The Valkyrie’s Ghost

Author's Note:Whew. Finally. Part 18 has crawled out of the depths and is officially "ready" and by ready, I mean beta ready, which means it may contain a proud little flock of grammatical disasters just waiting to be discovered by the brave souls who have followed the twisting path of Riley and Lysandra.

Unburdened by things like publishing standards or good judgment, this part strolls in at 28,000+ words. What can I say? I wanted to give you a deeper look into life inside the MoD world and I also wanted an excuse to put on my "Q is a genius" T-shirt and play with ridiculous spy gear. Ahhhh, bliss.

As always, every character, setting, and inconceivably evil villain is a figment of my imagination. Honestly, that might be why this part took so long. There is only so much time a person can swim around in MoD waters before needing to come up for air.

But look! Do you see it? I swear I can see the end from here. One more part, and I get to write the two sweetest words in an author's life: The End.

Back to the keyboard I go. PHD

Chapter 86

Riley Vale

Saturday, February 1st

La Fortaleza del Silencio

Eve's Haven (Gilded Cage)

27°00'16.47"S 49°11'47.64"W

Brazil

Riley---------------

Riley leaned back in a top-grain appointed captain's chair that would have been more in home in an executive jet over Paris than a train in the jungle of Brazil. Well, the Atlantic forest of Brazil Riley chided himself.

The passenger's cabin seemed to hold thirty or so people, each graced with a dark black leather chair with precise white stitching, thick mahogany wood accents, and carpet that could be found in the European royalty library. A waitress... err, stewardess in a red uniform had seen in the dining room navigated the lush carpet in her heels, offering light refreshments, after discussing the safety features and emergency protocols of the train.

The station at La Fortaleza del Silencio was access via an elevator in their dorm's building. Riley found a line of elevator doors suggesting the military might of the MoD could drop directly from any of their barracks and via the train be at the far end of their territory in a matter of minutes. The tunnel was tiled and bathed in a bright light. The train was an illegitimate child of a subway car and European super train. There was a pair of ultra-modern control cabins with almost needle-like noses that graced each end of the sleek transport with two passenger cars sandwiching a longer cargo car.

The cabin's windows were milky white and occasional flashes of light were what Riley assumed with tunnel lights that maintenance crews used to service the maglev platform. A digital speedometer flashed numbers in a green LED and as the train glided out of the La Fortaleza del Silencio Keep's compound the numbers jumped rapidly from zero. It was sixty seconds later that the number slowed and finally stopped at 150 miles per hour. Riley could not feel anything beyond the slight pull into the seat at the first acceleration.

It was about two minutes since leaving that the train obviously exited from the tunnel as the windows went bright with sunlight before the milky window flashed and went clear. Riley moved to the edge of the seat to peer out the window and found that they were on an elevated concreate platform that housed electric motors, coils, sensors, and power systems. The... Riley thought back on the YouTube video that reported on a Chinese MagLev train... ...ah, yes. The guideway, not track, had superconducting coils and linear motor windings that generated the moving magnetic wave, pushing the train. The elevated platform to keep wildlife out of the path of the speeding train.

Riley laughed at the absurdity of financing miles of tunnels and the expense of the modern maglev platform for a two minute ride. Riley's obsession with YouTube videos on the world's building projects had the number that ranged from $50 million per mile all the way up to an astounding $1 billion per mile.

Riley glanced up at the digital speedometer, to see the train was slowly decelerating. Then their destination came into view.

Riley's mouth dropped open. His eyes found Talia, who was also wide-eyed.

At an intersection of two small rivers, was a small peninsula that had bubbling white water rapids raging past either side, combining to form a larger river that continued its war with the rocks of the Brazilian jungle. Towering Atlantic forest's trees swayed in the light wind. They approached a plateau at the tip of the peninsula that was perfectly leveled that hosted a structure Riley observed in ariel photographs, which muted the scope and scale of the Gilded Cage.

The land of the peninsula was covered in luxurious grass that would make the course superintendent at Augusta National Golf Club green with envy. Small groups of carefully cultivated trees dotted the landscape, but for the most part the fairway-like grass adorned the open space. The Atlantic forest returned as the peninsula spread out and into the base of a small mountain.

The raised cement guideway slowly curved around the very edge of the plateau. Riley glanced at the window on the other side and could see a small gorge that plunged down to the white capped rapids below. The track would soon be greeted by a train depot pulled from the 1920s America. The redbrick with white stone accents that held up a clay-tiled roof that provided travelers refuge from the sun and rain.

The grounds around the train depot had several cobbled streets that formed tan-colored veins that spread from the depot and moved towards the rest of the structures. A perfectly aligned circle of moderately sized craftsman bungalow houses curved around the plateau, encircling a towering fence. The fence in its own right was a staggering display of craftsmanship and artistry. The base of the wall included the redbrick and white stone accents creating a base that seemed like it could withstand the winds of fate. Every 25 feet, a thick towering column of red brick, capped with white stone top served as a perch for a marble eagle pulled from a Roman legion's standard.

Between each of the 20 foot columns was a wrought iron fence, built tall and heavy. The gold and black tall spear‑shaped finials alternating with laurel wreaths. Ornate double‑headed eagles framed in scrollwork completed the architectural design. The thick metal and reflecting sun hid the large mansions Riley knew existed from the surveillance videos.

As the train came to a complete stop, the stewardess announced the Eve's Haven station and Riley followed Talia and Brianda off the train. Riley followed the line of musicians and reclaimed the hardshell case which contained his Bourgeois guitar. Talia walked at Riley's shoulder and stood huddled with the rest of the performance troupe at the edge of the station platform.

Movement to the far side of the station pulled Riley's attention to a large redbrick building that reused the architectural aesthetics of the depot and wall, that had a stream of ten MoD soldiers flowing from the double doors. While all of them had rifles, only one soldier carried as if he respected the weapon. The line of men walked down the cobble pathway towards the wall. Shift change, Riley thought.

Eamon Vermeer walked over to the group.

"Ladies!" The MoD's master of theater and entertainment said in a stage voice. The women immediately assumed the MoD stance, forming a circle around Eamon.

An uncomfortable Vermeer continued. "We have two shows. We are going to have our theater group to perform act two, scene five from My Fairly Lady at the matinee and then we will shift to our concert combining the dinner show and the black tie affair."

"Brianda, Sabine, and María, you had a late night. You are free to take the afternoon while the rest of the lay-abouts..." Eamon talked over the groans of the forty women gathered around him. "...get to work."

Turning to Talia. "I was told you will be greeted by..." Eamon started before he stopped. "Aah, here is your ride."

A miniaturized UPS van pulled up next to the train platform. It was about half scale but had a boxy look. The silence of its arrival suggested it was an electric vehicle. The large tires would allow the repair van to access any infrastructure that was out in the wild. The driver stepped out and Riley's heart turned green with envy. The wide hips and large breast signaled that she was a woman in the gold caste, but she wore Keen work boots, cargo pants, a silky golf polo, and a baseball cap. She carried a small black canvas bag.

The contractor danced up the steps to the platform. Her full figure shifted under her uniform. Her shoulder-length dark hair was pulled back into a ponytail that was threaded through the back of the cap. Her expressive brown eyes were bright with excitement and ablaze with confident intelligence. Her skin was very dark. Riley would have guessed this contractor was from India vs Latin America.

The woman approached Master Vermeer and when in the prescribed distance assumed the same MoD stance that all contractors were expected to know and use in the presence of men.

"Master Vermeer?" The woman in gold asked.

"Yes dear. I am Eamon Vermeer." The entertainment master replied.

"Good morning Master Vermeer. I am Anika Raman. Please feel free to use my American name, Nicole, if it is easier." The mid-twenties woman's vowels were clear and rounded, her consonants precise, and she tended to keep her tone level until the end of a sentence, where it lifted slightly as if checking that you were following. "I was told to report to Eve's Haven and to ask for one Isabella Kraus de la Vega to join me for a few information technology work orders, ah-- yes."

"Isabella?" Eamon called. Talia stepped forward and resumed her MoD stance.

"Yes, Master Vermeer." Talia responded.

"It was a pleasure to meet you Isabella." Eamon said as he turned to peer in Talia's eyes. "I hope you enjoy your job shadowing with Anika. I hope to see you at tonight's concert."

"Thank you, Sir." Talia said, before turning to Anika. "Good morning Sister Anika."

"Sister Isabella," the IT field technician replied, her tone quick and neatly clipped. "I come bearing gifts, ah-- your very own Nerf Herd outfit." A bright smile spread across her dark complexion as she continued, her pace picking up. "I don't think Best Buy can sue me for trademark infringement down here, no?"

As the Indian woman reached the end of her joke, her words came faster, efficient and lightly punctuated with small tongue‑clicks as she shifted between thoughts. Her smile and sparkling eyes drew matching smiles from the people around her.

With a nod to Eamon, who quickly returned the nod that she was free to go, Talia turned to face Anika fully. "I must admit, I never thought I would prefer a work boot to heels, but my feet have been barking at me."

"Sister," Anika smiled with easy good humor. "Only when we go into the field, ah-- we get to wear this IT chic. Once we return to the main campus, we are back to our dresses and everything that goes with them, no?" She gave a small tongue‑click as she shifted to her next thought. "I cannot keep count how many stockings I have had to replace because of runs from crawling around on the floor, ah-- honestly."

After taking the black bag from Anika, Talia looked down at her plunging bodice and back at her guide.

"I see..." Talia said cautiously.

"I see. They see. Everyone sees." As Anika cupped her large breasts over her polo shirt. "I am almost sure one of my more regular calls at the Keep repeatedly unplugged his network cable to have me crawl around with my boobs hanging to the floor..." Then she dropped her breasts and slapped her round bottom. "...or my other end sticking in the air." Then she laughed a musical laugh that reminded Riley of Tinker Bell.

"But! We, my sister, are heading out into the wilds to inspect three field nodes and the primary Point of Presence for the southwest trunk of the network." Anika almost sang the words, her energy bubbling over as she spoke faster, her cadence dotted with soft clicks and quick breaths, unaware that both Riley and Talia pupils widened with a surge of adrenaline. A licensed physiologist would also have noticed that their eye muscles tighten, blink rate decreased, and their eyes appeared to brighten. The two seasoned field operatives relaxed their bodies, diving into the rigid instruction on the stance.

Talia's eyes bouncing between Anika and Riley. At an almost imperceptible lifted eyebrow, Talia stayed focused on the IT support stereotype.

"Umm, sorry to ask." Talia asked on a nervous school-girl voice. "How far is this away from..." Talia waived towards the towering fence. "..., can we get lost in the forest, and could we encounter a jaguar if we have to go into the jungle."

"I have been doing this for months," Anika said, turning toward Talia and resting a gentle hand on her shoulder. "We have a maintained trail, ah-- our little repair mobile will hum right over it. So no chance of getting lost, no?"

She gave a small tongue click as she continued, her pace picking up. "I have never seen a jaguar or a puma. But our ride has doors and a radio, ah-- so we will just sit tight and call for help if anything happens."

"Where can I change?" Talia said with confidence. The people in hearing distance assuming Isabella had received their right encouragement.

Anika pointed to the train depot. "You will find a restroom in the lobby."

Anika looked around and located a woman in a white coverall who was sweeping vigorously at the brick-lined train platform. "Sister." The gold-dressed contractor said kindly. "I am sorry to bother you, but Sister Isabella has been asked to join me immediately on a field work ticket. May I request you to take her current clothes to..."

Anika turned, gracefully flowing back into the MoD stance. "Master Vermeer, will Isabella be housed with your troupe?"

The 6'1" mid-forties man walked over and seemed to grimace as the woman in white went rigid for a second before clumsily assuming the same MoD stance. Her eyes darted to Anika to check the placement of the different limbs of her body. A scarlet blush started at her collar and burned itself onto her cheeks. She refused to make eye contact and kept her head down in shame.

"Sisters, I do believe Isabella will be housed with our group. She will be in the residence quarters underneath the Forum." Eamon said, with a soft voice full of care and kindness.

"No sé inglés." The woman in white said.

Riley moved quickly over to the trio, reassumed the stance, and offered. "May I Master Vermeer?"

"Please do María." Eamon said.

Riley spoke slowly and clearly. "La hermana Anika pidió disculpas por molestarte. Parece que a la hermana Isabella le han pedido que se una a ella de inmediato en una orden de trabajo de Tecnología de la Información. Ella te preguntó si podrías llevar las pertenencias de la hermana Isabella a los alojamientos que están debajo del Foro."

Talia joined Riley, Eamon, and Anika and translated softly. "Sister Anika apologized for bothering you. It seems Sister Isabella has been asked to join her immediately on an Information Technology field work ticket. She asked you if you would be willing to take Sister Isabella's belongings to the residence quarters underneath the Forum."

The woman's head tilted upward and grateful eyes found Riley. Her eyes flicked down to her black garment, but then dashed over to Eamon. Then she smiled widely. "Sí!" She bowed her head quickly. "Sí, por supuesto. Gracias."

"Yes! Yes, most definitely. Thank you." Talia echoed.

"Hurry along children." Eamon boomed with a smile. "I definitely don't want you to be late for tonight's concert."

Talia smiled, bowed and stepped quickly towards the designated door into the train station. The woman in white bowed her head to Eamon, Riley, and Anika before she followed in Talia's wake.

"Nico!" Eamon called across the group of women. "Why don't we walk. Would you mind taking the lead?"

Nico's youthful exuberance welcomed the task and soon he was imitating a guide at the San Deigo Zoo. Riley was anticipating... "Right this way..." any second now.

"Marceline!" Eamon called. "We could ask someone to transport your bass for you?"

The 5'6" early thirties musician dressed in a sliver dress blanched. "Master Vermeer, if it is ok with you." The look on her face was in odds with her subservient voice. "I would greatly prefer to carry my own instrument. It is not too much to handle I assure you."

Vermeer smiled. "I thought naught, but my Ma would thump me good if I did not offer."

A relieved Marceline smiled and bowed in appreciation. "Yes, of course Master Vermeer. I deeply appreciate your understanding."

The bassist picked up the large case and with a smile fell in beside Renata Santos who protectively carrying her cello, her eyes darting back to Eamon to see if he might have the gall to suggest that she allowed someone else to care for her instrument.

Soon, the snake that was the progression of the Theater and Entertainment artists cleared the train platform, Riley walked beside Eamon Vermeer, Brianda Mondragón, and her roommate Zamira Treviño.

The heels clicked loudly on the cobbled stone creating an ongoing sound of small explosions of clacks. It reminded Riley of a 4th of July at as a kid in the state owned foster home and one of the larger kids got his hands on a bag of snappers. Small paper-wrapped objects that when tossed at the ground where they would 'pop' with a miniature explosion of grains of what Riley thought was gun powder.

Riley was caught by surprise with Brianda and Zamira started to sing overly loud, Cyndi Lauper'sGirls Just Want to Have Fun. Soon, the whole line of women joined in. Many of them taking the arm of the woman next them.

Master Eamon Vermeer moved his hand over his mouth and said softly.

"Brianda and Zamira are providing me cover to speak with you." Eamon said. "When Brianda reported what happened in Brock's chambers, we have to assume he will always be watching where you are and listening when he can."

"Why risk it?" Riley asked.

"I know I am neck deep in this fucking disaster and while I abhor everything that is happening, I am responsible for the shit going on here due to my tacit silence." Eamon almost spat. "But If I left, my girls would have been in harms way. I had to stay."

Eamon would only talk between structures and only under the loud voices raised in song and the clatter of heels on cobble stones.

The group first wove between two yards that held pristine homes yanked from the 1950s American television. Gorgeous yards framed in by white picket fences and filled with towering trees, vibrant flower gardens, and manicured lawns. The large porches had large swings and plenty of shade.

"Full time Eve's Haven contractors are assigned a bungalow as their residence." Eamon said loudly as they walked closer to the four-foot high white picket fence. The symphony of colors exploded in the flower gardens that lined each of the pathways. "If I remember right, there are 150 homes spread in an arch around the back side of the peninsula."

The walked down the shade covered pathway, the breeze carrying the sweet fragrances of the exotic flowers cultivated in each yard.

"It is very beautiful." Riley said simply. "It must take each resident hours to maintain these yards."

"María, all of the houses' gardens are maintained by contracted women in white." Eamon answered cautiously.

"Do you mean a gardener will earn enough credits in a year of service to be awarded a US citizenship?" Riley asked disbelievingly.

"I do not know the specifics." Eamon said. "I believe it is eighteen months of services for whites, but again, I am not sure."