It was evident that Bain was trying to solve the puzzle. Mark wondered if there were other transplant patients like Brad Foster who hadn’t been affected by the phenomenon. The curious thing was that Bain, despite having heard of Foster, had not cared at all, as if he knew it was useless data.
While Mark thought about what he could do to begin his counterattack against Reed, he saw that Pavel was online.
"Digitrevenant69, QRV?"
"QRV."
"Very interesting Mark, the friend of the Blue Fairy, I guess, is Davis."
"That's right, it is him."
"Well, he’s certainly been busy, and I think you're right: he needs you to drag Reed into the mud. What I wonder is how he knew what was happening even before the start of the brain wave problems."
"Good question,” said Mark. “I have asked myself that question, too. I wonder if I'll ever be able to ask him."
"Also this will amaze you my friend: he set up a virtual bank with a virtual safe deposit," Pavel said.
"I don’t understand."
"Three million dollars you can take when you want just by activating a money transfer to a recipient of your choice, using 10 codes that correspond to 10 banks in Dallas."
"But...I don’t have cards to withdraw money," Mark was confused.
"The codes are enough, my friend. Incredible! I’d like to know who set all this up without getting caught. The money comes in and goes out without any trace every time. Magnificent! It’s a kind of safe: you send money to encrypted bank accounts with a double code, so you avoid credit cards…and if you want, you can withdraw cash up to $5000 with just one code."
"Money for the operation! Davis knows well that I have to move."
"And that’s not all, there is the encrypted file you sent…here…you're receiving it now. My goodness!"
"Pavel, this is scary... I'll show it to Marshall immediately, so he’ll finally stop questioning everything I say."
"You have to learn the codes by heart, in three hours they’ll disappear. If you lose the initial code of the virtual safe-deposit box, you’ll never be able to get the money."
"Don’t worry, I'll do it, my memory is trained. Thanks Pavel! Tomorrow I’ll try to contact Anaïs Degann."
"As of tomorrow I’ll be following you like a shadow. You can count on me. See you soon."
Mark dialed David Marshall’s number immediately.
"David? Hello, this is Mark. You absolutely have to see the card you gave me..."
Two minutes later, Mark was in Marshall’s office, showing him the file on his smartphone.
"Why don't you download to my pc so we can see it better?" asked Marshall.
"David, it’s very dangerous. You never know, let’s read it on my secure device. Here is Bagram Air Base in Afghanistan, a U.S. Army soldier and one from the Air Force had an altercation with four marines who they attacked and slew.
“They then took a van and went to Bagram and there they slaughtered three other people. The official statement instead reported that it was a Taliban attack. They are transplant soldiers, part of the "Brainexe" project, Marshall. And this is Davis’ message."
"It's monstrous! What else is going to happen?"
"David let me try to stop them,” demanded Mark. “Davis put some money for the operation at my disposal. I won't ask you for anything but I need to be able to manage my time directly and get your approval for the use of the laboratory if necessary."
"Okay, you can count on me,” said David. “I don’t have any choice; besides, these bastards Bain and Harris have been treating me like an idiot and making me feel like a jerk."
"Thanks David. Starting tomorrow I'll be active but you won’t notice anything."
"What will you do with Reed?"
"I honestly don’t know yet."
At home that evening Mark was feeling nervous. He had to contact Anaïs Degann. He knew that as bait he was risking his life, but he also knew that there was no other way to get into the facilities of Biosketch Technologies Inc.. He absolutely needed Anaïs Degann; he simply had to figure out what to say to her so that she would ally with him.
Pavel had connected a reserved and dedicated secure line for telephone communications and had given him a cell phone number: using that number he would call CIA agent Anaïs Degann.
Mark Savannah fell asleep for the umpteenth time on the couch thinking about her sinuous body and the sensual look she had when she got off the plane during the hail storm; Anaïs certainly didn’t have the cold and abstract look of a sniper.
97
Anaïs woke up that morning in a bad mood, she had searched Oklahoma City almost in its entirety for five days and there was no sign of Savannah.
She had met a local CIA informant who had helped her with the research and analysis of the images taken from the cameras installed outside train and subway stations, afterwards with the help of Interpol she had sifted hotels, hospitals, clinics and medical private practices, but had found no trace that could be attributed to Mark Savannah.
Skylinep92 had the feeling that Colonel Reed was hiding something from her and didn’t want her around; in fact, she had wasted her days going around in circles, knowing full well that it was the wrong strategy. In addition, the Colonel had ordered her to go up to Dallas even though she had requested that he allow her to return to H.Q. to re-examine the events in detail and be able to reformulate a plan of action.
She came out of the shower and got dressed slowly, she would have her breakfast and soon after she would be leaving for Dallas; she had decided to depart from Oklahoma City one day early so that even if she couldn't find any clues in a week in Dallas, she would get back to Biosketch Technologies Inc. a little bit earlier to start a re-evaluation. Colonel Reed wouldn't be able to find any more excuses to stop her.
As she was putting on her eye makeup, her cell phone began ringing; it was an unknown number calling her home in Switzerland. Initially, she let it ring but finally, given the insistence of the caller, she answered.
"Hello?"
"Good morning. I would like to speak to Anaïs Degann," said Mark Savannah.
"Speaking, who is this?"
"Mark Savannah."
The phone fell out of Anaïs’ hand and for a moment she stood breathless, then it occurred to her that it could be a joke arranged by that idiot Green and she asked him point blank, "What did you do before going to the station?"
"I washed off the blood that was flowing down your face; I loosened the knots and I left the key in plain sight," Mark said slowly.
In a daze, Anaïs realized she really had Mark Savannah on the phone; and moreover, he remembered very well what he had done in Aisha’s house, how he had left her the chance to leave.
"You’re good. How did you find me…taking into account that you're now wanted by the entire galaxy?"
"I'm simply good, as you just said. I need to talk to you."
"If I meet you, I’ll kill you and this time I'm serious."
"I let you live, Anaïs," Mark said in his deep voice.
Anaïs felt a shiver down her spine when she heard him say her name and this surprised her once again.
"Yeah, and you’ll have to explain why sooner or later..."
"But if I'm not mistaken, you played the voyeur and missed your moment ... I would say I wasn’t the only one to be so forgiving," Mark said.
"Probably, and since you're a psychiatrist, you’ll explain this to me as well."
"Anaïs, you are a great pilot: the landing at the Dallas Air-Park during the storm with the Twin Otter impressed me so much."
"Were you there?" Anaïs asked astonished.
"I was in transit like you, only I arrived earlier, and of course I took off later in the opposite direction to you. You went back to Biosketch Technologies Inc."
"I knew you hadn’t left the US and were moving around Texas, Oklahoma and Arkansas."
"‘No one can escape all the cameras of the world’, that’s one of the phrases that’s instilled into you d
uring training. But let’s not waste any more time, I have to talk to you seriously, and we have to meet."
"You’re a murderer, Savannah."
"There are many things you are unaware of and you don’t really know anything about me."
"I’m not taking the bait...forget it. I'll follow you to the end of the earth if necessary, but only to terminate you."
"Then check out this: there’s not only the "Transtem 1.1" project, there is also a parallel project, "Brainexe", commissioned and directed by the CIA and the Pentagon, transplant soldiers forced to undergo superhuman training programs, killing machines ready to be triggered, but something is going wrong and Reed is losing control of both projects. You check on the existence of "Brainexe" and I'm sure afterwards you’ll listen to me, but obviously it wouldn’t be a good idea to talk about it with Reed or his squire Green."
"Does Green know about it?"
"Green is the Colonel’s alter ego. He owes him his salvation from a long jail sentence as a hacker."
"I can’t go back to Biosketch Technologies Inc.. I have strict orders and I’ll never be able to violate a hacker’s computer alone," Skylinep92 said.
"There’s no need for you to go back, the "Transtem 1.1" project quarterly press conference is scheduled for tomorrow, and Bain is holding it in Dallas."
"But how the hell do you know all these things? Ransley Bain?"
"As you know, he’s the scientific director of "Transtem 1.1", but he also follows "Brainexe.""
"He will inform Reed immediately if I ask him about "Brainexe"."
"I’m sure you can invent something, needless to say you mustn’t talk to anyone about this…for your own safety. Now you've got my number, I'll wait for a call from you... Ah! I forgot... I know that the Colonel was your mother’s lover for about twenty years..."
Anaïs hung up, irritated by his arrogance but at the same time impressed by the amount of confidential information Mark Savannah had gathered. In addition, the former British agent had a very sensual voice, and this irritated her even more.
Savannah smiled satisfied, he imagined the beautiful face of Anaïs petrified with astonishment, and he knew perfectly well that he had managed to stimulate the American agent’s curiosity.
98
The next morning Anaïs Degann rented a car and headed to Dallas. She had drawn up a plan to find out if Savannah was right or had only wanted to send her on a wild goose chase. Anyway, she still had to go to Dallas on the last step of her search to trace him.
She took a room at the Ritz-Carlton in Dallas and went to do some shopping in the main streets: she needed an elegant dress that would highlight her curves and a pair of shoes with heels; in fact, her luggage was made up of just sportswear that wasn’t suitable for what she had in mind.
She came back after an hour, put on a pair of pants and a jacket and headed to the Dallas Convention Center where the press conference was to be held in front of the city authorities. Anaïs planned on arriving early because she hoped to intercept Ransley Bain before his speech, later it would be almost impossible due to the journalists who would all attempt to speak with him personally.
She arrived in the conference room organized for the event and asked a hostess if Ransley Bain had already arrived; the girl told her that the doctor was in a room next door and asked her the reason for the request.
"I have an appointment with him before the press conference. Can you please show me the room where he is?" Skylinep92 asked with a smile.
"Follow me, I’ll accompany you," replied the hostess kindly.
"Dr Bain? Excuse me, there is a certain..."
"Anaïs Degann."
"Anaïs Degann, who says she has an appointment with you."
"Thank you, please let her come in."
Ransley Bain was sitting at a table, leaning over a cup of coffee and rehearsing his speech; when the agent entered the room, he jumped up like a spring.
"Doctor Degann, good to see you. Why are you here?"
"I’m here in Dallas for a few days for work. I read about the press conference and so I decided to come here to meet you. I'm fascinated by the "Transtem 1.1" project, even though I’ve heard little about it."
"Hasn't Jago C. Green told you anything? It’s a social project of which we’re all very proud!"
"Jago didn’t tell me anything, but I must say that we see each other very little. I'm always on the road, while he lives at Biosketch Technologies Inc."
Bain had lust in his eyes as he watched Anaïs, and she, who had noticed it, became even more charming.
"The Colonel told me that you are a world-renowned scientist and that without you "Transtem 1.1" wouldn’t have been created...but...now I’ll go, I’ll leave you to your work. I don't want to bother you any further."
Ransley Bain, without even a moment's hesitation, asked her point blank:
"I’m very pleased with your interest in the project; if you have no engagements…what do you say if we talk about it tonight? I'm having dinner with the journalists, but I could pick you up at the hotel around 10:00 pm for a drink. I don't want you to be late because of me... Have I gone too far?"
Anaïs perceived Bain’s shortness of breath, and pretended to think it over sadistically prolonging his discomfit, and then she replied with a smile.
"Okay, thank you, but I can’t be late. I'm at the Ritz-Carlton."
"Ah, you operatives, always under pressure! Please call me Ransley."
"Sure, Ransley."
“I'll pick you up at 10:00 pm; I know a place that you will like."
"See you later then, I’ll be in the audience. Good luck!"
Bain accompanied her to the door, his hungry eyes had now melted and he was staring misty-eyed at a vision. He stood in the doorway watching her until she turned the corner of the corridor.
Anaïs chose a seat in the conference hall that would be easily identifiable from Bain’s position at the microphone. She took off her jacket, sat down and dialed Jago C. Green’s phone number.
"Hello Jago. I’m in Dallas, I hope to find some clues here. I’ll begin tomorrow."
"Hey, hello! Ok, we’ll keep in touch. Did you know that Bain is in Dallas for a press conference updating the media on the "Transtem 1.1" project? You could attend his presentation, get a clearer idea about the project."
"Oh yeah? That’s a coincidence, but no thanks, Jago. I have to figure out how to move and which organizations to contact in this city. Savannah seems to have disappeared into thin air and I don’t want to give him any advantage."
"One thing, Anaïs. Would you mind turning off the device that stops us from locating you? It's been activated for at least three days, and if you need help I cannot retrieve you."
"You know that I need silence and I don’t like to be spied on. Besides I was pissed off with Reed, he was very rude to me the other day. We had an argument…and anyway the reactivation procedure takes a second even in dangerous situations. Don't worry."
"Reed is exceedingly severe with people in this period, I understand how you feel. So okay, but be careful. I don't want anything happening to you because I've given you your privacy."
"Talk to you tomorrow, Jago, you chicken shit. Tell Reed to fuck off for me!"
"Yes, of course, so you can bring me grapes on Sunday morning. What a brilliant idea!"
Anaïs attended the press conference; Bain flattered himself without restraint while talking to the media of the success of "Transtem 1.1", showing a series of interviews released by the clinicians of accredited hospitals and universities and by enthusiastic transplant patients.
He ended his presentation by announcing that Biosketch Technologies Inc. was about to begin the formalization of contracts with various foreign institutions in Asia and Europe, in order to export the patents of the engineered tissue and the protocol on an international scale.
At 7:00 pm Anaïs returned to her hotel, took a shower and got something to eat.
99
At 10:00 pm the rece
ptionist called Skylinep92 telling her that Dr. Bain was waiting in the lobby. Ransley had just come back from the dinner with the journalists where he had been drinking heavily.
Anaïs looked at herself for the last time in the mirror and fervently hoped that the trendy and elegant shoes wouldn't threaten blisters and swollen feet until the end of the evening, then she went down in the lobby.
Bain intercepted her and immediately went to greet her. She was wrapped tight in a black dress, cut just above the knee, emphasizing her narrow and delicate hips and her long legs. The researcher moved his gaze from her feet up her body, stopping at the low neckline that left just a glimpse of the softness of her small but shapely breasts.
Bain wanted to take her directly in his arms, taste her tongue and not waste time getting her back to his room. He wanted to start the siege there in the elevator, but this was Anaïs Degann, Reed’s favorite agent, and he knew very well he was walking on eggshells. He tried to divert his thought, he already had an erection and he didn’t want to feel any more uncomfortable and ruin everything.
"Hello Anaïs, you look beautiful!" he said.
"Thanks, Ransley. Where are we going?"
SkylineP92 had noticed Bain’s liquid look and how he had looked at her as he was walking towards her. Ransley was a distinguished-looking man, tall and handsome, but his eyes reflected only great opportunism and the lust for power that many like him cultivated at the expense of other people. He was a photocopy of his master, Colonel Walton I. Reed.
"Let's go…a taxi is waiting for us outside,” suggested Bain.
After about ten minutes they arrived at a botanical garden, the flower beds were lit and the lights revealed a surprising landscape.
They walked down a path among the trees and they found themselves in a clearing under a pergola of wisteria, where a bar had been arranged: there was a pianist playing Gershwin and there were lit candles on the tables.
Black Hawk Day Rewind: An action packed spy thriller (Mark Savannah Espionage Series Book 1) Page 26
