Chapter 7

On the way to Heathrow, the Golden Amazons reflected on their two days in London. It had been a very busy time, along with many surprises. Their first surprise was when they arrived and were greeted by the Queen and Prince Philip, along with the Prime Minister. On their first morning in London they were given a private tour of Buckingham Palace. This morning they had made a side trip to see Windsor Castle.

Last night’s performance had been sold out. They had been surprised to see many of their escorts from the previous night when they arrived at the hall. The escorts had convinced their commanders that it would benefit everyone if they assisted the Golden Amazons with the concert. This, effectively, doubled the size of the concert hall staff. As had happened in Ireland and the night before, the audience’s response encouraged them to do several additional numbers.

Rusty, Sarah, Tara, Aoife and Briana missed the Windsor Castle tour, since Mr. Bartlet had asked them to accompany him to Parliament. They were the only people in the galleries, as they were closed to the public due to the topic. During the session Mr. Bartlet told Parliament of rescuing more than four hundred people from a slaver’s compound in Fuda, Africa. He informed them that it had been accomplished by a joint operation, made up of SAS and Irish Special Ops. Those rescued were mostly women, and many were British citizens. In his presentation he noted that the operation had been supported by the Royal Navy. He reported that the rescue had gone extremely well, and that there had been no injuries due to the operation.

In response to a question about those rescued, he simply stated that they were recovering from their ordeal at a secluded location. Once they had recovered, they would be quietly transferred to their home countries. He said that it was being left to the individuals to decide whether to make any public statement regarding their experiences.

In response to a question about the slavers, he told Parliament that based on reports from their embassy in Fuda the slavers, who were residents of Fuda, had apparently all died. He stated that the details were murky, but that the deaths were not due to the rescue teams. He told the Members that the British Embassy in Fuda had reported that a new government had assumed the leadership role there with little turmoil. In response to a request of the new government a detachment of Royal Marines from a nearby aircraft carrier were in Fuda. They were expected to be leaving within a week.

As the closed-door session of Parliament came to a close, Mr. Bartlet introduced the five Golden Amazons from Dóchas. In response to the introduction, Rusty, Sarah, Tara, Aoife and Briana stood and said, “On behalf of all of us, we thank you for the hospitality you have given us. The Queen, Prince Philip and Prime Minister Bartlet have been wonderful hosts. We hope those who attended the performances enjoyed the music as much as our choir did, both giving them and being here.”

One Member of Parliament questioned Mr. Bartlet on the appropriateness of the visitor’s presence during their closed-door session. The P.M. responded by telling the Members that it was appropriate because the visitors had provided the transportation for the joint operation. He pointed out that without that assistance they would not have been able to rescue everyone. He added that if their forces had not arrived when they did many of the captives would have been sold the evening of the rescue.

The P.M.s responses provoked several other members to ask more questions, resulting in him providing a few more details regarding the decision to carry out the operation.

As the buses carrying the Golden Amazons arrived at the Heathrow VIP facility, one of the choir said, “Wow, look at the crowd! I wonder why they are here.” Command staff just smiled.

As the bus stopped in front of the terminal, another of the choir said, “Hey, I recognize some of the faces. They were our escorts at the welcoming dinner.”

“We suspected this might happen,” said Briana’s Clan to the others in their group. “We understand that we have met many of those waiting inside during our visit here. They have come to wish us well as we depart. There are a few in the crowd that we didn’t meet but that are friends of those we know. We don’t think any are a risk; besides they have been cleared by MI5. In any case, be alert. Departure is in one hour. Don’t look for your bags, they will be taken directly to the shuttles.”

In the VIP lounge Lt. Thomas, along with several others, approached Rusty, Sarah and Aoife as they prepared to leave for the shuttles. Lt. Thomas said, “I wanted to be sure and say good-bye before you left.” Lt. Andrews and Lt. Smith nodded their agreement. “We enjoyed our evening with you. It is one of the best, if not the best time we’ve ever had at an event like that.”

“Thank you,” replied Rusty, Sarah and Aoife. “We enjoyed your company, as well. I suspect the dinner conversation was a bit unusual.”

The three lieutenants laughed, before Lt. Smith replied, “Yes, it was. It was a pleasure meeting all of you and spending the evening with you. It is not often we have dinner in the same room as the Prime Minister and his wife, much less sit at the same table with them. As to the rest, it was a learning experience. The choir’s performance was just icing on the cake.”

“Where are you going next?” asked Lt. Andrews.

“Well, some of us are going back to Dóchas, but the choir is going on to Glasgow to give several performances there,” replied Aoife.

“Living on the space ship must really be different,” said Lt. Thomas.

“Not as different as you might expect,” replied Tara, as she joined the group. “The prime differences are the things you associate with where you live, such as grass, trees, the beach, the mountains, etc. It is really hard to describe, since you really need to live it to understand.”

“I doubt if we will have a chance to make the comparison.”

“Well, as we said the other night, you are welcome to visit!”

“Could we really?” exclaimed all three lieutenants.

“Yes,” replied Sarah, “very definitely. It would be a pleasure to have all of you visit.”

“I was a little uncertain, after thinking about how the subject came up after the reception,” said Lt. Thomas.

“If you decide to come, just e-mail us and tell us when you would like to visit. We will then arrange to pick you up. Our email address is on our website. You will need your commander’s permission beforehand.”

“Do you really think they would let us?” asked Lt. Andrews.

“We don’t see any reason for them to object,” replied Rusty.

“We need to be boarding,” said Erin.

“As soon as I have leave scheduled, I will send you a note,” replied Lt. Thomas.

Sarah looked around and noticed that many of the choir were heading for the shuttles, she could also see that they had said goodbye to nearly everyone at least once. She and her spouses walked over to Mr. Bartlet and his wife to say goodbye.

“Mr. and Mrs. Bartlet,” said Sarah, “we appreciate the hospitality you have shown us during our brief stay. Thank you so much.” She gave each a hug, before stepping aside so her other spouses could say goodbye.

“You should come see us,” said Aoife, as she gave them a hug.

“We would like that,” said Mrs. Bartlet.

“Good. Let’s stay in touch.” With that, the group from Dóchas finished boarding the two shuttles for their trip to Glasgow.

“Command Staff,” said Shannon, “do you have a few minutes?”

“Good timing,” replied Sarah, “we just left Heathrow. What’s up?”

“In surveying the site where the W4 group lives, we’ve determined that it is sitting on a seismic fault. We presume there hasn’t been any significant activity on this fault in recorded history because we haven’t found it in any geology books. Based on our observations, that is likely to change within the next four to five days.”

“What are you seeing?”

“The first indication was that our drones detected some strange sounds when exploring the caverns connected to the lower level of the estate. It was determined that these were coming from the deepest crevices. Traces of poison gas were found in two of the deepest. The levels have been steadily increasing since then. It is still a long way below the surface. Sensors are also showing an increase in surface temperature, albeit as far down as they can reach. Air temperature has risen very slightly so it isn’t noticeable. Based upon the data we have, we are predicting that the lava flow will come up through these crevices.”

“Wow. Those must be some really deep crevices.”

“They are. Most of us think of cave walls as being fairly smooth. These are not. They have the appearance of being fractured rocks. This differs from some of the nearby caverns as their cave walls have the appearance of being eroded by water flow.”

“I thought there was at least minor seismic activity preceding a volcanic eruption.”

“We thought that as well, and a search of the available literature seems to confirm that view. The seismographs in the region are not detecting any abnormal activity in this area. We have a couple of geologists in our crew, so we checked with them. They are puzzled as well. One offered the idea that the deep gorges inside the mountain are providing a kind of strain relief, so, rather than sliding two chunks of hard rock together, the lava could be melting the rock at the bottom. We were unable to get an accurate measurement of the depth of the two deepest crevasses.”

“What else did you find in the caverns?”

“Basically that rooms have been created along the natural corridors to provide living quarters, storerooms, and a dungeon with cells. One storeroom was full of food, and there appears to be enough to last a year, based on the number of people there. Another contains gold coins, jewels and other valuables. The third storeroom had enough arms to equip a small army. A fourth was full of general supplies. No one is living down there, but the area is well maintained.”

“Interesting. What about the rest of the estate?”

“Currently, the four principals in W4 are there with their families as well as their staff assistants, servants and security. The estate was designed and built to be a refuge. We are estimating close to 150 people there. The principals in W4 require their assistants live at the estate.”

“We should warn them,” said Alison.

“Why?” replied several.

“Because it is the right thing to do, even though we don’t like the fact that they are trying to obtain our technology by force or extortion. I would be extremely surprised if they heed our warning, but we will have tried.”

“Let’s do it,” said Command Staff. “We should also tell the President of the US that we have detected seismic anomalies in this area, and that the current indicators show a high probability of lava flow beginning in a few days, likely less than 4. Enough data should be included so that experts can come to a conclusion.”

“Shannon,” said Sally, “continue monitoring the activity. If it continues as you expect, have Cathan’s team warn them tomorrow afternoon; that will give them about 48 hours to leave. When the team visits, have Edana’s and Darcy’s teams be their back-up, and include a flight of Star Fighters as well. Backup teams should be cloaked, unless events dictate otherwise. Star Fighters should only be visible to the estate.”

“We just alerted the Security teams.”

“How do you think we ought to do this?” asked Todd, as the teams entered into the link.

“As though you are expected,” replied Tara. “After parking in front of the main entrance, several of you exit and wait to see whether anyone comes out. If not, go up to the door and knock. Tell who ever comes out that you have a warning for the owner about an upcoming seismic event.”

“When you deliver the message speak loud enough that as many as possible of those inside can hear you,” said Rusty. “Offer to assist in evacuating them. A good place for the pickup point is the meadow along the entrance road.”

“Do you think they will heed the warning?” asked Ciar.

“Once they feel the ground shift, yes,” responded Claudette. “Feeling the ground shake is a very scary sensation. Although from the way this was described, the ground may not shake. Shannon, do you know if the wild animals have sensed this event?”

“We haven’t specifically looked for that. Although, come to think of it, the herds in the meadows did appear to be smaller this morning.”

“Todd, when you give the warning you may want to comment about the animals leaving.”

“Will do.”

“Before you leave, we’ll tell you of any other natural warning signs,” added Shannon.

“On another note,” said Alison, “we are considering returning right after our last performance in Glasgow.”

“Why the change?” asked Lydia.

“Primarily, we are anxious to return home.”

“We are anxious to have you back,” came the reply from several on Dóchas.

“What about the would-be kidnappers?” asked Muireann.

“We can let the Glaswegian police and MI5 greet them at the hotel. It will take them a long time to explain the items they have with them, and why they are in the hotel. Their life will become even more complicated when the items at their base of operations are found by MI5.”

“So Cathan, Todd and Ciar, are you comfortable about approaching the estate?” asked Sarah.

“Yes,” replied Cathan. “We will work out the details this afternoon and go over the site map.”

“Shannon, if anything changes, let the Security teams know.”

“I detect some question as to why we are waiting,” said Sarah. “Mr. Craigly and his conspirators will most likely not believe us, and feel we are trying to back them into a corner. Due to Mr. Craigly’s personality profile it is difficult to anticipate his response, so we wait to see if Mother Nature announces her event. We don’t doubt the forecast, but the timing of eruptions have a history of being difficult to predict. Waiting until 48 hours before the projected event will give us time to assist those who want to leave.”

Shannon said, “We all agree with your characterization of Mr. Craigly, in fact you’ve likely understated it.”

“So we are on standby until tomorrow afternoon,” said Cathan. “What about after we give the warning?”

“You should plan on loitering in the area,” responded Sally. “Out of sight though.”

“Okay. We’ll go over the layout again.”

The concerts in Glasgow were a huge success. Even though they were on a week day evening, every one of them was sold out. The people were friendly, and their audience enthusiastic listeners. Their last concert went on a little longer than expected due to the addition a few songs, so it was after midnight when they headed for the airport.

Once they were on the shuttles Kelsey said, “I was beginning to wonder if it was going to end.”

Molly added, “I think we sang well on the encores, but we need to limit them. All the same, I know it is hard to say when it is enough.”

“You all did very well this evening,” responded Alison.

“Well, I am certainly glad to be headed home,” said Janet, as the shuttles lifted off.

“So am I,” replied Tara, who was riding in the left seat of the shuttle. “It is not often that I get to fly one of these.”

“We agree with you,” said Sarah, from the other shuttle. “It will be good to have everyone home again.”

“I wonder what we have missed,” said Terry.

“Not much I suspect, if we look back through our combined memories,” replied Rusty. “I noticed that if we are interacting with someone, or are active, the general inputs from our spouses’ activities are buffered.”

“Yes, I noticed that it took me a while to understand what I was seeing,” said Tara. “The content seems much more complete since we began wearing our collars. Several times, when I wasn’t occupied with an activity, I could easily shift my view to that of any of my spouses, and join their activity or just share thoughts.”

“I know. I felt you and several others,” responded Sarah. “I like the feeling.”

As they rode back to Dóchas, many reviewed their memories of the tour and caught up with their spouses. Being separated for any length of time was new to them since becoming a Golden Amazon.

As they passed the International Space Station, Sally said, “I wonder if our presence will encourage the governments of Earth to put more effort into their space station.”

When they exited their shuttles early in the morning on Dóchas, they were surprised to find their children along with many others waiting to greet them.

It was mid-afternoon when Cathan’s team in Alpha4 saw the valley where Craigly’s Estate was located. Cathan said, “Beautiful scenery. I’ll bet it looks a lot different with snow on the ground.”

“Yes,” replied Brid of Darcy’s team in Alpha3.

The group at this location was the one that the Golden Amazon Intelligence group had initially labeled as W4. Since that time, they had learned that Mr. Craigly was, essentially, the leader. His three partners and their families had recently moved here, joining him, his family and staff. Craigly, with the support of his staff, operated his business holdings from here. Currently there were around two dozen people filling a security role.

Dóchas Intelligence group had been unable to determine why Craigly had chosen such an isolated spot for his headquarters, or why he chose to live there with his family. His organization owned nearly 20,000 acres on the true US – Canadian border. This valley was almost in the center of the property. Dense forests covered the hills on each side of the valley, but down the middle there was a patchwork of meadows, each surrounded by trees. The back of the main building, was several hundred feet from a high cliff. On the other three sides was meadow bounded by dense forest. The main building was a large, four-story combination office/residence which sat on a small rise. Parts of the main building were taller than the cliff’s face. The other buildings were two utility buildings, and in an adjacent meadow, a hangar alongside a runway. Since they had begun monitoring the location, all the visitors had arrived by airplane.

Drones were used to map the interior of the buildings. In doing this they discovered the underground corridor between the main building and the caverns in the nearby cliff. Off of each cavern, rooms had been carved out for various purposes. One cavern had a stream flowing through it. Besides supplying water to the buildings, the flow was sufficient to provide electricity for the site.

In approaching the location, Alpha4 followed a well-maintained gravel road. This was the same road that intelligence had seen several large trucks arrive, and then leave on, after a short time at one of the buildings. The cargo was determined to be supplies. A check of the trucks’ registrations showed that they were operated by one of Craigly’s companies.

As Alpha4 proceeded down the road, into the valley toward the main building, they were followed by Alpha3 and Alpha5. In these two cloaked shuttles were Edana’s and Darcy’s teams. Enya and Máiréad frequently glanced out the windows as they were enchanted by the majesty of the scenery to the west. Even so, they all frequently checked the wall monitor, which showed them a map of their destination. The map was updated as their position, and the positions of the estate’s occupants, changed. From the way the symbols moved on the map, the Security teams knew of their approach. A group could be seen gathering at the rear of the main building. Another smaller group was gathered in the main building just inside the entrance.

When Alpha4 entered the main courtyard, Mr. Craigly, three associates and some of their staff came out onto the front portico. The monitors showed the group behind the main building moving toward the nearby forest. It was apparent by their route that they sought to enter the forest unseen by those in Alpha4. The symbols for this group were red indicating that they were carrying weapons.

Upon reaching the courtyard, Alpha4 settled to just above the ground facing the entrance, some 30 meters from the building. Cathan’s team waited a few moments before opening the door. As soon as the door was fully open, Ciar, Sorcha and Krystin stepped out and looked around. Cathan, Todd, Enya and Máiréad soon followed them, leaving Lasairfhiona at Alpha4’s controls. Each wore their tactical suit, without the helmet. They were, instead, using the suit’s force shields as their protection. To those with Craigly, they appeared to be wearing snug body suits. They paused a few moments then Todd, Cathan and Cass led them as they walked toward the portico.

While they were walking toward Craigly and his people, their tactical suit AIs supplied them with continuous updates on the changing positions of the group who had entered the woods. During their short walk, sensors on the two cloaked shuttles revised the threat assessment of those carrying weapons. As a result, target assignments were given to each security team member, shuttle, and their accompanying Star Fighters. Cathan’s team were surprised to see the target assignments come up in their HUDs. Each of them quickly acknowledged the assignments to their AI.