Chapter 13

Joe had been keeping a low profile since Mustafa had told him about the meeting with Margaret yesterday, but the alarms going off all over headquarters had driven him out of his room and into the chaos that was unfolding in the main areas of the facility. The alarms, a shrill and constant beeping that made him feel as though his skull was about to split, were emanating from everyone’s phones and, judging by the unbroken shrillness, no one else had been able to silence theirs either.

“Michigan?” Kevin Hughes called to him from across the common area as he stepped out of his private quarters. The man had been dead asleep since returning to base, but he seemed wide awake now.

“No idea,” Joe said as Hector Morales, Micah Talbot and his fellow priests joined them in the common space.

“All EDTF and Order personnel to the main office as soon as possible,” Kim’s voice said over the loudspeakers that ran throughout the entire facility. “That means you too Raven,” she added as if worried this had been unclear.

Joe joined the others as they streamed out of the common area and the dorms, into the main facility, up the steep metal staircase and into Margaret’s office. As Joe walked in behind the others, he saw that the Raven had beaten them all there and that Margaret and Kim were already hard at work at their respective terminals.

“Over here,” Margaret said, beckoning them to her desk and away from her furiously typing assistant. “We’ve had another gate open in Arizona. No warnings or gate development this time and our initial readings indicate that this is by far the largest crossover yet. We’re going to need all available field agents en route within the hour.”

“What do you mean largest yet?” Morales said. “What does that mean exactly?”

“Where’s Allen?” Hughes asked at the same time.

“Yeah,” Morales said, now looking around the room as if he’d only just noticed their leader’s absence, “where is the big guy?”

“He relocated to Michigan late last night,” Margaret said, though her voice was suddenly strained. Joe had heard about the way her meeting with Allen had gone from Mustafa, but this seemed worse than what the large Egyptian Father had told him. “The timing is poor, but we knew the team would need to remain fluid in case of situations like this.” She was saying all of this very fast, never looking up from her computer. The others seemed to be reading this as Margaret in go mode, but Joe saw it for what it was; fear. “As for your original question Mr. Morales; our machine is able to measure something equivalent to the total mass of whatever solid matter passes through. While that doesn’t tell us exactly what or how many of something might have arrived, it does give us some indication of what we’re dealing with. In this case, either something far larger than any single land animal on earth has wandered through the gate, or multiple targets have crossed over together. I’m inclined to think it’s the latter, though we can’t count the former out entirely.”

“So you’re sending me, Kev and Micah? Alone?” Hector Morales asked skeptically. “Not to knock my boys here, but that doesn’t seem like the best course of action. Can’t we hang tight for a sec? Regroup.”

“Allen and Jomo are in Michigan monitoring that gate and I’m not going to move them only to have something come through there,” Margaret responded patiently. “The investigative team has been diverted to an airstrip in Arkansas where I have some contacts. Mr. Fritz will continue his journey here with the car while Ms. Ellis and Mr. Benjamin will meet you in Tucson. The Order troops are returning here to serve as an on site presence since rerouting them wouldn’t get them where they need to be in time.”

“So us three, plus the B team?” Hughes scoffed. “Allen would never have okayed this. I’m calling him.”

“You are more than welcome to Mr. Hughes, but he will tell you nothing different. This is our situation and, while not ideal, we need to get moving if we want to stay ahead of our targets. If you know of anyone else that is willing to go, by all means bring them along, but as far as I can see, we’re giving you everyone we can.”

“Give me a rifle and I will join you,” Mustafa said unexpectedly, stepping forward from his spot next to Joe and Henrik at the back of the room.

“No offense padre, but we need pros, not volunteers,” Talbot said gingerly. Talbot was a nice kid, at least in Joe’s estimation, but he clearly did not know who he was speaking to.

“Don’t worry about me boy,” Jabari smiled. “I came to the cloth after a long career elsewhere, a late bloomer you might say. Before my calling I was in the Egyptian Armed Forces. I’m no stranger to the field of battle and consider it my duty to further our cause in this capacity.”

“No shit?” Hughes said.

“None at all my friend,” Jabari said, still smiling.

“Fine by me then,” Hector said.

“Me too,” Hughes said. Rounding on Margaret he added, “Who’s leading this nightmare if Allen isn’t?”

“He suggested either yourself or Mr. Morales,” Margaret said, “but we need to decide that quickly and get moving. I personally have no preference so it’s up to you two.”

“All you big guy,” Hector said, slapping Hughes on the shoulder.

“Like I’d follow your lead anyway,” Hughes growled. “Alright, so us three, the army priest, Benjamin and Ellis? Not exactly the dream team, but I’ll make it work.”

“I’m sure you will,” Margaret said.

“Where is this new gate?” the Raven asked. Joe had almost forgotten he was there with all the other excitement.

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“I don’t have time to show you and it wouldn’t make any sense to you by your own admission anyway,” Margaret snapped, though Joe knew she was testing their mysterious ally. The idea that the cunning creature had no way to match a map of their world to the rough layout of his own was something no one in the EDTF was buying.

“Show me,” the Raven said menacingly and the mood in the room shifted instantly. Hughes and his men all transitioned from a semi-relaxed state to an alertness that was palpable as they watched the masked man staring down Margaret. For her part, Margaret was looking at him without concern, no trace of the earlier fear in her eyes. “Please,” the Raven said finally. He sounded more annoyed than conciliatory, but it seemed to diffuse the tension well enough.

Letting her eyes focus on Hughes, Margaret said, “Get your gear and anything else you might need and load the vans. The airport you’ll be flying out of is south of here, near the Kansas border. It should take you just over two hours to get to Tucson. Ellis and Benjamin will make it there at some point tonight, though I can’t say when quite yet. Hopefully you won't have to wait on them long.” Turning to Joe she said, “I don’t know where Atticus is, but find him. We need all hands on deck. And you,” she said to the Raven with equal disdain, “with me.”

Joe watched everyone lurch into motion and he let them file out in front of him before he set off to look for Atticus. He’d noticed the man’s absence from the start, but had been so engrossed by the new information Margaret had been telling them that he hadn’t bothered to mention it. Margaret had clearly noticed though. Despite her harsh words earlier, she seemed to know that she was better off with Atticus by her side then with him off sulking on his own somewhere. Thinking the man’s private quarters were the best place to start his search, Joe made his way back to the dorms.

Throwing open the door to his friend’s room, he was met with a sight that he was wholly unprepared for. Atticus was on the floor, looking completely out of it as he struggled to orient himself and climb back into bed. He was half dressed and the open bottle of sleeping pills by his bed explained at least some of what was going on here. “How many did you take?” Joe asked as he closed the door and knelt down next to his friend.

“Just didn’t want the dreams,” Atticus slurred. “Needed sleep. What’s happening?”

“New gate in Arizona,” Joe said, trying to figure out what, if anything, he needed to do. “When did you take them?”

“Last night and this morning,” Atticus said. “Just needed sleep.”

“Ok, ok,” Joe said, patting his friend on the shoulder. “How many?”

“Double,” Atticus said.

“Double dose? Last night and this morning or just this morning?” Joe asked.

Atticus wasn’t much help as he nodded drunkenly to both of these options and tried to get up again. Joe helped him rise about halfway, but instead of getting him fully upright he deposited Atticus back in bed where he belonged. He kept watch over his friend for the short time it took Atticus to fall back asleep, his anger with Margaret building as he did so. Putting a top back on the bottle of ambien as the other man’s snores filled the small room, Joe put the pills in his robes, turned out the lights and shut the door.

Margaret was on her own for this one.

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Margaret led the Raven back to his quarters, eyeing Atticus’ door as she went. She had no idea what the man was up to, but she sincerely hoped he wasn’t pouting in there over her outburst earlier. She had crossed a line with him, she knew that now, and she would make it up to him when she could, but this was not the time for childish pettiness. She needed every ounce of brain power she had available with her in her office, and that infuriating little man’s brain was one of the best, even if it made him who he was in every other respect. Putting the Atticus problem aside to focus on the one at hand, she entered the Raven’s room and marched him right up to the map on his wall.

“Here,” she said, pointing at the appropriate pin marking the Arizona gate. She’d have to change the color now, she thought, even as far more pressing matters clouded her mind.

The Raven stared at the map for a moment and then said, “Are you sure these are correct? In their placement, I mean?” She assumed he was referring to the pins.

“Yes,” she said.

“Then I must go,” the Raven said.

“You aren’t permitted to leave the…” Margaret began, alarmed.

“Not on my own,” the Raven finished for her. “With Kevin Hughes and the others. They will need my help. This is beyond their skill alone to handle.”

“And how would you know that, exactly?” Margaret asked, her eyebrows raised. “Because this map does make sense to you? Because it has all along? I really hope that isn’t the case Raven.”

“We can discuss it later, when I return,” the Raven said, but for once his brushing off of her questions didn’t annoy her. He wasn’t avoiding the question per se, at least not in her judgment. He seemed anxious all of a sudden. Like time was of the essence and he wanted to get moving.

Margaret was glad he was willing to help bulk out the field team, they could sure use him, but none of this was adding up for her. Why would he have this type of reaction to this specific gate? Neither of the other gates had gotten any reaction out of him at all. What was happening here that she didn’t see. “I insist on it,” she said finally, unable to figure the ebony skinned man out in the time allotted, but adding “and make sure they all get home in one piece.”

“If my guess is correct,” the Raven said, “I will bring them back stronger than ever.”

Completely at a loss as to what that could mean, Margaret was forced to divert her attention from the birdman to the door to her right as Joe entered without so much as a knock. “Did you find him?” Margaret asked, not liking the look on Joe’s face as he reached into his robes.

“I did,” Joe said, tossing something to her.

She caught it easily, but her heart sank as she saw the pill bottle now clutched in her hand. “Goddammit,” she said. “How bad is he? Any chance he comes to in time?”

“I wouldn’t bank on it,” Joe said. “Might be up sometime later tonight or early tomorrow, but I can’t say for sure.”

“I’m sorry Joseph,” she said as genuinely as she could. “I’ll deal with it when this is all through. I promise.”

“See that you do,” Joe said, turning to leave her and the Raven behind. “He’s a good man. Don’t crush him under the weight of his mistakes, no matter how much they’ve hurt you.”

She bit back her retort as she watched Joe go and told the Raven to meet up with Hughes’ men in the garage. The Raven hadn’t needed to bring anything so he was gone moments after Joe, leaving Margaret alone with the map in his room. Placing the pill bottle in her pocket, she decided against going to check on Atticus herself. The man wouldn’t want her to see him like that and she would take no joy in the experience either.

Knowing that Joe was right about needing to lay off the poor man before she did real damage, hard as that was to imagine with Atticus, she left the Raven’s room feeling lower than she had since Allen had stormed out last night. Joe had always had that effect on her, whether he was in the right or not, and unfortunately this time he was.

Heading back to her office to find something to do while the team readied itself for the road, she thought back to this morning’s conversation with Kim. She’d meant what she’d said; she was really starting to hate Joe Rigali.