A New Character in Dead and Gone

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During the 2015 A to Z Blogging Challenge I discovered a new character that I really liked. She was a present-day, tough-as-nails, gun-toting mama. ( See Briers and Brambles) She now has a name and some military restraint and is living in the future. She probably still carries. But it's likely a hand-held rail gun. Here she is introduced at the end of Chapter 1 with the start of building her character as she interacts with the main characters in Dead and Gone, a work in progress.

A tall, handsome woman with short brown hair entered the Command Unit. Whitaker called her over. “This is Sergeant M.D. Eisenhauer, our Interagency Liaison Officer. Ike, meet Detective Sergeant Hudson and Detective Sirocco.” He nodded toward Joe and Rafe. “They’re from Ceres Colony, out past Mars.” He turned to Macy. ““I’ve got some calls to make. Media’s breathing down my neck. If you’ll come with me.” Whitaker led the way out of the Command Unit. “Ike and Mac will get them started.”

Chapter 2

“I’m Joe.” He extended his hand to the woman. “Ike?”

She shook hands. “Like the President in olden times.”

“President?” he asked.

“You know, President Eisenhower? United States? Mid-twentieth Century? Mine’s spelled different.” She put her hands behind her and stood, feet shoulder width apart, military at ease. Her alto voice carried a hint of the local nasal quality.  “His was w-e-r. Mine’s the old fashioned German way, a-u.”

Joe smiled. None of this made any sense to him. The woman was talking some kind of ancient history. “Rafe here’s married to a History Prof.”

Rafe stepped forward. “As a matter of fact, she’s finishing up some research into Twentieth Century Earth right now. She’s in Mumbai, but she’ll be back tomorrow.”

Joe shook his head and grinned. A Manny Turrentine aficionado and an ancient history buff. Some cops have all the luck. “Okay, Ike. What are we working with?”

“One of our street officers took the initial information following a telephone complaint. The girl’s name is Danna.” She touched the photo in the center of the tracking wall and the pleasant looking young woman with shoulder length, dark hair and brown eyes turned from left to right and laughed. “She’s 178 cm, a little taller than average. Seventy-seven kilos,” Ike continued.

“The parents?” Joe asked.

“Daniel and Marlene Porter. Married.” She brought photos of them forward. “None of us know them, which should be an advantage. No preconceived views. We need to check out the girl friend, too. Where the girl was supposed to stay.”

“You got addresses or finding directions?”

“McAlister here is our Information Tech. She has everything we need.” Ike indicated the woman at the computer.

“Just call me Mac,” the IT said and proceeded to collect their contact information then forward what she had on the Porters and Isabella Turtle to their mobiles. “Daniel Porter is a big deal geneticist. He doesn’t do designer genetics. Not for the usual traits anyway – hair color, height, left-handedness. You know.”

Left-handedness? Joe was pretty sure he didn’t know.

“Anyway, he’s into intelligence.”

“As in information acquisition?” Rafe asked.

“Does he always talk like that?” Mac asked.

Joe laughed and clapped Rafe on the shoulder. “He sure does. And I bet with that red hair and mustache, you thought the scholar here was just another pretty face.”

Rafe arched an eyebrow. “Joe, is a jealous man.”

Eisenhauer crossed her arms and looked from one to the other, but said nothing.