Thinking Of Good And Evil
Chapter 11
Richards looked at the exhausted man sitting in front of his desk. He had seen Garrison look better after a blown mission behind enemy lines and, yet, here the man sat looking like he had been run over by a tank. The Colonel reached in his desk drawer for two glasses and a bottle of Scotch. "You need a drink, Lieutenant." Well, if he didn't now, he would after he heard what Richards was about to tell him.
Garrison shook his head, "No, thank you."
Richards raised an eyebrow, "Craig, trust me, you need a drink."
Garrison closed his eyes; they couldn't possibly have a mission for them now! He thought. He reached for the glass and Richards poured a stiff one. He looked at the amber-colored liquid, took a sip and sighed, "How soon?"
Richards chuckled, "Believe it or not your team is not the only team that gets sent on missions. No, this is about Chief."
Garrison almost choked, "Chief?" Then he pulled it together and asked, "They found Braxton and Danvers?"
Richards nodded, "They're dead."
Garrison was stunned. That was the last thing he had expected. "How?"
Richards explained, "The guards from the estate followed Chief's trail back to an abandoned farmhouse a couple of miles south of the village. They found the car and their bodies."
"How were they killed?" Garrison asked, dreading the answer. There was going to be an investigation and if Chief had killed them, even in self-defense, there would be no stopping G-CAT from taking him. He was only half listening to Richards while starting to plan Chief's escape from the hospital.
"Craig?" Richard's voice broken into Garrison's planning.
Garrison embarrassed said, "Sorry. I'm having trouble believing that they had kidnapped Chief and now to find out that they're dead." That should cover his lack of attention it was certainly true enough, he thought.
Richards studied Garrison for a moment, "Yes, the whole situation would seem very bizarre if one didn't know that Chief was a Guardian, but we do. You're worried what G-CAT will do if they were to find out that Chief had killed two soldiers. It's going to be bad enough when they find out that he was kidnapped by American soldiers."
Garrison nodded, "They want him back now, but he's functioning effectively, and they don't have any excuses to have him returned, but if he killed Braxton and Danvers then…"
Richards went on. "There was another car at the scene and footprints indicating at least to other men. Braxton and Danvers were killed at close range. The bullets came from what looks like a German Lugar. Two switchblades were found on one of the men. I'm assuming they belong to Chief. So, I believe Chief is in the clear on that front. The problem then becomes who are our two mystery murderers."
Garrison added, "They had to be from G-CAT. Who else would want to kidnap him?"
Richards bowed his head then picked up a file from his desk and handed to Garrison. "This is Top Secret; G-CAT doesn't know and will not be told. You never saw this."
Garrison opened the file and then froze staring at the report in disbelief. "$15,000?! U.S.?"
Richards smiled and said, "You know Hitler is a nut on religious and magical myths and legends. He's spent a fortune trying to find them. Perhaps Guardians aren't considered very interesting in the U.S., but to the rest of the world they are the stuff of legends. Good old Adolph wants one and it looks like Braxton and Danvers might have been planning on selling one to the Nazis."
Garrison closed his eyes attempting to calm his rage. They were here to fight a war, wasn't that enough? "What the hell were they thinking?!"
"Obviously they weren't." Richards then showed Garrison a small cardboard box. Garrison's heart stopped. It was the box that the drug CL3 was shipped in. It wasn't bad enough that the two traitors were going to give the Germans a Guardian they were also going to sell the Compliance drug. If the Nazis got there hands on that and were able to figure out how to stop the side effects… They could create an entire Army of obedient soldiers. Garrison took the box and prayed he would find…yes, there it was, a tiny A marked on the front off the box that looked more like a smudge than anything else, but for Chief it would a sign that Actor had switched out the drug and it would be safe for him to take an injection. Each vial in the box was also marked the same way.
Richards asked, "I have to tell you that dear Professor Ainsworth has been very cooperative. It seems he might have gotten a little too talkative with some new friends about the handling of Guardians, particularly, the use of the Compliance drug." Richards paused and looked at Garrison. "Just how worried should we be, Craig?"
Garrison looked up to Richards and smiled with relief, "Not at all, Colonel. Not at all."
Richards studied Garrison for a moment and said, "Good to hear. Then G-CAT can and will remain in the dark about the entire incident. I wouldn't want to distress them by telling them that one of their renowned officers was not just an idiot but a traitor."
Garrison was relieved, the Nazi's had not succeeded in obtaining two new possible weapons no thanks to G-CAT. Richards would see that they weren't told and Chief would be safe from them for a little longer. In the back of his mind he wondered how many others knew about this reward,
The two men talked for a long time after that and when Garrison left he was certain that the team had another friend that could be trusted and counted on. Richards had actually said…"Let's say if any of your men find themselves stranded in London just have them give me a call. I'd be happy to help them out. I haven't forgotten that if it wasn't for them and what they risked to help me save the General I wouldn't be a Colonel now." First Katherine and now Richards, maybe they would survive this war, he thought as he hailed a cab to get back to the hospital.
Next day at the military hospital:
The nurse at the desk asked with a smile, "Are you looking for someone, Doctor Blaine, or are you trying to drum up some business?"
Smiling back and shaking her head the Doctor said, "Oh, no, business is way too good, Mary. No, I was asked to check on a patient to make certain that his brains didn't get fried from a high fever."
Mary looked surprised and said, "You mean our miracle patient? He seems fine. Better than fine for someone at death's door."
Doctor Blaine put on her official smile, "Doctor Miller said he seemed a little disoriented and has been very quiet, though after what I've been hearing about how serious his condition was and the miraculous cure, I'm not surprised. Still it's better to be safe than sorry."
The nurse nodded as she handed over the patient's chart, "Of course, Doctor. He's in room 323. There's usually a friend with him." The nurse shook her head. "I've known soldiers to be overly concerned about their buddies but these guys… They never leave him alone. They've been with him night and day."
Doctor Blaine said, "Well, short of a general wanting to stay with him, I will see the patient alone. I'd appreciate it if you would try to give me about an hour."
The nurse nodded, "Of course, Doctor. Just send his keeper this way. Maybe I can talk him into dinner tonight."
Doctor Blaine laughed, "Make sure it's at least a steak dinner or were you planning on doing the cooking?"
The nurse smiled back, "You haven't seen this guy. I'm a farm girl, Doctor. I'd slaughter the cow myself if I thought he'd give me the time of day."
Room 323:
Doctor Blaine walked into the room startling the patient and his friend. Smiling brightly, "Hello, I'm Doctor Katherine Blaine. Doctor Miller asked me to look in on you and see how you're doing." She then put a finger to her mouth for quiet and turned to peek out the door. Turning back she said, "Good, all clear." Then she walked to Actor who had stood at her entrance and gave him a quick peck on the cheek. "So how is our patient?" and turned smiling to Chief.
They had agreed that Actor would allow the nurse to keep him busy for about fifty minutes while she and Chief worked on a little therapy. He thoroughly enjoyed himself flirting but avoiding a dinner invitation while keeping an eye on the door to room 327. Finally, he was standing outside of the room and heard…
"Tell me again what you did to escape?" Katherine was asking Chief.
"I did what Actor told us to do. Act the opposite of what the enemy is expecting." Chief answered.
"Yes, that was a lesson I learned myself from him. So, the opposite of what?" She asked.
Chief paused and then said, "They were expecting to see a Guardian so I acted like…Goniff."
Probing Katherine asked, "How does Goniff act that's different from a Guardian?"
With a second thought he said, "Goniff talks a lot when he's nervous, he stays standing, and he looks at people."
"And a G-CAT Guardian doesn't talk, kneels, and never looks at real people?" Katherine asked still probing.
"Yeah." He said quietly.
"Chief, why does a Guardian act that way?" She asked.
"Because that's how we're…" He stopped and thought about why. "Because that's how we're trained to act."
Katherine, not betraying her feelings asked, "Are you saying that Guardians don't act that way normally?"
Chief shook his head. "No, the trainers…they…they beat us and drug us to make us act like that."
"If they didn't, how would a Guardian act?" She was leading him somewhere.
"They'd…they'd act like real people." He answered quietly.
"OK, then Actor will be here soon so we'll stop now but I have to say I think you should tell Goniff that you used him to help you escape."
Chief looked up horrified at the thought, "No!"
Katherine smiled, "It's your choice, Chief but I think your teammates would like to know that even though they weren't with you physically, they were still able to help you escape."
Actor entered the room explaining, "I am afraid if you stay any longer the staff might get curious."
"You're right." Turning to Chief she said, "Good session, Chief. I'd like to see you and Actor again, in my office, before you leave tomorrow. If that's alright?"
Actor answered because Chief appeared completely lost in thought. "I do not think that will be a problem. Chief?"
Chief looked up frowning, "Thanks, Katherine." Then he gave her a small smile, "Bye."
Next Day – Doctor Blaine's Office:
The phone rang and Katherine picked up the phone, "Doctor Blaine." She listened and then said, "Hold on a moment." She placed her hand over the receiver and looked at Actor and Chief. "Sorry, I have to take this. I'll just be a moment."
Actor nodded and picked up a magazine but Chief had a lot of nervous energy from being bedridden for a few days and got up to look around the large room. Desk, chairs, large couch and there in the back of the room on the wall was a display of American Indian flutes.
Take the music back with you, Gouyen had said as she handed him her flute. Suddenly, his heart stopped. There in the center of the display was…it couldn't be…How could it be her flute? He carefully, took the flute down from the display and searched for her mark, Gouyen's mark was there. It wasn't a dream. He had been there with her. It didn't matter what anyone believed, he knew he had been there with her. Gouyen, had given him her flute, her most prized possession and he remembered the music.
"Do you know how to play?" Katherine asked. Chief was surprised to find her standing at his side.
"A long time ago before…before the boarding school." He said softly.
"If you like that one, I would like to you to keep it." Katherine smiled.
Chief didn't know what to say, "I do like it but it's…"
Katherine looked up at him, "Think of it as a prescription from your doctor. It is good exercise for your lungs."
Chief looked down at the woman who was now so much a part of his life. He didn't know how to tell her what was in his heart and he certainly didn't know how to tell her what the flute meant to him so he settled for a simple, "Thank you."
"You are most welcome, Chief. Now, let's have some coffee and plan for our next session."
At the estate:
Chief sat outside in the sun listening to Garrison and Actor in the study.
Actor asked, "What did the Doctor say?"
Chief tensed a bit. He felt fine but he didn't trust doctors and hospitals. He was certain that somehow it would show in his blood that he was a Guardian and then G-CAT would know and …
Garrison sounding pleased, "All the blood work came back and he's got a clean bill of health."
Actor sounded pleased to, "That is a relief. I was almost certain he was OK but his remarkable recovery… Let us just say it was almost too good to be true."
Garrison laughed, "I know several doctors and nurses that agree with you."
Actor replied, "It just goes to show that, There are more things in heaven and earth…"
Garrison responded, "than are dreamt of in your philosophy. Yes, Shakespeare is certainly right when it comes to Guardians."
Chief wondered who Shakespeare was and how the Warden and Actor knew him. He liked the sound of the word fi-los-o-fee, the way his mouth moved when he said it. He'd have to ask Katherine what it meant because if he asked Actor then Actor might figure out that he was listening when he shouldn't.
Actor said, "I believe that has more to do with G-CAT's propaganda, stupidity, greed, and serious lack of vision."
Garrison nodded, "You're right there." The Warden paused and then asked, "How do you think he's dealing with the kidnapping and murders?"
Actor sighed, "I do not have the slightest idea. When I asked him what he thought about what happened all he said was that there were two less enemies to worry about. I believe we should leave it to Katherine."
Garrison said, "You're probably right. I got a similar response from him." Things were quiet between the two men and then Garrison asked, "How are the lessons coming?"
"Amazing. He is absorbing everything like a sponge. If the war goes on for a few more years he could go through the entire library." Actor laughed thoroughly pleased with himself and his student.
"So he's not fighting you any more?" Garrison asked.
"No, not at all. Once, he proved to himself that he could read a few simple sentences he started asking for more." Actor smiled. "I was a little concerned after the missing book incident. He was so certain he had lost it. Because of that fear and the possibility that it could happen for real, he refuses to take any books out of the library at all. It is a shame; he enjoyed taking them up to his hideaway upstairs. So, I have been picking up used books from the village and he takes those with him everywhere now."
Garrison shook his head and said, "I'm glad for that but I'm not surprised about the books from the library. When he told me he thought he had lost the book he was so ashamed he said that he wasn't going to learn to read any more. I'm grateful we were able to find old Winnie the Pooh. I don't know what we would have done if it had been really lost."
Actor nodded, "We could never have convinced him that it was not his fault and that would have been the end of his reading. It would have been a terrible waste. Being able to read even a little has done wonders for his self-image."
Garrison responded, "Yeah, you know Doctor Blaine feels the more we can prove to him that everything G-CAT told him was a lie the more he'll be able to believe in himself. At the very least reading will give his mind somewhere else to go besides here, the missions or G-CAT. In a book he can escape from it all for a little awhile."
Actor agreed. "Yes, the last time I spoke to her we made a list of a few more things we can do here to help him and you are right a mental vacation is good for the soul. Speaking of G-CAT, I must really do some more serious research on that organization and try figure yo out where their funding is coming from. They cannot be making that much money from the work Guardians do and to house and care for a human being from such a young age takes an enormous amount of money even with the minimal care they give them. Apart from their treatment of Guardians something else is very wrong with that organization."
Outside:
Chief turned his hearing down. He didn't need or want to hear about G-CAT. The important words that he had heard were about his reading lessons. Actor had told him he was doing… well… Actor was a kind man and might have been just trying to be nice but Actor had told his Hearth he was doing "amazing". Chief smiled and thought to himself I can read and write and I like to, that was even more "amazing". Actor made it all seem so easy. When he was a kid he didn't want to read. He hated it. Words from most people he knew then cut like a knife. It was bad enough to hear the words that hurt, why would he want to read them?
Now, with Actor he was learning words that created pictures in his mind and took him to far away places where no on had ever heard of Guardians or G-CAT. There were books that spoke of people, places, and things that he could never have dreamt of. He was finally beginning to understand why Actor always had his head buried in a book. He smiled to himself, when it came to words and books now he felt like a starving man and doubted he would ever feel satisfied.
Chief looked down at the writing pad he was holding. Actor told him it wasn't enough just to be able to read words. He had to be able to use them and had given him a new assignment – write about how he felt. He had to pick people that he knew, good or bad, and describe them. He was supposed to create an image of the person with words. He should try to explain what these people were like to him, what they meant to him. After what he had just heard he suspected that this might be another part of Katherine's therapy so he'd try to complete the assignment.
The only one he thought he could write anything about was his Hearth. Maybe if he could get it right, about his Hearth, then he could write about the others…his brothers in arms. They may not know it but he knew they were some of his reasons for him to come back…his reasons to live. He couldn't remember exactly what they had to do but he knew whatever it was, it was important and only together they would succeed.
He sighed and remembered that Actor had recommended he try using the "5 W" questions to get started. So….
Who = My Hearth
What = is like a light
Where = in the window
When = he was lost in the dark
Why = placed there to help him find his way home
My Hearth is like a light in the window, when he was lost in the dark, who was placed there to help him find his way home. Did that sound right?
Maybe... My Hearth is like a light in the window, when I get lost in the dark, that was placed there to help me find my way home.
What if I moved a few words...My Hearth is like a light in the window, that was placed there to help me find my way home, when I am lost in the dark.
He read the words to himself several times and thought the sentences might be what Actor was looking for but it wasn't enough to describe what the Hearth truly meant to him. The Hearth was the Center, the feeling of home, hope, belonging, a lifeline, another reason to live and so much more. Chief frowned, maybe he just didn't have enough words yet. I'm going to have to do a lot more reading he thought to himself and then he smiled and looked out across the estate. I can read. I can write. ...Am I a real person?
