Whoever had managed it should never have known the precise nature of this fail-safe. Even if they had, triggering it should have been impossible.
But of course they had known. And of course they had managed to find a way to trigger it prematurely. They were magicians, after all.
The helo banked sharply left and picked up elevation. The two Marauders had been ordered to stay close on either side, to provide an escort service, but to peel off as they approached Groom Lake, since such a formation would raise eyebrows, even within Area 51.
While they flew, Carr brought his two passengers up to speed on the strategy he had used to free them.
“But you were bluffing, right?” said Bram. “The pilots wouldn’t have really destroyed the church if they hadn’t let us go, right?”
“If you say so,” said Carr in amusement.
“What does that mean?” said Bram. “Are you saying it wasn’t a bluff?” he added in disbelief.
“This was too important for me to count on my acting skills. I thought if the threat to me was real, Greshnev would pick up on body language clues and instinctively know that it was. I had to go all-in on this one.”
“Risking our lives as well,” said Bram.
“If I’d have left you there, do you really think they’d let you live once they were done with you?”
Bram swallowed hard. “No,” he acknowledged. “You’re right. I suppose thanks are in order. We did meet this Marat Volkov you warned us about,” he added with a shiver. “He was everything you said he was.”
“He didn’t tell you he planned to kill you, did he?” said Carr.
“No,” replied Bram. “Just the opposite. But neither of us had any doubt that he was lying.”
“Then it’s good my plan succeeded,” said Carr with a smile.
“Just because you saved us from them,” noted Riley, “doesn’t mean we’re convinced that you’re all that much better.”
“I understand,” said Carr. “I’ll see what I can do to gain your trust. But first . . . you really are Melissa Jordan, aren’t you?”
“Please call her Riley,” said Bram immediately, but Carr noted that neither of them tried to deny it.
“You didn’t know, did you?” said Riley. “You really did think they were after David.”
“I did.”
“I’m surprised they told you,” said Bram.
“They didn’t mean to. They just assumed I already knew.” He studied Bram carefully. “Did you know?” he asked.
Bram shook his head. “Not even close.”
“Okay, this is the biggest surprise I’ve gotten in a long time,” admitted Carr. “But the question is, why do they want you?”
The couple glanced at each other, indicating to Carr that they knew but weren’t sure they wanted to say. “We have no idea,” said Bram. “Any thoughts?” he added.
Carr decided to play along—for now. “None that make any sense,” he admitted. “As I mentioned at your house, this is about the sabotage of AGI programs. But it isn’t just Russia’s problem. Every program in the world as it nears possible success is getting kneecapped by the same person or group. Whoever is behind this has skills much more advanced than any other player.”
“Apple’s AGI efforts haven’t been sabotaged,” noted Bram.
“Not that you know of,” said Carr. “It can be subtle, like malware that infects your computer but doesn’t take it down until a pre-programmed time. Apple’s program could be infected and you’d be none the wiser. It’s also possible you’re on the wrong track. Whoever is behind this doesn’t waste effort stopping programs that won’t succeed anyway.”
Bram frowned but didn’t reply.
Carr decided to come clean with them the rest of the way. He told them who he really was and the precise details of his mission, including describing the explosion of DARPA’s computer, which had nearly taken out the president.
They listened in rapt attention.
“So back to the main question,” he said when he had finished filling them in. “Why would Volkov want Riley? I’m sure she has money, but this isn’t about that. Volkov and I are on similar missions. Like me, he wants to stop whoever is behind the AGI sabotage. But he then wants to use them for Russia’s own ends if he can. Either way, he must think Riley can help him in this mission. He probably thinks she knows something her father was involved with eight or nine years ago. Something relevant in some way. Am I right?” he asked Riley.
“I don’t know. It’s a good guess, but he never told us what he was after.”
Carr shook his head. “Come on, Riley. You’re a lot better with a stunner than you are with a lie. I’ve told you my real name. I’ve given you information that could earn me a court martial. I saved you from Volkov. It’s about time you confided in me. We’re on the same side. And I’m your best hope for survival.”
“What does that mean?” asked Riley.
“Not to alarm you, but you won’t be safe until I understand how you fit into this. And maybe even after. I know Volkov well. He’s as good as it gets. And he’ll never give up. Besides, you can bet that any number of countries and multinational corporations have their own Volkovs looking into this. If Volkov is now on to you, the rest will eventually catch up. Things are going on here that are out of your depth. Out of my depth. But I can bring massive resources to bear on this, and I promise to do everything in my power to help you.”
Carr grinned. “As long as you promise never to electrocute me again,” he added.
Riley smiled sheepishly. “Yeah, about that . . .”
“My fault,” said Carr amiably. “I threatened you and David, and then I underestimated you. I won’t do that again.”
“She’s so talented it’s impossible not to underestimate her,” said Bram proudly, and Carr sensed in that instant the man was in love with her.
“What’s it going to be?” said Carr. “Tell me what you know. Help me get to the bottom of this so you can get your life back. As Riley Ridgeway, or whoever else you want to be.”
“What do you think?” said Bram, glancing at Riley. “Do you trust him?”
She paused in thought. “I do,” she said finally. “And even if I didn’t, he’s an enemy of Marat Volkov, which is good enough for me. That man is ruthless.”
She turned away and sadness enveloped her like a dark cloud. “And he killed Uncle Mike. I don’t know if my relationship with Mike was real or not. But I do know how I felt about him, how important he was in my life.”
She turned back to Carr with her teeth clenched in determination. “So I want you to stop Volkov. I’m not sure I’d mind too much if you killed the bastard in the process. He didn’t need to kill Mike. He had what he needed.”
“Who’s this Mike?” said Carr. “He wasn’t staying at the Sheraton in downtown San Diego, was he?”
“How did you know?” said Riley.
“After I began tracking Volkov, I learned he had killed a guest at the Sheraton. But I couldn’t ID the man.”
Riley’s expression was deeply pained, but she shook off her despair. “His full name was Michael O’Banion. He was the man who took me off the grid, gave me my new identity. Volkov found me through him.”
“I’m sorry for your loss,” said Carr, sounding sincere. “But you need to finally tell me what Volkov wanted with you.”
“I know,” she replied with a sigh. “But if you think learning who I really am was a shock, you’d better brace yourself.”
“Go ahead,” said Carr. It was hard for him to imagine there could be bigger shocks in store than he had already experienced.
But his next shock didn’t come from the woman known as Riley Ridgeway, it came from the pilot, who broke into their headsets on a separate channel. “The two Marauders have peeled off!” he announced, “and I can’t reach them. All communications are down!”
Before Bram could even voice a question the helicopter banked sharply, shoving the passengers against their seats.
“That wasn’
t me!” barked the pilot anxiously. “Someone has seized control of the autopilot. I’m locked out! My controls are useless. The comms are useless. We can’t navigate and we can’t call for help. I assume the two Marauders are being controlled remotely as well.”
“Who could manage something like this?” asked Carr.
“No one. We’ve known for decades that the hacking of an aircraft’s autopilot was a possible vulnerability. Numerous safeguards are embedded into these systems to make this impossible. They’re foolproof.”
Carr frowned deeply. Apparently not. “What’s our new heading?”
“Due South. Toward Arizona.”
Before Carr could ask another question a new voice came through the headphones. A male voice Carr didn’t recognize, delivered by someone at an unknown location. “Sorry to have to take over like this. But I’ll explain everything when all of you awaken.”
“When we awaken?” said Carr. “What’s that supposed to mean? Who is this?”
“Isaac Jordan,” came the reply.
Carr was still trying to process this incredible response when a piercing tone blasted through his headphones and drilled directly into his brain. And in his last instant of consciousness the meaning of the phrase, “when all of you awaken,” became horribly clear.
PART 4
Isaac Jordan
28
Major Marat Volkov streaked toward an island in the Barents Sea, twenty miles off the coast of Russia, in a private jet. He was alone in the luxurious passenger compartment, save for the 3D virtual image of Sergei Greshnev that had joined him there moments before.
“I wasn’t expecting to receive a report so early, Captain,” he said warily in Russian.
“I’m sorry to have to give one,” replied Greshnev. “But we’ve had a . . . complication.”
“No shit,” said Volkov impatiently. “I didn’t think you were calling early to reassure me that everything was going as planned. What happened?”
Volkov had gone to considerable trouble to make sure the jet had a quantum encryption system on board, which was now in use, meaning their conversation couldn’t be intercepted.
“Turns out we were made,” replied Greshnev. “Not by Jordan, but by an old adversary of yours. We’ve solved the mystery of the man claiming to be FBI Agent Parker. Turned out to be Lieutenant Cameron Carr.”
“Carr?” whispered Volkov in disbelief. “Are you sure?”
He wasn’t surprised the Americans would put Carr on a similar mission to his own, but it was hard to imagine the man he had pursued in Russia could have been taken out by a slip of a girl with a stunner.
“He paid a visit to us at the church,” replied the captain. “I think he was sorry he missed you there.”
Greshnev went on to explain exactly what had happened as quickly and efficiently as possible. Volkov didn’t interrupt or ask a single question.
“You’ve done well,” said the major when his second had finished. “I agree with your assessment. Carr wasn’t bluffing. I studied him when we first suspected him of spying, and then when I was assigned to remove him from the board. The man has balls of steel.”
“He gave his word he’d have US intel look away for four hours before trying to find us again. Will he honor that?”
“Everything I know about him tells me that he will. But this agreement didn’t extend to me, correct?”
Greshnev shook his head. “I’m afraid not. So we have to assume you’re being watched.”
Volkov frowned. He wasn’t worried about himself. He could lose a tail, low-tech and high-tech both, in his sleep. But he had a responsibility to his team at the church. Carr was treating them like cockroaches, agreeing to turn off the lights so they could scatter. He needed to ensure they weren’t near a boot when the lights came back on. There was no time to waste.
“Have all the men split up,” he ordered. “We need to fracture the focus of American intelligence. Make them chase down multiple roads to pick up a scent. Tell the men to work their way back to Russia separately, going in eight different directions, using multiple techniques to throw off surveillance.”
Volkov’s people were exceedingly well trained. If they used their skill and wits it was likely that the four-hour head start Carr had given them would be enough. They could probably all stay off the radar and make it back. Worst case, one or two would be picked up again.
“Tell the men you’ll be doing the same,” continued the major, “working your way back home. So if one of them does get picked up and questioned, the worst that can happen is that they’re forced to reveal false information.”
“What will I really be doing?” asked his second.
“Make best speed to the safe house in Utah,” said Volkov. He had access to more than a dozen such safe houses across the States, but the Utah site was the closest to Greshnev’s current location in California.
After himself, Captain Greshnev was the most experienced and talented man on the team, which explained his senior position. His second would know not to show up in Utah unless he was absolutely certain he hadn’t been reacquired.
“I’ll meet you there,” added the major. “Ideally, by seven or eight in the morning.”
This was aggressive, but achievable. He had confidence in Greshnev, and himself. He hadn’t been in the air that long, so he should have plenty of time to land the jet back in the States, lose surveillance, and make it to the rendezvous on schedule.
“There are six agents working in Western America that I know haven’t been made,” said the major. “I’ll have them drop what they’re doing and meet us there, also. We’re likely to need them as muscle.”
“Roger that,” said Greshnev.
“And Sergei,” added Volkov. “Good work. You handled the situation as well as anyone could have.”
“Thank you, Marat. I’ll see you in Utah.”
29
Riley gradually awoke to find that Bram was shaking her gently. The lower half of her body was on a smooth limestone floor and the upper half was cradled in his arms as he sat cross-legged on the ground.
When her eyes opened he smiled in relief and bent down to hug her.
“David,” she whispered softly. “Where are we?”
“Not sure,” he said. He gestured toward a window that filled the entire outer wall of the large room they were in. “See for yourself.”
He helped her rise from the floor, and she noted that Cameron Carr was standing nearby. “Am I the only one who was knocked unconscious?” she asked.
“I’m afraid we all were,” replied the lieutenant.
Riley nodded slowly, absorbing this information. “How?” she asked. “I heard this shrill, piercing tone through the headphones, and then it was lights out.”
“Some kind of advanced sonic weapon,” said Carr. “Militaries have worked on these, but no one has ever found a way to knock someone out without rupturing their eardrums or causing other severe damage.”
“Until now,” noted Riley.
“Until now,” said Carr. “David and I both came to about ten minutes before you did.”
Riley took stock of her surroundings. They were in a clean, modern structure that seemed a combination of a contemporary living room and an exotic observation deck. The room was furnished with three white leather chairs, two matching couches, and a pink marble coffee table. Four large touch screen monitors adorned the walls like paintings.
The wall behind her was punctuated by a single closed door, while the entire wall in front of her was nothing but glass, revealing a view that was nothing short of spectacular.
They were nestled on a shallow bluff a third of the way up a mountain, one that faced back toward the mountain and a whitewater river that rushed down from above. Only thirty yards from the window the river fell five stories down the face of a cliff, creating a waterfall that was framed by trees and colorful flowers. A dazzling rainbow hung in the air nearby, as sunlight intersected the fine mist given off by the waterfall.
<
br /> It was one of the most breathtaking views Riley had ever seen. Too bad she wasn’t here for the scenery.
She turned to Bram. “How long were we out?”
“We can’t be sure. We lost consciousness at about one in the morning. Cameron and I discussed it and we both have a sense it’s still the same day, although obviously after sunrise.”
“Cameron?” she said, struck by his use of the lieutenant’s first name. “You two seem to have done some bonding while you were waiting for me to wake up.”
“Shared captivity will do that to you,” said Carr with a smile.
“What happened to our pilot?” she asked.
Bram gestured to a large monitor behind her. While she had noticed its presence, she hadn’t realized that it displayed a written message. She turned to read it.
This is Isaac Jordan. Rest assured that the means I used to put you out hasn’t harmed you in any way. Lieutenant Carr, I know that you are quite formidable, but please don’t attempt an escape. The window is unbreakable, and I have security—automated and human—outside of the door, which I’d hate to have to use. Your pilot is fine. We left him in his helicopter in Arizona.
Just after Riley finished reading, right on cue, the message changed. She signaled her two companions to read the new message along with her.
Now that you’re all awake, let me welcome you to my retreat. You’re in a structure nestled against a mountain in Colorado that has its own helipad. I apologize for taking over your ride last night, and especially for knocking you out, but I felt that it was necessary. I landed your aircraft in the Arizona desert and loaded you into a helicopter of my own for the trip here.
I will join you and explain everything shortly. But since I know that the fact I’m still alive and you’re in my custody is a lot to process, I thought I’d write this message first and give you a few minutes to digest it all and regain full use of your faculties.
Notice that you are not restrained in any way. When I do enter, I will be unarmed. You are all unarmed as well, save for a single electroshock weapon, which I didn’t confiscate. I recognize that Lieutenant Carr could kill me with his bare hands. Lieutenant, I would ask that you not do this. Taking me hostage or killing me won’t help you escape. More importantly, I’m betting you’d like to know what this is about, and it will be much harder for me to tell you if I’m dead.
[2016] Infinity Born Page 17
