The Daughters of Men

Chapter 9

The black town car parked in front of the Thatcher Building. Stepping out of the back seat was Jonathan Christie, dressed in a formal military outfit. Christie took a few long strides towards the door, removing a key from his pocket and opening the mailbox with it. The small box came out and Christie stuck his thumb onto it; the soft voice spoke, "Jonathan Douglas Christie, Secretary of Defense. Password?"

"Martha," Christie replied, his gruff voice lingering in the air.

"Confirmed."

Walking over to the door labeled 1A, Christie opened it and stepped inside the elevator. Almost immediately the elevator made its way down towards the real Thatcher Building, which Christie glancing at his watch impatiently.

After a few minutes, the elevator finally stopped and Christie stepped out into the main room, soon greeted by Doctor Nguyen. "Good afternoon, Secretary Christie."

"Lana, it's a pleasure, as always," the Secretary of Defense said in his usual monotone voice. "Where are we conducting this meeting?"

"The library, sir. Allow me to escort you."

As Doctor Nguyen and Christie walked towards the library, Christie took note that none of the members of the team itself were in the main room. "Are the girls training?" Christie asked, turning his head around to see if they were in the corners of the room.

"No. They're out in the town, getting a breath of fresh air before the meeting."

"And Cutler?"

"He just left to make sure they're here on time."

Grunting his response, the two of them entered the library, where five chairs had been set out. Christie gravitated towards the center chair, managing to stiffly seat himself in the chair as Doctor Nguyen took the seat to his left.

"Where's Montoya? Or--what's the name of the nurse?"

"You mean Bonnie?"

"Is that her name? I don't know."

"Well, they'll be here shortly. Deb's serving lunch right now and Bonnie's probably headed over soon."

Christie nodded. Then, repositioning himself in his chair, he gave a loud sigh and looked at his watch. "Jesus, what is happening? Where are these girls?"

"The meeting isn't supposed to start for another fifteen minutes, sir."

Growling, Christie stood up from his chair and began to pace around the room. "What are their names again?"

"Who? The team?"

"Yes. Who are they?"

"Power Girl, the Black Hand, and Virus? You were part of the recruiting process for all three of the--"

"What are their real names?"

"Elizabeth, Holly, and Tanya."

Turning to face Doctor Nguyen, Christie asked, "And which of them suggested this Battle?"

"I don't know. I'm willing to bet it was Holly, since Chicago is closer to her than the others. Why?"

"Because that was a solid suggestion. I should thank her for it."

The doors to the library opened and Deb made her way in, followed by a plump elderly woman with a cane.

"Good afternoon, Deb," Doctor Nguyen greeted with a smile. Turning to the second woman, Doctor Nguyen smiled and added, "And a good afternoon to you too, Bonnie."