Detective Giannetti and Detective Sano returned with Colonel Black. They brought this group of doctors and their families here to Bellevue. From what I could understand, they were vital to unraveling this entire calamity. The other Colonel, Hawk, brought weapons identical to those I'd witnessed at the burnt church's basement. I'd spent most of my time trying to communicate with Caroline Adams and Judith Lee. The two women and their children were in a state of shock. It wasn't until we arrived here at Bellevue that they'd spoken, even though it was limited. The revelation that holy relics came straight from the two mothers.
I, myself, hadn't seen what was now being called infernals. Two more dangerous threats had emerged. These were what the Mayor classified as Freaks. People were actively sowing chaos in the city. Next was the more hazardous ghouls. Victims that were murdered by the Freak by some supernatural means were reanimating. Needless to say, Special Agent Diane Aniston and I had our hands full running logistics. Neither of us had heard from our field offices since this ordeal began. The last I heard didn't seem right. My brothers Thomas and Eddie were working their asses off with Bob Mchahon.
The Mayor stood beside me as she studied the map on the table at the makeshift crisis response command. It was just a meeting room for hospital administration. Still, it served as the HQ for the entire city of New York City Hall, or any other official office was a no-go the moment the sun went down. Daine stood to the other side of me, reviewing reports piling in. Suddenly the eccentric but shy vixen picked up a file. She studied it for a moment before a spark lit her eyes.
"Senators Fernandino and Andino are still here in the city! They're trapped on Coney Island. At least that's what this report is saying. Eight hours ago they called 911 for help and haven't been trying to get ahold of anyone from the police or emergency services to rescue them," Diane explained.
"That's right, today they were doing a fundraiser at Luna Park. Can anyone be spared to rescue them?" Mayor Barnes questioned.
I mulled over her request. I thought about her request. To my knowledge, there wasn't one at the moment except me. All of our available personnel were either searching for civilians in need or defending one of the five safe zones. The command station might seem peaceful, but the streets outside told a different tale. The medical facility was in a state of turmoil and bore a striking resemblance to the intense conflicts of the Middle Ages. Diane would volunteer hands down to come, but that was out of the question. Judith and Caroline would only speak to Agent Ainston; we needed to know what they knew. Whatever happened at the church was connected to all this. All the cases across the country were connected.
Now that I look back on it, these incidents were precursor events to what's happening now—a classic tactic of an invading force. Send small forces to eliminate mission-critical targets and disrupt the enemy. It was the same in Afghanistan all those years ago. The same exact things started there. They seemed to warm up to my partner. If anyone was going to rescue the Senators, it had to be me. The decision was made; I had no choice but to go. Our city needed all the leadership alive to weather this crisis.
"I'm going to get them," I stated.
"What?? Just you alone?" Mayor Barnes asked.
"Yes," I whispered.
"I'm coming too, you know," Diane countered, pushing her glasses on her nose.
"Sorry, but not this time, partner. I need you to stay here. You're the only one Caroline and Judith are speaking too at the moment. Remember what Sheriff Waters said. We need to know everything they can tell us," I explained. "Beside, we're the only federal Agents onsite that we know off. I don't know who those two Colonels are, but they definitely aren't military," I stated.
Diane's prominent frown showed her adamant disapproval. If that wasn't enough, she put her hands on her hips to emphasize her position. Agent Ainston was like that even though her demeanor was timid and quiet. The Agent was a keen observer and had a background in psychology.
"I'm well aware of that. You should also be aware that we are official partners. It would be against policy to allow you to go alone," Agent Ainston said.
'Damn, she wasn't letting this go.' Detective Sal, one of Captain Cook's guys, walks in. The older man looked worse for wear. I removed his hat, whipping the sweat from his forehead and running his hand through his salty gray hair. I could tell he'd been through the wringer. Sal was a tough guy and served as a Marine back in the day. 'You know how hard it is to put a Marine down?' My legs were already walking toward him when the idea popped into my head.
"Sal, you busy?" I asked.
"No, why do you ask?" The veteran cop questioned with a knowing expression.
"We just got word that both the Senators of New York are alive and in need of rescue. I need someone to go with my partner and myself to get them out," I said.
"Where are they and is this all you got?" Sal asked.
"They're somewhere at Coney Island. If we can't find anyone else, than it's just us three," I revealed.
"You mean us four," a man said.
Sal and I looked at him, and he cleared his throat.
"Olivier Roberts, head of security for Mayor Erica Barnes," Mr. Roberts clarified.
"Good enough for me. What about you Agent Hunt?" Sal questioned.
"Just call me Ben and it's good for me too. We can leave when were grab some gear from the second floor," I said.
"You better tell your partner to drop the pencil skirt. That skirt alone would give our position away," Sal said as he turned to walk away.
Diane Ainston looked like a deer caught in headlights. Her face was red as an apple. Before she could say something, Sal dropped another bombshell.
"Drop the heels, too," Sal stated.
I knew what he meant. Sal's wife never wore heels; she was just running shoes or tennis shoes. Olga was born in a war-torn country, and heels were considered a luxury. Sal used to tell us that her motto was always to be prepared to run for your life. This evening held a newfound importance. Still, I had to run damage control for my partner.
"Sal's just keeping an eye out for you. Those reports about Freaks are concerning. That doesn't count the normal criminals taking advantage of the chaos in the city. We have to be ready for anything," I explained.
That seemed to smooth things over with her. "Sure, I'll go find something to change into. Don't leave without me!" Diane said, poking her finger right at my chest.
She was tall, but I still towered over her, and she had to look up at me most of the time.