Read Online The Collective Protocol by Brian Parker - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Brian Parker
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sister’s presence off to the west. She ignored it for the moment and turned until she saw the Monument. Her consciousness flew quickly to the massive obelisk and she instantly identified a ceremony of some type around the base of the structure.
From high above, she was able to detect “Wilma” who was quickly walking away from the area. She refocused on the ceremony and saw a man standing at a temporary podium in front of the small crowd. Paige cast about for a few seconds trying to decide if she wanted to use one of the armed men who were stationed around the Director of the FBI. Something about their mental state made her question using one of them. They were watchful of the crowd immediately in front of them, but they were too lax about the security immediately outside of the small circle of the crowd. It made Paige nervous, so she pulled up and widened her search.
There they were. The snipers on the roof of the Smithsonian were what gave the men on the ground the false sense of security. It was a good thing that she decided to check out her surroundings; otherwise the sniper probably would have just shot the agent raising his weapon against the director.
Two men lay prone on the roof of the old red brick Smithsonian Institute building. One held a rifle and the other watched through some type of binoculars on a stand. She thought about it for a moment. Just shooting the director wouldn’t do the Protocol any good; they had to kill as many people as they could to create a panic. She quickly probed the spotter’s mind to determine if he had a weapon that could be used against his partner. He didn’t, but the shooter wore a knife on his belt.
Her projected nonphysical form dove down and inhabited the mind of the sniper behind the rifle. “Hey, you okay man?”
“Wha? What do you mean?” she asked through the shooter’s mouth.
“You just shook for a moment. You need me to turn on the heated blanket again?”
“Uh, no. No, I’m good,” she answered.
“Okay. This is probably gonna wrap up in a few minutes, so we’ll be cleared to leave soon,” the spotter stated.
“Yeah, I could use some coffee.” She risked a glance at her partner and he was once again peering through the binoculars towards the crowd.
“I hear ya, man,” he answered. She slid the sniper’s arm down along his side and pulled out the knife. She searched his memories for knowledge about how to fight with a knife and discovered what she needed to do. “Let’s get some from that little coffee shop on the way back to—”
He never finished his sentence as the knife slashed across his throat, severing his windpipe, arteries and the muscles holding his head upright. She utilized the sniper’s superior strength and reflexes to catch her partner and gently lay him back away from the edge of the building. She casually stabbed the blade through his eye to end his suffering and settled back behind the rifle. Maybe killing the others wouldn’t be as difficult as she’d worked herself up into believing.
This was going to be easy , she thought. There was no way to connect the Canadian government to this shooting. The Director of the FBI was one of the only people who could derail the Protocol. He would undo everything that she’d ever worked for if he was given a chance.
Paige again relied on her host’s memories and skills as she calmly sighted in on the director. She fired and pulled the bolt to the rear to eject the spent cartridge. Another bullet slid into the chamber as she thudded the bolt closed. She picked another target and fired again. By the time all ten rounds were fired, the crowd was in chaos and the primary target had long since bled out under the hands of his security element.
She didn’t relish the idea of what she had to do next, but it had to be done. She had to tie up all the loose ends before she left, otherwise there would always be a doubt. The sniper’s testimony that he watched everything happen without
From high above, she was able to detect “Wilma” who was quickly walking away from the area. She refocused on the ceremony and saw a man standing at a temporary podium in front of the small crowd. Paige cast about for a few seconds trying to decide if she wanted to use one of the armed men who were stationed around the Director of the FBI. Something about their mental state made her question using one of them. They were watchful of the crowd immediately in front of them, but they were too lax about the security immediately outside of the small circle of the crowd. It made Paige nervous, so she pulled up and widened her search.
There they were. The snipers on the roof of the Smithsonian were what gave the men on the ground the false sense of security. It was a good thing that she decided to check out her surroundings; otherwise the sniper probably would have just shot the agent raising his weapon against the director.
Two men lay prone on the roof of the old red brick Smithsonian Institute building. One held a rifle and the other watched through some type of binoculars on a stand. She thought about it for a moment. Just shooting the director wouldn’t do the Protocol any good; they had to kill as many people as they could to create a panic. She quickly probed the spotter’s mind to determine if he had a weapon that could be used against his partner. He didn’t, but the shooter wore a knife on his belt.
Her projected nonphysical form dove down and inhabited the mind of the sniper behind the rifle. “Hey, you okay man?”
“Wha? What do you mean?” she asked through the shooter’s mouth.
“You just shook for a moment. You need me to turn on the heated blanket again?”
“Uh, no. No, I’m good,” she answered.
“Okay. This is probably gonna wrap up in a few minutes, so we’ll be cleared to leave soon,” the spotter stated.
“Yeah, I could use some coffee.” She risked a glance at her partner and he was once again peering through the binoculars towards the crowd.
“I hear ya, man,” he answered. She slid the sniper’s arm down along his side and pulled out the knife. She searched his memories for knowledge about how to fight with a knife and discovered what she needed to do. “Let’s get some from that little coffee shop on the way back to—”
He never finished his sentence as the knife slashed across his throat, severing his windpipe, arteries and the muscles holding his head upright. She utilized the sniper’s superior strength and reflexes to catch her partner and gently lay him back away from the edge of the building. She casually stabbed the blade through his eye to end his suffering and settled back behind the rifle. Maybe killing the others wouldn’t be as difficult as she’d worked herself up into believing.
This was going to be easy , she thought. There was no way to connect the Canadian government to this shooting. The Director of the FBI was one of the only people who could derail the Protocol. He would undo everything that she’d ever worked for if he was given a chance.
Paige again relied on her host’s memories and skills as she calmly sighted in on the director. She fired and pulled the bolt to the rear to eject the spent cartridge. Another bullet slid into the chamber as she thudded the bolt closed. She picked another target and fired again. By the time all ten rounds were fired, the crowd was in chaos and the primary target had long since bled out under the hands of his security element.
She didn’t relish the idea of what she had to do next, but it had to be done. She had to tie up all the loose ends before she left, otherwise there would always be a doubt. The sniper’s testimony that he watched everything happen without
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