Chapter 31
SPOV
What the hell is Binkie doing on this flight? They never schedule my flight with any military men or women other than my dad. If my secret is discovered, it would not be due to my error. Somebody somewhere made an error in judgement.
I know Binkie's a freaking genius on the computer. Do they want me to concentrate on gathering intel and have Binkie assist? Come on Steph… think. You completed his employment review search several weeks ago. Binkie's real name is Edgar Williams and he earned the nickname Binkie because of his youthful looks. He's only two years younger than me.
Williams joined the Army after taking a year of computer science in university. Which means he joined the Army around the same time I did. We trained on the same base, but I looked different back then. If I ever get a buzz cut, he would easily recognize me. I tried to think back to my training. It was an unusually small group, which is nearly unheard of. But we were a special group of men and women. We were all computer wizzes. I barely remember the year of training.
There was so much to learn and I mostly kept to myself. We were often broken into groups of 2 for special projects. My partner was a woman named Dixie. Unfortunately, she was seriously injured during one of our basic training exercises and was discharged. If you couldn't keep up with the physical part of training, they didn't keep you. Not having a replacement partner meant I had to do the computer projects alone. Binkie, Williams as he was called back then, and his partner offered to have me on their team, but our CO wouldn't give us permission.
Did I mention I went by my middle name Michelle? No? Anyways, to hide my identity from everyone else, my name was Michelle Plumbe. It was grandpa's last name before his family emigrated from Italy. His name was changed upon arrival in New York. The records keeper wasn't the best speller and never asked for correct spelling.
I really can't explain how my uncles Bernie, Andy and Joe along with my dad, managed to hide my true identity in the contract I signed. Thinking about my early Army days made me realize more people must know I'm Eclipse. My uncles must know my secret. There was no other logical reason why they would work so hard to hide me and redact my name. I always thought it was just me, dad and our handler.
Using a combination of Italian, French and Latin, I quietly asked dad, "Do my uncles know who I am?" I was suddenly afraid someone would try finding me by using my middle name.
"Absolutely everything. How do you think we hid you?" he replied. "Your name was redacted from all military paperwork and databases." I already knew this because I was instrumental in the redaction process.
When our plane finally landed, a flight attendant waited by our seats as the passengers disembarked. Only dad, Binkie and I remained on the plane. My spidey sense started humming louder. The flight attendant unlocked our overhead compartments and let us remove our own duffles.
We were escorted by guards through the security gates where General Bernard Barnes was waiting for all 3 of us. "General Plum, Mitch, Binkie," he quickly greeted us. "Follow me," Bernie ordered.
Bernie had a car waiting for us. Dad sat in the front with Bernie, while I took my seat beside Binkie. I could feel him staring at me. Using all my inner strength, I avoided looking in his direction. Luckily Binkie remained silent for the duration of our drive to base.
Our car stopped outside the medic's building. We needed to get through our medical exams before we are shown to our barracks.
The medic was going through my file when I knocked on his door. Dad and Binkie were close on my heels. "Sit on the exam table. My name is Matt Johns, but everyone calls me Stitch," he stated. He waved Binkie and Dad from the room so he could update my file. "Everything appears to be in order. I just need a few samples."
"Let me guess, urine and blood," I deadpanned.
"You guessed correctly soldier. When was the last time you received your birth control injection?" he asked to distract me from he needle he placed into my vein.
"In a few weeks. Would you be able to give me another injection now? You know… just in case?" He nodded before removing the needle. His sense of uneasiness was becoming more overwhelming. Before he said anything else, I knew what he was about to ask. My OB said I needed a PAP exam before she could administer another shot, since I've never had one before. "Stitch, it's alright. I'm not a virgin and you need to finish the exam."
He had me remove the necessary clothes to complete his examination. I've never had this invasive test before and I have to admit it wasn't something I would want to do again. However, it was necessary to ensure I don't develop cervical cancer. Once all the required equipment was pushed out of my way, I grabbed my panties and cargos and slipped them back on. Before I could secure my pants, Stitch stopped me. "I need to give you the birth control shot. Bend over the table," he stated as his face turned an attractive shade of pink.
He passed me the empty container to gather my last sample. I grabbed the plastic collection cup and filled it while he watched. It was part of his job to ensure we were drug free and didn't use somebody else's sample. He stuck various litmus paper tests into the sample before laying them on some paper towel.
When I was cleared, I left the room so he could examine Dad and Binkie. Our orders where to check into the training area once our medical exams were complete. It didn't take long for Binkie to have his medical. He returned from a mission several weeks ago, so there wasn't much to do.
"I know who you are," Binkie said, taking a seat next to me. I attempted to raise an eyebrow, but raised both. He laughed, "If I was slightly unsure before, I certainly know now. What are you doing here?"
"Same as you," I decided to answer honestly. "Called for a mission."
"Do the men know you're one of us?"
"Not really. If they suspect anything, they kept it to themselves," I replied.
"Trust me, they have no clue. You went by Mitch during basic. When was your last mission?" he asked.
"Last year when I 'broke' my leg," I answered with a devious smile.
"Was your leg really broken?" he asked suspecting it was a ruse.
"Not even a little bit. It kept the men distracted from why I was off work for so long," I replied.
"Rodriguez know?"
"My husband knows. He drove us today," I say pointing towards the door as I said us.
"You do know you can trust us," he said, lightly touching my arm. I did know I could trust them. It was more like I was afraid one of my enemies will track me down. Also, the men may not forgive me from lying to them for so many years. Binkie only knows a very small part of my secret. I had a feeling he was about to become more acquainted with the real me. One by one, my Merry Men were unraveling the truth.
"I'm sorry, but I have to know… why were you on our flight?" I asked.
"Missed my flight last night. There was an accident which took more than 3 hours to clear. I couldn't reach my handler, so I contacted the airport," he answered. Well that certainly explains why we were on the same flight… not much we can do about it now. The damage is already done.
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LPOV
I made it back to Rangeman in time for the morning meeting. Tank waited until everyone was seated before he began talking. I took my usual seat a couple chairs down from Lester. Stephanie usually sits between him and me, so her chair remained empty. Bobby was a little late arriving and took the empty seat on my other side. He could have sat between me and Lester, but he didn't want to sit in my wife's chair.
Ranger was visible on the large screen. Since he left for Miami, he rarely participated in our meetings. I knew he was only joining us because there were several announcements.
Tank spent the better part of the meeting handing everyone their assignments. Hal, Cal and Woody were taking over the searches. "Why are we running the searches?" Woody asked, clearly disappointed.
"Stephanie is taking a leave of absence for the next few weeks," Tank informed us.
Lester joked, "Are you sure she isn't with Binkie on his mission?" He has no idea how correct he actually is.
I was watching the screen when Tank announced my wife's leave. His eyes immediately met mine, as though he was trying to read my thoughts. "Babe was never in the Army," Ranger replied while staring in my direction. If he thought I would ever betray my wife, he is sadly mistaken.
"Wouldn't it be awesome if she was? Then we wouldn't have to keep our missions a secret around her," Lester added. I heard most of the men agree with him. Bobby was talking quietly to himself as the men continued to weigh the pros and cons of Stephanie being in the military.
My heart started racing when I heard Bobby whisper, "She's Eclipse." I could only hope my blank face didn't slip when he finally made the connection. We all heard about the talented Eclipse during our time serving with the Rangers. Eclipse provided us with the best intel.
"Enough," Ranger yelled to get everyone to stop talking. "If she was in the military, we would have found her in their databases." He knows as well as I do there are reasons why she wouldn't be found.
"Not if she's Eclipse," Bobby whispered to me. My wife is not going to like this conversation one bit.
"Mallory Price will be arriving in one month. She will be working with Stephanie in searches and client services. Greg Sampson will be transferring to our Boston branch to live closer to his family. Binkie, as you all know, left last night for a mission. He is helping a few expert military programmers gather intel for a potential mission for the Rangers," Tank announced. "Are there any questions?"
"Is Price the woman resembling Steph's sister Valerie?" Carter asked.
Tank laughed before stating, "Price is Valerie's twin sister." Mallory was obviously forthcoming during her interview.
"So she is Stephanie's sister," Carter said smiling. I imagine he was happy to know he wasn't going crazy after all. Stephanie was probably finishing her medical check in. They always grab a blood sample for testing and to keep on file just in case something goes horribly wrong. She may be working behind the scenes for now, but that could change at a drop of a hat.
"Dismissed," Tank ordered.
I took my assignments for skip tracing. It was my turn to work in the field. My preference was hiding behind my monitor working on tactical plans for distractions. Since Steph was away on her mission, we would be using Jeanne Ellen. She's a very beautiful woman, but her looks are marred by her bitchy attitude. When I first met her, I thought she was one of Ranger's casual hookups. I quickly learned she was a second cousin.
Jeanne Ellen has a habit of wearing very tight leather clothes whenever she visits Rangeman. Some of the men initially found her very appealing. They quickly learned her beauty was only skin deep. The Merry Men, as my wife likes to call them, find my wife more appealing. She may not be as outwardly attractive as Jeanne Ellen likes to think she is, but Stephanie's inner beauty always shines through. I'm very lucky to call her my wife.
The day seemed to drag. I couldn't just pull up the camera feed at her desk to watch her. How will I possibly last the next few weeks without her? I'm not used to sleeping without her.
As I prepared for bed, my secure phone rang. "Hey," I answered.
"Hey lover," my wife replied. "I really missed you today."
"I missed you too. How are you able to call?" I asked.
"We are permitted to speak every few days, but…"
"Nothing confidential," I added.
"Yes… that. How was your day?" she asked.
"Too long without you here," I admitted. We talked about everyday things. It wasn't long before it was time to call it a night. "I love you so much."
"I love you too. Sleep dreams my love," she said before ending the call.