabinet's discussions since she joined us. She just sits and does nothing. It's time for that to change. The CEO of the Swiss Guards Group will be our new Minister of Armed Forces. Failure to put a stop to this menace will mean that she will be removed from eligibility to any cabinet position in the future."

_[I told you he was sneaky. Eleanor was now in charge of twelve tourist paddleboats on Geneva's Lac Leman]_

Hearing those consequences, most of the men around the table started privately cheering for the terrorists. Well, perhaps for only one more attack. Perhaps, they could convince the PM to deny all women a chance to be part of cabinet. Things in Switzerland were looking up, if you didn't count bank buildings blowing up.

### # # # # # # # #

The Camp instructors were meeting with cadet camp officers in the headquarters building. The topic was Christmas holidays.

"I'd like to take the troop out of camp for an extended period during the holidays and give them an experience they won't forget," Lieutenant Klassen began.

"Most of these kids haven't had holiday experiences," Mac added, thereby adding official approval for Erik's idea.

"Any ideas what to do?" Erik asked.

### # # # # # # # #

"You did a really good job on the semaphore flags," Platoon Blue's sargeant said. "I'd like to make you the platoon's permanent communications person."

"What's that mean?" Maddy asked. They were sitting on opposite sides of a mess hall table. The timing of their meeting was such that they wouldn't likely be interrupted since the other cadets were in their platoon recreation rooms.

"As we learn other forms of communication besides semaphore flags, you would have to become the best communications person in the platoon. I would need you to be close to me day and night in case I had to send out a message when we were on platoon maneuvres. You'd have to be the best. Most platoons would never put a girl in that position in case she got frightened when we were in mock battles."

"I don't get frightened."

"I know, that's why I thought of you. You still have to be the best communicator, though. Do you want to try out for the position?"

"Sure."

"At some point soon, we'll be learning Morse code. I'll teach it to you now so that you'll be ready."

### # # # # # # # #

"That's an ambitious cadet trip," Lohla said.

"Just six days from December 27 to January 1," Karlsson said. "Two days for travel, three days for sight seeing, and one day as the day they won't forget."

"Is the weather appropriate for camping out?" Lucas asked.

"Should be. We'll take heavy duty tents and winter wear."

"I can adjust their geography lessons, so that they'll be a bit familiar with where they're going," Lylah offered.

"I can teach them about currency and how to convert," Sven offered. _[Bean's dad, Sven Ekelund, their math teacher]_

"How much travel money will you give them?" Lohla asked.

"I'm not sure yet," Karlsson avoided. "I'll have to see what the costs are like when we arrive. Certainly enough for all the cadets to buy souvenirs."

"We'll cover all the costs for buying local food," Mac offered. "We can't take one hundred cadets into a restaurant."

"We can get into planning details later. For now, there's only one important thing left to discuss."

### # # # # # # # #

Maddy and Billy were now sitting on the same side of the mess table. Both were straddling the bench and were face to face. They were close enough to touch each other, and in fact, that was the whole purpose of their seating arrangement. Bill had his left arm and hand on the tabletop. Maddy had her right arm on the tabletop.

"Give me a B," Billy instructed.

Maddy tapped out one long index finger touch and three short ones into Billy's palm.

"F."

Maddy tapped out two short taps, one long one, and a short.

This went on for about fifteen minutes.

"Is your finger tired?"

"A little."

"Put your whole hand in mine and I'll massage it."

Maddy did and Billy put his other hand on top and rubbed her hand between his two hands. He was most concerned about her possible fatigue and spent some time with his massage while offering encouragement. "You've done really well. You know all the letters from A-J now, and your finger presses are firm enough to click a Morse pad when we get one. You'll have to learn to send faster though."

"I can do that."

"Plus, you have to know how to send with your left hand in case your right hand is injured. We should try that now."

Maddy and Billy traded places and Maddy put her left hand into Billy's palm and the lessons resumed. Maddy had a look of intense concentration on her face. Billy was smiling, probably because of how proud he was of his protégé's progress.

Once again, lessons stopped while two larger hands massaged a small hand.

"Tomorrow night, I'll teach you the next five letters and you can review the first ten. Don't be surprised if it takes a long time to learn all the letters and to send out messages quickly."

"I'll learn'em. Thanks for helping me out, Billy."

"My pleasure," he said.

It looked like he really meant it. What a guy!

### # # # # # # # #

"What are we going to do about chaperones?" Erik asked.

This was a good question. The cadets were generally well behaved in camp and when they were on military maneuvres. But this trip was going to be a holiday. Some free time when they weren't under military orders would have to be arranged. After some discussion, they decided to turn the cadet excursion into a holiday excursion for the camp staff as well as for the cadets. Spouses would also be welcome. The chaperones would be: Erik, Mac, Wolf, Lucas, Lohla, Lylah, Sven, Akilah, and the four Platoon moms.

Nobody thought to raise the question about Maddy and whether she should be bunking with the cadets.

### # # # # # # # #

"I didn't have any choice," Eleanor said. "It was either accept the assignment as Minister of Switzerland's armed forces or watch the PM destroy any chances for a woman to become a cabinet member ever again."

"It puts us in a pickle though," Henrik murmured.

"I know. We'll have to forget about our expansion plans for the time being. I do have 90,000 francs though that you can transport to Denver."

"Do you know what you're going to do as a Minister?"

"Other that create a Swiss Air Force, I haven't got a clue."

"Air Force?"

"Our five business copters."

"That's going to make a big difference," Henrik sarcasticated. "I have an antique pistol."

"Welcome to the army, General."

Back to the Table of Contents

# Chapter 13

Eleanor had responded to the extortion letter by the deadline. She had also given her contact information. She didn't want details on the money delivery to go through the PM's office, as that would reduce the time that she had to plan a response. She wasn't expecting that she would be successful on this money drop, but at least she'd know how they wanted the money drop to work. Right now, she didn't. Her best guess? She'd be told to leave the money in some sort of bag in a very busy part of Zurich where it would be difficult to follow the bag to the extortionists. Some hired copter taxi man would do the bag pick up. It they tried to follow the taxi, they'd be discovered.

It was now Tuesday, December 27. Back in Montana, the cadets took off in a Wilizy super transport headed for Italy. That night, Lylah took charge of some of the discussions around tent buddies. "You'll bunk with me, Maddy." They set up their two-person tent in the middle of the clearing where the other cadets were pitching their tents. Lylah would be able to hear any raucous behaviour, which is why she was setting up where she was. Nothing happened in Zurich that day that involved extortion payments.

On Wednesday, December 28, the cadets enjoyed guided tours through Rome and then were set free to wander around in groups of ten, each group with a chaperone. They sampled Italian food through street vendors and found lots of places to buy souvenirs. Chaperones would be releasing 1/4 of each cadet's souvenir allowance each day and most of the cadets had spent the Italy allotment by the time they met to return to camp. Their tour through the Roman coliseum where gladiators had to fight lions was a big hit, and lion/gladiator battles were fought all around their campground until it was too dark to see. Nothing happened in Zurich that day that involved extortion payments.

On Thursday, December 29, the cadets were in Athens where once again the same type of day was planned. The morning's guided tour featured a short history of the types of battles that Greek armies fought: who they battled, what they wore, what weapons they had, etc. Again, street vendor food and souvenir hunting kept the boys busy in the afternoon. Later that night, the boys wanted to test if it was actually possible for a small number of soldiers to hold off a much larger enemy force as had happened in the Battle of Thermoplyae. Turns out they couldn't. Akilah was busy patching up that night. Nothing happened in Zurich that day that involved extortion payments.

On Friday, December 30, the cadets had their guided tour and then limped around Paris. The highlight of the day was the boys' discovery that you could buy dirty pictures in Paris. By _dirty_ , I don't mean muddy. Their low point of the day was when they found their _prison guards_ waiting at the camp to go through their pockets and backpacks.

That Friday afternoon in Zurich, Eleanor received instructions to place the 150,000 francs in a waterproof duffle bag and bury it in the snow on a designated slope of Mount Pilatus by noon Saturday. She should stick a small Swiss flag into the snow next to the duffle. A map was enclosed with the instructions.

Being a former slave girl who had spent almost of all her Swiss life in the basement of a bank, Eleanor had to look up Mount Pilatus. It was one of Switzerland's most famous mountains with a huge peak. The closest big city was Lucerne, which unfortunately for Eleanor's plans, was not a different way of spelling Zurich.

Henrik observed that the mountain would be mostly deserted at this time of the year. All of the touristy things that had made the mountain an accessible recreational site were long gone, like the Pilatus cogwheel railway line up to the peak. She'd have to land by copter, bury the duffle, and then copter away. Any person sticking around and trying to watch the pickup would be easily seen.

Eleanor decided to deploy her forces more widely. At first light, four of the newly assigned Swiss air force copters would land well away from Mount Pilatus, but in a large semi circle with a telescopic view of the designated slope. She would bury the bag before noon and then hide on the peak of mountain. The extortionists would come in by copter and leave by copter. Her air force would make no attempt to follow; they would attempt to photograph the extortionist's copter, which would have to pass reasonably close to one of their hiding places. The entire Swiss army would come with her in her copter. She had time to have all of the aircraft in the Swiss air force repainted white to blend in with the snow.

### # # # # # # # #

Saturday morning, December 31. Lucas was piloting the Wilizy jumbo with Mac sitting in the co-pilot seat, looking out the window. "There to the right," she pointed. "Fly a circle over it and give me a better view."

Lucas obliged by banking the big aircraft so that it was tilted over enough for Mac to look out the window properly.

"No cliffs for the cadets to plummet over," she said. "Reasonably gentle slope. Lots of snow on it. I see a flat place at the bottom of the slope where you can set down. Do you know where we are?"

"I have a GPS setting but that doesn't tell me much. I think we're in the Swiss Alps. Do you need to know?"

"Nope. Set her down."

"These guys have never seen snow before, let alone walked in it. Have you?"

"No, not that I remember. Certainly nothing like a mountain covered in knee high snow. Klassen had a great idea!"

...

Two hours later, the chaperones were sitting by the transport, just enjoying the feel of a soft place to sit. Coming down a mountainside on a three person wooden toboggan made for bumpy rides that were hard on adult bodies. The trip up the mountain wasn't too bad because TG and Lucas had installed William's towrope system and then both had disappeared. There was no point in taking the cadets tobogganing if they had to walk up a mountain every time they wanted to go down again. It would be a short day, even for teenage boys.

The boys were onto their second invented competition. Racing to see who could get to the bottom first hadn't gone all that well. Too much depended on the path down the hill and how heavy you were. For this game, they formed four starting gates beside each other. There was a gap of about five feet from #1 to #2 to #3 and #4. Each platoon would place one of their sleds in one of the randomly assigned gates. At a signal, they would all push off. The goal wasn't to see who got down the slope first, the goal now was to see who got down the slope period. The toboggans were close enough to each other, and steerable enough, that collisions could be guaranteed.

A strategy had evolved. Get a lot of speed going down the mountain and then cut sideways across the slope and knock all of the other three toboggans over. Points were being tabulated. Desserts were being risked.

One cadet had left the group and was trudging up the slope some 50 metres from where the cadets were careening down the mountain. She wasn't interested in the contest. It wasn't because she was afraid of being knocked off a toboggan. It was because nobody would listen to her when she said that had a better strategy. Start slow and then knock over the toboggans from behind.

Trudging up the mountain was more interesting because Maddy had seen something sticking out of the snow. At first, all she could see was that it was red. As she got closer, she saw that it was a flag of some kind. It was mostly red and it had a white addition sign in the middle of the banner. A more knowledgeable student of country flags would have understood that this was the Swiss national flag. Maddy just saw that it was a flag sitting in the middle of nowhere. She pulled it out of the snow and began slip-sliding down the mountainside with it.

### # # # # # # # #

Eleanor was situated where she wanted to be: on top of the mountain with a good view of where she had buried the money. She hadn't been too concerned when some big honking aircraft had landed and disgorged over a hundred bodies. She watched as the people enjoyed themselves. They were well away from where the money lay under the snow. Eleanor herself had never gone tobogganing, but Henrik knew about the sport. He had never seen what he was calling pinball tobogganing but he didn't see any harm in it. The snow was soft. Who doesn't like being thrown into the snow?

Eleanor also didn't see any harm in it until one of the figures climbed up the money to the money burial site and pulled out her flag marker. When the extortionists flew by, they wouldn't see a flag, and then they'd go off and destroy a bank.

"Henrik, we have to get our flag back."

Henrik was chuckling over a particularly gruesome looking crash. "Huh," he said.

"That creature has stolen my flag. We need to get it back now!"

Helicopters can fly quite quickly down a mountain slope when bank buildings are threatened. Eleanor hovered over the place where the creature's footsteps up the mountain stopped and Henrik jumped down to preserve the location. Eleanor got down to the big flying thing before the creature did and exited quickly.

"Who's in charge here?" she demanded to know.

"I am," a young man said.

"Hi. I'm a member of the Swiss Mountains Avalanche Warning Network. I was checking the mountains in my area and noticed that one of your youngsters had removed a warning flag."

At that point, Maddy arrived. "Look what I found," she said to nobody in particular. "It's a small flag," she announced and then began waving it to prove how it would be used in normal, non-avalanche warning circumstances.

"That flag was in the middle of a dangerous avalanche threat area," Eleanor informed the young man. "You're safe over here, but not where that flag was. If that young girl would give me our flag back, I'll make sure it goes back to where it belongs."

Well, Maddy was most apologetic and so were the adults. "It's not her fault," Eleanor said as she saw Maddy's face. "You people are obviously tourists and don't know about our country's warning systems. I can't believe that thing can hold over 100 people," she marveled aloud to them as she turned and went back to her white copter, the flag safely captured.

A minute later, she dropped the flag to Henrik who re-planted it and stepped into the copter. Then she flew high up the mountainside until she was sure that she was out of sight.

"Henrik, that's a Wilizy aircraft of some kind down there. It has their name on it."

"What are you going to do?"

"I'm going to think."

### # # # # # # # #

The Wilizy were packing up when the avalanche warning copter landed a short distance from the crowd of youngsters stowing toboggans inside the transport. Eleanor and Henrik stepped out and approached the melee. Erik noticed them coming and came to greet them. "Who is the senior most Wilizy person here?" Eleanor asked before Erik had a chance to open his mouth.

"Mac," he called out. "Two avalanche spotters to speak to you," he added when she looked up.

"Are we in danger here?" Mac asked as she approached. "If so, we can be out of here in less than a minute."

"No, you're safe. Can we talk privately?"

Mac apologized as she walked. "We're sorry about that flag. That was my daughter who picked it up and she's sad that she did. She didn't realize that she was stealing it."

"I may have come on too strongly. It was very important that the flag remained on that slope."

"We didn't even think about the risk of avalanches starting where we landed."

By this time, they were far enough from the crowd for Eleanor to have confidence that she wouldn't be overheard.

"There was no risk. I lied about that."

Mac looked at Eleanor but said nothing.

"My name is Eleanor and several years ago I was a slave imprisoned inside a Safe Haven bank. The Wilizy helped all of the slaves in the Safe Haven banks escape."

"I've heard about you," Mac said coldly.

"You were there?"

"No, but I know what we did and I also know what you did."

High mountain ranges like the Alps can experience unpredictable weather conditions complete with blowing snow and high velocity winds. Hikers in these conditions will usually find a big rock to tie themselves to. That's one of the reasons that mountain hikers always carry ropes. Eleanor didn't have any ropes. Mac's face and body language suggested a storm was coming and she wouldn't be lending them any of her ropes.

"I didn't lie. All the women were given the choice of leaving. They all wanted to stay with the new bank."

"You knew that ahead of time."

"Yes, I did. For years, we had been planning our escape and what we would do if we could kill DeRat. But I did give all of the slaves the option of going with you back to the US. That was not an attractive offer to them. All of their friends were inside the banks. We were a family. They didn't want to leave the family to find another family that they had lost decades ago."

"We probably could not have found their old families, but we would have tried."

"I made a deal with your computer guy. You would neutralize their security system. We would take care of the rest. You did what you said you'd do. We did what we said we'd do. We didn't put any of you at risk. It was a business arrangement that worked out well for both of us. We gave you DeRat. You gave us the key to our freedom. But we unlocked the prison on our own."

"Some of us felt mislead."

"And you?"

"I grew up on an army base. I don't believe in handouts. I believe in fighting for my independence."

"So you understand why we had to free ourselves."

"Yes, I do."

"Will your daughter believe in such struggles?"

"She's nine years old and has earned her way into a position in this army cadet troop. They're all males, thirteen to fifteen years old. The boys are all former slaves of Safe Haven's gangs."

"So that's where the gang boys went."

"Yes."

"Do you ever have boys who aren't going to fit into the military mindset?"

"Yes. Some are beginning to have troubles in a military life. We're giving them an education and will try and place them elsewhere if they can't cope in a military world."

"We'll give them a job in one of our banks. In exchange, perhaps you could help us out?"

"Strictly a business arrangement?"

"Yes. You help us, we help you. No money changes hands."

"Is that why you came back down from the mountain top? To seek our help."

"Yes."

"And your four hidden white copters?"

"They're part of a solution that isn't going to work. They were no threat to you. How did you find them?"

"Military forces always conduct threat assessments when they enter a potentially dangerous environment. We have eyes on those copters right now."

"I'm impressed."

"What do you personally get out of this if we help you with your problem?"

"A position in the government's cabinet that the constitution says that I should have. I'm the sole woman in a cabinet full of male chauvinists. I've been given the responsibility to solve this problem. If I don't solve it, they'll kick me out of the cabinet. I want to stay in the cabinet."

"It must be difficult being the sole woman in a government cabinet run by male dinosaurs."

"They won't let me speak until all the men have had their say. Then they walk out before I can say anything."

"Depending on the favour you want from us, we may want more in return than banking jobs for a few ex-cadets."

"We can discuss that, but I don't know of anything that you might want from us."

"We'll need to be able to communicate with each other. We don't come to Europe often."

"Are you close to Denver, Colorado?"

"Reasonably close."

"We have a Swiss Guards Bank in Denver. Our manager's name is Sandy. Mention my name and tell her we met at Mount Pilatus. She has a short wave communication link to Zurich."

"Can you give me a rough sketch of your problem?"

"Extortionists are demanding money from the Swiss government. If we balk, they'll destroy a bank. They've already done that once."

"The flag marked the location of your payment."

"Yes."

"What do you want from us today?"

"Pictures of the extortionists."

"We can do that. Get your copters out of the area now before they're seen."

"We'll do that now."

Mac waited until Henrik and Eleanor had lifted off before issuing orders. "Erik, I need a tent, two sleeping bags, and enough food for twenty-four hours offloaded. After that, you have two minutes to be airborne."

_Lucas and TG, discontinue surveillance of those copters and come back to the jumbo. We need to talk. Maddy, you have a tummy ache. Start moaning._

Back to the Table of Contents

# Chapter 14

In the first week of January, the Wilizy had a number of debriefings. Mac called a meeting of the camp officers, instructors, and staff to talk about the excursion to Europe. Everybody's reaction to the holiday was positive. The instructors particularly liked the military histories that the travel guides presented to the cadets. The chaperones commented positively about the cadets' behaviour both during their time in the public eye and when they were at the evening campsite. The staff really appreciated having an all expenses paid trip to Europe. The tobogganing day was a huge success with the boys; the adults enjoyed being able to relax while the cadets wore themselves out. Should they do it again? Yes, but to different countries, of course.

### # # # # # # # #

Hank called a meeting of the Wilizy involved in the DCA operation. Wizard and Dreamer begged off as they were still going through documents and their available time was running out. The day of this meeting, for example, would have them in Boulder Colorado. Cowboy and Stook asked if this meeting were urgent and Hank replied that it was not. Both of them decided to stay in Denver, which made it easier for the Wilizy to have a full disclosure meeting in the ship.

First and only item on the agenda was Eleanor's surprise visit at the toboggan site. Mac gave a complete report of what was said at the personal meeting she had with Eleanor and then opened the meeting up for questions on that part of the day.

"Do you think she can be trusted, given what happened before?" As you might expect, Granny had jumped right in.

"Yes, I do Granny. Remember that we're dealing with a former slave who has spent almost her entire life as a slave toiling in a bank. She has managed to escape to an improved life in a bank. She thinks in terms of assets and liabilities. She thinks in terms of who benefitted from the agreement she made with us. The slave women benefitted and so did we. In her mind, she asks why that would be a bad thing? She emphasized that she never indicated that the women would be willing to go back to the US with us. She asked them if they wanted to, and they all said no. From her perspective, she operated honourably. She's a business woman first and foremost."

"She wouldn't be sensitive to the niceties of an association with a group such as the Wilizy whose first focus in on providing justice," Stu added. "We're entirely different from what she has experienced in the past."

"Stu's right. She didn't want justice from us. She wanted the opportunity for the slaves to make their own future on their own. She was most forceful on that point. Most of us women would feel the same."

"The deal you made: was it one favour in exchange for another favour?"

"Essentially, yes. Maddy and I identified the extortionists attacking Switzerland and gave Eleanor pictures of them. She's hoping that that favour will allow her to defend Switzerland from the extortionists. That will give her credibility with others in the Swiss Cabinet. I suspect that if she doesn't succeed, she'll face some personal consequences. She was wound rather tight when we talked. Desperate is too strong a word, but having to face us would have been difficult for her. She really needed our help."

"So she can identify the copter and the men that picked up the money and that's it. Is that going to help her?"

"No. It was an armed military copter. Switzerland has no armed forces to speak of. All she could bring to the drop off point were five hastily painted business copters that were unarmed."

"You revealed that we had eyes on their copters. Why?"

"Eleanor knows of us simply as a computer guy that can disable security systems. What she would have heard from Safe Haven, if she heard anything at all, was that we were merchants. I wanted to establish our credibility as an armed force."

"Why?"

"She's going to need us again. I've set up a way to communicate with her through the Denver Swiss Guards manager."

"That means she'll have to give us another favour."

"Are we going to ask for Swensen's notebook as our favour?" Stu asked.

"No. That notebook is not all that important given recent events."

### # # # # # # # #

That took the meeting's focus away from Eleanor to what Mac and Maddy did after Eleanor left.

"I had Maddy fake a very contagious tummy pain which required her to be away from the cadets. That gave me an excuse to stay back in Switzerland when the cadets left. Lucas and TG told everybody that they'd come back to get us after dropping the cadets back home. They didn't actually do that. Maddy and I used our slings to return home after we took the pictures."

"Pictures of the military copter that the extortionists were using would be quite simple, wouldn't it?"

"I had a hunch it wouldn't. Here are the pictures that I gave to Eleanor."

...

"Like you said," Yolanda observed. "Standard black military copter with gun ports. The pilot was wearing a helmet that hid his features. We can assume he's male but I don't see anything else of any benefit."

"Lucas?"

"We can't see the guns. That might give us a sense of what army the copter is in. I'd know more if I saw it flying. Ground speed. Quickness of ascent."

"I thought it was standard too, so Maddy and I followed it home. Guess where it ended up."

"Russia is closest," Lucas guessed. They have a history of military aggression."

"Perhaps China," Yolanda said. "They're still under military control aren't they?"

"That was my guess too," Winnie revealed. "I remember the operation we had there. I was eight years old." _[Operations Old King Cole, Bob the Invisible Dragon.]_

"Some former North African countries might find the wealth in the Swiss banks attractive," Hank explored the idea of non-countries. "It's easy enough for criminal groups to find military copters."

"Anybody else?" Mac asked.

...

In the silence that followed, Mac's words echoed loudly. "We followed them back to Colorado Springs."

### # # # # # # # #

Mac called another debriefing meeting and held it in her house. Attending were Melissa, Yollie, and Lylah. This was Lylah's first chance to see one of the Wilizy homes and so she received a guided tour first. It actually was three homes in one - all three were connected by tunnels through the mountain.

"In case we're attacked and need to escape," Melissa explained.

"We can use the tunnels to keep the kiddies safe if we're at war," Yollie added.

"You think that could happen?" Lylah asked. She wanted to ask them why she had been invited while Lohla had not, but the right occasion had not arisen yet.

"It's been tried," Mac added and then led them back to her living room that was empty of kiddies and husbands.

"I want to talk to you about Maddy," Mac started.

"You took her on an operation without checking with us first," Melissa stated without heat.

Yollie nodded.

"Yes. I had a sudden idea and there was no time to consult."

"There was no danger in the operation. I don't mind," Yollie reassured.

"I don't either. Taking pictures, following a copter. No reason that she couldn't do that with you."

"But still, I need to explain. When Eleanor and I were talking, she said something that I didn't tell the larger group. There was no need to tell them, but you need to hear what she said."

...

"Eleanor said that she and the slaves had to unlock their prison on the own. I said that I agreed with her. I didn't believe in handouts. I believe in fighting for my independence."

"I agree with you so far," Melissa said. Yollie nodded agreement.

"Eleanor then said something about me understanding why they had to free themselves. She asked whether my daughter would believe in such struggles."

"Ah."

"My concern is: Will Maddy fight, or will she sit back and let a man give her what he decides she should have?"

"Where did that come from?"

"Billy Bump does everything for her. He made sure that cadets sat with her in the mess hall; he integrated her into the platoon; he invited her to join the infiltration sub-platoon; he taught her how to work out angles; he was giving communication lessons of some kind before Christmas; I saw him watching over her almost constantly during the holidays."

"Hasn't he been acting as a good leader?" Melissa asked.

"Hasn't he been making sure that his platoon will do well if Maddy doesn't hold them back?" Yollie asked.

"I have no reason to doubt his intentions. I spied on them once during the geometry lessons. There was nothing untoward. But in being such a leader, isn't he short changing Maddy in some the struggles she has to go through?"

"Billy is like the benevolent father making sure his daughter will do well. Jock didn't do that, did he Mac?"

"No, he didn't Yollie. I had to earn my way. Did you have to earn your way as well?"

"I was given authority over our weapon defenses but only when Dad was satisfied that I would do the job. I had to change my attitude first and I had to do that on my own."

"What are you asking, Mac?"

"I'm asking you and Yollie if we have a made a mistake by putting Maddy into the corp too early? Her platoon leader has to give her special help to understand what she has to learn because she's so much younger than the others. If she were closer in age, she wouldn't have to rely on a male authority figure. Is this experience teaching her to be dependent on a male?"

...

Nobody had much to say. It was a legitimate question for three strong women to ask. Lylah continued to wonder why she was at the meeting.

"So you put her suddenly into an operation to see how she would react. How did she react?"

"She was excited; very intense in taking the pictures. I told her to get her sling as close as possible to the copter to take a picture of the pilot or copilot without endangering he safety. Her judgment was good. We had a flock of birds coming in our direction. I told her to activate her weapon array and make sure the birds didn't collide with our invisible slings. She did so without questioning me. She could have back-talked me because the birds were well off our course. She didn't. I would have given here more responsibility but didn't know how to do that with this particular mission."

"Does that reassure you now?"

"No. I'm her mom. She's nine-years old. This wasn't a test of her willingness to struggle on her own. It was simply a mom-daughter activity."

"May I comment?"

"Certainly, Lylah."

"I've seen Maddy fight hard to be a better runner against very difficult competition. She's never given up. She has fought hard to find a place in a cadet corp that is solidly anti-girl. She succeeded in the war games. No male gave her that success. She learned how to fight a bigger, stronger, and older competitor on a trampoline. She won. No male gave her that success."

"So, you're not worried about her future as a woman soldier?"

"I'm not saying that. I'm saying the experience that Maddy can gain by fighting to get into a cadet corp and earn her own way is an experience that will be good for her in theory."

"In theory?"

"Yes. Changes may be necessary, but not at Maddy's end."

"What changes then?"

The group conversation had become a Mac and Lylah discussion.

"Lohla and I grew up in an environment where we were constantly being hit on by males. We became very sensitive to tiny signals. The first night at camp, I stepped in to ensure that Maddy would not be put in a tent with boys because I was seeing some signals I had seen when I was growing up."

"I wanted to ask you about that tent. That's why I invited you to the meeting."

"I volunteered to be the chaperone for some members of the Blue Platoon. I made sure that Maddy was with me every outing. That meant that Billy was also with me. He never left her side during free time. I gave my ten cadets ample opportunity to go off on their own within some limits. I followed Billy and Maddy invisibly. I only saw a warning signal once, and I was prepared to put it down to a random misstep, but now I'm not so sure."

"What did you see?" Mac jumped automatically on the key words.

"You know how boys will pretend to stumble when they're walking beside a girl that they like. They use that stumble to brush their hand against the girl's hand. They usually end up walking hand in hand."

"Been there, had that done to me," Mac commented.

"For several minutes, Billy appeared to try to walk closer and closer to Maddy. She would move away, unconsciously I think. I'm almost certain that I saw Billy stumble and reach out to grab Maddy's hand. Maddy stopped suddenly to look in a store window and her hand wasn't where Billy thought it would be. Billy didn't stumble again."

"Why would a thirteen year old boy want to hold hands with a nine year old girl? She can't be attractive to him. She's not even close to puberty. That doesn't make sense."

"I know. I may be wrong. It could be a simple misstep."

"I'll have a chat with Maddy and ask her about him," Yollie offered.

"You can't do that, Yollie," Mac objected. "Billy is her only friend in the corps. If she thinks you don't like him, she's going to defend him and that will push her even closer to him."

"I'll try and get down more often," Melissa offered. "I'll keep an eye on Billy."

"Maddy will wonder about the change in routine," Mac objected once again. "We can't give her any idea that we are worried for her."

"I'll keep an eye on them," Lylah volunteered. "The cadets are used to me being around them all the time."

Back to the Table of Contents

# Chapter 15

It was the second week of January and all of the available Wilizy were meeting in the Wilizy/Europe sailing above Denver. Wizard and Dreamer had to leave the next day to return to Toronto, but wanted to submit their report before doing that. It was going to be short, so there wasn't any reason to try and include Cowboy and Stook in the meeting. They could be brought up to speed as necessary later.

Wizard and Dreamer sat down at the head table. "You're not going to believe what we found," Dreamer said.

### # # # # # # # #

Billy and Maddy were also sitting at a table. A mess hall table. Maddy was practicing her Morse code in Billy's palm so they were sitting next to each other. By necessity, Billy and Maddy's inside legs were touching each other. Each of them had their bodies turned slightly sideways so there was a lot of arm contact too. Maddy had already shown Billy her proficiency with her right hand, now she was showing him her left hand.

"That's all," Billy said.

"Am I fast enough now?"

"Yes. You passed."

"What did I pass?"

"The test to be Platoon B's communications specialist."

"This was the test?"

"Yes. I didn't tell you because I didn't want to stress you."

"What about the other cadets in the platoon?"

"You're much better by far."

"That's because they haven't been taught yet."

"I make the decisions. Do you want to be the platoon communication specialist?"

"Yes."

"Good. Melody wants to talk to you now."

...

"Hi, Maddy."

"I can't tell who's talking to me. You or Billy. It's very strange talking to a girl who has a boy's voice."

"That's why I have Billy tell you when I want to take over the body," Melody said. "I missed talking with you in Europe. The boys were always around. I'm glad that we're able to talk now and hold hands like girl friends."

Maddy looked down to find her and Melody's hands intertwined. What with all her Morse coding and Billy's hand massaging, Maddy was very used to feeling Billy's hands around hers. Now they were Melody's hands. They felt the same.

"Girl friends hold hands all the time," Melody said to reassure Maddy who had looked a little startled to find their hands together. "That's what girl friends do. Hold hands; hug; talk. I've been so lonely living in Billy's body all by myself. I don't know what I'd do if I didn't have you as a girl friend. You've given me a reason to live."

Maddy was quiet. Digesting the _reason to live_ comment probably. Did Melody want to die?

"You've been such an inspiration for me. Becoming a cadet. Learning Morse code. I had hoped to give you a Christmas present, but we didn't really have a chance to celebrate together. We could give each other a Christmas present now, if you want."

"I don't have a Christmas present for you."

"My present isn't much. It's not like I can take Billy's body and go buy anything. It's just a little thing that I want to share with you. You could do the same. Would you like to do that?"

"What's the gift?"

"Turn your face towards me. .... There. That was the gift. A kiss on the cheek. Now it's your turn."

Maddy hesitated.

"Don't you want to give me a Christmas present? I gave you one." Melody turned her face towards Maddy.

Maddy gave her a peck on the cheek.

"Thank you. I liked your gift. You're such a good girl friend. Time for a Christmas hug." Melody put her arms around Maddy and pulled her to her. It was rather awkward the way they were sitting, but Melody managed it. Maddy automatically put her arms around Melody too. She was used to giving hugs at Christmas time.

"Billy wants to talk to you now."

### # # # # # # # #

"For you to understand exactly what the Denver Cattlemen's Association has done, I have to tell you about _Non-Profit Societies_ ," Wizard started. "There were lots of non-profit societies before _The Troubles._ It was a way for people to get together and do something for other people. If they helped other people and gave them any profit that they made in their business to those people, they didn't have to pay taxes."

"Because they gave their profits away," Dreamer emphasized. "It was a way for a government to encourage organizations to help others. For example, say some people formed an organization that made fancy kites and they sold those kites. They made a profit from those sales. Normally that business of making kites would have to pay business taxes. But, because this organization gave its profits to a home for people suffering from skin cancer, it didn't have to pay taxes on those profits. The skin cancer people got financial help, the people in the kite business felt good about what they were doing, and the government recognized their donations of their profits by not taxing them. Everybody won."

"Is there going to be test?" Marie asked.

"No," Wizard said. "This is all you need to know. Non-profit societies don't pay taxes because they give their profits away."

Dreamer took over. "We don't know how the Colorado government did it, but the DCA is being treated by the government tax people like a non-profit society. They don't pay taxes."

"To pay taxes, they'd need to be a business that is making a profit. What do they sell?"

"Good question, Hank," Wizard said. "There's more than one way for a business to make money. The DCA makes money by owning properties and renting them out. We found over seventy properties that the DCA owns, such as office buildings, banks, stores, factories, and apartment buildings. By renting these properties out, the DCA makes a profit. From what Dreamer and I have been able to find, the DCA hasn't paid one cent in taxes in at least thirty years. We didn't have the time to go back further. They've made millions of dollars in profits - all of it untaxed."

"Wouldn't this be public knowledge?" Stu asked. "Wouldn't the owner of the property appear on the tax bill?"

"It should," Wizard said. "But it doesn't. All that appears on the tax bill for the property the DCA owns is the initials _NPS [Non profit society]_ for owner and $0 for tax payment required. The real owner of the property is identified in the Property Registration files as DCA but nobody looks at those files. If they did, they'd need to sift through thousands and thousands of registrations just to find the seventy that we did. Then, they'd have to link those to property tax files, which are kept in an entirely different government building. Nobody had reason to look for those kinds of records."

"There's more," Dreamer said. "We found some evidence in the personal tax records that DCA employees do not pay taxes on their salaries. This would be a reward for being a good, silent employee."

"What's the evidence?" Stu asked.

Wizard took his turn. "Harold Swensen did not pay any income tax on his salary for all the years he was a bag man. We suspect that other senior DCA employees received the same perk but it's impossible to prove this because all they have to do for the government forms is describe their job as _Businessman_. We have no way of knowing what their business is from that tax file."

Dreamer stepped back in. "We suspect that none of the senior people in DCA pay income taxes. These would be the entire executive of the club plus the wealthy people who hide in the shadows. If they give an exemption of paying no income tax to the employees, they're bound to be spreading that perk around. To prove this, we need a way to identify all the wealthy people who make the DCA what it is. So far we can't do that."

"There was something in Swensen's tax records that caught our attention. Ezra became the owner of Swensen's house in 2053 when Howard was of age to be owner. He was a student at the time. Why didn't Howard get to own the house and land? He was the only heir. We believe that Ezra listed himself because, as an employee of the DCA, he wouldn't pay land taxes. Howard would have had to pay those taxes because he was a student. When Howard became 21 and joined the DCA, he took over ownership of the property. At that point, he was able to take advantage of being a DCA employee. This suggests that senior members of the DCA not only avoid income taxes, but they also avoid land taxes. We can't prove that yet. But this does explain why Swensen had to die. Stu was on the verge of opening up a very big secret on how the DCA and its employees pay no taxes whatsoever. Paula had to die too for the same reason."

### # # # # # # # #

"I'm really glad that you and Melody are getting along so well. That was a nice Christmas gift you gave her."

"It was just a peck on the cheek."

"You and I are friends, right?"

"Yes."

"I've helped you out a lot, right?"

"Yes."

"That's what friends do. I like helping you out. You'd do the same for me, right?"

"I can't really help you."

"Sure you can. There are different ways that friends can help friends out."

"Like what?"

"Well, like you and Melody exchanged kisses and hugs for Christmas. Why can't you and I do the same? Friends give each other kisses and hugs all the time. I bet your family does."

"They do."

"We missed the chance to exchange Christmas gifts, we could do that now."

Billy stood and pulled Maddy up to her feet. He put his arms around Maddy and hugged her. Maddy did the same. She was only being polite. Billy presented his cheek for Maddy to kiss. She pecked him once and turned her cheek to him. Billy put his hand on Maddy's chin, turned her face slightly, and kissed her full on the lips. It wasn't a peck.

### # # # # # # # #

"What do we do now?" Hank asked.

"We bring them to justice, like we always do," Granny said.

"Who are we going to bring to justice?" Hank pursued.

"The DCA and the people in it who have not been paying the proper taxes. It's robbery," Granny answered.

"What about the people in the government too?" Hank continued. "The ones who gave them status as a non profit society. Surely they'd know that the DCA wasn't non-profit."

"How would we prove they knew?" Yolanda asked.

"We don't need to prove they knew about the non-profit tax exclusion," Mac replied. "We just need to prove that they took money from the DCA."

"The DCA probably did a lot of other things that were illegal," Melissa said.

"The Colorado politicians probably wrote laws that would make them legal," Mac continued on her theme.

"The entire government is probably in on all the frauds and tax evasions," Wizard said. "They'd be getting paid to look the other way."

"Difficult to prove," Hank pointed out.

_[The Wilizy churned away on this for a while. It wasn't very productive, so I'm not repeating any of it.]_

Hank brought everybody back to the larger picture. "Here's where we are: We want to bring all of the major people in the DCA to justice, even though we don't really know who they are. We also want to bring all of the elected representatives of the Colorado government to justice, but we don't know who's guilty or not guilty and we don't really know how to figure that out. That's what we want to do."

Some head nods followed. They weren't enthusiastic responses.

Hank continued, "Who's going to plan and organize the operation to do that?"

Silence ensued.

Then, a female voice said, "I have an idea."

### # # # # # # # #

There was now a big gap of air between Maddy's body and where Billy was standing. She had stepped sideways in shock but was still next to the mess hall table. The bench where people sat was behind her legs and it pinned her to the table.

"You're not supposed to do that," she said.

"Do what?"

"Kiss me like that."

"You agreed."

"To a kiss on a cheek; not a kiss on the lips."

"How was I supposed to know that?"

Maddy started to step away from the table.

"I thought you were my friend. A kiss between friends is nothing."

Maddy lifted one leg up and put it down on the other side of the bench.

"You need me as a friend."

The second leg followed. "Why do I need you as a friend?"

"I can protect you."

"Protect me from what?"

"Sit down and I'll tell you."

Maddy didn't sit, but she didn't walk away either.

"You and I had sex in the fox hole."

"We didn't have sex."

"Sure we did. You let me cuddle up behind you and put my arm around you. That's what people do when they're about to have sex. They lie down together and touch each other. That's what we did."

...

"I'll tell them you held hands with me in the mess hall. That's having sex too."

...

"I'll tell them you kissed me on the lips. That's part of having sex too."

....

"I'll tell the platoon that we've had sex. Everybody in camp will know."

...

"All the boys will want to have sex with you too. I'll tell them that you like sex. They'll be very persistent."

...

"Lieutenant Karlsson will probably kick you out of the cadets. He can't have a girl in the troop when she likes to have sex with the cadets."

...

"Your parents will find out that you've had sex."

"IT WASN'T SEX!"

"Sure it was. If asked, I'll describe how you got undressed in the fox hole and what we did afterwards."

"THAT NEVER HAPPENED."

"It doesn't have to be this way. You can still be in the platoon as the communications expert. But, if you're not my friend, then I'm not your friend either."

...

"Did you notice when we were in Paris, how the people there do a lot of kissing?"

...

"They have a special kiss in France. It's very popular there. Here too. Boy friends and girl friends kiss like the French people a lot."

...

"I'll show you." Billy stepped away from the table and approached Maddy.

...

"It's just a simple kiss on the lips, except you open your mouth a bit."

...

"Nobody has to know." Billy approached Maddy and bent over.

...

Billy put his hand under her chin and raised her face to his. "What's it going to be? Stay in the cadets or do you want to get kicked out and have everybody talking about how you like to have sex?"

Back to the Table of Contents

# Chapter 16

One week later, Stook was prowling through the government Legislation Library trying to find any mention of non-profit society rules and regulations. What does the law say exactly? When was it enacted? Cowboy had asked Stook if it were risky for him to be seen doing this, but Stook said that he hadn't seen anybody other than the facility librarian in the building.

Winnie's plan called for the sheriff's office to protect the DCA building, but poorly. With Stook tied up reading library books, Cowboy was in charge. He pretended that a call had come in about a rowdy member of the CBA acting in an inebriated manner. Cowboy pulled Hoss aside and told him that he was assigning him to investigate the case. If an inept deputy were needed at the CBA, who better to receive that assignment than the CBA spy? Cowboy's instructions were very thorough.

"You have to be very diplomatic when there's a call from the DCA building. Nothing that happens inside can ever be reported outside. Inebriated members are common, but you don't want to poke your nose into their affairs when it's not necessary. They have their own security on the door. Just go down and talk to one of the staff wearing a tuxedo. Tell them that you've been assigned to handle calls from the Club. Just ask him if there's anything that he wants you to do right now. Don't tell him that we had a complaint. Walk around the restaurant and the lounge so that people will see you and get used to you being there. Patrol the outside of the building regularly as though you were looking for security weaknesses. You're just showing the outside community that the Club is under police protection. This will stop outsiders from trying to get inside. Under no circumstances should you ever visit the upper floors. That's where the prostitutes meet the members. The DCA doesn't want any witnesses to this, so leave it to the Club's security to handle anything that comes up on those floors. The Club will demand your resignation if you ever see a member with a prostitute."

### # # # # # # # #

Mac, Melissa and Winnie were in ship's living room where Winnie could relax in one of the ship's hammocks and see everybody. Mac and Melissa were helping her flesh out the details of her idea. Lylah had also been invited because they were going to talk about Maddy later. Winnie told the others that her banishment to a hammock was mostly to prevent her from hitting chairs, tables, or other furniture by accident. Her body was still tender and weak. When asked if she'd be able to last through her part of the operation, her response was enthusiastic. "Try and stop me." Then she asked with a touch of disbelief in her voice, "Did Mom really sign off on this?" When she was assured that Yolanda knew the role that Winnie would be playing but still had agreed, albeit reluctantly, Winnie announced that this was her dream role. Nothing would ever be as good as this dramatic part in a Wilizy operation.

Later, their conversation strayed into how Maddy had been behaving this last week.

"She has quit the cadets completely," Mac explained to Lylah who had asked where Maddy had been recently.

"Why?"

"Something to do with how immature boys were. She saw them tobogganing I guess and figured she didn't want to be around stupid boys any longer."

"So what's she doing instead?"

"I don't know," Mac admitted. "She's not saying anything, at least not to me or to Melissa or to Yollie. We checked with Liset and she doesn't know anything. She tried to find out and Maddy actually yelled at her to leave her alone. We're all giving her a wide birth. She spends most of her time in her bedroom with the door locked."

"This is typical for girls her age, I think," Melissa added. "They try one activity and it doesn't work out the way they think it will; now she'll try something else. Perhaps she'll last longer next time. She's probably feeling foolish because we asked her if she was sure that she wanted to be a cadet."

"Well I guess I don't have to keep an eye on Billy. That stumble in Paris must have been a real stumble."

### # # # # # # # #

Lieutenant Karlsson was also trying to determine why Maddy had left the corps. He was talking with the camp nurse, Akilah.

"She never said anything about leaving the cadets to me, Erik."

"Did you notice anything on the holidays?"

"Nothing that would explain her quitting. I saw her leaving the tobogganing races in some disgust. The boys had made it into a typical boy's crash and burn activity. She had been quite happy when she found the flag, and then I saw face fall when that Swiss lady came down the mountain. Perhaps she felt guilty about taking the flag?"

"That wouldn't have prompted her to leave the corps."

"No, it wouldn't."

"On to other business, what's the status on Billy Bump's mouth?"

"Pretty much healed now. He's still on a diet of soft foods."

"Crazy accident."

"Not really, Erik. Boys of this age are lucky if they can walk and talk at the same time. Billy doesn't have control over his new body. He said he was outside the mess hall, walking and eating without looking where he was going. He said that he tripped and fell just as he was biting into an apple. It was quite a fall. It could have been a very damaging fall. He almost bit his tongue off."

"He'll know better now."

"Probably not. Boys can be really dense. I noticed that he was walking very gingerly when he came into the clinic. He probably was walking and eating at the same time when he was in the mess hall. He must have stumbled into something that was groin high but didn't want to tell me where he was hurting."

### # # # # # # # #

Back in Loveland, Paula was facing exasperation. She was looking into Vice President #3's research area, Environmental Recovery, and just couldn't make sense of the chemicals they were using. Thor Mentsky was the man in charge and he was working on a biodegradable replacement for plastic, which had become recognized as a terrible invention by the time climate change was raging. Oceans and landfills were full of it; it lasted forever.

Physically, #3 wasn't much to look at. Of average height, he was potbellied, had close cropped hair, sported long sideburns under huge ears, and topped this all off with a bushy moustache that drew attention to the parakeet shaped mouth hidden between slabs of cheek flab and lost underneath his bulbous nose. A woman's man, he was not.

Of course, not every man had to be handsome. But #3 had no other saving graces. He behaved in a loutish manner to his work force, communicating in barks when he wasn't making fun of them to their faces. Nobody on staff could stand being near him because they'd become a target.

In terms of his department, they were in pilot test stage with rolls of the _biodegradable tensile-strength organic polymers_ that could be formed into a large variety of manufactured products coming out of the vats. Right now, it appeared like they were making children's toy balls in pink, lime green and orange colours.

Originally, plastic had been derived from petroleum products. Paula could not find any information on where #3 was getting his new polymers. She had no way of getting into any of his computerized files and could only work from the vats of chemical ingredients that she found in the manufacturing complex's storeroom. One such vat perturbed her because on its own, the chemical could become poisonous and the cartons of the substance did announce that fact with warning skull and cross bone symbols. Still, lots of poisons could become neutralized in a manufacturing process when combined with other chemicals.

Back to the Table of Contents

# Chapter 17

Eleanor didn't get much praise for handing out pictures of the extortionist's copter at the next cabinet meeting. But she didn't get fired either, although there was some grousing about the gold that the black copter had carried off to who knew where. _[Mac hadn't shared the copter's destination with Eleanor.]_ Eleanor figured she had earned a one-month reprieve from being sacked from cabinet.

The cabinet meeting had been called because the January extortion letter had arrived. This time they wanted diamonds worth 200,000 Swiss francs. The PM wasn't too subtle about his expectations when he asked Eleanor, "When are you going to give us more than pictures? When are you going to catch them?"

"When are you going to give me weapons that will allow me to capture a single military copter that has more guns that my entire air force and army?" Eleanor wasn't reticent about answering an attack with an attack. Along with some bitter complaints from the Minister of Justice and Police, she was promised twelve copters complete with twelve policemen who knew their way around hunting rifles.

The discussion then turned to the letter. Everybody was aware of the progression in the values of the demands. They demanded to know what her plans were.

"Stake out Mount Pilatus with four riflemen that we'll hide in the snow near the drop site. Keep the other eight copters and riflemen in reserve to ambush the extortionist's copter if they order the drop in Zurich. We can't expect them to come to the Zurich drop site and pick up the diamonds themselves, so we'll follow the bags back to their copter."

"You should put tracking devices in the bags," the unhappy Minister of Police said.

"I will as soon as you give them to me."

### # # # # # # # #

My readers may recall that Stu had arranged for long-term protection for Stook. He did that partly by bringing Cowboy to Denver; he had also asked TG to put bugs in Hoss' apartment and copter. That foresight paid off. We'll join a meeting now that is already in progress in the little coffee house opposite the S.P.C.A. Mac, Cowboy, and Stu are chowing down.

"Stook wasn't feeling any threat," Cowboy said. "Nobody knew he was there other than the librarian."

"Does anybody other than you know where he has been going?" Stu asked.

"No. Sheila and Hoss know only that he's on a duty assignment for the week. Hoss did ask me yesterday where Stook was and when he would return. Something about some missing paperwork."

"As of this morning, he knew," Stu revealed. "We had a bug in Hoss' apartment and he was telling somebody that Stook had been doing dangerous research in the legislation library."

"Hoss could have followed him. A flash of the badge and a few words with the librarian would have given him all he needed." Cowboy accurately revealed what had happened.

"When are they going to ambush him?" Mac asked.

"We only heard one side of the conversation," Stu explained. "Hoss is going to watch and will contact somebody when he knows for sure where Stook is going to be at a specific time in the day. I doubt it would be at the library because they won't want people questioning what he was doing in there. Is it possible that Hoss was talking to Sheila? We've suspected that she's the governor's spy."

"Stook told me some time ago that she's not a threat."

"How would he know that? Just because we haven't caught her sending messages to the governor doesn't mean she won't when an opportunity arises. She's in charge of his schedule. She knows where he is all the time."

"Stook just said that he knew that she wasn't a threat. He's done this before. He'll announce that somebody is guilty, or innocent, but without any proof. I've never known him to be wrong. Part of dealing with low life for thirty years, I suppose."

Mac summarized the danger. "If they're not going to attack him at that library, that means that once he's finished his research, he will be immediately at risk. It will be impossible to protect him 24/7. They could kill him eating lunch right here."

"Do we know how much longer he'll be researching?"

"He told me that he's becoming an expert in Colorado laws. He wasn't particularly happy about that. I got the sense that he'll be done soon."

"Do you have a plan, Mac?"

"Yeah Stu, I do. It's an easy fix because we've already prepared for Cowboy to take over the Sheriff's office. I have to talk with a few people but I have the time to do that. Tell Cowboy that Stook has to tell you when he has collected all the information he can from the library. The next day, he has to go back to the library even though he's finished. There'll be an emergency in town. He'll leave the library and deal with that emergency. That'll take care of it."

"What's the emergency?" Cowboy asked.

"Best that you don't know. But you do know what day it will happen. When the call comes in, contact Stook just as you normally would when there's an emergency. Then, take Hoss with you and meet up with Stook at the site. Somebody from the Wilizy will be there to steer you in the right direction."

### # # # # # # # #

Maddy was at the base of the mountain below her home. She was starting a training program this morning. She would run ten minutes in one direction, turn around, and run back. By necessity, the run would be on rugged terrain just because that's where they lived. It would be tougher than running around the parade ground but better for her. Freya and Madison would accompany her on the run in case some animal decided to feel hungry. Plus she had her sling's weaponry. That weaponry was limited in one manner though. It couldn't put a female knee into a male groin. Fortunately, Maddy knew how to do that. Mac had taught her that at an early age.

When she got back from her run, Maddy would put a note into her training journal describing how long she had run. Tomorrow, she'd run for 11 minutes each way. If she ever got really sore, she'd hold the minutes the same. After a shower, she'd fly to the camp and watch invisibly what the cadets were doing. She didn't want to fall too far behind. If she got bored watching the cadets, she'd do her school work in her sling.

### # # # # # # # #

Hank and Winnie were prowling around the back of the DCA building, For now, they were invisible because it was daytime and there were buildings in Denver that had clear views of where they were standing.

_This is an old entrance into the basement. It used to be solidly boarded up, but I've taken out some nails and loosened others. Your old body was small enough for you to crawl through; I'm not sure about your new body. Try it._

_..._

_I got in. Are you coming in?_

_Yeah, but I have to pry this open some more to get my shoulders through. I'll tighten it up again so that it looks solid._

_..._

_This is the bottom of the laundry chute. This was used back in the day that they had laundry women down here. The maids would drop the dirty clothes from the upper floors and they'd fall into laundry baskets here in the basement._

_Are those scrubbing boards over there?_

_Yeah, that's how they loosened up the dirt. They'd wet the clothes, soap them, and then rub them against the boards to get them clean. It was hard manual labour. Then they rinsed and hung the wet laundry on clotheslines in the back. That part of the laundry process disappeared when the building behind us was built. By then, they were sending the laundry to outside businesses. And of course now, they have machines._

_How come you know so much about this building and its laundry?_

_Time-travel. They've left the basement the way it was. A lot dirtier, of course._

_All this dust on the floor. Should I walk in it?_

_Yes, definitely._

_Look up the chute. What do you see?_

_A knot on the end of a rope._

_Drag the wooden box over there so that it is directly under the chute._

_Good enough?_

_Yes. Stand on it and slip your shoulders into the chute. Can you reach the end of the rope?_

_Easily._

_I've made knots all the way up that rope. They are fairly close together. Grab the rope with both hands, pull your body up, and put your feet on top of one of the knots._

_Done._

_Are the knots big enough to stand on?_

_Yeah._

_Now use your arms to pull your body up so that you can put your feet on the next knot._

_OK, I'm there._

_Do you see any reason why you wouldn't be able to climb all the way up this rope?_

_No._

_The chute is wide enough, right?_

_Definitely._

_Good, come on down._

_You don't want me to climb the rope all the way to the third floor?_

_Nah. We're just painting a picture here. You can get up there more easily just by going invisible and coming in with somebody on staff. Plus, we have an unlocked door on the roof if you need it._

_Are we done here?_

_Yup. Do you have your costume ready?_

_Yes, but you aren't allowed to see me in it._

### # # # # # # # #

_Maddy?_

_WHAT!?_

_Watch your tone of voice, young lady. You don't speak to me like that._

_Mom, I told you I needed my privacy._

_And you'll get it and none of us are going to bug you about what you're doing all the time so long as your school work and chores are done on time._

_Mooooommmm. You don't have to tell me what I already know. I'm busy._

_There's going to be an emergency at the Swiss Guard Bank in half an hour. Can you get there in time?_

_Yah._

_Did you take your costume with you this morning?_

_You already reminded me a dozen times._

_I reminded you once. Do you have your costume?!_

_Who's the one with an attitude now?_

_DO YOU HAVE YOUR COSTUME?_

_Yes, of course I do. You didn't have to yell._

### # # # # # # # #

"Sheriff, we have an emergency at the Swiss Guards building."

"What's the nature of the emergency, Sheila?"

"Shots fired. Cowboy and Hoss are hoofing down there now."

"Did they take shotguns?"

"Yes."

"I'm on my way by copter. Notify the nearest hospital that we may need their services."

### # # # # # # # #

"Cowboy, check with the people inside the bank to see if they're all safe. Then, interview the doorman."

"OK, Stook."

"Hoss, is this the witness?"

"Yes."

"Did you get much from her?"

"Just that she was here when the robbers tried to shoot their way in. We arrived just a few minutes before you."

"I'll interview the witness while you collect any evidence of the shooting. We need to know the kind of gun they used and the ammunition. Check for other people on the street or in buildings who might have seen them."

...

"Hello, young lady."

"Sheriff."

"I hear you saw what happened."

"I did. I was standing right here."

"Were you frightened?"

"No."

"Will you be able to tell me what happened and give me a good description of the robbers?"

"Yes."

"Go ahead."

"I was walking towards the bank.... do I have to spit?"

"No, we can skip that."

By now, a small crowd had gathered to listen in on the interview.

"I saw a white copter land right in the middle of the street. Four men got out, walked to the front of the bank, and started shooting at the door. The glass on the door broke but the iron bars stopped them from getting in. I don't think they prepared for the robbery very well."

"I'd agree with you. So novice bank robbers then?"

"Yes. Add stupid too."

"Can you describe them?"

"Brown cowboy boots, denim jeans, just normal belts and buckles, plaid long sleeved shirts of different colours, and black Stetsons."

"What about their faces?"

"Covered with black bandanas."

"Could you see their eyes?"

"Yes but I was too far away to see the colour. I'd guess brown or black."

"Why?"

"Cause they were lazy shiftless in'juns."

"How do you know they were Indians?"

"I saw their hands. Brown skin. Their ears and their necks were brown too."

"Any other clues?"

"They had eagle feathers in their Stetsons."

"Not very smart of them to wear those feathers."

"I told you they were stupid. They were in'juns after all."

"I see by your uniform that you are a student at Denver Academy. Why aren't you in school?"

"I had to do a book report and our library doesn't have very much on Montana. I was going to go to the city library and see what they had."

"In case I need to ask you more questions, can you tell me your name?"

"My name is Maddy. I was born in Montana. That's why I wanted to do a paper on it."

### # # # # # # # #

Stook had gathered Cowboy and Hoss into the middle of the street for a private conversation. "I have a good description of the suspects and if I leave now, I won't be too far behind them."

"Where are you headed?"

"New Mexico. The robbers had brown skin and feathers in their Stetsons. Anything from inside the bank, Cowboy?"

"The bank manager, Sandy, was quite upset that there'd be an armed robbery attempt in broad daylight. She said she's going to complain long and hard if we don't catch them. If we don't, there'll be other attempts. She wants somebody from our office working full time on this."

"Reassure her that I'm leaving now. Cowboy, you're in charge here in Denver. I'll probably be moving around New Mexico a lot. Don't expect me back soon. There's a lot of empty space in New Mexico."

Back to the Table of Contents

# Chapter 18

"Mac?"

"Yes."

"This is Sandy at the bank."

"Hiya, Sandy. I didn't get a chance to thank you for helping us out with that fake bank robbery. I hope nobody was scared."

"I didn't say anything to staff so it was a good test of how we need to react to an attempt to breach the bank doors."

"Sorry about the glass breakage. We had to make the burglary look real."

"S'ok. We have extra glass in stock. I've just had a message from Eleanor. It's the end of the month."

"Right. The day she had to deliver... what is it now?"

"200,000 francs worth of diamonds. They got away with it all. Eleanor wonders if you would be able to meet with her face to face?"

"Sure. I can be over there by Thursday. Where and when?"

"Just come to the bank any time in the morning. Tell the receptionist that you're expected."

"I'll be the one towing a surly girl with an attitude."

"Oh, you have a teenage daughter."

"No. I have a daughter that wants to have years of practice being a pain in the butt before she becomes a teenager. That way, she'll be really good at it. Does the bank still have that cell where I can lock her in and throw away the key?"

"That cell is still there. We take new hires into the tunnels and show them what life used to be like for Eleanor."

"Can I make a reservation for a one night stay for my daughter?"

### # # # # # # # #

Winnie's operation was due to start Monday afternoon, February 6. Hank had reported that entry into the DCA's basement was now theoretically possible. Winnie had test driven her costume for the Wilizy women. Everybody liked it although Yolanda had to leave the room for a few minutes before she could come back and gave it a trembly thumbs up. Nobody figured that she had become speechless because she was so happy with how tightly it fit to her new body.

Yolanda knew that Marie had tested out her spell and now had its strength calibrated properly. TG was testing out if he could beam a signal into every Denver communication device at the same time. This would be necessary if Truth were to make her appearance. Failing that, they did have a back up plan.

Yolanda had headed up a large research team that had collected biographical data on the fifty members of the government legislature. Most of this was publicly available, but street addresses were not, so a lot of invisible tailing was necessary. I pestered Yolanda for a part in the operation and she finally relented. I was hoping that I might get a costume like Winnie's, but she gave me a bit role as an invisible watch guard instead.

As far as Yolanda could determine, Winnie's plan would work although the chances of them being discovered too early were high. They'd be at it for at least a month. If word got out early about what they were doing, they'd have to abort and go with just the people they already had.

### # # # # # # # #

"Why are we taking a plane? We could have gotten to Zurich faster in our slings."

"What's the rush?"

"I have things to do. I don't understand why you're forcing me to come with you."

"Because I'm going to have a meeting with Eleanor who was the lady who had to put the flag back on the Swiss mountainside. She isn't an avalanche watcher. She is the head person with the Swiss Guards banks. I want you to be in that meeting."

"Do I have to? Why can't I just sit in the plane and do my school work?"

"Eleanor and her banks have a problem. I'm going over to see if the Wilizy can help them out. These kinds of negotiations are tricky. If I do it properly, our two organizations will become closer. We'll be able to help each other more. If I do it wrong, we'll have lost an opportunity to gain a valuable ally."

"Why do I have to be there?"

"So that you can learn more about Wilizy business. So that you can learn more about Eleanor. So that you can listen and learn. You aren't there to talk."

"Are you saying that I'm not allowed to talk?"

"Yes, that's what I'm saying."

"That doesn't seem fair."

"Life's like that sometimes."

"Doesn't make it right."

"Let me tell you about Eleanor and what her life was like. Then you can tell me if it was fair for Eleanor to have that kind of life."

### # # # # # # # #

"So this guy Rizzo deRat tortured her for years and years and kept her locked up in a basement where she did important work but wasn't allowed to come out of the building."

"That's right. He used electrical shocks and she never cried nor did she beg him to stop."

"Why'd he torture her?"

"Because he could. Torturing her pleased him."

"What was he after?"

"He wanted to break her spirit. He wanted to take out all of his work frustrations on her. Then he'd feel better. He'd always leave her hanging, often unconscious, from some manacles in an underground cell below their main bank building."

"How'd she get out of the cell?"

"She had a friend who released her from the chains and took her back to where the other slaves were kept. She'd do business work locked in the building's basement until deRat wanted to torture her again."

"How'd she get away?"

"The Wilizy helped her. We were going after this Rizzo deRat for another reason and found out what he was doing to her and the other slave women. Eleanor had an escape plan where she and all the other slaves would take over deRat's banking business. We turned off the security system and that allowed the slaves to put Eleanor's plan into action."

"That's all we did? Turn off a switch."

"Not quite that simple, but yes. That was all she wanted. She wanted to escape from him on her own. She didn't want somebody else doing it for her. When she was free, she turned Rizzo deRat over to us. So we helped her a bit, and she helped us a bit."

"What happened to him?"

"He's no longer alive."

"Now she's running the bank that we pretended to attack?"

"Yes. That bank and others. But, she's still being treated like a slave. _Slave_ might be the wrong word. She's being treated like an inferior person who has no value."

"I don't understand."

_[At this point, Mac explained how the Swiss government operated.]_

"So, she can go to these important meetings, but she's not allowed to talk because she's a woman?"

"Yes. She can only talk after the men have run out of things to say."

"But they won't listen to her even if she has really good ideas?"

"That's right. They just ignore her and do what they want to do."

"That's what the boys did to me when I had a better way of doing their stupid toboggan game."

"The Swiss government has a problem that is impossible for any of them to solve."

"What's the problem?"

"Some bad men are threatening to blow up a lot of their banks if the Swiss government doesn't give them money. They have no choice but to pay them. So, they decided to put Eleanor in charge of catching the bad guys. If she doesn't catch them, they'll kick her out of government. She doesn't have any way to catch the bad guys. Switzerland has no military. She has no weapons and she has no people who know how to fight against these people The Swiss politicians are going to win. Eleanor will be kicked out of the government, because she's a woman. They'll change the rules so that no woman could ever be an important part of their government too. "

"Why doesn't she quit first?"

"Eleanor would never quit."

"She could pretend to quit, but not really quit, and find a way to beat them."

"That's sort of what might happen. We have what she needs to catch these bad guys. She has some things that we need. That's why I'm going over. To offer to join forces. If she agrees, both of us will win."

"Is she going to agree?"

"I don't know. Eleanor doesn't like to ask for help. She's facing a big problem, but she may not be willing to admit that she needs help. There's no shame in her asking for help, especially if she can give help back in return."

"Huh."

"Eleanor and I agree on something really important. You can't let men stop you from achieving what you want because you're a woman. We're not their possessions. We're not in their lives so that we can lie down and let them have sex with us whenever they want and whether we want to or not. None of the Wilizy women would let a man do that to us. Melissa had to stop a man from forcing her to marry him. Momaka had to stop men from forcing her to have sex with them. Marie had to find a way to live on a deserted island and raise Nary. Dreamer had to stop her father from molesting her."

"Huh."

"So, when you see Eleanor, you should be happy that you are in the same room as somebody as strong as she is. She has something planned for those men in the government. I don't know what it is, but I bet they won't know what hit them."

"How can you be so sure?"

"Because that's what I'd do."

_[Now my readers know why Mac took a slower way to go to Zurich.]_

### # # # # # # # #

Introductions had been made. Pleasantries had been exchanged. Maddy had been seated at the end of a conference room table where she could do her school work if she wished. Eleanor and Mac were sitting beside each other at the other end of the table.

"How'd they arrange the pickup this time," Mac asked.

"We planned for a pickup at Mount Pilatus or for a busy street in Zurich. They told us to put the bag in a tourist paddleboat and leave the boat in the middle of Lac Leman. That's in Geneva. We had enough time to hide some copters manned by some police with rifles. We waited all day only to have them come at night. They were able to navigate in the pitch black and we couldn't."

"Same copter?"

"We think so, but we have no way of knowing for sure. We know that some military have ways to see at night, but we didn't have that kind of gear."

"The cabinet's reaction?"

"I have one last chance."

"To catch them? Or to show progress towards catching them?"

"I can't let them have any more gems or money. And they can't destroy any more banks."

"Could any of the men in the cabinet succeed at that?"

"No. But I'll lose my job. They won't."

Mac looked down to the end of table where Maddy was listening very intently. "We can stop the extortionists from obtaining any more of your cash or gems. We can also ensure that they don't attack any of your buildings. We can't do anything about your cabinet."

"I can take care of the cabinet. What do you want in return?"

"We have a problem that we will have difficulty solving. We could solve it much more easily if one of our people had a close working relationship with your manager in Denver."

"Will she be breaking the law?"

"The word _breaking_ is so hard to define."

"Will she end up in jail?"

"There's no risk of that. But she may not be following the bank's rules as closely as you might like."

"I have complete confidence in her. We don't check on what she does very closely."

"Do we have a deal?"

"We do."

### # # # # # # # #

"I actually thought the extortion letters would help me," Eleanor said. They were still sitting in the boardroom, but now in a less formal setting. Lunch had been provided. Maddy was sitting next to Mac and other than saying _thank you_ a couple of times, she had remained mute.

"How so?"

"Do you know what the term _minority shareholder_ means?"

"No."

"How about _non-voting rights_? "

"It would be best if you explained."

"Attending the cabinet meetings allowed me to assess the various ministers. I saw that some were weak and some were strong. The weak members were CEO of banks that were small in comparison, which makes sense. But they were weak in terms of confidence and knowledge. When we received the first threatening letter, I spoke privately with some of these men and pointed out that I had the ability to move our bank's money and investments to our branches that were out of the country. We were completely safe from having our valuables stolen. If the extortionists destroyed our building, I would simply move our head office to another country."

"You were insulating yourself."

"Yes. I also pointed out that the Swiss banking system is very overcrowded. It's hard for any Swiss bank to grow in value because everybody in Switzerland already has a bank account. I pointed that we, on the hand, had strong growth prospects because we were in other countries where we had the opportunity to be dominant. In other words, not only were our assets protected, but over time, the Swiss Guards would be steadily catching up to the country's leaders. We are already #4. These men were bankers. They knew that I had strong growth prospects. So, I gave them the chance to be silent partners in the Swiss Guards. One of them accepted the offer and bought 90,000 francs worth of our minority shares. Minority shares allow the investor to increase the value of his original investment when the Swiss Guards makes a profit."

"That sounds like it would be a very good investment for the bankers who are worried about their future. They would get additional growth for foreign investments and would start climbing the ladder again."

"You picked that up fast."

"You explained it well. Where do the non voting shares come in?"

"In all Swiss banks, the CEO is not necessarily the person who is named to the cabinet. That's done by a vote within the bank itself. The shares that I sold are non-voting meaning that my secret investor can't elect somebody else to be our representative to cabinet. He gets profits, but that's all."

"But you benefit because your bank gets additional cash."

"That right. We're going to use those 90,000 francs to fund our expansion in the former United States. I had two other investors lined up as well, but the extortionists scared them off. If you can stop the extortionists, we can go back to selling non voting shares in the Swiss Guards."

"We can be ready soon. Let's coordinate through Sandy."

Back to the Table of Contents

# Chapter 19

Winnie's operation began at 1 pm Monday, February 6. A working girl entered the DCA's staff entrance at ground level. From there, she walked down a short corridor and stopped by a wooden pegboard that had hooks. Hanging from those hooks were room keys. Each hook had a number below it. The numbers ranged from 1 to 40. She ignored the man who was standing in the corridor and looking at her. Working girls are used to men looking at them. She lifted the key off the hook that had the number 24 below it.

_Yolanda, she's going to room 24._

_Room #24 belongs to Wally Robinson._

Yolanda's research team had produced a list of all the rooms in the DCA building and who was renting them out. This information had been surprisingly easy to find. Rooms 1 to 20 were on the second floor; rooms 21 to 40 were on the third floor.

The working girl turned to continue down the hallway to the staircase that would take her up to the second and third floors. The man stepped in front of her. "You won't be needed today, Sweetheart."

The working girl looked him over. He was dressed the same as most Denver professional men with boots, denim jeans, dress shirt, leather jacket, bolo tie and a white Stetson.

"Who sez," she asked.

The man opened his jacket and extracted a knife. This wasn't a normal knife. More like a short sword. "Sez this."

"I don't recognize you. Who do you have working for you?"

"Just starting up. Brought me some talent in from out of town."

"Scussy isn't going to be happy about you poaching in his territory."

"It's not his territory. DCA members decide who they want. Wally doesn't want you any more. He asked me to give you a parting gift."

"Wally always was generous," she admitted as she riffed her way through the wad of cash she now had in her hand.

"I'll take his room key."

She passed it over.

"It's probably best for Scussy's continued good health and good looks if you don't say anything to him about me. Just tell him that Wally changed his mind."

"Happens all the time," she said, turned, and sashayed away.

TG waited until she was out of site and put the key back on its peg. Marie wouldn't need the key; she had William's door unlocker.

_All Wilizy: Target #1 is Wally Robinson, 58 years of age. He has 32 years of experience in the legislature. Wife's name is Sandra. They have three children but they don't live at home. You'll find his street address in your research package along with his picture and a picture of his wife._

_Thanks, Yolanda. Heap'um good report._

_You're welcome, Marie_

### # # # # # # # #

Wally opened the door to room #24 and walked in. The unlocked door meant that a certain somebody was here on time. Surprised that he was alone in the room, he checked the bathroom. Some of his _health therapists_ liked to give him a surprise shower, something that polite society usually reserves for soon to be wives or mothers - a type of recipient he did not qualify for. The shower stall was empty. Ah, well. Perhaps another time.

Wally checked the thermostat for the room. It looked OK but the room was terribly hot. At least he was. Wally started taking off some clothes. That didn't help. More heat. More clothes were discarded. Soon there were no more clothes to remove. The heavy toll of heat was followed by an intense need to sleep. Wally sat on the bed, and then rolled over onto the bed cover and closed his eyes. His last thought was that his therapist would wake him when she was ready. That prediction proved to be correct.

### # # # # # # # #

"Good, you're awake," a feminine voice said from a distance.

Wally opened his eyes, focused his eyes, and found the source of the voice. She was standing, fully dressed, at the foot of the bed. By fully dressed, that would be as fully dressed as her apparel would allow. But Wally didn't notice the clothes. That would come later. What he noticed was her skin colour.

_My Gawd, what have I done? he asked himself. Himself answered back. You sicko, you've slept with an in'jun!_

In spite of his fuzzy head, Wally was correct in his identification of his new therapist. Brown skin, brown shoulder length pigtails. No way to excuse this. She was a heathen savage. She must have snuck into the state from New Mexico.

It was only then that he noticed something else about his therapist. _My Gawd, she can't be more than 13 years old._ It's interesting to note that Wally's deepest concern for his behaviour was not the age of his therapist, which was way, way below the age of consent, but her skin colour. I remind my readers that Coloradoans were deeply embedded in the white conspiracist way of life. Sleeping with children could be explained away. _She looked 18._ Sleeping with somebody who was not white? Horrifying.

"I'm leaving now. Are you going to pay me?"

"The Club will pay your pimp. You do have a pimp, don't you?"

"Duh. Of course, I have a pimp. Do you think I'd be wearing these clothes if I didn't have a pimp?"

Winnie was indeed wearing clothes that an average school gal would not be wearing. Let's start from the ground and work our way up. Fire engine red high heel shoes. Next, add a fire engine red skirt that could double as a slightly long loincloth if such were in vogue. In old history books, a loincloth was the fragment of cloth that some male natives wore going into battle. It covered their loins (duh) which is the area of the male and female body where the gender of the loincloth owner could be easily determined if no such cloth was there. I'll describe Winnie's loincloth skirt in more detail.

Think of a single cloth cord going around Winnie's waist. At the front of the cord, she had a red rectangle of cloth falling to mid thigh. At the back of the cord, she had a similar red rectangle of cloth falling to mid hamstring. That was it. There was no cloth falling from the cord on her sides. A simple conclusion could be drawn. She was too poor to own any underwear of any size or fashion. If for some unknown reason she decided to stand on her head, she could be arrested for skinny-dipping without a pool.

Her top wasn't much different. It consisted of a cord tied around her neck. Red cloth fell a suitably sufficient distance front and back from the cord. Nothing was there to keep her ribs warm. Again, this poor girl was too poor to own any underwear. She had bead bracelets on both ankles and wrists. A small white feather was stuck within each of her pigtails. Her lips were adorned with fire engine red lipstick. Are you getting a mental image here? She obviously liked red.

Winnie persisted in her pursuit of adequate payment. "I know the club will pay my pimp. I'm talking about a tip? Are you going to give me a tip?"

"We don't usually..."

"Hey! I'm twelve years old. Do you usually have sex with twelve year olds?"

Wally lifted the bed sheet and looked underneath. Just as he feared. No clothes. He had indeed had sex with a savage that could be twelve years old. "Bring my wallet over here. It's on the bureau."

"Why don't I just take what's in there?"

Wally wasn't going to argue.

One disadvantage of Winnie's outfit became noticeable \- as if the outfit weren't noticeable enough. It had no pockets. Winnie came back to the bed with a thick wad of cash in her hands. "Would you hand me my panties? I think you're lying on them."

Wally lifted the bed sheet higher and his head disappeared underneath. He emerged with his hand holding a lacey, miniscule piece of fabric that was probably the pair of panties she was looking for. As you likely have already concluded, the panties were fire engine red. The fire hall must have been having a sale.

"Thanks for the tip," Winnie said.

That was the signal for the member of team who was parked outside. _The hallway is clear,_ Liset messaged.

Winnie opened the hallway door and held it open so that she could give a little finger wave to good old Wally. She also was holding it open so that invisible Marie and her invisible set of cameras could leave. Two seconds later, the hallway was clear of any visible intruders.

### # # # # # # # #

Let's move now to Lincoln Park, a fashionable residential area in Denver. It's about 8 p.m. Two male figures are poised to ring the doorbell of a two story, four-bedroom house. The neighborhood is one of Denver's oldest, it being adjacent to the site of Denver's first settlement in the 1850s. Many houses dated from about 1900 and the house where the two male figures had suddenly appeared was one of them. The taller of the two figures pushed the button. If a male opened the door, he was poised to act. And by act, I do mean act. If a female came to the door, his shorter companion would act.

Wally Robinson opened the door.

Lucas pushed the door wider, grabbed Wally's arm pits, lifted him off his feet and charged into the house, not stopping until he had reached an unadorned living room wall. There he held Robinson against the wall, his feet struggling to find something to stand on and failing miserably. Have I mentioned to you before that Lucas is strong?

Lucas slammed Wally a couple of times against the wall, and lowered him. He then put his stone face against Robinson's face and glared into his eyeballs from about six inches away. All good old Wally could see were eyeballs. Optometrists might find the view interesting. Perhaps even educational. Wally did not.

Mrs. Robinson had a better view. She saw a big burly brown-skinned man dressed in buckskins. He had moccasins on his feet, and a feather headdress adorning his, well ... adorning his head. He had a scabbard containing what looked to be a full-length sword on his belt. He was also armed with a large bow slung over his shoulder. A quiver of arrows hung from his belt on the other side of his waist from the knife. Based on where the sword was, one could conclude that he was right handed. Based on how he had treated good old Wally, one could also conclude that he was heap'um big'um angry'um. The war paint on his face also provided a hint about his emotional state of mind.

Mrs. Robinson wasn't calm enough to form any of those conclusions. As far she knew, the redskin savages from New Mexico had invaded and she was in danger of being scalped. The sword at Lucas' belt was certainly big enough to do that. Mrs. Robinson ran to the closest closet, opened it, and started to pull out her favorite shot gun, there being six others to chose from. She opted not to select the automatic assault rifle because it was too difficult for her to control. She didn't even think about the grenade launcher.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you," the shorter of the two intruders said.

That intruder was wearing a three-piece suit, white shirt, blue tie, and a white Stetson. He carried a brown leather brief case. The important thing to note from the perspective of the Robinsons was his skin colour. He was white which meant that he was more emotionally stable than his companion. He would also be smarter, more industrious, sober, and could be trusted.

"Why shouldn't I?" she asked.

"My colleague here will get angry and rip your husband's arms off. Once he starts on a warpath, it's hard for me to stop him. You have nice hair. You'd probably like to keep that attached to your head."

Mrs. Robinson put her hands to her hair for protection _[against a sword?]_ and stood still.

Stu put his brief case down and walked over to where good old Wally was plastered against the wall. It was a tight fit, but he managed to wedge himself between the angry savage and the soon to be disarmed white guy.

"Chief Thunder Cloud no hurt'um paleface."

Lucas strung a series of grunts together that were intended to express disappointment.

"I know. Die yes. Heap big'um pain. Not here."

"Grunt?"

"Have big'um fire. Tribe does war dance. Do chants. Lots of whisky. Get'um drunk."

"Grunt?"

"Yes. You can put the paleface on top of the fire."

"Grunt?"

"Best to scalp him first; light fire next." Stu turned to Mrs. Wally and explained. "When Thunder Cloud is intent on massacring pale faces like you, he doesn't always think straight."

Stu's explanation didn't seem to reassure Mrs. Wally. Stu pushed Chief Thunder Cloud far enough backwards to extricate good old Wally from his imitation of wall paint. He led him to the sofa and pushed him down into the seat. It didn't take much of a push. Wally truly was a pale face by this point. Stu motioned for Mrs. Good Old Wally to join her husband. Lucas stood behind the sofa. In the conversation that followed, he would occasionally pull the sword out of the scabbard and then push it back in. It made a scraping sound each time. Mr. and Mrs. Wally would shudder in rhythm with the scrapes.

"Mrs. Robinson, it's only fair that you know why we are here."

Stu cleared some bric-a-brac from a low height coffee table and placed it in front of the couple. He then carried a dining room chair and placed it so that it was facing the Robinsons. Next came the brief case, which he placed on his knees and opened. He took a picture out of the brief case and placed it on the coffee table so that the couple could see it. "It's best if you don't talk," he said to Wally. "Mrs. Robinson, what do you see?"

"I see a young girl in some sort of costume. She's a thieving in'jun..."

At that point, Lucas grabbed some of Mrs. Robinson's hair with one hand and raised the sword out of its scabbard with the other. This was literally and figuratively a hair raising experience for Mrs. Robinson.

"She's a nice looking native American girl," Mrs. Robinson corrected.

"How old would you say she is?"

"Twelve or thirteen."

"If somebody said that she was eighteen, what would you say?"

"That person would be lying."

"Does the costume tell you anything about her?"

"She doesn't like to wear too many clothes? She likes red?"

Stu placed another picture next to the first. Mrs. Robinson was so focused on the pictures that she didn't notice her husband's colour getting paler and paler. After a few more pictures, he might actually disappear. He probably wanted to at this point.

"Here's another picture of the young girl but you can see where she is. Where is she?"

"Some sort of room?"

"Yes. What's in her hands?"

"Looks like a big wad of money."

"This next picture gives you a wider view. What do you see?"

"I see the side of a bed. A hotel room perhaps?"

"Close enough. Let's see what we've learned. A young girl is in a very skimpy outfit with a big wad of money in her hands and she's in a bedroom at the time. Tell me what you know about this girl now."

"If she were older, I'd say that she was a prostitute. But she's too young."

"Fair enough. Here's the next picture. It gives you a wider view. What do you see?"

"I see the young girl standing next to a bed. There's somebody in the bed but I can't see his face because he has the bed sheet over his face."

"You said _his_ face?"

"Yes. It has to be a man. She has to be a prostitute."

"Perhaps not. Perhaps she was delivering pizza to the person in the bed and the man paid her. Here's the next picture. Who do you see?"

"I see my husband in the bed and the young girl standing next to his bed."

"This bedroom is on the third floor of the Denver Cattlemen's Association building. It's room #24. Your husband rents that room permanently. What do you see now?"

"My husband is passing something red to the young girl."

"Final picture. It's a close up of the red thing. What do you see?"

"He's giving the girl her red panties. They are obviously hers. She wasn't wearing them in the earlier pictures."

"How would your husband have obtained these panties?"

"They were in his bed and so was she."

"Sure looks like your husband had sex with a native American girl who can't be more than twelve years old. "

...

"Not only is your husband an in'jun lover but he's a pedophile too."

...

"That girl is Chief Thunder Cloud's little sister."

"Oh, my gawd."

"Chief Thunder Cloud wants to use his sword on your husband. He's going to use it on you too."

"Why? I didn't do anything."

"You knew what your husband was doing in that DCA bedroom when he wasn't in the legislature. You knew about the money that he took when people wanted him to vote in certain ways. You're as corrupt as he is."

"I didn't know about the young girl. I knew he was whoring around."

"And the payoffs?"

"I knew about those."

Stu put his hand back into his brief case and brought out an electronic device. "Do you know what this?"

"Recording device."

"Guess what both of you are going to do now."

Back to the Table of Contents

# Chapter 20

The scene I have described was played out close to fifty times over the next month. A Wilizy pimp would stop one of the health therapists at the door and tell her to turn around and leave. Another politician would find himself in a bedroom with a red-skirted redskin. The money tip that Winnie had received from the previous politician would become the money tip that the next prostitute would receive in compensation for losing a regular paying customer. They'd pull this scam once after lunch and once again after dinner. Each time, Stu would warn the politician and his wife that he had somebody watching the DCA building from the inside. He instructed the in'jun loving pedophile to enjoy the club's main floor as usual. But if he went up to use his bedroom, Stu would find out from their inside man. That would trigger a number of consequences any one of which would be more painful to them than being scalped. Being scalped lasted a few seconds. What awaited the politician and his wife would last a lifetime. If they ever talked about what had happened in his bedroom in the club and the living room in his house, they'd face the same consequences.

A weakness in the routine started to emerge in the second week. Winnie observed that there was no actual evidence in the supposedly incriminating pictures that the man in the bed had actually had sex with her. At first, everybody thought that Winnie was just pulling Yolanda's chain. Or, she was testing the limits of how scantily Yolanda would allow her to dress. Both of those possibilities were something that Winnie might do. But Stu agreed with Winnie.

"If we have somebody that isn't scared stiff of Lucas, he could refuse to buckle. There's a hole in the story we're painting. We need a picture of Winnie in bed with him. She can get out of the bed before he wakes up, but we need to show her in the bed."

Others agreed and Yolanda soon saw the wisdom of putting the nail in the politician's coffin without fear of hammering one's own finger. After all, there'd be no chance of accidental touching. Yolanda was serene when she gave approval. Marie put an end to that serenity.

"Nobody is going to believe that a prostitute was wearing all of her clothes when she had sex in a bed with this guy. Winnie needs to lose some of her clothes."

Yolanda started with a strangled ACK and went downhill fast. A compromise was eventually reached. Two pictures would be added. The first would show Winnie in the bed with the sheet showing her bare back. She would be snuggled up to the man's sheet covered chest. The next picture would show Winnie standing by the bed, her back to the camera, and putting on her top. Since the man was unconscious and covered up, and since Marie was the only person in the room with her, Winnie's innocence could be preserved.

### # # # # # # # #

Maddy's three moms were sitting in Mac's kitchen. It was the end of the day, all of the kiddies for all three families were in bed and sound asleep. Liset was with TG and would soon be in bed. Maddy had returned home fifteen minutes ago and had issued an amiable greeting as she passed through the kitchen. The sound of the water pump revealed she was in the shower. She'd be in bed soon.

"Is she better after coming back from Switzerland?" Melissa asked Mac.

"Not so snarky, that's for sure. She's still running her own life and doesn't need any help, thank you very much."

"Nothing wrong with that, I suppose," Yollie said. "Do we know what she's doing?"

"No," Mac admitted. "I'm being very careful not to pry, snoop, spy, or otherwise be a normal mom. That's because she asked me how the GPS locator in our slings worked and if it had a history file,"

"Oh, oh."

"Yeah. She was telling me that she knew how to check if I'd been snooping."

"What do you know without snooping?"

"She has some sort of running regimen early in the morning. She's dressed in athletic gear when she leaves and she has a shower about an hour later. She eats a healthy breakfast and then takes her school assignments and disappears. She's home for an early supper and the schoolwork has been completed. She leaves after supper for Momaka's place. She's babysitting for them. Momaka wouldn't say much more than the babysitting gig was real. Petey is a handful and Momaka appreciates getting a break. She and Stu can have a relaxing dinner together. Maddy feeds Petey, plays with him, and puts him to bed."

"A little late for her to be getting home isn't it?"

"Not if Petey has a late bedtime. I'm not about to ask Momaka about that."

"How'd Maddy react to Eleanor?"

"Very well. I'm glad I took her. Eleanor gave her a tour through the basement including the cell where she had been tortured. On our way back, Maddy asked some questions about my worst times growing up. I told her. She thanked me when we landed."

"So, she's almost human," Melissa observed. "Fighting for some independence is a good thing."

"Yeah. I'm not worried about her too much now."

"The Swiss operation?" Yollie asked.

"All planned out," Melissa said.

"Who are you using besides Wolf?" Yollie continued.

"I wanted Lucas, but he's too involved in Denver to give us any time. Reese wanted to be involved in one of our current operations, so he's there to help Wolf. He's flying the Wilizy/America to Zurich right now. He and Wolf will use it as their home base. They're too noticeable to appear in Zurich, and they need a comfortable place to live when the deadline approaches for the handoff of the gems."

"Has Eleanor received an extortion letter yet for February?"

"It should arrive this week."

### # # # # # # # #

Still in Montana, Stook was going through the cadet roster, trying to memorize names with faces. When he saw how many cadets were in the troop, and how few instructors and officers there were, he had volunteered to help. Erik took him up on his offer before he had a chance to exhale.

### # # # # # # # #

Let's head over to Loveland now where Paula is looking at her notes on Vice President #4. His name was Bruno Killans and he was a towering man who filled his brown suits to capacity. Killans had long shaggy brown hair and a bushy beard with a few streaks of premature white.

VP#4 was in charge of Research Trials. All new chemical products had to be tested to determine if they were effective and safe. Most of those trials involved human subjects. Those trials must have been in a satellite destination because Paula couldn't find any such human subjects. And, since he used no chemicals that she could study, she had no way to peel back what VP#4 actually did or how he did it. He spent most of his working day in the company's fitness center.

### # # # # # # # #

Our last stop today is in Denver. Cowboy has called Hoss into his office for a chinwag.

"Keep this under your hat," he said.

_[Technically, Hoss' wagging chin would normally be under his hat. But, I digress.]_

"Sure."

"I had an anonymous call this morning when Sheila was off on break. Muffled, male voice. The voice said that I had to act very carefully. His life would be in danger if word got out that he had called us."

"A little dramatic?"

"Perhaps. The tip seems far fetched."

"What's the tip?"

"Supposedly, a young native prostitute is coming into the DCA building and prowling around the second and third floors. She wears skimpy red clothes and she appears to be very young."

"I can't see any of the DCA's members consorting with natives."

"Neither can I. But we have to respond to this. If the call came from somebody in the upper echelons of the DCA, you'd be in a lot of trouble if this girl weren't stopped. Assuming she even exists."

"Why me?"

"Because people there already know you. They see you around. So, if you just happen to be poking your nose into the doors and windows that might give somebody access to the second and third floors, you'd just be doing your job as a lawman. Don't tell anybody why you're poking around. Suggesting that somebody in the DCA has an interest in such a prostitute would be a grave insult to the entire DCA. Just rule out the chances of anybody getting past the building's security and we can put this call to rest."

Back to the Table of Contents

# Chapter 21

It was Monday, February 13. Wolf and Reese were on the bridge of the Wilizy/America sailing ship, which was now floating above Zurich. Reese was manning the sensors; Wolf was playing a solitaire card game with real cards.

"How long do we have to do this?" Reese asked.

"Until the extortion letter is received."

"Are you sure Will's sensors will pick up the message from Extortion Central?" Reese and Wolf had taken to calling the NORAD base _Extortion Central_. They hadn't verified for sure that this was the case, but it was a good working hypothesis.

"Mac says that there's a high chance that Extortion Central has a small undercover group here in Switzerland. Somebody has to mail the letter locally. Somebody has to be able to read the Swiss government's response in the local media. Somebody has to signal Extortion Central for a copter pick up. Somebody has to spy on the proposed drop off site to suss out possible hiding places."

"Makes sense."

"The only way that organizations currently can send messages across long distances is by short wave radio. That's how the Swiss Guards communicates with its various offices around the world. William's sensors can detect those messages when they're sent."

"That was the test yesterday?"

"Yes. Sandy sent a message to Eleanor precisely at noon Denver time. We knew when it was coming, but that wasn't necessary. William has three drones scattered around Zurich listening for shortwave transmissions. Those drones report to the sensor console in front of you. Three drones allow us to triangulate the message and determine where the message is going. Accuracy is within 10 metres."

"I understand. Once NORAD contacts the undercover group, the drones will triangulate and reveal where the undercover group is operating."

"But not what was in the message. We just know that it has been sent."

"So we'll know where the undercover group is hiding within twenty-four hours."

"Provided that Extortion Central sends a message. They may be operating off a predetermined mailing schedule."

"So I have to watch these sensors for another twenty-four hours and there may be nothing to see? Why do I have to do that?"

"Make a guess, much younger brother."

"Not fair."

"We can always talk about your girl friend Annika. I hear that it got hot and heavy in some hotel rooms. You want to share?"

"Leave me alone. I'm trying to concentrate on the sensors."

### # # # # # # # #

Tuesday, February 14, 2090. Love was in the air. Eleanor could feel it vibrating in the cabinet room.

"If you don't catch them by the end of the month, I'll ban you from the cabinet."

"It's not like she's ever contributed anything."

"Good riddance."

_[Have you ever wondered about this saying? If some riddance is good, when would it be bad? What would bad riddance look like? Would it be smelly? Saggy? Moldy? But, I digress.]_

"I'll need 250,000 francs worth of jewels and gold by tomorrow," Eleanor said.

"Why?"

"To pay the extortionists."

"Why tomorrow?" Again, the PM.

"So that I can pay the extortionists tomorrow."

"It's not due until the end of the month."

"I'm going to pay it tomorrow."

"Why?"

"Why would you care?"

"Because I'm the prime minister and I'm in charge."

"Good. Take charge of finding the extortionists. Here's the letter. I'm out of here."

Eleanor tried to give the P.M. the letter, but he put his hands behind his back.

"Just so you know, Gentlemen. I have transferred all of the Swiss Guards' capital and cash to a safe location in another country. I have also transferred the contents of our safety deposit boxes. Anything that has any value in my bank is now outside of Switzerland. I don't care if the extortionists bleed you dry with their demands. I don't care if they blow up your buildings or even mine. When your banks are out of cash and destroyed, I will return to Switzerland. I'll own the only functioning large bank. If the extortionists go after me, I now know who they are and how to stop them. I was going to start neutralizing them this month with the early payment, but I've changed my mind. You're impossible to work with. I'm going to let the extortionist destroy all of you. With one exception. One Swiss bank has purchased non-voting shares in the Swiss Guards. When we prosper, and we will, that bank and only that bank will continue to function in Switzerland with us and will prosper too."

Eleanor stood stone-faced but calmly at the door to the cabinet room while the ministers fumed and spewed poison, first at her and then to each other. Eventually, a conciliatory-minded minister emerged.

"Why don't you sit down? We'll talk."

"Where do you want me to sit?"

...

"At the table. We'll make room."

"I won't sit unless I can participate in all future discussions."

...

"What else do you want?"

Eleanor sat. "Nothing that I'm about to say is negotiable."

### # # # # # # # #

Boiled down to the essentials, the Cabinet decided to rewrite some regulations that were part of the Banking Act. Henceforth, men as well as women could be elected to the cabinet through proper voting within the member banks. Cabinet ministers of both genders would participate in group discussions and vote on suitably declared motions. No changes were made to the provisions for how cabinet ministers selected their post. They would still be determined by the total net worth of each domestic bank as per the current Banking Act. Most wealthy first; least wealthy last.

These rewrites would be part of the agenda of the next cabinet meeting, Saturday February 18. Eleanor had to demonstrate by then that she could indeed put a stop to the extortionists.

Back to the Table of Contents

# Chapter 22

On Wednesday, February 15, Eleanor responded to the demand from the extortionists as follows.

_Friends. I have 250,000 reasons to thank you. I hope a gift package will suffice. You'll find it at the same spot as you last visited us. I'm leaving it there tonight. I hope it's still there when you get here._

Then she boarded Boat #3 of Switzerland's naval fleet, paddled it out to the center of Geneva's Lake Leman, and anchored it there. She left a very expensive backpack in the bottom of the boat. She returned to shore in Boat #4 which was crewed, and captained, by General Henrik, the Swiss army's top ranking officer. Army and navy working together. Wow.

Wolf and Reese were watching from above in their slings. They exchanged comments as shown below: Reese messaged first.

_Did Melissa decide to pay the extortion early so that we'd be able to find the undercover agents? There will be a flurry of transmissions now._

_No. She's not too concerned with finding them quickly. They're low-level employees. It was more to shake Extortion Central up. To force them to respond to us now. We're now in charge of the timing and the location. They have to scramble like crazy._

_Which means that we get to see how quickly they can respond._

_That's right. It's like a fight between two boxers. The first couple of punches are just to test the other guy's reflexes._

_Melissa is good at this?_

_Very good. You'll get to see the plan unfold in front of you._

_You won't tell me what's going to happen ahead of time?_

_No. If it surprises you, it will surprise them. If you can guess what's going to happen, so can they._

_What do you and I do now?_

_One of us has to guard the boat. It's very unlikely that their copter will get here tonight, but we can't exclude that possibility. One of us has to man the sensors and triangulate the location of the undercover spies._

_You're better at the triangulation than I am. I'll guard the boat._

_Makes sense. You beat me at crib, so you get to pick what we're going to talk about while we're waiting._

_We're going to talk about how you met Mac and whether it's true that you found her by walking blindfolded through London._

_OK. I'll tell you but only because you're good at crib._

_I can read you like a book._

_Have you ever read a real book?_

_No._

_That means that I may come back from utter defeat. Be prepared._

### # # # # # # # #

TG had bots watching the NORAD facilities, so he knew that it was Friday morning before a copter took off from the NORAD base and headed east. He followed the copter long enough to determine it was on route to Switzerland confirming, in the process, that Extortion Central was part of the NORAD military force. He messaged Wolf with the expected arrival time in Geneva.

Once again, Wolf and Reese split up the duties: watch the paddle boat, or watch the undercover spies to make sure they didn't interfere. The anticipated flurry of messages had borne fruit. Reese chose watching the undercover spies and managed to place bots within the apartment they were renting. This time, Wolf had squeaked out a crib victory. How Reese met Annika and why he liked her would be the topic of conversation while they were waiting for the extortionistical copter to arrive.

### # # # # # # # #

An attack helicopter hovered in place over an anchored paddleboat in Geneva's Lake Leman. It was pitch black that Friday night but Wolf and Reese were able to see the man on the cable descending to the boat through the Wilizy/America's heat sensing scopes. The shift of the sailing ship from Zurich to Geneva had taken a scant half hour.

"They have night goggles," Wolf announced to his shipmate.

"You can see those?"

"No, but they wouldn't be able to maneuvre like this without them. The question for us is whether that copter has other advanced technology as well. If it does, we'll have to change the plan. Eleanor's plan requires evidence that she has beaten the extortionists. Melissa would prefer it if we didn't damage the evidence."

...

"The bags have been transferred from the paddleboat to the copter," Reese announced. "We're going to follow them, right?"

"Yes. I won the last set of crib games. On the way to Colorado Springs, you can tell me about your colour sensing skills. I know you have them, but I don't know how they work."

"You're getting better at crib."

"I get lucky some times."

### # # # # # # # #

The dawn on Saturday morning North American time was breaking. The black copter was flying over a desolate, flat Kansas prairie. "That spot below is as good as any," Wolf said.

"Did William invent something to stop the pilot from calling for help?"

"He could have, but he didn't. We actually would prefer them to call for help. That's one of the reasons that we're going to drive them down to the ground slowly."

"I have the left side?"

"Yes. I have the right. They may try and change course, but just keep your sling's gravitational weapon directed at the copter's engine. I'll do the same thing. We probably have the power from our joint sling weapons to crash them immediately, but we don't want that. Force them down gradually. The pilot will think that his engine is failing."

And that's exactly what the pilot thought when he coasted to a soft landing. He sent a message to his base camp that his engine had failed and both he and the copilot got out to await the help they knew would be coming. The pilot didn't have to give his location because all military copters have black boxes that constantly send out location signals. A black speck flying towards them provided reassurance that their comrades would be there soon. It was at that point that Wolf and Reese lifted the two men up into the air with their antigrav weapons and then slammed them down again with the same weapon but on reverse. Both men lost consciousness immediately.

Wolf and Reese had the two men bound, gagged, and blindfolded by the time Mac arrived. She set the Wilizy plane (the incoming black speck) on hover well above the ground and slinged down to the surface. Wolf and Reese flew the two unconscious men and the two backpacks into the hovering plane while Mac was creating evidence that another copter had landed in the tall grass near the crash site. All three created footprints from the downed copter to the fictional copter that had landed nearby. Within a matter of minutes, Mac was flying the Wilizy plane to Switzerland while Reese and Wolf accompanied it in their slings.

### # # # # # # # #

As expected, the real rescue copter from Extortion Central took over an hour to arrive at the Kansas landing site. The rescuers found a downed copter that was perfectly functional. It hadn't crashed; otherwise, there would have been visible damage. They didn't find the pilot or the copilot, but they did find signs on the ground that suggested the two men had transferred the gold and jewels into a nearby copter and had disappeared. They didn't find any of the copter's armaments either. Even with the flat prairie land, there was no way of knowing where that other copter and its pilot had taken the two thieving traitors and their stolen loot.

### # # # # # # # #

Back in Switzerland, it's now Saturday night. Mac hid the Wilizy plane and, with Reese and Wolf's assistance, she dumped the still bound and blindfolded prisoners at the secret entrance to the tunnels leading to the Swiss Guards' basement dormitory and prison cage. A coded message brought Henrik and Eleanor to that door with two putt-putts that had now been assigned to the Swiss army's mobile transportation services. Mac and Eleanor fist-bumped and the prisoners, the copter's armaments, and the two bags of gold and jewels disappeared. Mac flew the Wilizy plane back to Montana. Reese and Wolf decided to sling back together. Wolf had won another set of crib games and Reese was obligated to tell him what had happened between Annika and him in Australia.

On Monday, Eleanor showed up at the afternoon cabinet meeting with two backpacks full of gold and jewels. The ministers were obligated to sign the documents they had promised to sign. As she sat in her new position at the table, the conciliatory minister leaved over and whispered, "How'd you do it?"

"I just went for a walk and the bags were sitting on a stoop."

"Right," the minister scoffed.

"Really," she said. "That's how it happened. I guess I got lucky."

Back to the Table of Contents

# Chapter 23

It was a Friday evening. For many young people, that would be a time to party. For people living in a desolate part of Montana, partying was not an option. For a young married couple with a five-year-old boy and a three-year-old girl, partying was even more not an option. Jock and Emily were tucked away in bed. Maddy, who had taken to living semi-permanently with Wolf and Mac ever since her friendship with Liset had turned sour, was not home yet. Not to worry though. It was only 8 pm. She wasn't expected until 9.

With the kids in bed, and a whole hour to themselves, Wolf and Mac were doing what few people would expect them to do. They were playing cribbage. And, since the outcome of the games was not in doubt, neither of them was being competitive about this pastime. They were mostly talking. About their day, about family, and about Wilizy operations. We'll listen in. Mac is speaking.

"You actually got Reese to open up about himself?"

"Yeah. He likes cribbage, so I made it into a contest. Whoever won a crib tournament got to ask the other person some questions. That person had to answer. Reese got to ask first. He wanted to know how I found you in London."

"You actually lost a crib tournament?"

"He's not a bad player. He uses body language signals to guide his play."

"But you never lose a tournament. That's why I always get a fifteen point lead when we play."

"He got lucky a few times."

"You mean you threw some games his way."

"May I remind you that the whole point of pairing me with Reese was for me to measure his readiness to fill the role Melissa needs him to fill."

"Yeah, but I mean crib playing is one of your superpowers. Like finding me in a city."

"Some superpower. Reese can read people's auras, Winnie can read people's minds, and I'm lucky in crib. Whoopee."

"Still, it was nice of you to do that for your younger brother."

"Family dynamics can drive a person's life. I was the oldest. I was expected to be responsible and that was my role. Winnie was the youngest and got a lot of attention because of that, because of her health, and because she's Winnie. Reese was mostly invisible when he was growing up. He just tagged along with us boys without saying much. He's having difficulty right now with girl friend stuff."

"Annika?"

"Yeah. He's really bent out of shape with what happened. He found her, and lost her. Then he found her again, and lost her. He really liked her which is a big deal for him because he doesn't make friends easily."

"He didn't do anything wrong in either friendship."

"He knows that. But what he has concluded is that finding a girl friend will be impossible for somebody like him, in part, because of his skills in reading people's colours. But also, because some creature crossed over from a different world and took over Anika's mind. I mean, how often does something like that happen? Reese figures his chances of ever finding a girl friend are doomed. He won't even try now. He's focusing on his colour charts."

"And on that note, what are our chances?"

"That we'll be able to use his people reading skills to defeat NORAD?"

"Yeah. As you know, one of Melissa's plans in the upcoming war is to infiltrate Reese into their base and identify their key people."

"It might work. I offered to help him out with the analyses he's conducting. I think he's going to take me up on the offer. He says he's making good progress. But he also says that he's the only one who can figure out the colours; he had nobody to help him. And he's right about that."

"We have some time yet."

"He's always been very insecure about his colour judgments. He doesn't want to make any mistakes because people's lives could be at risk if he doesn't interpret the colours correctly."

"So, you're working on his confidence too?"

"Trying to do that with the crib. Reese isn't one of Melissa's contingency plans; he's part of her main attack. We need Reese to be able to identify colours accurately and have confidence in his readings. I'm going to take him into some high security adult prisons and work with him there."

"Good idea."

"I have a twenty-four count for my hand and a sixteen count for the crib. Play again?"

"I want a twenty point lead this time."

...

"How's Maddy?"

"She's good. Her limp is gone."

"Did she say how she got hurt?"

"No. Prying is forbidden. She may have twisted her ankle on her run. She's going through rough terrain and could have turned her ankle. No sign of scrapes, so it probably wasn't from a fall."

"I got the impression that she had hurt her back and that was why she was limping."

"You could be right, but I don't know how she'd hurt her back running. Momaka will fix her up."

"One of the benefits of the babysitting gig."

"What is she going to do with the money?"

"I don't know."

"How much has she earned? Perhaps she's saving up for something?"

"I don't know. She hasn't shown any signs of having money to spend. Big secret, I guess."

"No signs of her wanting to re-join the cadets?"

"No. But I have an interesting tidbit on that."

"Tidbit?"

"It's another word for gossip."

I don't mind tidbit'ng. But I won't gossip."

"Platoon Blue is struggling without her. Erik has seen it in all of the war games and contests since Maddy quit. They're always last now. Stook is going to look into it."

"He's a good man."

"Cadets are very attentive whenever he speaks."

"With over thirty years as a sheriff, he's bound to have become very perceptive. How's he doing with being stuck here away from his job?"

"He hasn't said anything but I bet he's hating it. Hiding out is not something that Stook would want to do."

"Neither is dying from a sniper's rifle."

"That's a good point."

"Speaking of assassinations, I have another double-double run."

"I needed two more points!!! If I didn't love you..."

...

"On the topic of assassination," Wolf started again. "How is Cowboy doing with the assassin working for the sheriff's office?"

"His name is Hoss. It's getting more and more difficult for Winnie and Marie to feel safe about the bedroom dramas that Winnie is offering to potential pedophiles. Hoss is always prowling around inside the club."

"That was Cowboy's plan, right?"

"Yes. But, Hoss might notice that traffic going upstairs is way down. We're gradually putting the prostitutes out of business."

"Will they complain?"

"No, never. They get a big chunk of money that the pimp doesn't know about when they lose a customer. As far as each pimp is concerned, it's normal for customers to change their mind."

"Will the members notice?"

"Melissa doesn't think so. They're so used to pretending not to see their colleagues skipping up the stairs for a wee nappy that they won't realize that skipping up the stairs is now a dying sport."

"Is Cowboy moving on to his plan's stage two now?"

"Starting next week. Since Hoss has had no success whatsoever in finding Winnie's access to the building, Cowboy is going to change his focus. Hoss will soon be looking up the records of prostitution fees to determine if there are any improprieties."

"Such as?"

"Such as members not availing themselves of the Club's free _health care_. Or members of staff getting kickbacks. The Club keeps all sorts of paper records that might provide insight. Daily schedules of health care visits organized by room number and by therapists; memos from the club services people to the treasury office that applies the health therapist charges to member bills; record of club payments to pimps. This part of the investigation will keep him busy and out of trouble. Huh. I actually won a game."

...

"Is William making any progress on our ability to shoot down nuclear missiles in flight?" Mac asked.

"No. The best solution would be to put up weaponized satellites, but they would also have to be able to detect, track, and then destroy the missiles. William says that this is a very complicated task. Plus he needs to conduct other research too."

"Like?"

"We don't know how they would attack anybody yet. In the past, heavy-duty military strikes were done by guided missiles. But these missiles required GPS assistance, which doesn't exist any more. In today's world, they might deliver payload by planes, but we don't know if they have any planes buried in that mountain that are capable of this. They have no navy that we know about but we can't rule out an air strike from the Atlantic or from the Mediterranean. Right now, William believes the most likely attack will come from copters with short range missiles."

"Like the one that blew Swensen's house apart."

"Exactly. It's hard for the missile to miss at short ranges and they can carry a lot of explosives. For longer strikes, we're anticipating that the spies will shine a laser on the target and the rockets will be smart enough to go find the laser heat. We can prevent this kind of attack. However, it would be best if you and Melissa did not provoke NORAD into such an attack."

"We know. That's why we're trying to make them think that they have traitors inside their organization."

"If you provoke them too far, they might decide to just launch a nuclear strike anywhere above Switzerland. If we know it's coming, William says that we can stop a missile carrying aircraft by shooting it down over the Atlantic. He doesn't know what to do if they use intercontinental missiles buried in silos."

"Why would they go nuclear?"

"Good question. Here's another. Why would a military organization extort money? It makes no sense. That's why we need to get Reese into the command posts."

"Perhaps they want to buy more weaponry?"

"Perhaps. That would make sense to an army guy. But what if their command group has gone crazy?"

"Will the listening post in Switzerland give you inside information?"

"These are low level soldiers who know nothing. We could say that if NORAD brings the spies home, that's a sign that they've given up trying to extort money."

"We COULD say that?"

"Yeah. But they could be planning to detonate a high altitude bomb and didn't want to nuke their own people."

"So if the listening post stays in Zurich, this is a good sign?"

"No. It might mean they're leaving them in place so that they can light up a target. Or, they're going to nuke Switzerland anyway and don't care what happens to their people on the ground."

"In other words, plan for every possibility."

"Yup. And hope that Reese can read these people and has the confidence to give us a definitive ruling."

Back to the Table of Contents

# Chapter 24

It's the last week of February and Stook is sitting in Erik's office. Erik is sitting in his office too. I probably didn't have to tell you that. Both are looking out at the parade ground where the cadets are going through PT.

"I'm not liking what I'm seeing, Erik."

"I have some concerns myself, Stook. You first."

"The reason that Platoon Blue is losing all their tests is because they are not a cohesive group. And that comes down to the leadership. Bump is bossy and demanding. He makes fun of the weaker ones, almost to a bullying level. Some of the stronger cadets are standing up to him, which provokes him even more. The weaker cadets get sullen or they do a lot of what I would call ass-kissing."

"We called it that in Scandinavia too."

"There's a lot going on under the radar right now. I can't see what's happening in their bunk room, but something might be."

"Sexual?"

"Could be. The smallest boy is following Bump around much too closely and much too obediently. I don't like that at all. If it's not sexual, then it could be a bullying relationship."

"The smallest boy is Angus Anderson. He's the platoon's communications specialist."

"Your choice?"

"No. Bump chose. I like to give the sergeants some responsibility in assigning their men to positions in the platoon."

"Part of developing leadership. I'd do the same. But in this case, it's generating some friction. I'm not sure why, but it revolves around Anderson and Reynolds, the big kid. Either Reynolds figured that he deserved the position of communications specialist or he's defending Anderson from Bump. Reynolds and Bump almost came to blows on the recent overnight exercise. Something to do with foxhole assignments. What have you seen?"

Erik pointed out the window. "Watch. Bump is winning the run. Now he goes into his victory celebration, which is not going to endear him to any of the other platoons. It's far too exuberant. Here come the rest of the cadets. Watch who congratulates Bump."

"Nobody. Blue cadets ignored him."

"That's what bothered me," Erik revealed. "No platoon solidarity."

"A few more stragglers are coming in."

"Interesting. Anderson congratulated Bump. This is new. Anderson didn't do that before."

"Yeah, that was new for me too," Stook revealed. "Did you see Bump brushing Anderson's hand at the end?"

"Yes. It's not bullying. If so, Anderson would have stayed clear. It's sexual."

"Anderson didn't grab his hand."

"I'll talk with Mac today."

"Make it soon."

"This morning then."

### # # # # # # # #

Getting a meeting with Mac this morning would prove to be impossible for Karlsson. At this moment, she was in a Directors' meeting. In addition to the directors, Melissa, Jock, William, and Lucas were attending. Melissa was providing an update on Cassie's investigations.

"Cassie now has a visual map of the entire underground complex at NORAD. She can go anywhere she wants by visualizing the location."

"Any trouble with the rock walls?" Hank asked.

"Yes, most definitely. She can't penetrate the walls at all. Her route from one location to the other is slow because she has to fly down the tunnels. Her mind remembers how to get to each underground site. Her progress is slow enough that she can see herself moving down the tunnels, but it's still faster than we can fly."

"Anything else we need to be concerned about?" Jock asked.

"Again, most definitely. First, we have to avoid the tunnels that are contaminated. This should not be hard to do. They are blockaded and well marked. There's no reason that we would need to go into those tunnels. We know where they end."

"The residential section of Colorado Springs where Paula used to live," Mac said.

"Exactly. We have no reason to go there."

"What if they've stored military equipment or supplies inside those tunnels?" Lucas asked.

"Then those items have been lost for several hundred years," William replied. "They will have been contaminated by now. Nobody could touch them or be near them safely unless they were in a HazMat suit."

"HazMat suit?" Granny asked.

"Hazardous Material suit," William clarified. "Like a diver's suit with its own breathing supply of oxygen and a very thick insulated body suit. It's very difficult to move around in one, and there is a time limit that can't be exceeded. After that limit, the person inside the suit is accumulating nuclear toxins in his body, or he might be out of oxygen. In case you're wondering, sling invisibility and HazMat suits are not a workable combination."

"You were going to make a second comment, Melissa."

"Thanks, Hank. The second risk we could face, and it's a serious one, are the firewalls. Why don't you explain, Jock. You were the one to tell Cassie what to look for."

"The NORAD facility was built to withstand a nuclear weapon exploding directly above it. That's why they chose the mountain because it's big and thick. That mountain was intended to be their first line of defense. The second line of defense was the depth of their tunnels into the mountain. They go down a long, long way. That's why they have a transportation system built into the tunnels. Firewalls are their third line of defense. They would have had warning about an impending nuclear attack. On that warning, all personnel on the base would go deep into the mountain. Important personnel, like the US president and other politicians, might have already been moved into the base. They also would seek safety in the mountain. Once everybody was in, all the firewalls would be engaged, meaning there would be thick heavy walls shutting off anything from getting through. A nuclear blast might take out the first ten fire walls, but it wouldn't take out them all."

"How long could they live down there?" Doc asked Jock.

"I couldn't find that out. They had ample food and water. Oxygen would have been the most critical issue and how they handled that was a closely guarded secret."

Melissa added the warning everybody needed to hear. "The important thing for us is the firewalls will stop Cassie from getting out if she's inside and they decide to lock everything up. They're too thick for her. Also, if we have any sling personnel inside the underground base when those firewalls engage, they are locked inside as well. William is working on beefing up the power unit in the slings, but depending on how long our people are down there, the sling may run out of power and at that point, our people become visible and weaponless."

"Do any of your plans have us going into the depths of the mountain, Melissa?"

"Yes. Cassie just went into the depths of the mountain, but we felt very strongly there was no risk to her. I have other contingency plans that might require us to go into the base. If somebody is behind even one fire wall, that person isn't getting out until that firewall opens."

### # # # # # # # #

"I have to tell Lieutenant Karlsson," Maddy said.

"Yes, you do," Momaka agreed. "Are you going to tell your mom?"

"That I snuck out of the house last night and spied on the platoon during their nighttime operations?"

That's one thing you could tell her."

"I thought about it. Her GPS signal shows that she's above Denver right now. Some sort of meeting. I don't know how long she'll be there. Do you?"

"No. Stu wasn't invited to the meeting. You could wait until she gets back and then tell her."

"Once I tell her one thing, I'd have to tell her everything, and then she'll yell at me, and I'll yell back that I was on a secret operation. Then, she'll yell back that she was the camp commandant and I needed her permission to be on a secret operation."

"I don't think that she'd yell at you, Maddy."

"But I'd have tell her everything before I had finished my operation. I wanted to do it all on my own. Like she had done it all on her own when the restaurant guy had attacked her."

"She'd still be proud of you."

"I can't let anything stop me before I stop Billy. Warriors don't quit the first time something bad happens. We finish what we're supposed to finish."

"A Warrior should make important decisions calmly. Collect all the facts first. You have time to think about this."

### # # # # # # # #

Speaking of collecting all the facts.

"Did Cassie find their nukes?" Jock asked. "At one point, the US kept their nukes in silos. They'd be used on long range missiles."

"They're in storage now inside the mountain," Melissa answered.

"How many?"

"A dozen."

"Might there be more hidden somewhere else?"

"That's all Cassie found. The storage room had a big sign: _Nuclear Weapon Storage Facility: Authorized personnel only."_

"That's what a military mind would do," Jock admitted. "We make sure things are properly described. Obviously, NORAD didn't expect to be infiltrated."

"You sounded doubtful about the dozen, Jock," Hank explored.

"The US had way more than a dozen nuclear warheads when the troubles started. They'll be in hidden silos near the base. Perhaps elsewhere around the country."

"Well, we have a dozen to deal with," Hank brought the meeting to a focus. "What else do they have, Melissa?"

"I'm handing out a list of what Cassie found."

...

"Did she report anything on personnel numbers?" Jock asked.

"Too hard to count," Melissa answered. "They have personnel in the air force base, in the mountain, and probably in Colorado Springs itself."

Hank asked Melissa the critical question: "Have you seen anything that would cause you to change your primary attack plan?"

"No. Using Reese to identify their key people is the safest route to go. Anything else is way more dangerous."

### # # # # # # # #

"If you went to Karlsson, what would you tell him?"

"Billy kissed me on the lips when I didn't want him to."

"Can you prove it?"

"No. He won't admit to it. I know that."

"What else could you tell Karlsson?"

"That Billy cuddled up behind me and put his arm around me. He told me we were having sex when he did that."

"It's not having sex, but he shouldn't have touched you that way. Can you prove that he did?"

"No."

"What else?"

"He tricked me into holding hands with him when we were in the mess hall."

"Can you prove it?"

"No."

"He threatened to tell the platoon that I had had sex with him."

"Can you prove that he threatened you?"

"No."

"What else could you tell Karlsson?"

"He was cuddling up behind Anderson. He had his arm around Anderson's waist. He was saying the same kinds of things to Anderson that he said to me."

"Can you explain how you heard and saw those things?"

"I can't say anything about that, can I?"

"No, you can't."

...

"Momaka, why would Billy want to cuddle up behind Anderson?"

"You should ask your mom about that."

"It's something about sex, right?"

"Yes. Ask your mom."

"Is Anderson in danger?"

"Very much so."

"I can't tell Karlsson about that, and I can't prove what he tried to do with me."

"You're right on both counts."

"But Anderson needs help. It means I have only one choice."

"Yes." _You should talk to your mom._

"Thanks, Momaka. You've been a big help. I'm going to the mess hall first and I will talk to Lieutenant Karlsson in the command center after that."

Back to the Table of Contents

# Chapter 25

At 8 am the next morning, Lieutenant Karlsson addressed the cadets before their physical training began. He put them in a parade formation first with each platoon standing at attention on their assigned side of a square. The cadets were dressed in their usual PT clothes. An ex cadet was standing beside the lieutenant. She also was in her old cadet PT clothes.

Karlsson started his address to the cadets in his parade voice. "Yesterday, a cadet came to me with a complaint about another cadet. The first cadet wanted to challenge the other cadet to a man-to-man combat. His complaint boiled down to his word against the other cadet's word. He said it was a matter of honour. As you all know, man-to-man combat is allowed to determine a matter of honour. In this case, the first cadet wanted to name a champion who would represent him. This too is allowed. The first cadet named former cadet Maddy to be his champion."

"Yesterday, I approached the second cadet to determine if he would respond to the challenge. He did. That cadet is Sergeant Billy Bump. Step forward Sergeant."

Billy did.

"The two of you will have two physical contests, both of which will demonstrate skills that cadets must have. The victor in each challenge will be easy to see. If there is a tie, then I will determine the winner."

"As the challenged party, Sargeant Bump chose the first physical contest. He chose a running race. As the challenger, ex-cadet Maddy chose the length of the race and where it will be held. For her contest, ex-cadet Maddy chose a physical fight. Sargeant Bump stipulated that it would be a fight inside a ring without gloves. The two contestants agreed that there would be no gouging, no biting, and no hair pulling. The fight will be over when one of them is not able to continue."

The first contest will begin this morning at 9 am. Cadets are dismissed now in order to eat early.

### # # # # # # # #

Yesterday, Maddy had taken Lieutenant Karlsson to where she wanted the race to start. Since the course would be over rough terrain, he decided to forget the idea of marking the course with flags. Instead, he would hover helicopters over different target points that the runners had to reach. How they got to that target point was up to them. This would reflect what would happen in real life when a platoon had to cross a particular piece of land. They wouldn't have their path laid out by flags for them. He asked Maddy how far she wanted them to run before turning around and coming back.

"Over there," she pointed. "Turn back at the river."

Karlsson marked out the starting spot that she wanted and memorized the turning point. He'd have Stook and Lohla in copters so that the runners could always see their next target. Since it would be impossible for the cadets to see the runners in action, he'd put Sven and Melissa into the copters with cameras and beam the race back to the mess hall. He'd keep Akilah with him during the two challenges because both involved some risk of injury.

At the mess hall, Billy was boldly predicting his victory in both contests. "I'm the best runner in the troop," he boasted. "She was the worst." As to the fight, he was equally confident. "I'll have to lean over to hit her," he complained. When one cadet warned him that certain vulnerable parts to his body would be within easy hitting range, he discounted the risk. "I'll be wearing a cup," he explained. Billy was so energized that he didn't notice that he was eating his normal breakfast.

Maddy was sitting at a table with Momaka, eating lightly.

"Is Mom mad at me? Is that why she's not here?"

"No. She can't be seen during this honour challenge because she's the camp commandant and also your mother. The cadets have to know that this is a fair fight and that your mom didn't rig it in your favour. She has been asking me questions though."

"Did you tell her anything?"

"No. I won't unless you give me permission to."

"You can tell her a bit. Just in case she's worried."

"Are you worried?"

"Nope."

"Did you figure out how to get Billy to swing at you in the fight the way you want him to?"

"Yup."

### # # # # # # # #

The race started promptly at 9 am. The cadets were sitting in the mess hall with two big screens showing the progress of the two contestants as they started down the first hill. Their view of the terrain could not be fully appreciated because the copters were hovering somewhat high in the air. From that height, the full challenges of the terrain were not apparent.

Billy started quickly but had to slow down as he reached the top of a steep down slope. Usually running downhill would be easy for any runner. But this downhill had boulders that had to be dodged, gullies that had to be navigated, and easier routes that had to be discerned. Still, he had the long legs, and the quickness, and the strength from being four years older than Maddy. When he reached the bottom of the downslope, he was a good quarter of a mile in front of her. In terms of total distance, he was halfway to the river. For those mathematicians among by readers, if the race continued as this, he'd beat her by a mile, or if metric is your poison, he'd beat her by 1600 metres. Either way, he'd demolish her. Billy turned his head to see if she had given up yet. Maddy was chugging along at a steady pace, short legs and all.

The terrain to the river was slightly downhill, rivers being what you reached when you got to the bottom of something. Large boulders and deep gullies were no longer challenges to overcome. But the route was covered with rocks of all sizes. Plus the route would go down and then up, down and then up. When it wasn't going down and up it was going sideways down and sideways up. Billy, with his long legs and quickness, wasn't getting much of an advantage. Plus he was beginning to notice that he had been running for some time now. He turned to see how far in front he was. It was about the same as the last time he looked. Maddy was still chugging along at a steady pace, short legs and all.

Billy reached the river and took advantage of his lead to take a quick sip out of the canteen he had brought with him. Then he started up again. He passed Maddy and listened to hear if she was breathing hard as she usually had been when he passed her in the three lap races they had had when she was a cadet. Again for the mathematicians among you, the parade ground was not overly large. Those races were over in about five or six minutes. Billy had been running for about half an hour now. Maddy wasn't breathing hard. She didn't have a canteen on her hip. She was still chugging along at a steady pace, short legs and all.

At the three quarter mark in the race, Billy turned once again. Maddy was a little closer now. She was still chugging along at a steady pace, short legs and all. Billy was beginning to regret the full breakfast that he had wolfed down.

There a funny thing about steep downslopes. When you're running down them, they don't seem so steep. Here's another thing that can be a surprise for some novice runners. Steep downslopes become steep upslopes when you are on an out and back loop. Surprise!

Would you like to know something else that's interesting? Tall runners with long legs don't do all that well on steep hills. They have to alter their posture so that their legs are pushing them up the hill. That will mean that their strides will become shorter and more productive. Short people with short legs already have short strides. Billy didn't know how to run up hills. He had never done it before.

Maddy crested the last hill first and sprinted across the finish line like she always did. Karlsson was there and fist bumped her as she slowed to a stop. He turned and she turned so that she could watch Billy gain the top of the hill. She waited. Then, she waited some more. Stook and Melissa joined them after they set the copter down. Again, fist bumps all around.

They waited.

Finally, Karlsson asked Maddy, "Billy?"

"He was on his knees puking when I passed him."

Indeed he was, and the cadets saw it in dripping colour from the video feed of the other copter.

### # # # # # # # #

_Maddy has given me permission to tell you some things._

_That's kind of her. Were you and her in some sort of secret pact to keep things from me, her mother?_

Momaka had joined Mac who was hovering where she could see the boxing ring that Stook and Erik were setting up. They were just laying down ropes on the ground. The cadets were starting to fill in the spaces around the ring. It was approaching 3 pm. Both contestants would have had ample time to recover from their run.

_This isn't about you, Mac. It's about Maddy. She needed to keep some things from you until she could fix them. She was most insistent that she fixed things first before you learned what had happened to her._

_I had a right to know. I'm her mother._

_No, you didn't have a right to know, Mac. Maddy had the choice to reveal things in her life to you or not, and if so, how. You don't get to know everything that goes on in her life._

_She's nine years old._

_Do you really want her dependent on you forever?_

_..._

_What are you going to reveal to me, her mother?_

_I didn't have the details at first. Maddy just told me in general terms. Best way to explain it is for me to say that Billy took advantage of her naiveté and his position._

_Did he..._

_No. He didn't. Not even close. But it was a form of sexual assault. Maddy was very down on herself; called herself stupid. Mind you, I didn't get involved until well after she had quit the cadets so her feelings about herself would have been much worse at the time._

_Billy's actions caused her to quit?_

_Yes, I was sure of that at the time. But, she had done something to him to teach him not to be bad. She didn't say what that was and I didn't pry. I still don't know what she did. But she did blame herself for what happened. She said she should have stopped him, but I didn't know at the time what she was supposed to stop._

_When did she come to you?_

_After your trip with her to Switzerland. You had criticized some woman for not seeking help when she needed it. You said to Maddy, in effect, that there was no shame in Maddy asking for help, especially if she could give help back in return._

_I did say that._

_So she came to me for my help and in return, she offered to babysit for free._

_That's why the late evenings._

_Yes._

_What was her plan?_

_She called it her secret operation, but she had no plan really. The Wilizy run secret operations. So that's what Maddy wanted to do. When she quit the cadets, she intended to find a way to get back in the cadets but not in Billy's platoon. She didn't know how to do that. She started to do morning runs simply as a way to keep fit. She couldn't do PT with the boys, so she'd work out on her own. Then she started to set running goals for herself. But that had nothing to do with Billy._

_After breakfast, she'd attend their classes and watch the fieldwork invisibly. If it were boring, she'd do her schoolwork for you. The help she wanted from me was martial arts training so that she could protect herself from somebody like Billy. But she had no plan on how to deal with Billy himself._

_Did she expect you to tell her what to do? Like go to Erik?_

_No. She was going to solve this on her own. I think she didn't want to go to Erik for the same reason she didn't want to go to you. Embarrassment and guilt. This is typical behaviour for assaulted women._

_I know._

_Maddy took to martial arts quickly. I taught her the usual moves that would allow her to protect herself. Leg sweeps and shoulder rolls; that kind of thing. Later, when the simple moves were getting boring for her, she asked what she should do if the person who was attacking her knew how defend her moves. I taught her one that will give her ample time to get away. Most martial arts moves don't discourage an attacking male enough. He keeps getting up and coming at you. Sooner or later..._

_That's why I carried a knife._

_The idea about fighting Billy came suddenly. She had snuck out of your house to be with the cadets on one of their training exercises and that's when she knew what to do._

_Really?_

_Relax. You'll be proud of her._

_I'm not right now._

_Something happened on that night operation and she came back intent on settling her score with Billy once and for all. I talked with her about thinking before she acted. She went through options with me and I learned some of what he had done. You don't need to know these now. Then she got a bright idea. She told me that she was going to Erik's office but had to stop in the mess hall first. I believe that she stopped to talk with the unknown cadet who has made her his champion._

_She's protecting him?_

_I believe so. Protecting others would be typical behaviour for Maddy._

_Protecting him against what?_

_She's going to ask you a question about why men might want to cuddle up with other men._

_Homosexuality? Billy?_

_You can't be involved in this contest because you're in a conflict of interest. That's probably why Erik hasn't talked to you. I can tell you one thing for sure, Mac. Maddy may be doing this to protect some kid, but she's really doing this because she wants you to be proud of her. She mentioned how you had dealt with some restaurant guy who had attacked you. You had taken care of him on your own. She's modeling her life after yours, Mac. She wants to be like you._

### # # # # # # # #

Below them, Lieutenant Karlsson was reviewing the rules; stay inside the ropes, no biting or eye gouging or hair pulling. The fight would continue until one of the contestants could not continue. He added something new. The camp nurse was there and she could stop the fight if it became too one sided.

Billy came out of his corner quickly and made a grab for her head. Momaka had warned Maddy about that and she easily ducked under his arms.

Billy approached more slowly and again tried to grab her. This time he lowered his arms to the correct level. Again, Maddy ducked underneath.

_Maddy knows that if he can grab any part of her, he'll wrap her up and throw her out of the ring. Then he'll win._

Billy approached again and Maddy tried a foot sweep. Billy almost got caught by it, but jumped in time.

"Are you actually going to fight, Billy? You do know how to make a fist, right?" Maddy asked.

Billy grabbed for her waist. Maddy rolled away.

"I thought so. You don't know how to fight, do you? A real boy wouldn't be slapping at me like a girl. Are you a really a girl, Billy?"

_Mac, why is she trash-talking him about being a girl?_

_I don't know._

Billy tried to steer Maddy into a corner, arms and hands poised to grab.

Maddy avoided him easily.

"Oh don't slap at me Billy. You're such a girl. What's your girlie name Billy? I'm going to call you Melody. I'm over here, Melody."

_Melody?_

_Don't ask me. I don't know where she got the name._

Billy tried a lunge. Maddy saw it coming and foot swept him as he closed the gap. Billy fell to the grass, but quickly got up.

_That, I taught her._

"Melody can't fight, Melody can't fight, Melody can't fight, Melody...."

Another lunge. This time Maddy pushed Billy's face into the grass and leaped over him.

_That's new._

"Are you not fighting like a man because your tummy is too sore from all your puking? Does Melody have a sore tum-tum?"

Billy's face changed. He made a fist, and then two of them.

_She knows that he's right handed._

"Melody, if you're going to puke again, don't do it all on me. You might like throw up all over your clothes, but I don't." Maddy crouched down a little lower to make herself a smaller target perhaps.

_Here it comes._

With Billy's height advantage and with Maddy's reduced size, Billy would have to punch downwards. Maddy saw him step with his left foot towards her, and watched the right fist as it came at her face. She timed her two hand grab of his fist perfectly, let the force of Billy's blow push her to the ground, lifted her two legs into the air as her back touched the ground, positioned both of her feet in Billy's right arm pit, and catapulted him over her prone body. As he flew over her, she twisted his wrist. There was an audible snap and Billy landed on the ground in agony.

_The trick here is to twist the wrist because that puts irresistible torque on the shoulder muscles. With this move, you can walk away from your assailant. First, she had to learn how to fall properly. It can be painful if you do it wrong. Then she practiced on me without the twist. When she could do that, she practiced on a dummy. Shoulder separations can be very painful, but a qualified doctor like Akilah can pop it back in place. Billy is done for the week._

_I've never seen that move and I know hand-to-hand combat._

_It's Japanese._

Below, Akilah was bent over Billy. Lieutenant Karlsson waited for Billy to get relief and then raised Maddy's hand into the air. Then Maddy walked away.

_Mom? Mom? Did you see me? Did you see me?_

_Yes, I did._

_Mom, I did it. I had a secret operation and I ran it all by myself. I didn't know what to do at first, but then I was watching one of the cadet classes invisibly and I saw Billy talking to Angus and Angus was trying to avoid Billy. Angus is a nice guy, but I could see that Billy was working on him like he worked on me. So I spied on them when they were on a night time operation because I figured Billy would try to get him into the fox hole with him, which he did, and then Billy was reaching for him and telling Angus that he had to do what Billy told him to do because Billy was his platoon sergeant and I know now that he was trying to have sort of sex with him but I don't know how that would work, but Momaka said that Angus was in danger, and I asked her how the sex would work and she didn't know herself and said that I had to ask you, and, oh by the way, I had to sneak out of the house to spy on them in the fox hole, but I figured you wouldn't mind because Warriors don't let little things get in the way when we're on a mission, and I have to go backwards now and tell you about the foxhole and how it was cold and windy and Angus was trying to push Billy away and I wanted to stop him but I had to do it without revealing I was invisible, so I grabbed some of the dirt around the fox hole and threw it softly in the air where the breeze caught it and blew it into the fox hole and Billy got some in his eye and that stopped him from grabbing at Angus and..._

_Take a breath, Sweetie._

_..._

_So I knew that Billy wouldn't stop and Angus was scared of him, but I wasn't scared of him but before that I talked with Momaka about whether or not I should tell Lieutenant Karlsson about Billy, but I couldn't prove anything, and Momaka said I should think clearly and slowly about the facts and so I did and it was then that I got my bright idea and went and talked with Angus outside the mess hall and told him about the Honour Challenge and how he and I should go to Lieutenant Karlsson and Angus would challenge Billy to a fight, but Angus would ask me to take his place which he figured that I could do because we had learned about this in history class which I was attending but was invisible all the time like I said before and people could have other people serve as their champion and Lieutenant Karlsson was really curious why Angus wanted to challenge Billy and I had to leave the room at that point so I don't know what Angus said, but when I came back in, he said that he'd arrange an Honour Challenge and later he asked me what contests I wanted and I had already thought about it by that time, and I knew Billy would pick running because he's the best in the troop at it, but I had been running in the morning and I knew this really hard route and that worked out really great because Billy threw up all over himself and it was dribbling down his clothes and he was moaning when I went by and I really enjoyed that and I made my choice the fighting challenge because Momaka had shown me this great move, and Billy made sure that I wouldn't be able to bite him again by making it against the rules, so that was OK because I wouldn't let him grab me by my hair which is what Momaka said men would do. And I beat him and brought him to justice just like you do only my justice was just a shoulder separation which heals quickly, but still, I ran my own operation and thought carefully about what I should do._

Maddy's complexion was turning blue and she had to stop.

_I'm very proud of you, Sweetie._

_Do you think I should have a debriefing like the adults do?_

_We could do that if you like. I'd be happy to hear all the details._

_You aren't angry because I ran an operation without telling you?_

_No, Sweetie. I know why you did that._

_Now that I've run my own secret operation, can I be on one of yours? But, I don't want to be on sensors again. It's too boring._

_We'll see. Let's go home. On the way, you can tell me about the biting thing._

Back to the Table of Contents

# Chapter 26

"Mom, did Reese hurt me recently?"

It was the day after the fight and Mac and Maddy were at home. Maddy hadn't been reinstated back into the cadets yet because Mac told her that she and Lieutenant Karlsson had to decide what to do about Billy first. Maddy was helping Mac feed Jock and Emily. Since she was such a great babysitter, Mac had said that she could babysit around home too. She'd get extra privileges instead of money. Momaka wanted Maddy to continue babysitting for them but this time she'd pay her in money.

"No, he hasn't hurt you," Mac responded. "Reese hasn't been around you at all, so how could he have hurt you? Help Emily wipe the table, will you? Jock, be careful with those dishes."

"Sure. That's what I thought too, but he said that he had hurt me."

"When did he tell you this?"

"When I was on my run this morning. He was at the river and I saw him and said _Hi_. That's when he said that he was very sorry that he had hurt me. Then, he got on his knees and hugged me and I saw that he was crying. I said that he hadn't hurt me, but Reese said something about how he should have known about Billy but he didn't know all the black spots would keep growing. He was crying the whole time, Mom. Then he disappeared."

"I'm really glad you told me about that, Sweetie. Can you play with Jock and Emily for a while? I have to talk with Melissa for quite a long time and **you'll need to be patient."**

### # # # # # # # #

" **You'll need to be patient** , Hoss."

"It's a waste of time, Cowboy. Just because one of your floozies tells you that some big shot is angry at me, that doesn't mean that I have to believe it."

"I'd be doubtful too. She's been a reliable snitch in the past, but why some big shot in the DCA would be angry at you is far fetched. You've been discrete, right?"

"Sure. Like you said. I looked through some files after the all the office staff had left, but I didn't see anything that would help me to find this red-skirted redskin. That also was a waste of time, if you ask me."

"What are you going to do now then?"

"Continue to watch for her at the staff's back entrance. That's where the girls come in. That has to be where she is getting in. I have a good hiding place."

"Watching the back entrance hasn't worked too well in the past for you."

"Do you have a better idea?"

"That building has a basement, doesn't it?"

"Yeah."

"Could somebody get into the building that way?"

"Nah. There's no way to get into the basement from the outside. It's all boarded up. Plus, there are no stairs from the ground floor to the basement. Dead end there."

"Take another look, just in case."

"Well, you're the boss, but it's a waste of time."

"A reliable snitch is warning us, Hoss. **Watch your back**."

### # # # # # # # #

"Billy has to **watch his back** now," Erik said to Mac.

"Because of what he did to Anderson in the fox hole?"

"Sort of. It started with the troop ragging on him because Maddy destroyed him in the two contests."

"Because she's a girl"

"Of course. But a lot of cadets also don't like Bump because of how he brags and how he acts. That emboldened Anderson to talk about what happened in the foxhole. For boys this age, rubbing up against a guy's butt is a call for action. Some of them are threatening to get him. Reynolds wants to fight Bump one-on-one after his shoulder has healed. Reynolds will take him. Others are getting in line. Some may not wait."

"I can confirm that Bump is not somebody we want to have in the corps, Erik."

"Any particular reason other than what we've seen?"

Mac hadn't been able to talk directly with Reese because he wasn't answering her messages. The Wilizy did have his GPS location though. Wolf was going to find him and have a talk, but Wolf had cautioned them to give Reese some space first. As to Reese's readiness for the operation against the NORAD facility, Melissa was working on developing an entirely different plan. Knowledge of Reese's current difficulties had been limited to the executive, Melissa, Mac, and Wolf. Mac didn't know exactly how bad Bump's colours were, but Maddy's reference to "all the black spots growing" was all she needed to hear as camp commandant.

"Nothing I can talk about directly, Erik. But bottom line, he can't stay."

Karlsson was used to these kinds of _trust me_ comments. He never questioned them.

"Should we find his parents and take him home?"

Maddy hadn't told Mac anything about Billy having a girl living inside of his body. Not because she didn't believe that. She did and she still did. She left that part out because disclosing Billy's secret might lead Mac to learning Maddy's secret about sisters living inside her body. For the same reason, she hadn't told Mac that Billy's dad had disowned him because of the girl living inside of him. She didn't want to give her any ideas.

"Finding the parents sounds like the best option. I'll get somebody started on it."

"In the meantime?"

"Have him sleep in the clinic for health reasons and have the instructors keep a close watch during the day?"

"How long do we do this?"

**"It'll take some time**."

### # # # # # # # #

" **It'll take some time,"** Cowboy said to Stu. They were at the diner talking about Hoss and his current assignment.

"Why?"

"First, he has to find the entrance into the basement. This will take him to the laundry chute. Then, he has to wait for Winnie to sneak into the basement and climb up the rope, which you've said, is not the way she's getting in at all. He's not all that smart."

"So we're free of him to the end of this week?"

"Probably. Will that be enough?"

"Yeah. And after that?"

"I brought my sniper rifle to the office."

"Good. Will you need some help here afterwards? Bean perhaps?"

"I'm good on my own. University courses are finishing soon and Bean will be approaching final exams. This is something that has **always stressed her out.** "

### # # # # # # # #

"I know that decoding colours is something that has **always stressed you out** , Reese. But is hiding here in the Chilean mountains the best way to deal with that?"

"I'm not hiding, Wolf. I left my GPS on. I just wanted to be alone. I like looking at mountains."

"When I was about your age and wanted to be away from the family, I'd go into the deep woods," Wolf confided.

_[Wolf didn't add that when he wanted to be away from the family, it was because he had a girlfriend with him and she didn't mind being in the deep woods either.]_

"You didn't hurt Maddy, you know. She did have a problem with Billy, but she handled it at the time. Later she destroyed him in two battles. She came out of this way stronger and more confident. You kind of helped her."

"I still made a mistake that could have hurt a family member a lot. I can't afford to make mistakes."

"Let's look at that mistake. What was your original reading on Billy?"

"A bunch of small black dots. He had other colours too, but nothing dangerous that I knew about."

"Had you ever seen those black dots before?"

"No."

"When was that first reading?"

"May, last year."

"It's now the first week of March and what's his reading?"

"The black dots are bigger and other small black dots have formed. There are no other colours of any significance in his aura. If this progression continues, he could end up being solid black."

"Have you ever seen solid black before?"

"No. The judge had a lot of black and red. Very thick streaks."

"Have you ever seen such a rapid change in an aura before?"

"No. When I was looking at the kids in middle school, their colours didn't change at all. "

"Why is it your fault that he changed dramatically in eight months and you never knew that this was even possible?"

"If I had checked him again, I'd have seen the change."

"If you had checked him last June, would you have seen the change?"

"Probably not."

"If you had seen one more small black dot, would that have meant anything to you?"

"No."

"I don't see how this is your fault, Reese. Remember, Maddy didn't get hurt."

"Wolf, I want to be alone. I know you're trying to help, but nobody can help me. Nobody in the family can read auras. It's my fault because I'm making judgments. People trust me to be right and I don't know what I'm doing. That makes me a **danger to everybody."**

### # # # # # # # #

"Hoss is a **danger to everybody** now," Cowboy told Stu at the diner.

"Why?"

"He found everything we expected him to find, but he told me this morning that he's not going stay in the basement and try to catch the prostitute climbing up the rope. He said that he knew somebody who would give him some listening bugs that he's going to put around the second and third floor hallways."

"That would stop us. Somebody put bugs in Swensen's house and that's how they knew what we were doing. That's when they decided to kill him."

"Proof positive that Hoss is one of them, if we ever needed that. I'll snipe him."

"When?"

" **Saturday night.** "

### # # # # # # # #

**Saturday night,** Billy Bean stole a Wilizy business copter and used the full moon to navigate his way south. When the battery died, he landed the copter safely outside of Casper Wyoming. The Wilizy found the copter easily enough the next day and brought it back to camp. The club executive saw no reason to track him down or investigate his background further. Reese continued to look at mountains in Chile and remained mostly incommunicado.

Back to the Table of Contents

# Chapter 27

Early Monday morning, Cowboy was sitting at his desk when Hoss barged into his office carrying a backpack. "Somebody tried to shoot me," Hoss blurted.

"When?"

"Saturday night."

"Where?"

"Outside my boarding house."

"Anybody around?"

"No."

"It would have been too dark for a sniper. Are you sure somebody was shooting at you?"

In answer, Hoss picked up his Stetson and put a finger through the hole in it.

"You're not in uniform," Cowboy observed.

"He tried again when I got to my room. Busted the window."

"Did you find the bullet?"

"Didn't bother looking. Here's my uniform, gun, and badge. Finding an underage prostitute isn't worth dying for."

"Good riddance," Sheila said after the door closed.

Cowboy raised an eyebrow in return. He probably wasn't curious about bad riddance and what it would look like.

"He was very disrespectful behind Charlie's back," she explained.

Cowboy had already lowered his eyebrow, so he had to raise it again at Sheila's mention of Stook's first name. Apparently he was not ambi-eye-browable.

Sheila blushed. "I meant behind the sheriff's back."

### # # # # # # # #

Monday morning in Switzerland saw Eleanor opening an envelope. She immediately sent a message to Denver's bank manager. Afterward, she posted her reply on the usual Zurich media site.

_A 400,000 reward is offered for the return of the antique Loetsher cuckoo clock stolen from the Namelcal family. No questions asked. Act soon._

### # # # # # # # #

It was Monday afternoon and we're back in Denver.

"Cowboy, somebody to see you," Sheila said over the intercom.

"Who?" Cowboy responded.

"She won't give her name."

"I'll come out."

...

"Well, stuff a cream pie in my mouth and call me a _Slurpy_ ," Cowboy said.

"Hiya, Slurpy," Bean quipped. "So this is where you work."

"Yes."

"I'm kind of tired from my trip. I think I need to lie down and rest."

"Our cell block is empty right now. You can rest there. I'll walk you down."

...

"This is Sheila's desk, and this is her computer, and this is our staff room..."

"More walk, less talk."

"Hold all my calls, Sheila."

### # # # # # # # #

By Monday evening, one Genevan paddleboat was a bit heavier in the water. That was the one anchored in the middle of Lac Leman. Also present in Geneva were Wolf and Reese. Both were busy scanning the records from the bots that had been recording conversations in a certain cozy two-bedroom apartment.

### # # # # # # # #

Monday evening, back in Denver, Bean and Cowboy were finishing off a dinner of take out that Sheila had ordered for them. She had slid a note under the staff locker room door to tell them to check the staff room refrigerator for food. She knew that it would be safe to walk down by the cellblock because she could hear the water pump going. See how easy it is to pick up detective skills?

"I thought you had exams coming."

"I did, but when I asked the department head if I could take them early, she said that I could leave early. I think Stu might have said something to them about you being alone and in a desperate situation requiring a deputy."

"Do you have to take them when you get back?"

"No, I'm free until September. According to the Head, she's never seen anybody learn human anatomy as quickly as I have."

"This calls for a celebration."

"I need a rest from what you call celebrating. Keep eating. I have more to tell you."

...

"Stu briefed me on what has been happening here. He said that the Denver sheriff is not in a direct line of fire now that Hoss has quit, whatever that means, but it's still dangerous. Plus, Denver could get risky and it'll be too much for one person. So, I'm your new deputy if that's OK with you."

"Well stuff a cream pie in my face and call be Slobbery." Cowboy had had some time to think about that cowboyism.

"That one is better. Yolanda also talked with me and pointed out that whether I liked it or not, you were always going to be in a risky work environment. Private detectives find out secrets that people don't want to have revealed. She said I'd be able to deal with emergencies better if I were a full member of the Wilizy. Do you know what a member of the Wilizy would mean?"

"Some. They take on the bad guys and put them out of business. They try to hide their secrets but I've been around them a lot and I hear things, and I observe things. They must have a transportation system that is unreal."

"They call it a sling, and they lent me one. It took me half an hour to get from Toronto to here. Mind you, I was motivated to fly here quickly."

"You flew here in half an hour?"

"I could have been here sooner, but they have some rules about breaking the sound barrier."

"They can break the sound barrier?"

"Yolanda says that they are willing to offer both of us full membership and we can participate in everything they do. We can turn down an operation if we want to."

"Why would we want to turn one down?"

"Too much danger, for one. Plus, she was trying to placate me. She had offered me a position before, but I had said _No_ because people tend to die when they face the Wilizy. I didn't want to be around deaths even if the people deserved to die. I'm not so paranoid about that any more. Don't know why."

"Do you want to join?" Cowboy asked.

"Yes. I saw you almost die. I don't want to see that again. I have an extra sling with me that you can try."

"Now?"

"Right now if you want to. Speed of sound. Weaponry. Everything a man would want."

"Not everything. How about tomorrow morning?"

"Good answer. We should celebrate that good answer."

### # # # # # # # #

Melissa had ample warning that NORAD was sending two copters with four men in each. The four men in the second copter were unarmed. The four in the second copter were armed. She had a contingency plan perfect for this counter move.

The Geneva pickup went well. The undercover spies sent off a message advising NORAD when the copters had left and might be expected to arrive.

Melissa added some personnel to the greeting party. The Wilizy's tactics were the same as the first pickup. Reese and Wolf downed one copter with a gravity field while Hank and William downed the other. As soon as the two copters bumped to a stop, the four armed men spread out in a defensive line. The four men from the other copter joined them in scanning the skies. Two engine failures were too much of a coincidence. Nary flew over the men mumbling the words that Marie had given her and the curses worked.

All the necessary signs of eight traitors getting away with the loot along with stacks of copter weaponry were stamped into the ground and Reese, Wolf and Mac returned to Switzerland in a Wilizy troop transport, the eight sleeping men trussed up as previously. Eleanor returned the valuables to the prime minister but said nothing about the men. Reese and Wolf flew to Washington DC and then Wolf returned to Zurich alone. Melissa was predicting the next ransom demand could be dangerous. It would depend on how many traitors NORAD would accept as a reasonable amount that they might have in their forces. If NORAD didn't think that they could have eight traitors in their midst, they might decide to attack Switzerland directly. Melissa put the chances at 25%. Any soldier putting in time in a dreary post with no action could be tempted to steal that amount of ransom. It was a substantial amount of wealth. "Surely NORAD would believe that," Melissa argued.

"Not if they were being run by crazies," Yollie countered.

### # # # # # # # #

You'll be wondering why Reese flew to Washington DC. The answer is because Wolf got through to him.

"Instead of blaming yourself for not being as accurate as you want to be, why don't you make yourself as accurate as you want to be?" Wolf had argued.

"I can't. I've tried. I don't have enough data. There are too many colours, and too many possible combinations considering that one person might have four or five colours in his aura."

"Then, get some help," Wolf pressured.

"From where?"

"We have several personality readers in our family, right?"

"Yuh."

"Winnie is a reader and a healer. Somewhat rare, but we know that we had one of those in our family before."

"Yuh."

"Dreamer can read the future. There are stories of many others who can do that."

"You're saying that I should look for other aura readers?"

"Yes. Why would you think that you're the first in the history of all mankind?"

"How would I look?"

"If you were an aura reader and you managed to have some success in your readings, would you leave something behind for other aura readers?"

"I think I would."

"Melissa and William visited New York City when they were first together. They found a big city library there. People back then had libraries. The bigger the city, the bigger the library. Some of those libraries would have been lost to damage or destruction. New York's library is in ruins now, for example. But Washington DC has been guarded by soldiers and by a big dike to keep the water out. There's going to be a library there somewhere."

"Aura reader notes won't be in the library."

"No. But their name and location might. I'll go with you if you want to TiTr somebody."

Back to the Table of Contents

# Chapter 28

The Wilizy struggled to find a suitable consequence for the Colorado politicians who had been selling their vote and financially defrauding the citizens. Colorado had no prisons at that time. Various cities had police cells but these might accommodate up to four or six prisoners and only for a temporary period. Punishing them through some sort of forced confinement was going to be difficult. Besides, much of what they did was not against the law: it was immoral, it was shady, it was disgraceful, but it wasn't against the law. In those early years after _The Troubles_ , laws focused on the most violent crimes. Soft crimes, previously called white-collar crimes, were not prosecuted. For other things that the politicians did, the Colorado government had specifically changed some laws to make it legal. Thus, prison terms were not in the cards.

When some of the politicians who had already given confessions put _For Sale_ signs on their houses, Hank called a full Wilizy meeting in the sailing ship. He told them that some of the men who had confessed would be leaving town in the middle of the night soon if they didn't find some way to stop them. Should they let them go? Should they put them on trial? Hank called for suggestions to their dilemma but they had to be practical. Here's a smattering of what was offered up for discussion:

• Put a tracking device on all of the politicians skipping out of town so that they could be found when a punishment became viable.

• Incapacitate all of the copters belonging to the politicians so that they could be kept for a mass trial in which Coloradoans would determine the punishment.

• Lift all of the copters into the air with antigrav power and bury them in a gigantic desert somewhere where they wouldn't be found. This was very similar to the above suggestion except that this one had the politicians in the copters at the time.

• Have them participate in a Wilizy trial using Hank's badge as a source of legitimacy. As punishment, relocate the politicians to Manitoba and let them be eaten by mosquitoes. _[This is similar to what happened to bankers during The Troubles. Politicians and banker frequently stand on the same rung of the ladder reserved for the truly deplorable.]_

• Have Truth make a return engagement, but no mention was made of what would happen to them.

• Just let them go. Don't do anything.

• The idea of a military tribunal was mentioned and then quickly withdrawn when Hank observed that the NORAD military would be running the tribunal.

At the end of the meeting, none of the above ideas was acceptable to a majority of the Wilizy. Time was running out. Melissa advised the group that Winnie was now on the final week of what Winnie was calling _Operation Barf._ "Every time I'm near one of them, I want to hurl," she said. "I've had to change my mind about becoming a prostitute who catches evil people with my sexuality," she added. Just about everybody figured she was kidding about ever thinking about being a prostitute. Some of the moms observed, but did not comment, that this _use her sexuality to catch the evil people_ tactic was not necessarily impossible for her. Winnie's growth spurt had begun work on a different dimension.

In the end they found one idea that everybody could accept.

### # # # # # # # #

Hank asked a number of Wilizy to remain after the large group meeting had ended. In addition to the executive, Melissa and Mac stayed on the ship. Melissa briefed the executive on what she thought would be the most likely responses from NORAD after they had a chance to digest their second failure to extort valuables from Switzerland.

"They may give up entirely," she started. "Having so much wealth within easy picking distance may be so alluring to their non-commissioned officers that they decide not to put the temptation in front of them. If they did, and if they suffered more treasonous behaviour, that would reduce their ability to remain a striking force. Remember that Cassie had reported that they don't have much of an army."

"Would they ever use their officers to copter to Switzerland, Melissa?" Hank asked.

"It's possible. Anybody could find the temptation alluring. But officers are more likely to be loyal. Our usual response would work. We might need more Warriors in the field, but we have asked everybody to come to camp for the rest of March. We 'll be able to mobilize the Warriors that are here quickly."

Melissa continued with NORAD's options. "They might just strike out in frustration at the Swiss and go on a destructive binge with conventional weaponry. But, I think this is unlikely. We've left no sign whatsoever that the Swiss are recovering their valuables. And then, there's the nuclear option they might take."

"What are you planning for?" Granny asked.

"I believe that they will make one more attempt, at least, to extort wealth from the Swiss. I believe that they will respond with more copters, or some other show of force that they will apply to stop their own people from stealing the valuables. We have considerable force too. Call it 50% chance that we can recover the wealth while they are over the central plains. Call it 30% chance that they get the wealth back to their base where we steal it from them there. Call it a 20% chance that we can't recover the wealth."

"How are you going to recover the ransom if they get it back to base?"

"We'll infiltrate a small group into the base beforehand. We know where the copters are going to land and, thanks to Cassie, we know where they will park them inside the mountain. Their personnel that flew to Switzerland and back will be fatigued and cannot be expected to react quickly. We'll create a distraction, grab the bags, and fly out. Their own personnel will be blamed because the distraction will appear to come from inside the base."

"Who would be on the infiltration team?" Doc asked.

"I'm going to ask Lucas, Mac and Maddy," Melissa answered.

"Maddy?" Granny asked with some doubt in her voice.

Mac responded to that doubt. "Some of our operations have succeeded only because we had somebody small to put into tight places. Winnie, for example, helped rescue William and Melissa when they were held in that underground prison. Maddy had success helping with our rescue of Billy Bump from the Toronto jail. Those operations could not have been done without them. With Winnie and Maddy, we were able to use guile. We don't want to get into an armed conflict with NORAD. We have to use guile."

"Bump's escape wasn't particularly dangerous," Yolanda pointed out.

"True," Mac agreed. "But, danger is not something that Maddy will avoid. And, I will be there with her. We need a small person to nip into the copter during the distraction and grab the bags. A big person like Lucas will bump into people. We have no other small person that we can use."

_[Sadly, my name was not mentioned, which was a good thing. I would have been petrified.]_

### # # # # # # # #

I mentioned that most of the Wilizy were in Colorado. Not participating in the Switzerland operation were Mathias and Kashmira who had school finals that they could not avoid. Jock was not present but was available if it looked like an armed conflict was inevitable. Yollie and Momaka were taking care of the kiddies back in Montana. Stu, Marie, Cowboy, and Bean were fully involved in the Denver operation. Reese was in Washington, but would help if needed. Cassie was in Australia but could return to Colorado Springs if needed.

Back to the Table of Contents

# Chapter 29

The Denver operation ground to its final end in the third week of March. As an operation, its completion was anti-climatic. Everybody was tired of their dramatic role, and tired of being around _slime-buckets_ as Marie referred to them. Out of fifty members of the Colorado House and Senate, all fifty of them enjoyed (not) unexpected dates with Winnie. All fifty made confession tapes that detailed all the ways that they had defrauded the Colorado population, listed all of the other politicians who had helped, and described all of the ways that they themselves had prospered including estimating value of non-taxable revenue that they had received under the table.

A team of Wizard, Dreamer, Wanda, Lylah and Lohla extracted key statements from each interview and created a video for each politician. References to the governor were not included in that confessional video.

As the week ground on, more and more politicians tried to disappear from Denver. As per the agreement the Wilizy had reached, they did not attempt to forcibly keep them in Denver. Each confessor however did find it impossible to sell his house or empty out his bank account. Sadly, the process for closing an account of such wealth was time consuming and required the local bank manager to get permission from her boss in Switzerland. She offered, however, to let them know as soon as that permission came through. But it never came. Some of them flew away in the middle of the night with only the possessions they could cram into a copter and the money they happened to have at home at the time. Others decided to stick it out. How bad could it get?

Meanwhile, efforts were ongoing to hold the governor to account. Wizard's group was compiling a tape containing the accusations that the fifty men had made about the governor. As part of that effort, Marie and Winnie would shift their attention to researching the governor's life. Doc, Lohla and Lylah wanted to join them.

At first, they spun their wheels. It seemed impossible to find any information on the man before his ascent to the governorship. When Marie mentioned that a helpful bank manager might know something about him, that was all they needed. Marie went to talk to the bank manager, strictly as an account holder that wanted advice on her investments. Somehow, Sandy left her computer screen open to the governor's bank account while she stepped outside to deal with an emergency. Marie browsed extensively through the governor's banking file and took pictures.

"Did you get the answers you wanted?" Sandy asked Marie as she left the building.

"I found a good lead," Marie answered.

### # # # # # # # #

During these final days, Hank met with Stook and informed him how close he was to being free to return to Denver. The two of them started talking about how the state might be governed with no elected official sitting in the House, in the Senate, or in the Governor's mansion. Several ideas were considered. For example, a Citizen's Assembly could be created that would draw on well-respected men and women from around the state. They would revoke all of the bills that had been sleazed into law and then turn over a clear set of revised laws to a duly elected House, Senate, and Governor.

Another option was to convene a group of current and former lawmen that could be nominated to a Lawmen's Assembly, which would have the same duties as above. Since the confession tapes identified every single law that had been _adjusted_ , these assemblies wouldn't have to waste valuable time finding them. They could focus on cleaning laws up.

### # # # # # # # #

Cina Tass was Loveland's fifth vice president, and in Paula's estimation the best. Yes, she was a gorgeous woman but that usually doesn't count for much in a manufacturing business. If anything, it would create obstacles for advancement if the man in charge were so inclined. Paula didn't know much about the man in charge. Lillian had discouraged any research into him because he was a bureaucrat, not a scientist. Paula knew his name was Liam A. Goodefellow, but not much more. If he were the type of man who objected to having a sexy vice-president, then Tass would be the fifth vice president for a very long time.

Tass had more than beauty going for her. She was good with staff, listened to their concerns, made decisions quickly when those were necessary, and consulted when that was possible. She was in charge of Beauty Products which immediately would raise the hackles of some feminists who would call that a sexist assignment. But the category of _beauty_ was misleading. Her department included products for male as well as females. If you wanted to look and smell better, Tass' scientists were working hard on that goal. Paula was able to see the chemical combinations that were being researched. In her opinion, some would produce an overwhelming smell, but perhaps it was being designed for twenty-four hour use.

The size of the overall market for these products was probably the reason that this department was the least important in the institute and why the most inexperienced executive was in charge. The people who inhabited the world that Paula had known were not going to be keen consumers of things that looked and smelled nice. Heavy-duty soap would have been a better seller in her estimation.

Paula gave her final report to Lillian and asked if she wanted her to research further. She wasn't enthusiastic about that. "You'll have all the information you'll need when the time comes. Go home." On that enigmatic note, she disappeared. Paula went back to spending her days soaking in the sun and getting bigger and stronger.

Back to the Table of Contents

# Chapter 30

Denver's Mile High Stadium had been a highly popular meeting place for sporting enthusiasts for many years before _The Troubles_. Built in 2001, it had been home to the National Football League's Denver Broncos for as long as the National Football League was able to continue. Back then, Denver was a large city and over 75,000 fans would fill the three decker stands to watch their beloved Broncos' every home game. Their games were always sold out. Bronco fans were known for distracting opponents by stamping their feet on the stadium's steel floors. This had become known as _Bronco Thunder._

The current governor of Colorado was a direct descendent of a famous Bronco quarterback, John Elway, who played for the Broncos from 1983 to 1998. A true Coloradoan, Governor John Elway the Fourth was an avid hunter and fisherman. He would take regular two-week holidays into the wilds of Colorado so that he could refresh his mind and body from the burdens of urban life. He'd always return with many hunting trophies and was know for his generosity in sharing his catches with office staff. Governor Elway always held various events during his re-election campaigns in the stadium including demonstrations of his prowess throwing the football to two of his staff who would run down the field and catch the towering spirals that the governor threw to them. He was always proud to be able to cite his great-grandfather's most impressive statistics. Of course, after _The Troubles_ , the field wasn't used for football, but from time to time, public events were scheduled because the stadium had great acoustics and up to date electronic displays.

At about 1 in the afternoon of Thursday March 17, the sound of _Bronco Thunder_ could be heard reverberating through the adjoining neighborhoods of Jefferson Park, Lincoln Park, Sun Valley, and West Colfax. Curious local citizens drifted down to the stadium where they found the outside display boards flashing an announcement: _Fireworks Display, tonight at 7 pm._

Everybody likes to watch fireworks, so many local families came down to watch. At 6:55, the thumping noise that had been pumping out of the loudspeakers ceased. The words, _Now it's your turn_ appeared and fans stepped up to the task. Encouraged by the display's message _Faster_ , the fans had the stadium rocking. At 7 pm precisely, two giant fireworks appeared in the sky. The first was a very realistic thunderbolt that streaked across the sky directly above the stadium. The boom of the thunder had just echoed away when a second very realistic lightning bolt filled the sky again. The fans were suitably impressed, especially since the night was cloudless.

Additional messages appeared on the display screens.

MORE FIREWORKS WILL BEGIN AT 8.

...

NOW, SIT BACK AND ENJOY THESE MESSAGES

...

FROM THE REPRESENTATIVES OF YOUR STATE GOVERNMENT

### # # # # # # # #

Well, that advertisement didn't go over too well, and there was more than a smattering of groans and boos. Some spectators even stood in disgust, prepared to leave. But once the confession tapes began, nobody left, although the booing did continue.

Fifty confessions later, a short round of Bronco Thunder echoed through the speakers and text appeared on the screens again.

NOW YOU'VE SEEN HOW YOUR GOVERNMENT HAS BEEN WORKING ON YOUR BEHALF FOR DECADES.

....

TELL YOUR FRIENDS AND NEIGHBORS TO COME FOR TOMORROW NIGHT'S SHOW.

...

NOW, ENJOY MORE FIREWORKS.

Back to the Table of Contents

# Chapter 31

Friday, March 18. Eleanor received another ransom letter. The cost of saving the country's banks had just escalated. The demand was now 500,000 francs worth of gems and gold. If this escalation continued, Eleanor said that the government might have to go to paper money. Mac responded by assuring Eleanor that this would probably be the extortionists' last gasp. "They're trying to recover all of their losses in one month. If necessary, go to paper money, but not this time." Mac wanted the two backpacks to be as light as possible for Maddy who was in an accelerated strength-building program.

### # # # # # # # #

Friday night in Denver was mostly a repeat of Thursday night's fireworks and confessions.

Three differences to note: First, the crowd was at least three times as large as the previous night. Second, the Denver sheriff and his deputy were standing guard in front of the entrance to the media control room at the top of the stadium's second tier. For anybody who wanted to climb that high and ask why they were there, the sheriff explained that they had received anonymous tips that certain guilty parties would try and steal the videos. That seemed to reassure the inquisitive minds. Actually, they were there to stop anybody from breaking into the booth and finding nobody there. TG was streaming the entire program from the invisible ship sailing above.

The third difference was the slightly different ending to the show. _SATURDAY NIGHT FIREWORKS WILL CONTINUE AS USUAL. BRING OTHER CONCERNED CITIZENS. SUNDAY NIGHT WILL BE SPECIAL. DON'T MISS IT! BRING EVERYBODY YOU CAN._

At the end of the evening, some of the crowd hung around, formed a number of large groups, and talked.

Back to the Table of Contents

# Chapter 32

Saturday, March 19. In Switzerland, Eleanor responded to the next demand letter in the usual fashion and with the usual pickup spot. The Prime Minister pressured her to give a date when she would catch the extortionists and cautioned her that his patience was running short. Eleanor ignored him.

### # # # # # # # #

Marie, Winnie, Doc, Lohla and Lylah had reached a dead end in tracking the governor's past. They knew when he had arrived in Denver, but couldn't find any record of where he had come from. Now the five of them were looking through the governor's bank records that Marie had photographed. Other than having accumulated a large amount of money after he had been elected to the governorship, the records weren't telling them anything.

"Somebody named Gregg Popovich the Third is in the file as his beneficiary," Marie noted. "He'd inherit the governor's wealth if he died."

"That suggests that the family came from San Antonio," Lohla observed. "We could try searching there."

"Why San Antonio?" Winnie asked.

"San Antonio Spurs. .... Gregg Popovich.... Famous coach... Basketball.... National Basketball Association..." Lylah ran out of hints. The three non-basketballers were staring blankly at her.

Doc, who had been a good athlete in his time, understood sports, but not basketball. "Tell us more," he asked the twins.

"Popovich is a legend in the basketball world," Lylah started. "He was a great player in his own right, became one of the best pro coaches ever, and also was general manager of the San Antonio Spurs."

"He coached lots of players to stardom. Tim Duncan and David Robinson were known as the _twin towers_ ," Lohla took over.

"Why?" Winnie asked.

"Because they were towering tall. When the two were on the floor at the same time, they were virtually unstoppable."

"Why is that?" Marie asked.

"Being tall in basketball is a big thing," Lylah tried to answer.

"Was that a pun?" Winnie asked.

"Not intended as one," Lylah kept going. "Let me put it this way. If we were to fly to San Antonio and visit the AT&T center where the team played their games, I wouldn't be surprised to see a statue of Gregg Popovich outside. He is considered a god. The city adored him."

"What's an AT&T?" Marie asked.

"Not important," Lohla took over. "This person who is related to Popovich would have had a high profile in San Antonio. Wherever he went in the city, people would recognize the name."

Lylah's turn. "Lots of San Antonians would ask him about his ancestor. Did Pop leave any of his trophies to his descendants? Does he have any pictures of his teams? What were his players like when they weren't playing?"

"Really?" Marie asked. "Because he played a game with a round object?"

"Both of us would want to know more about him," Lohla stated. "He changed how basketball was played."

"I'd want to meet a person descended from Wayne Gretzky," Doc admitted.

"Who's Wayne Gretzky?" Marie asked.

"Hush," Doc said. "You are required to bow whenever you say his name. Like this." Doc mimed exactly how Marie was supposed to bow.

Marie put a finger down her throat and then removed it. "That's just plain silly. These were people."

"Back then, a lot of people actively followed the lives of celebrities. It was a time of celebrity worshipers. The celebrities were rich and famous people. Sports stars, music stars, and movie stars, for example. These people couldn't leave a normal life because autograph hunters would besiege them. Some would be stalkers and were dangerous. Some women would want to have sex with them. These were known as _groupies_."

"Did you have groupies with your hockey, Doc?"

"By then, the world had gone crazy in a different way."

"You mean crazier," Marie said. "Celebrity stalkers. People with no lives."

"That's true, in part. But weren't you the one who travelled back in time to New Orleans to watch your ancestors?" Doc asked.

"Momaka took me," Marie agreed.

"You were a celebrity stalker."

"People followed Marie Laveau around wanting her to grant them wishes. Even after her death."

"There are no celebrities now, right Doc?"

"Not to the same degree, but the whole notion of worshipping celebrities is still with us. William and Melissa were forced to change their names because of people stalking them. This was when you were little, Winnie. Kashmira got a taste of this a few years ago."

"We knew a basketball guy who took advantage of girls who were attracted to him because he was on the varsity team," Lylah said.

"This was just last year. We warned all of our friends about him. But he kept doing it," Lohla added.

"Wait a minute," Doc said. "Let me think."

...

"Would you say that Governor John Elway the Fourth is a celebrity?" Doc broke the silence he had asked for.

"He's the governor of Colorado, Doc. He's rich and powerful," Lohla answered. "He's a celebrity. People know what he looks like."

"Was he helped in his campaigns by being John Elway's great grandson?"

"We already know that he's used it to his benefit in campaigning."

"What are the chances that one member of a family has a famous football hero and somebody else in the same family has a famous basketball hero?"

"Being big and athletic could run in a family," Lohla said.

"I don't know football," Lylah said. "But Bean can play both basketball and volleyball."

"I don't know what you guys are talking about, but my gut says that something is wrong here." Marie looked at Doc and asked. "What about you?"

"That's why I asked the question. With limited birth records, what's to stop anybody from claiming to have a famous relative and using that for personal gain?"

"We already know the governor is dirty," Lohla said. "He wouldn't hesitate to lie about this."

"We should assume that he did," Lylah said. "We should also assume that the beneficiary to his account is dirty too. What do we do now?"

"I have an idea," Winnie said.

Back to the Table of Contents

# Chapter 33

The city of Sacramento became one of California's largest cities when the earthquake of '48 dropped the entire previous Californian coastline into the ocean. It is now a coastal city and remains the capital of California. The population of the city is predominantly of Mexican heritage, but the city fathers proudly announce through posted signs that they will accept Caucasians into their fold if they behave themselves and learn the state's official language. Being a government town, they have an educated work force, and as a coastal city, they have an active fishing industry.

Although children of _white skinners_ also known as _gringos_ are officially welcomed, they tend to be one or two years behind their peer group in school. The Sacramento schools do their best for them by providing several educational tracks that allow them to enter their city's work force, primarily as servants, gardeners, fruit and vegetable pickers and the like. Caucasians as a breed generally do not do well in the city's hot climate and white skinners can be accused quite rightly of being lazy and shiftless. It is a sign of California's admirable tolerance that they accept such burdens into their society.

One Caucasian male was not much of a burden, although he was not fluent in Spanish and refused to learn due to his advanced age. He lived in the wealthy community of Sierra Oaks, and more specifically in a care home complex. Gregg Popovich the Third was active for his age and had no debilitating health issues. As such, he was able to live on his own in Villa #21. A daily maid service took care of cleaning and caring for his non-medical needs. A care nurse dropped in on him weekly to assess his health. A cook prepared his dinners and ensured that he had ample food in the house for him to prepare his own breakfasts and lunches.

Popovich's sexual needs were provided for by a steady flow of what can only be described as prostitutes. This kind of service was not something that the health complex provided as part of their very large monthly fee. But the women were discrete and dressed appropriately for the complex's population. Payment was also handled discretely by the tenant. The white skin of the prostitutes drew frowns but, as mentioned earlier, Sacramento was a tolerant place to live. Prostitution was another of those professions that the lazy and shiftless gringas managed to survive in prosperous Sacramento.

Two such young women approached Villa #21 the morning of Sunday, March 20. They were dressed somewhat unusually in white sports shoes, white socks, long purple shorts, and a purple sleeveless jersey with the words "We love basketball" imprinted on the front. In keeping with that message, each of them was dribbling a basketball up the sidewalk to Villa #21. They also had a purple hair band containing their blonde tresses. They were dressed identically because they were twins. I probably don't need to tell you their names.

A man answered the doorbell's ring. He was in his 80s, with a full head of white hair. He was wearing a light blue, short sleeved, collared shirt. Dark blue thigh length shorts completed his apparel. His feet were bare. His white skin was well tanned.

"Are you Gregg Popovich the Third?" Lylah asked.

"I am," the man answered modestly.

The twins handed their basketballs to GP#3, turned to each other, squealed and started jumping up and down in ecstasy. "We found him, we found him," they announced to the neighbourhood.

GP#3 smiled tolerantly and looked closely at the upper bodies of the twins as they jumped in glee. He was probably assessing their athleticism. Ability to make long passes. That sort of thing.

Therein followed a deluge of questions about the Spurs that GP#3 was pleased to respond to. When they paused to catch their second wind, GP#3 graciously invited these strangers into his house. "I have some souvenirs I can show you," he added to his offer.

Once again, the twins embraced each other and went into another demonstration of their jumping ability. GP#3's brain clicked into overdrive and concluded that these sports enthusiasts were too poor to afford certain clothing necessities. He smiled. He'd find out for sure soon enough.

The twins turned and looked at GP#3 with wide-eyed joy. They put their hands to their mouths and started jumping again. GP#3 was holding one basketball against his right thigh, and the other basketball against his left thigh, just like a real coach would do. All he was missing was a whistle.

"OMG, OMG, OMG" Lohla blurted. "You have actual souvenirs?"

"Signed souvenirs," GP#3 amended.

Lylah was the more controlled of the two. "We play basketball," she started on Winnie's script.

"We really love basketball."

"We were hoping that you could look at our shot form and tell us if we're doing it right?"

"I'm worried about my follow through."

"There's a basketball hoop at the local elementary school. Nobody was playing there when we walked by."

"It's about a ten minute walk."

"We'd be really appreciative."

"Super appreciative," Lohla said and winked.

"Let me get my basketball shoes."

### # # # # # # # #

There had been a bit of debate about whether the twins should wink at him when they mentioned their forthcoming appreciation. It was Winnie's idea, so she was for it. Lylah wasn't all that pleased already about her lack of undergarment, but had gone along with it because that's what a groupie would do. She thought the wink would be overkill. Just stressing the appreciation would be enough. Lohla wanted to draw the full picture. They agreed that each twin could do what she wanted.

The path to the local school took them down a cement sidewalk and through landscaped gardens. Cactuses mostly. They left the complex and entered a somewhat wild, undeveloped area. Both girls had their basketballs back which they held in their outer hand. Their inner hand and arm were entwined in GP#3's arms. Lohla would use the difficulties of walking through the undeveloped land to stumble now and then and press her upper body against GP#3's arm. Lylah didn't have the same difficulty walking.

_You're acting so slutty_ , she mind messaged her sister.

_Yeah. Isn't it great!_ Lohla replied.

_Stop here,_ Winnie joined in. _Quiet on the set. And Action!_

Lylah stopped suddenly and disengaged herself from GP#3. "What's that?" she said and pointed with her now free hand into the air.

"Is that a bird?" Lohla asked while pulling away.

"Too big to be a bird, I think."

"Coming this way."

GP#3 looked skyward too. Much too big to be a bird. It was virtually overhead now and descending quickly. A flying animal? A person was on its back? The person was waving a Stetson and yelling "Yippee."

Frozen in place, GP#3 saw a belch of flame coming out of the beast's snout. The passenger looked to be an old woman. Then, thick talons were grasping him and lifting him into the air. At that point, GP#3's mind deserted his body to whatever fate was awaiting it.

_Cut and print,_ Winnie messaged.

### # # # # # # # #

The Wilizy weren't actually filming this part of Winnie's drama. She had researched some old accounts of what movie making was like in the golden days of Hollywood, and picked up a few words that she sprinkled around without really knowing what they meant.

Yes, Marie was the one flying on Bob's shoulders. Bob, of course, was Momaka's alter ego who hadn't had a chance to fly around in revenge mode recently. He seemed happy enough to have Marie flying him. They had jury-rigged a form of saddle so that Marie wouldn't fall off - falling off would have changed the scene's threat levels considerably. Marie was living one of her dreams - to fly Momaka's dragon. It was a win-win situation all the way around. Not counting GP#3's opinions of course who wasn't involved in any of the planning. Close ups of his face would be featured in the action that would come soon. These would be recorded and prepared for distribution to movie houses in Denver.

### # # # # # # # #

_Quiet on the set. And action._

Marie had slapped GP#3 with a sleep spell immediately after he had met Bob the Flying Dragon up close and personal. This was necessary so that GP#3 didn't wake up while they getting the stage set and the props close at hand. Everything was now ready. Marie was visible in front of their captive, Doc was waiting off stage, and Winnie and the twins were invisibly flying overhead. Marie muttered the necessary wake up words and waited.

"Where am I?"

"Where nobody will find you unless I want them to."

Marie was standing over GP#3 who was sitting against what he would determine soon was the outside of a wire cage. His hands were tied behind his back and fastened to the cage. His legs were outstretched in front of him.

GP#3 looked around. All he could see was desert. He appeared to be remarkably calm. That might have been because this wasn't the first time that he had woken up to find himself bound. Imitating Greg Popovich had had a number of risks when he trolled for groupies in Texas where they knew their hero better than GP#3. That's why he had moved around a lot. That calm appearance would change soon.

"Who are you?"

"I'm the twelfth direct descendent of Annie Oakley."

"Never heard of her."

"Annie Oakley was the star sharpshooter in the Buffalo Bill's Wild West show in the late 1890s."

"Is that how she dressed?"

Marie was wearing her best western garb, which I remind readers was mostly a square dance outfit. She also had alligator hide cowboy boots, a black Stetson and a gun belt with two holsters hanging off of it. Both guns had ivory handles. The loops in the gun belt for bullets were full. "I've dressed her up a bit," Marie admitted.

"So you're a sharp shooter."

"Ay'up."

"Prove it."

"Igor, he wants to see proof that I'm a sharpshooter."

"Coming, Mistress."

### # # # # # # # #

We'll take a pause in the action here so I can explain the planning that went into this particular scene. The Wilizy knew that Marie would have to prove that she was proficient with Cowboy's guns. The problem was - she wasn't. She couldn't have hit the front door of a wooden outhouse if she was sitting on the seat inside with the front door closed and banging up against her knees. Nobody else in the theatre troupe was much better. But they didn't have to actually hit anything with the guns. They'd load the guns up with blanks, create some sort of target, and then laser the target with their sling weapon array.

Lohla and Lylah immediately volunteered to be the real shooters. Unfortunately, they hadn't had any training on their lasers. Everybody figured that they wouldn't need instruction since they were so athletic. Essentially, to fire a laser beam out of the weapon array, all you had to do was think and point a finger. When it came time to test their accuracy, a major flaw in their logic was discovered.

Both Lylah and Lohla were experts at shooting a basketball. When it came time to shoot their laser, they thought _shoot_ and then let rip. But their shooting action consisted of pointing their finger, firing, and then following through as though they had shot a basketball. That follow through is known in the basketball world as _putting your hand in the cookie jar_. For those of you (all of you?) who have no idea what a cookie jar is, let me explain.

A basketball shot is best when it has a little bit of backspin. A player gets that backspin by releasing the ball and flicking her wrist so that her fingers are pointing at the ground. It's like getting ready to take a cookie out of a small jar with just your two longest fingers. In non-cookie jar land, if you're shooting with an active and deadly laser, the shot goes into the air and then quickly starts burning the sand in the desert in front of your feet. The twins burned up a lot of desert in their rehearsal. They finally admitted that there just wasn't enough time to unlearn their basketball shot. Winnie agreed to sub in as the understudy.

Now, about that _Igor_ part in the movie. Doc was indeed _eager_ to be cast in the movie as Marie's assistant. He just couldn't make up his mind as to his character's motivation. In terms of what Igor was going to do, he probably should have been played as a gypsy with magical powers. But Doc really wanted to play his role with a hump and a limp. That would challenge his dramatic range. Besides, nobody knew what a gypsy would wear. They tried different clothes but the closest they could come to gypsy wear was to make Doc look like a pirate. Doc thought that this would be a fine idea. So, when Marie called for Igor to come on stage, what GP#3 saw was Doc limping onto stage in his buckskins with a hump on his back and an eye patch over his left eye.

_And Action._

### # # # # # # # #

"Igor, he wants to see proof that I'm a sharpshooter."

"Coming, Mistress."

Doc humped/limped onto the set, went to the storage unit holding the props, and emerged with a dozen or so china plates. He limped/humped to center stage, placed all of the plates save one on the sand and held that last plate in one hand. "I'm ready, Mistress," he lisped. (Doc was not averse to adding depth to his character without warning.)

Annie Oakley #12 turned so that she was facing GP#3, drew both pistols, and shook her muscles free. (This too was a new move on her part. If Doc could overact, so could she.)

I should mention here that Marie was hopeless in performing a quick draw. In order for this demonstration to appear challenging, she would turn her back on Igor, who would Frisbee his plate into the air on command. She would turn, find the plate spinning off into the desert air, and fire a shot from one of her pistols in the general direction. Winnie would then explode the plate with a laser beam. Both she and Doc were communicating about where he should fling the plate each time.

_Quiet on the set. And Action._

"Igor, fire one." (Marie had been watching submarine war movies while lying submerged in a Louisiana swamp recently.)

Fling, bang, shatter.

It worked like a charm twelve times.

### # # # # # # # #

_Quiet on the set. And Action._

"Why did you kidnap me?"

"Because you're a fraud and a charlatan. You pretend to be a direct descendent of a famous person, but you aren't. Your chicanery hurts the others of us who are real descendants."

"Who would care about Annie Oakley? Nobody would know who she was."

"I run the Annie Oakley Magical Circus. We'd do very well if people like you weren't scamming the gullible."

"I don't scam. I'm the real thing."

"Igor, prepare the test."

For Igor, preparing the test meant bringing a campstool into center stage and placing it in front of the captive. Igor sat in the chair and flexed his fingers, rolled his shoulders, and rubbed his eyes including the one under the patch. He then leaned over and sniffed deeply. "I have baseline data now, Mistress," he said in a very broad Frankensteinian accent.

"Igor is one of our main attractions. He comes to the circus from a gypsy background. His powers are magical. Not only can he read the future, but also he can tell whenever somebody is lying. He reads the emanations coming from a person's body including smell. His one eye is now so powerful that he can read into the depths of a person's soul to determine lies and truths."

"Right," GP#3 scoffed.

"We do this demonstration in the circus regularly. Igor has never failed to impress his audience. I am going to ask you five questions about yourself. I won't know if your answers will be true or false. I want you to lie on some of the questions. You will know when you lied. And so will Igor."

"Is your favorite colour blue?"

"Yes."

"True."

...

"Have you ever lived in Pennsylvania?"

"No"

"That's a lie," Igor said after hearing Winnie's truth-a-meter in his mind.

...

"Have you ever been convicted of a crime?"

"No."

"That's a lie."

...

"Have you ever fabricated your souvenirs?"

"No."

"That's a lie."

...

"Last question. Do you believe that Igor can tell when you're lying?"

"Yes."

"That's true."

...

"I'm going to ask you some real questions now. You're going to talk. Igor will know whether you're lying or not. If you lie, Igor will turn you over to Bob."

"Who's Bob?"

"Look up."

GP#3 did so and found himself looking into Bob the visible dragon's right nostril.

This scenic view was available because Bob was leaning over the edge of the mesh cage, which supposedly was confining him.

"Bob hasn't had his lunch yet. Bob, show this man how you eat your lunch."

Bob opened his jaws wide and lowered his head. Marie had found it interesting although stenchifying that Bob could open his jaw wide enough to get her entire head inside his mouth. GP#3 didn't find this flexibility to be interesting at all. Bob started to heat his lunch and GP#3 indicated his willingness to cooperate in anything they might want. Or, shrieks and gestures to that effect.

### # # # # # # # #

With time running out to get their video clips to Denver quickly enough to be included in tonight's show, Winnie decided to put GP#3 into a Denver cell for safekeeping. But first, they had to stop off at a cozy three room bungalow a short distance away from GP#3's villa. Obviously, they had learned about this villa from GP#3. There, Bob started a small fire next to the bungalow that lured the household out of the building. In the excitement that followed, Winnie, Lylah and Lohla were able to fly right in. With three searchers, it didn't take them long to collect some incriminating evidence. Lylah took several pictures and then they all sped off to Denver.

Back to the Table of Contents

# Chapter 34

Sunday Night at Mile High stadium saw even more crowds milling around inside. Some entrepreneurs had set up food kiosks in the parking lot and the smell of barbecued ribs and chicken wafted through the air. Liquid refreshments from the Denver based Coors family business were available as well. The crowd was predominantly adult. At 6:45, sounds of Bronco Thunder began to reverberate throughout the surrounding area. Fans who were still outside, crowded into the stadium and took whatever seats were available. The bottom tier of stands was fully occupied, so the late comers had to look for empty seats in the second tier. These were hard to find and some just trooped up to the third tier and sat. Meanwhile, seated fans were joining in with the Bronco Thunder beats.

At 7 p.m. The Bronco Thunder beats came to an end and the fireworks began. This time, the cloud-to-cloud thunderbolts fireworks display continued for six lightning strikes. Each brought forward ooohs and aaahs. After the sixth thunderclap had died away, the program began. This time, a computer voice greeted the audience.

"Most of you have heard or personally seen the confessions of all fifty of your elected representatives to your government. These confessions provide stunning admissions of how your elected officials have lied, cheated, and stolen from the citizens of Colorado. It may interest you to learn that all fifty of those officials have now fled town."

"We have seen from the copter plates in the parking lot that more and more of you are coming from out of town. Tonight's event does not give us sufficient time to go through those confessions again. But, we will replay those fifty confessions in full after tonight's events are over and all day tomorrow up to 6 pm."

"Tonight, our show will focus on another Coloradoan politician. We're going to show you what the fifty elected representatives had to say about your governor. Keep in mind that these fifty men were in a position to know exactly what role the governor played. They are not making these comments for political gain, for example by hoping to replace him. They are long gone."

### # # # # # # # #

Wizard's group faced a significant challenge in presenting the case against the governor in a way that would communicate the extent of crimes, without putting the audience to sleep from exhaustion. Consider the math. They had fifty confessions. If each confessor mentioned the governor for ten minutes, displaying those comments live would consume about eight hours. Obviously, the presentation had to be boiled down. But how?

This is where Wizard and Dreamer's analytical skills came to the fore. Without these two, the Wilizy could never have kept to the tight time schedule that that they faced with this entire operation. Wizard could remember most of what each confessor had said. If they needed a statement on the _Flat Parkland scandal_ , to make up a fictional scandal, Wizard could name most of the confessors who had incriminated the governor with their comments. Dreamer had her spreadsheets which provided the same information but in cryptic comment form. Together, they put together an eighty-minute presentation that went like this.

The name of the scandal appeared on the big screens in large print. After fifteen seconds, that title shrunk in size but remained on the screen. At that point, video clips of the politicians incriminating the governor in that scandal rolled across the screen one at a time. Depending on what detail the confessors had provided, the whole indictment, if you like, of the governor's role in the scandal might consume five to seven minutes. In this case, length was good. It was better to present lengthy and solid information about a scandal and limit those scandals to the ten worst, then present twenty scandals but talk about each for only a minute or two.

At the end of the eighty minutes, the crowd was still attentive but getting restive. "We're almost done," the computer voice reassured. The computer screen went blank and then a smiling face appeared. Governor John Elway the Fourth. Underneath his face, the words _FACTS YOU NEVER KNEW ABOUT YOUR GOVERNOR_ appeared.

...

"This man was born August 22, 2034 in Dallas, Texas."

...

"His parents were true Texans and wanted their son to be proud of his heritage. They named him _Austin Houston Dallas_."

...

"His father was a scam artist and made his living by pretending to be a direct descendent of a famous San Antonio basketball coach. He went by the name of Gregg Popovich the Third."

...

"His father sold fabricated souvenirs of Popovich's coaching life and used his charm and fictional fame to seduce many women."

...

"At some point, the governor's father took him on the road and showed him what his life could be like if he followed in his father's footsteps. This would involve faking that he was a direct descendent of a famous person."

...

"During that road trip, he appeared as John Elway the Fourth. The governor and his father chose Elway as an ancestor because the governor knew how to throw a football. His familial relationship to Elway was entirely fabricated."

...

"We will have more to say about the governor tomorrow night. Bring everybody you can."

Back to the Table of Contents

# Chapter 35

The Wilizy had now entered the most critical time period of their two ongoing operations: putting an end to the extortion attempts on the Swiss government coming out of the NORAD facility in Colorado Springs, and putting an end to the corrupt Coloradoan government as led by the governor. The Colorado operation was coming to a head too rapidly for their taste. So, they were attempting to delay the coming public crisis revolving around the governor by holding back the most damning of their findings. That would be revealed after they had recovered the Swiss ransom.

The confluence of the two operations ending at about the same time was not their choice. They were still hoping that NORAD would run just a normal pickup and would believe that internal traitors were at work against them. They believed that the critical time for the NORAD operation would come one month later in April.

Together with Jock and Hank, Mac created three potent Wilizy forces to recover the ransom. Jock's group was currently stationed on the east side of the North American continent. He had the most lethal Wilizy warriors under his command. These were Lucas, Mathias, TG, Theo, and William. Joining them would be Wolf and Reese if the undercover spies in Zurich pulled out.

Hank's forces were situated above Minnesota. Under his command were Yolanda, Yollie, Wanda, Kashmira, Nary, and Melissa. You'll have noticed the gender imbalance in both Jock and Hank's forces. More about that later.

Mac's forces were placed in Colorado. She had the largest contingent with twelve Wilizy including herself. Bean and Cowboy were operating independently in Denver, but Mac could pull them into her group as needed. Bean and Cowboy were not proficient in sling weaponry but would be armed with their sniper rifles. The members of her group were: Doc, Granny, Wizard, Dreamer, Marie, Winnie, Stu, Momaka, and Maddy. Also included were Lylah and Lohla who also were not proficient in sling weaponry. You'll notice that Mac's group was mostly composed of non-battle oriented Wilizy. That's because they would not likely be asked to attack an enemy force.

Let's look at how these groups would be deployed if the operation turned out to be a straight ransom pick up job.

Mac's group was essentially put together for surveillance purposes. They would see the ransom collection copters leave the NORAD base and some of them would accompany them to Minnesota where Hank's group would take over escort duties. Others under Mac's group had other duties, which I'll discuss later. Hank's group would escort the copters to the eastern seaboard, where Jock's group would take over. Jock's group would accompany them to Zurich and stand idly by if NORAD's sole purpose was to collect the ransom package. However, if the copters had been ordered to pick up the ransom and then destroy Zurich, Jock had the personnel to shoot the copters down instantaneously. No word would get back to NORAD. That wouldn't be the end of the battles with NORAD but the loss of their copters could be a decisive blow to them.

On their way back to Colorado, if they were still looking at a routine pick up and return operation, Jock's group would accompany the copters to Minnesota where they would join up with Hank's group. Depending on the strength of the NORAD's forces, they would force the copters down, take the ransom, and paint another picture of treachery. If they couldn't paint a picture of treachery, they'd let the copters land at the NORAD base. Lucas would enter the base covertly along with Mac and Maddy, and they'd recover the ransom that way, again by planting evidence that NORAD had traitors.

Now, let me describe the special contingencies. You may wonder what Melissa had dreamt up to counter the nuclear threat if such a threat materialized? If the strike were to be done via a nuclear bomb dropped from a high altitude over Switzerland, then the Wilizy would know of the threat when the aircraft carrying the bomb left the NORAD base. This kind of aircraft would need enhanced power to get high enough to drop the bomb without incinerating its occupants. The Wilizy could destroy that aircraft easily in flight over a deserted area.

William had assumed that if nuclear weapons were going to be involved, an intercontinental missile fired from a hidden silo in Colorado would deliver the bomb. To counter the intercontinental missile threat, William had equipped a number of slings with additional power that would allow the owners to not only fly faster than the missile, but they had the power to down it from a distance if they had not identified it early enough. The plan was to destroy the missile over the Atlantic.

The plan relied on determining NORAD's plans early. All of Mac's forces were to conduct surveillance over Colorado, not only to discover conventional forces leaving the NORAD base but also to look for missile silos with open lids. If they discovered this in time, they had the weaponry to laser the inside of the silo and destroy the missile before it launched. They didn't expect to get that kind of warning. Instead, they'd see the missile launch. Mac was wearing one of William's slings that could match the speed of anything that NORAD put into the air. She was the designated Wilizy to follow and catch up to the missile if possible. At the very least, she would identify the missile's route and pass that information forward to Hank's group located in the middle of the country.

Hank had an especially powerful sling as well. Forewarned, he would follow the missile to the coast where he would turn the surveillance over to Jock's group, all of whom were equipped with booster packs on their slings, so to speak. They'd shoot the missile down over the Atlantic. NORAD would never hear what had happened and would assume that the missile had failed. Such a failure would be quite probable as it had been decades at least since U.S. forces of any kind had launched an intercontinental weapon. Who knew how well they had been maintained over the years?

Back to the Table of Contents

# Chapter 36

Monday, March 21. The Wilizy were now under battle communication protocols. William had set up four communications networks. _Colorado Group_ refers to Mac's team, _Minnesota Group_ is Hank's group, and _Swiss Group_ is Jock's group. _Command Group_ is a communications network that allowed Mac, Hank, Jock and Melissa (battle strategist) to communicate privately. It was now midnight in Denver, which made it 8 am Swiss time.

### # # # # # # # #

_Momaka to Colorado Group: I am watching four copters leaving NORAD on an easterly heading. I'm assuming two men in each copter. It's too dark for me to see the ranks of the pilots._

_Mac to Colorado Group: Anything unusual in terms of armaments, Momaka?_

_Momaka to Colorado Group: No._

_Doc to Colorado Group: Hold everything. More copters are coming out of the mountain._

_..._

_Doc to Colorado Group: That should be the last of them to take off. I count four copters already in the air and twelve more following. That's their entire fleet of attack copters according to Cassie's inventory. Some of them had more than rapid-fire machine guns sticking out of their fuselages._

_Mac to Colorado Group: The more advanced attack copters will have four rocket launchers attached to their under carriages. These have to be placed in position before take off. Once all four have been fired, they'll rely on conventional weaponry._

_Stu to Colorado Group: Cassie's list had four bigger copters. I saw all four of those take off. What about these?_

_Mac to Colorado Group: These are gunships capable of firing short-range missiles along with the four rockets. Conventional weaponry allows these gunships to fire from port and starboard, fore and aft. They may have grenade launchers on board or a store of handheld bombs. They are killing machines. They don't have the speed of the attack copter but they have up to ten times the firing power. The battle commander will generally ride in a gunship._

_Doc to Colorado Group: Looks like they are throwing just about everything they have into this attack._

_Mac to Colorado Group: Yes, they're sending everything except the troop carriers. I have to report in with Hank and Jock._

### # # # # # # # #

_Hank to Command Group: Is that all that's coming my way, Mac?_

_Mac to Command Group: Yes. We're estimating their entire force will arrive over Zurich eight hours after departure. That would be 4 pm Zurich time and 8 am Denver time._

_Hank to Command Group: We'll follow them across the Atlantic and coordinate with Jock as we approach Zurich._

_Jock to Command Group: Best if I joined up with you earlier. They have exposed almost their entire copter force. Strategically, we can cripple them over the ocean, but we can't guarantee that no messages will be sent back to Denver._

_Mac to Command Group: A message that they are under attack could trigger a nuclear attack. They'll assume the threat came from Switzerland somehow and will retaliate._

_Hank to Command: We have the capability to shoot down the missiles._

_Mac to Command Group: Not when our entire striking force is in the mid-Atlantic. We need time to find the missiles, get close, and then shoot it down from close range. They have twelve nukes inside the mountain and who knows how many in silos. We won't get them all._

_Jock to Command Group: I agree on the high risk of many casualties. We need to tweak the plan given that they are sending all of their air assets._

_Hank to Command Group: Plus we'd be attacking without warning from invisibility._

_Mac to Command Group: William would call that dry gulching._

_Hank to Command Group: We can't let that attack group destroy Zurich. Melissa, have you been listening in?_

_Melissa to Command Group: Yes, I've been following the discussion._

_Jock to Command Group: Strategy suggestion, Melissa?_

_Melissa to Command Group: When they're in mid-Atlantic, have Switzerland send them a warning that their armed forces are aware of the path of the attack group. Warn them to turn around now or face the consequences. If they don't turn around immediately, Switzerland will shoot down one of the attack copters. A laser through the engine will make a good explosion. That way they've been warned. Wolf is in Zurich and he can send the message._

_Mac to Command Group: Their undercover agents will have told them that Switzerland has no armed forces._

_Melissa to Command Group: The message should reference Switzerland's secret air force._

_Jock to Command Group: That should work. A random thought. If NORAD wanted to destroy Zurich, they could make a sneak attack while we're watching their main group. One nuke would take out the entire country. Mac, you have the sling power to stop that. Make sure your people are looking for opening silos._

_Mac to Command Group: We have two Wilizy sailing ships overhead. I'll get them looking for sudden heat signatures too._

### # # # # # # # #

Two hours into the operation. It's now 2 am in Denver and 10 am in Zurich.

_Wolf to Swiss Group: The undercover agents have left their apartment and are in line at the copter bus terminal with tickets for Geneva. Drones in their apartment have revealed that they have packed everything and will not be returning. Reese and I will follow._

_Jock to Swiss Group: Will they have time to get out of Switzerland before 4 pm?_

_Wolf to Swiss Group: They have plenty of time._

_Jock to Swiss Group: We need eyes on the agents and eyes on the pickup._

_Wolf to Swiss Group: I'll take the agents and Reese will watch the pickup._

### # # # # # # # #

We don't know exactly when the conversation below took place. We believe it was around two and half hours into the operation. That would make it 2:30 am in Denver and 10:30 am in Zurich. We know that the conversation took place in the Mile High Stadium but it was not captured on any bot.

The Wilizy never did fully identify the two men having the conversation. They did have physical descriptions. Both were average height and perhaps middle aged or younger. They wore black suits with a white shirt and a black tie. They had black shoes of some kind, probably not cowboy boots. In the sunlight, they might be seen with a black Stetson. They'd definitely be wearing sunglasses. Government records on them might have existed, but you'd need names to pull those records up. The Wilizy didn't have their names. I'll refer to them as _Frick_ and _Frack_.

Frick and Frack were sitting in the second tier of stands watching the big screens and the full confessions that had been broadcast over them. They had been in the stadium on Sunday night and had remained after the fireworks show. Other spectators had remained as well. With fifty confessions on a loop, only the very dedicated spectators would want to watch all of the detailed confessions. These two spectators qualified as being very dedicated. Confession #49 was on the screen.

"Have you seen enough?" Frick asked.

"Let's see them all," Frack replied.

"Do we know who is behind this?"

"The lawyer guy that Swensen was meeting in his mansion, for sure."

"The guy we can't find."

"Not for lack of trying. All we have is his voice."

"Swensen's two daughters have disappeared now."

"They can't be in Colorado Springs or Denver. People would remember them."

"So three people are doing all of this?"

"Don't forget the native prostitute and her pimp."

"The one Sully couldn't find. Useless undercover guy. Absolutely useless."

"He's missing now."

"Could he have squealed?"

"He didn't know anything to squeal about."

"Five or six people then and there's an aboriginal connection."

"That means New Mexico?"

"Possibly. That's where the sheriff went. Coincidence?"

"Perhaps. The guy that replaced him is just as dangerous. He used to work here before. No chance of bribing him."

"Is he part of the group we're looking for?"

"I don't see how. He was working in some gawd-foresaken place called Toronto."

"How do we stop these people if we can't find them first?"

"I don't know. I do know these confessions aren't going to help us. Whoever is doing this is tying a rope around the governor's neck. It'll be yanked tight soon."

"Means we don't have much time to act."

"Do you remember the screen that came at the end on Sunday night?"

"Yeah, they knew some stuff about the governor. Facts nobody knew."

"There's something there that bothered me at the time."

"What? The governor's real name?"

"No. You and I know it, others could too. They might have found it in some court records when he got jailed."

"What bothered you?"

"His birthdate. How'd they find that out? We never knew it."

"The governor's father would know."

"Do you think he told them?"

"It's a two hour copter ride in the dark to Sacramento."

"We've made that trip many times before."

"Puts us in there at 3:30 am Sacramento time."

"That'll make it easy to find Popovich. He's bound to be home."

Back to the Table of Contents

# Chapter 37

Three hours into the operation. It's 3 am in Denver and 11 am in Switzerland.

_Wolf to Swiss Group: The two undercover agents have landed in Geneva. They collected their luggage and are currently in a paddleboat steering towards the paddleboat that's holding the ransom._

_Reese to Swiss Group: They have anchored nearby. I see some small arms in the bottom of the boat._

_Wolf to Swiss Group: Before they left the copter bus terminal, they bought two tickets to Liechtenstein._

_Jock to Swiss Group: Wasn't Liechtenstein the country that almost became part of Switzerland when we were there?_

_TG to Swiss Group: They were. Cassie and Doc fouled up the plans. Liechtenstein left in a huff. The country is very wealthy._

_Mathias to Swiss Group: Sounds like NORAD could be shifting targets._

_Theo to Swiss Group: If so, that would take the nuclear threat off the table. If they nuke Switzerland, they'd be nuking Liechtenstein as well. They're right next to each other._

_Jock to Swiss Group: Or, the agents are clearing out of Switzerland so they won't be harmed by a non-nuclear attack. Remember the copter force working its way across the U.S. I'll notify Command Group of the development but it's too early to form any conclusions._

### # # # # # # # #

Three and a half hours into the operation. It's 3:30 am in Denver and 11:30 am in Switzerland.

_Hank to Command Group: Jock and I are watching NORAD's entire copter force land in a deserted meadow in the northeast corner of Newfoundland._

_Jock to Command Group: Looks like a pee break._

_Hank to Command Group: New personnel are entering the four attack copters that took off first. All of these men are officers. Some are high ranking. They're going to make sure the ransom is picked up._

_Jock to Command Group: That would also explain why they have guards near the paddleboat in Geneva. I see no signs of any imminent departures of the rest of their task force. They may be delaying so that they can attack in darkness._

_Hank to Command Group: We'll watch and rest here. Jock's group is following the four copters to Switzerland._

### # # # # # # # #

Four and a half hours into the operation. This action took place in Sacramento where it was 3:30 am.

Frick: "No sign of him. He didn't even lock his door."

Frack: "That suggests a hasty exit."

"Who would warn him? Only you, I, and the governor knew where his father was living. We didn't warn him and the governor has been staying close to his mansion."

"Does the governor have any other problem fixers on staff besides us?"

"Not now. Not that I know of, at least."

"Could his father have stayed over night with one of his groupies?"

"He's not getting much action these days. They'd have to be groupies from out of town, and how would they find him? He's not doing any of his tours. He likes his soft bed too much."

"That soft bed wasn't slept in. The food in the larder and refrigerator were all fresh."

"Still suggesting a sudden exit."

"He has no copter."

"He could have borrowed one."

"He's an old white man living in California. Who would lend him a copter?"

"We know somebody."

"Let's look there."

### # # # # # # # #

Five hours into the operation. This action took place in Newfoundland where it is 9 am.

_Hank to Battle Command: NORAD's main forces are in a makeshift camp and most are sleeping. They have sentries posted._

_Jock to Battle Command: We're on course to arrive in Geneva on time. Nothing to report._

_Mac to Battle Command: Sounds like the nuclear option is off the table. My group will need rest. We need to be sharp for a 4 pm anticipated return arrival time in Colorado. Maddy needs sleep for sure. I'll have Marie put us to sleep in shifts._

_Hank to Battle Command: We'll rest as well._

### # # # # # # # #

Five and a half hours into the operation. This action took place in Sacramento where it is 4:30 am.

Frick: "I don't like this burn mark on the side of house."

Frack: "We could break in. See who's here."

"We're not supposed to know about this house."

"We weren't supposed to know about his father's house either. Aren't we glad that we do?"

"The governor actually though that when he was on his so-called hunting trips that we'd stay in the mountains and hunt for him so that he could come back with trophies. He didn't think that we'd discover what he was really doing."

"Part of protecting him is to know where he is at all times."

"Part of protecting ourselves is to know what secrets he has."

"This burn mark on this outside wall is trouble."

"The burn is cold."

"But not weathered. See how easily the ashes on the wall fall off?"

"Any kind of stiff breeze would have blown some off."

"The towels that somebody used to beat the flames are still here."

"So, it's a recent burn and it was intended to bring the inhabitants out in a rush."

"And while they're outside beating on the flames with wet towels, somebody is inside looking around."

"We know what they found."

"It's right out in the open."

"They would have taken pictures of it."

"Because that's what we did."

"And the father has disappeared."

"Not a willing disappearance. He was snatched."

"Yup."

"We have no time to nose around looking for witnesses to this fire."

"No point. We'll never find the father in time to silence him. He's already talked. We know where those pictures are going to end up."

"Mile High Stadium."

"We have one chance to save the Governor."

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# Chapter 38

Eight hours into the operation. It's 8:00 am in Denver and 4 pm in Switzerland.

_Jock to Command Group: The ransom has been picked up without incident and the four copters are on their way southwest. The undercover spies are leaving now for Liechtenstein. It's a small place. We won't have any difficulty finding them again if we need to._

_Hank to Command Group: Nothing to report here. Their camp is awake and moving around, but we've seen no signs of an imminent departure. They have about five hours to wait. We're in lounge mode too._

_Mac to Command Group: Nothing to report here either. We have eight hours to wait so I've given Wizard and Dreamer more time to develop their evening performance for the Mile High Stadium. Momaka has gone back home to help Liset take care of the kiddies. Lylah and Lohla are taking target practice over Montana with Dreamer's help._

### # # # # # # # #

Twelve hours into the operation. NORAD's four copters are one hour away from landfall in Newfoundland. In Denver, it's 12 noon and Governor John Elway the Fourth is addressing the citizens of the state. All media outlets were covering it live, having been warned an hour earlier, that the governor would refute all of the allegations that had been lodged against him. Here's his full statement.

_To all of my loyal citizens: I can tell you that all of the claims that you heard in the Mile High Fake News sessions have been fabricated or are outright lies. I am in the process of obtaining proof of this, but I wanted to reassure you all that I am on the job and actively protecting you. What is happening right now is nothing less than an attempt by Coloradoan enemies to take over our government. These enemies may exist in neighbouring states, but they are helped by traitors who operate deep within our own government in order to strike down the most effective and popular state government Colorado has ever had. They can't beat our government at the voting booths, so they are attempting to take over our government by lies, threats, intimidation, and even wide ranging assassinations._

_Let me address the supposed confessions of all fifty of our elected representatives. Did you notice how closely the camera was focused on our representatives? That was deliberate because if they had taken a long-range shot, you would have seen a member of the representative's family with a knife to his or her throat. Those fake confessions were coerced. They were all lies that some very brave people had to tell to satisfy some very sick people. Sadly, even though they lied as convincingly as they could, these subversive elements within our society killed them and their families after the taping was complete. They were brutally tortured and assassinated by sociopathic creatures who think nothing of using force, intimidation, and murders to overthrow a democratic government that has been elected for the people and by the people._

_You may ask how I know about the coerced confessions. One brave man managed to escape and made his way to my mansion to ask for help. In spite of watching his children and wife die in front of him, he still had the bravery to escape from his restraints while bleeding excessively from knife wounds that were intended to kill him slowly. He wants to tell his story. He's under protective custody right now and is receiving extensive medical care. I cannot give you his name because he has aunts, uncles, parents, and cousins still in the state. We are moving now to put them under a secure protective screen. Once everybody in his family is safe, we'll release his statement even if he dies from his wounds. That is his wish. He wants you to know the real truth, not the fake truth._

_If you think about it, how realistic is it for the entire fifty members of our government to suddenly confess to crimes that they say that they committed and that I was part of when no complaint of substance had ever been lodged against me or my government or them? And now, forty-nine members have all disappeared, along with their families. Let me repeat: the entire legislature cannot be found. Their homes are empty. It's clear that they have been killed, transported somewhere, and are buried - probably in a mass unmarked grave. Most of these men were family loving white supremacists. You can't find any better people than that. They didn't deserve to die._

_I believe that most of the tortures and deaths were committed by people who oppose our faith in the value of a white-only society. These could be Californians or they could be New Mexicans. We have some evidence that citizens of both of those states are trying to undermine our democracy. I will be talking with the US military forces in Colorado Springs to help us combat these state sponsored terrorists. I am also personally on the trail of two men who I have discovered to be deep state assassins hidden within our own government. It saddens me that our security forces had not been able to expose these two men before. But their actions in committing, or being part of, the assassination of almost all of our government has given us a trail we can follow. You can expect further news about these two assassins soon._

_I caution all citizens about attending events at Mile High Stadium. You'll notice that nobody has ever seen the people promoting these events. Why not? The answer is because they're coloured. They have a computer voice listing all of the supposed crimes. Why? Because their real voices would have an accent that would immediately disclose their heritage. Nobody has been seen going in or out of the Mile High media control room. Why not? Because their whole performance of lies is being streamed from New Mexico or California. We can't let our enemies win. The coloureds are attacking our very way of life. Do not believe anything you hear from Mile High. You can believe what you hear from me. I will save us all._

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# Chapter 39

Thirteen hours into the operation. The four NORAD copters were approaching Newfoundland. Jock's group was trailing them in. Hank's group was in the air waiting to see if the main NORAD force would attack Switzerland during the night.

_Mac to Command Group: What's happening out there?_

_Hank to Command Group: NORAD's main forces have struck camp and are awaiting the four copters. Their personnel are already in their copters and ready to leave. We assume the two groups have been communicating through short wave transmissions._

_Jock to Command Group: We're two minutes out of Newfoundland._

_Hank to Command Group: The main NORAD force is taking off and heading east to Switzerland._

_Mac to Command Group: Jock, you'll have turn around too and follow them. Hank can you spare any sling Warriors?_

_Jock to Command Group: That won't be necessary. We have superior speed and weaponry. We can strike when they're out of radio range of each other and Colorado Springs._

_Hank to Command Group: We'll down the four copters as soon as conditions warrant._

_Hank to Command Group: Hold everything. The main force is forming up behind the four copters and is now heading towards Colorado. This is a protective force, not an attacking force._

_Jock to Command Group: Hank's group will fly above NORAD's forces. My group will take up position behind. Let's see what kind of defensive shell they're going to form._

### # # # # # # # #

It's still thirteen hours into the operation but we're now in Denver where it is 1 pm. Frick and Frack were attempting to withdraw the contents of their bank accounts. Sadly, the process for closing accounts of such wealth was time consuming and required the local bank manager to get permission from her boss in Switzerland. They'd have to wait a week or two. This delay prompted the two assassins to have a conversation that may have gone something like this.

"This puts us on the run with no money."

"The governor is not going to wait long before naming us and showing our government ID pictures."

"He warned us at noon. How long do you think we have?"

"Mile High Stadium will be full tonight."

"He'll want to get our pictures and names out before that to divert attention from him. We'll become the targets. Not him."

"We may have until 4 pm or 5 pm."

"Two or three hours to escape. It's enough."

"It doesn't seem right that we should become outlaws for doing exactly what he ordered us to do. We're running and hiding with no money; meanwhile he'll tell NORAD how to find us."

"We could tell everybody that we were just following his orders."

"We can't prove that. Nobody will hear us anyway. The army will shoot to kill. He has links to people inside the mountain."

"Why don't we just assassinate the governor before he releases information on us?"

"Not enough time. Besides, it would be a suicide run."

"He's going to use us to distract attention from him. Why don't we use him to distract attention from us? We can use our insurance policy."

"Once we're out of the state, people wouldn't have any reason to pursue us."

"And we know where he will run when people see our insurance policy."

"He's a very wealthy man."

"I think we deserve a bonus."

### # # # # # # # #

Fourteen hours into the operation. The NORAD forces continued their flight to Colorado Springs where it was 2 pm. Estimated arrival time was 4 pm.

Jock had called off any attempt to recover the ransom by downing the copter transporting it. They knew exactly which copter was carrying the ransom because Wolf had marked it. Even with the ransom copter identified, the operation to recover the funds was far too dangerous. Jock had six aggressive and skilled sling Warriors going up against sixteen NORAD copters. Subtlety was not going to work. Shooting all sixteen down suddenly was not going to work. Both Mac and Hank agreed that the infiltration plan was better.

Lucas was sent ahead to Colorado so that he could join Mac and Maddy who were already inside the NORAD base and hidden close to where the copters would be parked. Lucas would identify the ransom carrying copter for Maddy. The weight of the gold and jewels was no longer an issue. William had created an electronic pallet in which Maddy could envelop the two backpacks and lift the packs without effort. She had had ample training on doing this during the day.

In Denver, Frack and Frick were climbing the stairs up to the media control room. The stadium was mostly deserted. About a hundred citizens were scattered throughout the stands watching the confessions.

"The control room door is locked."

"Not for long."

Nobody in the stands noticed the noise of a locked door being splintered open.

"Well, looky-looky."

"What?"

"The governor was wrong. The confessions aren't being streamed from outside of the state. They're all on this storage bot."

"It'll be easy to switch bots."

"We'll need to leave quietly."

"The back stairways will work."

"Don't forget to take the bot with the confessions."

"Why. We won't need it. Our bot will take care of the governor."

"Make the switch."

"Done."

...

Below in the stands, one man put his elbow into his friend sitting next to him. "Are you seeing this?"

"Birthday party of some kind."

"Look closer."

**"Nice birthday party, Governor."**

Back to the Table of Contents

# Chapter 40

Fifteen hours into the operation. It was 3 pm in Colorado Springs. The mood of the personnel going in and out of the mountain was upbeat. The task force was scheduled to arrive on time and had succeeded in whatever mission it was that they were running. For most of the men engaged in servicing the military's vehicles and aircraft, this is the first time in recent memory that such a large force had been engaged in some type of operation. For the senior officers sitting in their command center, the news via short wave radio from the task force was a reason to cheer. Nobody had tried to force the copters down and great wads of gold and jewels would soon be stored away carefully and secretly. It was also a reason to frown. They now had reasonable proof that their problems lived inside of the mountain. Senior officers would have to be part of the next round of extortion. The men needed to be kept busier. They needed challenges. In practice, this meant that would use their training to extort wealth from more countries. Liechtenstein was next. After that? Perhaps London. Command devised the necessary plans on how the task force would land and then went back to looking at global maps.

In Denver, more and more people were streaming into Mile High Stadium not only by foot but also by copter. The football field was becoming an overcrowded copter parking lot. If there were going to be any barbecuing, the object turning on the spit wouldn't have four legs.

By 3:15, the number of angry citizen had reached critical mass of several hundred raging white supremacists. They had been betrayed by a man who had pretended to be John Elway the Fourth. They had been betrayed by a man who clearly was not a white supremacist, but was likely an agent of the ungodly.

Their poof was indisputable. It looped every minute on the big screen. Videos of a happy family at a birthday celebration. The father of the family was their governor. The two children referred to him as papá. They referred to the mother as mamá. The daughter, approximately eight years old, answered to the name _Estrella_. The birthday boy was five years old on the day of the celebration as confirmed by the candles on the cake. The happy birthday song referred to him as Alejandro. All four family members sang that birthday song in Spanish. The skin colour of three of the four family members? Brown.

The mob streamed to their copters and lifted off. The sounds of shotguns being cocked rang out ominously over the silence of electrical engines at work. The mass of copters circled over the stadium and then headed out to the governor's mansion at about 3:30. They didn't have far to fly. Those that didn't have copters ran through the streets, picking up others along the way. Naturally, all were armed.

### # # # # # # # #

The plan for landing the NORAD fleet made a sense. Military logic ensures that everything they do must make sense. The copters that would be used the least or would need the most storage room were ordered to land first so that they could be parked well inside the mountain. The copters that saw the most use would be parked close to the security gate that closed off all entrance to the mountain tunnels. Thus, the four copters that had been involved in the pick up of the ransom were the last to circle in to the base's landing zone. Parking personnel efficiently pulled/wheeled the four copters into the mountain where Mac, Lucas and Maddy were waiting in exactly the right anteroom. The copter with Wolf's mark was the last to enter.

Lucas was in charge of creating the diversion and had a series of smoke grenade poised to explode. Smoke grenades are used in battles when the defenders or attackers want to mask their movements from their enemy. Frequently the use of smoke is a prelude of a sneak attack. Today, the from these grenades would completely fill the area from the front most parking spot right to and out of the external gate. Naturally, the Wilizy's infiltration trio was invisible and would remain invisible as they exited. But, that entry gate was busy with people coming and going. Copter tractors were entering and leaving. The Wilizy would be invisibly exiting, but some form of personal contact was still likely. The smoke would create confusion and it was unlikely that some soldier who felt somebody brushing by them would remember this or think anything of it. NORAD had ample stores of smoke grenades. When the smoke had cleared, and the ransom backpacks had disappeared along with the smoke, NORAD traitors would be blamed again. Right now, Lucas was waiting for Mac's signal.

Mac was hovering over the parked copter that held the ransom. The officer that had been assigned to guard the backpacks was still inside the copter. The other officer who had been assigned to watch over the guard was exiting the copter and carefully keeping an eye on the backpacks as he had been ordered to do. In exiting backwards, he wasn't aware of the invisible danger lurking behind him. Mac gave him a good solid thump with her truncheon, which is a collapsible baton that could deliver a stunning soundless blow when used properly. The officer fell backwards suddenly and landed on the ground with a grunt. The backpack guard did what any person would do. He scrambled forward to see what had happened. When his head poked out of the copter door, Mac struck again. Maddy entered the copter and began using William's electronic pallet to enclose the two backpacks. To do this she had to roll each backpack onto the pallet. They were heavy but manageable. Meanwhile Mac was dragging the two unconscious bodies into a dark corner.

_I'm ready, Mom._

_Lucas, we're ready._

Lucas was positioned so that he could see the amount of traffic still coming into the tunnels. With all the copters now parked, that traffic was minimal but there were still military personnel swirling around in the space between Mac and Maddy and the exit. Another minute would see that swirl of people disappear into the tunnels.

_Wait one minute, Mac._

In that one minute, the situation outside the gate changed dramatically. A white, non-military copter landed at high speed, bounced a few times and ended up immobile right in front of the gate. The governor of Colorado jumped out of the copter and ran inside, yelling out "Close the gates. Close the gates. You're under attack."

The sentries posted at the sides of the entrance saw a horde of copters landing and men with weapons exiting and charging towards the tunnel entrance. A man with a shotgun dropped to one knee, aimed, and pulled two triggers simultaneously. The white copter absorbed most of the pellets, but shuddered with the impact. It was now much more air conditioned than it had been before. The sentries at the gate had been well trained. As emergency sirens echoed throughout the tunnels, fire door after fire door closed automatically. All lights went dark and red emergency lighting took over.

An authoritative voice boomed out over the din inside. "Quiet! We are now in Lockdown level 4. Go to your stations."

The din undinned. Lucas took charge of the Wilizy contingent that was now locked inside the NORAD fortress.

_Maddy, leave the backpacks inside the copter, take the electronic pallet with you and go back to your hiding spot. Mac, help her. I'll be there soon._

...

_Lucas to Command Group: Acknowledge please._

...

_Lucas to Command Group: Acknowledge please._

...

_Lucas to Command Group: Acknowledge please._

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# Books in the Wilizy series

As of November 2019, there were twenty novels in the Wilizy series. Check below to see if you've missed any.

**Book #1: I Got'cha**

If you think being a teenager in today's world is tough, try being one in 2081. In Alberta's It's Only Fair society, your brain-band will zap you just for chewing with your mouth open. One boy pried his brain-band off to see what living with emotions would be like. Being chased by the entire Alberta army was bad enough. It became worse when another 15 year old kid offered to help him escape.

**Book #2: The Get-Even Bird**

Will and Izzy are forced to flee from Zzyk's army. After months away from Alberta, they fly their sailing ship into B.C. thinking that they would be safe there. Bad mistake! Izzy is captured. All Will has to do to save her life is turn himself in for a free brain-band fitting appointment. That's what happens when you wear a Zorro costume to a dance.

**Book #3: Assassination Day**

A DPS technician offers to defect if the Wilizy will rescue his daughter from _The Citadel_ – some super smart military people who are friends with Zzyk. Izzy thinks that their new recruit is an assassin, but Yollie insists that he's a decent man. Can assassins be decent men? It will take a hair-raising experience to find out.

**Book #4: Hoist the Jolly Lucas**

It's bad enough that Zzyk pins the blame for two assassinations on Izzy and launches a full out assault on their home compound. But then, another enemy takes advantage of a security lapse to get revenge for a war that happened 20 years ago. The Wilizy are left reeling with two key members kidnapped and stashed where they can't be found, let alone rescued. For the family to survive, everybody must enter the battle. The story is as much about the past as it is about the present.

**Book #5: Teenage Mutant Ninja Torpedoes** (Yes, this is a Wilizy book.)

Mac disappears and doesn't want to be found. Will and Wolf use time-travel to search for her and discover secrets she wouldn't want them to know. The Alaskans attack when Will is finding out what happens to a submarine's air when it is lying helpless on the ocean floor. Between the Alaskans' impenetrable fortress and their bubblegum weapons, life is going to get a little sticky for the Wilizy.

**Book #6: Bob, the Invisible Dragon**

Raging hormones as well as Raging Gardeners play key roles when young Wilizy warriors are attacked and the Wilizy's scientific marvels offer no protection. The youngsters' future will rely on a different kind of warrior protecting them. Warning: events at the end of the story will move quickly. They certainly won't _drag on_.

**Book #7: Nary, Nary, Quite Contrary**

Theo and Lucas move to Toronto to live on their own. Both meet girls but neither is brave enough to introduce his new friend to the family. They wouldn't have the time anyway, what with villains trying to assassinate them and Voodoo royalty greeting them as though they were Voodoo gods. At the end of the story, Lucas receives a surprise Boxing Day gift that leaves him speechless.

**Book #8: Maddy's a Baddy**

Maddy had escaped from Big Momma only to find herself all alone in the cold and begging for food in Eastern Canada. While she's trying to return to her home in Seattle, the Wilizy have their own problems. Everybody in the family is intent on bringing the judge to justice for what he did to Lucas. It would have been so easy for them to rescue Maddy, but they didn't know anything about her.

**Book #9: Bite Me!**

Spurred on by Marie's desire to eat a meal with her former slave masters, the Wilizy plan to put Safe Haven ranches out of business. In the process, they encounter two foreign assassins intent on abducting Maddy. Theo and Nary become closer but a red-eyed chaperone does not approve. The Wilizy's war with Safe Haven starts with a bang but ends with a whimper.

**Book #10: Wheelchair Moccasins!**

A 13 year old girl pretends to turn to prostitution to gain her freedom from her crime boss father. In Wilizy family news, Winnie agrees not to meddle in Mathias' love life. No, the world isn't ending, so long as you don't have a green vegetable for your name. Best advice ever? If somebody wearing moccasins and sitting in a wheelchair offers to sing you to sleep... run!

**Book #11: Trial by Nick**

After the Scandinavians attack their home base, Winnie develops an idea for defeating Crown Prince Wilhelm that is a dramatic departure from their normal military battles. In their personal lives, the Toronto teenagers have to become schnobs to keep their basketball futures alive, Lucas and Lylah begin dating, and two of EmmaGee's personalities leave her body.

**Book #12. Tickled Pink**

A man uses his unlimited wealth and power to assault women without fear of legal consequences. If they object, he'll humiliate them publicly and ruin their lives. If they don't stand up to him, their lives as they knew them will be over. But how do you fight a man who is above the law? Here's how. The Raging Gardeners help the women while Winnie attacks him where he isn't looking.

**Book #13: Second Base**

Granny and Doc enjoy a spirited life in their new Australian house while Bean has to adjust to her mother joining her in the Wilizy cadet camp. She meets a charming man with country pumpkin witticisms whose entire life is dedicated to becoming a cold blooded killer. Meanwhile, Safe Haven's impenetrable offices aren't as safe as they thought they were.

**Book #14: Old Stone Face**

Bean moves to Toronto with her sheriff who takes a job as a private detective. Before long, he's trying to bring a mad scientist to justice - the same man that Winnie is after. With both the Wilizy and a countrified sheriff after the same man, you'd think he'd be easy to catch. Too bad there are no laws about a mad scientist killing twenty-one babies.

**Book #15: Remember the Halocracy**

Reese finds Annika - his first, and only, girl friend. For reasons that nobody fully understands, he sort of kidnaps her but she willingly accompanies him to the far side of globe. Reese figures out later that she could be trying to seduce him when in fact, she's actually going to try to kill him.

**Book #16: Coffee Can Kill Ya!**

Convincing Paula's brother to give her a proper share of her parents' estate had seemed so easy. Turned out that it wasn't so easy after all. In the Wilizy's defense, murdering extra-terrestrials that tried to kidnap a corpse created unique challenges. To their credit, the Wilizy dealt with those. But, how do you deal with something that you can't see and don't even know exists?

**Book #17: Nice Birthday Party, Governor.**

Plot twists abound as the Wilizy take on the Colorado government and the NORAD military simultaneously. Maddy quits the cadet corp to run a secret operation that ends in a one-on-one battle. Melissa breaks Reese out of jail and Cowboy shows his dramatic talents, which do not include stripping. Winnie directs two dramatic productions but only one of these involves wearing respectable clothes.

**Book #18: The Tale of the Scorpion's Tail.**

The Wilizy have to neutralize NORAD's nuclear missiles while defeating their air force without causing any casualties. A special weapon (guided bird poop) will be needed. Meanwhile, Heaven's guardian angels are under attack from within. The key to success? Rescuing a gerbil imprisoned in an escape-proof cage. Molly Moonblossom and Nympho Maniac play key roles. One of these characters is Winnie.

**Book #19: Brunhilda, the Steamroller.**

Billy Bump resurfaces and plans Maddy's death. Winnie accepts a secret mission but runs afoul of Yolanda, who is sure that she has a boyfriend. Yolanda's vision that Winnie will be attacked comes true. Demonic infiltrators into Heaven escape detection when the steamroller named Brunhilda prosecutes Arthur and finds him guilty. This time, he won't be going back to guardian angel school.

**Book #20: Lock Up Your Corn Starch!**

While Paula, Winnie and Arthur are on a perilous mission for Heaven, the Wilizy family is trying to rescue Charlie and Sheila from prison. Wilizy forces battle demented escaped convicts intent on slaughtering innocent victims to help a brown supremacist politician win an election. If you're intent on going to Hell when you die, be sure to read this book for a preview of what's waiting for you.

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# About the Author

David J. Wighton is a retired educator who enjoys writing youth novels when he's not on a basketball court coaching middle-school girls. The books in his Wilizy series peek at how people lived after the word's governments collapsed in the chaos that followed the catastrophic rise in ocean levels and the disappearance of the world's last deposits of oil.

Wighton's novels have strong teenage characters driving the plot and facing challenges that, in many respects, are no different from what teenagers face today. His novels are intended to entertain and readers will find adventure, romance, suspense, humour, a strong focus on family, plus a touch of whimsy. Wighton also writes to provoke a little thought about life in today's societies and what the future might bring. Teachers may find the series useful in the classroom and the novels are priced with that intent in mind.

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