Genecaust Page 25

  She climbed the remaining stairs by his side, but didn’t touch him. At the landing he put one hand on the rail and slowly spun half a turn to a seating position on the top step. She sat next to him while he breathed heavily and rubbed his temples.

  She patted his back. “Much pain?”

  He sat resting his elbows on his knees and cradled his head in his palms. “Ever since my experience my kidnappers’ drugs, I get a migraine aura everyone in a while.” He waved his hand. “Not much lingering pain. It’s just the freaking rotating jagged string of bright lights that resemble early cannon fortifications you see at old forts. Last about twenty minutes.”

  “Can you read or drive with it?”

  “I could, but prefer to sit it out the twenty-minute distraction.” Looking at his shoes he said. “You have any doctor’s advise to share?”

  “I do have a medical degree, but I’m not in general practice. When we get back to base you’ll need to see doctor. If he makes you say out of the field until your healed, I’ll give you a dozen beetle drones all tanked up with explosives for you to play spy with. I always carry one or two with me.”

  He laughed, but still cling to his head.

  Th door behind them slammed shut and a young woman leapt through the space between them continuing down the stairs.

  He called out to her. “Debby, it’s Grandfather Granger.”

  Halfway down the next set of stairs the woman stopped. “Prove it.”

  He gave Meret his photo ID. “Take this to her.” Then put a finger to his lips.

  She nodded and walked to the woman in a deliberate fashion holding the ID in her extended arm so Debby could see it. The girl stood holding to one rail as though she would vault away if needed. Meret was sure she could and didn’t wish to get into a sprint with the younger woman.

  Perhaps a 5K but nothing shorter or faster.

  Meret gave her his ID and waited. She didn’t know what to expect, but a short cropped blonde with blue eyes and a name like ‘Debby’ wasn’t it. Her clothes reminder her more of some of the international women enrolled in MBA programs in the States who fully expected to encounter their first job offer in an elevator.

  “He’s kept your secret. Are you the young woman he’s looking for?”

  She nodded and took a step lower.

  Meret waved her hand. “I have seen your speed and he can’t chase you. They gave him a beating the day they took your father.”

  She handed his ID to her and ran toward Granger.

  Meret gave them the space they needed and waited on the next landing.

  After several minutes overhearing quiet muffled conversation between Debby and Granger, the door to her apartment closed followed by the sharp sound of a deadbolt. Granger eased his visual migraine down the stairs alone. “There’s a coffee shop by the train terminal not far from here. I’ll fill you in after I’ve had a double espresso.”

  The coffee seemed to be what they both needed. Sitting on the side walk covered by the second story of a commercial building, the shaded alcove caught the best cool breezes. Evidence of street people’s overnight remain in cozy corners, but only a few tourists could be seen.

  Meret spoke first. “I never expected a ‘Debby.’ Is she really the young person you came to see?”

  “Yea, and she’s a Debby with a ‘y’, not the ‘ie’ Kind of Debby. A quality wig, contacts, good foundation creme, hell, I could look like her.”

  “Her teeth and English are perfect.”

  He finished his espresso. “Her dad’s prepared her well.” The cup looked silly small in his hands.

  “How did she take it?”

  “How else? She’s in a shitty situation.”

  “Why do I think she’s a computer science student?”

  Granger’s eyes narrowed.

  More pain or is he suspicious of me?

  He continued. “I don’t know, did I mention it or was that in the INTEL Poppy sent? You know, the Italian guy?”

  “Poppy certainly mentioned him and his interest, but nothing about the existence of Debby. You have the record of my meeting with Dr. Francesca from our restaurant session. Do you think there’s a connection?”

  He looked at his wrist watch and scanned the line of tourists and tradesmen across the street next to the train station. “I do.” He held out his hand. “Can you show me one of your beetles while we wait?”

  “Sure what for?”

  He held it in his hand and rubbed his index finger on is smooth black back and looked across the street again. Lifting his chin, he said, “Her.”

  Meret followed his line of sight into the crowd. A smartly dressed young woman with blonde short cropped hair dog walked her flight bag on the side walk.

  “Do you see her?”

  “Debby. My god. Do you want to track her?”

  He nodded. “I gave her a necklace her father gave to me for this eventuality.” He pressed an icon on his smart screen. “It’s working, but only gives location.”

  “So, you need a beetle to plant in her apartment that can gather more.”

  “Exactly. More is better and as you mentioned to the Director, we need to seriously upgrade our surveillance.”

  “Tell me you main concern is her safety.”

  “It is, Meret, but I think she may have fallen under the influence of one of the bad guys.” He slid her a business card and tapped his finger on it where he had written an address. “She is staying here in an apartment as a guest of the company. All expenses paid and her only requirement is to be the best computer science student possible.”

  The card read: Giampy Guest House - Bed & Breakfast Via Daniele Manin, wi-fi included.

  “So you’re looking for the boy friend.”

  He smiled, “More like a man friend, the irrepressible Dr. Piero della Francesca.”

  Her eyes widened. “Oh my god, the Italian guy.”

  46

  Katya plants a Seed

  August, Tiri appears - Subash gets a new friend

  After meeting with the Group of Eight, Katya only needed to direct Dr. Subash Sen in the right direction. She chose a persona she introduced to him on the flight from Socotra, Tiri. A slightly shorter, beautiful young Middle Eastern woman in a black pants suit wearing a light blue silk head dress. It didn’t take Katya long to convince Subash that Tiri lived in the same building and would visit him from time to time. She needed Tiri to rekindle older emotions and spin them into Subash’s protective mind. Hubris would rule the day.

  Next, Katya made Tiri his admiring confidant. Subash now remembers conversations he never had with her where he railed for hours about the abuse laid on his extended family by the Middle Eastern conflict of the past forty years. His glorious plan for retribution began with Socotra but would soon take to epic proportions. He had to solve just one more problem.

  “Your plan to remove the evil influence of the Americans from our soil is wonderful, Subash.” She placed her hand on his thigh. “Please let me help you. How may I help you?”

  He adjusted his collar and took her hand. “You help me in more ways than I can count.”

  “How will you kill the Americans? They are not the same as the Muslim women of Socotra. The Americans are like dogs in the street, they come from many lands and breed like the poor. Surely your poison cannot look into their dark souls?”

  “Of course not, Tiri.” He raised one finger and his voice at the same time. “For what I plan to do requires the precision of a surgeon and the stroke of genius.” He began to explain as he would an admiring daughter. “We do not have to kill many Americans, only those wielding political power in the name of others need die. The corrupt evil is the worst evil. They are also cowards who will run weeping for mercy after I cut off the heads of the ones they pay to do their bidding.”

  She appeared excited and clung closer. “Tell me, Subash, how will you accomplish what others have tried and failed so miserably at?” She tugged on his shirt. “Tell me, please.”

 
; He raised the finger once more and cupped it in his other hand, shaking both. “There is an event each year in Washington where all the political knives of our darkest enemies gather to celebrate their dominion.”

  “What is it, Subash? How many are there?”

  “The event itself might hold a thousand, but I have a list of some two hundred that must die.”

  Her eyes widened and she fined interest. “Oh, please let me see the list.”

  He puffed up his chest and produced a folded piece of paper from his passport wallet like a magician discovering a pigeon in his pants. “These are the leaders, the heads of the serpent Hydra and they will be the ones to die. The only ones. I put his list together before the conference. No one else has seen it.”

  She took the list and held it in both hands, in reverence, and gratefully looked into his eyes.

  He doesn’t know I planted them in his mind during the flight.

  “Yes, but how will your poison know whose heart is the blackest?”

  “It is enough for me to know. I will mark them as the Christians do on their day of ashes. I will have them suffer penitence for their sins and cleanse their souls before their eternal fast in hell.”

  “How will you mark them so?”

  “That is something I am still working on.”

  Tiri replied using Katya’s voice but he didn’t seem to notice the difference. “You do not need to mark them on the outside. Don’t you remember telling me of your idea while we watched your drones fly over Socotra? You are brilliant and said you can mark them from the inside. ”

  * * *

  Jack Strake, PSI Corp security minion, took a six pack from the fridge and sat in his recliner facing his new X-Box and anticipated a solid four-hour session with the new Grand Theft Auto release. He thought he’d do some cruising before things got personal.

  Within three blocks of his first ride, the screen went black and before he could swear, a distant, icy voice cooed Jack, the word is leather.

  The image of her familiar face and windswept hair filled the screen and then gratefully zoomed out to reveal her more than slightly too small black bolero.

  He almost crushed his beer can. “What the ‘ell are you doing here?”

  “Nice to see you too, Jack. I’m conducting interviews for my new company and giving you and your crew the opportunity to get in on the ground floor, so to speak.”

  “What this about a new company?”

  “Within the week I shall have acquired PSI Corps. I’m planning many changes, Jack.”

  He finished his beer. “You screwing with me, eh?”

  “Everything’s on the up and up, Jack. Your true talents are currently being wasted. I’ve always thought of you as more a field agent than the office type. After you beat a hundred interrogation subjects stupid, it must get boring and your pay is pathetically small for a man with your experience and abilities.”

  Distracted, he opened two cans of beer. He held each in one hand. “What’s all this, then? You’ve got the best track record getting INTEL from stooges, how did you do it?”

  “I did it. That’s all that counts. I have to ask, Jack, how much did you make for the work you did with Dr. Sen?”

  “We did all right, close to a hundred thousand dead presidents.”

  She bowed her head slightly and smiled. “Were you aware PSI Corps and Director Dirk Donahue pulled in 2 billion?”

  He sat on the edge of his chair. “What’s that got to do wid me?”

  “I got a job for a smart street team, lot’s of undercover work that’ll pay the top guy five million dollars, American.”

  “Ah, now that’s a ton of bees and honey, what’a we ‘ave to do?”

  “I need you to put together a crew that could, in 30 days, slip into a secure facility in broad daylight and infect 210 people.”

  “You want them dead?”

  “Your crew will not be killing anyone. This is like a street scam. People see you, but won’t know what you’re doing.”

  “Five million, you say?”

  “It’ll take close to a-half million to set everything up, train your people, and position them. The rest is yours to share with the team as you deem appropriate.”

  “Who’s the target?”

  “I’ll let you know once I know you’re on board.”

  “How will I know you mean business and when do we start?”

  “You assemble the crew. I will address them after you call me.”

  “How will I know it’s time to make that call?”

  “I’ve worked up a signal you can’t miss. How about, you’ll know the time the moment to make that call when you learn that Donahue has blown his brains out.”

  47

  Meret sees Henri

  September, Zhen provides facial recognition- Granger’s migraine

  Granger relaxed in a faux leather recliner reviewing the recorded images on his smart phone from his first stake out using one of Dr. Zhen’s beetle bots.

  “And you’re positive this beetle’s not armed?”

  Meret echoed from the adjacent room that had been converted into a small kitchen. “No icon, no bam-bam juice.” She stepped into the passage between the kitchen and the living room and leaned against the lINTEL that once supported a proper door and folded her arms. “Isn’t it a bit creepy for you to be watching Debby’s apartment? She’s the daughter of a former asset. I mean, wouldn’t you be more comfortable if I did that?”

  He held the screen by its ears in landscape mode kept his eyes on it as though he were flying from inside his beetle bot and continued fast forwarding Debby’s history. “Hell no, I’m only viewing her in the public living room. Looks like she’s getting ready for guests. I’ve almost ended fast-forwarded and about to begin real-time.”

  Meret shouted from he kitchen. “This is only day-three and the last time I observed Debby playing the domestic, she swept the floor in her underwear.”

  He often enjoyed her sarcasm, unlike sudden noises or bright lights that still made his head ache. He rested the smart phone on his lap and held his temples. “Meret, I need you. I’m having trouble seeing.”

  Meret ran from the kitchen and caught the smart phone sliding off his lap. After putting it on pause, she placed it on the small table next to his recliner. While taking his pulse with her free hand, she Slid the hair on his forehead to one side and opened his left eye with her thumb and forefinger. “Are you having aura? Are you seeing flashes of light?”

  He exhaled a whispered, “Yea.”

  She removed her hand. “Any pain?”

  “More like irritating discomfort.”

  “Nausea? Dizziness?”

  “Neither.”

  She turned toward the kitchen and patted his shoulder. “Close your eyes. I’ll be right back.”

  After entering the kitchen she returned with ice water in a beer mug. “Sip this, you’ll feel better soon. Close your eyes and watch the aura twist its way across your eye and disappear. I’ll watch Debby doing dishes. You nap. It’s been a long day.”

  He held her arm. “I’m okay. Thanks.”

  She squeezed his hand and returned it to his lap. “I’ll let you know if anything happens.”

  Meret nestled in the corner of an overstuffed couch across the small room facing Granger and continued is fast forwarding of Debby’s apartment on another recorded segment. Watching the rapid rearrangement of furniture, she was surprised when the video suddenly slowed to real-time. Noticing Granger has left the audio on mute, she tapped the speaker icon to low so she could hear without distracting him from a much needed rest.

  She noticed Zhen’s newly added smart phone icons included a face with a red question mark on it.

  Ah, doctor Zhen has given us facial recognition.

  She watched the screen and then paused the video. She touched the face icon and then touched Debby’s face. That app drew a dozen or so gold dots on what she assumed where the key points for facial recognition. The red question marker b
egan to flash.

  Okay, I’ll take that as a go.

  Then it changed to green and began to rotate. She waited. A small window appeared on the screen with a somber portrait of Debby with the name Deborah Abboud. The space next to the image where she expected a short resume or physical description was blank except for a disclaimer that said, “Under processing.”

  She touched the face icon to end the subroutine.

  Interesting.

  Meret woke and heard the sound of tiny voices on her lap. Startled, she retrieved and glanced at the smart phone. The party at Debby’s apartment had started. She smiled and glanced Granger. Seeing him deep in sleep, she whispered and saluted him with two fingers. “I got this one. First job, make a guest list of all the unusual suspects.”

  Debby’s guest list seemed to favor men over women two to one. She started with the men. The beetle, hidden atop a ceiling fan, had little trouble capturing images between the rotations if the fan. None of the men proved interesting. Most of the male images were mapped to the university’s student data base. One man and two of the women showed up in the local police records along with their boring history of minor arrests. Following protocol, they were uploaded to the CIA for additional scrutiny.

  Then a young man entered wearing a black beret and more confidence than anyone else. His face generated a quick match with INTERPOL as one Henri Baudin, a person of interest in several open cases of corporate security breaches. As exciting as he might be, she needed more information and decided to watch and record who he might choose to spend his time with.

  Henri removed his cell, but before he could initiate a call, Debby caught his arm and gave him a drink. Instead of drinking it, he walked into the kitchen, placed the glass on a table and began a presentation of his cell to the room. There was something familiar about the manner with which he held the phone in his hand as he moved from the kitchen though the open door, arm extended, as though feeling for rain. Meret immediately turned the beetle off. If she had shut down in time, Henri wouldn’t find her bug.