Verbum Sup

 232.

"Let's get it done," I submit.

Julie agrees asking for Mina to please prepare a fresh pot of coffee for the guaranteed to be tedious debriefing chore. Drysdale and Mustang have long been gone, each retiring to their local apartments in seek of rest and recovery, their briefs done.  

I wheel the chair up to the conference table as she prepares the compact video camera and external mic pointing both in my direction. The paradoxical metaphor is duly noted.

"Ready? Let's start with the onset of the raid. You know the drill, so let's take it from the top."

I introduce myself to the camera and we are off, tally lamp flashing red.

Ninety-two minutes later Julie purses her lips in contemplation, nods her head and announces that we have a wrap. As is almost always the case with a successful recounting, several interesting details have surfaced. My interviewer, a veteran of thousands of similar sessions, has been jotting notes onto a standard legal pad as the interrogation progressed. Notes she now presents as key points as we arc the transition from past to present.

1) Did The Queen divulge ANY information to her captors during her imprisonment?
2) Is the terrorist cell fully exterminated or are there others waiting elsewhere for instructions? On this note she has chosen the rather colorful metaphor of killing the beast with cold, complete and objective efficiency.
3) How much of an asset can Merle be in future operations?
4) Have we been compromised by the phony ATF perp and his bogus alibi?
5) Is there an 'up-river' mole somewhere between the local FBI and Hartaugh?
6) What operation were the terrorists carrying out as front for their criminal operation?
7) Mustang's performance, considering her lack of experience, was phenomenal, have we gleaned maximum intel from her on the perp we call Mr. 38?
8) Drysdale continues to prove his value with the success of every assignment. Is it appropriate to advance his responsibilities within the group?
9) Are we satisfied with the current degree of probability that Adelson remains connected to MBI?
10) Assuming he is, does that automatically imply that Hartaugh is in that same boat?

We finish our session just as I hit the wall. I am exhausted, sore and my arm has begun to throb with what feels like a rock 'n roll downbeat, the proverbial big bass drum in 4/4 time, a robust 120 heart beats per minute by my count.  

Julie senses this and agrees to call it a day, putting an appropriate end to our elongated labor of learning.

"Verbum sap."