To fully understand what is happening here, I suggest you first read "Houston Ch. 01: The Problem" and "Houston Ch. 02: The Intervention."
Oscar and the events surrounding the death of First Lady Elizabeth Skaggs were written about in "Revenge in Advance - Mona."
Many thanks to those who offered comments and constructive criticism on my previous stories. For those who want to say this or that would never happen, remember this is my universe, a place where nearly anything can, and often does, happen. At least on paper...
Please refer to my profile for more on my personal policy regarding comments, feedback, follows, etc. (And yes, I DO moderate comments) And please remember, this is a work of fiction, not a docu-drama...
The end of "Houston Ch. 02: The Intervention":
"So, you plan to use Houston as bait, is that it?" she asked.
"He'll spill his guts," George said. "Once he understands how much is at stake, he'll do or say anything to save his wife."
"I hope you're right," she said. George smiled.
"I am, trust me. Just get everything at the house ready," he said. "You tried to make him a willing cuckold. Now we'll make him an unwilling one. And when we're done, we'll hand her over to her new masters and he'll have committed suicide. With a little help, of course." She smiled at the prospect and left the office. What neither one of them knew was that video of their discussion had just been uploaded to Alpha's servers.
...
And now, "Houston Ch. 03: Alpha and Omega":
John sat in the waiting area as his wife underwent the hypnotherapy Regis said would help unlock her memory. He had been there for at least an hour when Regis came into the room.
"Got a few minutes?" Regis asked. John looked up at him.
"Sure," he said. "Any idea how long this'll take?"
"I'd say at least two more hours," Regis said. John nodded his head and stood up. Regis headed out of the room and John followed. In a few minutes, they were in what Regis liked to call his "smoking parlor," a well-ventilated room with overstuffed chairs facing a fake fireplace. Regis sat down and motioned for John to join him. He pulled out a small case and opening it up, offered John one of his expensive flavored mini-cigars.
"Thanks," John said as Regis lit it for him. "I still can't believe they let you smoke these in here," he added, savoring the fruity cigar.
"What the hell," Regis said, shrugging his shoulders. "This place was designed to survive a direct nuclear hit. I'm sure one or two cigars won't hurt anyone." John chuckled at that. Regis handed him a folder. John opened it and saw a medical report that meant very little to him.
"What's this?" he asked his boss.
"A report on your wife's blood work," Regis said. "You'll notice those two compounds that are circled. One is a date rape drug, and the other is a compound I haven't seen in quite some time."
"What is it?" John asked.
"From what I understand, when used in low dosages, it renders the target extremely susceptible to suggestion," Regis said. "That, combined with the date rape drug, and I suspect Houston was about ready to climb the walls. They could have told her to fuck an army of wild mongrel dogs and she probably would've done it. I'm frankly surprised she was able to keep it together as long as she did. Anyway, turns out there's a federal task force that tracks the usage of that stuff. They've dispatched one of their top guys and he should be here later this afternoon."
"Okay," John said, savoring his cigar. "Anything else?"
"Yeah," Regis said. "Omega's planning to shanghai the two of you first chance they get."
"We already know that," John said.
"This time, they intend to make it permanent," Regis said. "From the video we got, they intend to hand her over to some Middle Eastern pimp and take you out, make it look like a suicide."
"What's the plan?" John asked.
"Obviously, we're not going to let that happen," Regis said. "We've got eyes on them so we'll know where this is supposed to go down. I've got a conference call scheduled in just a little bit to discuss this."
"Would it be too much if I asked to sit in?" John asked.
"Sorry, son, this is well over your pay grade," Regis said. "Your primary job is to be there for your wife." John nodded his head in understanding. They smoked their cigars for a few more minutes before John spoke up.
"Were you ever married, Regis?" he asked. Regis glanced at him with his one good eye.
"Yeah, a long time ago," he said, the pain showing in his voice.
"What happened, if you don't mind my asking," John said.
"The same thing that happens to a lot of guys in our business," Regis said. "Too much time on the job, too much stress dealing with the nation's enemies and keeping it a secret from those you love. You know how it goes." John nodded his head.
"Yeah, I do," he said. Regis looked at him hard.
"It was too much for my wife to deal with," Regis said. "I came home one day and she was gone. Left a note telling me she had found someone else - someone who would be home and who could open up to her. I got served with divorce papers that day. That was 15 years ago."
"Sorry to hear that," John said. "Any kids?"
"Yeah," Regis said. "Two beautiful little girls. Her mother took them and they now call some other guy 'dad.' I haven't spoken to them in years. I suspect they've forgotten all about me by now. It doesn't have to be that way for you, though."
"I hope not," John said. Regis nodded his head.
"Houston's a good woman," Regis said. "She may be a bit ditzy sometimes, and a bit gullible, but she's smarter and tougher than you know and she really does love you. God only knows why." They both chuckled at that. "You need to be there for her, John." John nodded his head.
"I know," he said. "And I will be."
"Good," Regis said, standing up. "I've got to go make that call. You go be with Houston. I'll text you when I'm ready for you to join me."
"Sounds good," John said. John finished his cigar after Regis left, then headed back to check on Houston's progress. When he got there, he was told they were getting ready to wrap things up and she should be out before too long. He sat down and watched television, but his mind wasn't on whatever was playing. About an hour later, the door opened and Houston came out. She smiled when she saw him, and he noticed she looked a bit different, but he couldn't quite explain it.
"How are you feeling?" he asked her. She smiled as she looked at him.
"I'm just fine," she said. He looked at the technician taking care of her.
"Is she free to go now?" he asked. The technician nodded his head.
"She's free to go," he said. "They're preparing the report for Alpha One now."
"Okay, thanks," he said before turning back to Houston. "I don't know about you, but I'm starved. Wanna go to the cafeteria, get something to eat?"
"Sure," she said. They left and went to the cafeteria, where they each got a large juicy bacon cheeseburger and an order of fries.
"You look different somehow," he said after they sat down. "Are you sure you're okay?"