The Princess of the Desert

By Melodie Thomas

Edited by Holly Hart

Chapter 14

Friday, June 19, 2009
The last two weeks was a wild ride of activities, with nothing that I would consider a major accomplishment. Stephanie seemed to have an appointment with one doctor or another every other day, as well as a daily session with Dr. Carson. Her medication was changed and she openly showed me that she was now only taking five pills a day, each with a prescribed purpose, including a hormone supplement. After the shock of our first day at the “club”, our relationship quickly returned to how it had been before. She was back to being my best friend, and we could and did talk about anything. Our closeness was back as well, and holding hands, or arm in arm became the normal again.

About a week after Stephanie’s first visit to Dr. Carson, I stopped by the office to pick her up after her daily session. As I entered the office, Stephanie stood up, walked up to me, threw her arms around my neck and proceeded to start a tongue dueling battle. After a few moments, she stepped back with a big smile on her face.

“Yes, I would say that still feels as good as it always did.” Stephanie declared. Then glancing down at the tent that had just formed in the front of my pants, “and I would say it still has the same effect on him.”

Barbra Carson was laughing so hard in her chair I thought she was going to fall out of it sideways, and I could feel myself turning as red as an apple. Stephanie explained to me later that nearly all of her discussions with Barbra had been focused around who Stephanie was today, not who she used to be or what happened to her.

The two of them had spent a lot of time talking about the differences in emotional responses and thoughts between males and females and pushing Stephanie to honestly talk about the way she felt today, about life, people, things and emotions, and then comparing that to expected normal. Stephanie said she was discovering that her normal responses tended to lean toward the feminine side, which was making her feel more comfortable about who she is now. Even if some of her past actions had been manipulated, Stephanie was trying to focus on who she was now, without the drugs, and was finding she was starting to like herself. She even admitted to Barbra that she found other men besides me, attractive, which was a big step for her. Though that caused a small rise of my little green monster, Stephanie explained that she always felt safe in people knowing of her attraction to me, but now she was able to identify a feminine side to herself that found other men attractive as well. She said Barbra called that ‘acceptance.’ Stephanie felt it meant there may have been a feminine side to her all along, something she could not admit to in the past.

During the past week, when she was not with Barbra or another doctor, Stephanie started spending some time with the surviving victims. Though I was relegated to watching in the observation rooms, Stephanie spent nearly an hour each day with each of the four victims who were in our custody. Slowly she started building a rapport with each, but number seventeen, who went by the name of Jill, was rapidly becoming one of Stephanie’s favorites and from what I could see, the feeling was mutual. By the end of their first hour together, it was clear that a friendship was forming, and Jill was in need of that friendship. She was having a very hard time coming to terms with whom she was and her resulting feminization. Having Stephanie available to talk to opened discussions that the doctor’s admitted they could not get Jill into, but Stephanie could. During one session, I was surprised to have Barbra join me in the observation room for about a half hour. When Barbra left she said this was good for Stephanie too, as she was talking through many of her own issues while trying to help Jill.

While Stephanie was with her doctors, I spent a large amount of my time going over the interrogation reports for Charkov or helping in the search for Vivian Vasnev. The CIA had dedicated a large amount of computer time to running facial recognition software looking for matches to Vivian from security tapes collected at airports, bus terminals, shipping docks and train stations. Everyone was convinced she had changed her look in some fashion, so the focus was on matching eyes, nose and mouth, shapes, sizes and spacing. The computer was kicking out any match that it found with greater than seventy percent matching, which were then gone through my hand. I spent a couple of hours a day sorting through the matches and helping categorize the findings, with no luck so far.

The interrogation of Charkov was a daily event and, as I had requested, I was not part of it, did not see it and knew nothing of the techniques that were being used. I knew that Charkov was not a willing participant in the interviews and not everything we got from him could be trusted. Printed copies of the Charkov interview tapes were made available every morning, only very few people heard the actual tapes. Investigators would pore through the printed versions comparing answers to questions to similar questions that had been asked in the past, looking for inconsistencies or patterns. Lists of follow up questions were always generated from this review, and they would be asked again and again over the next few days.

All information collected would be listed on a separate printout with a probability number associated to it, based on the number of times the same answer had been obtained to the same questions. Thus far, we had determined that Charkov had spent the last few months in Port Klang, Malaysia, which was in the suburbs of Kuala Lumpur, and he had chartered the plane that took him to Manila from there. Charkov confirmed that two of the victims, number eight, along with number seventeen, Jill, had been in Manila for a while, but claimed not to know how long. This information was somewhat supported by Stephanie’s discussions with Jill, where Jill claimed it had been quite a long time since she had been in a plane and that she had spent a lot of time with Amber, the girl we knew as number eight.

The remaining three were with Charkov in Malaysia for about a month and had arrived aboard a private yacht that belonged to Robert Brajovic, according to Charkov.

The CIA analysts were pretty confident that the stories of the yacht were real, and started efforts with the Malaysian government to get a listing of all private yachts that were recorded during the suspected time period. Though everyone was pretty sure that Malaysian immigrations had been skipped, as we had seen in Manila, there was still a hope that some record or registry could be found that could lead to the identity of the craft, or its owner. Questions were also being posed to Charkov in the attempt to get a better description of the yacht, or where the exchange occurred. Smith also told me the CIA was pulling some high power satellite imagery that had been taken at various times in the region. Though he would not give me any details, he said that satellite pictures were taken at various locations and various times around the world, the image experts were going to see if they could identify and private shipping activity in the Malaysia area during the time is question.

Charkov was also being questioned on why the victims were being moved to Manila and so far the answers have been very vague but leading to the opinion that some kind of mission was being planned. Charkov had given some indications that a large financial backer for the overall operation was anxious for some kind of activity to occur. What kind of activity or who the backer was had not been pulled out of Charkov as of yet.

Tonight, it was just the two of us having dinner at the hotel restaurant. Stephanie had spent most of the day with various doctors and Barbra, and I definitely sensed a change in her attitude today, a kind of sadness.

“Steph, you seem kind of down today. You doing okay?” I asked after the waiter had left from serving our meals.

Stephanie smiled at me, “I am fine, just kind of tired of all of the doctors poking, prodding, and questions. Just gets a little old after a while.”

I nodded but had the feeling that was not the real answer. “How are the test results coming back from your physicals?”

“Pretty much the same as we already knew,” Stephanie answered, sipping her wine, “I have some issues that they are trying to control.”

Stephanie was quiet for a few moments, then, “I had a long talk today with Barbra about what it would take for me to have the reassignment surgery.”

I had a feeling I was now getting closer to the problem, “and?”

“And, she thinks I am trying to move things along too fast. I tried to argue with her that it may seem fast to her, but I have had you in my life for almost a year and I really want to try to finish what someone else started …” She paused for a moment, “What do you think?”

We were now entering a topic that I needed to be very careful on. I had decided some time ago that I wanted Stephanie to finish the transition. However, I was not sure that was the best thing for her. I did not know how to have this conversation without adding a bias to it, but it was something I could not ignore either.

I set my fork down and thought for a moment, “I honestly don’t know how to answer that. I want you, and I want you for the rest of my life. The only way that we can make that happen is for you to finish the transition. However, I need to, no, we need to make sure that is the right decision at the right time. Do you think we are really there yet?”

“Probably not,” Stephanie said with a sigh. “Dan, we are not really doing much good here, can we go to Phoenix? I would really like to spend some time with Brenda, and if we can, I would like to take Jill with us.”

“Jill?” I was surprised, “I have no problem going to Phoenix. I really need to talk to Mike anyway, but do you think it is a good idea to take Jill with us? I mean, she has only had 2 weeks since we recovered her.”

“I know, but I think it would do her some good. I know it was good for me to talk to Brenda the first time.”

“Alright, I will give Smith a call in the morning and see what we can do.”

Tuesday, June 23, 2009
First thing Saturday morning, I gave Smith a call and hit him with the idea of a trip back to Phoenix and Stephanie’s desire to take Jill with us. I had prepared myself for an argument, but was completely taken by surprise with his agreement to the plan and his support of taking one of our new victims with us. Smith even offered the use of the Lear, to both take us to Arizona, and to pick us up again when we came back. The CIA was not going to be able to provide a protection detail, but Smith commented that he was sure the FBI could manage. Smith said he would call me back with information on when the Lear would be available.

I was so surprised with Smith’s agreement that after hanging up I just sat there and stared at the phone for a moment. This was the same guy that I had to spend twenty minutes arguing with before he would let Stephanie and me take off on our own in Hawaii. After what happened there, I was expecting a major argument and even some compromising, but instead, he readily agreed. Warnings were flashing in my head that this was way too easy.

Stephanie was excited with the news and immediately starting listing the things that we would need for the trip. Neither of us had suitcases, since ours was lost in Hawaii, and Jill needed to have clothes and personal things. With this plan, she needed to go to the detention center today and get measurements for Jill, and then we needed to do some shopping this weekend. She did not seemed to bothered at all by Smith’s rapid agreements and told me that I was just worrying a little too much, but that was alright with her.

While Stephanie took a shower, I called Mike Holiday to fill him in on the plan, which took a few minutes to get to, because first I had to grovel to the lecture about how I seemed to have forgotten that communication with my boss was important. Mike also reminded me that, even if I did not think communications with my boss was important, communications with my own mother should never be ignored, and I had failed miserably in that category as well. After being properly chastised and admitting he was right, I filled Mike in on the plan and that we would need a place to stay as well as a protection detail, if one could be arranged.

Mike told me that he would take care of the hotel and arrange to have Tina come up from Tucson as well as assign a couple other agents to us. Mike also said he would get in touch with my mother and Brenda so they could arrange a couple of family gatherings at my mom’s house and make sure everyone was available for whatever time we had. I told Mike I was not exactly sure when we would be arriving or how long we would be staying, but I would let him know as soon as I did.

My final call was to Tina, where, once again, I received the lecture about letting partners and friends know what was happening, or even if I was still alive. After a few minutes of apologizing and promising never to do it again, Tina agreed she would be able to go to Phoenix for a few days, as well as stopping by my house to get some of my clothes. When quizzed about what happened to the clothes I had taken with me, I promised to fill her in on all the details, once we get to Arizona.

Saturday afternoon, we returned to the detention center so Stephanie could talk to Jill about the trip, and what kind of clothes we should buy. Barbra wasn’t nearly as good about the trip we were planning as Smith was. She had no problem with Stephanie going, but had some real concerns about Jill. Barbra, Stephanie and Jill met in private for about an hour, which resulted in agreement that the trip was on, but Barbra was obviously still not that excited.

The leg wound that Jill had received in the gun battle in Manila, was really just a scratch and mostly healed. She still walked with a slight limp, and was still wearing a wrapping over the wound, but it was nothing the doctors thought would limit her ability to travel.

Smith let me know the Lear would be available Tuesday morning, so Sunday and Monday were dedicated to shopping, fitting clothes for Jill, and packing. That morning, Stephanie and I made our way to the airport, while Smith had Jill delivered in one of the blacked out cars. We arrived first and were waiting at the bottom of the steps when Jill arrived. I had never met Jill in person, and though she was very happy to see Stephanie, she treated me with a cold, cautious, attitude, even after Stephanie explained who I was. I was wondering just how good of an idea this really was.

The flight to Phoenix was uneventful, and Jill even started to warm up to me a little. Though her contributions to the conversations were minimal, I think she could see the relationship between Stephanie and me, which helped her relax a little. Stephanie had already explained to me that Jill was not at all comfortable with her feminization. As the effects of the drugs she had been taking wore off, Jill was really struggling with who she was, and who she wanted to be.

Steph had argued with me that she wanted to get Jill away from the influences of the doctors, and just let her meet some real people, and she could not think of anyone better than my sister, Brenda. That rationalization was still not clear to me, and Stephanie still could not explain to me how meeting Brenda was supposed to help Jill. From what I was gathering from the doctors, Jill wanted to start reversing the transformation, and the sooner the better.

We touched down in Phoenix in the mid afternoon and as we exited the plane, a familiar black SUV was parked beside the Jet, with Tina leaning on passenger side door. Stephanie and Tina greeted each other with a big hug, and Stephanie introduced Jill. I helped get the luggage out of the cabin, handing it down to another agent on the ground, who loaded it in the SUV. When the luggage had been unloaded, I came down the stairs to be greeted by Tina’s wagging finger.

“You have a lot of explaining to do, Mister.” Tina said in a stern, motherly tone.

“Yes, Mom, I am sorry, I will not do it again, please don’t ground me.” I replied with a smile and I walked into her hug.

“Ground you, hell, I am thinking about kicking your ass.”

“I would much prefer,” Stephanie joined the conversation, “that you got my permission first, since that is my ass.”

“Oh!,” Tina responded to Stephanie with her hands on her hips, “Getting possessive now are we?”

“Yep, got a problem with that?” Stephanie said with a smile that matched the one Tina was wearing.

“Nope, as long as you realize just how big a job you are asking for. This big lug is a handful to deal with and is obviously not that considerate to his friends and family.”

“Well,” Stephanie added, with a sigh of resignation, “I may have my work cut out for me, but I am determined to whip him into shape.”

“Good luck with that, girl.” Tina replied as she looked at me, shaking her head.

I just stood there with my mouth hanging open. At this point, as I walked between Tina and Stephanie, taking each by the hand, and leading them to the SUV, even Jill was laughing, which is something I had not seen yet. Steph and Jill took the back seat, while I sat up front with Tina as she drove. Tina said she was taking us to the hotel first, and then later over to my mom’s place. Brenda and Mike would be there as well.

During the drive to the hotel, I gave Tina a high level overview of what had happened over the past few weeks. I did not want to go into a lot of detail yet, as I was not sure how much to expose Jill too. I got the impression that both Tina and Stephanie understood, as Tina did not offer any questions and Stephanie did not try to add any detail.

When we arrived at the hotel, it became apparent that the overall change in Stephanie’s and my relationship had not been made common knowledge to my friends and coworkers. Reservations had been made for connecting rooms, one with a king bed and the other with two queen beds. Tina announced that the king was mine and the girls would share the room with the queen beds, to which, Stephanie quickly set her straight that where I slept, she slept, end of subject. Stephanie then took Jill to the other room to help her settle in, leaving Tina and me alone.

“Things have changed a bit since you left.” Tina commented, with a raised eyebrow.

“Yeah, a bit, but we only sleep together, Tina, only sleep.” I answered a little sheepishly.

Tina looked at me for a moment, “Where are you going with this Dan?”

“I really don’t have a good answer for you yet, Tina, but I can tell you it will include Stephanie if at all possible.”

Tina thought for a moment, “I guess that really does not surprise me. How about this other girl, Jill?”

“That one confuses me a little, partner. Actually there is a lot about this trip that confuses me and I wanted to talk to you about it. First I’m bothered that Smith so quickly agreed to us coming here. That just did not seem normal for him. Second, I don’t understand why Steph wanted to bring Jill, and I understand even less why Smith allowed that, too.”

“You think there is something else going on here?” Tina asked, sitting in one of the chairs in my room.

“The way things have worked out over the last few months, I am not discounting anything as a possibility. Let’s just say the responses I got to the request was outside what I would consider normal. Kind of makes me wonder what is waiting around the corner, if you know what I mean.”

Tina thought for a second or two, “Okay, I have a small detail scattered around the hotel. I will make sure they are extra vigilant, that there may be something in the air. Maybe we need to ask Mike for a few more people.”

“That is the other thing that bothers me,” I added, “Since we first got re-involved in this case back in March, we have not been able to move without a security detail of some kind being with us. Now, Smith just lets us fly off with no one and assumes someone else will take care of it. That just pegs my ‘Huh?’ meter.”

“Oh,” Tina said as if she just remembered something, “I brought your sidearm; it’s in the suitcase I brought from your house.”

“Thanks, let’s hope I don’t have a need for it.”

Stephanie and Jill re-entered my room and we decided it was time to head over to my mom’s place, as they were expecting us for an early dinner. Before we left, I excused myself for a moment and took the suitcase that Tina had brought me into the bathroom where I retrieved my service weapon, as well as a jacket to cover it.

When we arrived at Mom’s, Brenda answered the door and immediately fell into a hug and cheek kisses with Stephanie, like long lost friends. Jill was introduced and received a hug, Tina got a hug and I got the ‘if you can’t even call to tell us you are alive, you don’t get a hug’ look. I decided that was a pretty good indication of how the evening was going to go. The scene was repeated a few minutes later when Mom came into the room, except I did not just get the look, I got thumped in the chest and asked if I forgot I had a mom.

Stephanie, Jill, Brenda and my mom immediately headed to the back patio where dinner was being set up. Through the window, I could see Jill and Mom sitting at the table while Stephanie and Brenda walked towards the back of the property.

“Well,” Mike started, “I think you have heard enough about forgetting you have a mom, now let’s sit down and talk about you forgetting you have a boss.”

I slowly eased my way back into the living room, trying to keep an eye on Steph and Brenda at the same time. Whatever they were talking about looked pretty serious as it appeared that Stephanie was trying to explain something to Brenda that got an emotional response out of her. After a couple of moments, both Steph and Brenda stepped around behind the storage shed in the backyard, and I lost sight of them. I soon realized they were not coming back for a bit, so I took a seat in the living room with Tina and Mike.

“Okay,” I started, “Let me give you the details.”

Over the next half hour, I filled both of them in on the details of what happened in Manila, Hawaii and once we got back to D.C. I remained focused on the case and figured the personal side of things would come out when it needed to, but this was not the time. After I finished bring both of them up to speed, as well as repeating my concerns to Mike about how easy it had been to arrange this trip, I sat quietly and waited for the questions.

Mike was scratching his chin as he thought, “If Vivian Vasnev was involved in this, why weren’t the people in Manila warned?” He asked.

“I asked Smith that same question,” I responded. “He said they did not know about the Manila operation. Smith said that operation was so ‘black’ that only those that were directly involved in it needed to know about it.”

“Okay, but they had to know you were in Manila, so there had to be some warning, right?” Tina asked.

“I really did not get a clear answer on that from Smith. I know he was investigating the Vasnevs at that time, but I don’t know if they knew where we were. Smith claimed he was the only one that knew where we were and what cover names we were using. However, someone on his staff had to know, and what Ivan told me, that he and Vivian were only concerned if someone on the staff didn’t know where we were, like in Hawaii.”

Everyone was quite for a second, “Mike, I need a favor from you if I can.” I said, “The ID pack that Smith showed me, said his full name was Joshua Smith with the CIA. Can you work through some of your higher level contacts in Washington and see what you can find out about him?”

“You think he is still jerking your chain?” Mike asked.

“Right now I am not really sure about anything, but he has been a total mystery up till now and I would not be surprised if there was more there than I am being told. Shit, I think there is more happening than I am being told everywhere, and that includes Stephanie,” I said with a sad shake to my head.

“What do you mean?” Tina asked.

“Well, first there is the obvious part, okay, maybe no so obvious, but I have no idea what all is still in her head that has not come out. I mean, Christ, in Hawaii, she looked like a female Jackie Chan, moving with a speed and agility that I could not even come close to duplicating. What other surprises are in there?

“Second, I am not totally positive she is telling me everything she knows or remembers. Sometimes I get the impression she is trying to protect me from something, but have no idea what. Things that she has done, or were done to her? Knowledge of something that would put me in danger if I knew? I really don’t know, it’s more of a feeling than anything.”

“Okay,” Mike said, “I will do some asking around my contacts in Washington, on the hush, hush. I don’t think we want him to know we are looking into him. I will also do some asking about this detention center that you told us about. You really don’t know where it is?”

“No, I can give you a pretty good estimate on driving time from the hotel we stayed at, but that would just give us a general area. Also, if you could dig up any background on Doctor Barbra Carson, I would be interested in that too. She is a new face to the game and I don’t know her at all.”

“Okay,” Mike continued, “next question will be kind of touchy, but need an honest answer. Is your relationship with Stephanie clouding your judgment on this case?”

I could not help but start laughing, “Probably, but hell Mike, ten months ago you were afraid my relationship with Brenda was going to cloud my judgment. What now, are you afraid I have gone to the dark side?”

Mike smiled, “No, I am just being a boss and making sure you are thinking straight, that is all.”

I was about to answer when the back door opened and Mom called us to dinner, so I thought I would just leave that topic lie for right now. Was my judgment clouded? As I said, probably, but I don’t think it is totally blind. Yes, I tended to lean Stephanie’s way on any issues and give her the benefit of the doubt, but I did not see that as clouded judgment, I saw that as taking care of my partner and friend.

Dinner that night was definitely a family affair, and Stephanie was just part of the family. Jill, on the other hand was very much an outsider, and I could tell she was really overwhelmed with what was going on around her. Thinking back to where Stephanie had been two weeks after recovery, and there was no way she could have handled something like this. Again, I was questioning the wisdom of bringing her here, even though Brenda and my Mom were doing the best they could to talk to her, it was all still too raw. As the evening came to a close, I could see Jill pulling more and more into her own shell and shutting out the rest of the world. I was worried about her.

When we got back to the hotel that evening, I asked Stephanie to give Jill the sedative that Barbra had given us, just in case. After we got Jill asleep, Stephanie and I went to bed and Steph took up her normal position on my right shoulder.

“I am really worried about Jill,” I said, “I think this was too soon to bring her out.”

“I think you are right,” Stephanie answered, “but I think she is doing okay.”

“Not sure I agree with you. I think we should call Smith and see if we can get the Lear back here and take her back.”

“Really?” Stephanie lifted her head and looked at me, “I was really hoping for another day. Can we see how she is in the morning?”

“We can, but I think we are taking a major risk here that we really don’t need to take. I mean, I know where you were after two weeks, and there was no way you could have dealt with this kind of an outing.”

Stephanie sighed as she laid her head back down, “You are probably right. I just know how good it felt to me to have your family and friends around in the beginning, and I wanted to give some of that to Jill.”

“Sweetheart, I think that is fine, I just think we are moving too fast for her. She is still trying to cope with freedom, let alone what happened to her.”

“Sweetheart …” Stephanie chuckled, “Do you know that your mom asked me what my intentions were with her son tonight?”

Now it was my turn to raise my head, “She did? And you said?”

“She did and I told her that if I have my way about it I am going to be her daughter-in-law.”

“You did?” I was a bit shocked this conversation took place and wondered where I was at the time.

“I did, and your mother said I would make a wonderful daughter-in-law. Though she did admit to wanting grandkids, which is something I can’t do, even with the magic of modern medicine, but we can adopt.”

Now I was the one feeling overwhelmed.

“Don’t worry, Darling,” Stephanie raised her head and kissed me, “We haven’t set the date yet, but I will let you know as soon as we do. Now why don’t you go call Joshua and see if we can get the jet back here in the morning?”

Thursday, June 25, 2009
Smith was not able to get the Lear back to Phoenix until this morning so, as Stephanie had wished, we had an extra day of visiting with Brenda, Mom and Mike. Jill seemed to be a lot better on Wednesday, much more open and talkative, even if most of that was to Brenda. As with Stephanie, Brenda seemed to develop a rapid rapport with Jill and the two were soon acting like old friends. Stephanie, on the other hand, spent most of the day with Mom, and watching them around Mom’s house reminded me of a mother/daughter pair more than anything. They worked together in the kitchen preparing dinner, and seemed to be able to get caught up in any conversation topic. All in all, the day passed uneventfully and ended fairly early, as the Lear was scheduled to arrive at eight in the morning, meaning we needed to leave the hotel by seven.

As we were getting ready to say our goodbyes to everyone, Stephanie and Brenda disappeared into one of the back rooms for a few minutes. When they returned, Brenda appeared to have tears in her eyes, but she was smiling and holding Stephanie’s hand. Brenda walked up to me and handed me Stephanie’s hand.

“Now, little brother,” Brenda said, “I want you to promise me you will take good care of my sister, and bring her back soon.”

“I promise,” I responded, “to do everything in my power to protect her.”

“Who is going to protect her from you?” Mom asked, joining the conversation, “You don’t even remember you have a Mother.” She then turned to Stephanie and kissed her cheek, “You come back to us, girl, and you take care of this man for me, if you can.”

“I will do the best I can, Mom.” Stephanie responded returning the cheek kiss.

I was shocked, but pleased at the same time to hear Stephanie address my mother as ‘Mom’. For some reason I think I have missed a bunch of conversations today.

The rest of the goodbyes were said and I promised Mike I would keep him in the loop better, and he would feed back to me anything he learned.

Jill was the earlier riser this morning and seemed more anxious that any of us to get back to D.C., Stephanie was the hardest to get moving, but the smell of fresh coffee and the room service breakfast finally motivated her to head for the showers. A few minutes before seven, Tina arrived at our room with two other agents, who left with the luggage and were going to set up posts throughout the halls and elevator. Tina stayed with us, and she and I would be the primary escorts to the car.

The first warning of the problems that were to come this morning started at the elevator, where we discovered a maintenance man who told us the elevator doors on our floor were stuck and we needed to use the stairs to go down one floor. Since we were staying on the fifteenth floor, we needed to go down the stairs to the fourteenth, where the elevator was working. Tina radioed the two agents that just went down with the luggage and received the same story from them, they’d had to carry the luggage down one floor as well, but everything was fine after that.

When you are escorting someone who could be a likely target, anything out of the ordinary tends to make you nervous, and both Tina and I were feeling it as we started down the stairs. I took the lead and stayed about ten to fifteen feet ahead of the girls and we descended. As I reached the door to the fourteenth floor, I opened it and stepped into the hall way before signaling the girls that all was clear. Stephanie followed me out, with Jill and Tina behind us.

We were about half way between the stairway door and the elevator door when a room door in front of us opened and a woman in her mid-twenties and long dark hair stepped out. I slowed my pace and watched her but Stephanie instantly froze in place.

“Vicky?” Stephanie spoke to the woman in front of us.

“Hello, Stephanie,” The woman said as she drew a large caliber silenced handgun from behind her back.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Tina react by going for her weapon, which was on her right hip. The moment her right arm moved to the handle of her weapon, Jill stepped sideways and delivered a hard elbow blow to Tina’s right rib cage. The blow caused Tina’s hand to slide off of her weapon, which Jill then pulled from the holster. As Tina was attempting to recover from the elbow blow, Jill swung the S&W, connecting the top slide rail with the bridge of Tina’s nose causing a loud cracking thud and Tina flying backwards.

Stephanie’s reactions were just a split second behind Jill’s. As the barrel of the S&W made contact with Tina’s nose, Stephanie was delivering a kick to the side of Jill’s knee. However the aim was off slightly and Jill was able to roll her leg to avoid damage, but she was not able to dodge the crashing downward elbow blow that Stephanie delivered to Jill’s forearm that was holding the S&W. I heard the bones crack and the weapon was sent flying across the hall.

I had kept most of my focus on Vicky, who was watching Stephanie and was trying to follow her with the handgun. I used the distraction to draw my weapon but as soon as it cleared the holster, I felt a sharp sting on the left side of my neck. Instinctively I grabbed for the side of my neck and saw the blue feathered dart in my left hand, at the same moment I saw a second woman behind Vicky. I tried to warn Stephanie, but my body began to feel like it weighed a ton. When I finally got my head turned in Stephanie’s direction, I saw her body convulsing on the floor and the two wire leads of a Taser leading way from her right side.

I tried to bring my weapon up, but my hand would no longer hold it, as I watched it fall from my hand to the floor. I tried to fight the effects of whatever was in the dart, but the edges of my vision were starting to darken and the hallway was going out of focus. I tried to take a step toward Stephanie and thought I was getting closer, until I realized I was getting closer to her by falling in her direction. I never felt myself hit the floor.