Caitlin O'Farrell looked into the eyes of each man before she spoke. There was a feeling in the room that a different perspective on the proceedings was about to be given. Several of the men for the first time felt the wide chasm related to gender as this revolutionary event was beginning to play out. They were all anxious to hear what the representative member of the female half of the world would say, and how she might justify recent events.

"You must understand, gentlemen, that these violent acts spoken of here today are in response to cases of abduction, rape, torture and murder of women in areas where blatant lawlessness often rules the day."

The men listened intently.

"Female victims of such men are usually chosen out of their own weakness. A helplessness which is in many cases is supported by the systems in place, usually falling on the side of a male world which has been created and sustained through force, fear and oppression."

None of the men were willing to argue this point, as in many parts of the world they fully understood this was indeed the status quo.

"The innocence of their victims . . . and their sheer inability to defend themselves, is where the impetus of this new violence is emerging from a certain faction of women. These females may be responding to the fact that an  opportunity to victimize their gender is often perceived by such male predators as simply their right to do so."

Again, the men allowed O'Farrell's argument, though with reservation.

"In many other such cases, a rogue male may act violently in a rage against a female with no fear of resistance or any just consequences for their actions. My own agency has determined that in most of these cases of revenge you speak of, the targeted male victims had already been tried and convicted of an assault against a woman or girl. And in a majority of these incidents, the male was a repeat offender of rape, murder or mutilation of a female . . . a fact all too often known to the man's own community."

Again, the men were reticent to speak.

"You can hardly question the motivation of these retaliations, can you gentlemen? Women are under total siege today in many places of world, as you know. And it seems now we are seeing a unified reaction to these occurrences, born of the basest instincts to protect oneself and one's own kind against further brutality."

Mr. Helms of the CIA reentered the discussion, cautiously, but with a stern resolve.

"Yes Ms. O'Farrell . . . but with all due respect to your gender . . . and the historical efforts to undue centuries of inequalities . . . we're talking here about violent reprisals of the most horrific type. And carried out by women exclusively"

"Precisely," she acknowledged.

"They are what seem to us . . . in my agency's briefings . . . as carried out by an elite commando unit. A strike force, if you will. . . seeking out known targets under an agenda of revenge."

"Yes. That may be so. But also as an effective deterrent to others, I would guess. In essence, Mr. Helms, you are correct. That's exactly what Aristomache's Strike Force seems to be doing."

Again the men were quiet and a bit taken aback their female colleague's lenient position with regards to the crimes under discussion.

Caitlin O'Farrel went on, undaunted in her poise.

"I assure you, gentlemen, I am not dismissing that we have indeed seen a similarity to these attacks on male individuals by some faction of females. We could even now call them signature operations. But when it comes to the greater Penthesilea Sisterhood, which has been in existence in one form or another for hundreds of years, and as observed by my division as mostly benign, I refuse to stand here and let any of you throw the baby out with the bath water."

Nicasio looked over at his professor and raised his eyebrows.

The colonel then charged back in.

"Alright, Ms. O'Farrell. I can see how the work of PS . . . as you call it, would be lauded and praised by certain reactionary female groups as . . . shall we say . . .worthy? Perhaps even overdue in some parts of the world. But as far as this armed strike force is concerned . . . whether it's affiliated or not with the greater group . . . well, let's not mince words! Assault is assault! Murder is murder! And you are telling us here today that you are OK with all that?"

"No. No more OK with it than I am with the original acts these males carried out against their victims beforehand, Colonel Clayhorn. But you must remember, it is always some inhuman act in the first instance which seems to elicit these symmetrical . . . and yes violent reactions."

The other members of the ad hoc committee were now wide-eyed while non-committal.

"This elite force, Sir . . . whether a splinter group . . . or acting independently, has of yet not given my department sufficient evidence that they are operating under the command or approval of the Penthesilea Sisterhood. And that includes one of their many NGOs, Antiope's Daughters."

"Are you certain of that, Dr. O'Farrell?"

"For now. . . Yes I am. It would be very easy to make such a connection by anyone who wants to demonize the work of PS and their current humanitarian projects. We are finding from my division that their current activities are indeed burgeoning, but they have done tremendous good for women and girls worldwide. All of their current projects seem to be devoted to the underlying cause of protecting and assisting females . . . not as you assume committing crimes. Many of the women they are assisting have no other support."

While Ms. O'Farrell continued, Mr. Helms, still standing at the front of the room, looked over tellingly and somewhat apologetically at Dr. Williamson.

O'Farrell nevertheless continued, strong and convincingly.

"Fear is a great motivator, gentlemen. And there are many . . . mostly men, who would like to reduce the social phenomenon going on out there to the likes of a war. But let's not forget the old aphorism, 'The first casualty of war is the truth.' Many males are just uncomfortable with women acting en masse . . . or effectively mobilizing their efforts independent of them. And that's exactly what seems to be, according to our investigations, what's occurring now globally over these past eighteen months."

"Jesus! . . . How did this get so out of control? Can't you men see what's happening?" The dramatic question came from the obviously agitated colonel.

"So for now," Ms. O'Farrell continued, "I urge you all to simply look at the evidence . . . the predisposing factors in any these crimes. How and why they have emerged during this period."

She stared now at each man individually.

"And we must try to investigate them without prejudice. Empirically. Case by case. Our agencies need to employ all evidence gathered, cautiously We must consider the background circumstances . . . and honor the rule of law."

She turned and looked directly at Dr. Williamson.

"There can be no room for witch hunts, gentlemen. You all know that history has already been there and done that."

The professor looked at Nicasio and smiled whimsically at the historical reference.

There was again a soundless few moments in the room.

The other men looked at each other and waited to for someone to give a cogent response. To speak to their fellow female agent's well-crafted rebuttal.

It was the casual Mr. Taylor from DHS who finally responded, reacting to a detectible atmosphere of mistrust and an emotional polarization hanging in the air..

"Well . . . even though I am troubled by what's happening out there . . . especially in those backward countries to women. . . and I agree we must consider these brutalities as factors. Gentlemen . . . as agencies of the law, we just can't allow militias of women to go around the world trying to even the score with bad men."

"That's right!" was a comment that boomed out from someone at the table.

"We have the capacity to find the facts," Taylor continued, "and we must be balanced and objective here of course."

"Thank you, Mr. Taylor," was O'Farrell's response.

Mr. Stuttman of the FBI, brushing his mustache to the sides of his mouth, quickly responded.

"OK. This we all agree with, Jack. But no group . . . female or otherwise, can be allowed to operate outside the law. And the latest of these related incidents we have indeed traced to all-female Aristomache's Strike Force. Their violent acts were perpetrated against several repeat pedophiles in the U.S. last week. Just as they were released from incarceration."

There were several whispers of confirmation among the men at the table.

"And besides these two cases in the US, there was a similar incident of aggravated revenge by this splinter group in Germany, as well. All three victims were stalked and assaulted by the same modus operandi . . . high-tech crossbows injecting a toxin into the individual's mid-section."

"Is that so?" asked the Lieutenant Colonel.

"Yes," responded Mr. Stuttman. "They were ambushed and shot at relatively close range by the same distinctive weapon."

"Seriously?"

Professor Simons closed his eyes briefly. He had heard and seen this all before.

"Yes. Seriously, Colonel. The steel shafts of those arrows were each tainted with a potentially lethal snake venom. Those particular men did not die . . . but were cruelly injured. They'll each suffer permanent complications for life. Others in the past have been killed by such a method in retaliation to a female's murder."

"Jesus Christ! What are we dealing with here, gentlemen?"

"Amazons," Mr. Stuttman emphasized, taking a small stainless steel shaft out of his pocket and holding its sharpened tip up to the group. Amazons."

* * *