* * *
Dark clouds had rolled in and the daily Florida summer rainstorm was in full swing by the time the group got to the long dining room. Papineau stood at the head of the large table, waiting for each to take a seat.
Garcia sat with his back to the sea, closest to their host. Jasmine put a plate of sliced fruit on the table, selected some, and sat opposite Garcia. That made it easier for McNutt, who sat next to her with a self-conscious laugh. Sarah sat opposite.
Cobb took a seat at the end of the table, opposite their host. He put the platter of sandwiches there, and checked his cell phone in his lap while he waited.
‘You are aware by now that each of you has been recruited and tested,’ Papineau said. ‘This was done so that I might offer you the opportunity to become part of a unique mission - one that, if successfully completed, will shower you in riches.’
Papineau let that sink in, and the reaction was gratifying. McNutt smiled crookedly. Sarah grinned with anticipation. Garcia’s eyes sparkled. Jasmine was reflective. Cobb just watched the others and could see all their minds racing.
Papineau continued. ‘Jasmine Park is fluent in many languages, with an exhaustive knowledge of ancient cultures and world religions. She is our historian.’
‘What did you test her with? A pop quiz?’ McNutt asked.
‘No,’ Papineau said. ‘Jasmine? Would you care to share?’
The young woman looked at the others. ‘I work at the Korean Daily News in Orlando. Yesterday my editor asked me to investigate a document that had been sent to the FBI. He’s got a friend in the Bureau who sometimes gives him leads, and in exchange we’ve held certain stories or disseminated information in ways that can help investigations. His friend explained that it was supposedly a ransom note associated with two young girls who had recently been kidnapped, but they couldn’t make head or tail of the language used. He knew I had a knack for that sort of thing and thought I might be able to help.’
Garcia wrinkled his brow. ‘He asked you to translate? Why didn’t they use computers? Just scan it in and presto! The program spits out the translation.’
‘No,’ Jasmine assured him. ‘A computer translation wouldn’t have worked. The document was written in five distinctly different languages. Not colloquial slang or dialects, but languages that grew from entirely separate roots. What’s more, their syntaxes were blended.’
‘I don’t follow,’ McNutt said.
‘The conjugations and grammatical structure were a combination of the various languages represented. Greek words were rearranged into Gaelic formations. Sometimes the sentences themselves were inconsistent. Phrases that began in Italian ended in Swedish. It even included defunct language concepts that have long since been lost to cultural evolution.’
‘Like Middle English?’ Sarah asked.
‘No, like ancient Andorran,’ Jasmine replied. ‘Middle English is easy. Anyone who’s ever studied Chaucer has dealt with that. But some of the words in the document were taken from languages that were only briefly spoken in their prime. Today, they have been absorbed into neighboring languages or discontinued altogether. No one studies them, because understanding them doesn’t provide any more information than understanding the languages they became. The history of these places has been passed down in much more accessible documentation.’
Jasmine caught herself. She could go on with the explanation, but she doubted that the others shared her fervor.
‘No one studies them, but you do?’ Cobb asked. His tone stressed curiosity, not ridicule.
Jasmine shrugged. ‘What can I say? I like history, and words, and the history of words.’
‘Fair enough,’ Cobb replied. ‘So, what did the document say?’
Jasmine’s eyes lit up. ‘It revealed the supposed hiding place of the girls. When I offered my translation to my editor, I insisted that he introduce me to his connection, in case there were follow-up questions that needed immediate answers. At the time, I thought two young lives hung in the balance, so he arranged a meeting.’
Every eye in the room turned toward Papineau.
He met their collective gaze with a guilty smirk.
Sarah glanced back at Jasmine. ‘You played right into his hands.’
‘My driver transported Ms Park to this location,’ Papineau explained. Before Cobb could challenge his statement, Papineau anticipated his question. ‘No, Jack, her editor has no idea concerning our whereabouts. His instructions were handed down from his superiors, namely, the newspaper’s board of directors.’
‘Namely, you,’ Cobb surmised.
Papineau smiled.
‘You control a newspaper?’ McNutt asked.
‘I control several newspapers,’ Papineau answered. ‘Among other things.’ He turned to address Cobb. ‘If her editor is questioned, he is simply to respond that Jasmine is “on assignment”.’
‘Must be nice to control the flow of information and have it reported to you before it’s ever made public,’ Cobb said.
‘Quite,’ Papineau replied.
Cobb and Papineau stared at one another, each trying to better understand the man across the table. The moment lingered a little too long.
To break the tension, McNutt pointed at Garcia’s shirt. Outside in the sunlight, it had appeared to be a normal T-shirt with an ironed-on Wi-Fi symbol. But now that they were indoors, McNutt realized that the decal was actually animated.
‘What’s up with your shirt?’ he demanded.
Garcia glanced down at the symbol. At that moment, it was glowing green. ‘My shirt is actually a battery-powered Wi-Fi detector. Depending on the signal strength, the number of bars that are glowing on my chest will fluctuate between one and four. Obviously, the more bars, the better.’
‘Obviously!‘ McNutt said with fake enthusiasm.
Too bad Garcia didn’t have a sarcasm detector because it would have been beeping like crazy. Instead, he smiled with pride. ‘I bet you’ve never seen anything like it.’
‘Actually,’ McNutt teased, ‘I have something very similar in my shorts. Anytime I get horny, my sensor rises into position. Obviously, the longer, the better.’
Garcia quickly deflated. ‘Not funny, dude.’
‘And unlike your shirt, my sensor will actually help me get laid.’
14
Papineau sensed that Garcia might need an ego boost after the verbal thrashing he had received from McNutt, so he took a moment to praise him.
‘Most of you know bits and pieces about each other’s pasts, but in order to get Jasmine up to speed as quickly as possible, I thought it might be best if we spent a moment to discuss your backgrounds.’ He pointed at the young Hispanic. ‘Let’s start with Hector.’
‘Let’s not,’ McNutt grumbled.
‘Hector Garcia,’ Papineau announced, ‘is a self-taught, top-level computer genius with a photographic memory. His IQ is off the charts. He had been employed by the FBI in Miami, but once he realized how little government employees make, he decided to forgo his pension for an opportunity to make some real money in the private sector.’
Papineau paused for acknowledgements of Garcia’s abilities.
There were none.
That is, until Cobb felt sorry for him.
‘Thanks to Hector,’ Cobb said, ‘we don’t have to worry about any blowback from the Brooklyn job. Before he quit the Bureau, he created a backdoor in their computer systems, which means he can tap into their files anytime we need him to. Over the past few days, I’ve had him search their databases for any references to us. So far, all they have are vague descriptions from eyewitness testimonies.’
‘They would have turned up more,’ Hector assured them, ‘but I intercepted all of the live feeds from their surveillance van and cleaned them before I sent them on.’
‘Define clean,’ Sarah said.
Hector smiled. ‘I erased every file - audio and video - that featured you, Jack, or Josh. It’s like you were never there.’
‘Nev
er where?’ Jasmine asked.
‘Our tryout,’ Cobb answered as vaguely as possible. ‘You had a pop quiz, and we had some homework.’
‘And by homework,’ McNutt bragged, ‘he means we actually invaded a home. You should have seen it: there were bombs, and guns, and swimwear. It was great.’
‘Wow,’ Jasmine gasped as she took a deep breath to calm down. The tension in her face and the anxiety in her eyes told Cobb a lot about her state of mind. Until that moment, she didn’t have a full understanding of the risks involved. Now she did.
‘Sarah Ellis,’ Papineau said, moving the conversation forward. ‘She is former CIA - a prodigy in her field, I might add - who is an expert in security systems and border crossings. She is our worldwide ambassador.’
McNutt picked up from there. ‘Her interests include hang-gliding, fighting giants, and skintight catsuits, but whatever you do, don’t call her a thief.’
‘Why not?’ Jasmine wondered.
‘Because she’ll kick you in the nuts.’
‘But I don’t have nuts.’
‘Then you can probably get away with it.’
Sarah stared at Jasmine from across the table. The intensity of her glare said it all. If you call me ‘thief’, I’ll come up with something even worse.
‘Moving on,’ Papineau said. ‘Josh McNutt was a decorated Marine sniper - at least until they threw him out. Where armaments are concerned, he is as experienced as they come. He is our weapons and security expert.’
Sarah shifted her gaze to him. ‘Why’d they throw you out?’
McNutt grinned. ‘I ran the table at a shooting gallery in a carnival. I wanted to win a stuffed bear for a little girl. When the proprietor objected, I objected back with the gun.’
‘You shot at the guy?’ Jasmine asked.
McNutt shrugged. ‘Don’t worry: it wasn’t a real guy. It was a carnie. Bullets can’t kill carnies. Nothing can. They’re like cockroaches.’
Papineau rolled his eyes and continued. ‘And finally, allow me to formally introduce you to Jackson Cobb, Junior - son of Brigadier General Jackson Cobb, Senior. Our Jack began his career as a member of the Army’s one hundred and sixtieth Special Operations Aviation Regiment—’
‘The Night Stalkers,’ McNutt elaborated.
‘- much to the reported displeasure of his father, who wanted him to join the Marines. In fact, once the Marines finalized their Special Operations Regiment in 2007, General Cobb used his far-reaching influence, both personally and professionally, to see that his son took a commanding post in the unit.’
‘You name it, they can do it,’ McNutt said with admiration.
Papineau elaborated. ‘According to my sources, Lieutenant Commander Cobb had an exemplary career in many bases of operation. He is one of the finest leaders the US military has produced in the last few decades. Exceptional at empty-handed combat, extremely well regarded amongst international authorities, he is our … hmmm? What would you call yourself, Jack?’
Papineau already knew the answer to his question. He meant to put Cobb - the obvious leader of the group - on the spot.
Cobb shrugged. ‘I would call myself the fifth member of this team.’
McNutt laughed. ‘Don’t let his modesty fool you. The SEALs begged the Marines to loan him out for a couple of missions. So did the MANIACs. And if they wanted to work with him, you know he’s the best of the best.’
Sarah eyed Cobb with a new level of respect - and curiosity.
Why was someone like him sitting in a room with them?
She pulled no punches. ‘Sorry to be nosy, Lieutenant Commander Cobb, but what did you do to fuck up such a perfect life? Did you shoot a carnie, too?’
‘Something like that,’ Cobb said as he turned his attention to the tropical landscape outside of the dining room window.
Sarah smelled weakness and pounced. ‘That’s it? That’s all you’re going to give us? You teased me all week about my checkered past, now you’re unwilling to tell us what you did to end up here? What kind of bullshit is that?’
Cobb remained silent.
He knew Papineau would fill in the blanks for her.
‘Jack was court-martialed,’ Papineau explained. ‘For “offenses against the uniform code of military justice”. Articles eighty-seven, eighty-eight, and ninety-nine, I believe.’
Sarah frowned. ‘Sorry, I don’t speak military. What did he actually do?’
‘I really wish you’d shut up,’ Cobb said quietly.
Papineau ignored him. ‘The thing about Jack Cobb, according to the court-martial transcript, is that when he was assigned a mission, he finished the mission, even when the senior brass changed their minds. In this case, they wanted to spare a terrorist to use as a political pawn. A knife, concealed in Cobb’s palm, disagreed.’
‘What kind of blade?’ McNutt asked.
‘Enough,’ Cobb said louder.
Papineau continued. ‘Suffice it to say, Monsieur Cobb got off fairly lucky considering what they could have charged him with. He received a dishonorable discharge with no prison time. I’m guessing his father had something to say about that as well.’
‘I said, enough!’ Cobb glared at Papineau. He had no idea what the Frenchman was trying to achieve, but the bastard had gone too far. It was one thing to highlight his resume for the team; it was quite another to reveal classified details of his court-martial.
Sarah patted his shoulder, trying to calm him. ‘Relax, Jack. You did what you thought was right. I see nothing wrong with that.’
‘Me neither,’ McNutt agreed.
‘Nor do I,’ Papineau said in a tone that was tough to read. ‘I apologize if I brought up an incident that you would rather not talk about, but as I said early on, I think it’s important to clear the air before we proceed any further.’
Cobb continued to glare. ‘I couldn’t agree more, Papi. With that in mind, why don’t you tell us about your past? Specifically, how did you acquire your money?’
Papineau forced a smile. He didn’t like being on this side of the spotlight. ‘I made my fortune in a variety of businesses too numerous to recount.’
‘Name one,’ Cobb demanded.
‘Pardon?’
‘One business in which you invested. Something Hector can check.’
Garcia glanced at Papineau. ‘Yeah. That would be nice. Your name doesn’t show up anywhere I’ve looked.’
‘I noticed,’ Cobb said, holding up his phone and wiggling it.
The Frenchman explained. ‘My background is very private, and my investments are deep and diverse. Energy, banking, entertainment - anything that is profitable and challenging.’
‘Enron? Pyramid schemes? Porn?’ Sarah pressed.
‘I have money managers who handle that. I do not become directly involved.’
Cobb leaned forward. ‘Except here.’
Papineau nodded. ‘Except here.’
Cobb was willing to bet the man wouldn’t know an annual report from a yearbook, and he was confident that ‘Papineau’ wasn’t his real name, either.
But that was a mystery for a later day.
15
Papineau sensed the troops were getting restless. He knew he needed to grab their attention before they turned against him completely. He raised his finger to his lips, asking for silence.
‘Thank you,’ he said politely. ‘Now that we know a little more about each other’s accomplishments, I think it’s time that we get to the purpose of this gathering.’
‘It’s about time,’ McNutt grumbled.
Papineau chose to ignore him. ‘As I entered the dawn of my twilight years, I became intent on finding a way to leave my mark in history. Initially, I had no intention of focusing on the subject of history itself, but after giving it some thought, I decided to use the mysteries of the past as a starting point. To achieve what I had in mind, I understood the error of simply hiring the top experts in a variety of historical fields. Rather, I wanted to assemble the best team possible: a
group that would combine to form the ultimate squad of hunters, whose talents were specifically tailored to meet my goals. I spent months searching for each of you, and several weeks more finding the proper way to test you all.’
Sarah frowned. ‘What was your criterion?’
‘I used a test called SAR, which stands for Stress-Action Ratio. It was developed by NASA when they first began recruiting men to fly into space. The examiner took something that people claimed to be an expert in and tested that skill under pressure. Either the pilots succeeded in overriding a malfunctioning space capsule system - or they perished. Even with that initial test, at least one of the original seven astronauts appears to have cracked under pressure on a mission. So NASA instituted double-jeopardy examinations unimaginatively called SAR-B. The systems fail and the lights go out, or some combination of troubles.’
Cobb wasn’t buying it, not entirely. NASA’s half-century-old winnowing process was not part of any modern curriculum he had heard of, but Cobb was willing to play along for now. ‘Which explains our homework assignment in New York. You wanted to see how we would handle ourselves in a life-or-death situation.’
‘Something like that,’ he admitted.
Sarah’s cheeks flushed with anger. ‘You mean I risked my life for nothing? You were simply testing me?’
‘No, my dear, it was more than a test. The document that I asked you to retrieve is actually an important part of your main mission. Furthermore, I am prepared to pay you significant amounts of money for your time. Naturally, my entire estate is at your disposal in terms of equipment and materials. Anything you need, ask. Here, you answer only to me. When you’re in the field, to your team leader.’
All of the eyes in the room shifted toward Cobb.
‘Excuse me,’ Jasmine said, ‘but will we be asked to do anything illegal?’
‘Yes,’ Papineau said. ‘In fact, almost everything. Is that a problem?’
‘It might be,’ she said.
‘You send half of your weekly take-home pay to your parents in Seoul,’ he said. ‘It would take you decades to send them what you can earn here in a few months. Is it still a problem?’
The Hunters Page 7
