Parallel Echoes: A Clash of Realities

The Office

A comforting stream of reggae music filled Susan’s office as she went over Mr. Meyer’s schedule for the month. Starting her morning, blissfully unaware of the turn of events in her mind, he was simply away as a consultant for the Ministry of Defence and wouldn’t be expected back for at least another several days. He was a busy man, and Susan was in charge of making sure that his life was as easy and as convenient as possible. This made Susan quite busy as well. Of course, the days when Hansel didn’t come into the office were relatively easier for Susan. She didn’t have to deal with meetings and audiences.

Suddenly, the gentle flow of island music was interrupted by a ring of the office telephone. It was the building’s receptionist calling to inform her that there were two Chinese men in the lobby who were demanding to see Mr. Meyer. Susan knew that her boss didn’t have any meetings scheduled for the day, but she double-checked her planner in case she had overlooked something. Nope. Nothing was slated on the schedule. She told the receptionist that Mr. Meyer was not in the office and that they would have to schedule a meeting with him if they wanted to see him. Then, without waiting for a reply, she put the phone down.

In the lobby, the two men hovered over the receptionist’s desk as she conversed with Susan on the phone. When the call ended, she told them that the person they were looking for was not there and wouldn’t be expected back for several days.

The men maintained their rather lifeless and stoic expressions as they exchanged a few words in Mandarin. Then, without saying anything else, they turned and exited the building.

Having dismissed the impromptu visitors, Susan settled down at her desk and made a note to inform Hansel of the Chinese nationals who had just visited the office. Even though he didn’t have this appointment in the books, it was the kind of thing he wanted to be informed of. With a beautifully unencumbered schedule ahead, Susan decided to switch the TV on. All of the news channels were bombarded with developing content about what measures the government would be employing to curb the spread of COVID-19. There were talks of stricter enforcement of lockdowns, which would take effect within the following few days. Hearing this news unsettled Susan. Diverting all her office calls to her cell phone, she decided that it would be best for her to leave the office and perhaps even stock up on some essentials on her way home.

She packed her laptop in her bag and gathered her things before exiting her office into the open-plan section. Susan tapped Brenda, a nearby employee from the research department, and informed her that if anyone was looking for her, she would be working from home for the rest of the day. As she stepped off the elevator and made her way through the lobby, she saw an elderly man with graying hair and an especially upright posture standing at the reception desk. The receptionist caught Susan’s eye and beckoned to her.

“Colonel Sherwood,” said the receptionist as Susan was approaching, “this is Susan Dickens. She’s Mr. Meyer’s personal assistant. As I have told you numerous times and Ms. Dickens will confirm, Mr. Meyer is not in his office today and will be unable to meet with you.”

“Ah, yes,” added Susan. “Sorry. Mr. Meyer isn’t expected to be in the office over the next few days. Has he been expecting you? I don’t think you’ve ever phoned the office for an appointment.”

“Oh, well… that’s because I haven’t been calling your office,” replied the elderly gentle person. He had a furrowed brow and two very distinct dimples on either side of his cheek. Based on his posture and his neatly pressed clothing, it wasn’t too farfetched to think that this was a military man. “I’m retired, Colonel Benjamin

Sherwood. I have known Hansel in a private capacity and have been reaching out to him for a while. However, he hasn’t been returning any of my messages and I very much need to speak with him. I saw no other choice than to visit his offices in person.”

“Oh, I’m sorry to hear that, Colonel,” replied Susan. “I’m sure we can get this all straightened out, but unfortunately, Mr. Meyer won’t be back for a few days. Perhaps I can schedule an actual meeting when it’s convenient.”

“That sounds great,” said the Colonel. “I notice that you’re just leaving. May I walk you out?”

Taken aback by his request, Susan nonetheless obliged, and the two made their way to the exit.

“So, done for the day or are you just stepping out for a while?” asked Colonel Sherwood.

“Actually, I am going to work from home but will stop by the grocery store on the way. I want to stock up on essentials before everyone gets the idea of starting hoarding everything.”

Colonel Sherwood let out a genuine laugh and said, “Well, good luck with that. These are the crazy times we’re living in now, no?”

“You can say that again,” replied Susan. “I’m sorry that you missed Hansel.”

Susan and the Colonel engaged in small talk as they exited the building. After the surprise request to walk with her, Susan was dealt yet another surprise as she recognized the unexpected ease with which their discourse lapsed into the familiarity of old acquaintances. It was almost as if he had known her for ages.

The chit-chat was suddenly interrupted when Susan’s phone began to ring. She saw the word “Hans” flashing on the screen. Susan hadn’t heard from him since he boarded the sub over a day earlier. It was very rare for him to go through long stretches without contacting her.

“Speak of the devil,” said Susan.

“Susan,” boomed Hansel’s voice over the phone’s headset. “I hear quite a bit of background. Where are you?”

“Hi, Hans! Sorry about that. I’m outside. I literally just left the office. How are you doing?”

“Susan …” There was a long pause before Hansel said anything else.

“Hansel!!!” retorted Susan. “You are scaring me. What’s wrong? What has happened–?”

“Susan, we were in a shipwreck!” interrupted Hansel. “We’ve lost Frank and Martin.”

“What?” gasped Susan aloud, only then realizing that she was still in the Colonel’s company, who had a concerned look after seeing Susan’s reaction to the news she had just received. Susan asked Hansel to hold on for a moment as she excused herself and dismissed the Colonel.

Hansel recounted the entire ordeal in blow-by-blow detail to Susan. “Oh, Hans, that’s terrible,” sighed Susan. “How are you and Katra coping?”

“I’m okay. I just feel really lucky to have gotten out of there alive. Katra is a little shaken up, but she’s going to be fine too. It’s been quite an experience.”

“I’m so happy that you are safe now. Gosh … I feel bad for Frank and Doc. What a way to go.”

“Ja,” replied Hansel. “If you can, can you please get in touch with HR? Make sure that we line up relief and benefits for Frank and Martin’s families. I’ll be in touch with them as soon as we’re on land to break the news.”

“I will get right on it, of course. If there’s anything else I can do, just shout. And Hans… when can I expect you back?”

“Well, the rescue ship is on course to Cornwall. We will be arriving there at noon. Can you get a chopper to pick us up from a small port town called Bude? … spelled B-U-D-E. You will no doubt need

to make a few extra calls to get permission for the chopper to land within the grounds of Bude Castle.”

“I’ll get it done.”

“I know you will, Schatz,” said Meyer. “You always do.”

“It is my job, you know!” the cheeky Susan exclaimed with a wink, as if Hansel could see her. She was so happy that he was okay, though tinged with sadness for her fallen workmates. “By the way, Hans, reception had a couple of Chinese men looking for you. They didn’t have an appointment and left neither their names nor a message.”

“Is that so?” replied Hansel. “Huh? That’s odd. Well, they’ll be back, if whatever they came for was important enough.”

“You were really popular with walk-in visitors today. Another man came in to see you today. A colonel by the name of Benjamin Sherwood.”

“Ah, yes,” sighed Hansel. “So, he came to the office, huh? He’s been asking to see me for quite some time now.” Hansel seemed somewhat agitated when Susan brought up the name.

“Yes. He told me he’s been trying to meet up with you. He says he now urgently needs to speak with you in person. In fact, he was with me when you called. Of course, I told him that he wouldn’t be expected back for at least a few days. But what does he want, exactly?”

“He claims that he knows my birth mother,” said Hansel. “Oh, Hon! That’s great news, isn’t it?”

“Not exactly, if the correspondence so far is anything to go by. He hasn’t been able to provide any compelling evidence. I think he just wants to borrow money or something. Meeting him would be a waste of time. Besides, you know I’ve given up hope on finding my biological mother.”

Susan couldn’t understand why Hansel would just blow off a meeting with someone that claimed to have information about his

mother. She was so engrossed in the conversation with her man, that she didn’t even notice the series of events that was unfolding just behind her. Three black SUVs had screeched to a halt right in front of the building’s entrance. Half a dozen men scrambled out of the cars and rushed into the building.

The avalanche of emotions — loss, and guilt, that had robbed Jordan of his sleep was interrupted by a cautious but firm knock on his cabin door.

“Come in!” croaked Jordan.

The door peeled open to reveal one of the officers of the rescue ship.

“Sir, the ship is about to dock in Bude. Please prepare to disembark.”

“Alright. Thanks,” replied Jordan.

Jordan didn’t really have much to prepare. The only items he had brought along with him were the contents of his backpack, including the hard drives that Captain Xavier had given him prior to the explosion. Jordan double-checked his bag’s contents before heading out. As he exited his bunker, he was greeted by both Katra and Hansel, who were already in the hallway waiting for him.

“Commander!” said Hansel, kicking the salutations off. “We never got a chance to thank you for what you did back there. You saved our lives.”

There was a certain stoic sternness in Hansel’s tone of voice that seemed very comforting to Jordan. It felt almost as though a fellow officer was addressing him. Hansel didn’t have too thick of a German accent, but it peeked through in some words. His striking blue eyes stayed locked on Jordan as he expressed his gratitude.

“No thanks necessary, Mr. Meyer. I’m sorry about Dr. Banks and Mr. Greenwood,” replied Jordan.

“Yes, it’s rather unfortunate what happened to Martin and Frank. But both Katra and I understand completely. It is a loss that could not have been helped.”

“We do,” chimed in Katra. This was the first time that she had said anything to him since entering the escape pod. This was also the first time that Jordan would be able to get a good look at her. She was much more slender than he had initially noticed. Her blonde hair was tied up into a neat little bun and she was dressed in a t-shirt that had been provided for her by the crew of the ship. Strangely, she still looked as if she were a woman who was to be taken seriously. “We’re truly grateful. Had you not been there, we wouldn’t be here right now.”

“Any other officer would have done the same, Ma’am,” confessed Jordan.

“Maybe so, but we’re still grateful nonetheless,” said Katra with a modest smile, signaling her sincerity.

“So, we’re docking in Bude,” resumed Hansel, disrupting the emotional exchanges. “I’ve already arranged for a chopper to pick us up from the castle grounds. Will you be joining us in London, Commander?”

“If you’ll have me, yes. That would be great. I need to get to my embassy, once we are in London, if it’s not out of your way.”

“That’s settled then,” Hansel exclaimed. “The American Embassy is actually on our way. Off we go, then.”

The captain of the rescue ship came to see them off. They expressed their gratitude to the captain and disembarked. An attendant from the castle was already waiting for them at the foot of the dock. He led Hansel, Katra, and Jordan through the dock’s parking lot towards a private gate that led to the castle grounds. As they walked across that empty parking lot, Katra caught a glimpse of sunlight bouncing off Hansel’s light blond hair. In spite of what he had just been through, he still maintained that air of

power and resilience that was almost ingrained into his personality. Turning her head slightly, toward the man walking alongside her, she saw the complete opposite. Jordan had the look of a broken man, who had just endured one of the toughest days of his life. There were sunken circles under his eyes, and the five o'clock shadow around his chiseled chin was taking hold. In spite of all of that, she couldn’t help noticing how the sculpture of his chest contoured his shirt and how his sleeves struggled to contain the curvature of his biceps.

“Commander Rodgers,” said Hansel as he turned back to look at Jordan. “I assume you’ve ridden a helicopter before?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Good. This shouldn’t be a painful experience, then.”

The helicopter was going to be waiting for them within the grounds of Castle Bude. Susan was able to arrange for the chopper to land in the castle’s grounds. The Castle Bude had been the home of Sir Goldsworthy Gurney, the man who invented the steam carriage. It had since been transformed into a museum depicting the history of Bude. The castle was a modest building in a modest coastal town, a haven for surfers and beachgoers.

To the hum of muffled propeller blades, the party was led through the private gate and along a narrow pathway before the open roar of the helicopter heralded that they had entered the open grounds where the idling helicopter was waiting for them. The roar of the chopper echoed against the castle’s walls.

The pilot was already preparing for takeoff when his passengers boarded. As they strapped in, Jordan thought it as good a time as any to hand over the hard drive to Katra.

“Katra,” Jordan said loudly into his headset, “Captain Xavier gave me this to be handed to you specifically.”

He pulled the hard drive out of his bag and gave it one last look before handing it over to Katra.

“Huh?” interjected Hansel. “And I don’t get a gift?”

“Ah, yes,” said Katra, ignoring Hansel’s attempt at humor. “Let’s try to get to the bottom of this.”

Katra pulled out a laptop from the center console of the helicopter and fired it up. After inputting her password, she proceeded to plug the hard drive into the computer. Jordan studied her every move, curious about what the hard drive’s contents were. Of course, it would have been unprofessional for him to ask. He had merely been assigned to deliver the hard drive. He had no right to know what was in it. In any case, it would be a while before any of them could discover its contents.

“It looks like it’s too heavily encrypted,” lamented Katra. “We’ll have to use the big guns at the office to c***k it.”

“Hansel,” she hollered over the noise, “… looks like it’s going to be your baby.”

Much to Susan’s dismay, it seemed like everyone else in London had the same bright idea as her. She knew that her patience was going to be tested the moment she walked into the mall. There were more people than usual. She was on the verge of calling it quits and trying again on another day but decided to persevere. As soon as she stepped through the doors of the supermarket, she knew she had made a big mistake. It was absolute pandemonium inside the grocery store, with people bumping carts and scrambling to buy anything that they could get their hands on.

This is the total opposite of social distancing, Susan thought to herself. Sure, most people had their masks on in a vain attempt to protect themselves from the virus. However, with the number of people packed into that small space, it was impossible to maintain any kind of healthy distance between bodies. It was practically a cesspool for the virus to just jump from one host to another. Nope, I’m getting out of here.

Susan tried to turn around but was greeted by a mob of people who were just beginning to flood into the supermarket. Susan wasn’t exactly the biggest person in the room. In fact, far from it. She was a rather petite lady who struggled to impose her size and strength on others. However, in spite of her size, she was a nimble little firecracker full of wit and grit. She was never fazed in situations like this. What she lacked in size and mass, she more than made up for in agility and tenacity. So, rather than pushing through the crowd towards the exit, she sought a way around it instead. She surveyed the store once more, plotting her escape route, as she realized the crowd was getting more rowdy. People were yelling at each other and fighting for grocery items from the nearly bare shelves. Then, in the corner of her eye, she saw someone getting knocked over by a group of rushing people. Upon closer inspection, she realized that the person who fell over was none other than Colonel Sherwood himself, the man she had just been conversing with.

Instead of looking for a way out of the store, she now sought a path toward Benjamin Sherwood, who still hadn’t gotten up. It took her a little while to wade through the throng, but she eventually got to him and reached out to help him back onto his feet, before any further damage could be inflicted on him.

“Colonel! Colonel!” she bellowed over the raucous crowd. “It’s me, Susan! Are you okay?”

“Oh, Susan! Thank you. How embarrassing,” he replied as he took her hand and then dusted himself off. “Thank you so much for your help and concern.”

“People can be really rude. They practically ran over you.” “This pandemic has made people really crazy, eh?” he joked.

“Let’s get you out of here,” said Susan as she took him by the arm and led him around the crowd toward the exit. They were eventually able to separate themselves from the hoard of people in the supermarket. Once they were outside, they looked for a place away from the stores to catch their breath.

“Colonel! What were you thinking? It’s not safe for you to be in crowded places like this. Don’t you know that this virus is a lot more dangerous for the elderly?”

“Oh please, Susan! Call me Benjamin,” said the humbled man. “I know, I know. It’s just that when we were talking earlier, I thought that you had a really good idea of trying to beat the panic-buying crowd.”

“Well, it turns out that it wasn’t such a good idea after all. We just dropped ourselves right into the frenzy.”

“You can say that again,” laughed Benjamin as he straightened out his blazer.

“Listen, are you in a hurry?”

“Pardon?”

“Do you have anything urgent to attend to, right now?” “No, not really.”

“In that case, may I invite you for a quick cup of tea? There’s a neat cafe ’round the corner and I would love it if you could join me for a brew. It’s the least I can do to thank you for helping me out of there.”

“Oh gosh. No. It wasn’t any problem at all. You really don’t have to.”

“Please. I won’t take no for an answer,” insisted Benjamin.

There was something inherently charming and gentlemanly about this old man. In spite of the annoyance and agitation that Hansel had portrayed in his voice when talking about Benjamin, Susan couldn’t help but feel comforted by his presence.

“Alright … Benjamin,” said Susan with a wry smile. “But only because I want to make sure that you’re really okay. And a cup of tea sounds absolutely splendid right now.”

“Great!” exclaimed Benjamin. “Right this way.”

The Colonel led Susan to a quaint little coffee shop across the mall. It was a quirky rustic outfit. The moment they walked through the doors, they were greeted with a combination of smoky coffee beans and sugary icing smells. A soft hum of bossa nova music was gently swirling through the cafe. The space was warmly lit, and with so much greenery inside and out, felt like a little oasis in a jungle of skyscrapers. Susan and Benjamin settled at a table not too far from the door as a server approached them with menus.

“Give us a pot of Earl Grey, please. Piping hot,” asked Benjamin. Then, turning to Susan, he asked, “Do you fancy anything to eat? I’m feeling a bit famished myself.”

“Actually, I could do with a bite, yeah,” replied Susan. “Splendid. Miss, a couple of BLT ciabattas as well, please?” “Of course, sir. Coming right up.”

After the waitress left, Benjamin turned to look outside the window at the crowd of people that were continually flowing in and out of the mall.

“Amazing the lengths that some people will go through just to feel safe,” he mused. “They don’t even realize that they’re putting themselves in danger in the process.”

“What an interesting take on the matter,” offered Susan. She had never looked at it from that perspective before. True enough, she was only concerned about her own self-preservation by thinking of rushing to the supermarket like that, once she heard the news of the lockdown. It didn’t cross her mind that she was also volunteering herself to a dangerous situation.

“When you’re in the military,” continued Benjamin, “you don’t really get the luxury of allowing yourself to get blindsided like that. If you put yourself in a position of vulnerability, you won’t make it out alive.”

“Exactly, Benjamin,” retorted Susan, as though telling a child off, “You should have known better than to go into that crowd! That

could have ended very badly.”

“I know,” said Benjamin. “Hey, I’ve been retired a very long time. People get complacent with time, I guess.” He chuckled and gave Susan a smile that simultaneously disarmed her and made her feel all warm inside.

Benjamin began regaling her with tales of his military days and his missions around the world. But it was when he started talking about his wife that Benjamin had a spark in his eyes. He told Susan about how he and his wife fell in love at the height of the Cold War.

“I was assigned as an intelligence officer on the other side of the Iron Curtain, stationed in East Berlin. I met my wife there. She was Russian and had also been assigned to Berlin. That’s how we met. Of course, our love had to be a secret one. The Ministry of Defence wouldn’t have taken too kindly to the idea of one of their intelligence officers being embroiled in a romantic affair with a Soviet agent.”

Susan listened intently through her occasional sips of tea and nibbles on her sandwich. She was fascinated by Benjamin’s life and all of the stories he told her about his time in the military. Still, there was one other thing that she couldn’t shake from her mind. He never once brought up the topic of meeting with Hansel. When he first asked her to have tea, she was hesitant. She somehow figured that he would try to woo her into getting him and Hansel into a room together. Hansel had made it very clear that Benjamin was hell-bent on meeting with him. However, not once did he ever mention Hansel’s name throughout their entire conversation.

“My goodness, it’s getting late!” shrieked Benjamin as he took a glance at his watch. “How time flies. I hope I wasn’t boring you with all my rambling.”

“Not at all! I always love talking about history, and yours is quite an interesting one.”

“Well, thank you.” He smiled at her and gestured to the waitress for the check. Susan insisted that they split the bill down the middle, but Benjamin wouldn’t have it. “Your money is no good here,” he told her. “Besides, I rarely ever get the chance to experience the companionship of a pretty young lady these days. It was my pleasure.”

“Oh, Benjamin, you’re too kind.”

After the Colonel paid the bill, the two made their way out of the coffee shop. They exchanged a brief hug before rather awkwardly pulling away as they suddenly remembered that they had just contravened the new social etiquette. Benjamin thanked Susan for saving him once again, while Susan thanked him for the tea and wonderful company. The two then went their own ways.

WELCOME TO LONDON

The helicopter’s more than 200-mile flight to London took a little over an hour. The chopper was scheduled to land at Heathrow, and it arrived right on time. As they alighted from the helicopter, the chauffeur was waiting for them.

“Hi, sir,” said Ralph Johnson, the chauffeur Hansel used whenever he was not driving himself. “I trust you had a pleasant flight, sir.”

“Yes, thank you, Ralph. We will head straight to the office. Katra and Commander Rodgers over here will be joining us as well.… Actually, Ralph, we need to take a detour via the American Embassy before the office.”

“Yes sir,” replied Ralph, as he closed Hansel’s door and dashed to the other side of the car.

“Nice to see you again, Ms. Katra,” he said with a slight bow towards Katra. She acknowledged him with a nod and smiled at him. Then he turned his attention towards Jordan, who had opened his own door to make himself comfortable in the front seat.

“Nice to make your acquaintance, Commander.”

“Likewise,” replied Jordan.

Ralph also got into the car and took a quick glance to check that everyone was comfortable.

“We will take the M4, sir, and stop off at the American Embassy before proceeding to the office,” said Ralph, confirming Hansel’s instructions, as he started the car. “There won’t be much traffic at this hour, so it should be a smooth run.”

“Thanks, Ralph.” Hansel was already busy on his phone in the back seat next to Katra, who was also engrossed in her phone.

Within a few minutes, they were on the highway. Hansel continued making phone calls. Katra replied to emails and queries about her safety. Jordan was left alone with his thoughts and wondered whether it was appropriate for him to indulge in a little nap. Ralph had been very talkative when they first landed, but he had not said a word ever since they got onto the highway. In fact, Jordan noticed that Ralph’s mood had taken a drastic shift. He had a very disconcerted look that suggested something was really bothering him.

“Hey, buddy!” said Jordan. “Everything okay?”

“Yeah,” Ralph sighed. “It’s just that this bloke in the SUV behind us has been tailgating me for the last couple of miles. I’ll just slip to the side here so he can pass.”

Ralph turned the wheel and maneuvered the Mercedes toward the slow lane to allow the SUV to overtake him. However, instead of overtaking them, the SUV followed suit. It was a black