With eighteen hours of paid work seven days a week, Mac's savings kept growing. She had free room and board; she needed little else. The owner suggested that Mac make herself more presentable and showed her some basic grooming and dressing tips with the explanation that she'd earn more tips this way. She went with Mac to some clothing stores and helped her pick suitable clothes.
Any subtle approaches that Mrs. McGuire made to uncover what had gone wrong in Mac's past were immediately blunted. Mac sensed the intrusion and remained very private. Nobody was ever going to know anything about her past. Her father was a drunkard. Her mother, now dead, had been a passive woman who let her husband try to convert his daughter into a son, up to, but not including giving her a boy's haircut. Mac would never get drunk again. She would never be passive. The day that a drunk in the eatery began to belittle and berate another waitress, Mac acted immediately. She whispered something into his ear, put his hand into a come with me or you'll hear the sound of your wrist being snapped hold, and marched him out the door. Her fellow waitress thanked her profusely and gave Mac all of her tips for that night as a thank-you. Some customers applauded her; others slipped some bills into her hand. Mac enjoyed the feeling of being recognized for her ability to take control of a dangerous situation.
Months later, as her savings were ready to be converted to a copter, a lady from Saskatoon came into the eatery looking for a nice meal and found Mac instead. Long a friend of Mac's mother, the lady had to ask Mrs. McGuire for help in convincing Mac to meet with her after hours. The lady shared some stories about her mother that Mac had never known. For example, how Emily had been beaten as a youngster and had grown up scared. Emily was too scared to stand up to the general most of the time, but found the courage when Mac's future and safety were compromised. She was also brave enough to water down his drinks, to force him to accept the embarrassment of a woman driving him home in his car, and to force him to accept that she was going to teach Mac how to play the piano no matter what the general said.
As to the accident in which her mother was killed, the lady said that her mother would never have let the general drive home in his condition. After all, she had the keys and she'd simply walk him home if he refused to sit in the passenger side. Plus she was a sedate driver, who would never be driving so fast that she'd lose control and drive into a tree.
"Something is wrong," the friend said. "Emily didn't cause that crash. The general would not have been driving. And how could the car have been going so fast that it would break your mother's neck? And if it were, how come the general didn't get injured too?"
Then she added the clincher. "In his way, your father loved your mother. In his way, he loved you. He couldn't express it, but everyone could see him bursting with pride when you were growing up as the base's mascot. He has lost the two women in his life that he could love. One died under suspicious circumstances; the other left because he turned to drink to drown his sorrows. Your father is dying, Mac. His body may still be living, but he's dead inside. And the base is going downhill fast. The auditor-inspector is due in three months. Your father will be relieved of his command no matter how hard his friends try to prevent that. That will kill the rest of him." Then she waited.
Mac asked a few questions. Who was actually in charge of the base now? Who conducted the surprise inspections? How tidy were the uniforms being kept?
To all of these questions, she heard an answer that prompted her to grimace. "I can be ready in an hour. Could you give me a ride home, please?" she asked her mother's friend.
# # # # # # # #
When Will returned from his TiTr, he found Izzy waiting for him in his workroom. He was a little surprised by that – he thought this was his private space. But, the door had no lock, and they had never agreed that each would have a private space that the other would respect. So, he didn't say anything.
"I see you have new drones."
"Yah. They're not quite ready yet. A few more tests to go." That was an outright lie but lying to Izzy was now an automatic reaction. Besides, she'd never know.
"I need to develop some plans and I don't have the foggiest idea where to start because you won't tell me what you're doing. I know that you're hiding something from me. You're also lying to me. I won't put up with this much longer."
Then she left.
# # # # # # # #
Less than five days after the conclusion of Alaska's military exercises, orders for resupply were sent to both the Korean and Hawaiian factories. In both cases, the quantities that they were ordering were significantly higher than they had ever ordered before. TG gave his findings to Izzy and she called a meeting of the adults.
"TG's data suggest very strongly that a real attack will be launched by at least December 1. That would be the day that they normally have their military exercises. They're loading up on extra ammunition and spare parts for everything that might get lost in a war."
"Could they attack earlier?" Hank asked.
TG replied for Izzy. The time needed for the two factories to put together these quantities of resupply is going to be challenging. I have a good idea what quantities they can manufacture in a day, plus there's going to be shipping time. They won't be able to attack before November 15, I'd say. They'll be ready for battle at some point after that."
"Their strategy?" Hank, again.
"As we've been thinking," Izzy replied. "Their planes from the carrier will come at us from the south. Planes from Anchorage and Prudhoe will attack from the north, east and west. We're assuming Zzyk's air force will be used to transport his troops and then come in to help mop up after the compound's defenses have been destroyed. DPS army units will attack along the ground."
"What are we going to do, Izzy?" Doc, this time.
"That's going to depend on what Will has ready for them. He hasn't told me what he's inventing yet."
Everyone looked at Will. "Almost done," he said.
# # # # # # # #
After the meeting, Will caught up with TG. "Did you make the changes we talked about in the software at both factories?"
"I did that as soon as I saw the orders coming in. Made both changes in person rather than online. I stole several more bubblegums and a whole lot of bubbles from Hawaii. Took some titanium sheets from North Korea too. Building security at both sites is terrible. I plan to go back and steal even more."
"Why the titanium? I still have some crates in the prison. And why go back?"
"Couple of reasons. When we defeat the Alaskans, these factories will have no reason to keep on producing these armaments. Titanium could be very useful for us. Also, perhaps we'd be able to adapt their bubblegums. The Alaskans developing these weapons are geniuses. We can benefit from their work. Second reason: the more we steal, the longer it will take them to resupply. Gives us more insurance in case something goes wrong."
"Izzy give you those ideas?"
"How could she? You've kept her completely in the dark on what you're doing. Why are you doing that? It's kind of stupid, if you ask me."
"We're going through some difficulties."
"Even with what you've told me about the weaponry you're developing, this war will be ugly. You and Izzy better get your act together soon."
# # # # # # # #
Izzy had been thinking the same thing, but right now, she was preoccupied with some websites that Yollie had drawn to her attention. She had thought them funny. Izzy wasn't laughing.
Izzy was fine with Wizard using Will and Izzy consumer items to attract tourism. This had led to the beginning of a clothing industry. Soon Alberta would be exporting clothes to B.C. and not all of that would have green and white colours. She didn't mind that everyone of a certain age in B.C. was wearing Zorro colours and knee-high boots. She had worn those boots. She knew the craze couldn't last. Discomfort would eventually take its toll.
She was even fine with Wizard using her and Will's pictures to create very valuable goods that could serve as currency. That too wou
ld be temporary until the B.C. currency made its way around Alberta. And, it meant that their volunteers were being rewarded – how could she complain about that?
But, she did have some issues with the First Authorized Auto-biography of Izzy that appeared for sale on the web. The author got everything about her life wrong. A second such biography by another author was supposedly supportive in nature. That author explained in exquisite detail why Izzy was a slut, and why she shouldn't be blamed for being that way. Why should she be criticized for her preference for same-sex dalliances? And, if the girls that she chose were young, well that was just part of today's society where girls married young. Why shouldn't young, innocent girls get to have sex with Izzy? Everybody else did. It was only fair, after all. Both online books were attracting a lot of attention in B.C. and earning their authors a lot of money. The people attacking her were becoming rich off her misery.
Back to the Table of Contents
Chapter 24
Will didn't know what to do after Izzy revealed in his workroom that she knew he was lying. By this time, although he was becoming adept at quickly responding to Izzy's unexpected appearances with bad lies, he also was feeling increasingly guilty about that. But he knew, absolutely, that if he got into an argument with her about the time-travel excursions, he'd lose pure and simple. He couldn't argue against Izzy. She thought quickly; he thought slowly.
Will's dilemma was that he couldn't give up trying to find Mac. How was Wolf going to find Mac and then get her back if Will didn't find out what had happened to her after she returned to Saskatoon? Finding her by walking up and down the streets of a British city was futile.
The answer, from Will's perspective, was to finish the search for Mac as soon as absolutely possible and then confess to Izzy what he had done. Yes, Izzy would be mad. But he had gone through that before. What Will didn't realize, and there was no way that he could, was how absolutely devastated Izzy was when she knew for sure that he was lying to her and keeping secrets from her. In her former life, men who lied were men who cheated on their wives. Izzy had gone so far as to look through Will's bureaus and smell his clothes for hints of perfume. Her search for confirmation of his infidelity even extended to searching his workroom. That's what she had been doing when Will walked in. What was he hiding? Why was he lying? The idea of time-travel never occurred to her. Why would it?
Will didn't have the time to research the General and Sven in real life. He decided to use drones to collect the data. He'd go back in time to the point where Mac had returned to Saskatoon and install drones that would record everything. Periodically, he'd download the files from the present time and fast forward through them to see what had happened in the past. If something important was revealed, Wolf could follow up on it in real time. That way, there'd be no risk of Wolf finding something in Mac's earlier life that she wouldn't want him to know.
Will went to Saskatoon with a backpack full of bugs that were voice activated and that produced sound and video records. Naturally they could be made invisible. Perfect for hiding in high corners. He asked Wolf to join him there.
# # # # # # # #
Wolf and I arrived outside the general's home on Monday, September 13. While we were waiting for the general to leave for the base, I did a sensor check and found that there already was an audio bug in the house. While that was somewhat of a surprise, I knew who would have put it there. Otto arrived in a staff car and knocked on the general's door at 7:30 and then opened it with a key. Wolf and I entered as the general left. We were free to wander around the house so long as we didn't make any noise.
We looked for Sven's bug first. It was in the phone that was on a small table in the living room, right next to a sturdy armchair. A small clock was on the table as was a full bottle of liquor and a shot glass. The bug would pick up both sides of the telephone conversation as well as anything that was said anywhere on the main floor of the house. A short stack of books was on the floor next to a floor lamp. The wall held a large bookshelf, about 75% full. He had a nice comfy little reading corner.
The rest of the living room looked unused. Against one wall was an old looking piano, its bench pushed up underneath its keys. A serious looking large-bladed silver sword with engraving on the hilt as well as on the blade hung above the piano. Next to it, the general's wedding sword would appear small. The dining room was unused. I put my own bug in the living room where it gave a good view of the general's personal corner and then went downstairs to the basement. It was for storage only, as far as I could tell. I saw some unused furniture and blinds. I also uncovered a full set of exercise equipment – a rowing machine, a stair climber, a pull-up bar, and an assortment of dumbbells. All of these were under several heavy-duty tarps that were covered in dust.
Back upstairs. The kitchen was immaculate. No dishes in the sink or on the counter. All food was stored away properly. A small oval table had already been set for the next meal. A single chair was pushed tightly against the table. The upstairs mirrored the downstairs in its neatness. At the top of the stairs was a small bedroom. I peeked in and saw a small sword hanging on the wall above the bed. Perhaps, a smaller version of what was above the piano? I saw lots of decorative pillows on the bed, so figured the room was Mac's. Wolf refused to go in and stopped me from doing so too.
The general's bedroom was larger. It held a double bed, two night stands, two table lamps, one empty low bureau and one high boy that was full of the general's clothes. A large walk in closet had one empty side. The other side held the general's shirts and uniforms. Nothing whatsoever was on the bedroom walls, although faint discolourations suggested that there once had been a full set of pictures.
We saw only one picture in the room and that was on the nightstand. It held an old picture of the general and his wife. She was about 40, had blonde hair, and a nice smile. The general had the same full head of hair as he had at the wedding, except that it was mostly black, not silver. Cuddled between them was a two year old toddler with blonde hair.
"No phone bug up here," Wolf said. He had spent a lot of time looking at the family picture while I was rummaging through the closets and bureaus. Wolf suggested that we leave from the upstairs window and leave it unlatched. That way we could come back in the same way. I never would have thought of that.
# # # # # # # #
Now for the general's office. It was easy enough to find – plenty of directional signs pointed to the Command Center. Since the general had left for work at 7:30 a.m., we thought that we'd enter the building at 6:30. I checked for any electronic security systems and found nothing outside the building or on the doors or windows. I did get two twitches from inside though – Sven keeping an eye on things I assumed. We looked around the building for an entrance that wouldn't record the sounds of someone breaking in and found an unlocked door. I guess when you live on an army base in the middle of nowhere, and all you have of any value in the province is dirt and grass, you don't expect people to break into your military bases.
The general's personal office was at the far end of a long hallway in what looked to be a building that could be erected or dismantled quickly. It was clean, but aged. That long hallway had six doors leading off of it, three on each side. All doors were closed and they had no signs indicating what was inside. Storage? We didn't try to open the doors.
A reception area or anteroom sat just before the end of the hallway. It was rectangular with two straight-back wooden chairs for visitors. The receptionist had a swivel chair and a desk. Blonde wood of some kind. Lots of papers and files on top of the desk, but all organized in straight lines. Nearby filing cabinets, printer tables, and other equipment were standard fare. What wasn't standard fare was the pin holding up one of the bulletins on the tack board immediately behind the receptionist's desk. It was a bug and it was right out in the open. The receptionist would handle it every time he put up a new bulletin. He'd have to know that this wasn't a normal pushpin.
The general's office to
ok up both sides of the hallway and was guarded by an unlocked door and ceiling-high wood panels. There was no way to see into the office unless the door was open. The bug in the general's office was buried inside the frame of an antique picture of some big guys in green and white pounding each other on the back. The brass plate at the bottom of the frame said Saskatchewan Roughriders, Grey Cup Champions, 2013. The bug was expertly inserted below the brass plate. From that picture, the camera had an excellent view of the general's desk and anyone who might be sitting in front of it. Nothing whatsoever was on the top of the desk. I added my own bug to the general's collection. Since Sven thought it was important to keep an eye on the receptionist, I added a bug with a view of his desk too.
Wolf and I agreed that I would process all of the time-travel data while he focused on Sven. Wolf did find some revealing information by TiTr'ing into the evening hours and parking himself above a particular table in the Non-Commissioned Officers mess where Sven, Otto and Dieter spent their evenings drinking and swearing. Wolf had a good read on the characters of the groom's party. He started calling them the SODs, partly because S and O and D spelled SOD; but also because, to put it bluntly, the three of them were vulgar, disgusting people. As Wolf found out when he was walking through British cities, such males are known as sods.
# # # # # # # #
Let's go back to the present in 2083. When TG and Will had broken into the off-site data backup building at the end of July, TG had uploaded his own new and improved version of the software running the new brain-bands into the current backup servers. Then in August, when Zzyk responded to Izzy's fake attacks on the IOF buildings, Zzyk ordered Igor to restore all the IOF's computers with the backup data from those very servers that TG had just corrupted. TG now owned the IOF computers – bit, byte, and bot. (Coincidentally, the name of a hip-hop band from the 2030s.)