Episode 16 - Decision
It was just after noon when I was awakened by movement at the bedroom door. I frantically grabbed the metal headboard, ready to channel power at any threat.
“Sorry,” Natalia said as she scooted toward the bathroom, “Bio break.”
I stretched and got out of bed. I had removed the vest but I decided to sleep in my clothing. I yawned, and shuffled into the kitchen to start the coffee.
Natalia entered the kitchen a few minutes later. Taking in my rumpled, smelly, uncaffeinated state, she declared that she was going to take a shower. I nodded, grateful for the silence.
I was almost human when she emerged. “Coffee?” I asked.
I poured and she retrieved a half gallon of milk from the fridge. Natalia added some milk to her coffee and rummaged through the cupboards for cereal, bowl, and spoon. She ate her cereal quietly and waited for me to complete my zombie-to-human transformation.
“How did you sleep?” I asked.
“I slept like a log. You did a great job on that room.”
“Thanks. I was hoping you would like it.”
“When do you expect someone from the Catalyst organization to get here?”
I shook my head, “I don’t know. I’ve never posted a ‘Help” message before.”
“Irma,” I called out. “How are our charges faring in the service bay?”
“All of them are breathing and they didn’t move while you were asleep.”
“We need to move them later today or they’ll develop pressure sores and blood clots,” Natalia said.
Natalia and Irma began to talk about the Companion project and patient responses to therapy. Natalia was relating her clinical experiences and Irma was soaking it up.
I excused myself and went to clean up. I showered, shaved, and tidied up the bathroom and bedroom. When I returned to the front room, the blinds were open and the room was bright and cheery in the afternoon sun.
Natalia and Irma were immersed in a discussion about depression, comparing the real-world and theoretical roles of antidepressants and psychotherapy.
I started pulling cans and packages from the cupboards and freezer. I had assembled most of the dinner ingredients in a Dutch oven, when Irma said, “Movement in the drive and the back woods.”
“Activate the defenses!” I commanded as I ran for the vest and belt.
Natalia continued to watch the exterior camera feeds as a brown van stopped near the Honda.
Two men emerged from the van. The nearest was a grey-haired, whip-thin individual whose nervous energy kept him in constant motion. The driver was a taller man who moved with the controlled fluidity of a dancer or martial artist.
“Collin, it’s Max!”
I emerged from the workroom pulling a sweatshirt over my vest. “Who’s with him?”
“I don’t know.”
The taller man remained near the van. I opened the door and smiled, “Max, it’s good to see you again.”
“Strawberry.”
“Rocket.” I replied giving the “All Clear” code.
Max nodded and I opened the door wider to reveal Natalia standing beside me. Max gave Natalia a genuine smile and asked, “Are you OK?”
“Everything’s hunky dunky, Max.”
Max beckoned to the other man. “Montgomery is my security detail,” Max explained. I stepped back to allow the men to enter.
“Can you show me around?” Montgomery asked me quietly. I nodded and took him into every room and opened every door. Montgomery paused when we entered the far service bay. The Mylar-wrapped bodies were clearly unexpected.
Montgomery squatted by a body, checking for a pulse.
“There are people in the woods,” I said. “Do they belong to you?”
Montgomery looked up at me but didn’t say a word.
“Surveillance cameras,” I said. “Spotted them just before you drove up.”
Montgomery relaxed fractionally and finished checking pulses. “Let’s go into the front room,” he said quietly.
Max and Natalia were at the breakfast bar. Montgomery nodded and Max relaxed. “There are three bodies in the far bay. They appear to be drugged,” Montgomery reported.
“I drugged them so we could get some sleep,” Natalia lied glibly.
“OK, tell me what happened,” Max said. “Start at the beginning.”
I related most of the events of the past week and Natalia inserted a modified version of her story at the appropriate places.
“We kept the three of them for you to question,” Natalia finished. Right now, they are heavily sedated. I’ll counteract the drugs when you’re ready to go.”
Montgomery radioed the men in the woods and told them to bring their van around to the front of the station. The team handcuffed the bad guys and Natalia gave them a “shot” to wake them up. While she was working with them, she reinstated their free will and got them ready to travel.
Max spent the time pacing up and down the drive and waving his arms as he talked on his phone. When the prisoners were loaded, Montgomery handed the driver the interview recordings and the van drove away. I was happy to see the last of them.
When Max and Montgomery returned to the station, I asked the question that had been troubling me all week, “What now? Do we pack up or stay here?”
Max looked at us and said, “The choice is yours but we’d like you to stay here. Some of us have decided to fight but we need more information. We would like you to lure more slavers to the area so that we can capture them."
“If you choose relocation we will, of course, provide new identities and help you get new jobs,” Montgomery said.
“Max, doesn’t Catalyst history teach us that fighting requires larger groups, thereby putting more Catalysts at risk?” I asked.
Max nodded. “Yes, but the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results. Our current approach isn’t working. Some of us believe it’s time to meet the slaver threat head-on.”
“If you choose to join us,” Montgomery said, “I’ll bring in a security detail and provide additional training. Yes, you’ll be staked out for the lions but you won’t be defenseless and you won’t be alone.”
“What if we choose to relocate?” Natalia asked.
“We’ll set you up somewhere else,” Max said, “but you will be on your own after that. We cannot afford to divert resources from our fight against the slavers.
“It’s decision time,” Max said. “What would you like to do?”
Natalia looked at me then turned her attention back to Max. “Colin and I have discussed this and we want to join the fight. We want a better future for our family.”
I nodded.
“OK then, Montgomery will be in touch with you within the next week.”
Montgomery nodded and gave me a plain card with a phone number on it. “In case you need to reach me.”
Max nodded and walked outside with Natalia.
I returned to the kitchen and resumed working on the interrupted one pot curry dish. The kitchen was filled with warmth and the fragrant smell of spices when Natalia returned and sat at the breakfast bar. When I placed the lid on the pot, I turned to see a quiet and contemplative Natalia watching me.
I poured her a glass of red wine. “Are you OK?”
Natalia smiled faintly. “I was just thinking about Max. We’ve known him a long time and he worries me. He’s willing to use us as sacrificial lambs because he thinks we’re the weakest of the Catalysts and no great loss if we get captured or splattered across the landscape.”
“Montgomery is a lot more guarded,” I added. “From his questions, I think he suspects there’s more going on than what we told them. He’s wondering how we managed to capture Janet and Darien and get so much information from then in a single night.”
“We’ll need to keep an eye on them,” Natalia said.
“Irma, were you able to clone their phones?”
“Yes, Colin, I was able to retrieve their message, location, and email queues. I also copied the files from the On Star system in the van.”
“Those records might give us a better idea of what they’re up to,” Natalia said.
“Max was correct about one thing though,” Natalia said. “He told me that we seem to be made for each other.”
I smiled grimly, “I don’t think he meant that as a compliment, but the words are right.”
Natalia came around the breakfast bar and wrapped her arms around my waist. “Yes they are and I’ve known that for a long time.”
“Sorry,” Natalia said as she scooted toward the bathroom, “Bio break.”
I stretched and got out of bed. I had removed the vest but I decided to sleep in my clothing. I yawned, and shuffled into the kitchen to start the coffee.
Natalia entered the kitchen a few minutes later. Taking in my rumpled, smelly, uncaffeinated state, she declared that she was going to take a shower. I nodded, grateful for the silence.
I was almost human when she emerged. “Coffee?” I asked.
I poured and she retrieved a half gallon of milk from the fridge. Natalia added some milk to her coffee and rummaged through the cupboards for cereal, bowl, and spoon. She ate her cereal quietly and waited for me to complete my zombie-to-human transformation.
“How did you sleep?” I asked.
“I slept like a log. You did a great job on that room.”
“Thanks. I was hoping you would like it.”
“When do you expect someone from the Catalyst organization to get here?”
I shook my head, “I don’t know. I’ve never posted a ‘Help” message before.”
“Irma,” I called out. “How are our charges faring in the service bay?”
“All of them are breathing and they didn’t move while you were asleep.”
“We need to move them later today or they’ll develop pressure sores and blood clots,” Natalia said.
Natalia and Irma began to talk about the Companion project and patient responses to therapy. Natalia was relating her clinical experiences and Irma was soaking it up.
I excused myself and went to clean up. I showered, shaved, and tidied up the bathroom and bedroom. When I returned to the front room, the blinds were open and the room was bright and cheery in the afternoon sun.
Natalia and Irma were immersed in a discussion about depression, comparing the real-world and theoretical roles of antidepressants and psychotherapy.
I started pulling cans and packages from the cupboards and freezer. I had assembled most of the dinner ingredients in a Dutch oven, when Irma said, “Movement in the drive and the back woods.”
“Activate the defenses!” I commanded as I ran for the vest and belt.
Natalia continued to watch the exterior camera feeds as a brown van stopped near the Honda.
Two men emerged from the van. The nearest was a grey-haired, whip-thin individual whose nervous energy kept him in constant motion. The driver was a taller man who moved with the controlled fluidity of a dancer or martial artist.
“Collin, it’s Max!”
I emerged from the workroom pulling a sweatshirt over my vest. “Who’s with him?”
“I don’t know.”
The taller man remained near the van. I opened the door and smiled, “Max, it’s good to see you again.”
“Strawberry.”
“Rocket.” I replied giving the “All Clear” code.
Max nodded and I opened the door wider to reveal Natalia standing beside me. Max gave Natalia a genuine smile and asked, “Are you OK?”
“Everything’s hunky dunky, Max.”
Max beckoned to the other man. “Montgomery is my security detail,” Max explained. I stepped back to allow the men to enter.
“Can you show me around?” Montgomery asked me quietly. I nodded and took him into every room and opened every door. Montgomery paused when we entered the far service bay. The Mylar-wrapped bodies were clearly unexpected.
Montgomery squatted by a body, checking for a pulse.
“There are people in the woods,” I said. “Do they belong to you?”
Montgomery looked up at me but didn’t say a word.
“Surveillance cameras,” I said. “Spotted them just before you drove up.”
Montgomery relaxed fractionally and finished checking pulses. “Let’s go into the front room,” he said quietly.
Max and Natalia were at the breakfast bar. Montgomery nodded and Max relaxed. “There are three bodies in the far bay. They appear to be drugged,” Montgomery reported.
“I drugged them so we could get some sleep,” Natalia lied glibly.
“OK, tell me what happened,” Max said. “Start at the beginning.”
I related most of the events of the past week and Natalia inserted a modified version of her story at the appropriate places.
“We kept the three of them for you to question,” Natalia finished. Right now, they are heavily sedated. I’ll counteract the drugs when you’re ready to go.”
Montgomery radioed the men in the woods and told them to bring their van around to the front of the station. The team handcuffed the bad guys and Natalia gave them a “shot” to wake them up. While she was working with them, she reinstated their free will and got them ready to travel.
Max spent the time pacing up and down the drive and waving his arms as he talked on his phone. When the prisoners were loaded, Montgomery handed the driver the interview recordings and the van drove away. I was happy to see the last of them.
When Max and Montgomery returned to the station, I asked the question that had been troubling me all week, “What now? Do we pack up or stay here?”
Max looked at us and said, “The choice is yours but we’d like you to stay here. Some of us have decided to fight but we need more information. We would like you to lure more slavers to the area so that we can capture them."
“If you choose relocation we will, of course, provide new identities and help you get new jobs,” Montgomery said.
“Max, doesn’t Catalyst history teach us that fighting requires larger groups, thereby putting more Catalysts at risk?” I asked.
Max nodded. “Yes, but the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results. Our current approach isn’t working. Some of us believe it’s time to meet the slaver threat head-on.”
“If you choose to join us,” Montgomery said, “I’ll bring in a security detail and provide additional training. Yes, you’ll be staked out for the lions but you won’t be defenseless and you won’t be alone.”
“What if we choose to relocate?” Natalia asked.
“We’ll set you up somewhere else,” Max said, “but you will be on your own after that. We cannot afford to divert resources from our fight against the slavers.
“It’s decision time,” Max said. “What would you like to do?”
Natalia looked at me then turned her attention back to Max. “Colin and I have discussed this and we want to join the fight. We want a better future for our family.”
I nodded.
“OK then, Montgomery will be in touch with you within the next week.”
Montgomery nodded and gave me a plain card with a phone number on it. “In case you need to reach me.”
Max nodded and walked outside with Natalia.
I returned to the kitchen and resumed working on the interrupted one pot curry dish. The kitchen was filled with warmth and the fragrant smell of spices when Natalia returned and sat at the breakfast bar. When I placed the lid on the pot, I turned to see a quiet and contemplative Natalia watching me.
I poured her a glass of red wine. “Are you OK?”
Natalia smiled faintly. “I was just thinking about Max. We’ve known him a long time and he worries me. He’s willing to use us as sacrificial lambs because he thinks we’re the weakest of the Catalysts and no great loss if we get captured or splattered across the landscape.”
“Montgomery is a lot more guarded,” I added. “From his questions, I think he suspects there’s more going on than what we told them. He’s wondering how we managed to capture Janet and Darien and get so much information from then in a single night.”
“We’ll need to keep an eye on them,” Natalia said.
“Irma, were you able to clone their phones?”
“Yes, Colin, I was able to retrieve their message, location, and email queues. I also copied the files from the On Star system in the van.”
“Those records might give us a better idea of what they’re up to,” Natalia said.
“Max was correct about one thing though,” Natalia said. “He told me that we seem to be made for each other.”
I smiled grimly, “I don’t think he meant that as a compliment, but the words are right.”
Natalia came around the breakfast bar and wrapped her arms around my waist. “Yes they are and I’ve known that for a long time.”