Revelation

Chapter Eight

Chapter Eight

 

                Niki pulled up to the cabin in the woods where Barton had told her to meet him. If it had been anyone else, Niki would have suspected she was at the wrong address or it was some sort of ambush, but with Barton, she didn’t even question it. For some reason, it made sense for him to be out in a remote location. Especially considering that he was meeting with her. She doubted he wanted anyone to know that he was meeting with the traitor.

                She parked her car and got out, then opened the back door for Garm. As soon as the door was open, he bolted out and took off into the woods. Niki wasn’t concerned, however. She knew he was simply full of energy after being cooped up in the car and also being stuck in a house with a small yard. She reached out to him through their lihnyg just to know where he was and then she walked over to the door and walked inside.

                It looked just like she expected. There was a large rug covering a good portion of the floor in the front room, and the furniture was all made of wood. There was a couch and two chairs which had brown cushions around a coffee table, and further back, there was another table with four chairs around it. Just behind the dining area, she saw the small kitchen. There was an unlit fire place near the coffee table, and the only thing Niki thought the room was missing was a stuffed animal head hanging above it.

                But what caught her attention the most was the man sitting at the dining room table. His curly hair was longer than she remembered it and she could see the stubble across his face. Not only did Commander Barton look scruffy, but he looked old too. She even thought she could see some gray starting in his hair.

                “Niki,” he said with a smile. “I’m glad you came. I almost expected you not to.”

                “I almost didn’t,” she admitted, glancing around for any sign that others had arrived. There was only one person in particular that she wanted to see, but as far as she could tell, she and Barton were the only ones there.

                “I can’t believe it’s been a year,” he said. “I really do wish things could have turned out better for you. This isn’t much, I know, but I thought you might like doing this sort of thing again. And to be completely honest, in the end, I think this might work out very well for you.”

                “What do you mean?” Niki asked with a slight frown. She forgot how much she hated Barton’s vague hints that he seemed to constantly drop.

                “Just thinking out loud,” he said. “But you’ll know more later. Once the others arrive, I’ll explain just what we’re doing here.”

                “Others?” Niki asked, wondering how many others there would be. She hoped it would just be her and Darius.

                “Some old friends will be joining us,” Barton said. “You’re the first to arrive, and another is on his way. Then there’s three others who should be landing at the airport shortly. But I thought that they should get here a little later, just to make sure we’re all prepared.”

                “For what?” Niki asked.

                “You’ll see. Did you bring Garm?”

                “Yeah. He’s outside running around. Nearby. Should he not be out there?”

                “No, he’s fine. However, when Mr. Kuijpers gets here, we’ll need him here.”