The End of the Beginning

A detachment of five guardsmen were standing watch outside the exterior lobby doors to ISAF Headquarters when Jake and William arrived. Immediately upon seeing them the guardsmen stopped them. One of them stepped forward as the detachments leader.

“Come with me, now,” she said strictly.

The female guardsman led the group inside with William and Jake set in between the remaining four. Cleaning crews were still drying out the lobby and hallway the two had escaped from earlier in the night. Every ISAF guardsmen they passed took a double look on them.

When they got to Hernandez’s office they entered it without even knocking. The lead female guardsman walked right up to his desk and said, “Sir, we found them.” Then she stepped off to the side.

The other four stayed behind Jake and William, each with their hands on their guns. Hernandez looked up from his glass tablet, leaned back in his chair, and sighed. He then put his glass tablet down and crossed his hands over his stomach. William didn’t wait for the worst.

“Chief, before you say anything you need to know something right now. We found something, something pointing to an imminent threat. It’s why we came back. Base Commander Hammond deleted all of your investigation files along with Samir’s autopsy report. I have evidence - ” “I know,” said Hernandez.

Jake and William looked at each other with surprise. “You know, sir?”

“Yes. The knowledge comes with an apology to you, Captain. You were right. I was wrong. We discovered the deletions about five hours ago. It is clear evidence that she has been trying to sway this investigation to her own agenda, an agenda that is dangerous to us all. You were right; she is a Terra Novan terrorist who has some how managed to infiltrate one of the highest positions in this organization.” William still had a look of surprise. “Um, wow, sir. Okay. I thought you were going to arrest us,” he chuckled with a pleasant surprise.

“No. When I saw you in the hallway earlier I wasn’t going to arrest you, I was going to thank you. Pride blinded me. Clearly, I was to overcome with it to believe that this agency could be wrong… or compromised. I was filled with the same human arrogance that forced this place to be built.” Hernandez stood up and smiled. He put his hand out towards William for a handshake. William reciprocated.

“I will overlook the fact that you broke into our mortuary with the help of Guardsman Sheroff here because it has provided us with the smoking gun we were missing. We have arrested the medical examiner who just so happen to forget to document those four pretty little glowing triangles, no doubt at the orders of Hammond. You see those four symbols represent the four basic elements: water, air, fire, earth. These four symbols have been found in some way shape or form at every recorded Terra Novan attack site.” Hernandez picked up his glass tablet and showed William several photographs confirming the symbols heritage. Each photo saw the symbols made out of some material or medium, anything from burning wood to dead bodies.

“I think it’s time we put the past few days behind us Will, hmm?” said Hernandez.

“Yes, I think your right, sir,” agreed William.

“We’ve both lost people to our pasts, I’d like to not lose anymore in our future. Help me stop her. Once we do, everything will change.”

William nodded his head profusely, inspired and ready. “When do we start?” he asked with a satisfied grin.

Hernandez clapped his hands together, grabbed his glass tablet and began to march out of his office. William and everyone else just tried to keep up. The chief started divulging his plan like he had been waiting to for decades.

“We have received word that Hammond has requested for a departure from Alaska at o-three thirty hours her time. That is two days earlier than scheduled. Her staff will be leaving St. Lawrence for Anchorage within the hour, from there she will come home to Tranquility.” “Was the request denied? Shouldn’t we hold her in Alaska and take her down there?”

“The request was approved. On the contrary, keeping her there is the last thing I need right now. If she is a Terra Novan I can’t leave her there amongst almost every world leader and with officials like the director-general there all right at her fingertips. Also, I don’t want to create an international incident during this little friendly get together. Right now the world doesn’t need anymore of those. No. We allow her to come here to a controlled environment with a waiting security force ready to apprehend her and Colonel Morrison when they land sometime just before fifteen hundred hours our time.” “Woah wait,” said William, abruptly stopping the group. “Why Colonel Morrison?”

“We believe him to be a co-conspirator. The colonel and Hammond are close acquaintances.”

“What? No,” urged William. “Colonel Morrison can’t be. He’s, he’s been helping me solve this whole - ”

“Look, Will, I understand he is your friend but we have our reasons. Have you been waiting for a phone call from Colonel Morrison over the last few days?”

“Yes…” said William hesitantly.

“And have you received that phone call?”

“No.”

“Exactly. We know you instructed him to find an alternate blood sample to show Samir wasn’t on drugs. Well, now, with the arrest of our own medical examiner, we know he wasn’t. As you said, it was faked. There were no drugs in his system. Colonel Morrison doesn’t want you to know you were right. He and Hammond are waiting, buying there time until an attack. That is why we believe she is leaving Alaska early, to get out before it occurs so she is long gone before it happens.” “What are we going to do now, Chief?” asked Jake.

“Like I said, we allow her to return to the base with guardsmen waiting. We will take her and the Colonel in and begin investigating her connections and her plans.”

Hernandez began walking again down the hallway. His five guardsmen followed. William and Jake stayed behind. Before turning a corner Hernandez raised his right index finger and said, “Once again, Captain, I am sorry we did not listen to you earlier but do not worry. We will figure all of this out together now. This is only the end of the beginning!” William’s ears perked up in disbelief. “What did he just say?” he whispered to himself.