Event

Collins really went to war. You started in Desert Shield by infiltrating Kuwaiti and Iraqi territory on missions of a rather dark nature. You fought in Operation Desert Storm, winning the Congressional Medal of Honor. Then your tour in Operation Iraqi Freedom.'

'You seem to have me at an extreme disadvantage, Senator,' Collins said.

Lee smiled. 'Previous to your tour in Iraq, you had set up a black OP in Afghanistan. Before you had a chance to deploy your outfit on a most dangerous mission, the army pulled you out, leaving your team with an inexperienced commander to lead them. When you arrived in theater in Iraq, you heard the entire team in Afghanistan was killed during the operation you had planned, because of a mistake that was made at the command level. We won't go into your testimony before Congress here. So, to make a long story short, the president of the United States, who didn't agree with the army's treatment of you after said visit to the Hill, saw fit to give you to us. I asked Niles to request you.'

Collins sat silently. He thought back to the mission he had planned to a tee only to be pulled out at the last minute by military bureaucrats. He would never forget the pain and anger that had flared when he'd learned his team had been killed to a man in a rocky valley in the armpit of the world.

'Requested me for what?' he finally asked.

Both men looked up as Niles Compton returned to the office and nodded. He gestured for Lee to continue.

'Major, outside of certain aspects of the National Security Agency, you have entered the topmost-secret facility in our nation's government. We have been chartered in a roundabout way, since 1863.' The old politician took a moment to let that sink in, then continued, 'You've noticed the portraits of Lincoln and Wilson, I presume?'

'Yes, sir, they're pretty hard to miss,' Collins answered, looking at the two large paintings behind the senator.

Lee smiled. 'Well, Mr. Lincoln, although he didn't know it at the time, laid the foundation for the Event Group during the Civil War.' Lee held Jack's stare. He liked that the major held his questions. 'It's a foregone conclusion of historians that old Abe was far ahead of his time. Hell, most schoolchildren can tell you that, but, anyway, we are secret, because sometimes we uncover things that aren't very popular with the world, or even our own citizens. We roam the dark hallways of our government behind the auspices of the National Archives.'

Collins listened to the old man before him and had the distinct feeling he was being set up. But for the life of him he didn't know in which direction it was coming.

Lee looked at Niles and the director nodded. He said each word slowly, thoughtfully, 'Jack, the United States is most unique. Its citizens hail from every country on earth and they have a right to the truth of that history, and our job is to find it, process it, and to tell them facts that have led us to where we are, to give information to those that can use it to make better decisions for them. Information is the weapon of the future, and we will never, ever be caught off guard by not understanding the vital lessons of the past, for they have shaped and molded us into what we are. The world is shaped by pivotal Events throughout our past; they have steered us into making not just changes to survive, but civilization-altering changes. We here at the Group try and identify those moments in our current times, helping all to make the altering judgments that will lead us into our future. The current Events we identify will assist us into what we will become. Our job here is to find out the truth as history tells it, for our nation, for us, and maybe, just maybe, this world will begin to know and understand itself, and that can only bring about truth and understanding for all its peoples. The security of this nation is paramount. Oh, the CIA, the National Security Agency, and the FBI can physically gather intelligence, but it's left up to us to find it in the past, things the other agencies are not even capable of grasping. We here learn all there is to learn about everything.'

'Yes, sir, I see.'

Niles Compton smiled and shook his head. 'No, Major, you don't see... yet.'

'I know it's a lot to take in,' Lee stated as he reached out to push a button on the right side of the desk. Then he flipped a switch and one of the many large flat-screen monitors flickered to life. 'This is our computer center. If you know computers, Major, you will understand that the unit you see in the background there is a Cray Corporation prototype, generously given to us by... well, by one of our many friends in the private sector. It's the most powerful unit in the world used for processing raw data. We are 'hacked,' if you will--personally, I hate the term--into almost every university and major corporation in the world, and most governments also. The chairmen of several large software companies based in the Northwest and in Texas assist us in this endeavor. Oh, they fight with the government quite often, but most are very fond of what we do here and are large contributors to our fiscal budget. These chairmen are far more patriotic than they are given credit.'

As Collins viewed the monitor's screen, he noted about fifty or so people all working in an elaborate, state- of-the-art computer-processing center.

'These men and women, who are specially trained and hold the highest of security clearances for the Group and the U.S. government, take information from archaeological digs, finds of any kind, reports of strange happenings, myths, legends, histories, new discoveries, and they feed it all into the Cray, where it is analyzed and referenced for historical or Paleolithic importance, and if need be, we send people into the field, either as part of another organization, or in the open as a part of our National Parks Service--even foreign nations recognize our parks system and hold it in high regard. The information gained is used to better understand where it is we came from, and sometimes more importantly, where it is we are going. Only the top chairmen or founding owners of the largest companies and presidents of universities have a hint of our existence, and even they are a marked few.'

'And I fit in...?' Collins inquired.

The senator pursed his lips. 'Over the years, basically since just after the First World War, we have lost over a hundred personnel in field operations.' Lee shook his head. 'You see, Major, there are those that either don't want to share the information that's uncovered or deem it valuable enough to eliminate any who stand in their way of getting it and holding on to it. That is where you and your men come in, as field security for site operations and infiltration, and to put it bluntly, Major, I took advantage of your current predicament to get you here as you seem to be a hot potato no one wants to butter up right now.'

Collins started to say something, then was stopped by a raised hand of the senator. He rose slowly from his high-backed chair and motioned for the major to follow him. He limped across to a screen that was much larger than the one that had just shown the image of the computer room. Collins, as he followed, noticed the senator looked a little bit older than he had originally thought.

'Your record in both Gulf conflicts warrants you being here, Major. The job you did in the first Iraq conflict, rescuing that downed A-6 Intruder crew, was amazing.' The senator smiled. 'You obviously have an affinity for dangerous situations.' Lee watched Collins for a reaction, then held his gaze.

'And now the hard part. Even though you have been awarded three. Silver Stars and a Medal of Honor, your career is all but over in the regular army. But as I said before, the president didn't hold any grudges, and because he knows you're a true soldier, he sent you to us. And with us you'll be able to stay in the service and continue on with a meaningful career.'

Collins turned and looked at Lee. He knew of only a dozen people outside the White House who knew it had been his unit who had rescued the downed naval pilot. And no one really knew about his near court-martial after meeting with the president, Joint Chiefs, and the directors of the FBI and CIA. He was damned lucky after that to have a job at all. Whoever Lee and Compton were, they did have connections, and more than likely the strings on which to pull to get him here, wherever 'here' was. So he knew this offer was for real, and Lee's eyes held no lies about how important he thought this was.

'It might be better to show you the fruits of our labors here at the Event Group, Major Collins, and then point out how expertise such as yours, and that of others, has helped us gather some of the wondrous things you are about to bear witness to.' Lee paused a moment, then turned back to face Jack. He looked the professional soldier up and down, then looked him in the eyes. 'Are you a religious man, Jack?'

'No, sir,' Collins responded quickly as he held his gaze on the senator's lone eye. 'Never found the time or the need.'

The senator smiled, but the sadness of it made Collins wonder why he attempted it in the first place.

'It seems I'm looking at myself so many years ago.' Lee lightly tapped the scar that ran under the patch covering his right eye. 'I wasted a lot of time proving to myself that God didn't exist, when the question of God