The Pandora Effect

"Garrett Brown."

"Garrett, Tanner here, did you have a chance to go over the photos yet?"

"I was just going over them, Tanner."

"To be perfectly honest with you, I've only seen a few of them. My background is more in the political side of the Agency. I don't usually have to deal with the blood and guts of things. I was wondering, what's your take on what happened?"

"I've got a few more to look through. Why don't you come over to my office and we can discuss it face to face?"

"I'll be there in a few minutes."

The line went dead as Garrett Brown continued looking at the grizzly photos. When he finally reached the last one, he saw the body of the team leader, Aaron Lancaster. Suddenly, something caught his eye. Garrett pulled over a half globe magnifier and placed it on the photo. After moving it over Aaron's legs, he noticed something strange. Five deep slash marks on the upper part of his leg.

As he studied the new discovery, Tanner Eason walked in and sat down. "Either you're asleep, or you found something of interest in that photo."

"This is the first time we've ever found evidence of an attack. Take a look at this last photo, and tell me what you see."

When Tanner began looking at it, he felt his stomach turn at the sheer horror of the scene. This was the second time he looked at the series of photos, and the feeling of nausea was just as intense. After handing the photo back to Garrett, he took a deep breath to settle his nerves.

"The only thing I saw was a mutilated body."

"Here look again, and pay attention to Aaron's leg."

"Twice in one day is my limit on gore. Why don't you just come out and tell me what you found."

"How the fuck did you become Director of the CIA?" Garrett thought as he stared at the pudgy man.

"You can see five claw marks on his leg. The only animal with that much power is a bear, a big one."

"So you're saying they were attacked by a bear?" Tanner asked.

"I doubt it. They had enough firepower to wipe out six bears. One other thing that's got me stumped -- a bear doesn't do that kind of carnage. Once you're dead, they'll leave you alone because you're no longer a threat. These men were eaten after they were killed."

"I see your line of thought, but what about wolves or wild dogs?"

"Maybe, but I remember a few years ago, something similar like this happened to a SEAL fire team. They were on a sneak and peek outside of Predjama Slovenia. Their CIA Liaison Officer sent me the after action report of the team that picked up the pieces."

Tanner stared hard at the muscular director. "You're not thinking of doing something stupid are you, Garrett?"

"They're stationed at the Little Creek Amphibious Base. I just want to talk to them and maybe get a sense of what the hell we're dealing with. They might know something that they didn't put in the report."

"Ok, I'll agree to it. I insist you keep a low profile and under no circumstances are they to know why the team was out there in the first place."

Garrett Brown gathered the photos and placed them in his briefcase. His contempt for Director Eason was growing by the minute. Eason was never in the military, he was a damn bureaucrat. The only thing he hated more than Tanner, was his ex-wife.

"Just to ease you're concern for secrecy, I'll take Jake Newton with me. That way you can question him about what I did during the meeting."

"Now calm down, Garrett. I just don't trust someone outside the agency. You don't know these SEALs, they might talk to someone about it."

"I think I'll go now before I say something I might regret, although you should now this. If you ever talk bad about another Special Forces team again, I'll pull your heart out through your ass," Garrett said in a stern voice, then marched out of his office.

Naval Special Warfare Group Two, Naval Amphibious Base, Little Creek, Virginia.

Adam Dawson flipped through the pages of today's message traffic. Most of them were insignificant messages about small conflicts in far away shit holes. He was glad his team didn't have to deploy for a while. He could use the time to find another medic to replace Don Sharp.

He was happy his prized medic received orders to Coronado to be an instructor. The down side to it all was now he had to find another one. The last time he had to replace a team member, he was at it for weeks. The hard work paid off when he found, Kevin Dvorska.

What started as the team's point man, soon turned into a strong and unbreakable friendship. All SEALs were a tight knit unit, but the bond between Kevin and Adam was something far beyond that.

Adam tossed the messages down on the desk and leaned back in his chair. He thought back to the night he found out about the real, Kevin Dvorska. The night he turned into a large and fierce looking werewolf. Adam silently wondered if he'd ever forget that fateful night.

A knock on the door brought Adam back to the present. "Enter."

"Hi L-tee, you're the last one on the checkout sheet. I sort of went out of order, but I had to save the best for last," Don Sharp said as he sat down in a chair in front of Adam's desk.

"Doc, go blow sunshine up someone else's ass," Adam said with a smile.

"I gotta tell you Adam, I sure will miss all you guys. I'm gonna be an instructor thanks to you and the team. I don't think I can ever repay you for that."

"When do you have to report to Coronado?"

"Not for a couple weeks. I was gonna stop by my parents place in Iowa and visit before reporting."

"Good, then you can spare another night here. My last order to you is to report at Jackie's no later than 2000 hrs. I'll round up the team and we'll say farewell the proper way."

"Now that sounds like a plan to me L-tee, but will your wife let you go to a strip club?"

"I'll have to bribe her, but yeah," Adam replied with a laugh.

Adam signed his medic's checkout sheet and sent his friend on his way. After checking his watch, he decided to have a bit of lunch before getting the team together. As he was walking to the duty office, he met up with Kevin Dvorska in the hallway.

"Hey Kev, did you have lunch yet?"

"Not yet, Adam. Carl, V-man, and I just got done with packing the chutes for next weeks HALO jump."

"Well I'm heading off to the O-club for some lunch. Why don't you join me and we can discuss your ideas for a replacement for, Doc Sharp."

"That's the best offer I've had all day. I assume you're buying."

"Hell no. Kristine only gives me a dollar for lunch."

"Fine, but you owe me -- Lieutenant," Second Class Petty Officer Dvorska said.

Kevin turned around and followed his team leader towards the exit. When they passed the duty office, Adam ducked in and approached the watch stander. The post was manned twenty-four hours a day, and had access to the whereabouts of any SEAL attached to SEAL Team Two.

"Hey Jack, me and Kevin are heading out to the O-club for lunch. Try not to let anyone set fire to the compound."

"Aye, aye Sir. Do you need your side arm?" the young SEAL asked.

"I doubt it, the food's not that bad," Adam replied with a laugh.

**********

The dark blue sedan pulled up to gate three of the amphibious base. When the driver pulled up to the guard shack, a Third Class Petty Officer stepped out and approached the car. Garrett Brown pulled his identification out and showed it to the watch.

"Thank you Sir, proceed."

"Can you tell me where the SEAL compound is located Sailor."

"Yes Sir. Go straight down this road until you hit sand, then turn right. Follow the road until you come up to another gate."

"Thanks," Garrett said and then nodded to the saluting watch stander.

It took five minutes to navigate the slow, winding road that led to the SEAL compound. When Garrett reached the gate, he realized this was the right place. A large steel fence stretched as far as he could see, along with three guards. Each carried a side arm, and they had covering fields of fire. He knew the SEALs took security seriously, but hell, this wasn't the CIA.

"We're in the states for crying out loud, and its peace time. These guys are taking shit way too seriously," Jake Newton said with a shake of his head.

"I've only met a few of them when I was in, so take some advice. I wouldn't piss them off right away. They may just shoot you for fun."

When he pulled up to the gate, the guard approached slowly. Garrett quickly looked at him, then to the others who watched from a short distance away. Normally the guard would walk up to the driver's window and ask for identification. The SEAL studied the two men, then proceeded to pass them and looked in the back seat.

When he stepped back to the window, he looked at them closely. "Good afternoon gentlemen, what can I do for you today?"

"We're here to see Lieutenant Adam Dawson."

"Can I see your identification please?" the Petty Officer asked.

Garrett pulled out his CIA credentials and handed them to him. "Mr. Brown, does your son have any identification?" he said sarcastically.

"That's a CIA ID, he's with me on official business, and I wasn't aware of the new Navy rules of being rude to visitors."

"Next time I'll be sure to send you a memo. Would you please step out of the car -- Sir?" he said as he stepped back.

Garrett and Jake stepped out and shut their doors. Jake studied the two other guards as they moved their hands towards the .45 caliber handguns. His thoughts on how stupid this was vanished when the guard asked for his identification again.

After checking the ID, he gave it back to him. "Thank you, Mr. Newton. Mr. Brown, would you mind opening the trunk for me Sir?"

Garrett wanted to see how good these SEALs really were. "Not a problem Petty Officer. Here's the key, you can check the whole car," Garrett said as he held out the car keys.

"Since you already have them in your hand, would you open it up for me?"

Garrett walked back to the trunk and opened it. The guard didn't walk back until the lid was open. Jake never took his eyes off the other two, as his boss dealt with the intrusive inspection. After checking the trunk, he walked back to the driver's door.

"Thank you for your assistance Mr. Brown. Please check into the duty office. It's the long white building on the right, just over there." Garrett was surprised when the Third Class Petty Officer failed to salute.

The director of the Special Activities Division drove up to the building and parked a few feet away. As the two men approached the duty office, they surveyed the surrounding area. Even though they had good security here, their own training forced them to be cautious.

Garrett entered the building first and stepped into the duty office, while Jake Newton stayed just outside in the hallway. When Garrett stood in front of the watch standers desk, he produced his CIA credentials.

"Thank you Mr. Brown. What can I do for you?" the Petty Officer asked.

"I was hoping to have a chat with Lieutenant Adam Dawson. Is he in today?"

"Yes Sir he is, but he went to lunch. You're welcome to wait if you'd like."

"Hell no, I need some chow too. Hey Jake, feel like grabbing some chow?" Garrett asked as he looked back at Jake.

"Sure, since we seem to have some time," Jake replied with a blank expression.

Garrett turned back to the watch stander and smiled brightly at him. "So tell me shipmate, where can a retired Fleet Master Chief get some good Navy chow?"

"Well Master Chief, you can eat at the O-club. That's where L-tee went, but if I were you I wouldn't show him that CIA ID."

"What's the matter with my credentials?"

"Mr. Dawson doesn't like CIA guys too much. It seems their always trying to get him killed."

"Thanks for the heads up shipmate," Garrett said with a smile, then walked by Jake and out to the car.

Once they were safely inside and out of earshot of others, Jake looked at the director. "I'm confused, why did you tell that kid you were a Fleet Master Chief? You're a thirty year Green Beret veteran."

"Because you can get more out of Navy men if they think you're part of the same yacht club."

"I never did like Navy guys. The only thing they ever did for me when I was in Force Recon, was give me a ride and then drop me off. I also never thought much of the SEALs as a true elite fighting force," Jake said arrogantly.

"What did you do again as a Force Recon Marine?" Garrett asked.

"I was a point man, and a damn good one. There wasn't a team anywhere that could catch us. That's how I got into the S.A.D. last year."

"Well I'll let you in on a little secret, Jake. Don't turn your back on a SEAL, they'll kill you just for breathing wrong."

**********

Adam and Kevin sat at a table off in the corner of the Officers Club. Both men studied the other patrons at the club, as most of them finished up their lunches. They really didn't have to since they were in the confines of the base, but some habits you just can't stop. Kevin, looked up at the server as she brought their drinks over. He smiled politely at her as he leaned back in his chair.

"Oh I forgot to tell you, Kevin. I need you to get the team together and have them meet up at Jackie's tonight. We're having a farewell party for Doc," Adam said as he picked up his coffee.

"Not a problem, Boss. Are you going to be able to get away from, Kristine? Ever since you two were married, she's had you on a short leash."

"You have room to talk. When was the last time you got out at night without, Laura?" Adam countered.

"You have a point there. My God, what have we become? We're Navy SEALs for crying out loud."

"I'll tell you exactly what we've become -- pussy whipped," Adam told him as they both enjoyed a laugh.

Suddenly, Kevin stopped laughing and looked quickly towards the entrance. He saw two well-built men walk in. One of them had a short flat top haircut, with about three quarters of it sprinkled with grey hair. The man following him had long brown hair that covered his ears. As he entered, he too scanned the area but with a more anxious look on his face.

"Yeah I tell you Kev, we're really turning out to be a couple of..." Adam's smile faded quickly as he looked over at his point man.

When he saw the look on Kevin's face, he knew something was terribly wrong. He had that look anytime danger was very close. One of the most helpful traits of having a werewolf as your point man, was his uncanny senses that alerted the team to threats.

"I know that look, Dvorska."

"Two men just came in and I doubt very seriously they came in for lunch."

When the man with the flat top saw Adam and Kevin, he started to walk over slowly, while his friend followed close behind. As they reached the table, the brown haired man never took his eyes off, Kevin. To his credit, Kevin never blinked.

"Afternoon, you wouldn't be Adam Dawson by chance would you?" Garrett asked with a smile.

Adam, looked hard at the older man. "I could be Santa Clause in disguise. Who wants to know?"

"Oh sorry about that, I'm Garrett Brown and this is Jake Newton. May we sit down?"

"My friend Kevin doesn't seem to like you two very much. I trust his senses with my life, so I think you should leave before we make a mess of the Officers Club," Adam replied in a low, stern voice.

Garrett Brown, looked over at Kevin and smiled politely. "You must be Kevin Dvorska, point man for SEAL Team Two's Alpha squad. It's a pleasure to meet you," he said as he extended his hand.

"Either you're the bravest man in the world, or deaf," Kevin said without taking his eyes off his partner.

"I guess I'm the bravest," Garrett replied as he pulled out a chair and sat down.

Jake Newton followed his bosses lead and sat down directly across from Kevin. The two of them continued to stare down each other, as the server came over to take their orders.

"Hi there Miss. I think we'll start off with a few beers, then go from there. Can I get you two a beer as a sign of peace?"

"I don't think so, you won't be here that long," Adam said as the server went off to the bar.

"Nice club you guys have here. Does it get very busy on weekends?"

"What do you want Mr. Brown, and who do you work for?"

"I'm with the agency. I need some help with a problem I'm having," Garrett said as he reached into his briefcase.

"I can recommend a good proctologist."

Garrett, started laughing at the jab, but he was the only one. "That's a good one. I've heard you SEALs have a great sense of humor."

The conversation went quiet when the server came up and placed a beer in front of the S.A.D. men. After handing her a ten, he told her to keep the change and sent her off. Once she was gone, he placed a plan manila folder on the table in front of, Adam Dawson.

"Let's get something straight, Mr. Brown. I don't do favors for the CIA."

"I understand your attitude. If it means anything to you, neither would I. I did thirty years as a Green Beret before joining the agency. I'm not an Intel guy, I'm more of what you would call a get it done quietly guy."

Adam Dawson studied the graying man, then looked over at, Jake Newton. Most of the time Adam had to deal with the CIA, it was with Intelligence Officers. He knew there was another side to the agency, a secret paramilitary group that carried out special operations.

"What does the S.A.D. want with me? I thought you guys had the best and brightest working for you."

"You and your team were the first on the scene when one of your SEAL fire teams ran into something bad. Do you remember Predjama? Something tore those men to shreds like they were rag dolls."

"Yeah I remember. What's that got to do with you?" Adam asked with a puzzled look.

Garrett pushed the folder over and took a drink of his beer. "Take a look at these photos and give me your opinion."

Adam opened the folder and saw the torn, mangled bodies of four men. When he saw the first picture, he already knew what caused the damage. He continued through the stack quietly, then handed them to, Kevin. Kevin on the other hand, flipped through them quickly then placed them back in the folder. His eyes immediately went to, Jake Newton.

"I don't have a clue how four trained spec ops guys were slaughtered," Garrett said quietly.

"It could have been a bear or large dogs," Kevin said.

"Come on Dvorska, don't patronize me. This wasn't a bear attack," Garrett shot back quickly.

"Mr. Brown, we don't know what you're up against. It was the same way with us in Predjama," Adam said to the director.

Kevin stared at the young S.A.D. operative. "Maybe your friend here has an opinion on the matter. You see Adam, he has the same unique qualifications and talents that I have."

Adam quickly spun his head and glared at Jake. He knew exactly what Kevin was talking about. That's why he kept his eyes on him all the time. "You've got to be kidding me, two fucking werewolves in the Officers Club? This is going to get ugly quick."

"Are you sure Kev?" Adam asked.

"I'm afraid I am, Sir."

Garrett Brown, looked back and forth between them with a puzzled look. "You two haven't let up on one another since we got here. Would you mind telling me what your beef is with my point man."

Jake softened his stance a bit and leaned back in his chair. Picking up his bottle, he took a long pull of the cold liquid. "Its okay, Garrett. He's just being a SEAL -- overprotective."

Kevin, leaned back in response to Jake's stance. "L-tee, would you mind getting me a beer? Take Mr. Brown here with you, I think we need to have a talk, a kind of point man to point man talk if you know what I mean."

"I think I will take you up on that offer for a beer Garrett, as long as you're still buying."

"I don't know what the hell is going on here but I can guarantee you, if anything happens, I got a hundred bucks on, Newton."