Checking Out
The next morning, CJ was awoken by the house phone ringing next to her head. She sat up, looking around blearily. She had fallen asleep on the couch after talking for a good portion of the night with Mitchell. She smiled, rather tiredly and looked over at him, draped over the overstuffed armchair across from her. If she didn’t ask him to a movie or something after all this, she was going to have to ask Hitomi to shoot her.
The phone rang again, bringing her fully awake this time. Normally a morning person, the couch, while comfortable, was not her bed. She snatched the phone before it could ring again, “Hello?”
“Hello, Miss McCormick? There’s a man here to see you. His name is… Buck?”
“I’ll be right down, thank you.” She hung up and levered herself up. As she stood Hitomi walked in, rubbing her eyes.
“He here?”
“Yeah, I’m going down to get him.”
“Good, I’m going to splash cold water on my face. Bed was hard as a rock.”
CJ nodded and pulled her hair back into a loose ponytail, “Alright. Order some room service, too”
“Roger that.”
A quick ride down the elevator brought her back to the lobby. Not surprisingly, Buck had brought Jeremy and three of his drivers. Drivers who happened to be built like linebackers. He didn’t believe in having escorts, but he did believe in being prepared.
“Cynthia, m’girl. There you are.” His voice boomed across the lobby as she walked up to him. “You sleep well?”
She shrugged, “As well as one can on a couch. Come on up. Hitomi is ordering room service.”
He nodded once, and motioned for Jeremy to follow, but told his drivers to stay down here and keep an eye out. They found unobtrusive places to watch, while CJ led Jerry and Buck upstairs. When they got to the room Hitomi was ordering and Mitchell was picking at the coffee bar.
“This must be Dr. Carroll. I’m Buck Washington.” He stuck out a hand.
Mitchell took it firmly, “Please, it’s just Mitchell. I’ve read so much of your work over the years, Mr. Washington.”
Buck laughed heartily, “That old stuff? I didn’t think anybody bothered with ‘em anymore. Please, call me Buck, m’boy. I don’t stand much on ceremony.”
CJ hid a smile. Buck could charm the scales off a snake. “How was your flight, Buck?”
“Oh, fine, fine. You know Chuck. So. I made some calls.” He nodded at Mitchell, “Your General Douglas has ruffled a few feathers on this. I was given full authorization to take control of the dig site. In fact, one senator told me Homeland Security should never have gotten involved, but Douglas has been running his own excavations for years. Who knows what we’ve lost.”
“That, that’s amazing!”
“Don’t celebrate quite yet, Mitchell. There are conditions attached. One is we still can’t tell anyone about these finds.” Buck put up a placating hand as Mitchell’s face fell, “I understand how you feel, but there are some things that might rile up the wrong people if known. The site will be catalogued extensively. Another condition is that we run any other dig sites like this one. Which, as Hitomi and Cynthia will tell you, is no different than we’ve been doing for years, just without government approval.”
“That’s not too bad.” Hitomi said, having finished up on the phone. “Anything else?”
He nodded, “If we find anything of a sensitive nature that would be of benefit our nation, we’re to turn it over immediately. Of course, I have no intention of doing so. No matter how well intentioned, these kinds of things have a tendency to fall into the wrong hands rather quickly. That means we’ll have to keep an eye out for spies and the like.”
“I’ve been toying with asking you to set up an archeology lab for a while now anyway.” CJ said quietly. “This just gives me the reason.”
“Indeed, m’girl. Though I need you on other things mostly, you’re more than welcome, you know that. I will need someone to lead that area though.” Buck looked thoughtful for a moment, “How about it, Mitchell? Interested?”
Mitchell looked alarmed for a moment, “Me? Really?”
Buck shrugged, “You know what we’re looking for. You obviously have an open mind not to dismiss credible claims.” He paused and looked a little sad, “I’m afraid that General Douglas will make it hard for you to work anywhere else. As it is, all of us will have that obstacle.”
“He did express a great distaste at what we do.”
“Indeed, Cynthia. I’ve never met him personally, but I have run up against his obstacles many times.”
Mitchell looked around the room, “I guess I don’t have much of a choice, do I?”
“Afraid not, m’boy. I wish I could tell you otherwise. However, I guarantee you’ll never be bored working with us. Plus, we promise never to lock you up to get you to not talk.”
Mitchell laughed softly, “I suppose. It’s better than what I’ve been doing.” He gave a wry shrug, “Probably pays better, too.”
“That’s the spirit! Now! Let’s go see if there’s anything left to look at.”
The phone rang again, bringing her fully awake this time. Normally a morning person, the couch, while comfortable, was not her bed. She snatched the phone before it could ring again, “Hello?”
“Hello, Miss McCormick? There’s a man here to see you. His name is… Buck?”
“I’ll be right down, thank you.” She hung up and levered herself up. As she stood Hitomi walked in, rubbing her eyes.
“He here?”
“Yeah, I’m going down to get him.”
“Good, I’m going to splash cold water on my face. Bed was hard as a rock.”
CJ nodded and pulled her hair back into a loose ponytail, “Alright. Order some room service, too”
“Roger that.”
A quick ride down the elevator brought her back to the lobby. Not surprisingly, Buck had brought Jeremy and three of his drivers. Drivers who happened to be built like linebackers. He didn’t believe in having escorts, but he did believe in being prepared.
“Cynthia, m’girl. There you are.” His voice boomed across the lobby as she walked up to him. “You sleep well?”
She shrugged, “As well as one can on a couch. Come on up. Hitomi is ordering room service.”
He nodded once, and motioned for Jeremy to follow, but told his drivers to stay down here and keep an eye out. They found unobtrusive places to watch, while CJ led Jerry and Buck upstairs. When they got to the room Hitomi was ordering and Mitchell was picking at the coffee bar.
“This must be Dr. Carroll. I’m Buck Washington.” He stuck out a hand.
Mitchell took it firmly, “Please, it’s just Mitchell. I’ve read so much of your work over the years, Mr. Washington.”
Buck laughed heartily, “That old stuff? I didn’t think anybody bothered with ‘em anymore. Please, call me Buck, m’boy. I don’t stand much on ceremony.”
CJ hid a smile. Buck could charm the scales off a snake. “How was your flight, Buck?”
“Oh, fine, fine. You know Chuck. So. I made some calls.” He nodded at Mitchell, “Your General Douglas has ruffled a few feathers on this. I was given full authorization to take control of the dig site. In fact, one senator told me Homeland Security should never have gotten involved, but Douglas has been running his own excavations for years. Who knows what we’ve lost.”
“That, that’s amazing!”
“Don’t celebrate quite yet, Mitchell. There are conditions attached. One is we still can’t tell anyone about these finds.” Buck put up a placating hand as Mitchell’s face fell, “I understand how you feel, but there are some things that might rile up the wrong people if known. The site will be catalogued extensively. Another condition is that we run any other dig sites like this one. Which, as Hitomi and Cynthia will tell you, is no different than we’ve been doing for years, just without government approval.”
“That’s not too bad.” Hitomi said, having finished up on the phone. “Anything else?”
He nodded, “If we find anything of a sensitive nature that would be of benefit our nation, we’re to turn it over immediately. Of course, I have no intention of doing so. No matter how well intentioned, these kinds of things have a tendency to fall into the wrong hands rather quickly. That means we’ll have to keep an eye out for spies and the like.”
“I’ve been toying with asking you to set up an archeology lab for a while now anyway.” CJ said quietly. “This just gives me the reason.”
“Indeed, m’girl. Though I need you on other things mostly, you’re more than welcome, you know that. I will need someone to lead that area though.” Buck looked thoughtful for a moment, “How about it, Mitchell? Interested?”
Mitchell looked alarmed for a moment, “Me? Really?”
Buck shrugged, “You know what we’re looking for. You obviously have an open mind not to dismiss credible claims.” He paused and looked a little sad, “I’m afraid that General Douglas will make it hard for you to work anywhere else. As it is, all of us will have that obstacle.”
“He did express a great distaste at what we do.”
“Indeed, Cynthia. I’ve never met him personally, but I have run up against his obstacles many times.”
Mitchell looked around the room, “I guess I don’t have much of a choice, do I?”
“Afraid not, m’boy. I wish I could tell you otherwise. However, I guarantee you’ll never be bored working with us. Plus, we promise never to lock you up to get you to not talk.”
Mitchell laughed softly, “I suppose. It’s better than what I’ve been doing.” He gave a wry shrug, “Probably pays better, too.”
“That’s the spirit! Now! Let’s go see if there’s anything left to look at.”
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