David Golemon - Legend

"According to eyewitnesses, mainly a few Northern Cheyenne and Sioux, Keogh and his men fought bravely, with the captain standing firmly in the center of his dismounted troopers. Some say the image of him like that was the mistaken reason why Custer has always been depicted that way, but the Native Americans swear it was Keogh and not Yellow Hair that was directing the hardest fight."

"Professor, please, we can go over the Seventh's exploits at a more convenient time," Niles said impatiently.

"Yes, of course, I was just trying to set the stage somewhat for you." Now the photos of the total recovered artifacts replaced the map of the battlefield. "These items were recovered inside the areas defended by Keogh's three companies." As he said this, the computer images began to drop away, until only thirty-seven artifacts remained. "We have several items here that could have possibly contained the map: two army-issue saddlebags, ten leather pouches, most for tobacco storage, and three bottles. We do have several Christian crosses, but the most interesting item is this box here."

A yellow circle centered itself on a metal box that appeared rusted shut and heavily dented. As they watched, the item rotated 160 degrees to show the back, below the old hinges. In the center they could barely make out three letters. The first letter was totally wiped out due to rust, so all they could clearly see was "W.K."

Nathan continued. "So the initials were a blank, then W and K . Do you see what I mean? This may be the best lead we have, as it just might have belonged to either Myles Walter Keogh or a sergeant by the name of John William Killkernan, a sergeant attached to L Company. The odds are fifty-fifty."

"Have you contacted the Parks Service and asked if the metal box contains anything?" Niles asked, trying to hold down his excitement.

"That's the bad news, I'm afraid. They say they haven't examined the items as of yet, beyond the initial cleaning and photo stage. They are currently displayed at the battlefield as is, before any forensic work is performed. We requested access but it was denied by the University of Montana, as it was their dig, and the Parks Service gave us lip service about shared responsibility."

"Thank you, Professor Nathan. Pass along to your people that you may have saved our butts on this one, and continue your research. I'll get someone out there. Can you spare someone to accompany?" Niles asked.

There was silence at the other end of the speaker. Then Nathan came back on. "Yes, I can spare me . My team has their chores to do and I'm only in the way."

"Good, I'll set you up with security and another volunteer that knows something about the Little Bighorn. Again, thanks, Professor. Be ready to leave within the hour."

Niles walked a little more briskly back to his chair than when he had left it. He took a deep breath and looked at Jack.

"Major, I think it's time you get to Montana."

"I'll take Mendenhall and Jason Ryan along so I don't have to talk too much to Professor Nathan."

"Take Mendenhall, but I would appreciate it if you leave Mr. Ryan here. I need him to do something and I need you to plan it before you leave here."

"Okay. Alice, you said you had a candidate that knows something of the Little Big Horn?"

"Yes, Director, a certain Second Lieutenant McIntire," Alice said, looking at Jack.

"Good, gather your things and alert Mendenhall and the lieutenant. You'll have transport in thirty minutes at the base. And take care of Nathan, will you, because he's not really a field man."

Jack nodded and started for the door.

"Jack?" Niles said as he hesitated with the phone halfway to his ear.

"Yes?"

"You and Ryan come right back after you've alerted McIntire and Mendenhall as to your travel plans. Mr. Ryan will also be traveling, but a little farther south. And while you're at the battlefield, be careful, we don't know who else is after the map. If Farbeaux is in it, things could turn ugly real quick, and we don't need to lose more soldiers at the Little Big Horn."

"You have something for Ryan I need to know about?" Jack asked.

"I want him to liaise with a rescue element in Panama. I don't know how yet, but we need something in place down there."

"Good idea. We have to come up with a way to feed them real-time intel on what's happening, if we can get down there."

"Jack?" Carl had said nothing until this very moment, on speakerphone from New Orleans.

"Yeah?"

"Watch your ass, buddy. There are bad guys out there looking to stop you hard. The way they went after Niles and Ryan says they mean business."

"I'll do just that, and you and Ms. Serrate stay put and watch yourselves; they may be onto you, as well. Did you start getting the equipment we've started sending out from our stores?"

"Yes, sir, the master chief is like a hog in mud; he's working now with our techs, getting the first of our gifts installed."

"Very good, Commander Everett, see you as soon as we get back from Montana."

Jack winked at Alice and left the conference room, feeling pretty sure that the Little Bighorn could not claim any more U.S. soldiers.

Ten minutes later, Niles had fully explained to Jack his and the president's plan for Jason Ryan. Jack had concurred and he left quickly, going into Signals to request the equipment needed for Niles's South American safety valve, leaving Ryan standing in front of the director's desk. The plan was contingent upon Ryan and his team's meeting up with an experimental platform that might or might not be used. It was all they had, and using it would be a long shot, but Niles still wanted something, anything, set up in case Jack and his team ran into trouble down there.

"I have a job for you, Lieutenant."

"Yes, sir."

"I've seen your training record. Jack's been running you ragged, hasn't he?"

"Yes, sir, he's a real hard—"

"I see you're up-to-date on your jump training, is that accurate?"

Ryan looked at Niles and became a tad off balance. He had indeed finished his jump training, but had quickly found out, after his ejection over the Pacific last year in a naval mishap, that he hadn't taken to parachutes all that much.

"Accurate…I…uh, yes sir, the record is accurate."

"Good, high-level jumps?"

Ryan closed his eyes and remembered Jack and Carl's laughter as he did his three required high-altitude jumps over the Nevada desert. He also remembered screaming for almost two miles through the air before he realized it would do no good.

"Yes, Dr. Compton, high-altitude rating."

Niles smiled at Ryan's fidgeting. He then slid over a large yellow envelope containing the lieutenant's travel orders that instructed him to report to Fort Bragg, North Carolina, to the officially nonexistent Delta force operational team complex there.

"With the apparatus you'll be flying in, you have to have high-altitude jump training for emergency reasons."

Ryan read his orders and then looked at Niles. He started to say something and then stopped, and then decided to ask the question anyway. "I'm not going to help on the Amazon River thing?"

"No, Mr. Ryan, you're helping on the Black Operations…thing."

Twenty minutes later, Alice stuck her head in through his office door.

"The president is on the red phone."

Niles nodded and Alice disappeared. He hesitated before touching the phone on the right corner of his desk. The report was in front of him on the physical comparison check Europa had completed on the girl in the picture taken in San Pedro, and the news had confirmed their worst fears. And now he would have to tell a worried father about his missing daughter. He wished he could have told him before, but that was when they were only guessing as to her identity. Now they were sure. Ninety-six percent accuracy was as sure as the supercomputer could be. And that meant Kelly was indeed in the Amazon with Helen. He steeled himself and picked up the phone's red receiver.