Stormy Weather
by matahari2
Summary / Disclaimers, etc.: See Chapter 1
Chapter Eight – The Silver Lining
Jamie leaned against the door, listening for any sign of movement on the other side. Hearing no sounds, he went to work, reopening the camera case and pulling out one of the glass filters and placing it on the floor. He wasn't sure he could break the glass with his hands, taped together as they were, so he stood to his feet and stomped on it instead. "Yeah! This oughta work," he said in a loud whisper, kneeling down, picking up one of the shards of glass and beginning to slice through the edge of the tape.
"Any more where that came from?" Bob asked, holding his hands out as he sat down on the end of the bench facing Jamie.
"Oh yeah. . .sorry," Jamie answered, offering Bob the piece of glass he'd been using and picking up another. As they worked at removing their bindings, Jamie shook his head and said, "I still don't get it."
Glancing at Jamie's puzzled face, Bob replied, "What? You mean, why would they want to capture the two of us? Well, for my part, I guess that's because they seem to think I hang out with all the wrong people. . ."
"Like me?" Jamie interrupted, frowning slightly.
"Oh, no!" Bob shouted in denial, looking Jamie in the eyes as he said it. Returning his concentration to cutting into the tape on his hands, he hushed his voice and said, "No. It's the U. S. Army that's got them all in an uproar. See, these guys must have been the only ones from their group that survived after the Army bombed the caves where they'd been hiding last week."
"Oh," Jamie said, nodding and looking down at his almost-separated hands as he tore at the remaining tape. "All right, but why would they have a reason to suspect that you'd have anything to do with that? Just because you were friendly with those soldiers back at the market in Zambar?"
"Probably," Bob said with a noncommittal shrug, giving full attention to his half-accomplished task.
"Yeah, but that was just a few days ago, and the cave bombings. . ." Jamie said, stopping himself when a sudden realization struck him. As he worked at peeling off the last of the sticky tape with his fingers, he darted his eyes toward Bob and whispered softly, "Um. . .are you trying to tell me, you know, without telling me, that you're a. . ."
"Friendly guy?" Bob said with a tooth-deprived grin, effectively deflecting the question, just as soft footsteps sounded outside their door.
Jamie rushed over to the bench, swinging his legs around under the table and folding his hands in his lap. Bob simply held his hands together and hid them between the folds of his loose-fitting tunic.
The young dark-eyed girl slipped into the room, carefully closing the metal door. She padded across the room toward the table, glancing back over her shoulder once before addressing Bob Seehra. "Chotor asty, Balachandra," she whispered, lifting the veil.
Seehra's face brightened at the sight of her, and he said, "Oh. . .hello, Fariya," returning her greeting and reaching out to take her hand in his. "Fariya, allow me to introduce Jamie King," he said, motioning to Jamie with his free hand. "Jamie, this is Fariya Bashir, Angel of mercy."
"Mr. King," she said, a shy smile crossing her face as she held out her hand to him.
"Pleased to meet you," Jamie said, standing up and shaking her hand. Looking to Bob, he asked, "So you two know each other?" He paused to cast at quick glance at Fariya before asking, "Is she. . .um. . .friendly, too?"
"You could say that," Bob replied, holding his grin in check. His expression darkened as he stated, "But we have more important things to think about right now. . .like how we're going to get out of here, and when."
Fariya had begun pacing the small space, tapping her index finger against her chin for a few seconds before she started to speak. "Perhaps I may be of service," she offered, standing still and placing a hand on her hip. She gestured with her free hand, counting items on a mental list. "The sun will set in two hours, and I will prepare their dinner--a saffron rice dish with raisins. It will be an easy thing for me to mix in something special. . .to help them sleep tonight," she said with a knowing grin and a nod of self- approval, as she pulled a long silver chain with a crystal clear pendant out from under her flowing garment. Holding up the small glass vial that dangled from the chain, she looked at her companions, saying. "This should do nicely."
"Yeah. . . " Jamie said, the light of hope spreading across his features. "Now, what do you want us to do?"
"You must remember. . .wait until after sunset," she began. "I will come for you when the time is right."
**********
Lee stared at the picture on the PC monitor, one of what looked to be an abandoned fort that backed up to a woodland area, 'in the Paktia province', the caption said. The picture, attached to Jenny's email message, had reminded him of something he'd seen earlier today. Robertson! That was it. . .the infrared images. . .one of those images they'd viewed that appeared to show only seven or eight people. He closed the page, pushed away from his desk and swung open the door to his office, cutting a wide swath through the bullpen as he headed out into the corridor.
Francine had to step aside quickly to avoid a collision. She called out to him, "Lee! Where are you off to in such a hurry?" 'And couldn't you see me coming?' she wondered, but she held her tongue. . .she could understand his distracted behavior, considering all that he must have on his mind.
Not slowing his pace, he answered over his shoulder, "Back to the satellite monitoring room, to check on. . ."
"Lee, I just came from there, " she interrupted, scurrying to catch up with him and grasping his forearm to stop his momentum.
He glared in response, saying, "Well?" as he pulled his coat open and stuffed a hand into his pants pocket, drumming the fingers of his free hand against his leg as she answered.
"They've narrowed it down to two sites," she said. At his anxious nod, she continued, "One is a cabin up close to the Zhawal mountains, and the other is what appears to be an abandoned fort."
Taking hold of Francine's elbow and resuming his progress down the hallway, he said, "Let's go take a look."
TO BE CONTINUED
by matahari2
Summary / Disclaimers, etc.: See Chapter 1
Chapter Eight – The Silver Lining
Jamie leaned against the door, listening for any sign of movement on the other side. Hearing no sounds, he went to work, reopening the camera case and pulling out one of the glass filters and placing it on the floor. He wasn't sure he could break the glass with his hands, taped together as they were, so he stood to his feet and stomped on it instead. "Yeah! This oughta work," he said in a loud whisper, kneeling down, picking up one of the shards of glass and beginning to slice through the edge of the tape.
"Any more where that came from?" Bob asked, holding his hands out as he sat down on the end of the bench facing Jamie.
"Oh yeah. . .sorry," Jamie answered, offering Bob the piece of glass he'd been using and picking up another. As they worked at removing their bindings, Jamie shook his head and said, "I still don't get it."
Glancing at Jamie's puzzled face, Bob replied, "What? You mean, why would they want to capture the two of us? Well, for my part, I guess that's because they seem to think I hang out with all the wrong people. . ."
"Like me?" Jamie interrupted, frowning slightly.
"Oh, no!" Bob shouted in denial, looking Jamie in the eyes as he said it. Returning his concentration to cutting into the tape on his hands, he hushed his voice and said, "No. It's the U. S. Army that's got them all in an uproar. See, these guys must have been the only ones from their group that survived after the Army bombed the caves where they'd been hiding last week."
"Oh," Jamie said, nodding and looking down at his almost-separated hands as he tore at the remaining tape. "All right, but why would they have a reason to suspect that you'd have anything to do with that? Just because you were friendly with those soldiers back at the market in Zambar?"
"Probably," Bob said with a noncommittal shrug, giving full attention to his half-accomplished task.
"Yeah, but that was just a few days ago, and the cave bombings. . ." Jamie said, stopping himself when a sudden realization struck him. As he worked at peeling off the last of the sticky tape with his fingers, he darted his eyes toward Bob and whispered softly, "Um. . .are you trying to tell me, you know, without telling me, that you're a. . ."
"Friendly guy?" Bob said with a tooth-deprived grin, effectively deflecting the question, just as soft footsteps sounded outside their door.
Jamie rushed over to the bench, swinging his legs around under the table and folding his hands in his lap. Bob simply held his hands together and hid them between the folds of his loose-fitting tunic.
The young dark-eyed girl slipped into the room, carefully closing the metal door. She padded across the room toward the table, glancing back over her shoulder once before addressing Bob Seehra. "Chotor asty, Balachandra," she whispered, lifting the veil.
Seehra's face brightened at the sight of her, and he said, "Oh. . .hello, Fariya," returning her greeting and reaching out to take her hand in his. "Fariya, allow me to introduce Jamie King," he said, motioning to Jamie with his free hand. "Jamie, this is Fariya Bashir, Angel of mercy."
"Mr. King," she said, a shy smile crossing her face as she held out her hand to him.
"Pleased to meet you," Jamie said, standing up and shaking her hand. Looking to Bob, he asked, "So you two know each other?" He paused to cast at quick glance at Fariya before asking, "Is she. . .um. . .friendly, too?"
"You could say that," Bob replied, holding his grin in check. His expression darkened as he stated, "But we have more important things to think about right now. . .like how we're going to get out of here, and when."
Fariya had begun pacing the small space, tapping her index finger against her chin for a few seconds before she started to speak. "Perhaps I may be of service," she offered, standing still and placing a hand on her hip. She gestured with her free hand, counting items on a mental list. "The sun will set in two hours, and I will prepare their dinner--a saffron rice dish with raisins. It will be an easy thing for me to mix in something special. . .to help them sleep tonight," she said with a knowing grin and a nod of self- approval, as she pulled a long silver chain with a crystal clear pendant out from under her flowing garment. Holding up the small glass vial that dangled from the chain, she looked at her companions, saying. "This should do nicely."
"Yeah. . . " Jamie said, the light of hope spreading across his features. "Now, what do you want us to do?"
"You must remember. . .wait until after sunset," she began. "I will come for you when the time is right."
**********
Lee stared at the picture on the PC monitor, one of what looked to be an abandoned fort that backed up to a woodland area, 'in the Paktia province', the caption said. The picture, attached to Jenny's email message, had reminded him of something he'd seen earlier today. Robertson! That was it. . .the infrared images. . .one of those images they'd viewed that appeared to show only seven or eight people. He closed the page, pushed away from his desk and swung open the door to his office, cutting a wide swath through the bullpen as he headed out into the corridor.
Francine had to step aside quickly to avoid a collision. She called out to him, "Lee! Where are you off to in such a hurry?" 'And couldn't you see me coming?' she wondered, but she held her tongue. . .she could understand his distracted behavior, considering all that he must have on his mind.
Not slowing his pace, he answered over his shoulder, "Back to the satellite monitoring room, to check on. . ."
"Lee, I just came from there, " she interrupted, scurrying to catch up with him and grasping his forearm to stop his momentum.
He glared in response, saying, "Well?" as he pulled his coat open and stuffed a hand into his pants pocket, drumming the fingers of his free hand against his leg as she answered.
"They've narrowed it down to two sites," she said. At his anxious nod, she continued, "One is a cabin up close to the Zhawal mountains, and the other is what appears to be an abandoned fort."
Taking hold of Francine's elbow and resuming his progress down the hallway, he said, "Let's go take a look."
TO BE CONTINUED