This work is fictitious, and any similarities to any persons, alive or dead, are purely coincidental. Mention is made of persons in public life only for the purposes of realism, and for that reason alone. Certain licence is taken in respect of medical procedures, terms and conditions, and the author does not claim to be the fount of all knowledge.
The author accepts the right of the individual to hold his/her (or whatever) own political, religious and social views, and there is no intention to deliberately offend anyone. If you wish to take offence, that is your problem.
This is only a story, and it contains adult material, which includes sex and intimate descriptive details pertaining to genitalia. If this is likely to offend, then don't read it.
Unfortunately no politicians or lawyers were injured or killed in the writing of this story, and no one else was either.
If you enjoyed it, then please Email me and tell me. If you hated it, Email me and lie.
I will always welcome contact.
AUTHOR'S HEALTH WARNING
Dear Reader,
Life can be a crock sometimes, so if it all right with you, I actually prefer happy endings. So, if you want the hero(ine) to have a really miserable time, READ SOMETHING ELSE.
But if you want to see good prevail, and end up with a soppy smile, then I have achieved what I set out to do.
Please enjoy.
Tanya
tanya_jaya@yahoo.co.uk
The legal stuff.

This work is the property of the author, and the author retains full copyright, in relation to printed material, whether on paper or electronically. Any adaptation of the whole or part of the material for broadcast by radio, TV, or for stage plays or film, is the right of the author unless negotiated through legal contract. Permission is granted for it to be copied and read by individuals, and for no other purpose. Any commercial use by anyone other than the author is strictly prohibited, and may only be posted to free sites with the express permission of the author.

Monique

by Tayna J

Part 24.

The US Air Force Boeing 747 400 landed at RAF Mildenhall, and the passengers offloaded onto British soil, but still within US Air Force controlled property. The Customs and Immigration controls were a mere formality, and I was back in England. This time on a US Passport, dressed as an officer in the US Air Force. It was a nice change to be somewhere other than Heathrow.

The General had arranged a house to be available for his family and staff officer. The house, in Woking in Surrey, was owned by the US Government, and managed by the US Embassy in London. I had not told Alex about my status, as I planned to surprise him.

Howard had quite a number of meetings to attend, so I earned my pay. He needed a driver, so, for the first time, legally at any rate, I drove the Jaguar with US Military diplomatic plates wherever he wanted to go. I sat either next to him, or behind him at all meetings and, at one, where the French were being asked to assist in the current Iraq situation, I was able to translate as we went, even though his French was quite good, he was not able to follow some of the rapid speech.

I had a dress uniform complete with lanyards, aiguillettes and other trappings that made me very smart. Howard was quite funny, as he told me that I was able to distract the other members of meetings by just being there.

In the week before the parade, there was a conference for senior NATO intelligence officers at the CamberleyStaffCollege, within the campus of RoyalMilitaryAcademy at Sandhurst. I found myself, in uniform, in close proximity to where Alex was, so kept an eagle eye out for him.

I called Eileen Drummond, to find out that they were all coming to the parade. They had even managed to take the girls out of school for a few days. They were staying at a nearby hotel, so, on the General’s insistence, I invited them for dinner on the evening before the parade. I said that I was over with my boss who wanted to meet them, and to my delight they accepted. The Commissioning Ball was held on the evening after the Sovereign’s Parade, and Alex had invited me to that. Alex had wanted his whole family to go to the ball, but Eileen suggested that it was far more appropriate that just his fiancée should attend.

I still hadn’t told him about my new job, as I wasn’t sure how best to do just that. I hoped to surprise him somehow, but as I followed the General up the steps at the OldCollege, Sandhurst, three officer cadets were coming down, and threw up very snappy salutes. The one in the middle was Alex.

As Howard took the salute, I was simply walking slightly behind him as he was in mid conversation with an RAF Air Commodore. Alex stared at me and almost fell over. I showed no reaction, just walked on as if I did not recognise him. I glanced back, and noticed that he was still staring after me, with his two colleagues calling for him to catch up.

I followed the General into the conference room and sat beside him. This particular session was on the NATO communications systems, and protecting the intelligence gatherers from outside hackers. The IT revolution was giving the authorities enormous concerns, as money and goods could be electronically dispatched with no controls or government knowledge. Weapons and explosives were available and, for a price, could be bought and shipped anywhere in the world.

I had been brought along, having just completed a course on this subject, to give the General advice as the discussions progressed. My mobile phone started to vibrate silently, and I smiled, knowing who was trying to call me. It buzzed and buzzed, and eventually stopped. There was a break in proceedings for a few moments, so I rang Alex back.

“Hi Alex, it’s me.”

“Monique. Where the hell are you? I’ve been trying to ring you.”

“I know, but I was unable to take the call. What’s the problem?”

“Where are you?”

“I’m in Washington, why?”

“The weirdest thing has just happened. I have just seen your twin. I passed a US General, and he had a female staff officer, a Lieutenant I think, who looked so like you, I thought it was you for a moment.”

“Did you ask her for a date?”

“Come on. She didn’t even look at me, and that was the strangest thing. If it had been you, you would have at least smiled at me.”

“Oh yeah, I’m really going to be in England dressed as an Air Force Officer.”

“I wouldn’t put anything past you,” he said, and I could tell he still wasn’t convinced. The General waved, we were going back in.

“Hey, I have to go, I have to go and catch my plane, and I will see you at the Ball.”

“I miss you so much. What are you wearing?”

“Right now, or at the ball?”

“Either.”

“I have a long white dress, and I wanted to wear your tartan sash. Look, I really have to go. I love you.”

“I love you too. Ring me when you land.”

We rang off, and I sat down at the General’s right hand once more.

The conference finished at six pm. We were to be entertained in the officers’ mess, but I was a little early. Howard was having a private drink with the Commandant, so I was left to my own devices. I felt rather out of place, but there was nothing new there. I found the mess, so I had a look round, observing that I was one of a few women, the others all British army officers. I looked very different in the air force blue, American blue at that! A rather lugubrious Coldstream Guards Captain came over to me and introduced himself.

“Hello, you are the American General’s Staff Officer. I am Archie Baker-Miller.”

“Monique Bonnard.” I said.

He shook my hand, and pointed to my medals.

“They look very pretty, what were they for?” he asked.

“This one was for a counter terrorist operation I undertook in Switzerland, and the other one was for being wounded in the line of duty,” I said, putting on a slight New England accent. I smiled, if this job failed, I could always get a job as an actress.

“Really, how jolly interesting. Was that an active service operation or covert?”

“Very covert. I can’t talk about it I’m afraid.” I said.

“Gosh, I take it you are in intelligence, along with your boss?”

“That’s right.”

“What part of the States are you from?”

“Recently, Maryland,” I said.

“How do you like England?”

“I love it, but then I have spent some time here over the years.”

“Really? What part?”

“London, mainly, but a few other places, Gloucester, Norfolk, Dorset, and some time in Scotland.”

“Have you been to Sandhurst before?”

“No, this is a first.”

“Ah, I will have to show you round. There is plenty of time before dinner. If you would like to, of course?”

“Sure, that would be good, thanks,” I got a real kick out of being Miss America.

He took me out into the early evening sun, showing me OldCollege and NewCollege. We went through the Officer Cadets’ area, and Archie explained all about the training programme.

“There is a Passing out parade every now and again, called the Sovereign’s parade, and we have one next week. I understand that your General is a guest of honour for the parade?”

“That is correct. So I guess I will have a ringside seat.”

“Certainly, you will be next to the General, as his Staff Officer. I had to supervise the seating plans. I have been on the training team for this lot, so you will be seeing the best of the best passing out,” he said, with a smile.

“I am looking forward to it.” I said.

“How long have you been in the service?”

“It is a little tricky to calculate, as an Air Force Officer I have been seconded to other agencies, so a couple of years.”

“Gosh, it all sounds very interesting. What do you mean by, other agencies?”

“Intelligence agencies.”

“You mean the CIA?”

“I can’t say, I’m sorry.”

“Gosh, how intriguing.”

He led me round the campus, and showed me all kinds of interesting things, but my favourite was Edward Bear, a fourteen-inch brown teddy bear who has served for almost the entire life of the present Academy. I was told he was enlisted as the mascot of the RMAS Parachuting Club in 1950 and proved instantly popular. The club was renamed the Edward Bear Club and it adopted an emblem of a teddy bear suspended from a parachute. Membership of the club was confined to Officer Cadets who completed the course that qualified them as army parachutists, so in order to qualify for membership, Edward Bear was given the honorary title of Officer Cadet (later raised to that of Senior Under-Officer) and took part in all courses and airborne exercises in which club members took part.

Archie explained that the bear made his 400th parachute descent on 28th May 1971 using his own small silk parachute supplied by the RAF in 1961. The Camberley branch of Messrs Moss Bros. supplied him with a specially made camouflage pattern smock. Attached to this are the badges of various UK and allied Special Forces with whom he has jumped over the years, including, I noticed, the Americans.

We were standing at the top of the steps that the adjutant would ride up at the end of the parade, and looked across the parade square. Archie had to check on something, and I said I was happy to wait. It was a tranquil setting, and I was enjoying doing nothing for a while. I noticed a group of cadet making their way across the other side of the square, and one was Alex.

I rang his mobile number.

He answered.

“Hi.”

“Monique?”

“Yeah.”

“You haven’t landed already?”

“No. I have a confession to make.”

“What?”

“I can see you.”

“What?”

“I can see you.” I repeated.

He stopped dead, while his colleagues walked on, stopped and looked back at him. He was about eighty yards away, and had his back to me.

One of his friends asked him what the matter was.

“Where the hell are you?” he asked.

“Well, if you turn round, you will see that incredibly attractive US Air Force Lieutenant. Well, she has the hots for you.”

He turned very slowly, and saw me. I waved.

“Surprise,” I said.

I watched as his hand holding the phone fell away from his ear, his mouth opened and he just stared at me. I switched off my phone and, at that moment, Archie returned.

“Right, sorry to keep you,” he said, and we went down the steps towards the incredulous Alex and his three friends.

We walked straight past the four immobile cadets, with Alex still holding the dead phone in his hand. They remembered to salute, which Archie returned.

“Evening chaps. What are you hanging about here for?” he said to them.

“On our way back for supper, sir,” said one.

Alex was gaping at me, so I blew him a kiss.

“Well, get on with you. Drummond, have you never seen an American officer before?”

“Not one quite like this one, sir.” he managed to say.

“I am sorry, Lieutenant, these are supposed to be the leaders of tomorrow’s army. Looking at them, you’d hardly think they could lead themselves out of a paper bag.”

“It is quite all right, they look fine to me,” I said.

“Right. Carry on, you chaps. We have to get back for dinner,” Archie said, and led me back to the mess. It was a pleasant evening, and I found the British officers wonderful hosts, if a little pompous. When the General and I finally left, there were about fifty text messages on my phone from a very confused and impatient Alex.

I called him from the car, on our way to Woking.

“Hi Sweetie.”

“Monique. What the fuck is going on?” he said, and I grinned.

“It is a long story, and I haven’t got time just now.”

“You drive me nuts. How the hell do you do it?”

“Do what?”

“Manage to do the impossible. Last year, you were off to some job in America. Then you were a student. And now you are a US Air Force Officer. What are you really? Some shape changing alien?”

“Close. I went to the States to work for the Company, and this little job is just part of that.”

“So, you aren’t really an officer?”

“I am.”

“I’m confused.”

“Look, I have to go to another meeting tomorrow, and then I will be free at the weekend. Will you be able to meet me?”

“I doubt it, but I’ll try.”

“I still love you,” I said.

“I love you too, but why can’t you be like other girls?”

“Because I’m me. And you always said you loved me because I was different.”

“That’s true. But sometimes I wish you were a little more un-different.”

“Sorry lover, you got me, and you have to take every part of me, including the different bit.”

He laughed.

“Ring me tomorrow,” I said, and switched off the phone.

since 04/20/05