by J. E. Swift
Garrett was a little more than surprised to see Caitlyn at the door when he arrived home. He was pleased to note that she appeared almost relaxed as she waited for him, with a bottle of wine in her hand. She smiled that beautiful smile that made him relax every time he witnessed it. He missed her more than he wanted to admit.
Garrett could not keep the longing out of his voice. “You are here.”
Her voice was as soft as her smile. “I’m here for the whole weekend. Unless…” a look of uncertainty crossed her face. “You have plans?”
He shook his head no. Even if he had, he would have canceled them immediately just to spend time with her alone. He crossed the final four steps over to where she stood before taking her in up his arms. It was as wonderful as he remembered, her body molding perfectly into his.
He kissed her, a thousand sparks igniting between them in that moment. When they finally pulled away from each other, breathless and with lips swollen, he spoke. “I’ve missed you.”
“I missed you too.”
The early fall night air was cold, and he opened the door letting the both of them inside the house. She placed the wine on his kitchen counter, fumbling through his drawer looking for the wine opener. Garrett couldn’t help but reach out and touch her.
The rest of the evening was spent in front of a warm fire, with Caitlyn’s back laying against Garrett’s chest, catching up on what had happened during the last three weeks. Caitlyn listened with interest as Garrett talked of the Trust reinstating him as an Inquisitor. She turned her face to his, her hand resting on his cheek.
“Are you happy with that?”
Garrett shrugged. He did not know if he was. There was a time he loved his old job, but now, in the past couple of weeks, it left him somehow unsatisfied. The gratification that he used to get from finding a memory that was altered or hidden in the recesses of one’s mind when other Inquisitors could not, was no longer there; instead, he found himself missing the excited expressions that Caitlyn wore when she discovered some new talent.
The Trust had technically given him the option if he wanted to return to his old job. They advised him that the choice was his, but if he chose the private sector, then he would be relocated from this town, away from her, and that was something he was not willing to give up at this point.
“It’s a job. It keeps me closer to you, which is all that matters.”
She looked at him pensively, and he could not tell what she was thinking at the moment, which frustrated him. Did she want him closer? Her answer did not clarify things. “I think you should do what you think is best for you, not me. I do not want to be the reason for holding you back.”
“Held back?” The laugh that fell from his lips could not be prevented. “Caitlyn, being an Inquisitor is not being held back by any stretch of the imagination. Most Actuals would love to have my abilities and an Inquisitor is a very high-ranking position. They have even promoted me as a result of you. I had my security level clearance increased to a three.”
“Oh.” Was the only reply that fell from her lips.
He cupped her face. “Besides…if I am with you, I could never be held back.” It was the closest thing Garrett could do for a declaration of his affections to her.
Caitlyn leaned into his left hand but he felt her pause slightly beneath his touch. “Garrett, why is that you have never taught me subjective telepathy?”
“Caitlyn, I am sure you have heard the saying, ‘Too Much, Too Soon’?”
“But for me it is not. I can handle it. I wish you would give me credit where credit is due.”
“Of course I give you credit where credit is due. I know you are capable of it, but just because you are capable doesn’t mean that you should be taught it yet. I had already passed the Threshold when I began just to study the concepts. I’ve told you a hundred times; the Threshold does not mean the ending to your education.”
“But it does delay it. You study it in between your profession. It does not allow you to solely focus on it and refine it. How can you expect to master as much as possible if you are not given the time to?”
“I mastered them.”
“But most Actuals have not, nor will they ever.”
“Most Actuals do not have the capability that you and I have, Caitlyn. You make it sound as if each Actual is as talented as you are. When are you going to understand that you are the exception, not the rule?”
“And when are you going to understand that the Trust will never achieve its true potential until it lets its members do the same? I guarantee that there are probably Actuals out there who are stronger than they are aware, who have the capability I have, but it just takes them a little longer to learn. We do not have the luxury of time on our side anymore, Garrett.”
Garrett was stunned for a moment. It was amazing that how in just a span of three weeks, she could truly sound like a dedicated member of the Trust. He was not sure exactly how to respond. So, he simply did not. He held her tighter, his mind wandering down various paths as to where this relationship would lead the both of them.
He spent the weekend doing activities with her that was specifically not related to anything having to do with the Trust. They spent Saturday locked in the house, watching the October leaves fall around them, reading a couple of novels and watching movies. Whenever she briefly mentioned something regarding the training, or the Trust, he redirected her thoughts elsewhere or only gave her a brief answer, hoping that it placated her.
He wanted to enjoy Caitlyn just as she was those first couple of weeks he had come to know her. She was relaxed and excited about the world of possibilities that lay in front of her. When he was able to pull her away from the allure of the Trust, he saw a piece of that again from her.
Garrett just hoped that he could keep that piece all for himself.
Chapter 16
Declan was tired. He was more than tired if he was honest with himself. The training with Caitlyn had been going terrific, and Declan could not have been more pleased with it all. The Council was very impressed with the results of their efforts and he knew that he would have no problem getting the funding needed for his project when the training was completed. However, when he went home at the end of the night, he was often bombarded by messages from his father, the Council, and other people of rank. And it was beginning to wear on him. He knew he was beginning to wear thin and needed to rest soon. Tonight would not be that night, however.
Declan had no sooner popped into his house, as he noticed his father was waiting in the hallway, almost lurking in the shadows. It should have surprised him that his father was here, this late in the evening, but it didn’t. In the past couple of months, it seemed to be the only family interaction face to face they had anymore. Declan hugged his father briefly and led his father into the kitchen. Declan peered at his father as they both stood by the countertop, and he couldn’t help but notice his father’s heavy bags under his eyes and the wrinkles that were becoming more prominent on his face. He wondered when it was that his father began looking old and why he had never noticed before.
“Dad. What brings you here?” Declan began rummaging through his kitchen cabinets for something edible. He wasn’t much of a cook, but he was tired of ordering out, and he was home so rarely anymore that he couldn’t see the need to hire a chef, since he was lucky if had five meals a week there.
“I came to see you.” Declan's father gave a knowing look and produced a bag and held it in front of him. “It’s leftover from dinner tonight at the house. It’s just lasagna.”
He grabbed the bag gratefully. “Thank you.” He emptied the contents of the bag, setting it on the kitchen table. “As much as I would like to think that you just wanted to have a nice visit with your son, I know better. You look worried. What are you really doing here?”
His father took a seat. “There has been another security breach.”
Jonathan McPherson was never one for mincing words. Declan mumbled through a bite of the food. “Ho
w big?”
His father ran his hands over his face, before rubbing at his temples. “It’s big. Passwords, lists of names of Potentials we have identified for the Inception, but worst of all are the names, locations, and missions of several of our spies that are currently in Cine Tofa territory. I don’t need to tell you that puts them in immediate danger.”
Declan’s eyes opened wide. His thoughts were no longer on his food. “Which ones?”
“Smith, Torres, and DeMartino.”
Declan dropped his head. They were three of their top spies. “When was the breach detected?”
“Seventeen hundred hours.”
It was now nine o’clock, that was four hours ago. “We could probably reach Smith and Torres regarding the compromise in time hopefully, but DiMartino has been off the radar for some time and would be near impossible to warn.”
“I know. We have confirmation that Torres got the message regarding that she was compromised and she is on her way back now. Smith we have tried reaching and despite our best attempts, have been unsuccessful. DiMartino has not reported in over a week. We are not sure where he is at the moment, but we knew his assignment would cause his updates to be few and far between. We are pretty sure we will not be able to reach him. Our only hope for him is that he is a damn good chameleon.”
“Any leads on where the breach came from?”
“None. We have several people working on it.”
Declan raised his eyes to meet his fathers. “What do you need me to do?”
“Get Caleb to work on this quietly. There are too many people that are aware of the security breach for my liking and I do not necessarily trust those that they put in charge to work on this. If Caleb finds anything, only you and I are to know about it, understand?”
“Okay. Anything else?”
Jonathan McPherson nodded, “As soon as I get confirmation that one of our spies has indeed been compromised, I need you to set up negotiations immediately with the Cine Tofa.”
Declan placed his hands on the table. “That might be more difficult than you anticipate. They have denied the past three requests for renegotiation.”
His father’s mouth set in a hard line. “Do what you need to. I do not want those spies in the hands of their Inquisitors. Especially DeMartino.”
Declan sighed. By the time the negotiations happen and if they agree to free them, the Inquisitors will have long since had their way with them, and most likely extracted the information needed from them. But he understood his father knew this. His father, while recognizing that Inquisitors were extremely useful, hated the way that the Cine Tofa used them. “Alright. I’ll see what I can do. But I suggest you look into alternative means of extraction if you wish them to avoid the Inquisitors.”
“Thank you, Declan.”
They sat a few more minutes, discussing what would be needed for Caleb to complete his work and what tactics Declan could employ to get a negotiation.
Once that was completed, his father stood up from the table, as Declan quickly finished what remained of his meal. “I need to go. The Council and the Descendants have called emergency sessions tonight. I fear that neither of us will get much sleep.”
His father left the house, ready to catch a plane. He knew his father was in for a grueling night. But he also knew that he was in for one as well. He decided to start with the immediate task at hand, which would be convincing Caleb.
Declan did not have to think long about where he could find Caleb. He and Caleb had known each other since infancy. He loved Caleb’s family almost as much as his own. As children, they were best friends, and though they had gone their own separate paths over the years, Declan still felt a keen friendship with the programmer. He was the closest thing he would ever have to a brother.
So it did not surprise Declan to find Caleb in his apartment, on his computer, trying to hack into some website or another. Caleb was simply brilliant when it came to computers. His programming skills were unparalleled by anyone in Trust Corporation, and many outside companies had tried to lure him away with lucrative salaries and benefits.
As a young professional, the offers were tempting, but Caleb ultimately refused. The fact was that Caleb was tied to the Trust almost as much as Declan was. His family was all Trust and for Caleb, family came before all. Still, the Trust compensated him well for staying with them.
Caleb had jumped nearly out of his skin when he realized that Declan was peering over his shoulder looking at what he was doing on the computer.
“For God’s sake, Declan! Can’t you knock outside like normal people? I don’t care if you can do that popping in and out thing. What if I had been with a girl?”
Declan leaned against the computer desk, crossing his arms. “Yeah, right. You would never bring a girl back here. It might imply commitment.”
“Okay, you got me there. You let them into your house, and then they think they own the place. But seriously, would knocking kill ya?”
He shrugged. “I couldn’t. Someone might have seen me.”
Caleb rolled his eyes. “Who is going to see you at my apartment? Do you really think there is Cine Tofa just waiting in the hallway on the off chance you will show up? You are paranoid. You know that, right?”
He couldn’t help his lips upturning at his childhood friend. “Perhaps. But my father sent me over here to talk to you about a classified request, so I figured it might be best to be more discreet than normal.”
“More discreet than normal? You are the most discreet person I know.”
“I’ll take that as a compliment.”
Caleb swirled his computer chair around to give his sole attention to Declan. “So what is so urgent that your dad has you coming to visit me in the middle of the night?”
Declan rolled his eyes slightly. It was only ten-thirty. That was hardly middle of the night. “There was a security breach today. A big one. The council is trying to keep it quiet, but I cannot imagine this will stay that way for long. Passwords, Names, and Missions were all compromised as a result. My father was obviously not happy about it.”
Caleb whistled. “I can imagine he isn’t.”
Caleb was quiet for a moment as he thought about this. “How did the person manage to hack into our database? I helped designed the firewalls. It should have been virtually impossible to access that.”
“We think it was an inside job.”
“Shit.”
“This isn’t the first time either, but it by far is the largest. The Council and Descendants already have several people working on the breach.”
“Okay, well, if others are working on it, how does this involve me?”
“Simple. My dad doesn’t trust them. He trusts you. I trust you. Besides, with the people the Council chose to work on it, it will probably take months for them to figure out where the breach came from. We need someone who is efficient and can do this as quickly as possible. That is where you come in.”
“Who do they have working on it?”
“My father said it was Howie Becker and Andrea Goodwin.”
Caleb rolled his eyes. “Becker and Goodwin? Are you serious? Idiots. They could not figure their way out of a paper bag. At least your dad has more sense to ask me. I do have a question though. How do you expect me to do this? I don’t have full security clearance. Do you want me to hack into our own database?”
Declan smirked. “You will have full security access as of tomorrow.”
Caleb almost fell backwards in his seat. “Holy shit. Seriously?”
“Seriously. Obviously, as a result, you are going to be privy to a bunch of information that is classified, records I do not even have access to, and records that Goodwin and Becker will definitely not have access to. I don’t think I have to emphasize to you how important it is that you keep this information to yourself. Any findings that you think may be of any consequence are to be reported to myself and my father only.”
Caleb stood up, and paced around the room for a minute, think
ing, strategizing. “You were not kidding when you implied this security breach must have been huge. It would not have been anything less for your father to agree to do this. Look, I’m not going to be able to trace who did this overnight. Whoever got access to those files must have known what they were doing and I guarantee they covered their tracks and covered them well.”
“Are you saying you don’t think you can do it?”
Caleb laughed. “Are you kidding me? I am freaking Caleb Turner. You of all people know I am a pompous ass. Of course I can do it. I am just saying it may take a few weeks. I need more information though.”
“I’ll have a full file for you tomorrow with all the information you need.”
Caleb let out a deep breath and rubbed his palms together. Declan saw a twinkle in his eye that was not there before. He knew that Caleb would be the right person for the job. “I’ll do it.”
“My father really wasn’t asking, Caleb.”
“Do you have to take the fun out of everything, Declan?”
“Just keeping it real.”
They made arrangements to meet for the file, before he met Caitlyn for training the following morning. Declan left then, and proceeded to spend the rest of the night gathering the information that Caleb was going to need. It was a tedious task to say the least, obtaining all the passwords and clearances that he would need.
The sun was beginning to crest over the horizon and Declan had not even closed his eyes yet. Declan groaned as he transported back to the training facilities, knowing that yet another long day awaited him. Caleb met him as promised, and Declan had been able to obtain all the information Caleb would need to begin his investigation.
Caitlyn walked up then, fresh from a good night’s sleep with two coffees in hand, as Caleb was beginning to walk away. “Morning Declan. Morning Caleb! What brings you out so early? I’ve never seen you before noon and you only get up at noon when Garrett finally bugs you enough to join him at the gym.”
