Chapter 15
Stealth sat like a good boy in his quarantine house, waiting for Mother to come officially release him. Though he had popped in an out to have a good look around the area, Mother believe that he had been good and spent six solid weeks in lock up. It seemed very important to Mother that she make the release day some kind of event. In truth, he had only spent the nights in the house. He'd been very careful to avoid people, but he couldn't be cooped up like a caged animal. He spent his days exploring, learning the area, and planning.
Stealth had joined them at their burns twice, the two nights of company breaking up the six weeks of monotonous seclusion. Not that he minded being outside of it all. In fact, he lived for it. He thrived on the thrill of being in the shadows, unseen but ever present. He loved keeping those skills sharp. They served him well in the past and they'd continue to do so the rest of his life. But six weeks of planning had him ready for action.
Wolf hadn't been kidding when he said that Mother would need better security for Newton. Better? Could there really be "better" when he was starting with nothing at all? There was no fence, no gate, just open roads and fields. He had to concede that they probably hadn't had enough time yet. The town wasn't even a year old, and he cut them that slack. But, they also had no guards, no one looking out for the community, no eyes on the hills scanning for trouble. A night watch was unheard of, and even if they had one, there was absolutely nothing in the way of an emergency plan. They were raw and green, all of them, and he didn't have much time to get them ready for the expansion Mother blindly welcomed.
Mother arrived at the house and Stealth grabbed up his pack. "You're officially sprung," she said, sticking her hand out. It was the first time they touched without the necessary barriers of layers of protective clothing, and Stealth held on a few seconds longer than he should. He didn't miss the threat that instantly flashed in Wolf's eyes.
"Well, I guess I'm now a fine, upstanding citizen," he said with a grin, finally releasing Mother's hand. He nodded toward Wolf. "Mornin', pup."
Wolf nodded back. "Mornin', asshole."
Mother sighed. The few meetings between the three of them had taught her the two men simply could not be nice to each other. They constantly shot barbs back and forth, like Eve and Striker. "Do I have to separate you two already?"
"Aw, now, I know your lap dog's just kidding around."
Wolf rolled his eyes and got back in the jeep. "Unless you're planning to walk back to town..."
"Yeah, yeah," Mother said, cutting him off. "Come on."
They got into the jeep and headed back towards the center of town. "I'll introduce you at breakfast," Mother told Stealth over the sound of the wind whipping into the open jeep. "Then you can spend a few days getting a feel for the town and let me know what you're planning to do."
"I'll meet the town, but I don't need a few days. I've got a plan, and if I can have a few minutes of your time, I'll brief you and tell you what I need."
Mother was impressed. "You're an efficient one, aren't you?"
Stealth flashed a smile. "No other way to be."
At breakfast that morning, Mother watched the rest of the town as the people asked Stealth questions, paying careful attention to the women and how they reacted. They were charmed, as she knew they would be, and Stealth played up to it like a pro. Good, she thought. Maybe they'd have more than one pregnant woman soon. They'd need to start having babies if they were actually going to move ahead. A few events with booze so far, and only one person was pregnant. Granted, she had a small town. And many of the women were probably at the very end of their reproductive capabilities. But one pregnancy after eleven cases of booze? It wasn't a comfortable ratio.
After breakfast, Stealth was invited inside to meet Eve, who'd been down with a cold and didn't attend the meal, and Cora. Mother was stunned to see Eve clam up completely around Stealth, and made a note to ask her about that later. Or tease. She smiled to herself. Yes, she would definitely tease Eve about it. When those crucial introductions were done, they got down to business. An hour later, Mother was simply overwhelmed with everything Stealth had planned. He wanted a guarded fence, around the perimeter of the whole town. Three of the main roads leading into town were to be destroyed, with manned guard shacks placed at regular intervals on the remaining two roads. He demanded around-the-clock surveillance, with a mini army of trained citizens. And that was only what Stealth called "stage one".
Mother held her hand up when she couldn't take any more. "Stop! This is ridiculous!"
Stealth looked to Wolf, who simply gave him a look that said, "See what I've been dealing with?"
"We can't do this," Mother insisted.
Stealth was very good with people, even if the feelings were fake. He could play the game that Wolf could not. He knew that instead of forcing, he'd just have to explain. He had already learned that much about Mother. "I understand it's a lot to think about all at once, but I can assure you that you will need to take these basic steps to protect your town."
Mother laughed. "You don't get it. I mean, we literally cannot do this. I've got a workforce of about forty-five people. The crops are about to start coming in, and we'll need every hand to reap and preserve. I can't spare any people right now. I'm sorry, but we just don't have enough people to pull off this plan."
"It's all about priorities..."
Mother cut Stealth off with a frustrated swear. "Do you know how much you're sounding like him right now?" She pointed her thumb over her back at Wolf. "For two people that can't stand to breathe the same air, you sure enjoy beating the same drum."
Stealth spread his hands. "A good idea is a good idea, and the truth is the truth, no matter who says it."
The frustration built inside Mother, and she rubbed at her temples. He was blind in exactly the same way Wolf was. "Neither of you is understanding one very important fact. If I can't feed people through the winter, all your plans are useless. If we don't have food, we won't even have anyone to protect!" She felt like throwing something. It was the same argument over and over and she felt like she was beating her head against the wall.
"I understand," said Stealth, seeing the frustration building and knowing she must have had this same conversation with Wolf at least a dozen times to get that worked up so quickly. "And we can work in your timeline. There's got to be a compromise. You need at least some of what I've suggested done before November when you unleash a hundred new people into town. So let's start writing things down, and we'll prioritize."
Wolf crossed his arms over his chest smugly, waiting for her to shoot Stealth down. When Mother finally spoke and consented, he clenched his jaw. She never agreed with him. He glared at Stealth, hating the man's ease with people.
Mother called for Eve. When the girl scurried in, Mother asked if she was feeling well enough to take notes. Eve nodded and grabbed a notebook, then sat as close to Mother and as far away from Stealth as possible. Stealth didn't miss the fact that he made the kid nervous, and decided to needle and have a little fun.
"I'm glad you're feeling better," he said smoothly. "I hate to see a beautiful woman ill."
Mother looked at Stealth shrewdly. While she wanted babies in her town, she did not want them from Eve. Eve was too young and her body had already been through so much in her short life. Eve's face was bright red and she refused to look at Stealth. Mother would nip this one in the bud later that day. She didn't want to press the issue in front of everyone. She'd speak to each one of them privately.
"It was just a cold," Mother told Stealth. "Now, let's get started. We're wasting the day and I've got two appointments in the clinic before I can get down to the neighborhood to check the vegetable crops."
They hatched a rough plan, though none of the parties walked away from the agreement satisfied. Stealth would get four people to train, but only on days they were not harvesting the large crops of corn, barley, and wheat. Mother would lose their help when the vegetables wer
e being picked, canned, and dried, and Stealth wouldn't even dream of releasing them to take a trip up to the apple orchard she stumbled on during a raid. After the crops were harvested, and not a minute before, he was free to take Gus and look for the large equipment they would need to tear up the roads he wanted to destroy. Since this was the first year of harvesting, canning, and preserving food, no one had any idea how long it would take, and Stealth agreed to wait until it was finished to even think about taking people off regular work detail to start planning the fence. It was the best Stealth was going to get, and the most Mother was willing to give, and they parted being able to live with the plan.
"I'd like Wolf's help today, if you can spare him," Stealth said before he left.
Wolf quirked an eyebrow, but looked to Mother instead of answering, letting her know it was her call.
"I'm safe," she assured Wolf. "And I remembered bullets for my gun this morning."
Wolf knew that there was no threat to her, and probably wouldn't be until new people arrived. Since she had allowed the Town Council to be formed under free election, people absorbed the new laws as a necessary evil. At least they had a say. Only one man, Mack, threatened to leave, and he only did that because he was hoping to leverage a few votes towards council membership with the show of misplaced backbone. It hadn't worked, and he gave up gracefully and kept working on the construction in the house without any signs of being affected one way or the other. Wolf knew the type. All talk and no do.
"Let me know when you're heading to the neighborhood," Wolf said, pointing to the walkie.
Mother sighed and knew fighting it was useless. "Sure thing, dad. Anything else?"
"Ha," he said sarcastically, as he put on his trench and walked out behind Stealth.
Mother turned on Eve as soon as the door was closed. "I have never seen you clam up in front of anyone before."
Eve rolled her eyes. "Holy hell. You didn't tell me he was a fucking god. Did you see those eyes? Like, I melted. God, totally pathetic, huh?"
It tickled Mother that Eve wasn't embarrassed to discuss such personal things. She'd always heard of girl friends like that, ones that would just say what was on their minds and let the chips fall where they may. She'd never had one before, and while she doubted she'd ever be able to be as candid as Eve, she loved being around her in those moments. "Well, you better get used to him. He's sticking around for awhile."
Eve smiled wide. "Oh, I'll get used to him alright." She waggled her eyebrows.
Mother frowned. "Oh, no. Nope. You, young lady, will keep your...goodies to yourself on that front!"
Eve stared at Mother for a minute before bursting out in laughter. "My goodies? Oh, god! You should see your face!"
Mother felt her cheeks burn, but she needed to make sure Eve understood the point. "I mean it. You're far too young..."
Eve held her hands up. "Okay, okay. I get it," she said between giggles. "Hands off. Don't worry. I'm not looking to have another kid stuck in me for awhile."
Eve said the words while she smiled, but something in Mother ached for her. Stuck in her? What a way to put it. Her heart ached for her young friend. "Yes," she said, looking away. "Well, I'm just saying, I don't want any hanky-panky in the house."
Eve burst into another round of laughter, then started coughing. She took a tissue out of her pocket and blew her nose, then shook her head. "Don't worry. My goodies won't have any hanky-panky for a long time, okay? But boy, you have to admit, the man adds a little something to the place, doesn't he?"
He did. Mother couldn't argue that and gave a little shrug. "Now, who am I seeing in the clinic again?"
"Blaze, then Denise."
Mother groaned. Blaze liked to run his mouth and pretend he was bad ass, but really he was a big old baby. Since Mother started seeing people who needed medical attention, he'd been to see her at least a dozen times with every minor ailment he could think up. Mother knew that he was just insecure, young, and looking for a little maternal attention. His surprising vulnerability was the one redeeming quality Mother found in Blaze so far, and that was the only reason she kept allowing him to waste her time. She'd slap on a band aid, give the boo boo a little kiss, and then he wouldn't cause trouble for the rest of the day. "What's wrong with him this time?"
Eve shrugged. "Dunno. He just said it was important."
Mother downed the rest of her coffee and then stood, heading for the makeshift clinic. "Call him and send him up."
"I can't," Eve said. "The phone line's down going to the neighborhood."
Mother stopped and felt a cold weight settle. She knew it would happen eventually. She knew that one by one the comforts they'd taken for advantage all their lives would stop because there was no one left to keep them going. And with each loss, they'd have to find a way to move on without. Mother knew it was coming. Still, hearing that it was starting to happen sent an icy chill down her spine. "No service?" Mother asked.
"No, the whole line came down."
Mother swallowed. "Get Striker on it."
"He is."
Mother nodded, hoping he could fix it. She wasn't ready to start ticking off that particular list yet. She swallowed back the scream of panic and took a deep breath. "Okay, then. I guess I'll just have to...uh...go get Blaze?" Eve shrugged. She had no clue what to do, either, and that made Mother even more uncomfortable. Without thinking, she unclipped her walkie and called for Wolf.
"I just left," he said through the machine she hated. "Over."
"The phone line's down."
"What? Over."
"To the neighborhoods. It's down. Striker's on it, but..." she trailed off, not knowing what else she could say, and knowing she didn't need to explain. He'd understand.
There was a long pause before Wolf's voice came back through the walkie. "If it can be fixed, he'll do it. If he can't, it's not the end of the world. Over"
Mother felt better just for hearing the reassurance in his calm voice. "Right." She felt the scream fading inside once again. She had this. They had this. It wasn't a shock, they knew it was coming. They could cope. "Thanks," she said, feeling better. "Uh, could you swing by and let Blaze and Denise know I'm at the clinic?"
"On it. Anything else? Over."
"Nope."
"Then over and out," he said.
Mother refused to answer in kind. There was no need for ridiculous lingo on the walkie talkies, no matter what Wolf said. She clipped it back on her belt, smiling at the look she knew would be on his face. She took a deep breath and felt worlds better. She went into the clinic to wait for Blaze.
Blaze had diarrhea. He moaned and whined and tried to convince her he was dying. She gave him some bismuth tablets and sent him on his way with instructions to rest for the afternoon. She wondered if he actually was having stomach problems, or just needed some personal attention. Either way, the bismuth tablets wouldn't hurt and she put the other boxes of medicines she'd had to dig through to find them back in their containers. She was just sitting back down when Denise came in.
Mother smiled at Denise's growing belly. As best as they could figure, Denise was about five months pregnant. Mother had initially been disappointed to learn that Steve was the father. For some reason, she thought Steve had an interest in Cora, and though she was happy for Denise, she was sorry that Cora didn't have someone to lean on through her trial.
"How are we doing today?" Mother asked, motioning towards a chair.
"I'd be doing better if I didn't suddenly have to pee all the time." Denise was thirty two, and this was her first pregnancy. She'd had morning sickness fairly bad in the beginning, but since it cleared up after the third month, there had been no other issues. At least they all had to take it for granted that there weren't. Really, though, would Mother know if there were any? No, she would not, and those thoughts drove her mad if she let herself dwell on them. She had no idea how to tell if things were progressing as normal. Of course there were women in the town that had babies, but their losses
were still so fresh and raw that Mother thought it would just be cruel to ask their advice. A couple had volunteered a few tidbits of information, and Cora had Striker go to the library and find a book about what expecting mothers should expect. They would all just have to learn together and hope for the best.
"I see you've popped."
Denise smiled. "Just in the last couple days. I swear to god I was just a little round one minute, then boom!" She motioned with her hands like her stomach was exploding.
Mother's smile widened. "So. What brings you up here?"
"I told Steve I'd come and talk to you about maybe lessening a bit of my work load. I don't want to be a whine ass or anything, and I want to pull my own weight..."
"Say no more," Mother said, feeling bad that she hadn't thought about that. Of course Denise needed more rest. Mother couldn't keep Denise on the same schedule she worked before, and she felt like a royal heel for making the poor woman work so much. "You have more than pulled your weight around here. What do you feel like you could handle?"
Denise shook her head. "More than Steve thinks!"
Mother nodded. "Ah. So an over protective papa."
Denise gave a wry smile and rubbed her growing belly. "Yep, pretty much. Though I will admit, it's getting a bit hard on the back to be weeding."
Denise took great pride in her cucumber patch and rows of herbs. Her home garden looked better than any of the others, and that was because she could be found working up to her elbows in dirt whenever she wasn't on an assigned job. She put endless hours into her garden, and Mother had already decided to turn over a more important vegetable to her capable hands the next year. Denise could probably figure out how to tame the damn tomatoes.
"I didn't know you were having discomfort," Mother said with a frown.
Denise shook her head quickly. "Only just this week, and because I'm carting around this watermelon," she said, patting her stomach. "I don't want to slow down, but I'm afraid I'll have to. Maybe desk work. Or canning. I can research the canning and organize that detail."
Denise was on the Town Council. She knew as well as anyone the sheer volume of work they were about to deal with to preserve all the vegetables, and it pleased Mother that she'd already thought of another way to be useful. Denise was one of her best people, and Mother knew how lucky she was to have her. "That sounds like an excellent idea," agreed Mother. "Think that'll satisfy Daddy?"
Denise grinned. "It better. I won't sit around eating bonbons and watching soaps, and he's just going to have to deal with it!" Mother threw her head back and laughed as Denise hoisted her growing body up and out of the chair. "I gotta be honest, though. I really could use a bonbon about now. God, wouldn't that be heaven?"
Mother smiled back at the woman, remembering the ice cream treats. "Maybe once these cows start producing milk we'll just have to see if we can't figure out how to make a little ice cream."
"Mmm," Denise groaned, closing her eyes. "Ice cream." She sighed heavily. "Or pizza. A hot, bubbling pizza."
Mother's mouth watered. Denise hit on her fantasy food. "We are going to a bad place with this conversation," she said with a wry smile.
Denise grinned. "Ah, but isn't it nice to remember?"
The women said goodbye, and Mother called Eve. "Make a note. In the future pregnant women will be put on light duty."
Eve quirked an eyebrow. "What, like they'll break or something? She's pregnant, not made out of glass."
"Yes, but she has to be pregnant without bonbons and soap operas." Eve looked confused, but it made sense to Mother. "Just make a note to remind me, okay?"
Eve shrugged. "Okay. Your call."
"I'm heading down to check the vegetables." She called Wolf on the walkie to let him know she was leaving the house, then headed down to the neighborhood where her people lived. They'd be moving and spreading out again before winter. There were plenty of houses clean, and while Mother wished she could keep the people packed tight in a neat and easy to monitor bundle, the Town Council said there had been more complaints about roommate issues than anything else. Folks were getting under each other's feet, and it was time to let them have some space. Until the harvest, though, all of that was put on hold. The main focus at the moment was tending the fields, watching for the signs of peak ripeness, and gathering all they'd need to make the harvest a success.
Mother walked through the home gardens, admitting the idea to have the people individually responsible for the various vegetables was a good one. It would be a temporary arrangement that worked when preparing for a small number of people, but it was working for the time being. Next year when they had more hands, they could clear some vegetable fields, set people to growing the mass quantities that would be needed to feed all those extra hands. This year, the small gardens proved to be the only plan that seemed manageable. And boy did it ever work! The front yards of each of the houses were bursting with ripening tomatoes, cucumbers, green onions, squashes, and herbs. Several items had been picked and canned or dried during the summer, but the bulk was just about to come in.
All but the beans. Mother stopped at the two yards that had tall poles of bean plants growing up and around them. She hadn't planned on growing beans. No one had. They simply planted the seeds that they'd gotten from the feed store and been happy about that until Cora had wheeled out in a panic, a book devoted to subsistence farming open on her lap, and said they had royally screwed up by not planting beans.
"We could eat them fresh or dry them or use them for feed," she had said, her voice on the edge of hysteria. "I can't believe I forgot about the damn beans! We need them. If we do it now, we can get a crop in before frost."
Mother had taken Cora's words to heart and had scrambled to till more land and get beans planted. As Mother stood looking at them in the August afternoon, she wasn't sure they would get a crop in before the frost. The blossoms had just fallen off and the bean pods were tiny on the thick vines. Sighing, she gently released the little bean she was looking at and moved on. There was nothing to be done for it. Either they'd have beans or they wouldn't. Not for the first time, she wished she could control the weather. Or at least be able to predict it.
"But, you can't," Mother said to herself as she walked down the rows of herbs. She liked the smell of that section of the neighborhood the best. It always smelled fresh and crisp, no matter what the rest of the town smelled like, and she'd miss it in the winter. She fought the childish urge to sit down in the warm, sun-softened dirt and just spend the afternoon watching the lady bugs crawl up the stalks. She had too much to do to while away the day, no matter how great her desire was for a little whiling.
A golf cart rolled past her and she turned to watch. Striker had rigged up a few golf carts with some solar panels he'd found on a raid and was very proud to tool around town in his creation. Mother had to give him credit. As much of a loose cannon as he could be, he'd taken Wolf's words and punishment to heart and spent his days looking for problems and figuring out solutions instead of playing his own internet games. Oh, Striker still did special jobs for her, of course, ones Wolf was never to find out about. But, he had become much more community-minded, and she appreciated that.
When Striker noticed Mother in the herb garden, he stopped and hit reverse until he was next to her. "I'm going to rig up a new system to that downed line. Wanna come?"
Mother hopped in. "So what happened to it?"
"I thought it was the company at first, but the rest of the town is working. The numbers we know, anyway. So I figured it had to be the lines and came out to check and yep, chopped right down by Mack's place by a tree limb."
"Shit. Can we repair?"
Striker shrugged. "I mean, I could climb up and figure out how to reconnect the phone line to the boxes on top of the poles, but the service is probably cut automatically from the other end."
Mother frowned. "What do you mean?"
Striker had learned early that while she needed new concepts explained, she was not
stupid. "Line goes down, send feedback to the system, central command shuts down service to that section to save transmission costs."
Mother snorted. As if there was anyone left to pay a bill! "Costs to who?"
Striker smiled. "I know, and you know, but they don't. Robots don't care, they just do what they're told. So anyway, even if I could get up on top of that super tall and scary-as-hell pole and get the line reconnected, I'm not sure it would work."
"Okay, then. What's the plan?"
He nodded his head toward the small compartment in the back. Mother craned around and saw a coil of cable. "I'm just going to hook our own lines up right to the house. That way, we've got sole control over it, like an internal system they'd use in an office or school or something."
"That sounds like it'll take awhile."
He shrugged. "I'll work at it until you tell me to do something else. Shouldn't take all that long."
"Are you sure you know what you're doing here?"
A smile spread. "Well, I don't like to brag or anything, but my friends all enjoyed free phone, internet, and cable." He stopped the golf cart at the apex of the cul de sac. "You want to help?"
Mother looked at his eager face and shrugged. Why not? She had planned to help Eve list out the medical supplies, but Eve could handle that on her own and Mother knew she usually just got in the way. She climbed out and helped followed Striker. "So, what do we do?"
Across town, Wolf stood on a hill looking over the roads with Stealth. From the top of the small, grassy rise they got a good look at the town and the surrounding area. Stealth was pointing out what he'd seen as weaknesses, as well as the few areas of strategic strength Newton offered. They were discussing the need to close off most of the roads in and out of Newton, and overall, Wolf agreed with Stealth's plans.
"If we close that road, we lose use of the bridge," Wolf pointed out. "We'll have to go twenty miles out of our way if we want to cross into Vermont."
Stealth shrugged. "Yeah, but we've got the interstate to the south." It was a good point, and Wolf had to admit that Stealth had clearly spent his confinement wisely. Then again, he never doubted the man's abilities. "Besides," Stealth continued. "We've got a clear run to Boston still."
"Boston still going?"
Stealth shrugged. "As much as any. Families are moving in, but unlike New York, Boston's looking to deal."
Wolf nodded. "Good." They'd need any supplies they could get in the future and they would do well to start making contacts and ties now before they had much competition. If Boston was open to start dealing, it would be a great connection to have. "We all set here?"
"With planning? Yeah."
Wolf knew that tone of voice. "But?"
Stealth sighed. "I need a favor."
"Nope," Wolf said, turning and starting for the jeep.
Stealth laughed. "Seriously? After all I'm doing here?"
Wolf put his hands up. "Not my business. Take that up with the boss."
Stealth shook his head and followed Wolf to the jeep. "Don't you even want to know what it is?"
"Nope."
"Come on, dog."
"I don't do favors, especially for you. You need something, ask Mother." Wolf started the jeep and peeled out, making Stealth scramble to hold on.
"Jesus you're hell on wheels. I'm driving next time." Stealth held on for dear life as they whipped around a corner. He needed Wolf to do something for him and he needed to figure out which buttons he had to push to make that happen. The fact was, he couldn't ask Mother for help, not with this. He'd been studying her for seven long weeks, and by then, he knew more about her than just about anyone. It wasn't conceit, it was simply his job to learn quickly and assess accurately. In the past, not only his life, but the lives of untold thousands depended on his honed skills. Stealth couldn't ask Mother because she wouldn't allow his request and he damn well knew it.
"I can't ask her," Stealth said when they were on straight, solid road and he didn't have to spend so much effort just to stay in his seat. "She'd say no."
Wolf let out a bark of laughter that contained no real humor. "Officially part of the town one day and already undermining her authority?"
Stealth rolled his neck until it cracked. "I'm asking out of courtesy. You know damn well I could get whatever I wanted. I'm trying to follow the rules."
Wolf slammed the brakes on the jeep and skidded to a stop. He threw the gear in park and turned to look Stealth in the eye. "Is that supposed to be some kind of threat?"
"It's nothing more than the truth, agent."
Wolf had several options. He could drive Stealth far away and kick him out of the jeep and out of the town. He could shoot him. He was rusty, but he was mostly sure he could end up the victor. He could use his knife and probably be more accurate. He let the thoughts tick off his mental list until the anger cleared and cooled. He wouldn't do any of those things, and the problem was, they both knew it. "Your threats are going to get you in trouble one of these days. I won't hesitate if I feel I have to take you down to keep her safe."
Stealth knew it and respected Wolf for his loyalty. Wolf would fight to the bitter end to protect whoever he worked for, and something in his eyes said this particular job was more important to him than any in the past. Stealth never wanted to face off with Wolf, not like that. "I need three things. I can get them and you and she would never know. As it is, I don't think she'll want to know, no matter how I go about it. I'm asking you out of respect for the system you've created here."
"She's created," Wolf said firmly.
Stealth lifted a shoulder in concession. "Fine. Now, I need to ask one of the men in Newton a few questions."
Wolf quirked an eyebrow. "Who?"
"Goes by the name of Harold."
Wolf searched his memory. "Middle aged guy, bald on top, kind of slow?" Stealth nodded and Wolf frowned. Harold was pretty much background in Newton. He never caused trouble, but he never made himself stand out, either. He was average, part of the drone work force that just did as they were told during the day and kept to themselves at night. There was nothing about the man that Wolf could pinpoint as being of an interest to Stealth. "What are you going to do with him?"
"That's the second favor. Don't ask."
Wolf swore and shook his head. "I knew letting you come here would be a mistake. I just didn't think you'd make me regret it quite so fast!"
Stealth just sat and let the man rant until Wolf grew silent. "I wouldn't ask if it wasn't important."
Wolf knew that. He may have butt heads with Stealth at almost every turn, but he knew that no matter what was said about him, whatever the grapevine claimed, Stealth worked for the job and the job only. He'd never seen any instance of personal revenge, anger, or pettiness before, and he knew that wasn't the case now. Still, to give Stealth a pass so early was asking a lot. "Why," he demanded. "Tell me why."
"That's the third favor."
Wolf started shaking his head before Stealth's words were out. "Nope. Sorry, that's asking one too far."
Stealth flashed a smile. "So you'd be okay with the first two?"
Wolf gripped the steering wheel tightly. "I didn't say that..."
"Oh yes you did, Wolfie." Wolf's eyes flashed with anger and Stealth pulled it back just a notch. He was close to having the agent on his side, and he didn't want to blow it. "If I tell you why, will you let me interrogate the man?"
"I thought you said 'ask a few questions'?"
Stealth waved a hand. "You say potato, I say potahto." Wolf gave him a bland look. "I have my ways, and you have yours. They aren't the same and rehashing that old argument will get us nowhere."
It was true. "In this town, that's not how we do things," Wolf explained.
"Are you getting soft, agent? You know damn well that sometimes in any town that's how you have to do things."
Wolf rubbed his temple. The simple fact was that Stealth was right. Sometimes you had to break the rules and step outside the ordinary confines of
law for the greater good. "I can't just say go balls out on some poor schmuck without knowing why." He felt the acid in his stomach roil and was dangerously close to admitting he felt a guilt about doing what he knew Mother wouldn't like, no matter the reason. Hell, maybe he was getting soft.
Stealth thought it over for a second. He wasn't a big one for compromise, and already that day he'd had to settle. But, he always got the job done. If he gave a little now, he could do what he had to do. "The man who goes by Harold used to be Stanley Olsen. He was a supervisor in a local county child protective office in Jackson."
"Not your usual target," Wolf said.
Stealth shrugged. "This world we're in makes strange bedfellows and stranger enemies."
Wolf tried, but couldn't think of any possible reason Stealth would be interested in a washed up social worker. "What kind of threat could a social worker possibly present?"
Stealth considered how much he should say. He needed to say enough to get Wolf to understand, to get Wolf on his side, but not enough that Wolf couldn't personally look the other way and simply let Stealth handle it. "About twelve years ago he oversaw a family court case. The particular family had two little girls who were, shall we say...abused."
Wolf's heart started to thump and the grip on the steering wheel tightened until his knuckles turned white. He had the sinking feeling inside that he knew where Stealth was heading. "It was her, wasn't it?" Wolf turned to look at Stealth with cold steel in his eyes.
Stealth nodded. "And I figure if Mother spent so much effort mucking around in the federal databases erasing herself, she wouldn't want anyone around that might remember." There was an odd look on Wolf's face and it took the span of three heartbeats for Stealth to figure it out. "Holy shit. You don't know who she is, do you?"
Wolf's mind suddenly raced with all the questions he'd never asked Mother. It was clear Stealth knew. It was clear that the man knew who she was, her name, her age. He knew details about her, enough to hunt up anyone that might remember, anyone who might know and use it to their personal advantage. The bastard knew everything Wolf didn't and for some reason Wolf wanted to kick the shit out of Stealth simply for knowing, for having that intimate information she'd never shared.
It was that thought that calmed Wolf. She never shared. She never said. She went out of her way to avoid all but the most basic hints as to who she was before. She never said, and Wolf never asked, and he let her keep it to herself because it was something she seemed to need. She needed to lock that old version of herself away, and he could respect that. He always had, and he always would.
"I know who she is," Wolf insisted. "You just know who she was."
Stealth sat back and looked at his old adversary. Wolf honestly had no idea who he was working for, who she was, where she came from...the very basics of intel any decent agent gathered before accepting a job. It was a massive breach of standard protocol, and it did not make sense. He should ask, Stealth thought. He should beg and threaten to get this information. Even if he never wanted it before, he should demand it now. "You don't want me to tell you?"
"Nope."
Stealth sat, stunned by the unusual sensation of confusion. Then again, Wolf had always been sort of an enigma. Still...
"If you think what the man knows could be damaging, I'll let you handle it," Wolf said quietly. "But if she finds out, my name is kept out of it. Deal?"
"You really aren't going to ask? Do you even know how old she is?"
Wolf started the jeep. "Are you going to take the deal or not?"
Stealth nodded and waved a hand. "Yeah. I was going to do it anyway." The jeep lurched forward and Stealth grabbed the roll bar to keep his seat. "Don't you even want to know her name?"
"I know her name," Wolf said with a finality to his voice that would end the conversation. If he ever learned who she was before, it would be from her mouth, her confession. As much as he'd love the information, love to get a better picture of the life that made her, he wouldn't pry. He was damned tempted, but he wouldn't. To sneak around and find it from someone else would be a betrayal he just couldn't carry out. If he found out, it would be from her, and no one else. He knew her, knew who she really was. "Her name is Mother."
And that was all that mattered.