Chapter 13: Stashed

“So you don’t remember anything about your cousin’s place?” Anna asked after we got back on the road. This time, Anna was driving, but she hadn’t given me a gun.

“Is this another test?” I replied.

“No, sorry,” she said. “Don’t be so sensitive.”

“Me?” I asked. “What have I got to be sensitive about? I mean, just because the Russians killed my parents, caused me to spend over six weeks in a hospital, and are sending hit squads after me as we speak, I mean geeeze! You’re right. I don’t have anything to be sensitive about!” I said sardonically.

Anna looked over at me, momentarily upset. Immediately, I regretted saying anything.

“You’re right, Michael,” she said sadly. “I’m sure all of this is very overwhelming for you. Do you miss them?”

“I don’t know,” I told her truthfully. “Right now, I can’t remember them. I mean, I’m sad someone died, but it’s as if they were distant relatives that I had never met. I know about them from talking to Nicky and Sarah. But, it’s like I never met them, so it’s hard to miss them,” I told her.

I got a sick feeling in the pit of my stomach as I said it. I hated deceiving Anna. At the same time, if Anna knew the whole story, she would probably be the one that felt overwhelmed right now. Besides, as Catherine had pointed out earlier, I had to protect my new family. And regardless of the special connection I thought I felt with Anna, she was STILL working for the CIA.

The conflict between telling the truth and protecting my family raged within me as I rode. Anna gave me the space, realizing that something was going on. I could sense her concern, though. I hated living a lie, but I didn’t want anything bad to happen to Nicky or Catherine because I told the truth about my past.

“You mentioned my cousin’s place?” I finally asked, breaking the silence.

“Yeah. The family has about two hundred acres, just off the highway to the south, uh ... on the right,” she clarified. “There’s the original farm house that Sarah, and her sister Debbie, grew up in. Your great-aunt, Liz, still lives there. You and your folks were staying there when they had the accident. Your grandmother is staying there now. Sarah and Debbie married two brothers, John and Jeff, but they’re not twins. They each built a home in front of the old homestead. They’re on either side of the road leading to the main house. Your sister Nicky, splits her time between the cousin’s homes, but mostly stays with the older sister.”

We turned off the main road onto a narrow blacktop drive that soon gave way to gravel where it crossed a small stream, with a cattle-guard gate. From there it started uphill, winding through the pasture. I could see the cattle grazing in the distance.

“Your grandmother’s sister leases out most of this for cattle and some small cash crops,” Anna explained as we rode.

After a half-mile or so, the road wound through some woods, fording another small creek. Then, coming out of the woods, you could see three houses on a small rise in the middle of a big pasture surrounded in the distance by mountains on two sides. A peaceful setting, typical of a rural mountain area.

The main home was a large, framed, two-story farmhouse with a porch that wrapped around two sides of the home. I could see a big porch swing and several rocking chairs scattered about. The other two houses were newer, with carports and brick fascia. Barbed wire fencing loosely surrounded the three houses, more to keep the cattle from wondering through the yard than anything else.

There were several cars parked at the main house, but Anna didn’t stop there. She drove the pickup past the houses, straight into an unplanted field. She continued for about three hundred yards, before stopping in the middle of the unused field. Jumping out of the cab, she grabbed an old green canvas bag with a red cross painted on it from the back of the pickup.

I followed her, still in my slippers and scrubs, and tried to help her drag the heavy bag. She kept looking toward the house and then the woods. Finally satisfied, she opened the bag and began pulling out the large piece of canvas inside. I helped her unfold it and could see a circle with an ‘X’ in the center.

It wasn’t until we started staking the corners that I finally figured it out. It was a landing pad for a helicopter. There was also a dark green box, about a foot long and eight inches high. It had a telescoping antenna attached, which she quickly extended. There was a small car battery which she attached with cables. Then she flipped a switch on the side of the green box. A small yellow light came on, but nothing else happened. At least not that I could tell.

“It’s a C-TRAC coded transponder!” she told me.

“Like that explains everything!” I thought. Obviously, she was preparing for someone’s arrival.

Leaving the canvas target and the transponder, we drove back to the main house. A dark green government sedan pulled up at the same time and Grace jumped out of the back, flying into my arms as I climbed out of the pickup. I quickly introduced Grace to Anna. Then, together, we went into the house.

There was a whole bunch of people inside the big farmhouse, including a few wearing the old-style green camouflage fatigues. Wait! Check that! They weren’t old-fashioned in 1971. We paused in the open doorway, unsure which way to go. This was also the first time here for Grace and Anna, I realized.

“Michael!” came the simultaneous shout from Julie and Jenny, as they barreled down the wide hall towards us. I noticed that both Grace and Anna stepped back behind me slightly as the twins charged. They were small enough and I was large enough, that normally, I would have just caught both of them. But the weeks of inactivity while I was in a coma had taken its toll. I went down in a heap beneath them.

“Damn casts!” I thought, looking for something to blame for my failure to catch them.

Julie and Jenny were laughing as they stood back up, adjusting their clothes. They were still in the matching skirts and blouses they had worn to school. Then they both tried to help me stand.

“Girls!” Sarah scolded them from a nearby room. I could hear her, but I couldn’t see her. “What have I told you about that? You have to be careful with Michael. He hasn’t gotten his strength back yet!”

Sarah stepped into the wide hall, wiping her hands on the apron she was wearing.

“Hello again, Doctor Carter,” she said to Anna. Then to me, “Are you okay, Michael? They didn’t hurt you, did they? I’ve warned them that they’re getting too big to jump on you like that.”

“I’m fine,” I told Sarah. “And they’re NOT too big to greet me like that. I can promise you that there’s not a sane guy in the whole county that wouldn’t enjoy that kind of enthusiastic welcome!”

Julie and Jenny both blushed, as Sarah studied me for a moment.

“I see what you mean,” said a second Sarah, walking into the hall behind the first Sarah. The second woman wasn’t really Sarah, but she looked so much like her, I knew immediately that it must be Sarah’s twin sister, Debbie.

“I could never imagine the old Michael ever being that gracious,” Debbie told Sarah. “Or as well spoken.”

Now, it was my turn to blush. Thankfully, they didn’t say anything else as they both disappeared back into the kitchen.

“Julie, Jenny, this is Doctor Carter. She’s my head doctor now,” I told them. “Anna, my cousins, Julie and Jenny.”

“How do you do,” they both said rapidly, at the same time.

“You call your doctor by her first name?” Jenny asked me.

“I call all the special girls in my life by their first name, JENNY,” I told her.

“Ooo,” Julie intoned. “So, she’s special, huh?”

I didn’t get a chance to answer because a sudden scream interrupted everything else.

“MI ... CHAEL!” Nicky cried happily, as she bounded down the stairs. Three steps from the bottom, she suddenly vaulted the handrail and landed on her feet directly in front of me. Olympic judges would have given her perfect tens for the landing. She quickly grabbed me, hugging me tightly to her.

“Why is it, that women find him so irresistible?” Anna asked. I don’t think she even realized she had said it aloud.

“That’s just our Michael,” Grace told her in reply.

“Let’s get everyone together,” Anna said, shaking her head as if to clear it.

Soon, everyone was crowded into the big living room. Evidently, the plans had expanded to include Sarah and Debbie’s husbands, John and Jeff. It was obvious they were brothers, even though there was two years between them. They could probably have passed for twins themselves when they were younger. Catherine’s sister, Aunt Liz, had also been included.

David and his entire security crew were also there. As well as a couple of men in green camouflage fatigues. Several more were still getting out of a truck that had just pulled up in the front yard.

When Anna walked in, she looked pointedly at one of the men in fatigues with a green beret on his head.

“We’re clear as far as we can tell,” he replied cryptically to her unspoken question. “No one followed you. The drive to the house has been under sporadic observation at times, but they haven’t been here today ... so far.”

Anna just nodded and turned to face the family.

“We need to make this fast. The chopper will be here in...” looking at her watch again, “ ... twenty-seven minutes.”

Then she addressed David.

“Five minutes after we leave, your security team should go to this address in Maryville, and bring back the FBI Agents. They will be posing as the family. They will need your help to keep to what would be the family’s normal routine tonight, as if the family were all still here. The decoy Michael will be in place in the hospital within the hour.”

David’s head snapped up as he stared at Anna. His concern obvious on his face.

“It’s thin, I know. But this charade only has to work until tomorrow morning,” CIA Agent Anna Carter explained. “Then, if the Russians still haven’t made their move, your security team will take them to McGhee Tyson Airport and board a private aircraft bound for St. Kitts. You will stay, along with the agents posing as the family, until we can get the bad guys. As you can see, we have re-enforcements to assist if something happens here, tonight or tomorrow morning. Understood?”

Catherine looked to David who nodded. He recognized another professional when he saw one.

Anna smiled a tight smile. “Any questions?” she asked David.

“My contact?” David asked.

“That will be Colonel Payne,” indicating an older man with a green beret on his head. “He is in charge of the situation on the ground here and has all your contact info. Anything else?”

David nodded his head as Colonel Payne stepped forward, his hand extended. The two men shook hands and stepped out to the front porch, continuing their discussion.

“As for you guys,” Anna continued. “You all will be enjoying the hospitality of my family, courtesy of the CIA.”

I detected more than a little pride in her statement.

“Just think of it as going on holiday,” Anna said with a smile. “I’m sorry. I’ve been in Europe too much lately. I meant vacation. I’ll explain more about where, after we’re in the air. Right now, everybody needs to grab a bag with toiletries, any medicines, and a couple of changes of clothes. Pack light. The dress is VERY casual, warm weather. You might need a sweater or light jacket. It must all fit in one carry-on bag and you must keep it with you at all times. Never let it out of your sight. No weapons or firearms. And no illegal drugs. Whatever you can’t bring, we’ll buy when we get there. Now hurry. We don’t have much time.”

My cousins all started for their homes, next door, as Catherine and her sister bustled off down the hall. Nicky headed for the stairs, while Anna went to the front porch to talk with David and Colonel Payne. That left Grace and I standing alone in the suddenly empty living room.

“Do you need any help, Michael?” Grace asked.

“I don’t suppose you know where my room is?” I asked her, shrugging my shoulders.

Grace shrugged her shoulders as well.

“C’mon, you two,” Nicky called from the stairs in the hall.

“I don’t think Michael remembers where his room is,” Grace explained to Nicky as we all climbed the stairs.

“I’m so sorry, I forgot!” Nicky said.

“Don’t tell me you’ve got amnesia too?” I teased her.

Nicky showed me the room where I had been sleeping, and then took Grace with her to her room to pack.

I surveyed the room Michael had been occupying prior to the accident. The furniture was well worn, but solid. There were a couple of magazines on the nightstand. One on antique guns, the other featured what would come to be known as muscle cars a few years from now.

The suitcase lying open on the bed was well made. The clothes inside it had recognizable labels. Levi’s, t-shirts, a toilet kit, several pair of socks, both dress and athletic, and underwear were already packed.

“Thank god he wore boxers!” I thought to myself.

There were also a couple of jock straps and some really short gym shorts with the words ‘Long Island Academy’ stenciled on them.

“Did we really wear them this short back then?” I chuckled to myself.

In the closet hung a couple of pairs of slacks, some Izod short sleeve shirts along with a couple of Ralph Lauren long sleeve shirts and a leather ‘bomber’ jacket that was worn, but in good shape. A navy blazer and several ties also hung there. There was a pair of penny loafers, and a pair of Adidas athletic shoes with the triple stripes on the sides, sitting on the floor. I decided to change into the Adidas, but kept the scrubs on. I liked them. They were comfortable.

“In about twenty-five years, these will actually be in style. Especially after ‘Gray’s Anatomy’ becomes popular!” I thought.

I couldn’t tie the laces, so I just left them untied as I grabbed everything else and shoved it in the suitcase. On the way downstairs, I passed a bathroom and decided to make a pit stop.

There was a big mirror along the wall over the sink. As I passed, I caught my reflection in the mirror and stopped. This was the first time I had really seen my new face. The bathroom at the hospital had one of those small stainless-steel reflectors and you couldn’t see much in it.

“Besides, every time you were in there, you were busy!”I laughed to myself.

In my last life, I had been tall, six foot six, and skinny! Not to mention awkward and clumsy. This time, I appeared to be a little shorter, somewhere just over six feet, maybe? With wide shoulders and a narrow waist. My face was less angular, more square. I still had dimples, but no cleft in my chin. My hair was sandy, not quite the blond of my cousins, but not really brown either. It was long and shaggy. I could tell that Michael had worn his hair long, in the style of the day, for guys. Add in these last six weeks in a coma and it was past time. I made a mental note to get a haircut as soon as I could. I looked at my reflection again. Sure enough, I had the same blue eyes that Nicky had. Overall, the face that smiled back at me was pleasant, even though the eyes seemed more intense.

“Maybe it’s because they’re blue.” I thought as I finished and headed downstairs.

When I got there, Anna was talking with one of the soldiers, using their military radio.

“I want to show you something,” Catherine said to me from the hall. She was standing in front of a large, well-lit and ornately framed, portrait. The faces that stared back at me were vaguely familiar. I recognized Nicky’s face first and realized the twin toddler beside her was me. That meant the young couple was her parents.

“I just wanted you to see a picture of my son,” Catherine said sadly. I stood there holding her as she mourned.

Shortly, the others began returning, carrying their bags. Grace and Nicky sat on either side of me on the couch, talking quietly across me. I just sat there, observing everything going on around me. When Jenny got there, she came and plopped down on my lap.

“Sorry about knocking you down,” Jenny told me.

“Jenny, I really meant it when I said that you are beautiful and sexy. And I never get upset when sexy girls throw themselves at me,” I told her, smiling. “I just need to get a little stronger so I can hold on to them, and not let them get away!”

Ohhh ... you...” she said as she slapped my forearm playfully. I wrapped my cast-covered arms around her, hugging her to me. Randi and Julie arrived, both carrying heavy suitcases. Julie did a double take when she saw Jenny on my lap, but didn’t say anything.

“If I had known how much a knock on the noggin’ would change you...” Jenny told me, her voice trailing off without completing her thought.

“Yeah!” Randi jumped in. “We would have all knocked you in the head sooner!”

Everyone laughed at Randi’s words.

“Well, I didn’t know you before, but if what they say is true, I think I would have knocked you up ‘side the head, just for being such a selfish lout!” Grace said.

“Believe me! We considered it!” Jenny laughed. “Many times!”

The five of them continued to discuss how much I had changed as if I wasn’t there. I had a feeling that they had gotten used to talking over me while I was in the coma. I found it interesting that the old Michael had treated these wonderful young ladies as poorly as he had. I hadn’t really been much more than polite and considerate of their feelings, yet they kept talking about this big change. The more I thought about it, the more I was amazed over what I had fallen into. Even with the Russians hunting for me, I still felt blessed. I was surrounded by beautiful women, with danger at every turn.

“Sorta like James Bond!” I thought to myself, smiling at the image in my mind of Sean Connery with all those ‘Bond Girls’.

“Yeah,” Jenny was saying to her cousins. “It’s like somebody switched out the old Michael for a new one.”

“And a much improved one!” added Julie.

Their words sent a chill through me.

“This may not be as simple as I thought,” I realized. “I never was any good at lying.”

The big Sikorsky S-61 was loud as it dropped from the sky, touching down squarely on the canvas ‘X’ that I had helped Anna lay out earlier. Moments later, we were boarding the helicopter, still carrying our bags. As soon as we were seated and buckled in, the big chopper lifted straight up, then began skimming over the quickly fading tree line. It was my first helicopter ride in a long time, and I felt a little adrenaline rush as we climbed.

Normal conversation was not possible, but Grace and Jenny kept their hands on mine the whole way. So I fed them small reassurances and shared my joy at being out of the hospital and with them. I was excited to be going somewhere, even if I didn’t know where. At least I was going with the girls.

Thirty minutes later, we landed at a small jet port, which is an airport used mostly for small aircraft and private jets, called Dallas Bay Sky Park, outside Chattanooga, Tennessee.

There we boarded a government version of the old Gulfstream II, a twin-engined corporate transport aircraft, with accommodation for up to fourteen passengers, powered by two Rolls-Royce turbofan engines. With Catherine, Nicky, Grace, Aunt Liz, Sarah, John, Jeff, Debbie, Candy, Mandy, Randi, Julie, and Jenny, we filled up the fourteen passenger aircraft.

“Oh well, I guess it’s the jump seat for me,” Anna said as she checked everyone’s seatbelt.

“I’ll sit there if you want,” offered Nicky.

“Thank you, Nicky. Since it’s about a two-hour flight, maybe we can take turns,” Anna suggested with a smile.