The Temujin Loop

By Bruce Bennett

Susan Bainbridge is a tortured woman who suffers from debilitating seizures and amnesia from a horrifying encounter in her past life. Living in a stable and gratifying relationship with Bill, an Air force General, she is abruptly catapulted back to the realization of what she really is a true woman of power who is in love with another man. Susan decides to leave Bill after a party but must explain her reasons because she owes him her sanity. They never arrive home and, instead, are caught in a strange loop of time with a squad of Marines, a church singing group and two of her Sisters a Native American named Shining Star and a Mongolian named Chiani. Blending dangerous adventure with a sense of the mystic, The Temujin Loop joins people of many cultures in a drama of historic proportions.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Nov 16, 2001
• ISBN: 9781477160046

Bruce Bennett

Bruce Bennett's writing has appeared in the Wall Street Journal and the New York Sun. He has also performed and recorded music with the A-Bones, Yo La Tengo and Andre Williams.

Book preview

THE TEMUJIN

LOOP

Bruce Bennett

Copyright © 2001 by Bruce Bennett.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in

any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying,

recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission

in writing from the copyright owner.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either are the

product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance

to any actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

To order additional copies of this book, contact:

Xlibris Corporation

1-888-795-4274

www.Xlibris.com

[e-mail]

CONTENTS

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

PART I

CHAPTER I

CHAPTER II

CHAPTER III

CHAPTER IV

CHAPTER V

PART II

I

II

III

IV

V

VI

PART III

CHAPTER I

CHAPTER II

CHAPTER III

CHAPTER IV

CHAPTER V

EPILOGUE

This book is dedicated to

my mother

Wilma J. Bennett

And to

Grandmaster Liu Seong

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

I wish to thank the following people for their support, encouragement, and suggestions as I brought this novel to completion. Friends Jeffery Altimus, Deborah Freeman, Rosie Menshel; Gladys Darby-Bennett for manuscript editing and Veronica Bender for endless manuscript revisions.

In the small hours of a middle October night, with the Aurora Borealis hanging in undulating rainbow curtains, a meteor burned greenish-white from east to west. On a private coastal island in New England, surrounded by wealth and opportunity, an infant girl was born by candle and heavenly light.

On a lonely North Dakota dirt road and underneath a white obelisk demarcating the international border between the United States and Canada, a battered old pickup truck idled. An infant girl was born on a dirty old mattress.

One was named Susan.

In their native Lakota language the other was named for what her parents saw.

Both girls opened their eyes, focused on their mother’s faces and smiled with awareness.

PART I

CHAPTER I

Susan had conquered the demon within her. Tonight and in the accompaniment of her three Sisters, she would call it forth and eradicate its memory forever. She knew she was going back to the life that had almost destroyed her, fragmenting her not only physically and mentally, but on the deeper level of her essence, her soul. She felt unclean, violated in the private realm of one’s own spirituality, but controlled the memory of unmitigated evil and vileness which had clawed through her mind like the curved scythes of a Jurassic raptor. Her amnesia was over, the memory of the past was no longer the conveyor of the unfettered terror raging within her and leaving her catatonic, curled like a fetus in a corner, or in the strong embrace of Bill’s arms. She threw her duffle into the rear seat of his car and strode up the spacious curving walkway, late for the party, but confident in her decision. She was leaving him tonight.

The house above was sprawling and lavish, set on several levels of ground with a panoramic view of the surrounding arid countryside. The owner hosted an annual party here for the regular patron’s of his string of nightclubs, several in Los Angeles and one east of here, closer to the huge Strategic Air Command base where Bill was stationed, himself a general and base commander.

Susan thought about the man she had killed this morning, his neck snapping in unison with another in Cisco’s powerful hands. She had killed hundreds of men but this was different. In war and in counter intelligence it was straightforward, a deadly business game, you kill them or they kill you. This time was like the first three Russian soldiers she killed, motivated by pure revenge and she felt satisfaction in it, a closure as she watched the two spirits leave their now useless bodies and dissipate. She hadn’t killed anyone in a long time. Andromeda had changed things for the entire unit. Terri would be here at the party. Chiani was meeting Shining Star at the air base and the four of them would reunite for the first time in the five months since disaster happened.

George, the head bartender at the Tres Amigos Club, met Susan at the door.

The General’s girlfriend is absolutely stunning today, he said, his eyes lingering on her breasts before looking up at her. Two other young handsome men stood behind George, themselves caressing her body with their eyes. Susan knew they were fighter pilots.

George, she said, loud enough for the young men to hear. You shouldn’t be so obvious when you stare at a woman’s tits. What would the General say?

Three sets of eyes quickly looked in other directions.

The General is here, George said, turning red. Somewhere outside I think.

There were at least five hundred people at the party, filling the rooms, and spilling out into the huge area around the pool and beyond. Music from a live band rocked above the raucous din of conversation and lines of barbecue grills lent aroma and smoke to the air. Bill was not foremost on Susan’s mind.

Have you seen Terri, the red haired woman? Susan asked.

No, George said, surprised since the only times he had seen them together it wasn’t friendly.

When she comes, tell her I want to talk to her.

Susan entered the crowd, absently fingering the large emerald between her breasts. It was the only thing she had brought from the Temple years ago. No one would believe its priceless value, not for the size of the stone hanging from the finely handworked gold chain, but from who’s tomb it came from, a gift to Susan from a man who died over seven hundred and seventy years ago. Even she didn’t know why, but she wore it now in celebration of her rebirth, the return of her past identity. She didn’t want to hurt the man who had helped her, the man she owed a debt to which couldn’t be repaid, a man who had asked for her hand in marriage three days ago. Letting her memories flood, Susan ruefully remembered she had missed her wedding day by over two months. Bryan was the cause of the ache in her heart and she would go to him soon, after finishing it with Bill. He deserved an explanation.

Bill watched as Susan made her way through the crowd, her head and lean body appearing occasionally, but on a predictable route as she searched among the people, presumably for him. He had chosen this particular vantage point on the lower level of the split ballroom at the end of the bar, in a corner and where a view of the huge pool below was also easily afforded through the entirely glass lined wall. Now at the top of the wide, short flight of stairs, she saw him.

Susan focused on Bill, joining eye to eye, and she was not prepared for the intensity of his thoughts. Three letters, an emotion, and one word burrowed like a mole into her consciousness before she could set the block. She had not and was not going to misuse him, lie to him and violate thoughts. There was no doubt though, he had discovered something about her past, learned or was informed about the CIA surveillance and was suspicious about the murders. It would make the conversation easier tonight—make it easier for her to leave him. Bill was everything a woman could want, strong, confident, caring and devoted. Standing there in a light, white turtleneck and sport coat, he was ruggedly handsome, and Susan felt a sudden deep sadness in her heart. She did have strong feelings for him, and maybe, if her memory had not returned, she would walk to him and say yes right now. She didn’t want to lose him forever, especially the friendship, the bond they had forged as he helped her return from the very brink of insanity. Possibly she could return someday and with him finding understanding, they could share laughter again. With a deep breath of conviction and purpose, Susan descended the stairway and crossed over the intervening hardwood floor. She stopped in front of him, arms crossed against the waist of her split white skirt, the palm of her left hand upon the opposite wrist.

Hello Bill. I’m late and I apologize. There was something I had to attend to.

Could we talk?

Susan looked around.

This isn’t the place Bill.

Your right, he said with resignation. But to be honest, these last few days have been trying and I would appreciate some answers.

I’ll tell you everything you want to know later, at home, over coffee and at the table where we spent our first night together. To herself she thought, Fuck all those bastards at the Pentagon.

You told me on the telephone your memory has returned.

Yes and I owe you an honest explanation.

Bill nodded his head, knowing in his heart that Susan would not lie to him. His heart also felt the emptiness and pain of a love ending. These few remaining hours might be the last they spent together.

Drink? he said with a forced smile.

The usual.

Bill ordered a whiskey on the rocks, feeling the permeating awkwardness. Their relationship was always direct, sometimes even blunt in conversation and action, never strained by personality, only by Susan’s illness.

I’ve never seen the necklace you’re wearing, it’s beautiful.

Susan touched the large stone with her fingers, pushing it lightly against her chest.

It was a gift from the Great Kahn.

Bill felt the slight bulge of the folded photograph in his interior pocket. Frank was right, Susan was the woman in the picture from Afghanistan. He was ready to lay his feelings before her.

It doesn’t matter what you say to me later, or if you intend to leave, I will always love you.

He had just made it extremely hard for Susan, her eyes moist.

What I have to say may change your conception of me, but please believe we were as real as life allowed us to be.

Susan opened her arms and, oblivious of the people around them, they kissed and fell together in a long tight embrace.

Terri watched from the inside of her car as Cisco dropped Susan off, seeing her put a duffle into Bill’s car as he sped away. She was totally in the dark and didn’t like it, having lost track of Susan’s whereabouts for the past two days. Complicating matters further, Vasquez had needed emergency surgery, her brain swelling dangerously and hemorrhaging. The medical team had initially wanted to wait for Vasquez to stabilize and recover from her chest wound before removing the bullet from her head. Her condition deteriorated and Terri removed it herself early this morning. Vasquez had immediately improved and Terri was confident she would survive. Cisco was supposed to have attended the funeral of her sister, Anna, yesterday. Had Susan been there with him? It didn’t seem likely, given Susan’s condition. The questions were endless and then the situation turned vastly more complicated, in a potentially deadly way.

A slim bald headed man walked down from the pool area of the mansion, turned right and disappeared toward the other side of the parking area. Terri’s blood turned cold at the sight of Yuri Nematsov as the fragment of a bullet embedded in a rib behind her left breast began to burn, the end of a healed hole which originated in her back, narrowly missing the heart. He had come from behind her under a bridge along the deserted riverfront in Vienna, a set hit and she had paid dearly, but lived. Unknown to either of them, Susan had followed and Yuri also paid dearly before pitching into the water. Susan took him across the throat with a knife, but he got a round into the right side of her abdomen. So, Yuri had lived. Terri took the Beretta out of her purse, checked the chambered casing and pushed the safety parallel to the barrel, exposing the red dot beneath. She replaced the gun as a car pulled up next to hers. Bryan had arrived right on schedule.

Terri watched as he exited the car, his six foot four inch deceptively slim looking body uncoiling from the small vehicle like a king cobra. No man on earth was a tough as him, his heavily muscled body, not like a bound weight lifter’s, possessed awesome strength and she knew it well. They had worked closely together, several times posing as a man and wife, living together for weeks at a time, alone with each other, and neither was ashamed of their bodies. They had never had sex-such was the absolute trust of the team. Bryan, then a Colonel, formed the elite unit of four women and two men five years ago. For the first time Terri looked at him as a woman looks at a man. What if Susan was truly gone from his life?

Major General Bryan Murdock, dressed in civilian clothes, opened the door and slid in next to Terri.

Sir, she said.

Major, he replied. Your orders are to remain in this area until further notice and report to me via the usual channels. Andromeda is in place and proceeding. I’ll finish briefing you tonight. He produced an envelope, giving it to Terri. At your discretion and if applicable, these are the Colonel’s orders.

Yes Sir, Terri said formally. Then Bryan smiled. Good to see you Terri, get me up to speed.

I thought I was until a few minutes ago. Now we have fucking problems.

Bryan saw the concern and Terri never wasted words.

What I do know is Vasquez is going to live. I took the bullet out early this morning. Whether or not she can return to us will depend on the future. What I don’t know just happened while I sat here.

Terri reached in her purse that was between them, took a thin cigar out and lit it. Bryan noticed her gun, the safety off. He reached under his sport coat, popped the leather restraining strap on the holster and followed suit.

Susan’s here, Terri said, But she didn’t come with her man. Cisco dropped her off. I don’t think she contacted him. He must have acted on his own against orders.

Have you had any recent contact with her?

Last week the General called me. She got violent and it was damn lucky she didn’t kill him by accident.

Then he knows, Bryan frowned.

Terri nodded and exhaled.

It was horrible and she didn’t remember a thing.

What about her amnesia?

I’m convinced, Terri analyzed, she has purposely suppressed her past, so it’s not amnesia. You know the power of her mind. Any memory brings the thing back.

Bryan saw the point immediately.

And she was with Cisco, so something has changed.

Yes and this morning the police found the men who shot Vasquez and her sister—dead.

Bryan was not surprised.

You know what Anna meant to Susan and Cisco. What’s the real problem?

Terri’s voice turned deadly and her eyes narrowed.

Yuri Nematsov is alive and just walked over there.

Terri pointed with her chin.

Jesus Christ. Bryan was concentrating, formulating his plans and their options.

If he goes for Susan, kill him, otherwise you take no action. That’s a direct order Flannery.

Understood sir, Terri said between clenched teeth.

They walked rapidly up to the entryway by the pool, heading for the wooden deck alongside the house.

Otherwise, Bryan said, pausing at the stairs, Go according to plan and introduce me to Susan.

Side by side they climbed the three steps. Framed in the large glass wall to the left were Bill and Susan, their lips pressed together, eyes closed and in a close embrace. They walked past and entered the crowd. Feeling Bryan’s pain, Terri slipped her arm around his waist and squeezed.

You really didn’t expect this to be easy, she said.

He put his arm around her shoulders.

Watch for our man.

Thank you, Susan said to Bill as they released each other.

Now they could talk.

You know, he said, Russians still make me nervous even though the cold war is supposedly over.

Why do you say that?

Well, I was talking to this guy just before you came, right here, or shall I say he was talking to me about some vintage Russian aircraft he has for sale. He went out to get his card. Looked like a Russian.

Bill looked past Susan and saw a tall, lithe woman with flaming red hair walking through the throng with a man, their arms around each other.

I’d say your doctor and her boyfriend have arrived.

Susan turned from the waist, spotted Terri easily at the other end of the pool and her heart stopped when she recognized Bryan. When it restarted, the beats were tripled, and she successfully fought the overpowering impulse to run after him and fly into his arms.

It appears so, she said calmly.

Anyway, Bill continued with his story, This guy, Gregori is his name, is the archetypical prototype of his nationality.

Susan barely heard him, experiencing for the time in her adult life the searing emotion of jealousy. She watched Terri briefly place her head on Bryan’s shoulder, him drawing her closer as she stroked his powerful shoulders several times.

Bald head, short graying beard, this deep scar coming out of his turtleneck along the side of his neck and all the way up to his ear.

Susan, intently watching, suddenly realized what Bill had just said. She grabbed Bill’s upper arm.

What side is his scar on?

This side, the right.

Bill traced the outline across his own neck.

Why do you know him? Bill asked.

Out of the corner of her eyes, the unmistakable and impossible glimpse of an all too familiar baldhead was moving toward the staircase from the upper floor. Susan knew her position in the corner gave her no options and she acted quickly. Concentrating completely on one word in her mind, she turned and faced the wall, her hand sliding down the slit in her skirt as she bent over.

Damn skirt doesn’t fit right, her voice said.

Sister, her mind screamed.

Terri snapped her head around, and saw Nematsov descend the stairs, walking directly towards the corner.

Move, Terri said to Bryan, Get above him.

Susan, facing away, watched one moving reflection in the glass, her hand rapidly removing a short double bladed and double tipped knife from the sewn lining. She placed it in the nylon band separating her breasts.

General, she heard the hated voice, Imagine a businessman forgetting his cards at a social function of this magnitude.

He handed Bill a card.

Susan had slipped the top strap off of a larger knife on the inside of her thigh and straightened up, her back to Nematsov. She thought of the gun lying in her duffle bag on Bill’s back seat.

And who may this lovely lady be, Nematsov said to Bill, peering at the back of her head.

Susan, her left hand at the top of her breast, and her right poised along the fold of her skirt, turned before Bill could answer. Her cold eyes met the eyes of a man who should be dead.

Aaaah, Nemastov said in a low half growl.

He didn’t move his body, yet it went rigid, poised, and his head inclined slightly, his cheek twitching. His composure returned instantly.

So we meet again Susan, he said through clenched teeth.

Hello, Yuri, Susan measured the situation.

Nematsov’s right arm, bent at the elbow, was midsection, his left held a small stack of white business cards. The gun was on his right hip and would fire as the holster rotated, at the smallest movement of his right hand. Her position in the corner was untenable, desperate, and she knew the best she could hope for was to kill him as she died. Facing death was always the same for Susan. Refuse to believe and plan. She would bury the small knife in his throat and go over the bar with the throwing knife in the air. He didn’t move.

Hand me his card Bill.

Bill intuitively felt the danger, saw the hatred in Susan’s eyes and slowly reached out, the card in his fingers. He was acutely aware of the Colt forty-five strapped to his own belt. Susan took the card with her right hand and brought it up to eye level, reading it without taking her eyes off of Nematsov.

Excuse me, it is Gregori, she said in monotone.

All the world’s a stage, Nematsov said, quoting Shakespeare.

And all the men and women merely actors, Susan finished the passage.

Susan placed the card at her waist, pushing it slowly between her skirt and blouse, as she watched Terri come in the door behind Nematsov, lean casually against the wall while she lit a thin cigar, her other hand in and holding her purse open.

Actually, Nematsov said, his voice deep and rich, I am now in another line work.

So am I, Susan replied, recognizing Yuri’s offer.

Bill, out of instinct to protect Susan, started to move his hand up the edge of his sport coat toward his gun. Nematsov’s hand quivered.

Bill, stop, Susan commanded, the small knife, still concealed, now between her fingers. Nematsov’s eyes were locked on her cleavage. He would go for her first.

Bill, Susan said quietly and calmly. Move your hand back down.

Bill obeyed and Nematsov relaxed.

A young couple crowded up to the bar, bumping Nematsov slightly.

Gregori, Susan said loudly, wasn’t it Budapest where we first met?

My dear, you were so lovely, he said, playing along.

Show me your charm again. Susan smiled and offered her hand to him. He took it after a long hesitation, with his right hand, and bowed, kissing her fingers lightly.

I consider Susan said, Our previous business transactions to be balanced and in complete order. Do you agree?

Nematsov looked at her icily, then forced a smile and nodded once, very slowly.

And since we are now exploring other venues of profit, he returned, making the agreement. I assume our business is concluded.

I’ll see to it Gregori.

Then adieu, he said without hesitation.

He turned to Bill.

General.

Nematsov froze again as he saw Terri. He slowly turned his head back toward Susan, fully realizing he would have been dead if Susan had wanted it so.

Give my regards to Miss Flannery, he said.

Pushing his way past the couple next to him, he followed the bar it’s entire length with his eye on Susan and disappeared up the stairs. The three of them watched as he exited the front door.

Who was he Susan? Bill demanded, not grasping the full impact of the encounter.

KGB Susan replied, Or used to be.

Terri had come through the door, her finger flat alongside the trigger guard, ready to shoot through the bottom of her purse. A quick look told her Susan was ready, all of her senses acutely aware, and in a stalemate, a life for a life. She had the option of taking Nematsov in the back, hoping the bullet would kill him instantly and stop before entering Susan’s body directly behind him, or waiting, possibly only being able to save Bill. Bryan moved into position above, the same set of circumstances, from another direction and with a different body in the line of fire. Everyone waited tensely as they talked. The decision of life or death was totally in Susan’s hands. The seconds were entities, indeterminate in duration until, finally, Susan moved her arm and Nematsov touched his lips to her hand. Terri watched him leave, exhaling smoke in relief as Nematsov passed the spot that Bryan used to occupy.

Terri now directed her attention to Susan who beckoned with a slight curve of her fingers. There was no doubt Susan had regained her memory, and control of her mind. The direction in which she was heading was the ultimate question. Terri purposely opened her mind as she walked towards Susan, their eyes in continual contact. Out of the jabbering, disjointed clutter, which permeated the air, she realized Bill knew a lot more about the both of them, especially her. She no longer needed to use any pretense in front of him. Susan was an enigma, her mind closed.

I need a smoke, Susan said as Terri approached.

Bill saw the gun in Terri’s purse as she quietly covered the red dot while in the process of extracting a thin cigar from the box inside. He now understood how close death had been and remained silent.

I settled my previous account with him, Susan said. Do the same. Her voice was direct, a command.

Terri lit Susan’s cigar and looked at Bill.

Yes, she said frankly, Susan and I have a few skeletons in our closet. It’s unfortunate that mother fucker didn’t quite become a real one.

I’ll think about it, Terri shot back at Susan. All she could think about was emptying the clip of her gun into Nematsov’s back like she had done a thousand times in her mind.

Bill thought of the scar and wondered which one of them gave it to him.

It’s been a very enlightening day doctor, Bill confessed to Terri.

Susan remained immobile; staring at Terri, smoke rolling lazily from her mouth and nostrils. In three months Bill had never seen her smoke before and he noticed that, once again, things were very strained between the two.

I’d like you two to meet someone, Terri suddenly broke the silence. She had decided to return to the original plan.

Bill felt relieved in the change.

Sure, he said. George told me you had a boyfriend and were out dancing at the club the last few weeks.

Susan, do you mind?

Terri was looking for some reaction.

No, I would like to meet him.

Good, Terri said firmly as she turned to Bill. I trust there will be no discussion about this. I don’t want our past fucking up my present life.

Terri wanted to disassociate Bryan from any previous link to her or Susan. Let her take it from here, she thought as she left.

Susan openly glared at Terri as she walked away.

I never realized, Susan said to Bill, how beautiful that red headed bitch really is.

Bill could feel her jealousy.

She doesn’t hold a candle to you in my eyes. he said as he placed his arm around her waist.

Susan had not seen or even thought of Bryan in five months as she fought through her private hell. Five months was a long time and things may have changed. Steadying herself for the meeting she asked Bill for another drink, determined not to hurt him here, yet aching to be back in Bryan’s arms.

Terri located Bryan coming back through the wide outside doors; his easy gait signified his comfort.

He’s gone, Bryan said, concluding one situation, his mind now on another. Where do we stand?

Her memory is back, Terri replied, But I have no idea if it’s the old Susan or someone totally new. Her mind was locked tight, but her looks and manners are hostile.

She ran her fingers through her hair.

Good luck, she said, we’re set up as a new couple. Susan said she would like to meet you and, past that we’re flying by the seat of our Asses. If she lets me feel anything, follow my lead.

Terri slid her arm into the crook of his elbow and placed her hand on his forearm.

Remember, she said. This man is the only reason she’s still alive and not totally insane. She will protect his feelings now, no matter what hers are.

Let’s do it, Bryan said decisively, covering his inner turmoil. Etched in his mind remained the image of Susan in Bill’s arms.

Susan and Bill watched as they came down the stairs; arm in arm, chatting together easily, a smile on each other’s face. They stopped midway across the floor with Terri gesturing at someone in the crowd outside, and Bryan saying something in reply. Then Terri pointed in the direction of the corner and led Bryan over to them.

Bill, Susan, Terri said happily. I’d like you to meet Bryan.

Bill reached out and the two men clasped hands.

Good to meet you, Bill said.

The same.

Bryan turned his head to Susan.

Hello, he said.

Susan didn’t answer, merely nodding her head and keeping her arms folded across her chest as she struggled desperately to keep her composure. While in meditation she could drop her heart rate and respiration to a state of suspended animation, but she could not control the effects of her love for this man, or the mounting emotion of jealousy she felt against Terri. Susan removed the shroud cloaking her thoughts. The torrent overflowed into Terri’s mind and she acted quickly.

Bryan and I are setting up shop together, Terri said, hoping her words would allay Susan’s suspicions. I want to make sure you can reach me. She was looking directly at Susan.

Then she took out the sealed plain envelope containing Susan’s orders from her purse and handed it, along with a pen, to Bryan.

Good afternoon, Sir, a voice came from behind Bryan and Terri.

Major Tom Dolan of Bill’s command and his wife Mary walked up, distracting Bill.

Here, Terri said to Bryan, Write it down for her.

Hi, Susan, Mary greeted her.

Hello Mary, Susan replied, the code words of an assignment bringing her back to rationality.