“Yeah, I have some trail mix packs that have. Would that work?” Blayne stood and was already making his way into the kitchen.
“Perfect. Trail mix will also have sugar, which we must regulate. And water”—he turned and locked eyes with Ethan—“lots and lots of water. You must stay hydrated. And don’t be surprised if you feel lightheaded or dizzy. Your body adjusts to the sudden decrease in blood volume, so don’t try to stand fast for a bit. Also, it’s common for you to be tired and a little weaker than normal. And again, it’s important to rest and keep yourself hydrated.” Arnold gave Ethan a small, encouraging smile. “You’re young and in excellent shape, so you’re resilient. Your body is already replenishing the lost blood cells, but it takes time. But your body will take four to six weeks to return to normal completely. In the meantime, take care of yourself.” He then rattled off a list of potential side effects.
Blayne handed Ethan a bottle of water and trail mix. “Can I get you anything?” he asked Arnold.
“Any chance I can clean up and get something else to wear?” Arnold asked, gesturing down to the blood-stained clothes he’d entered with.
“Of course, I can put those in the laundry for you.”
“Give him a pair of my shorts,” Ethan said. “I think we’re closer in size than you are to Paul Bunyan over there.”
“I’m not a giant,” Blayne said without looking back as he headed into his bedroom. He ruffled through Ethan’s stuff before pulling out a pair of shorts, grabbed a ZERO T-shirt and walked back into the living room where Arnold and Ethan were talking.
“Here you go,” Blayne said as he handed Arnold the clothes. “Do you remember where the bathroom is?”
“I think I can find it,” Arnold said with a tired smile.
When Blayne heard the guest bedroom open, he turned to Ethan. “Now what?”
“We wait,” Ethan said.
* * * *
Agent Murphy
It was three in the morning, and they were still processing the scene at the arena. It immediately became an interdepartmental pissing match between the Houston Police Department, the ATF and the FBI. She had half expected the NSA and CIA to swoop in just for the hell of it.
As interim Special Agent in Charge over the Emerald City, she was still woefully under-equipped to handle this bureaucratic political bullshit. The phone rang in her pocket. Part of her wanted to throw the blasted thing across the arena and see if she could make a basket. The phone had been going off the hook with reporters and politicians, all trying to get the scoop on what was happening. She kept referring them to the Public Affairs Office in Washington, DC, which wouldn’t be open until nine a.m.
She looked at the number.Fuck!
“Special Agent Sarah Murphy. How can I help you, Director?”
“Murphy, what the hell is going on in Houston? I’m getting complaints from the President’s office that no one will talk to them. They even said you referred them to the Public Affairs Office?”
“I might have, sir,” she winced, waiting for the blowback.
There was a chuckle on the other end of the line. “Good for you. Sometimes you gotta put those politicians in their place.”
“I wish I could say it was on purpose, sir, but it wasn’t. My phone has been ringing off the hook with people trying to weasel information out of me. I’ve gone to autopilot.”
“I remember my first high-profile case as the Chief of the St. Louis Office. It was a sniper killing people on the interstate. Everyone was panicking, and people didn’t want to go anywhere. The press was crawling up my ass. When one reporter asked for a scoop, I sarcastically told him it was aliens—the outer space kind, not the illegal immigrant kind. Anyway, he printed that shit. Then I had to make a public statement that it wasn’t aliens. I got reamed out by the director at the time for opening my mouth. Thankfully, we caught the guy two days later, and everyone forgot about aliens.”
“That’s quite the story, sir.”
“I can tell you’re tired, Agent Murphy.”
“Sorry, sir. It’s been a long night. This was supposed to have been a fun time, and it turned into a horror show followed by a political circus.”
“That explains what it feels like anytime I get hauled in front of Congress for questioning.” He let out a loud breath. “So, what can I tell the President when he wakes up in a few hours?”
“Here’s what we know so far… We have six bodies. Two of the bodies belonged to members of the paramilitary group known as the Constitutional Liberation Army. The FBI has kept track of them for a while, but they were minor players and didn’t register high on the threat level. The other three were high-ranking officials of the far-right National Democratic Party in Germany. Although nothing officially ties them together with the German Chancellor, there are rumors that the NDP helped him get elected.”
“Be careful of rumors, Agent.”
“Yes, sir.”
“But the rumors are accurate, from what I’ve read. Although the NDP differs from the Chancellor’s German Values Party, their underlying ideology is more similar than not. Basically, the NDP does what the Values Party cannot get away with.”
