The Ajax Protocol (The Project)

by Lukeman, Alex

  When he got to Harker's office, he was late. Everyone was already there. Lamont pretended that the glare from Ronnie's shirt was hurting his eyes. He put on a pair of Ray Bans and leaned over to stare at one of the hula dancers.

  "Nice shirt, Ronnie."

  "One of these days you're going to hurt my feelings," Ronnie said. "It's not my fault you can't appreciate true art."

  Harker said. "I'm glad you're back, Lamont. Now, can we focus here?"

  "Sorry, Director."

  She turned to Nick. "What happened yesterday?" she said.

  "Someone followed us on the way to the hospital," he said. "When we came out, they began shooting. Usually the shooting doesn't start until we're in the middle of a mission."

  "Looks like the mission has already started," Elizabeth said. "We need to brainstorm this. Make some assumptions."

  "What do we know?" Selena said.

  "We know someone considers us a threat," Nick said, "but not much else."

  Harker said, "First me, then the rest of you. Coming after us is a preemptive strike. Do we all agree on that?"

  She looked around the room. The others nodded.

  "The question is why?"

  Nick said, "It could be the same people that tried to kill Rice."

  "My intuition says it is," Elizabeth said, "but I can't prove it yet."

  "If it is the same people," Selena said, "they could be worried we'll find out who they are."

  Stephanie was sitting apart from the others at her computer console, near Harker's desk. Now she said, "I think it has to be more than that. What do they gain by poisoning Rice?"

  "It's like a regime change," Lamont said. "With Edmonds running things, it's a whole different ballgame."

  "You think someone is planning a coup?" Nick said.

  "Not planning it, starting it," Lamont said. "Edmonds could be in on it."

  "He's not the President yet. Rice is still alive. It takes more than a failed assassination attempt to take over the government."

  "What else would they need to do?" Ronnie said.

  "They have to create fear," Selena said. "Enough to get everyone so upset they'll accept harsh government controls, like martial law."

  "They'd need an excuse like massive riots," Stephanie said, "like what happened in Russia."

  Harker said, "You think what happened in Russia is related to what's happening here?"

  Stephanie frowned. "It could be. If a riot like that happened in New York or Chicago or LA, the government would have to send in troops, like they did in Russia. Impose a curfew. Take over services, all of that."

  "That's a real leap, Steph," Nick said.

  "I don't think so." Stephanie twisted the bracelets on her wrist, first one way than the other. "Look what happened in Novosibirsk. If that happened here, it would provide an excuse to bring down the hammer."

  "That's a Presidential call," Selena said.

  "And who's the acting President?" Nick looked at her. "Do you trust Edmonds to defend personal freedom?"

  No one had anything to say about that.

  Stephanie cleared her throat. "Speaking of Edmonds, I tracked down that helicopter that came after Elizabeth. It was manufactured in France and sold to a company called Global Enterprise Solutions."

  "I've heard of them," Nick said. "Aren't they a big construction firm?"

  "Construction, engineering, oil and more," Stephanie said. "It's a huge company doing billions of dollars worth of business a year. Guess who was the former CEO before he got elected to office?"

  "Edmonds?"

  Stephanie nodded. "It doesn't prove he's involved, but it's another one of those coincidences."

  Ronnie scratched the top of his head. "Sometimes I don't like what we find when we do the assumption thing," he said.

  "Do you really think a coup could happen here?" Selena said.

  "If people thought we were under attack, it might be possible," Elizabeth said. "The Patriot Act suspends the Bill of Rights. It's never been hard to get most people in line when they think they're being threatened. Any new regulations would be presented as necessary and temporary."

  "So what do we do now?" Lamont said.

  Harker picked up her black pen. Nick waited for her to begin tapping. She set it down again.

  "We have no proof at all that someone wants to overthrow our government. The key to this is that satellite weapon, or whatever it is. We need to find out what it is and who's behind it. There has to be someplace they're using as a headquarters or communication center, a place to control it. Something this sophisticated can't be called up on a cell phone."

  "Once we find it, then what?" Lamont asked.

  "Then we destroy it."

  "Sure," Nick said, "but we have to find it first."

  Stephanie said, "I have a lead. It's not much, but it's better than nothing. You remember I said I detected a micro-burst of high frequency energy when Russia got hit?"

  "Yes?" Harker said.

  "I traced the signal to the Western US and started to hack into the computer that sent it. It had very sophisticated firewalls and security, something I'd never seen before. Actually, it was quite a challenge. You know sometimes I miss the game, back when I was just hacking into things for the fun of it."

  Harker said, "Stephanie. Would you please stick to the point?"

  "Oh. Sorry."

  Ronnie looked over at Nick and raised his eyebrows.

  Stephanie said, "I got part way in, then someone diverted me and tried to fry our computers with his own attack. I blocked it and dropped off."

  "You said out West. Where, exactly?"

  "I don't know. Somewhere on the other side of the Mississippi."

  "That's a lot of country," Nick said. "Doesn't help a lot."

  Stephanie looked annoyed. "I said the lead wasn't much."

  "Actually, it does help," Harker said. "It tells us the nerve center is here in the US."

  "Unless they're using some kind of transparent system to re-route the signal," Stephanie said. "If that's the case, that computer could be anywhere."

  "What's our next move, Director?" Nick asked.

  Harker tapped her pen on her desk. "Normally, I'd go to the White House and talk to Rice. But I can't do that, can I? Instead I've got to do something outside the bounds."

  They waited for her to finish her thought.

  "I'm going to have to talk with General Vysotsky. Sooner or later, the Russians will discover that a signal was sent from American territory. I don't want them drawing the wrong conclusions and he's our best channel to the Kremlin."

  "Do you think he'll be straight with you?" Out of the corner of his eye Nick saw Selena frown.

  "Probably not, at least not entirely. But it's worth a try. It's to his advantage to cooperate. That's the key with him, he's an opportunist. Besides, he's smart and he may know something we don't."

  "How come we always end up bailing out the Russians?" Nick asked.

  "Self interest," Harker said. "We can't let them think the US is behind this. Plus if Russia goes down, they'll take everyone else with them. We can't let it happen. We have a common enemy in whoever has that weapon. That makes Russia our friend, at least for the moment."

  "The enemy of my enemy is my friend?" Lamont said. "Give me a break."

  "Some friend," Ronnie said.

  CHAPTER 14

  Alexei Vysotsky saw that Elizabeth Harker was calling on his secured line. Circumstances had forced them into an unlikely alliance in the past. At first he'd been suspicious of her. After all, she was American, in the same business as he was. Russia had benefited from the alliance, but he had to be careful. The Cold War was back, if not as frigid as it had been in the days of Stalin and Khrushchev.

  She had earned his respect. He hoped he never had to take her on as an enemy. In Alexei's inner world, that thought constituted high praise.

  His curiosity was aroused. He'd met her face to face once in Denmark, and he liked her. It was too bad she was on
the opposite side. He picked up his phone and allowed his considerable charm to color his voice.

  "Director. To what do I owe the pleasure?"

  "Good morning, Alexei. Or I should say afternoon, where you are. You sound well. Something's come up we need to discuss."

  "Oh?"

  "It concerns Novosibirsk."

  "That is an internal affair, Director. We'll find the terrorists responsible."

  Harker knew that the best way to work with Vysotsky was to be truthful, at least when it wasn't in conflict with security concerns.

  "It's gone beyond that, General. I believe that whoever is responsible is planning something here in America as well. They are a threat to both of us."

  "Go on."

  "We think a satellite weapon has been developed that uses targeted radio frequencies to disrupt mental behavior and that someone used it on Novosibirsk."

  "You are certain?"

  "Almost certain."

  Vysotsky debated with himself. Should he pretend to be surprised, or respond with the truth? He decided on truth.

  "We have arrived at a similar conclusion. We couldn't believe terrorists would have such technology available. Frankly, we thought it might be a hostile move on the part of your government. Or Beijing. There are several in the Kremlin who believe this."

  "Our government did not do this," Harker said. "If the situation were reversed, I am sure I would have thought Moscow or Beijing was behind it." A thought occurred to her. "Have you discovered anyone who was involved?"

  How did she know that? he thought.

  She seemed to read his mind. "I can hear you thinking, General. I'm right, aren't I?"

  He sighed. "We have someone in custody. We are, ah, questioning him. What you would call a person of interest, yes?"

  "Have you been watching American television again, Alexei?"

  He laughed. "You have so many crime shows. America must be a very dangerous place, with all those persons of interest wandering around."

  "Don't believe everything you see on television," she said. She paused.

  Vysotsky waited. Now we're getting to it, he thought.

  "We worked well together in the past, " she said. "I propose that we cooperate again. You and I both want to prevent another incident."

  "What do you have in mind?"

  "You have full access to whatever your people discover and I do not."

  "You wish to share information?"

  "If we work together, we'll be more effective than if we work alone."

  "What have you discovered?"

  "Nothing concrete, yet. A suspicion, only. It may lead to something or not. If it proves accurate, I'll tell you."

  More than a suspicion, Vysotsky thought. "Are you thinking of sending your team here?"

  "I have no plans to do so, but it could be necessary in the future. That is one reason I'm calling. I don't want there to be any misunderstandings if it becomes necessary."

  Vysotsky ran through the options in his mind. The riots had shaken the Kremlin. Whoever discovered the cause would be rewarded. He had nothing to lose by cooperating with her. Harker was offering an opportunity he couldn't pass up.

  "I also would like to avoid misunderstandings. If you keep me informed, I think we have an agreement. Who else knows about your suspicions? Your FBI? Langley?"

  "For the time being, no one else. You know we have serious security leaks."

  Not long before, there had been a rash of publicity about a high profile American defector who had ended up in Russia.

  Vysotsky smiled to himself. "Yes, you do. How do you want to proceed?"

  "I'll pursue this on my end. If I discover something, I'll pass it on to you. I would like you to do the same." Harker paused. "Do you have any leads yet from your person of interest?"

  "Not yet. But I don't think it will be very long until I do."

  Thousands of miles away on the other side of the world, Elizabeth could hear a ruthless certainty in his voice. She was glad she wasn't the one Vysotsky was questioning.

  CHAPTER 15

  Nick had always thought counseling was an admission of weakness. A man ought to handle things on his own had been his dominant thought almost as long as he could remember. Even so, it had finally come home to him that he had to do something about his PTSD. It gave him nightmares and headaches. It was driving a wedge between him and Selena. It interfered when he was in the field.

  He'd chosen Dave Milton from a short list recommended by other vets. Milton had made Major in Special Forces, no mean feat. He'd lost an arm in Afghanistan. Those two things gave him a lot of credibility with Nick. Now he was back in Milton's office.

  The doctors he'd talked to when he'd come back from the war had told him his guilt about the child was misplaced and that it wasn't his fault. That feeling guilty just made the stress worse. That was like telling him the sky was blue. Intellectually, he already knew that. But they didn't really understand. They hadn't been there. They didn't know what it felt like, but Milton did. That was the difference. Nick trusted him.

  Milton was a black man, about Nick's height but a little heavier. Today he had on a blue shirt and a tie. The left sleeve of the shirt was attached with a gold safety pin against his shoulder. Milton was the kind of man who seemed at ease with himself, a man who knew who he was.

  They'd been talking for a half hour. Nick told Milton what had happened at Bethesda, in a general way. Milton's clearance was good, but it only went so far.

  "You're keeping something back," Milton said.

  "What do you mean?"

  "You just got through telling me someone tried to kill you. Again. In a parking lot here in the US, where those kinds of things aren't supposed to happen."

  "You know I can't go into all the details."

  "That's not what I mean."

  "Then what are you talking about?"

  "You haven't said one word about how you feel. You told me what happened. You didn't tell me anything else."

  "How do you think I feel? How would you feel if someone started shooting at you?" Nick could feel himself tensing up.

  "If you don't want to tell me how you felt in that parking lot, why not tell me how you're doing with the dreams?"

  "Better," Nick said, "but the headaches are starting again."

  "You remember what you discovered the last time you were here?"

  "Yeah. I can get killed like anybody else. But I already knew that. I'm not sure it has much to do with the dreams or PTSD."

  "It was more than that. What was the word you used, to describe how you felt? Do you remember? It's important."

  "Why?"

  "Why do you think?"

  "Damn it, you're doing that shrink thing."

  "What shrink thing?"

  "Throwing questions back at me. Answering a question with a question."

  "Would it do any good if I told you what I thought?"

  "That's why I'm here."

  "No it isn't," Milton said. "You're here because you want to stop the nightmares and the rest of it. Me telling you what I think isn't going to help you solve anything. You have to figure it out yourself."

  Every time he'd been here, Nick had wanted to get up and walk out. Now he wanted to do it again. He thought about the last time he'd been in this office. He'd been talking about Afghanistan, about the day he'd almost died. About the grenade. About the child he'd killed who was trying to kill him. The scars on his body began throbbing as he thought about it. What was the word he'd used?

  Helpless.

  Milton saw it register on Nick's face. "Stay with it," he said. "Stay with the feeling."

  "Helpless," Nick said. "Helpless is the word."

  Milton was silent.

  ...the grenade comes toward him, a dark, green shape tumbling through the air...everything goes white....

  "How the hell do I deal with that?"

  "How do you usually deal with it?"

  Nick laughed. "More firepower."

  Milton s
miled. "Okay, but what else?"

  Nick thought. "I get headaches," he said. "Nightmares."

  Milton nodded. "Because...?"

  "I don't know."

  "When we have a nightmare over and over again, it's because our unconscious mind is trying to get our attention. It's a way to get a message through to the outer mind."

  "What message?" Nick asked.

  "What do you think?"

  "There you go again," Nick said.

  Milton waited.

  "The only message I get is that I almost died."

  "That's right. You almost died. How do you feel when you have the dream?"

  "Damn it, you know how I feel." Nick was getting angry. "Helpless. Frightened. That good enough?"

  "So why do you have the dream?"

  Nick took a deep breath. He wanted to punch Milton. He wanted to leave the room. He felt like he was on the verge of something, some discovery. "All it does is remind me."

  "Of what?"

  "That I feel unprotected. That I could die."

  "Yup. Does it work?"

  "What do you mean?"

  "Do the nightmares keep you safe? Protect you?"

  "Of course not."

  "Right. It's a failed strategy. Now you know what the issue really is."

  Nick felt a surge of adrenaline. "Survival?"

  Milton nodded, pleased. "At the most basic level. Life and death. Now that you know that, you don't have to get headaches and nightmares to remind you."

  "It can't be that simple."

  "Maybe it's a little more complicated than that but that's the foundation," Milton said. "Think about it some more and we'll do something a little different next time to defuse whatever is left."

  When he walked out of the office, Nick felt that something had changed. What had Milton said? That since Nick knew what the issue really was, he didn't need the dreams to remind him. He remembered the feeling, like an electric jolt running through his body, when he realized the issue was survival. It was more than knowing it. He'd felt the rightness of it, felt the energy and truth of it ripple through his body, like touching a live wire.