I woke up and Pete was right next to me as he licked my hands. Helen and Scotty’s house, our adopted room. I had different clothes on and it was late afternoon. Pete got up, stretched and jumped off the bed and walked down the hall way, his nails clicking silently on the stone floor. I heard the squeak of a chair and Jillian appeared in the doorway.

  “He’s awake.” Jillian said in a soft voice pointed down the hallway.

  “How are you feeling?” Jillian asked leaning over and placing her hand on my forehead.

  “Monster headache, thirsty and a little hungry. In that order.” I said checking to see if my skull was intact. Helen approached me with the citrus drink and Scotty right next to her.

  “Hi sweetie. How you feeling?” She asked handing me the glass.

  “Like every hangover I have ever had combined.” I said as I accepted the citrus drink sitting up.

  “What happened to my clothes?” I asked.

  “You had, an, accident.” Jillian said as I closed my eyes in embarrassment.

  “How long have I…” I started to say as Helen and Scotty exited the room.

  “About three hours.” Jillian said sitting next to me and she started to cry.

  “What happened exactly, all the details you can remember.” I asked. Jillian did not say anything as she laid next to me and held me tight until Helen came in to tell us dinner was ready.

  Jillian helped me up and we had a hard time navigating through the sea of dogs as we walked outside to the gazebo. I finally had to sit on the ground as all the dogs converged and smothered me with affection.

  “Okay. Okay.” I said as I acknowledged each one and got up as my headache was quickly subsiding. Everyone watched and were obviously waiting for me to say something during dinner. Scotty finally had to say something.

  “We thought you were infected.” He said with grave concern.

  “When you hit the ground, your eyes were open and they were darting all over the place, then your nose started to bleed.” Jillian said, voice quivering as she recalled the event.

  “Then you focused on something and you did not blink. I checked your pulse and it was racing and your skin temperature was increasing, then you closed your eyes.” Jillian said, voice still quivering a little.

  “What did you smell? I mean, do you remember smelling anything? What did the dogs do?” I asked as I tried to recall the furthest point I could remember. Jillian, Helen and Scotty just looked at each other.

  “I don’t remember smelling anything, we were more concerned for you than smelling or paying attention to the dogs.” Scotty said honestly.

  “We waited until your pulse and temperature normalized and put you in Scotty’s truck and we drove here.” Jillian said.

  “Now that you mention it, the dogs were very quiet during our ride.” Helen said.

  “Usually, they are running back and forth with noses out the windows making sure they don’t miss anything.” Scotty said recollecting the dog’s calm demeanor. Jillian, Helen and Scotty exchanged looks again.

  “Go on, ask the question.” I said. I did not have the energy, but it was obvious they were interested in knowing something specific.

  “You got pissed off really fast. You didn’t get that mad when ‘shit for brains’ was stealing from us.” Jillian said.

  “You, kind of, scared me a little. I thought you were going to put a bullet in him.” Scotty said looking down.

  “The pups are usually like popcorn in the box, but when you said ‘Quit fucking with us’ they got scared and quiet.” Helen added. That was the first time I have ever heard Helen use the word ‘fuck’ and hearing her say it was comical as she was able to distill all the vulgarity from it.

  “The second I saw the vehicle I knew something was wrong, it was their drone, and you were right, they were at maximum range. The driver, Jimmy was nervous but for some other reason, Tommy was truly happy to see us. Billy was all over the place. He had so many thoughts …very disturbing. He did not offer me a handshake and did not ask any of our names. Do you want to know why?” I asked.

  “Because he didn’t want to get infected?” Scotty asked.

  “He already knows who we are, they have been monitoring our communications and movements.” I said.

  “I knew it! Bastards.” Scotty said using his fork for emphasis and glad he was able to predict something.

  “He was not able to hold up his hands because of the treatments he’s been receiving….” I said as Jillian interrupted. “Shots in the arm! His arms were sore!” Jillian said shaking her head. “OH! and because he kept looking at his watch, probably a duration between treatments. And they were due or overdue.” Jillian said shaking her head again confirming her assessment.

  “Now tell us about Canada, what’s the connection?” Jillian asked.

  “The information was fragmented at first, but I was actually able to see…like a smoky, foggy vision from Billy’s perspective. It was only for a split second but the pieces of information just fell into place. It was winter, lots of snow. They flew in via a helicopter. Three people. Two women, one man. Unknown faces, they were there against their will. Billy had a gun… I saw the big purple oven mitt we left on the counter, in the kitchen…” I said staring blindly forward as I recalled the events that again, were just a split second of time.

  “The man opened the freezer door and the shear disappointment of Billy seeing it empty had a huge impact because this vision was triggered when I said, “I find it hard to believe that you would miss out on a meal.” I said as I assessed the mechanics and the awareness of how all of this was possible in my head.

  “He missed out on a lot of meals!” Scotty said happy that we were responsible for his misfortune.

  “Then they went to the bunker and then the room Tom locked Chris in and saw the bloodstained wall and floor. But he was more interested… in finding food.” I said in astonishment as I thought I actually heard Billy say “Fucking Shit.”

  “The three people stood at the door and one of the women smiled, laughed or giggled and he put a bullet in her forehead and stepped over her body, and… that’s all I got.” I said as Helen put her hand over her mouth and said “Oh my God!”

  “He’s a murderer.” Scotty said quietly.

  “He’s a fucking psychopath.” Jillian said in a rare angry tone.

  “He is, both.” I said as I tried to clear my head and eat some food.

  “We need to tell the Catalina folks.” Scotty said.

  “How? They are listening in, right? That’s what you said!” Helen said getting a little scared.

  “Paul will call us when they arrive in Avalon. They are expecting us to tell them. What’s more important is what we say and how we say it.” I said raising my eyebrow’s up and down a couple of times. Scotty just smiled and rubbed his hands together.

  “K9’s come in. Come in K9’s.” Paul’s voice over the radio.

  “K9’s here. Go ahead.” Scotty said.

  “All secure and coolers full.” Paul said in good spirits.

  “Let me guess. The undisputed champion of North American salt water fishing?” I asked.

  “Nope, not this time! Man mountain!” Paul said.

  “HE CHEATED!” Sammy’s voice came over very loud and distorted.

  “There is no cheating in fishing!” I said.

  “Unless you use dynamite.” Scotty added.

  “I used the tools necessary to achieve optimal results.” Reese said as a matter of fact.

  “So, you used C4? Don’t use it all up!” Scotty said with a hint of warning. A long silent pause.

  “We met the local Oklahoma recruiting officer right after you left this morning.” I said in a cheerful tone. Another long pause.

  “Oh really!” Paul said very concerned.

  “Yea, three of them. Ahh, what were their names again?” I asked out loud.

  “Andy, Sonny and Stevie… I think, anyway. Honest, observant, loyal, energetic… pretty much sums up our assessment of the recruiter.” I said laughing as Scotty giggled and Jillian just shook her head.

  “Hold on a sec, what were their names again?” Paul asked. I repeated the names and Paul started laughing.

  “Were they walking or driving?” Rebecca asked.

  “Driving a CLEAN Escalade.” I said as they hit the mute button, another long pause.

  “How did the dogs react?” Paul asked.

  “Much more disciplined than expected.” I said. Another long pause.

  “How disappointed was he when you told him you are not interested?” Reese asked.

  “I was kind of a dick to him and I should have apologized, but I’m sure our paths will cross again and I will apologize in-person.” I said with emphasis on ‘in-person’.

  “Why do you think they waited for us to leave? He would have had a better opportunity to ask all of us together?” Rebecca asked in a snide manner.

  “Maybe a one hundred percent rejection rate would be too emotionally traumatizing.” Susan said answering Rebecca’s question.

  “Or the fact that it probably parallels his dating success rate.” Rebecca said.

  “AWW! Now you don’t know that! He was a very handsome man. Straight out of a firefighter calendar… if I may be so bold.” I said hitting the mute button just in time. Paul did the same.

  “I wouldn’t worry about them; we know where their dug in and it would not take much to compromise the air intake. The one thing the Government is known for, is consistency… just like the Escalade!” I said in a cheerful voice.

  “I’m hoping WE can recruit a couple of folks from their group. Just think, another Baseball team! We would need to come up with a clever name for them.” I said.

  “ALL RIGHT!” Sammy yelled as Elaine started crying.

  “Think about it.” I said to no one in particular.

  “Over and Out.” I said as Paul repeated the conclusion of our conversation.

  “Do you think it was wise to call them assholes?” Jillian said to me a little upset.

  “Asshole. One, singular.” I said.

  “We still need to go fishing for a couple of hours.” Jillian said.

  “I would like to try out the new fishing spots!” Scotty added.

  “Are you up for some fishing?” Jillian asked me.

  “Hell yes. If we have time, we can deploy a drone to trace their tracks back to where they hide.” I said.

  “You said you knew where they were dug in?” Scotty questioned.

  “That was a lie.” I said.

  “It cannot be too far from the marina and the maximum range at the baseball field. You drive.” Jillian said as we packed up and drove back to the marina.

  The Wolf pack stayed near the pen and were perfectly content staying behind. Jillian used the map Reese marked up to get an approximate location of the area to search with the drone.

  Helen and I prepared the fishing rods as a couple of Sea lions swam around the marina causing Ginger and Pete to bark playfully on the dock. Jillian and Scotty approached and gave us an update.

  “Got a good fix on the tire tracks, they head north. We’ll have better luck driving and monitoring the direction. Not much past two or three miles. Just scrub.” Scotty said.

  The revised tackle and locations paid off fast and we maxed out our coolers in one and a half hours. I did not get to fish at all as Jillian, Helen and Scotty were exhausted pulling in some big fish. We had to release a monster Tuna that Helen caught because we could not get it on the boat. Jillian recorded video of it as it splashed Helen and Scotty as he cut the line.

  “Once I get that engine working in my new boat, we’ll be able to bring him in, no problem.” Scotty yelled as he took off his hat and wringed it out. Smiling.

  As we unloaded the coolers and secured ‘Fuck Me’ to the dock. A familiar black Escalade rolled up and parked. We did not have the Wolfpack as back up and this made us feel a little vulnerable. We smiled and waved as we went about our business and Scotty opened the back of his truck and turned on his radio. Then we leisurely walked toward the vehicle talking tactics. All three men exited the vehicle. Tommy and Jimmy with small automatic weapons. Billy was unarmed.

  “We have extra fish if you are interested?” I said out loud approaching. Ginger and Pete walking right behind us growling low.

  “I want to apologize…” I started to say as Billy interrupted.

  “That time has passed. Stop right there.” Billy said in a commanding tone as we all stopped.

  “Hands up! All of you.” Billy said.

  “Now this is what’s going to happen. All four of you are going to come with us. Make one wrong move and all of you die. We are going to take a little trip.” Billy said satisfied that he was in control. Tommy and Jimmy exchanged a glance for a moment.

  “I told you this was not going to go unanswered, and this is the result.” Billy said with finality. I lowered my hands slowly.

  “We will never go with you. Ever.” I said as I pulled Jillian close to me as Helen and Scotty joined us next to Ginger and Pete. I could feel Ginger and Pete shaking with rage against my leg.

  “Kill the dogs and put a bullet in each leg.” Billy said with a smile.

  All of us looked at Tommy and Jimmy. We looked straight into their eyes. Jimmy raised his gun and put a single bullet into Billy’s head, then fired five shots in the air. The shots made almost no noise as Billy’s smile diminished just a little as he fell, lifeless to the ground.

  Tommy and Jimmy quickly dropped their weapons and went to the back of the Escalade. We did not move or say anything. I could not help but to notice the brilliant red pool of blood surrounding Billy’s head that was flowing continually across the concrete. Ginger and Pete slowly inspected the body, being careful not to step into the blood.

  A quiet grimace of pain was heard as we all slowly walked toward the back of the Escalade. Tommy cut a four-inch vertical incision in Jimmy’s shoulder as he stood with his shirt off. Tommy glanced toward us for a second as he put a bloody index finger against his lips. Jillian knelt down and pulled a small note pad from Gingers back pack and quickly scribbled on it and showed it to Tommy. ‘What do we do?’ How can we help?”

  Tommy smiled a little as he cut out a micro electronic device from Jimmy’s shoulder as he held back his pain as tears streaked from his eyes and he took short powerful breaths.

  Jillian quickly searched through the small first aid kit at the back of the Escalade and put on some gloves. Tommy placed the bloody device on his shoulder to show Jillian the location. I picked up some bandages and wrapped Jimmy’s incision as he smiled the best he could.

  Jillian felt the profile of the device and cut right next to it. He screamed into his bent arm as Jillian, not flinching in the least bit, revealed the small device. It looked like a tiny electronic button with a single tiny hole in the center and tiny hair-like strands attached. Jillian cut each strand and handed the device to him. Jillian gestured a sewing motion and he just tapped his watch. This obviously was a silent timed event as Scotty and Helen quickly started to pack up the coolers and position his truck for a quick exit.

  Jimmy and Tommy each grabbed a small backpack hidden under the seats inside the Escalade. They placed the small electronic devices into Billy’s exposed ear canal and ran toward Scotty’s truck.

  Jillian and I were just exiting the parking lot behind Scotty’s truck as we heard two small ‘pops’ and watched Billy’s head snapped back and forth in the rear-view mirrors.

  Scotty stopped his truck and Jimmy and Tommy got out. Jillian ran over with our monster first-aid kit as Tommy and Jimmy hugged each other. Apparently, their mission was a success.

  They both were overcome with emotion as they both hugged Jillian and Ginger and Pete were waiting their turns wagging tails sniffing their shoes and pants.

  “You guys need to settle down or your gonna bleed out!” Jillian said laughing. Helen brought over a small cooler of snacks and water bottles. They both hugged Helen then Scotty as I stood and snapped off a couple of pictures and video.

  If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.

  “You have to be Doctor ‘J’ and this has to be Pete!” Jimmy said as he let Pete smell his bloody hand.

  OH MY GOD! LOOK AT THIS! Tommy said looking into the cooler. “Homemade granola! trail mix, dehydrated…” Tommy stopped and just looked at us.

  “Apricots, peaches, pears…what?” Jillian asked opening the first-aid kit and putting on fresh gloves as Tommy pulled out the bourbon.

  “Not until I stitch you guys up!” Jillian said grabbing the bottle and handing them the dehydrated fruits.

  “Are we supposed to still call you ‘Tommy and Jimmy’?” I said as I lit a small cigar and shouldered my AA12 as Jillian administered a local anesthetic, she has been working on to both of them and prepared to stitch the cuts.

  I held out my hand and said: “My name is Greg, pleased to meet you…Mark.” Mark shook my hand with his mouth open. “That is the luckiest guess ever!” Mark said.

  “That, is not a guess.” Scotty said introducing Helen and himself.

  “And you go by James, not Jimmy.” I said as I shook his good hand as Jillian said ‘Stay still’.

  “There is no way that you could know that.” James said.

  “Both of you need to relax and focus, how much time do you have?” I asked sensing time was a primary topic for both of them.

  “They may come for him, they may not. Right now, I bet they have their hands full.” Mark said with a mouth full of Granola.

  “They who?” Helen asked.

  “Whoever he reports to. They probably don’t want to leave evidence behind.” James said.

  “Well, there’s not gonna be much left of him this time tomorrow, if anything.” Scotty said as Mark and James turned toward Scotty. “That’s a lot of fresh meat for a lot of different game.” Scotty added as Mark and James high fived each other with their good hands.

  “How much time do the two of you have?” I asked the question again.

  “We really don’t know.” James said not very concerned.

  “When the test results come back and you are sterile, you have a thirty percent chance.” James added as he watched Jillian’s sewing technique, flinching just a little.

  “Thirty percent? You risked your life for thirty percent?” I asked looking at Helen and Scotty as Mark sat on the ground and petted Ginger and Pete who continually smelled him.

  “Why did Billy want us to go to Oklahoma?” I asked.

  “Experiments, testing and blood. To better refine the treatments.” James said.

  “Our inside contacts in OK gave us updates when they could. There is a whole movement going on right now, as we speak. We've been waiting and planning this for two years.” Mark said.

  “Survivors, like you, who are either convinced or just show up at the facility are subject to some pretty gruesome tests. Out of the eighteen, that we knew about, only three are left. We were deployed and have been monitoring all your communications for about nine months now. Some details we edited out before submitting that we thought were too informative or could compromise you in any way.” James said truthfully.

  “We were able to encrypt these communications and send them to the ‘Movement’ as well. We can’t tell you what an honor and privilege it is to finally meet all of you.” James said with the highest admiration.

  “Thank you, I guess.” I said.

  “Billy was the most senior officer we ever had contact with. From what information we could gather, He’s second or at least third tier.” Mark said standing up.

  “A guinea pig for the elites.” Scotty said.

  “So, the treatments you have been receiving, and the results of being sterile give you a thirty percent chance to live? Even if you stop the treatments?” Jillian asked for clarification.

  “Yep.” Mark said breathing in deep.

  “So, who’s monitoring communications now?” I asked.

  “No one. We were the only post for this area, like I said, for about nine months now. We would deploy drones and report our findings. We tried to keep your group a secret but we followed orders and any deviation from orders is usually met with the same result. But a visit by Billy a few days ago exposed you all at the baseball diamond. We’ve seen and monitored your movements and reported as little as possible. There is another group of about four Northeast of San Francisco.

  There are two other posts; New Mexico, and Alabama. They will be toast in about a month. It’s a satellite hook up with a very small bandwidth. The main terminal for North America was in Canada, which is not functional, thanks to you. I can’t wait to hear all the details on that.” Mark said.

  “So, we can use the radio and not worry about big brother?” Scotty asked.

  “Ninety–nine percent sure. We locked it out right before we left. We have our encrypted channel but that’s risky.” James said.

  “You know you put all of us at risk with this project. Especially when a dead officer is very near our boats, and vehicles.” I said assessing the events and possible repercussions.

  “The electronic treatment interface ports send a signal every fifteen minutes. Approximate location plus or minus a couple hundred yards, audio, very weak. Today, we set in motion a series of events that hopefully will bring an end to the Oklahoma facility, we were just waiting for the message to come get you.” Mark said as he drank the rest of his water.

  “It will be dark soon.” I said looking around. “What’s your next move?” I asked James and Mark as they both looked at each other.

  “We were hoping to stay with you for a couple of days. If that’s ok?” Mark asked.

  “You two are not much use to us with only one arm each.” Scotty said in a serious tone.

  “What special skills do you have that would contribute?” I asked.

  “Electronics and communications, if it has a circuit board, I can make it do most anything.” Mark said. His statement was accurate and short of what he is actually capable of.

  “…and you?” besides being an executioner?” I said looking toward James. This statement was harsh and demoralizing to James. He put his head down slightly and walked away a couple of steps as Jillian gave me a very disapproving look.

  “I apologize James. That was not necessary. I’m sorry.” I said walking over to him with my hand out stretched. James accepted my hand. As I gripped it tight and looked into his eyes; a flash of information poured into my brain. His thoughts and disposition were honest and true, He and Mark risked their lives and the lives of at least eighteen others in order to make their mission a success and reach this point.

  “John Wayne? Good ole boy? Princess Di? The Seductress??” I questioned James. He looked at me stunned.

  “You’re an empath.” James said as he tried to let go of my hand. I gripped his hand tighter. His thoughts were racing and becoming difficult to acknowledge. I let go of his hand.

  Mark walked up to me and held out his hand and took a deep breath with closed eyes, then opened them and looked directly at me as I grabbed his hand. Again, a flood of information poured in as Mark was able to recall and filter the important events from the past two years. As I let go of his hand I had a better understanding of their goals, objectives and failures as well as some personal information.

  “It’s getting late.” Jillian said as I walked up to her, Helen and Scotty for a private discussion.

  “They pose absolutely no threat to us. They want to be useful and to contribute. They envy us, and really want us to trust them, but don’t know how to convince us since we only have known them for twenty minutes, and they have nowhere else to go and are scared.” I said quietly. We all turned to look at James and Mark kneeling down and petting Ginger and Pete, who were already convinced they are part of the pack.

  “We can let them stay at our home till they heal, but they need to know it’s short term.” Jillian proposed after a short pause.

  “We can stay for a couple of days, just for security purposes. Maybe get the wolf pack tomorrow in case someone wants to have a little chat with them.” Scotty whispered.

  “I have an unusual feeling about them. Not negative, but not positive either.” Helen said confused. “I think it took more courage than you know for him to pull the trigger.” Helen added looking at me.

  “Make a call to the Catalina folks, just tell them we are okay.” I said to Scotty as I turned to Mark and James.

  “Conditions. One: You can stay with us, short term only. We will help, as long as you have a long-term plan. Two: We need to blindfold you for the drive. Three: If you do not contribute or do not provide us anything value added, we will have to… sever ties with you. Four: You cannot harm, hunt or kill anything without us knowing about it. Five: No stealing.” I said in a serious tone that conveyed no latitude or variation in any way.

  Mark and James stood up and produced their hands and their eyes welled up in tears. We all shook hands. “We will not let you down.” James said as he tore off his shirt sleeve to create a blindfold and Mark did the same.

  Paul’s response was cautious and concerned as Scotty called him during a rare night time drive to Malibu.

  “Scotty was right, Pete’s breath is vile!” Mark said as he and James sat in the back seat in between Ginger and Pete who insisted on window positions. We arrived at our house and James and Mark took off their blindfolds. I looked at them and raised my eyebrows.

  “Yes. We already know where you live. Well, approximately.” James said. “We’ve been keeping it a secret. As well as the people from Catalina, and your place.” James said turning to Helen and Scotty. “We monitored the marina and know your fishing schedule. When we see you go out fishing, we investigate using the drone. We would get as close as possible. We both figured it would be Malibu, why not.” Mark said.

  “Then why did you wear the blindfolds?” Jillian asked. “Because you made it a condition.” Mark said as James just nodded his head in agreement.

  “What were the other conditions?” Helen asked, testing them both. They repeated the conditions exactly as I said it to them, like they were reading it from a note card. It reminded me of the Boy Scout oath, monotone and deliberate. They both grabbed the biggest cooler with their good arms as we unpacked Scotty’s truck and walked around the side of the house to the patio. I led the way using my headlamp on the ground as the grass met the stone walkway.

  “HOLY FUCKING SHIT!” Mark said as he stopped fast and the fish in the cooler shifted against the ice.

  “Bear tracks! Fucking big! Two of ‘em!” Mark said inspecting. I started laughing. “That’s just our neighbors! They’ll be here later if they are hungry or thirsty.” I said.

  “Definitely in the A.M.” Scotty said shaking his head.

  “Seriously, are you serious! The two Bears!” Mark and James exchanged concerned looks as Jillian turned on the patio lights. “This is the most beautiful…” Mark stopped his sentence as Jillian and Helen turned on the kitchen lights and washed their hands at the kitchen sink.

  “We have three more coolers.” I said as I prepared the ‘cutting station’ on the patio. Mark and James returned with the last cooler as Scotty prepared the grill with the lump charcoal, and Mark and James looked around at everything. They both walked to the edge of the property and looked out over the black Pacific and said nothing. Ginger and Pete dropped their small backpacks at their feet and sat waiting for acknowledgment.

  “Thank you, Ginger. Thank you, Pete.” They both said as they petted both of them. Mark and James walked over and placed the small back packs on the patio table. “If you want, you can go through them.” James said as he put on a rubber apron to assist me. Socks, underwear, t-shirt, knife, multi-tool, lighter, small flashlight and a small first-aid kit. I thought to myself.

  “Can you please take off the dogs’ backpacks Mark?” I said as Ginger heard this and nervously waited for Mark to figure out the harness. As soon as Pete’s pack was off, he started barking and this caused Ginger to get overanxious. I whistled and said their names loud trying to get them to settle down. They both sat and waited for Mark to take off Gingers pack and then exploded in a barking chorus. I had to stop gutting a yellow tail and walk all the way over to the pool and hit the switch that retracted the pool cover.

  The brilliant sparkling water with the low-profile lighting was slowly being revealed as Mark and James just looked at each other, then at me.

  “They will continue to bark until they get what they want.” I said walking back to the yellow tail as Jillian and Helen placed a beautiful assortment of appetizers and assorted beverages on the Patio table.

  “Coffee will be ready in six minutes.” Jillian said smiling graciously as Ginger jumped into the pool and Pete just went down the ramp and into the water to cool off.

  “That smells so disgusting, but for some reason it’s not…offensive.” James said as I examined the contents of the stomach. Scotty peeked over my shoulder and jotted down in his ‘Fishin’ notebook and took a picture of the yellow tails diet then walked back over to the grill.

  “I have a task for both of you!” I said in a high-pitched shrill voice as a ventriloquist using the yellow tails head as a puppet. James turned and looked at me in an odd fashion.

  “You must provide for us something that we need, but, we do not know that we need it!” Scotty ran over to the cutting table/stage.

  “I KNEW YOU COULD TALK! I KNEW IT!! Tell me…” Scotty said kneeling down and talking to the fish head. “Is there a time limit for this task?” Scotty asked placing his ear next to the mouth and listening intently.

  “Yes…Maybe…No.” Came the answer. Scotty looked up at James, who did not know what to make of this performance.

  “It’s like talkin to a magic eight ball.” Scotty said frustrated and confused. Helen and Jillian just smiled as they set the table for dinner. The ‘magic eight ball yellow tail head’ spoke again; “Tell Mark and James to lighten the fuck up!”

  Scotty stood up and said in a serious tone; “You two need to lighten the fuck up.” Mark and James smiled. Jillian and Helen began applauding seeing them smile.

  “Ask mister fishy dick when he plans on flopping his ass over to the grill! Were hungry over here!” Jillian said out loud.

  “Can I see the radios?” Mark asked me when we were done cleaning up the cutting table.

  “Yes. It’s over there.” I said pointing with the sheathed knife.

  “Ours is in the truck.” Scotty said as he closed the lid on the grill.

  “Where might I find some tools?” Mark asked me.

  “Garage, help yourself. Through the kitchen, down the hall.” I said.

  Mark was working on the radios, making them more secure. He used terminology I only slightly recognized as he tried to put in layman’s terms, explaining exactly what he was doing for fear he was setting a trap.

  “I’ll need the other radio from Catalina to complete the project. Mark said as he and James joined us at the patio table. “I haven’t seen food like this in… years.” James said quietly.

  “Will Mark and I be eating any of this?” James asked not looking up at us. Jillian and Helen heard this question and Helen immediately responded.

  “Sweetie, you are welcome to eat anything you want.” Helen said walking over to James.

  Scotty poured a small amount of Bourbon in everyone’s glass. Mark and James’ eyes widened and a smile appeared on both of them.

  “A toast!” Scotty said standing holding up his glass. “To Freedom.”

  “Real Freedom.” Helen added as we all touched glasses (and Jillian’s Tea cup)

  “Ah! Damn that’s good!” James said as Mark’s eyes just closed.

  “Liquor was strictly forbidden. Our friend, Jason was caught making Gin and Billy cut off two of his fingers.” Mark said. “No shit?” I asked.

  “That’s not necessarily true; Billy made him cut off two of his own fingers. Jason got to select which ones though.” James said trying to make it sound somehow less barbaric. Scotty looked at his hands. “Talk about tough decisions.” He said looking over the top of his glasses.

  “You guys might want to go easy on that until you gain some weight and get some normal nutrition levels.” Jillian warned as Mark reached for the bourbon bottle, then stopped. He shook his head and agreed.

  “When was your last meal?” Jillian asked.

  “About, an hour ago?” Mark said looking at James and both agreeing with a head nod.

  “Two handfuls of granola, some dehydrated fruit and a bottle of water is not a meal.” Jillian said shaking her head. “Before that, what did you eat?” Jillian asked again.

  Mark and James exchanged looks. “Mine was marked ‘Pizza’. “Mine was marked ‘Cajun’. They responded. “About nine hours ago?” James added.

  “What was marked?” Jillian asked as the grill sizzled and the smell hit Mark and James noses. They both inhaled the aroma and were practically salivating like Pete. Jillian and Helen got up and headed inside toward the kitchen, Jillian turned; “You two. Kitchen. Now.” She said.

  “You two are in deep shit.” Scotty said cleaning up a little as I tended the grill.

  They returned with washed faces and hands as Helen brought out her citrus drink and Jillian put out her legendary salsa and flatbread in front of them. Jillian asked them both a battery of health questions as she took notes on her laptop.

  Beep. Beep. Beep. Was heard as the road alarms sounded. A low tone was farthest, higher tones the closer to the house.

  “Whatever it is, it’s moving fast! Scotty, you’re with me.” I said as I got up quickly and tossed him a two-way radio from the charging stand on a table behind Mark and James.

  “You two. Stay right there. Don’t move.” I said to Mark and James as I adjusted the grill temperature then grabbed my AA12 and Scotty pulled his forty-five. Jillian and Helen disappeared into the house. Jillian and I decided an elevated position would be more to our tactical advantage if somebody was snooping around.

  “Ginger. Pete. Come.” I said as they switched modes.

  “Lights are off, two houses down. Easy girl.” Scotty whispered into the radio as Pete jogged next to me as I Ninja-ed across the street then hiding behind the green-house.

  “Escalade. Door open, driver side. Female driver. Passenger door. Male, tall, bald. That’s gotta be Reese! YEP! Gingers tail is wagging. The nose knows.” Scotty said.

  “How is that possible?” I said.

  “WHAT, IS YOUR NAME?” I said out loud with my best ‘English accent’.

  “REESE OF CATALINA!” Came the response, turning in my direction.

  “WHAT, IS YOUR QUEST?” I asked.

  “WE SEEK THE GRAIL.” Reese responded in a heavy English accent with emphasis on the word ‘Grail’. I walked up and turned on my head lamp. “What, is your favorite color?” I asked.

  “BLUE… No, GREEN!” Reese responded as we both yelled out loud.

  “You guys are such nerds!” Rebecca said hugging Scotty with Ginger and Pete greeting them excitedly.

  “You got it workin!” Scotty said greeting Reese with a big smile.

  “One hour, twenty-two minutes.” Reese said proudly.

  “Damn!” Scotty exclaimed.

  “Just the sound of the wind and the water splashing!” Reese said still smiling.

  “We heard the conversation with that asshole, then nothing for a while, till Scotty talked.” Rebecca said as she entered the Escalade to move it to the driveway.

  “We saw the blood-stained concrete, some shredded clothes, a military issue shoe and two guns in the parking lot. You didn’t sound very convincing.” Reese said looking at Scotty. “So, we decided a visit would be best.” Reese said clicking the safety switch on his M1.

  As we entered the driveway, Jillian and Helen appeared. Jillian with her night vision goggles on the top of her head carrying the sniper rifle and Helen with one of my small machine pistols.

  “How the hell did you get here so fast!” Jillian said walking up and greeting Rebecca and Reese. Helen did the same.

  “New boat!” Reese said grinning.

  “He’s been working on it constantly.” Rebecca said.

  “We have two guests.” Jillian said as we all walked through the garage and into the kitchen.

  “THE RECRUITING ASSHOLES!” Reese boomed loudly and bringing his gun into action.

  “They are part of a movement within the Oklahoma facility.” I said.

  “…AND YOU TRUST THEM!” Rebecca said. She was really pissed! We entered the patio area.

  Mark and James were still sitting at the table with concerned looks on their faces until Reese appeared. This changed immediately to almost a panic level.

  “Everyone, just relax!” Jillian said as she got between Mark, James and Rebecca and Reese.

  Reese approached them, standing across the table. They both sat in his shadow as the light behind him outlined his profile. Reese looked at them for a moment. We heard a click of the safety switch and Reese said: “Talk.” In a low tone. He did not point the gun at them but no one was going to interfere. Mark and James exchanged looks and they slowly placed the knives exactly back into position next to the dinner plates.

  Mark and James explained, in detail, everything they said to us and the information from which I gathered. Ginger and Pete were confused, they sat next to me waiting for a command as Scotty added some more food to the grill and re-adjusted the temperature.

  After they were done giving all the information possible, Reese said nothing and placed 2 gun magazines on the table.

  “Explain.” Reese said in the same low tone.

  “Low velocity, close range, soft target.” Mark said.

  “What did you do with the guns?” James asked.

  “Tossed em.” Reese said immediately.

  “Good.” Mark replied.

  “Do you know who I am?” Reese asked clicking the safety switch and securing the gun next to him as he sat down in a chair at the patio table.

  “You’re Reese of Catalina, your quest is the grail, and your favorite color is, in fact, green.” Mark said.

  “That’s great! Now we have two of them!” Rebecca said as Reese cracked just a hint of a smile.

  “Do you know who I am?” Rebecca asked in a sarcastic tone. Mark and James did not respond immediately, so I did.

  “They have names for all of us! Go on, tell us these names.” I said as everyone sat at the patio table joining Mark and James and nibbling on appetizers as Jillian and Helen brought out two additional place settings as we waited for the grilled yellow tail. Both of them were very nervous and did not know exactly how to proceed.

  “You have to understand, your communications were the only source of… outside contact, and, well, entertainment the Movement had. All of you are, basically celebrities, famous! Plays were actually re-created using your dialog. All your communications were stored and sent as an encrypted file to the movement. Like I said before, we edited out a lot of communications and specifics that would compromise you to the Leadership. I was the first to hear your transmission. I knew right away you were not operating in an official capacity and were just regular folks, survivors, who obviously found the radios.” Mark said.

  “Is it me, or is he stalling?” Helen said accusatorily, staring at Mark.

  “STAL-LING.” Everyone said like an intervention greeting.

  A deep sigh issued from Mark as Scotty walked over with two plates of grilled Yellowtail.

  “Saved by the grill!” Scotty said placing one plate in front of Mark and James.

  “A Toast.” Jillian said. “May your plans yield great success, for the future is at hand.” We all drank as Mark and James looked at each other and stood up.

  “A couple of days ago, while eating my BBQ flavored gruel, I expected to be dead or imprisoned by now. But here I… we, sit, in a fantasy world. Exceeding every expectation imaginable. When you asked me about long term goals, I now have at least three. I would…” “CHEERS!” Reese said out loud. We were not sure if James was finished, but Reese was hungry.

  “What do you think of the juice?” Rebecca asked pointing with her fork.

  “Delicious! Nice and fresh.” Mark said.

  “Pretty damn good!” James added.

  “Their nutrition levels are pretty low.” Jillian said.

  “Well, that stuff will definitely ‘Get it up’”! Rebecca said as we all snickered and giggled.

  “What’s that all about?” Mark asked bringing attention to our obvious inside joke.

  “That’s my recipe!” Helen said proudly. “It has great nutritional value and I’m working on the flavor, but it has a certain… side effect, with certain men.” Helen added.

  “All men.” I said.

  “REAL MEN!” Reese added unexpectedly.

  “Like what?” James asked like he figured it out already.

  “Names first!” Rebecca said taking a firm stance on the issue.

  “The only names that were ever mentioned were Dr. J; Jillian, Pete, and Ginger...” Pete heard his name at the dinner table and made his presence known to James. “Man Mountain; Reese, Rosie, Becky and Jeff: the wolves and the name ‘Susan’ was heard in the background once. You are not Susan. Correct?” James asked Rebecca.

  “Correct.” Rebecca said as a long pause exceeded my tolerance threshold.

  “Okay, okay, who is John Wayne?” I asked.

  “You.” James said as everyone laughed out loud.

  “The Duke is a bad ass! Thank you. Who is ‘Good ole boy?’” Everyone looked at Scotty. James nodded his head. “I take that as a complement!” Scotty said holding up his glass.

  “Who is Princess Di?” I asked. “Helen.” Jillian, Rebecca, Scotty and Reese said together. “Ooo! Royalty!” Helen said sitting up straight and sipping her wine with her pinky extended.

  “Mister Diplomat?” I asked as everyone said “Paul.”

  “Pee-Wee is obviously Sammy.” I said.

  “That’s all I remember. No, wait, there was one more…’The Seductress’, the name YOU came up with James. How could I have forgotten that one?” I said to James, winking.

  “Rebecca.” Everyone said, as she was at a loss for words and actually blushed. I could smell her hormones from across the table as she stood up and topped off James’ citrus drink and ‘accidentally’ unbuttoned her top button on her shirt. We all expressed similar adolescent remarks out loud.

  Mark and James were both twenty-five years old, birthdays three months apart. From the information I obtained, they have basically been imprisoned and subject to different types of testing and performed some horrific tasks in order to gain the trust of the Oklahoma Leadership. Constant attention for spy’s and secrets between the Movement, left them numb and they are still not entirely relaxed. Which I found to be ironic because they have only a thirty percent chance to see next week, and it was low on their list of concerns as they constantly looked at each other in disbelief. After dinner we performed the bourbon and brine ceremony.