Fast Forward
Chapter 3
Hannah woke up next to El Norte and immediately felt dirty. Everything about him was completely repulsive. She threw on a robe over her naked body and walked to the on suite bathroom. She took a quick shower and dressed. El Norte was sleeping and for a second, Hannah thought about smothering him but she knew if she did; she would be at the mercy of El Norte's commandos. She hated El Norte but she was terrified of his commandos. She walked into the adjoining office and turned on her computer. El Norte was still asleep and so Hannah had a bit of free time.
She checked the internet out; and saw that the virus she had unleashed had caused massive failures for anything computer related in the U.S. There was a rising death toll from the drone attacks and Hannah checked the list from Mayport to make sure her father hadn't been killed. Fortunately, he wasn't listed. The government's computer analyst were not close to finding the answers or backdoors and the media didn't seem to know where the "The Red Crash" had come from.
Hannah wanted to make things easier for the analyst, even though she knew she would be killed for doing so. She had a dummy email account set up that El Norte would not track back to her. She selected her dad's email address and typed out an email. He would get it where it needed to go. It was the first time in ten years she had tried to contact him and she couldn't even tell him it was her.
"Sir,
Have your analysts look for a back door in the virus. It's there. Its creator is being held against their will and did not want to do this. The creator could not stop the drone attacks from happening at the bases but did program the drones away from heavily populated areas. Look to Central America as an origin.
The Creator"
Hannah sent the email and immediately deleted it and the email address. If it was ever found out; she would surely die. She could only pray that her dad would check his email and do what needed to be done. She shut the computer off and ordered herself breakfast from the kitchen, not even bothering to order El Norte's.
Mayport, Florida-Mike and Andrea's house
Mike smiled down at his sleeping wife. They had thoroughly enjoyed their kid-free bed. It was actually a rare occurrence for them since they both loved being close to the kids. Andrea had fallen asleep with her head on his chest which in itself wasn't unusual. He traced a finger down her neck and chest, hitting on her most sensitive areas. Andrea's eyes opened and she smiled up at him and gave him a kiss.
"Aren't you tired? You exhausted me." Andrea questioned with a warm smile.
"Can't seem to sleep. Sorry I woke you up." Mike told her.
"Didn't say I minded. I know you could have to leave for weeks or months so I wanted to take advantage of this." Andrea said as she rose up and straddled him. They were kissing and things had heated up quickly when Mike heard his phone ding with a new email. "Better look at that. It could be something important."
"This is important too." Mike informed her as he kissed down her neck. Andrea laughed at him and picked his phone up and handed it to him. He quickly looked at the email and immediately become suspicious. The email address was suspicious but the contents of the email immediately piqued his interest. Mike had never lost what had made him a good detective. He loved puzzles. It was something Hannah and he had in common.
By the time Hannah was four, he and Christine had realized that their daughter was academically gifted. She was particularly good at science and math but excelled at anything handed to her. Her tutors were an economic setback for Mike and Christine. Mike wanted Hannah to have a normal childhood and was afraid of the pressure that Christine put on her. It was the source of most of their arguments. As a result; Hannah ended up in trouble a lot because she was bored. She also had issues with tact and loved practical jokes. The problem with Hannah's practical jokes was the victim didn't really understand even what she had done to them. Hannah thought it was hilarious.
One of the things Hannah loved doing was signing her name with the letters mixed up. It confused Christine and made her tutors think she was dyslexic but Mike had gotten used to it. It had been almost funny until she taught Lucas to do the same thing. Where Hannah had been exceptionally bright, Lucas struggled with reading, leading him to be diagnosed with dyslexia and ADHD. Between Quinn's health issues, Hannah's extreme intelligence and Lucas' learning disabilities; Christine struggled. She often told Mike she just wanted a normal child. Mike wasn't home a lot either but when he was; he was determined to give his kids normal childhood experiences.
Mike snapped back into reality and looked at the email address. To the normal person; it was an odd combination of letters that didn't spell anything but to Mike; it caused the hair to stand up on the back of his neck.
nahnahreslttya
"I need to go to the office. I'm sorry." Mike told Andrea as he helped her off his lap. He knew that he owed her a better explanation and so he handed her the phone. Her eyes had gone wide when she read the email, not even noticing the address. "Look at the address. I think…I'm sure…It's Hannah."
"I don't understand where you would get that from?" Andrea asked him.
"She had a thing that when she wrote her name; she would scramble the letters. Nahnahreslttya is Hannah Slattery. Plus, Hannah was gifted with computers. She may be 'The Creator.'" Mike told Andrea as he pulled on boxers and then a uniform. She was sitting on the bed, still confused.
"Mike, take a deep breath. I get that you want this person to be Hannah but you need to think of a few things. First of all; Hannah has been gone for ten years. The people that killed Christine and Quinn most likely killed her too and we just haven't found her body. Secondly, whoever did this, unleashed this virus…killed a lot of people and has unleashed a virus on computers and weapons systems. I knew Hannah and despite her brilliance, she didn't have that sort of cruelty in her. She was a good girl. Do you really want that person to be your daughter? And thirdly; if it is her; she has been held against her will for years. I cannot imagine the emotional trauma. I understand why you would want it to be her and if it is; I will welcome her with open arms but Mike, I don't want you to get your hopes up. This could be a heartbreak and I honestly don't know how much more you could take. This could end very badly." Andrea warned and Mike sat on the bed long enough to tie his boots. He was slightly angered by what she had said and was only taking a breath so that he didn't start an argument as he was getting ready to leave for weeks or months.
"If it is her, she has been held against her will. She needs to be saved. That is my job. I need to go. I have my go bag in the truck. I'll kiss the kids on my way out. Excuse me." Mike told Andrea angrily. They had both stood up and as he passed her, she grabbed his arm and held it tightly.
"Mike, you are not leaving here like this. I do understand your reasoning but you are not walking out that door with this between us. I am sorry I brought the scenarios up but you had to hear them and it's better that it comes from me than that joke of a president. Now; give me a kiss. I love you." Andrea ordered him and Mike melted. She did have a point, like she always did. He leaned in and gave her a deep kiss and rested his forehead against hers.
"I am sorry for that reaction. I love you too. I know that if it is her; she could spend the rest of her life in prison or maybe damaged but at least she would be alive. I could see her, maybe even hold her again. I just want to hold my baby again." Mike told her quietly.
"I understand. Call me if you need me." Andrea said as she gave him another kiss and then pulled away.
"I will." Mike promised as they walked out of their bedroom and into their kid's rooms. Mike took the time to kiss each of them softly and tucked their blankets in closer. It gave him the perspective he needed. Andrea had quickly packed more uniforms for him and a few other needed items. She met him at the front door with a hot cup of coffee and a kiss.
"Call me one way or another. I love you." Andrea told him as she handed him the items and gave him another kiss.
"I will when I can. I love you too." Mike said as he walked down the porch steps. He knew there was a good possibility that he wouldn't see her or their kids for weeks. That bothered him. Part of him imagined bringing Hannah home with him and introducing her to his younger kids, giving her a chance to recover from whatever hell she had been through. The logical part of his brain told him that if she was alive; she would either be put to death for her crimes or would spend the rest of her life in a maximum security prison. The dad's heart was imagining her hug him, spending the night at his house and harassing him to make her pancakes and bacon for breakfast. Mike was conflicted.
He drove to his office and noticed it was busy with people in a problem solving mode. The best computer analysts were completely stumped and talking in a language Mike didn't understand. He found Tom and Sasha who had both been there all night. He wasn't sure how to even break the news that he suspected his long lost daughter had been the one behind the deadly cyber-attack. The death toll was at 7 and due to the issues with the hospital computers; it would likely go up. Part of Mike wanted to just ignore the email and pretend he didn't know what he knew. Finally, he got Tom and Sasha alone and pulled his phone out.
"I…got an email that might be a help. I think its Hannah." Mike admitted. He knew in telling Tom and Sasha, he had potentially signed his own daughter's death warrant.
"Your daughter?" Sasha asked.
"Mike, I get it. You want to find out what happened to Hannah and in your shoes, I would too but…" Tom began lecturing.
"Look. Remember how she would always scramble the letters to her name? That address. It's the letters of her name, scrambled. And why would this person choose me of all people to send this email to?" Mike asked as he handed his phone with the email opened up on it to Tom. Sasha read it over his shoulder and was shaking her head but Tom was nodding. He forwarded the email to his own email so that it could be looked into. Within five minutes, the analysts were dissecting the email. Mike had sit down in his office to get away from everyone. Tom finally walked in and sat down.
"The email account has been deleted but whoever sent it; I think she wanted us to find her. It's tracking out of Colombia. I have briefed the president and he has given a kill order. You know what that means, Mike. If we find who did this, we are ordered to kill them. I'm hooking up with the Nathan James. I would like you to go with. I understand if you don't want to." Tom told him quietly.
"I will go. Tom; if it is her…I know I am asking for something that I shouldn't, but if it is, please be the one that kills her. I don't want her to suffer and I know you understand that." Mike implored. He really wanted to ask that she be brought back so he could hug her one more time but it was too much to ask for.
"I will, Mike. I'll make it quick and painless. She won't see it coming. I would really like to bring her back if at all possible. Maybe she can help solve this." Tom wondered.
"Maybe but you and I both know, the President will never allow that. He is going to make an example out of Hannah, if it is her." Mike quietly sobbed into his hand. He was normally more emotionally strong but he felt horrible. Tom stayed in the office but was quiet.
"We meet the helo in ten. Tom and I are point on this. You're there for…support." Sasha told them as she stood at his office door. Mike gathered himself, grabbed his bag and Sasha's, called Andrea and they met at the helo. They would be on board the Nathan James by daylight.
Mike was completely silent the entire trip and Tom and Sasha kept conversation to a minimum. They quietly talked about a character that was quite prevalent in Colombia, El Norte. He had come into the United States during the height of the Red Flu outbreak and had even worked with the Immunes. In recent years he had become involved in all sorts of illegal activities including drug running and prostitution. He hated the U.S. government with a passion.
They had figured out that El Norte was not smart enough to pull off a cyber-attack like had happened. Sasha uncovered that El Norte had a mistress. Her name was unknown and she appeared to be very young. From all accounts, the young woman was brilliant but was very anti-social. One picture had been taken of her and Sasha had been able to get it emailed to her while they were in the helo. She passed the IPad to Tom to confirm and his eyes went wide. Mike wasn't even listening to them, just concentrating on what was passing outside the chopper.
"Mike; you'd better look at this. She looks a lot like Christine." Tom pointed out as he passed the tablet to Mike who only glanced at it before shutting his eyes. The picture depicted a young woman holding an assault rifle. She didn't appear to be looking at the camera; just off into the distance. What Sasha had noticed was that the young woman had a very hardened look to her face.
"She looks…totally resigned to whatever fate." Sasha remarked.
"Yeah. The last Halloween that I was home; Hannah had been reading about Joan of Arc. She dressed up as what she called a 'warrior princess.' That picture reminds me of that." Mike reminisced as he pulled his wallet out. He finally found the picture he was looking for and showed it to Tom and Sasha. It was yellowed with age and wrinkled from being in his wallet for at least ten years; but it depicted a dark haired little girl, with a huge grin and mischievous eyes and Mike posing. She was in a handmade costume. Mike looked like a very proud and loving father in the picture.
"She's still that little girl, Mike. We don't know what has happened to her to make her like this but she was such a sweet girl; I can't imagine that she is completely tainted and I will convince the president of that. I can't promise that she won't end up in prison but I will do everything in my power to get her back to you. If she has to be killed, it'll be me that does it but if there is any hope that she is redeemable, I will work on that." Tom promised.
"I know that she will probably be dead by the end of the day. The one thing that I am hanging onto now is that I will at least get to bury her next to her mom and sister. I would love to hug her one more time, just once more but at least I will finally get some closure. I just don't know what to tell the kids. Andrea and I have made a point to include our older kids in their lives. I don't want them to be ashamed when Hannah is mentioned." Mike admitted painfully.
"We spin this the right way, she could be a hero. The President loves his media spins." Sasha remarked. None of them cared for the new president.
"I don't want a spin. I want my child back. I want to not have to spend another birthday or Father's Day away from her. I want to fix her pancakes and bacon every Saturday morning and compete while we put jigsaw puzzles together. I want to take her home with me where she can try and recover from whatever hell she's gone through. To the president, Hannah is a spin. To me, she's a person who has a story and a history." Mike told them quietly. They were nearing the Nathan James and could see it in the distance.
"And I am going to use that to get to the President." Tom told Mike.
"He…is the person who sent his kids off to a boarding school in Switzerland or France. He doesn't care about his own; why would he care about my kid?" Mike questioned.
"He has a young woman, kidnapped after her mother and sister were murdered. Brother died from the Red Flu. Unspeakable things happen to her. She is forced to use her brilliance to kill and destroy. Maybe the fact that she knew she was destined to die was what made her send that email. My guess is, she sent it to you so you would have something from her if she was killed. That same brilliance? It can be used for good. And the advantage where this girl is concerned? The spin. She's the daughter of Admiral Mike Slattery, long lost, presumed dead. He's a war hero, highly decorated. Yep, she did what she had to do, what she was forced to do but the media loves this kind of stuff and I will sell this story to the media. It will make the President into the idiot that he is and Hannah will be safe. I know you don't want that, Mike. You don't want her paraded around but it's a better option than losing her. I personally like it better than killing her." Tom had spun quite the tall tale but Mike couldn't help but to hope.
"So, how are you going to explain that you disregarded the President's orders? That could get you court martialed, at best. And that is only saying that Hannah lives. She may be dead already." Mike pointed out.
"Leave that to me. I want you to start making plans for your vacation." Tom told him as they were landing.
"My vacation?" Mike asked.
"Yep, we get Hannah out of this, alive and not in prison; you're taking at least three months off. You need it, she'll need it and I'm sure Andrea wouldn't complain too much if you were around to help her with those demons you call kids." Tom joked.
"Hey, they're angels…the twins. Tommy put a frog in the girl's dollhouse and they all three ended up in time out." Mike teased back. It was the first time that he had smiled all day. He just hoped that Hannah would have the opportunity to teach the triplets a few of her practical jokes. They got out of the helo and Mike walked ahead, talking to Russ Jeter. Sasha reached down and squeezed Tom's hand.
"You are really putting yourself out for this. Is she worth it?" Sasha asked.
"She is but more so, he is. If Hannah dies, Mike will be completely destroyed. It will kill him." Tom confided.
"It's going to be really hard to paint her as a victim. I want her to survive and for Mike to get his girl back but this is a massive P.R. thing. Mike is not good with P.R. Logistics, any day of the week. People skills; not so much. And they better hope they don't talk to Andrea. She is extremely defensive where Mike is concerned and she hates the President. This could be a massive battle. First, to keep her alive and then to keep her out of prison." Sasha told him quietly as they walked into the helicopter bay.
