dropped their cell phones in the bag Dallas
carried. He removed a small plastic case from the bag before he asked the bartender
to hold it behind the bar.
Ryan and Dallas then excused themselves to go to the
restroom. When they entered, Dallas removed a small device from the case, and
Ryan assumed the position of a traveler getting the wand at an airport security
checkpoint. Dallas quickly scanned his boss with the RF receiver and no spikes
were detected. He removed a second device from the case and pressed the power
button to activate the unit. If he missed any bugs, the transmission frequency
would be scrambled as long as Ryan stayed with ten feet of the jamming device.
The unit was compact and powerful, resembling a walkie-talkie, but only had enough
battery life to remain effective for thirty minutes. They returned to the table
as the drinks arrived.
“When in Rome,” said Tom, picking up his glass. The rest
of the team followed the queue. Ryan wasted no time starting the conversation.
“First, I want to apologize to all three of you,” said
Ryan. “I report to and take my orders from Deputy Director Donaldson. From the
beginning, I was instructed to give you enough information to keep you safe and
nothing more. Any requests for support from you guys was very detailed and
scripted. It’s a complete departure from the way we normally operate. When you
offered anything more, I didn’t have much choice but to ignore you. When you
started putting things together and I suspected someone else was listening, I didn’t
have much choice but to cut you off. And for that I am sorry. I especially owe
you an apology, Tom.”
“I had a feeling something else was distracting you,”
said Tom. “No apologies necessary now that we know you were under some hefty
constraints. So where do we go from here?”
“I know where I’m going, but what I need to make clear
that I’m not telling you three to come with me,” said Ryan. “I’m only asking.
Before you answer, it’s important each of you understand a few things. You
should know me well enough not feel any pressure to do something beyond your
level of comfort. If you decide to walk away from this, I’ll completely
understand.”
“Enough with the disclaimers, Boss,” said Dallas. “We’re
in.”
“You have no idea how premature that statement might be,”
said Ryan. “I’ll start with what I know. Donaldson called me in his office a
few months ago and handed me four files. Those files contained the dossiers and
crime scene information similar to what I was allowed to disclose before we hit
Arrington. There were two scientists in attendance from the Michaels Lab in
Maine during our meeting. They gave me very little information about the nature
of the research and experiments they were conducting on the Marines. They
basically told me they were super soldiers with greatly enhanced capabilities.
But after what we experienced in Harrisonburg, they seemed to have left out a
few important details. I strongly believe understanding those details could’ve
helped me keep our agents alive. Needless to say, I’m a little pissed.”
“Obviously, their strength and speed are enhanced, but I
wouldn’t go so far as to say their mental capabilities were as well,” said
Michelle. “At least not in Arrington’s case. The fact that he basically let us
walk into the farmhouse undetected doesn’t lend weight to his mental strength.”
“They told me he was the weakest of the four men,”
responded Ryan. “They emphasized his physical abilities were much stronger than
his mental. The other three scored much higher on the cognitive testing. I’m
not saying he was retarded, but based on their scale, he was less formidable.”
“After what he did to our agents with his bare hands,
they have an incredibly skewed definition of less formidable,” said Tom.
“Exactly,” responded Ryan. “Somebody knew. But whether
or not that somebody was Deputy Director Donaldson
carried. He removed a small plastic case from the bag before he asked the bartender
to hold it behind the bar.
Ryan and Dallas then excused themselves to go to the
restroom. When they entered, Dallas removed a small device from the case, and
Ryan assumed the position of a traveler getting the wand at an airport security
checkpoint. Dallas quickly scanned his boss with the RF receiver and no spikes
were detected. He removed a second device from the case and pressed the power
button to activate the unit. If he missed any bugs, the transmission frequency
would be scrambled as long as Ryan stayed with ten feet of the jamming device.
The unit was compact and powerful, resembling a walkie-talkie, but only had enough
battery life to remain effective for thirty minutes. They returned to the table
as the drinks arrived.
“When in Rome,” said Tom, picking up his glass. The rest
of the team followed the queue. Ryan wasted no time starting the conversation.
“First, I want to apologize to all three of you,” said
Ryan. “I report to and take my orders from Deputy Director Donaldson. From the
beginning, I was instructed to give you enough information to keep you safe and
nothing more. Any requests for support from you guys was very detailed and
scripted. It’s a complete departure from the way we normally operate. When you
offered anything more, I didn’t have much choice but to ignore you. When you
started putting things together and I suspected someone else was listening, I didn’t
have much choice but to cut you off. And for that I am sorry. I especially owe
you an apology, Tom.”
“I had a feeling something else was distracting you,”
said Tom. “No apologies necessary now that we know you were under some hefty
constraints. So where do we go from here?”
“I know where I’m going, but what I need to make clear
that I’m not telling you three to come with me,” said Ryan. “I’m only asking.
Before you answer, it’s important each of you understand a few things. You
should know me well enough not feel any pressure to do something beyond your
level of comfort. If you decide to walk away from this, I’ll completely
understand.”
“Enough with the disclaimers, Boss,” said Dallas. “We’re
in.”
“You have no idea how premature that statement might be,”
said Ryan. “I’ll start with what I know. Donaldson called me in his office a
few months ago and handed me four files. Those files contained the dossiers and
crime scene information similar to what I was allowed to disclose before we hit
Arrington. There were two scientists in attendance from the Michaels Lab in
Maine during our meeting. They gave me very little information about the nature
of the research and experiments they were conducting on the Marines. They
basically told me they were super soldiers with greatly enhanced capabilities.
But after what we experienced in Harrisonburg, they seemed to have left out a
few important details. I strongly believe understanding those details could’ve
helped me keep our agents alive. Needless to say, I’m a little pissed.”
“Obviously, their strength and speed are enhanced, but I
wouldn’t go so far as to say their mental capabilities were as well,” said
Michelle. “At least not in Arrington’s case. The fact that he basically let us
walk into the farmhouse undetected doesn’t lend weight to his mental strength.”
“They told me he was the weakest of the four men,”
responded Ryan. “They emphasized his physical abilities were much stronger than
his mental. The other three scored much higher on the cognitive testing. I’m
not saying he was retarded, but based on their scale, he was less formidable.”
“After what he did to our agents with his bare hands,
they have an incredibly skewed definition of less formidable,” said Tom.
“Exactly,” responded Ryan. “Somebody knew. But whether
or not that somebody was Deputy Director Donaldson
Similar Books
