“We were sent here to develop a training camp for the Rangers,” the Major had explained in answer to one of the boy’s many questions. “They needed a high altitude mountainous camp. Given the situation in Central Asia, I can think of several reasons why. A squad of Rangers was detailed to us as consultants. We weren’t here a week, when this mist appeared. We started pulling in all the civilians we could find. After a while, we realized that there was a gang of men preying on people who were trapped in the mountains. We found some gruesome evidence. We’ve been looking for them ever since. I know we covered that hill. They must have set up their camp after we checked it.”
The next day, the Ranger on the palisade catwalk watched the two boys play catch again. Once more, the same girl was sunbathing. This time she not only took off her shirt, she unhooked her bra to avoid getting a tan line. This is not bad duty, the Ranger thought as, for a few minutes, he openly watched the girl. Unnoticed, the boy who needed to pee went into the bushes. He was gone several minutes. When the Ranger looked for him, he emerged zipping his pants. The Ranger did not realize that he was a different boy.
Later, Mike, Erin, and Kevin conferred. “Everything is set, Chief,” said Kevin. “Jacob has both lines ready, and he made the trail that he wants them to follow. We should be gone by the time they start to search. If they do search.”
“Oh, they’ll search,” Mike replied, and Erin nodded.
“Are you still okay with this, Erin?” Mike asked. He was not happy about this part of his plan.
“Sure, Chief,” she replied. “I grew up around people like this. It’s like home, to me. I’ll miss my friends, but I’ll make some new ones. Starting next May, I’ll check the tree the first day of every month to see if there is a message from you. And don’t worry about your getaway. I’ve got my own plan.”
The next day, their routine continued. The boys were out by the edge of the knoll, and the girl was sunbathing with her bra strap unhooked. The Ranger stood watch, occasionally sneaking peeks at her. And then, as he watched, the girl started to rise. She fumbled for her bra, but it dropped to the ground. Her wonderful breasts sprang into view, and the young Ranger’s eyes bulged. As he watched, she bent over at the waist and retrieved her bra. The Ranger sighed as she put it on and hooked the clasp. Suddenly she yelped, and she fell to the ground, moaning and clutching her leg.
Almost instantly, the young Ranger jumped down from the palisade parapet. He yelled to a fellow soldier to take his place. The Ranger rushed out the gate and ran to the girl who was still moaning as she lay on the ground, holding her leg. He helped her to her feet. Gingerly, she put her weight on her foot, and then she whimpered and leaned against the Ranger. He held her against his side, as he awkwardly bent down and picked up her blouse. He helped her put on her blouse, and then she leaned on him as she limped into the fort.
Up on the palisade, the other Ranger watched enviously as his fellow soldier helped the well endowed girl enter the gate. When the two of them disappeared, he turned his attention back to the field and to the view beyond. The field was empty, but the view was simply magnificent.
At dinner, there was a head count. Two boys were missing. Lieutenant Kennedy reported to Major Collins that they were the two boys who had first found the Army post. The Major sent men out around the edge of the knoll to look for the boys, but there was no sign of them. The worried Major swore, but there was no way to search for them in the dark.
The next morning, the soldiers searched again. Soon, they found a heavy rope tied to the small oak tree at the edge of the knoll. The Lieutenant and some of his squad climbed down the rope. They found fresh tracks which they followed. The trail led in a circular way into the forest. In the late afternoon, they followed the trail out of the woods and onto the saddle land. There, the trail disappeared. They searched the area, and they found signs of a camp. The Lieutenant reported back to the Major.
“We lost them, Sir,” he said to the Major. “They seemed to have met some other people. The others had a vehicle with them.”
What the hell is going on, Collins wondered.
The Major was suspicious, but there was no time to worry about two boys who didn’t want to be at the fort. There were too many preparations for the winter still to be made, but he vowed to find out what had happened to the boys and who they had met.
One day in December, Major Collins noticed one of the young Rangers talking to the big breasted girl that had been rescued from the bikers. A small notion occurred to him. He did some investigating, and when he was certain, he called the girl in for a visit.
“Your name is Erin, I believe,” Major Collins said, once she was seated.
“Yes, Sir,” she replied.
“Erin, I have a question for you. Do you know what happens to spies?” he said sternly.
“Yes, Sir. In wartime, enemy agents of a foreign power are executed. In peacetime, they are usually exchanged for our own agents,” the girl replied.
The Major’s eyes widened. “You are remarkably familiar with the rules of espionage, Erin.”
She grinned. “I’m an Army brat, Sir. Grandpa and Dad were both Army. I grew up by Ord. My Mom and I lived in Monterey. Sir, I have a question. How did you figure it out?”
The Major stared at her, and then he laughed. “It wasn’t easy,” he said ruefully. “I saw you talking to one of the Rangers one night, and it suddenly occurred to me that you were in remarkably good mental health for a girl that had been systematically molested for over a year. Most girls have an aversion to men after that.”
Erin remembered Maria’s slow recovery. “Oh, rats,” she said. “I should have thought of that.”
“Then I remembered that you were one of the few people who were on the knoll, on the day that the two boys disappeared. I grilled the Ranger who was there that day, and I heard about your mishap. He finally confessed that it was not only your leg that you had trouble with.”
Erin blushed. The Major continued.
“So, I have a pair of boys who show up unexpectedly. They bring news of a gang I’ve been itching to find. One of them knows the way back. We get there, and the kids are not chained up, they are down on the road waiting for us. What luck. Lieutenant Kennedy did notice the chain on the door, by the way. It finally occurred to me that after the boys escaped, there should have been more security, not less.”
“We couldn’t think of everything,” Erin explained.
Collins nodded. “So, we have a very successful mission. A few days later, the original two boys disappear, obviously with help from someone outside the post. I suppose I didn’t want to admit to myself that I had been conned by a couple of kids. I talked to Lieutenant Kennedy. It turns out, that you were the one who met the soldiers at the gang’s hideout. You told him that all the kids were there. And you were there, the day the boys disappeared. You created a remarkably effective distraction. And you were the only one who refused to be examined by our medic. I’m guessing that you’re still a virgin.”
“Please, don’t make me answer any questions about that,” Erin pleaded, suddenly embarrassed.
“I won’t,” the Major assured her. “But now that the cat is out of the bag, I want you to have a medical examination. Don’t worry. The results will be confidential, even from me.”
“Anyway,” he continued. “I’ve talked to the rest of the kids. No one remembers you before that night. They thought you were with us. It’s time to come clean, Erin. Who are you, and where are your friends?”