Coded

by Kayla Bainbridge

  After ten additional cards, Andrew paused Kennedy.

  “You have now deciphered thirty different types of coding without any cipher to help you,” Todd commented.

  “That is good news, right?” Kennedy said leaning onto the table for support.

  “Yes, now the coding is going to get more complicated,” Todd said before motioning her to continue.

  “Come before dawn on the 17th of November,” Kennedy recited while they looked at the TV for confirmation.

  “That was Morse code,” Andrew announced.

  “Really?” Kennedy asked.

  “This is fascinating,” Todd inserted before Kennedy continued.

  Kennedy's exhaustion continued to worsen, and Taylor was almost standing directly behind her. She already had read forty-seven cards. Taylor saw the determination in her eyes, but he calculated that she wouldn’t finish the current set.

  Taylor saw all the team members staring at their clipboards oblivious to Kennedy’s condition. Her whole-body language displayed her exhaustion, her eyes had bags underneath them, she leaned against the table for support, and her actions were sluggish. Taylor struggled to allow her to continue. Instead, he respected Kennedy to make that decision, and waited patiently.

  Kennedy started to read the next card when without any warning Kennedy's legs gave out and she began to collapse. Taylor instantly stepped in and swooped her in his arms before she could hit the floor.

  “Taylor?” she asked quietly.

  “I’ve got you,” he replied.

  She closed her eyes and passed out.

  Taylor held Kennedy in his arms as the team members stood dumb founded. They had all been waiting to hear the next response, but when they looked up they realized that she was in Taylor's arms, unconscious.

  “What happened?” Wendy demanded as she rushed over to check Kennedy in his arms.

  “She told you this happened, remember?” Taylor said as he gently laid Kennedy on the table for Wendy, Joseph, and Andrew to examine. Her head fell to one side, completely out of it.

  Wendy thought about it for a moment and then said, “I guess she did, but I didn’t really believe her.”

  “Well do you believe her now?” Taylor asked.

  “I believe I do.”

  The three on the medical team took their time and examined her vitals, her body, and her breathing. They concluded she was completely fine, just exhausted.

  “I want to keep her overnight just in case,” Wendy said when she couldn’t find anything either. “Taylor can you carry her?”

  “Of course, anything you need,” Taylor said as he picked Kennedy back off the table and followed Wendy down to the hospital wing of the building.

  Once Taylor put Kennedy down on one of the beds, he pulled up a chair and got comfortable. He couldn’t leave her here like he could in her room. Her room had special security settings to keep it safe, here she was vulnerable.

  Wendy did a couple more tests before she gave up on finding anything wrong with her. She then left the room. Taylor ordered food, worked on his phone, and then caught Dustin up on what had happened.

  “Is she really ok?” Dustin asked.

  “Wendy couldn’t find anything,” Taylor assured him.

  “It must be true then. What a discovery huh?”

  Taylor smiled, “A game changer for sure. We can decipher any codes we want in seconds. The NSA will be way more effective.”

  “This is top secret clearance, do you understand?”

  “Of course. We can't have her get into enemy hands again.”

  “Agreed,” Dustin said. “Is the room secure?”

  “It is hardly secure, I planned on staying the night.”

  “Anything I can do?”

  “Do you want to post someone in the hallway?” Taylor suggested.

  “That is a good idea.”

  The two men talked a little longer before hanging up.

  An hour later someone knocked on the door.

  Taylor got up to answer the door.

  “Sir, just wanted to let you know I’ll be patrolling the hallway as you requested.”

  “Thank you, Carter,” Taylor said reading his badge.

  “Let me know if you need anything?”

  “I will.”

  Taylor closed the door and sat back down. He read some old magazines and then quickly fell asleep.

  In the middle of the night, Taylor was aroused when he heard some shuffling outside. He quickly stood up and took a position against a wall next to the door. The door slowly opened. A man walked in, Taylor was now behind the open door. He could see his face from the light emitting from the hospital monitors. It was Andrew, Wendy’s assistant. Andrew hadn’t seen Taylor yet and moved to Kennedy’s side. He then pulled something out of his medical coat and put his other hand gently over Kennedy’s arm.

  Immediately, Taylor stepped out from his hiding spot and ran the last few steps across the room. His impact pushed Andrew against the wall.

  “Stop!” Taylor grunted.

  Andrew dropped whatever was in his hand.

  “Taylor? What are you doing here?” Andrew said calmly, despite Taylor’s death grip on him.

  “My job, what are you doing?” Taylor asked, keeping him pinned against the wall.

  “I was giving her some pain medication,” Andrew answered.

  “In the middle of night?” Hadn’t they run a background check on Andrew? What had he planned on doing to her? Taylor had already determined he was guilty.

  “Well, Kennedy asked me earlier, but I forgot. I thought I would bring it over now. It will only take a moment.”

  “I’ve been with her the whole day, she never said that” Taylor challenged. He knew that Andrew was grasping at straws.

  “Taylor?” Kennedy said waking up from the shouting and screaming.

  When Taylor glanced behind him at Kennedy, Andrew took the opportunity to break free from Taylor’s grasp. He grabbed whatever he dropped on the floor and sprang to the other side of Kennedy.

  “Andrew?” Kennedy asked, starting to see the tension in the room.

  Within seconds Andrew pulled the plug off the syringe with his mouth and advanced to Kennedy. With Andrew on one side of Kennedy and Taylor on the other, Taylor knew he didn’t have time to reach him for the second time. Taylor pulled his side arm out and quickly shot Andrew in the leg.

  Kennedy screamed as she rolled out of bed towards Taylor. Andrew was propelled against the wall and slid down to the ground. Sirens sounded throughout the building. Taylor continued to aim his gun at Andrew as he glanced at Kennedy. She was huddled in the corner closest to Taylor, safe.

  “Kennedy, are you ok?”

  “Yes,” she said confidently.

  Taylor nodded as he turned his attention back to Andrew. He had made no attempt in moving.

  “You shot me!” Andrew said accusingly.

  “I’ll shoot you again if you move too,” Taylor warned.

  “What was that?” Kennedy asked, pointing to the syringe.

  “Painkillers, Taylor has lost it.”

  Taylor kept his eyes on Andrew, his gun still raised.

  Kennedy slowly rose from her crouched position and stood next to Taylor.

  “I think….”

  Suddenly a team dressed in black and heavy artillery busted through the door.

  “Everyone put their weapons down!” the first one said.

  Taylor put his gun down and raised his hands. Two men pointed their guns at Kennedy and Taylor while the other two attended to Andrew.

  “You two, step out with me,” one of the men ordered.

  As Taylor passed the first man, the second man patted him down. They were searching for any additional weapons.

  “My ankle...” Taylor admitted. “my thigh, and my shoe.”

  The man looked unbelievingly at Taylor, “Really?”

  Taylor smiled, “You never know.”

  When he was done being disarmed, they turned to Kenned
y.

  “I don’t have anything,” she said as they patted her down.

  The both of them were then escorted to the hallway. Taylor put himself between Kennedy and the room. She needed as much distance as he could manage from Andrew.

  The men in tactical uniforms motioned for them to stand up against the wall. One of the men returned into the room, the other one watched the two of them. This was common procedure when a gun was shot at the NSA. Taylor had expected as much.

  “Stay where you are,” he commanded them.

  “Still ok?” Taylor said as he stood next to Kennedy.

  Kennedy nodded as she looked around the hallway.

  More running sounded in the hallway, and Taylor quickly placed himself on the other side of Kennedy, shielding her from whoever was coming.

  “I said stay where you are!” the man yelled.

  Taylor ignored him. He held his arm to brace Kennedy as he looked down the hallway. As the person ran around the final corner, Taylor relaxed. It was Dustin running towards them.

  “What happened?” Dustin asked as he approached, out of breath. “Kennedy, Taylor, you are safe.”

  “Sir,” the man in tactical gear said as he saluted Dustin. Dustin saluted back before turning to Taylor for his response.

  “What did I tell you about her keeping me busy?” Taylor said. “We’re ok.”

  “Hey, I didn’t do it this time!” Kennedy defended. Her sarcasm was a good sign that she was doing well. He was impressed.

  For a moment he turned his attention back to Dustin. “Andrew entered the room a few minutes ago and attempted to inject something into the Kennedy. When he made a move across the room, I was forced to discharge my weapon.”

  “We’ll send it to the lab,” Dustin said. “It could have been anything. Hallucinogen, a disease, poison, would be a few guesses.”

  “None of those sound pleasant,” Kennedy said nervously.

  “I’m going to get her out of here,” Taylor said. “Can you handle this mess?”

  “Of course, I’ll debrief you later.”

  “Dustin?” Taylor asked, turning around.

  “Yes?” he asked, turning from the man who had escorted them out.

  “Can I borrow your side arm?”

  Dustin pulled his gun from his holster and passed it to Taylor, “Keep her safe.”

  “I will,” Taylor said, catching up to Kennedy who was halfway down the hallway.

  “Oh Dustin, make sure you find Carter, the man you sent to patrol the hallway, I don’t see him.”

  “Right,” Dustin considered. He turned to face the men coming out of the room, “You two, start looking for another one of our men.”

  “Kennedy, wait up,” Taylor said as he ran to catch up to Kennedy.

  “Kennedy,” he said again when she didn’t react.

  She continued to walk quickly. He caught up and could see something had changed. Was she going through shock? It can come in waves, ten minutes later or not at all. It was different for everyone. Taylor didn’t know Kennedy well enough to predict how she would react to these situations.

  “Where are you heading?” Taylor asked. He was going to try and keep her talking.

  “Away from there,” Kennedy replied.

  “I see,” Taylor replied. “Would you like something to eat?”

  “I think….” Kennedy looked around the hallway. “I think that I…”

  “Let’s sit down for a minute,” Taylor suggested.

  “Um...sit...I don’t know…”

  “Kennedy,” Taylor said, gently grabbing her arm. “Look at me.”

  It took Kennedy a few seconds, but she turned to look up at Taylor.

  “Take a few deep breaths with me,” he said calmly.

  He wanted to first make sure she was breathing, then he’d establish a plan of action.

  She closed her eyes and followed his instructions.

  “Now, would you like to sit down for a minute?”

  Kennedy nodded. She leaned against the wall and slid down to the ground.

  “Take a minute,” Taylor said as he took off his jacket and put it over her.

  “Thank you,” Kennedy said easily accepting his offering

  “Taylor, I’m so scared. I don’t know who to trust now.”

  “You just need to trust me; I’ll cover everyone else.”

  “But what if you are…” Kennedy didn't finish.

  “You will trust me in time, remember I’m NSA.”

  “Will this ever stop?”

  Taylor considered her question, “I don’t know.”

  If it ever got out that she could decipher, it might never end.

  They sat in silence as Kennedy continued to calm down. She had been composed in the room with Andrew, and for that Taylor was grateful. In fact, she had done remarkably well. Now she just needed a minute to process.

  “Can we get some food for you?” Taylor asked after a few minutes passed.

  “That sounds nice,” Kennedy said standing up.

  “Let’s head this way,” he motioned back the way they had come. “Not toward the server rooms.”

  Kennedy smiled, “I’m not sure where I was heading.”

  “It’s ok, you were fantastic. There is nothing to apologize for.”

  Taylor led the way to the cafeteria. No one was up yet, but they always had some snacks out.

  “Can I cook you up something? Maybe an omelet?”

  Kennedy was surprised, “Um, sure, is that allowed?”

  Taylor laughed as he pulled a chair over to the island in the kitchen. Several nights he had snuck in the kitchen and cooked himself something. It helped him to calm down. Cooking was his happy place.

  “Are we allowed to eat?” Taylor laughed. “Of course, we are allowed in here. Please, take a seat.”

  Kennedy sat down while Taylor pulled some things out of the fridge. This was a good opportunity for Taylor to learn about Kennedy, get to know her. The last few days they had focused on training, and giving her space to process, but he wanted to know her as a person.

  “What kind of veggies do you like?” Taylor asked, trying to kick the conversation off.

  “They are all great, well not mushrooms,” Kennedy said.

  “Got it, no mushrooms. Wait, do you even like omelets?”

  Kennedy smiled at him, and he couldn’t help but smile back, “I do like omelets.”

  “Oh good,” Taylor said as he continued to work.

  As he cut up the vegetables and started to cook, Taylor easily guided the conversation. He learned about some of her favorite foods, that she enjoyed hiking, and that she could play the piano.

  He passed the completed omelet over to her before he started making his own.

  “This is great, thank you,” Kennedy admitted after a few bites.

  “Thank you,” Taylor accepted.

  They chit chatted a little while they ate, and then Taylor cleaned up the dishes.

  “See, they won’t even know we were here.”

  Kennedy smiled, “What about the missing eggs?”

  “They have at least seven dozen eggs in here, I think they will be fine.”

  “Ok. What are we going to do now?” Kennedy asked.

  “I think some fresh air will do us good. Let’s go grab you some blankets and we can watch the sunrise.”

  “Yes, I could use some fresh air,” Kennedy admitted.

  They quickly stopped at their rooms and grabbed a few blankets. Once on the roof, Taylor pulled a chair over for Kennedy to sit in. He dropped the blankets over her and left her to her thoughts as he patrolled the area. It was going to be a long day.

  ∆∆∆

  Chapter 9

  I 01001

  “Report your progress,” Brandon demanded walking into Jordan’s office.

  “Nothing much yet,” Jordan admitted.

  “Why?”

  “I have sent in my first advance, but I haven’t heard anything.”

  “What do you mean?
” Brandon asked.

  “We don’t know where she is.”

  “Sounds like you have done nothing.”

  Jordan glared, “Please, give me any of your suggestions.”

  “I told you to assemble a team. It’s the whole three brains are better than one approach.”

  “I can find her on my own.”

  Brandon shook his head, “Your pride is going to keep us from finding her. All the senior advisors are watching. Now get back to work.”

  ∆∆∆

  Taylor watched Kennedy as she started to decipher some more codes.

  They had spent the early morning watching the sunset and then grabbed a late breakfast. When he asked her about taking a nap she declined. After breakfast she wanted to get back to work. He figured she would crash later.

  Wendy had assured Taylor that they would only have her decipher ten to fifteen codes a day, in hopes of building up endurance. Kennedy easily deciphered each one, but Taylor’s thoughts drifted to what had happened earlier that morning. He had never questioned all the extra security that Dustin had installed, but now he was grateful for every piece of it. An attack inside the NSA building, that was bold. Not only did “they” have someone on the inside, but they were willing to sacrifice his cover to reach Kennedy. Taylor didn’t know how long the analysis of the syringe would take, but he figured at least a few days. At first, he thought this job was going to ease him into the NSA, but he had already saved her life twice. The clearance level of this assignment was climbing up the ladder quickly.

  “Only a few more,” Jennifer prompted.

  Kennedy wasn’t showing any sign of fatigue. Watching the sunrise had been good for her. It had been good for him too. They would've stayed out there longer, but the cold was getting to Kennedy, even under both blankets. Taylor was trying to do everything to keep Kennedy out of shock. She hadn’t shown any symptoms after those few moments in the hallway, but Taylor knew those feelings could easily relapse. Starting unusually early, Taylor hoped to keep Kennedy distracted.