Vacant Heart

Chapter Thirty-Seven

I'd visited the Pentagon once in my life. Nearly three years ago, I scheduled a tour with Samantha when we took a weekend to visit D.C., which we barely saw due to continuous battering nights of bars and alcohol. They performed background checks beforehand and finally escorted us around the Department of Defense after rigorous security procedures.

The television and movies make everything glamorous. I expected the best tech had to offer, innovative architecture upon arriving. However, hardly any technology was in sight since Wi-Fi was forbidden, along with cell phones. I was greeted to dull colors and stiff uniforms, which now considering, I should have expected. These people aren't here to impress us.

We saw the Hall of Heroes, and the September 11th memorial chapel, and then came the real surprises. The small world built around it. A mall of food joints, stores where we spent a good deal of time after the tour.

Three years later, I'm back, sitting at an outside patio table. The umbrella is unusually tied down since there are no employees to open it. The mall is a ghost town, the sidewalks barren considering the Pentagon is on high-alert and has sent most of its employee's home.

Aidan is sitting across from me, dressed in a navy blue suit. It's a dull shade, meant to fade him into the background. He can't possibly know how impossible that is. Even on edge and dressed in an outdated suit, he's strikingly handsome. From the small selections I had taken to Aidan's house, I had to improvise, choosing a soft white blouse and slacks. I hadn't packed heels but the pants are long enough to conceal most of my boots. I don't think anyone of consequence will mind.

There's fresh snow on the ground, white crystal covering over every surface, every bench. It's three p.m. and the hottest point of the day, which is currently 40 degrees Fahrenheit, and bone-chilling. In reality, we've been waiting under a half hour for the general's schedule to allow him to come retrieve us, but by the time I notice him approaching, signaling us with a stiff wave, my legs creak in resistance when I stand, numbed to the bone.

"Afternoon," he says, holding out his hand to me. "Ms. Taylor?"

I shake the limb firmly. "Yes, thank you for seeing us, sir. This is Aidan Hughes. He's a photo-"

"The photographer. Yes, I'm familiar with your work. It's a pleasure to meet you, both." He smiles, and I instantly like him. He's hardly reserved, which gives me hope that he's brought us here for a reason, not just as a favor to his opportunistic friend. "I was also a good friend of your fathers. He was a great man."

It clearly affects Aidan, the mention of his father, but he handles it well, thanking him politely.

He gestures with a flick of his chin for us to follow him back toward the famous five-sided building. While we're walking, he passes us each a badge, telling us to attach them to our clothing.

"Usually, non-personnel are required to have an escort through the building. You'll be with me until we reach my office, so I've excluded that restriction from your clearance. We are on lockdown, which I will explain in further detail once we're inside my office. Other than the camera, you've left electronic devices in your car or hotel room?"

"Yes, sir."

"Keep it hidden. If you're with me, they'll likely only check us in. Every inch of the Pentagon is under surveillance, so if you're seen taking photographs of documentation, staff, there will be consequences."

Aidan nods in agreement. "Understood."

Inside my bra is a recording device, although I won't tell him that. I've guessed that whatever he tells me, there will be no copies offered, nor jotted down notes. I can't imagine that he allowed us inside to give me inside information for a story, which makes me wonder why he agreed in the first place.