by Bob Blink
"Where did they go?" Randy Fischer asked. Randy had been the one who dropped the man on the floor.
"Behind the chairs," Bob Ayers warned, but something told him the attackers weren't present any longer. Even more surprising, the one that had been shot was no longer where he had fallen. Ayers couldn't imagine the wounded man had been able to crawl out of sight that quickly.
Guns ready, Ayers and the two surviving agents carefully checked the room. Jim Clarkson was obviously dead, a bullet having taken him in the side of his head. A quick check also verified that Clint Thompson had been killed as well. But after a careful check, impossible as it seemed, they had to conclude that the four gunmen had somehow managed to escape. What they thought might be the sound of the shooters vehicle attempting to flee turned out to be Fred Sellers arriving for work. When questioned he indicated that no vehicles had passed him as he drove down the narrow road toward the ranch house.
Sequoia Facility
As the cover over his support couch lifted to allow him clearance to sit up, Glenn Walker noted that Luke Morales was already standing up next to his own unit, checking his body in a natural reaction to having been shot. Glenn's arm still throbbed as a reaction to his own wound, but that was quickly fading as his body realized the strike wasn't real. Luke had beat the others back because he'd been killed and taken out of the Simulation a couple of minutes before everyone else pulled out. Bill Williams had been hit just as Glenn had been, and was unconsciously rubbing the site of his wound, as he sat on the edge of his unit.
"What the hell was that?" Mark Savage muttered angrily once his lid was clear and he could sit up. He'd escaped the action without incident, but he'd had to scramble while inside in order to do so, but Glenn was aware that Mark had put a couple of rounds into Thompson as he'd done so. "I thought the guy was supposed to be alone?" Mark said.
"What happened?" Joe asked, realizing immediately there had been problems and that the return was not as routine as expected.
"They were waiting for us," Luke muttered, now fully recovered, but aware that he'd probably have dreams about the bullets slamming into his body. It had taken him a couple of days to get past the Chicago attack where all of them had been 'killed'.
"Wait a minute," Glenn instructed. "Carol, we need to talk privately. We are done now. I'll speak with you later."
Carol nodded, and looking worried left the room. Zack remained, but then he knew the details of what they were doing. He'd provided the after action videos for each mission. Carol might be aware generally what each trip involved, but didn't know names and other details. Even so, Glenn knew she was a liability, and would have to be dealt with at some point. He'd be suspicious of her if it weren't for the fact she had no inkling of the mission until an hour before, and then she knew nothing about the target.
"Someone had to know we were coming," Glenn said when the door had closed behind her, agreeing with Morales. "Thompson had armed protection guarding. I guess we were wrong, and actually do have a leak somewhere after all. I thought after your successful mission that wasn't the case, but it seems that belief was premature."
"It's not possible," Joe objected. "We kept this attack very quiet. Who could have known about it, especially in time to prepare? You say people were waiting for you when you arrived?"
"Four of them, in addition to Thompson," Bill agreed. "They knew how to shoot. They weren't simply a bunch of neighbors, besides, it was far too early in the day for Thompson to be having casual company."
"But you got Thompson?" Joe asked, wondering if the mission was another bust.
"Yeah, we got him," Mark said. "Both Glenn and myself each pumped a couple of rounds into him before it got really intense. I'm certain he's dead, but Zack will be able to confirm it when he plays back the video he recorded."
Mark looked at Zack who nodded. "In another minute or so," he said, working at the console.
"It doesn't sound like his protection did him much good," Joe noted. "At least the mission was successful."
"But we left a couple of men who will have a strange story to tell. Luke disappeared from where he fell, and the rest of us triggered a release from the room. They'll wonder how we could have vanished."
"Here's the video," Zack said, having set up the playback from the time of arrival of the team."
All of them watched silently as the scene was replayed. Clearly Clint Thompson was out of the picture, as was one of the bodyguards that tried to engage them.
"FBI," Walker said unhappily, having heard the warning one of the armed men had shouted upon seeing them. He hadn't heard that at the time, his attention so focused on Thompson and getting his shot at the man.
Joe was silent for a long moment as he continued to look at the monitor, the frozen image of the downed Thompson showing.
"I don't think this was what you think," he said finally.
"What do you mean?" Walker asked, still annoyed by the whole occurrence.
"I don't think that Walker was expecting an attack," Joe said bluntly.
"But the bodyguards?" Bill protested.
"We'll play it back again in a minute," Joe said, "but Thompson came walking in unconcerned, as if he was thinking someone else was there. He even called out to announce he was coming. If he'd believed someone was gunning for him, I don't believe he'd have been so careless. Also, while the others had guns, you'll notice that Thompson was unarmed. He's ex-FBI. If he felt threatened, I can't believe he wouldn't have dug out his own weapon, and not simply relied on others around him."
"Well, it got him killed," Mark said with a certain satisfaction.
"Who are the men?" Walker asked, ignoring Mark's comment.
"Probably FBI just as the one claimed," Joe said. "Maybe friends of his. But look at the way they were dressed. They clearly aren't wearing their street clothes. It looks to me that they were planning on some rough outdoors activity. Maybe they were going riding, or from what you said about Thompson, maybe hunting. If they were active duty Feds, unlike Thompson, they'd be required to carry their duty weapon at all times. That could explain the guns."
"Too damn much coincidence," Glenn argued.
"They do happen, you know," Joe said.
Walker wasn't convinced, but said, "Play it back again, Zack."
They all watched the video again, paying attention to details that Joe had pointed out.
"Maybe," Walker said when the video was finished. After a moment he added, "Okay, let's get out of here. Zack, send a copy of that video to my account. I want to be able to view it privately."
"You're still not convinced?" Joe asked when he and Walker were alone in the Director's office.
"This is twice in a row for me," Glenn argued. "That still seems like too much coincidence, even if the video tends to suggest you are right."
They had watched the video a couple of more times, paying close attention to details. Glenn was pleased at the reactions of his men to the surprise of finding themselves in an unexpected gunfight. They had paid special attention to each of their faces, and Glenn was convinced that the surprise registered there was genuine. The three men he'd taken on the raid were among the small number who had known the target and timing in advance, but he was now convinced none of them had leaked the plan.
"Who could have known?" Glenn asked, pouring another tumbler of the very old scotch.
"The four of you who went on the raid," Joe said. "Me, Zack, and I suppose you'd have to include Carol, but she didn't know any details."
"That receptionist at the front of the Resort," Glenn added.
"She only knows that a group of us were going somewhere. She couldn't have known where, and she only learned about it an hour beforehand. That wouldn't have been time for anyone in the Sim to have made the arrangements necessary. Those men had been there a while. For the same reason, Carol couldn't have been responsible. She didn't know the target, and only learned a couple of hours beforehand that we had something planned. The same with Zack."
; "Who else knows anything?"
"No one I can think of is supposed to know," Joe said. "So it comes down to who could know something who isn't supposed to, and how would they learn the information?"
"Those two programmers you don't like or their friends?" Glenn asked.
"I don't trust them, and think we need to deal with that loose end, but I can't see how they could have learned the details, and then made arrangements in the Sim," Joe argued. "They'd have to have some way of monitoring us, and you know as well as anyone what is secure and what isn't."
"I think we are missing something," Glenn added.
"Well, how about Jessica?" Joe asked. "Are you certain you didn't let something slip while in the height of passion? She managed to delay you today, although I can't see how that short delay would have allowed any special preparations to be made in the Sim. For that matter, how could she get any information into the Sim? We control the only way in."
"Maybe we need to watch her anyway?" Glenn suggested, still a bit paranoid about the experience. "I also want Zack and Harris to monitor the actions of some of the Sim people."
"People in the Simulation?" Joe asked, clearly not expecting the comment.
Glenn nodded.
"The cops in DC and Chicago in particular, and Rossetti as well. They know something odd is happening. Maybe they have set up some kind of communication between themselves."
"How would they learn what is really going on?" Joe asked, baffled by Glenn's suggestion.
"I don't know, but I feel we are missing something. It can't hurt to have a look. Also, have Zack check out the Sim versions of the two programmers. Maybe they have kept from us a way they can link to themselves inside."
Joe thought that they were going down a pointless path, but knew when to agree. "I'll tell him," he said. "What do we do about the next action we had planned?"
"Hold it for now, and when we decide, you and I will be the only ones who know when and who. Then we'll see what happens. Maybe we'll go after someone not on the list we have put together just to see what develops!"
Chapter 26
Sequoia Facility
"Something's happened," Jessica said when she arrived late and out of breath to their meeting. "Glenn and Joe didn't see me when they came back to the office just a bit ago, but they both looked very grim and immediately closed the door behind them. That's why I'm late. I wanted to see if I could learn anything useful. I considered trying to listen in, but I was afraid they might catch me."
"I think they went on another raid," Greg said. "Carol and that lackey Zack were tied up for a long time in the room they have reserved for their exclusive use. I'm guessing it must have gone poorly, as Walker's cohorts looked a little shaken when I spotted them leaving."
"It's probably too early to find out anything, but I'll initiate a search," Dale said. "Do either of you know which node they visited?"
Both Jessica and Greg shook their heads.
"I wish we had some way of knowing where and when these things are planned," Ray complained. "We still haven't figured out who Walker is after, and why. The list of those he's killed or made a run at makes no sense."
"Once we know what happened, I'll have to alert our friends inside," Rao said. "They will be wondering why we didn't warn them earlier."
"You realize this will have Walker all wound up again," Jessica warned. "He was convinced for a while that someone here knew their plans and somehow warned Rossetti after that attempt failed. I heard him and Joe discussing it several times. Only the fact the Dallas job of theirs went smoothly convinced him it might have been simply bad luck. If something went bad again, he'll be watching everyone carefully. We'll have to be very careful for a while."
"Well, we had nothing to do with it this time," Ray said. "I just hope he hasn't learned about our friends inside."
"I am thinking it is becoming even more important that we have our backup access we discussed the other day," Rao noted. "Whether we did anything or not, if Walker is suspicious, he might put his people to watching all computer facilities. That could put our current means of communicating and monitoring at risk. Sooner or later someone is going to realize what we are doing, and despite the tricks Dale and I have used to hide our hacking, it isn't foolproof."
"A link through the abandoned bunker in the Ring area would be more secure?" Ray asked. "You're certain?"
Rao nodded.
"It would be in a location they would not be expecting, and there is a very direct path into the system that would bypass the Command Center. I am thinking we will be needing it soon."
"Then we better start planning," Ray suggested. "I have one of the electric carts. Did you have any luck getting access to Walker's?" he asked Jessica.
"It may be bad timing, but I badgered him about it earlier today. I knew he was anxious to go somewhere, and thought it might be a lever to get him to agree to my using it. It worked, but now I'm wondering if the timing was unfortunate. He might try to link the two events in his mind."
"It sounds like your situation might be becoming precarious," Ray said. "Maybe you should find a way to back out of the relationship while you can."
"Not yet," Jessica argued. "There's still too much we don't yet know. I'll know if he gets suspicious."
"By then it might be too late," Ray warned. He felt the gutsy little blond was a little too brave. Her small frame was deceiving. She had the heart of a fighter.
"What about you?" she asked. "You've been poking into things lately that might get their attention."
"That's my job. I'm not likely to be on his list. The area I work he'd see as aligned with keeping everything orderly. Besides, I'm a friend of a friend, of a friend. That puts me several links down the chain, and certainly not one of the first he'd look at. Now, both Dale and Rao are a different matter."
"You are thinking he will want to get rid of us?" Rao asked uncomfortably. Clearly, he'd already been thinking along similar lines.
Ray nodded. "Both of you were brought in from the outside to open up his pathway for him. We think he got rid of Charlie Crane when he wouldn't or couldn't do it for him. If he believes somehow someone is working against him, why wouldn't he eliminate the two individuals who could cause him the most grief. He probably will suspect you, even if he couldn't think of how you might be doing it. The problem is, in part he is right!"
"So, what do they do?" Greg asked.
"I'd like to say that they should go into hiding right now, but that might alert Walker unnecessarily. We need to know just what he believes. If we are wrong and he isn't yet suspicious, then having Rao and Dale suddenly vanish will trigger exactly what we hope to avoid."
"Maybe I can find that out?" Jessica offered.
"Let's table that for the moment," Ray insisted. "We have enough people that we can get a sense of what he attempts without such a direct approach. Meanwhile, both Dale and Rao should be prepared to relocate at a moment's notice."
"Where to?" Cindy asked. She'd been quietly listening up to this point.
"We've been setting up two unused units in the residential sector," Ray replied. "They should make their way to the closest one if they get the word to hide. Even if they don't go to the same one. Actually, that might be better. Gives us more options. We can worry about relocating them to one of the more secure spots later. The two remote locations we have set up are far enough away that trying to get there alone would be suicidal."
"And the rest of you?" Rao asked.
"If we believe we are being targeted, then we do the same, but I don't see that happening, except maybe for Greg."
They all shifted their attention to Greg, who, like Cindy, had been sitting listening without saying much.
"You think they might institute a search of the records for someone using the couches?" Greg asked.
"I'd bet on it," Ray said. "They think someone has been getting the word into the Sim. How else would they do it. As far as Walker and his friends are concerned, that is the only means of
linking with those inside."
"If they look hard enough, they'll find it," Greg said. "The system does not allow complete erasure of the data. Some of it is stored in memory offsite somewhere that can't be erased locally."
"Then you are in as much, maybe more danger than Rao and Dale should Walker start looking. At the first hint they are checking, you disappear. Understand?"
Greg nodded. He always carried the little stunner around these days, but it wouldn't be enough if Walker sent his team after him. He was an engineer, and had no experience with personal confrontation.
"How would they monitor us if we get on their list?" Cindy asked.
"They'll manually watch us, and you can bet they'll turn our rooms into listening posts," Ray warned. "Everyone has a holo-system for movies and general contact. Those can easily be configured to listen and record anything that happens in the apartments."
Cindy nodded. She'd known of the capability for a long time, but it was something that to her knowledge had never been implemented. In the close quarters of the cavern, privacy was something cherished.
"We should start meeting elsewhere," Rao suggested. "Somewhere where we have disabled the systems."
"I'll make up a list of locations and get it to everyone by tomorrow," Ray promised.
There was a momentary lull while everyone considered what Ray was suggesting. That was when Dale spoke.
"Denver," he said. "They made their attack in Denver. The first reports from the police department are just showing up."
Dale had discovered that the fastest way to discover any indication of the attacks was to monitor the internal records of the police departments in the ten cities, as well as the pre-released files within the larger newspapers of those same areas. It appeared that the Denver police had been called into the residence of a former FBI official who had been killed as part of a home invasion attack.
