Trilogy: The Dawn's Early Light

I opened my briefcase and took out a thick file folder that contained a sheaf of papers, wrapped in rubber bands. "Somehow that was the first thing that came to my mind that you'd want."

"And they call me psychic?" said Eckhart, smiling. He took the papers to his desk, flipped on a small desk lamp that gave an eerie blue light, and began examining the papers. How he was reading them in the semi-darkness, I did not know.

"Oh, if you practice with this light and let your mind flow," said Eckhart as if he were reading my thoughts, "then you'd be able to read by this lamp also, young Donald.... now yes, I've seen all this... and this... not much original here."

"I would imagine you've seen everything I could possibly obtain," I said, "except my own personal notes, which are included with those papers."

"Yes, that's likely true." Eckhart said, "but-- oh wait, I haven't seen this. So Wargrave broke off with Oldeeds, did he? Hmmm, and that nasty little rogue CIA cell that your friend Muscone is breaking up, that was his doing. I knew some of that, but not to this extent... Ah, and your notes here are quite interesting." Eckhart read for a few minutes, then asked suddenly and quickly "Tell me, Donald, what is Wargrave going to do next?"

"He's cleaning up the mess left by Jody Corrigan's rogue cell." I said promptly, not really consciously thinking about it. "He's already cleaned out the University projects and left Dr. Heinz dead, so the next thing to do is... kill off the rogue cell people that can finger him."

"Yes, good!" Eckhart said sharply. "And who will that include?"

"The people that tried to kill me?"

"Yes. Good!" Eckhart replied again. "Don't worry, I have Mr. Gruff fully protected, but there is one more loose thread, is there not?" And then it hit me. The killer of Jonas Oldeeds. I said nothing as thoughts tore through my mind.

"Yes, she wasn't part of Corrigan's rogue outfit that tried to eliminate you, but Wargrave doesn't know that." Eckhart said.

"He's going to try to kill her?" I gasped.

"No, no." said Eckhart. "He's going to do much worse... he is going to set it up for her to be arrested by the State Bureau of Investigation, by having them find the rifle she used to kill that spawn of Satan that was Oldeeds."

"Damn, as if I don't have enough to worry about, already." I said, understanding.

"True, and there is nothing you can do for now about this." Eckhart said. "But you're now on guard against Wargrave. By the way, he hates your lovely wife immeasurably. Guard her and your children well, young Donald. Now, why don't you sit down on the couch over there, and contemplate what we've learned tonight...

I looked out the window. The ground seemed an eerie gray color, but I could see the darker ribbon of the River in the distance. Thoughts were racing through my head, tormenting me as I tried to grasp and make sense of them, trying to see where to go next...

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Not long before dawn, Eleanor was returned to me. P. Harvey Eckhart warned me to not say the trigger words in her presence until the moment they were needed. Eleanor indeed looked glassy-eyed and groggy.

We made our way down to the lobby and I got her into my car, driving back into my County without incident. I got her returned to her cell and went back to my office on the other side of the building, looking outside.

It was dawn, and I watched as objects outside began becoming visible, then brighter as the light strengthened. In a while, I could see over the enclosed parking lot, making out the Fairgrounds to my right, and buildings of Town across the street to my left. By the dawn's early light, I saw an American Flag lazily waving in the breeze in front of one of those buildings. It was the beginning of July 26th, and I tried not to let it occur to me that this might be the last dawn that I would ever see.

Part 12 - The Wait

At 10:00am I was awakened from a catnap in my office by my cellphone ringing. It was my wife Laura, asking me to come to her office. When I got there, I found that everything with the kids were fine. It was my wife that looked dazed.

"I've been ordered to go to Washington. Now. Right now!" she said, showing me the email from her direct boss. "They've already booked my flight from the City, and are sending a limo to drive me to the City."

"Did you confirm this?" I asked.

"Yes, I called him after I got the email. It's genuine, it's a direct order, it was coded correctly and everything. Whatever it is, it's big, but...

"But what?" I asked.

"How in the hell can they ask me to leave now, with your confrontation with Ned today and our children in danger?"

"When do you have to leave here?" I asked.

"Within the hour." Laura said. "Don, there's no way in hell I'm going to go, with what's going on!"

"Honey," I said. "I think you should go."

"What?!" Laura exclaimed.

"Look, if you go you'll be out of the way of any danger." I said. "The kids are well-guarded, they'll be all right. And there's nothing you can do about the Ned situation, either."

"But Don, this might be the last time--" she did not finish the sentence. Her hand went to her mouth as the tears burst from her eyes. I took my wife into my arms and hugged her, a hug she returned with desperate tightness. I knew what my wife was feeling, and I was feeling those same fears myself.

"It's going to be all right, honey." I said. "C'mon, let's go into the bedroom and talk." We went to Laura's bedroom next to her clinic, where couples would make love for her research. We spent the next hour together, but not talking and not for research. We made love. And we fucked as if we did not know if we'd ever be doing this again with each other...

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Laura hugged the kids goodbye and left to go pack. I called Jack Muscone on the cell phone. He was at Police Headquarters, and I gave him the 'red alert' code. "I need you to follow my wife on the way to the City." I said. "She may be in great danger." I told Jack I'd call him again when he was on the way.

Minutes later, Laura came back and the limo arrived to take her to City International Airport. I kissed Laura goodbye and made her get in the limo, and watched as the limo drove south towards the road that led to the City. Jack Muscone called a few minutes later.

"Okay, I'm tailing the limo." said Jack. "What's up?"

"Laura always booked her own flights to Washington, but this time they booked it for her." I said. I then told him what I further suspected and what I wanted him to do in his capacity as an FBI Special Agent In Charge.

He called me back 30 minutes later. "I've got my whole team ready, and a few more people that want to help. They'll meet us at the airport..."

After hanging up the cell phone, I went to the nursery and played with my daughter, then held my son for a while. My mother was watching me as I watched my son, and I think she knew well what was going through my mind at the time. Finally, I kissed his little forehead, kissed my daughter and hugged and kissed my mom. It was time to go to Headquarters.

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The Chief treated me to lunch at the Cop Bar at 1:00pm, where I ate one of those delicious double-cheeseburgers that Jack Muscone would make excuses to come to Town for. I could tell that Chief Griswold was very worried about what was going down. I tried not to show my own worry, letting myself breathe, just enjoying the food and the Town and the day.

It was getting hot when we got back to Headquarters. I called Todd, who assured me that everything was fine. I called Daniel Allgood, who assured me that everything was fine. I went over plans with the SWAT team, who assured me that everything was fine. I listened as Captain Charles explained to Uniformed teams what they'd be doing, after ordering them to not touch their cellphones from that moment until after the mission was over. Captain Charles assured me that everything was fine.

I tried to get in another catnap, but sleep simply would not come. I checked in my mind over every parameter I could think of. The rest of the Force all left me alone, knowing that I was preparing for what might be my supreme mission and moment.

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Molly Evans and Teresa Croyle entered the nursery behind Laura's office. "Thank you both so much for coming." Phyllis said. "I know you'll both defend these children with your lives if need be."

"You betcha." Molly said. "But what's this all about?"

"Unfortunately I can't explain right now, but I have to go out for a while." Phyllis said. "I told the Duty Desk to call your numbers after Don makes the exchange so that you'll know everything's all right. Au revoir, ladies, and thank you so much again."

With that, Phyllis scooted quickly out of the office. She got in her car and called Cindy Ross to make sure Cindy was at home. Cindy had tried to visit Headquarters a couple of times, much to her Lieutenant's and her Chief's dismay, which was verbally expressed to her in language that should not be repeated here in this family environment.

"Hello, dear, how are you feeling?" Phyllis asked Cindy when she got to Cindy's apartment.

"Good!" Cindy said. "Bored! Cooped up! Ready to do something!"

Phyllis replied "I really hate having to ask you to do this, and you must promise not to overtax yourself, but I need help and you're just the one to do this with me."

"Does your son know about this?" Cindy asked. "Am I going to get fired for it?"

"No, dear. If--" Phyllis paused, then said "when Don survives the baby exchange for Eleanor, he might get ticked at you, but this one is going to be all me. I just need a little bit of help from you. Now here's what we need to do..."

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I dressed in my "black" uniform, which allowed ease of movement, allowed body armor under the shirt, and looked good. If I were going to die in the line of duty today, I was going to look damn good doing it, I thought to myself.

Over it, I was wearing a light rain jacket. It was red, with a huge oval University of Georgia "G" logo on the back, and a smaller one centered on the front. Under the jacket was another layer of armor. When Tanya Perlman had asked me why I'd picked that jacket, I said the contrast of the white background of the oval football-"G" and the red jacket made better contrast that my other choice, a blue jacket with a Florida Gator head logo. "I need that letter as a target." I said. "I can't armor-plate my head."

I went to the Chief's office. "It's 'Go' time, sir." I said.

"Daniel Allgood borrowed my Police SUV, in case you see it." said the Chief. "I don't know why you wanted him to use it, but he's using it."

"Thanks, Chief." I said, not telling him the reason Daniel would need that vehicle.

"You know, this reminds me of that night you went to Ward Harvester to rescue those kids." the Chief said. "Come back in better shape this time, okay?" He offered his hand, and I shook it.

"Wilco." I said. Then realizing that a handshake wasn't enough, the Chief gave me a hug, which I returned as a Brother-In-Arms.

Thankfully, the wait was over. It was time.

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At 2:00pm, Laura sat down in her seat on the plane. At least they'd been kind enough to buy me a first-class ticket, she thought to herself. She was beset with worry, not knowing what was going on with Don, and knowing she'd have no cellphone access while the plane was in flight.

Suddenly, she heard the voice of the flight attendant on the intercom. "Ladies and gentlemen, would you please exit the plane in an orderly fashion? Please exit the plane, and our staff will direct you from the waiting room.

As Laura got off the plane, carrying her purse, walking in the line of passengers, she felt her left arm being grabbed. Looking to her side, it was Jack Muscone. He pulled her out of the line and had her come with him.

"Jack! What's going on?" Laura asked as Muscone took her through a door that led to the outside. They walked down the stairs to the tarmac, and Jack led Laura to a waiting black car. He had her get inside, then joined her. As the car pulled out and headed to an access gate leading to the parking lots and the highway, the FBI agent filled his CIA counterpart in on the details.

"There is a bomb aboard that plane." Jack Muscone said. "Your husband told me to have the plane searched, and sure enough my guys found the bomb in one of the cargo holds. My guys defused it, and are bringing it back to your County, again per your husband's request."

"How did he know?" Laura asked, stunned.

"He told me he wasn't sure, but he had a good idea about it." Jack replied. "He said he found out that you might become a target of Corrigan's group, and your sister Melina might be a target as well. He sent me after you."

"The... the bomb... they were going to kill all those people, just to get at me?" Laura asked, half to herself, stunned and angry.

"Looks like it." Muscone said. "I called your boss in Washington as I drove behind your vehicle bringing you to the airport. We had you covered the entire way, by the way. Your boss said he'd ordered you to a meeting, a meeting of several high-level people including Corrigan, but that he did not get your ticket for you, and he was shocked when I told him that your ticket had been procured for you by his office. He's looking into that, and I told him that I suspected Corrigan and Bartholomew Scott."

"They were going to kill all those people, just to kill me..." Laura said again. Jack Muscone allowed her to come to grips with that as they sped west along the highway...

Part 13 - The Final Confrontation

I pulled my SUV up behind the new building of Ward Harvester, which had been built on the site where the building had been that had exploded with Ned and myself in it. I did not appreciate my nephew's sense of history and nostalgia on this site selection.

It was almost 4:00pm. The sun was in its afternoon westerly drop towards the horizon, but it was still plenty light as Eleanor Burke and I made our way up some steps and through the one open trucking bay door. I slipped a little something into the pocket of her dress before we went in.

We were entering from the South side; on that explosive night before I'd entered from the north side. I assumed Ned would come in from that side, but would not know until we got inside. Diana Torres, also armored, was wearing an EMT uniform and light jacket, as well as what looked like a bicycle helmet, but was actually light armor for the head. She stayed at the door that we had entered, waiting for my signal.

The building was nearly empty, like a warehouse; the equipment had not yet been fully installed. I looked around. I could see where air conditioning units and fans were on the sides of the building, very near the ceilings. Balconies to service the equipment would be outside, not really visible to me, but would be perfect sniper perches. There might be snipers hiding behind the pallets at the far end of the building to my left, but I thought it was likelier that they were up high.

And then I saw them. Ned and Goth Girl Kathy walked into the room from the other side, with Kathy carrying little Jack Burke in her arms. He was fidgeting and she was shushing him as Ned strolled forward, his eyes set firmly upon me. My own eyes were firmly set on him.

I noticed he had a tiny clear plastic earpiece: he was in communication with confederates somewhere. He was wearing crude body armor, not much better than he'd worn the night he'd shot Tim Olivet in the back and murdered him.

"Well, well, well." Ned said laconically. "If it isn't my dear Uncle Donny. How do you like my choice of location, Uncle Donny?"

I said nothing, just staring at Ned, 'feeling' more than seeing Eleanor at my left side. I didn't 'feel' any other movement around the building.

"Yes, Uncle Donny, you almost died here last time, and so did I, yes, so did I." Ned said, vigorously nodding his head. "So it's appropriate we meet here again...", he said, then added with emphatic menace, "...and this time for the last time. Don't you agree?"

"Is the baby okay?" I asked, to get this on and overwith.

"He's great." Kathy said in her too-loud, annoying voice. "I hope I have one just like him."

"Okay, where's the EMT I told you to bring?" Ned asked. I turned and motioned for Diana Torres to come in. "When she gets up here, Eleanor will come over here and Kathy will give the EMT the baby. You, Uncle Donny... don't you dare move." And it went just like that. Kathy stepped forward to my right and handed Diana Torres the baby as I motioned for Eleanor to go stand with Ned, which she did.

When Diana had the baby, she did what I had told her to do: she clutched the baby into her chest and hustled back to the truck bay door, disappearing with the child outside. I knew a couple of EMT trucks were sneaking into the Ward property right now, as well as a large contingent of Town & County's Finest. My duty to the Citizens of my county was done. It was now time for my duty to myself.

"If that's all, I'll be going." I said, acting as if I were about to leave.

"Why, Uncle Donny!" Ned said loudly, mockingly, "Leaving so soon? But we haven't even had a chance to have a nice little family chat, catch up on old times, you know?" If I needed further proof that my nephew was insane, I had it now.

"Okay guys, now." said Ned, then continued, pretending to be miffed: "Now Uncle Donny, you didn't really think that I was just going to let you walk out of here, did you?" He chuckled, a sinister laugh. "Look at your chest."

I looked down. Five little laser beam circles were glowing inside the UGA "G" logo in the center of my chest.

"They're on your back, too." said Ned, an insidiously evil grin creeping onto his face.

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Daniel Allgood climbed the stairs to the A/C service balcony at the southeast corner of the building. Just inside, lying prone, wearing black, was his wife Melina. She was aiming her rifle right at Don's back, and had trained her laser on the "G" on his back when she saw the other one light up.

"Don't do this, Melina." Daniel whispered.

"I... I have to." whispered Melina, barely audible, tears in her eyes. "Ned will kill the babies, he'll kill you, he'll kill Laura."

"Melina, don't do this." said Daniel. "Don sent me up here after you. He knew Ned would try this. Trust Don, Melina. Come on, let's go."

Melina glanced over at her husband, seeing his eyes, knowing he was right. She nodded, engaged the safety, and followed Daniel out and down the ladder to the ground.

"Okay, I've got the Chief's car here; he let me borrow it." said Daniel. "We'll put the rifle in the back until we can drive it out of here." He opened the back of the Chief's SUV and Melina set the rifle down in the back and covered it with the blanket inside. Daniel locked the SUV door. "We can't drive out of here yet, not until it's over."

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"Not much movement over there." said Steven Ikea, watching from a distance with high-power binoculars. "They're keeping the cop cars hidden in warehouses on the adjacent properties. Don just went in... oh wait, Allgood and his wife are coming down a ladder... oh this is it, Dick! She has a rifle! I think this is it!"

"Okay, I'll call in to activate the warrant." said Ferrell, also watching with high-power binoculars. "And I'll get the teams ready. They've got a lot of guns but so do we."

"She just put the rifle in the Chief's SUV." reported Ikea. "How long until that warrant gets activated?"

"A few minutes. They'll call with the time." said Ferrell. The warrant had been printed out, with only the date and time needing to be filled in. "But we can't go in before they do that prisoner exchange for that baby. If we go in before then, it'll go to shit for them, and then it'll go to shit for us. Patience, brother. Have the patience of Job..."