The Cross of Mithras Vol. 1: EOD Operation Welcome to Hell by Douglas Howell Page A

was just wondering... how are you holding out?”
      “Fine. Why do you ask?”
      “Because you seemed to be bothered by your memories of your people - the Apollinarians. And I know that they put you through hell. So I was just being concerned for you.”
      “Oh, I see.”
      She began to think about it more. The desire to finally tell someone what happen to her on her planet. She knew that if she told someone it would give her the chance to heal. A chance to let go of those bad memories. A chance to let go of the past. Out of all of the human friends that she ever had, who she was close to, she strongly felt that Ramirez is the only one who would understand. It just never occurred to her to tell him... until now.
      “You know... there is a part of me that wants to tell you what happen to me. But I…”
      “That’s okay. You don’t have to.”
      “No... I want to. It’s just that it’s long story. And I didn’t know if you have the time to hear it.”
      “No I have the time. Besides... I kind of figure it would be long story given your age.”
      “Can you swing by tomorrow morning around 08 ‘til 10 hundred hours?”
      “Sure.”
      “Okay. See you then. Goodbye.”
      “Goodbye.”
      She got up and went over to the window and looked out. She felt a little nervous and a little scared. There was still a part of her that was afraid to tell anyone. But she knew that she had to. She told herself, “I need to tell someone what happen to me. I need to heal. I need to let go of these bad memories.”
     
    (3)
     
      Lieutenant Sanchez, a very beautiful Puerto Rican woman who is 5’8” tall, was sitting on the couch in her room at the Roosevelt, grieving over the lost of her husband. She was drinking and crying while looking at a picture of him.
      “I miss you so very much.” She said, with the pain in her heart that was almost unbearable.
      Her husband was a CIA agent who encountered the EOD and disappeared. Nobody went looking for him, and it was some time before anybody told her that, ‘In all likelihood, he was captured.’ Being an officer in the Space Core at the time, she wanted to go and find him. But her superiors told her no. She left anyway, taking her men with her to the place where he was suspected of being held. (Luckily for her, the EOD forces were light, and were easily overcome.) She didn’t find him; all she knew was that they moved him to the “Volunteer Room.” She was about to leave to go find that room, when her men started to rebel against her. Most of them wanted to leave and go home. While she was pleading with them to stay, the EOD reinforcements mysteriously retreated. Her, and her men, then learned the hard truth why; military authorities where coming to arrest them.
      Her men were given a light sentence for testifying against her. They told the truth: she lied to them saying it was an authorized mission. When they did learned of the truth, that is when they rebelled. But as for Sanchez, she was demoted, and the prosecutor wanted to send her to a military prison for life. The prosecutor did sympathize with her and gave her a plea deal - join Project 21 for life. She took the deal, not for her sake, but rather for her children and for her husband.
      Vaistll and Ramirez were already members of Task Force ZH-3C when Sanchez came along. Sanchez had mysteriously “lost” the file on her that she was supposed to give to either Vaistll or to Commander Taylor. Later, when Sanchez found out that Ramirez was a former EOD Special Forces agent, she just had to ask him what a Volunteer Room was. He didn’t realize it at the time, but he made the mistake in telling her what it was. He told her, ‘When you get captured by the EOD... they will send you to the “Interrogation Room.” If you don’t tell them the truth, you may be sent to the Volunteer Room, or you may be sent to the “Conditioning Room.” It all depends upon your mission, and/or, how much