Enemy of Truth

77.

In the ninety minutes of flight time we have also covered a lot of idealogical ground. Still miles apart from complete accord, we agree to a few basic terms, operating under the premise that no personal philosophical or political view will affect the overall purpose or larger operational objectives of the team. I set my watch ahead an hour as we touchdown in Colorado to total darkness other then the low-glow runway lights. It is 0439 Central time and neither one of us has had sufficient sleep. 

I grab my pack and lead Maria towards the door thanking the two-man crew for the ride and chow. We are immediately met by Drysdale and Calahan wildly waving and shouting hurrahs as if our touchdown came as answer to a Hail Mary and not from an easy landing. They meet, greet and usher us into the idling four-wheel drive Toyota Land Cruiser. I ask Calahan to turn down the Pitbull in order to allow a proper introduction.  Knowing full well that this might get testy, as any newcomers indoctrination into an established, ultra-tight unit can be, I add a few juicy adjectives to each of their hyper-condensed bios, Drysdale getting the ‘all-star’ monicker and Calahan the ‘best in the biz’ accolade. I introduce Maria as one of the data analysts taken in the raid, a highly skilled and talented former Axis cultist now working for us. They are silent as they process the potential ramifications, each considering the impact to themselves and to the team, but have the curtesy to extend what I take to be sincere welcoming greetings. 

“What is the plan of the day?” I ask hoping that we might still get in some quality deep REM time before any scheduled events.

“We are to take you directly to debrief,” Drysdale announces, “Saunders will take Ms Satriano’s and Davis yours. We are about thirty minutes out.” 

“Davis is here?” I ask incredulously. 

“Yes, sir, we all are. Got the call two days ago.”

Maria senses the change to the ambient energy flow in the vehicle so looks at me with a ‘what?’ expression. 

“Nothing, not to worry.”

“How is Saunders doing with rehab,” I finally ask, breaking the silence just ahead of Calahan reaching for the volume icon on the car audio system.

“Way better than expected and well ahead of schedule, she has been swimming and biking a lot, she even threatened us with a return to running by the end of the week,” he reports with unmistakable pride. 

“And Cap?” 

“It is my understanding that he is progressing as expected, but not to any miraculous degree, although he has been out of the coma for longer stretches he has lost a lot of strength and stamina. They are talking about months of critical care and a very long rehab.” 

I take a deep breath with this news and shut my eyes. Not wanting to lead an innocent sheep to the slaughter, I go over with Maria the importance of a successful debrief. For some reason, instead of the usual “Just tell the truth” advice I slip into something I once read about Albert Einstein saying that the three most important characteristics leading to success in any endeavor are curiosity, humility and tenacity. 

Be motivated to find the truth, be humble in your victories and stay present and aware no matter what. 

“Unthinking respect for authority is the greatest enemy of truth,” she quotes.

“Goethe?”

“Einstein.”