Missions of the Retrieval Team - Kilt and Kilt Again

[davedove]

Scene 4

Infirmary, Great Hall of X Marks the Scot

“The destruction of X Marks the Scot, what destroys our organization?” Jamie demanded.

“The government,” Ryan answered, “or rather, government agents. When we left, the Great Hall was being overrun by F.A.C.E. agents.”

“FACE?” I asked.

“Yes, Federal Aesthetic Compliance Enforcement,” he answered.

A chill ran through me. This sounded all too familiar.

“Tell me,” I said to the young man. “What department do these agents work for?”

“They’re the enforcement arm of the Department of Aesthetic Affairs.”

“I’ve never heard of that,” Jamie said.

“I have,” I said. “Ryan, who is the head of this department?”

“Secretary Rulital, she always has been,” he answered.

“Jamie,” I said, “We need to listen to this man. What he is describing is all too similar to what I found on the alternate earth. And now that we know Ivana is still free and active, we need to know what she’s up to.”

I looked back at Ryan. “What do we need to do to stop the destruction of X Marks?”

Ryan looked down to the floor. “I don’t know,” he said sadly.

“What do you mean, you don’t know?” Jamie demanded. “Why were you sent back to warn us if you couldn’t even tell us how to proceed?”

“Because I wasn’t the one who was supposed to be sent back, you were!” Ryan replied.

“Me?” Jamie asked in disbelief.

“Yes, you, or more precisely, your future self; it was felt that a Moderator was the best choice. David and Todd researched the chain of events and briefed you and one backup so that the chain could be broken in the past.”

“Why didn’t my future self come back?” Jamie asked.

Ryan again looked sadly at the floor. “You were critically wounded by FACE agents just before you could enter the transfer chamber.”

Jamie looked a bit shaken at that revelation. “What about the backup?”

I looked over at the body on the bed. “I was the backup, right?” I asked.

Ryan again cast his eyes downward. “Yes,” he replied.

[davedove]

Scene 5

Media Room, Great Hall of X Marks the Scot

We had returned to the Media Room to discuss our course of action. Ryan was again being held under guard as we considered our options. Jamie had called in the League of Moderators for the meeting.

“Do we even want to believe him?” asked Nelson. “After all, he is telling us quite a tale.”

“The young man seemed quite sincere,” Jamie answered.

“And let’s not forget the physical evidence,” I said.

“What evidence?” Nelson asked me.

“How about the fact that an older version of me is lying on a bed in the morgue? And, if I might add, that person is very much dead. You might say I have a bit of an interest in this.”

“Okay,” Jamie continued, “Let’s assume he is telling the truth. What are we going to do about this? The man doesn’t even know what needs to be done.”

“Can we even do anything?” Bradley asked. “After all, if he did travel to the past, hasn’t everything that’s going to happen already happened for him? Are we doomed to bring about the very future he’s trying to prevent?”

“A very valid question,” said David, who had returned to his old seat in the League to assist with the situation. “However, I believe it is irrelevant to our discussion. We must make the attempt.”

“Thank you, David,” said Jamie, “You are very correct. We cannot just assume we are going to fail. But how are we going to determine our mission? Todd, first, thank you for also returning, and do you have any ideas?”

“I’m afraid my expertise isn’t going to be much help, Jamie,” Todd answered. “My field is history and, while the chain of events is in the past of the young man downstairs, it is still very much in our future. None of us has any idea what is going to happen.”

“That’s not entirely true, Todd,” I said. “There is one man in the Hall that has some knowledge of the future. He’s sitting downstairs under guard. And while he may not know the exact chain, he will have some idea of things that have happened. We need to question him, find out what he does know, and maybe we can put the chain together ourselves.”

“Do you think that will work?” Jamie asked.

“We have to try. It’s the only chance we have and, as I said before, we all have a personal interest in finding the right answer.”

[davedove]

Scene 6

Media Room, Great Hall of X Marks the Scot

Ms. Wren distributed the cups of Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee that she had picked up at the local Ritchbrew store.

“I still don’t understand what you want me to do,” Ryan said to us.

“We’re trying to recreate what you would consider your recent history,” said Ms. Starling. “Anything that happened between today and the day you stepped into your time travel device would be history to you; it had already happened. However, for all of us, it is still in our future. We hope to be able to examine what you know from that period in the hopes of discovering just what events we need to prevent.”

“Okay, I understand what you want to do, but I don’t know how helpful I’ll be.”

“Let us worry about that. First of all, tell us what you know about Ivana Rulital. Specifically, how did she become the Secretary of the Department of Aesthetic Affairs?”

“She was appointed by the President,” Ryan answered.

“Of course,” Ms. Starling continued, “But which President and when.”

“President Smartman appointed her, just after he formed the new Cabinet position.”

“Smartman?” Ms. Starling asked, “Why does that name sound familiar?”

“Just a second,” said Ms. Swan from behind her computer. “I’m querying the name now.” She examined the screen and then looked up. “Here’s something. Congressman M. A. Smartman, Representative from California.”

Ms. Starling turned back to Ryan. “Is that the same man?”

Ryan looked up at the picture Ms. Swan displayed on the central screen, where the smiling face of the Congressman could be seen.

“Yeah, that’s him.”

“But he’s a Congressman now. How did he get to be President?”

“I’m sorry, but I never followed politics much.” Ryan thought for a minute. “Let’s see, he was appointed to the Vice Presidency after the V.P. was killed in some sort of traffic accident. Then he assumed the Presidency after the President was killed in a riot.”

“Okay Ryan,” Ms. Starling continued. “This is very helpful. We’re already establishing a simple chain of events here. Now, can you tell us why Ivana is trying to destroy X Marks the Scot?”

“We were labeled as a terrorist organization,” Ryan answered.

“And how did that happen?”

“It was one of the first things that Rulital pushed through, something about the riot.” Ryan paused as he thought.

“What about the riot?” Ms. Starling asked to encourage him.

“The people who started the riot,” he continued, “They were wearing our tartan, carrying our symbols.”

“Are you saying that our people caused the riot?” I interrupted.

“No,” Ryan answered, “But they did go to great lengths to make the authorities think it was our organization. Congress quickly outlawed X Marks and Rulital created F.A.C.E. to track us down.”

“How was the President killed?” Ms. Starling asked.

“During the riot, the President’s detail was caught up in the crowd. His security detail tried to remove him from the scene, but they were overwhelmed, apparently by a large group of kilted men. When the crowd finally scattered, the President and all of his detail had been killed.”

“Is that what we have to stop, the riot?” I asked.

“No,” Ryan answered. “There was something else, something before that.” Ryan again paused, trying to remember.

“I may have something,” Ms. Swan said from her seat. “Guess who was a major contributor to Congressman Smartman’s campaign.”

“Ivana?” I asked.

“Well, not exactly,” she answered. “It wasn’t Ivana herself, but Globo-Fashion was a major contributor to his campaign.”

Ms. Starling had been thinking and broke in. “Maybe we need to back up a little. Maybe it’s not the rise to the Presidency we have to stop. Maybe it’s something that happened before that.”

“The death of the current Vice President?” I asked.

“Exactly,” she said. “Ryan, what sort of accident was it that killed the V.P.?”

“There was some sort of collision that resulted in an explosion. The V.P.’s car was destroyed with him inside.”

“Think Ryan,” Ms. Starling continued. “What was the V.P. doing? Where was he going?”

We could all see that Ryan was struggling to remember the details. “It was some sort of event. He had just left the event when the accident occurred. His wife was with him. She was killed too.”

Ms. Swan again interrupted. “I’ve dug up a list of the Vice President’s appearances in the near future. There are only three where his wife will also attend. The first is a dinner at the Norwegian embassy. The second is his grandson’s softball game. And the third is a charity fashion show.”

“A fashion show?” I asked.

“Yes, the Fashion for Food charity event, sponsored by your friendly Globo-Fashion.”

“That’s it!” Ryan yelled. “He was killed on his way home from the fashion show!”

“Bad news,” said Ms. Swan. “The show is tomorrow afternoon.”

“That doesn’t leave us much time,” I said. “Ms. Starling, get the team moving. I have to make a call. We’re going to need a bit of help on this one.”

[davedove]

Scene 7

Inside an apartment, Georgetown, District of Columbia

The woman cursed as she stepped out of the shower. “Why does the phone always ring when I’m in the shower?” she asked herself.

She quickly pulled on her robe and hurried to the phone beside her bed.

“Hello?” she said, with a bit of annoyance in her voice, and listened for the response.

Her expression brightened as she heard who had called.

“Well, hello there, you sexy man. What can I do for you today?”

Her expression again changed as she listened. Now her features showed just how serious this conversation was.

“I understand,” she said. “You can count on me.”

She hung up the phone and sat on the bed for a moment, lost in thought.

“Well, Connie,” she said to herself. “It looks like you have some work to do.”

[Arlen]

This is getting good.

[Standard]

I don't know how I have missed this one But I'm sure glad I found it.

[davedove]

Scene 9

On the streets of Washington, D.C., near the Convention Center

Ms. Wren and I walked around the area, trying to get some clue of was would soon happen. It wasn’t too difficult to determine the route the Vice President’s vehicle would take; extra police were stationed at strategic corners and extra Secret Service agents could be seen as well.

The police and agents were doing their job. Unfortunately, according to what Ryan had told us, it wouldn’t be enough. Somehow, someone would be able to get around the security.

I decided to focus our search on finding and stopping the truck. But which truck would it be? There were small delivery trucks everywhere. The Secret Service had been able to cordon off the convention center, but could do nothing about the surrounding businesses, which needed deliveries to keep operating.

“Dove, this is Starling,” came a voice over my headset.

“Go ahead,” I replied.

“Thrush and I have located the Vice President and positioned ourselves so that we can maintain surveillance.”

“Good, let us know when he’s moving or you see anything unusual.”

“We do have one thing to report. Ivana is here with her entourage. She doesn’t seem to have any interest in the V.P., other than acknowledging his attendance with her opening remarks.”

“Okay, keep an eye on her as well. It’s unlikely she will do anything herself, but you may notice here giving instructions to someone else.”

“Right, we’ve got it covered.”

[davedove]

Scene 10

On the streets of Washington, D.C., near the Convention Center

Ryan listened to the conversation over his own headset. Mr. Dove and his team seemed to be doing everything right, but he couldn’t shake the feeling that something wasn’t right.

Something in the back of his mind kept trying to come to the surface, something he had forgotten.

What was it? What had he forgotten?

He looked over at Ms. Swan, who was busy monitoring her computer. She had set it up on a nearby bench. Apparently, she was trying to tap into the surveillance cameras in the area.

He looked at her sadly as he remembered his own time. Ms. Swan had been one of the first victims when the government had begun its crusade against X Marks. She had been captured during a sting operation along with one of the younger members. Mein was his name, if he remembered correctly.

They were never seen again.

[davedove]

Okay, nobody freak out if you don't see any posts for a bit. I'm going to be travelling and won't have much access to a computer.

[Jack Daw]

Oo, a good story! Not a good idea to save FACE in this line.