Note: This story was dynamically reformatted for online reading convenience.
 
 The Librarian

   By deGaffer

   Copyright (c) 2008 by deGaffer

   SUMMARY: A wealthy and politically connected college librarian
manipulates a group of students and encourages them to put together a team
that the Confederacy shouldn't ignore.
UNIVERSE: The Swarm Cycle
WARNING: This story contains material unsuitable for minors and
narrow-minded individuals.  It probably contains sex, violence, and other
socially unacceptable material.  You have been warned!
CONTENT: no-sex ScFi
This story is set in the Swarm Cycle Universe created by Thinking
Horndog.  Get a grip; this is fiction.  Any resemblance between the content
of this story or any of the characters depicted herein with real persons,

places or events is totally coincidental.

   It started with a simple concept that should have been a short story,
but it seems to have morphed into an epic saga of scheming, planning,
deception, and of course, sex.

   I very much appreciate the patience and efforts of Mulligan.  His help
has made this a much better story.  I claim full responsibility for all
errors and omissions.

   Pursuant to the Berne Convention, this work is copyrighted with all
rights reserved by its author unless explicitly indicated.  Reproduction
for profit is forbidden.  Any distribution must include this note and the
author's email address.

   CHAPTER 25: What Happened to Marvin?

   Lesa was in her office at the library going over the sizeable dossiers
they now had on the physics researchers at MIT.  Jake, Toby and Janet had
all been interviewed personally by Dr.  Grayson.  He had claimed that he
was retiring at the end of the current academic year and would no longer be
doing research of any kind anywhere.  This was very disturbing and
depressing news to the group, and it had put a damper on pretty much
everything.

   Gloria stuck her head into the room; then entered when she found it
empty except for Lesa.  "What has you scowling at your computer?"

   Lesa shook her head.  "I'm missing something that should be obvious. 
The information that Jake, Toby, and Janet got from the Grayson family last
Thanksgiving would have one believe that Admiral Grayson is a workaholic,
but the records at the lab indicate he's hardly ever there.  He might be
entertaining a bevy of mistresses, but it doesn't fit his character
profile."

   Gloria stepped around the desk to look over Lesa's shoulder.  "Where
does he typically go?"

   Lesa pointed to the screen, "The gasoline and credit card receipts and
statements that the private investigators retrieved from his trash indicate
that he spends a lot of time in Virginia Beach, New London and Arlington."

   Stepping back, Gloria asked, "Does his wife travel with him to Virginia
Beach?"

   Clicking a link Lesa replied, "Not often.  She goes with him to New
York, Phoenix, and New Orleans once or twice a year.  They have children in
those locations."

   Gloria pointed out, "Virginia Beach and New London have active US Navy
shipyards, and the Pentagon is in Arlington."

   Tracing another reference Lesa smiled, "Charles Brenner makes regular
trips to Virginia Beach!  That bastard is still actively working with the
Navy.  There's no telling how large his network of cronies might be, or how
deeply they're buried in the Pentagon.  I can't breech the Pentagon.  We're
screwed!"

   Gloria smiled, "Several times a day and loving each time."

   Lesa had to laugh, "Okay, enough sexual innuendo.  How are we going to
get his real team into a public place where we might have a shot at
attracting a Confederacy pickup?"

   Gloria headed for the door, "I don't know, but we have some of the most
devious minds on the planet working for our side.  I'm confident they'll
come up with something."

   *-*-*

   Mid-morning an anxious Jake stuck his head into Lesa's office,
"Something's happening at Starbucks, probably a Confederacy pickup.  We've
lost contact with Marvin and Misty."

   Lesa was up and around her desk faster that he had ever seen her move.
"Grab Ralph and Janet and head over there.  I'm going to my house for
supplies.  Call me when you find out something."

   Jake pulled out his cell phone and initiated a call to Ralph.  He asked
Ralph to meet him at Starbucks.  He had to leave a message on Janet's cell
phone.  Jake was frantically searching his PDA for Janet's schedule when
Ralph intercepted him.  "What's up, man?  You sound really stressed."

   Jake looked up and briefed Ralph, "It looks like Marvin and Misty are
inside Starbucks with an unknown number of Confederacy Marines."

   Ralph subconsciously rubbed his chest.  "I haven't been near Starbucks
in weeks.  What's the plan?"

   "We need to round up Janet and be at Starbucks.  The three of us are to
get in there and find Marvin's note, phone, or PDA as soon as the
interdiction field is lifted." Jake was not insensitive to Ralph's
reluctance to hang out at Starbucks.  "I'm trying to find out were Janet
is, and my stupid PDA isn't cooperating."

   Ralph put his hand over Jake's PDA, "Chill man.  Keep an eye on the shop
and I'll snatch Janet from the lecture hall.  We'll be no more than ten
minutes behind you.  Be careful, people get hurt around a pickup."

   Jake nodded and sprinted off toward the shimmering dome that had
replaced Starbucks.

   { For details of what happened inside Starbucks, the reader is directed
to 'The Starbucks Incident' }

   At home, Lesa entered a locked walk-in closet behind her husband's desk.
She pulled a foam-lined case from a cabinet and laid it on a narrow bench
inside the closet.  It took both hands to retrieve her Barrett rifle from a
tall safe in the far corner of the small room and transfer it into the
case. She pulled three ten-round magazines from a shelf in the safe, loaded
each one with the massive .50 caliber cartridges, and placed them into
cutouts in the case.  Her S&W Model 29 and three speed loaders also went
into their custom cutouts in the foam.  She returned to the library after
locking the safe, opened the bottom right-hand drawer in the desk, and
punched a numeric code into the steel door built into the drawer.  When it
popped open, she pulled out a vintage Model 10 and two speed loaders.  One
loader went into the revolver's chambers; the other went into her shoulder
bag with the pistol.  As an afterthought she hooked the mating shoulder
holster for the .38 with her left elbow before securing the desk drawer.

   Lesa put the large case in the trunk of her car, opened the garage door,
and headed toward campus with little regard for speed limits.  She was back
at the library in record time.  Toby and Susan were with Gloria inside the
main gallery and followed her into a conference room.  Lesa had a one-word
question, "Anything?" It was answered with silently shaking heads.

   Looking at Toby, Lesa asked, "Toby, will you step out into the main
gallery and send everyone in here as they arrive?  Thanks."

   Across the campus Sara Jay and Tiffany were trying to reason with a
tearful Millie and Sasha.  "It'll do no good to go to Starbucks now.  We'll
not be allowed inside until the pickup is over with."

   Millie and Sasha knew that, but like so many others they wanted to try
anyway.  Sasha wailed, "I knew I should have blown off that stupid
transportation class and gone to Starbucks with Marvin."

   Millie agreed, "Yeah, my economics class is also kind of dumb, too. 
Everything's changing.  Going to any kind of classic urban planning class
is just us zombies doing mindless exercises.  The curriculum needs to be
updated to reflect the impact of the Confederacy and Sa'arm influences."

   "Come on guys," Tiffany tried to be encouraging, "don't count yourselves
out just yet.  I mean, you just know that Lesa has a plan for this."

   Once inside the Library, Toby directed them to the conference room.  He
was back at his post when Jake, Janet, Ralph, and Misty broke through the
doors like thoroughbreds from the starting gates and then quickly slowed
their progress down to a walk.  Toby waved to get their attention and all
five entered the conference room.

   Inside the conference room everyone wanted to hug Misty, but she pushed
them away and shook her head.  "Wait, back off a second.  I love you all,
but we have to hurry.  We need to locate kids belonging to Rebecca
Lawrence, Julie Ann Swanson, and Alicia Morgan.  We also need to find a
Meghrani Avalareddy, wife of Professor Naveen Avalareddy and get them all
to a new pickup.  Lesa, Marvin said you were right about brain-trust
pickups.  He's going to work from the Confederacy side to make sure the
Marines show up at your party in July."

   Lesa had already logged onto the workstation in the conference room and
was directing information to the overhead projector.  She was shaken by the
fact that one of the women lived across the street from her, and the other
was one of her oldest friends with whom she had just tried to mend fences.

   Lesa brought up a directory listing for Julie Ann and Samuel Swanson. 
"I'm trying to remember how many kids Julie Ann has.  A lot, though, and
they range in age from thirteen to diapers.  They'll be scattered all over
Atlanta.  Her oldest is in the same class as my daughter, Sara.  Gloria,
use the terminal outside to find out where Samuel can be found."

   Gloria nodded and headed into the main gallery of the library.

   Lesa turned to Misty, "Is this professor associated with Tech or some
other school?"

   Misty replied, "I'm not sure, Tech I think."

   Lesa nodded, "There's a faculty directory next to the card catalog. 
Will you check it for me please?"

   Jake spoke up, "Never mind that, Misty.  I have a name, address and
several phone numbers for a Naveen and Meghrani Avalareddy.  The address is
a downtown condo."

   "Okay, Jake," Lesa was getting into her stride.  "Will you find her and
get her to Crestlawn?  But first, get a message to Jason at Woodside
Academy and have him round up his sisters and meet you in the parking lot.
Woodside is kindergarten through twelfth grade.  He knows you; so, I'm
hoping he'll not question you.  Tell him that something has happened to
their mother and you're taking the girls to meet her, which is true."

   "My car isn't big enough," Jake noted.

   "I'll get the excess," Susan volunteered and headed for the door with
Jake.

   Jake nodded to Susan and they each headed for their cars.  He waited
until he was outside the library before dialing the first of the numbers he
had scribbled on a piece of paper.

   Lesa was mumbling, "That leaves Alicia Morgan, husband Horace Morgan. 
Okay, we don't know how Horace and Samuel are going to take the news that
their wives are gone.  I suspect Samuel is a player and won't be too upset.
I don't know anything about the Morgans, though."

   Misty interjected, "Don't forget about Rebecca Lawrence's husband."

   Lesa shook her head, "Chuck died in the same shipwreck that killed my
husband."

   Gloria returned brandishing a piece of paper.  "I've got a business
listing, address and phone number for Samuel Swanson."

   "Great," Lesa said.  "Now see if you can do the same for this guy."

   Gloria headed back out to locate Horace Morgan.

   Lesa pulled her cell phone out of her shoulder bag and quickly dialed a
number from memory.  "Sergio, this is Lesa Crews.  ... I've been great,
Sergio.  Listen, I'm in a bit of a hurry.  I need you to send out two of
the teams I arranged with you for a snatch.  I need them to pick up Samuel
Swanson at his office, like ten minutes ago, collect his kids, and bring
them to the Crestlawn Cemetery.  The second team does the same with Horace
Morgan.  ... That's right, husband and kids.  ... Bill me Sergio, just get
it done.  ... Do your guys really need to know why?  Since when did they
need to explain anything to a target?  Just do it, Sergio.  ... Sergio,
don't make me call my father.  ..." Gloria came back in smiling.  Lesa read
off the information on both slips of paper to Sergio.  "Love to you and the
wife, bye now."

   Ralph took a breath, "I don't think Sergio is someone I want to meet in
a dark alley, is he?"

   Lesa smiled at Ralph, "He's a trusted friend.  Do you have a dark suit
and tie suitable for a funeral, Ralph?"

   Ralph nodded, "I have a navy pinstripe that my Mom insists I wear to
interviews.  Has someone died?"

   "No yet," Lesa said with good humor.  "I need you to blend in at the
cemetery and be our contact with the Marines.  Go change into your suit and
hurry back."

   On his way out Ralph encountered Leslie.  She was frantically looking
about the main gallery of the library.  Ralph got her attention and
directed her to the meeting room.

   "Sergio, it's me again." Lesa was back on the phone.  "Can you send a
couple of body guards to the library this afternoon?  I'd like them to
escort a few friends for a short afternoon ride.  They can be locals, but
they need to have riot control equipment just in case my meeting at
Crestlawn goes public.  Thanks, Sergio."

   Ralph looked totally out of place wearing his dark suit in the library
when he returned twenty minutes later.  He was also a bit out of breath
from the jog to and from his dorm.

   *-*-*

   Jake turned into the drive at Woodside and began scanning for Jason and
his sisters.  He spotted a group of six people near the entrance of the
administration building and mumbled to himself, "Oh shit!  Who's that with
Jason?"

   Susan stopped her car behind his and waited in her car as Jake stepped
out and waved at Jason.  The extra two people in the group were a pretty
brunette who was about Jason's age and a willowy blonde in her early
twenties.  Jake decided to just bluff it out, "Good morning, Jason." He
bent down and spoke to the three young girls, "Hi guys.  Are you all ready
to go see your mom?" Finally he addressed the blonde.  He assumed she was a
school administrator who was there to insure that the kids were not being
kidnapped or something.  "Good morning, my name is Jacob Caulfield.  Mrs.
Lawrence sent me to get her kids and bring them to meet her.  I hope
there's not a problem." Jake accepted and shook the extended hand.

   Jason answered for the group.  "There's not a problem if you have enough
room for all of us.  This is Angela Scarnatti and Donna Smith.  They'll be
coming with me.  I'm glad that you have a second car with you.  It would
have been tough for all of us to fit into your little Subaru.  So, how's my
mom?" Jason gave Jake a twisted smile.

   "She's fine," Jake answered.  "I'm not sure she'll be pleased to see
your friends, but I'll bet she'll give you a big hug for seeing her off."

   Jason started walking toward the cars with everyone but Jake in tow. 
"Like I said, Angela and Donna have their CAP cards with them and will be
coming with me.  This is as good an opportunity as any for me to emigrate,
isn't it?"

   Jake took up the rear as the group approached the two cars.  "I'm sure
you're not expected and they may not be able to accommodate you." He didn't
want to get into anything here in the school parking lot.  Susan stepped
out of her car to better see what was going on.  Jake stepped into the
midst of the group.  "Girls, this is my friend Susan.  How about you buckle
yourselves into her car and we'll all head out to see your mom, okay?"

   Jason handed Angela and Donna into the backseat of Jake's car.  'Very
nice,' Jake thought to himself as he watched the two female butts in tight
clothes disappear through the large passenger door of his Subaru.  Susan
buckled the three girls into the backseat of her car and gave Jake a
questioning look.  Jake just shrugged his shoulders and shook his head at
her before he and Jason got into his car.

   It was a short drive from the Woodside Academy to the Avalareddy
residence, and Meghrani was waiting out front.  "Excuse me for a moment,"
Jake apologized to his passengers as he stepped out to greet the dark
complexioned woman.  "Good morning, Mrs.  Avalareddy?  I'm Jake Caulfield.
I spoke with you earlier about your husband, Naveen."

   Meghrani was not holding up well.  "Is Naveen well?  It worries me so
that I have not heard from him."

   Jake was reassuring as he escorted the older woman to Susan's sedan,
"He's fine, I'm sure.  This is my friend Susan Delaney.  If you will please
accompany her, she will take you to meet your husband." Jake opened the
passenger door of Susan's car and handed Meghrani into the front seat.

   Jake returned to his Subaru, "I wasn't planning to be present at this
little gathering." Jake spoke as though he was talking to himself.  "I'm
kind of making this up as I go along." He looked at Donna over his
shoulder. "It may be necessary for you to drive my car to the meeting
place, and I'll have to retrieve it later."

   Jake pulled over a few blocks away from the cemetery.  "Miss Smith, if
you would, please follow Susan's car the rest of the way.  It'll be
necessary to wait until we're sure that the Confederacy Marines have
arrived before we enter the cemetery; so, be patient, okay?" The passengers
in Jake's car rearranged themselves as Jake stepped back to tell Susan his
intentions.

   As he was discussing the situation with Susan, A white car stopped in
the oncoming lane causing Jake a moment's anxiety until he recognized
Lesa's Jaguar.

   Lesa rolled down her window and asked, "What's going on?  Who is that in
your car, Jake?"

   Jake sighed, "Jason's going to try to muscle himself into this pickup. I
didn't want to make a scene in the school's parking lot; so here we all
are. He even has his choice of companions with him.  I'm going to get them
to follow Susan to the pavilion and just hope for the best."

   Lesa frowned, but nodded, as she said, "Not much else to do.  You need
to call Misty and alert her about the additions.  She's going to check the
cars entering the cemetery to be sure we don't have any 'other' uninvited
guests." She smiled when she got to 'other uninvited guests'.  "Come with
me," She said to Jake, "I can use you as my spotter." Jake squeezed into
the backseat with Sasha and Millie.

   Lesa pulled into the parking lot of a six-story building that was being
renovated, up until the owner ran out of money and abandoned the project.
Plastic sheeting was flapping in the breeze from several floors where the
exterior floor-to-ceiling glass had been removed.

   "Give me a hand with this stuff," Lesa asked as Jake emerged from the
car.  She had popped the trunk and handed Jake a large backpack.  She
removed a heavy black case that was larger than one for a base saxophone
and started walking toward the building as Gloria drove away in the Jaguar.
Lesa point up at the building.  "I want to setup on the fourth floor where
the plastic has fallen away from the ceiling.  Can you handle that pack on
the stairs?  I don't think we should rely on the elevator, even if it's
working."

   Lesa laughed at Jake when they entered the hallway on the fourth floor.
He was winded from the climb.  "We need to get you into shape, Jake.  Looks
like you need more exercise than you're getting from the horizontal mambo,
even with four of us keeping your balls drained."

   Jake gave her an eat-dirt-and-die look.

   Lesa laughed even harder, "I know that look.  Sarita gives me that look
all the time.  I think you've been spending way too much time with my
daughter."

   Jake smiled, "Yeah, she has been trying to influence my behavior, hasn't
she.  Where do you want this stuff?"

   Lesa quickly surveyed the corner room and asked Jake to help her
rearrange some saw horses, pipes and lumber into a platform kitty-corner
from the opening that faced the cemetery.  Jake helped her spread a large
foil coated Mylar blanket above the platform.  She handed him a pair of
binoculars.  "I'd really like for you to head up to the roof and keep a
watch in all directions.  You just never know which direction trouble can
come from.  But, that might attract too much attention.  Just check the
other rooms on this floor to make sure we're clear on all sides while I set
up here."

   Lesa really didn't want Jake to know what she was setting up, but didn't
see a way around it now.  She transferred the content of the case to the
platform they had built and crawled into the makeshift tent.  She inserted
one of the magazines into the Barrett, loaded the .44 and laid it, the
spare magazines, and the speed loader to her left.

   Jake returned to tell Lesa about the funeral procession that was
approaching the cemetery and stopped short when he saw the hammerhead
shaped muzzle in the opening of the tent.  "What the fuck is that thing?"

   Lesa waved Jake toward the back of the platform.  "Don't step in front
of me, Jake.  Climb onto the platform to my left and be very still.  Any
jostling will spoil my aim.  I'm going to make sure nothing happens to
Ralph and Misty before or after the pickup.  I don't know if this thing
will penetrate an interdiction field if the Marines use one, but the
Marines will have help from Sergio's crew if they need it.  My concern is
the attention the field will draw from passers-by.  I hope they're in and
out quickly.  But this beastie will make an opening in any size crowd that
tries to rush them afterwards."

   When Jake had settled himself, Lesa checked the safety, pulled the bolt
all the way back and released it to chamber the first round.  She watched
as Ralph dropped Misty at the gate and drove up to greet the lone figure
waiting at the pavilion.  Shortly after that Misty arrived at the pavilion
after getting into the last car, and a shimmering gray dome obscured the
pavilion.

   { For details of what happened at the pavilion, the reader is directed
to 'The Starbucks Aftermath' }

   When the dome over the pavilion dissipated, Lesa was relieved to see six
large figures in dark suits look around, close the car trunks in front of
them, get into the cars, and begin exiting the cemetery using all three
gates.

   Lesa sighed in relief, "Well, that appeared to be easy.  Help me pack
this stuff back up, will you?" Lesa released the magazine and caught the
live round as she ejected it from the rifle.  She also unloaded the big
revolver and turned sad eyes to Jake.  "I haven't always been a librarian,
Jake."

   Jake said nothing as he helped pack everything up.  Now that the danger
had passed, he was in shock.  Before he shouldered the backpack, he took
Lesa into his arms and just held her for a full minute.  Lesa showed no
emotion as she picked up the heavy case and headed toward the stairway. 
They waited inside the building's lobby until Gloria returned in Lesa's
car.