“Morning, Gina,” Cassandra said to her administrative assistant. “Do you mind bringing me some coffee, please?”
“No problem,” Gina answered, but gave Cassandra a worried look. “There’s a visitor in your office. I told him he would have to come back, but he...insisted. He does have clearance…” she continued lamely.
“It’s okay. Probably one’s of Markis’ aides needing something for one of those endless briefings.”
“Ah, no,” said Gina, but Cassandra had already moved past the secretary’s desk and into her own office. She froze in the doorway when she saw the small Asian man sitting on her leather couch.
Spooky Nguyen smiled at her. “Why Cassandra, you don’t look happy to see me.”
Cassandra forced herself to return the smile and closed the door behind her, walking over and sitting behind her desk. “Just surprised, Tran. This is the first time you’ve ever been in my office, to my knowledge.”
Spooky smiled a faint smile.
Was that just one of his subtle feints, or had the man actually been in her office without her knowledge?
She continued. “For all our usual interactions, you manage to get me somewhere else. Normally, your own office.”
“I don’t need home court advantage when there’s no contest. And it seems you may have taken some of our past disagreements personally. I want to assure you that they were never personal to me. I do hope we can continue to work together effectively.”
Cassandra laughed ruefully. “So…what do you want from me this time, Tran?”
A knock on the door interrupted them. Gina brought in a tray containing two pots and two cups. She set it on the coffee table in front of Spooky, and then moved Cassandra’s coffee and cup to her desk before departing.
Spooky stared at the cup of tea in front of him. “I didn’t tell her I wanted tea.”
“Do you?” Cassandra asked. “Want tea, I mean?”
He picked up the cup and took a sip. “I do. And it’s a decent blend. She must be very good at her job to anticipate my needs. Any chance I could hire her away?”
Cassandra chuckled faintly. “She probably pulled your file. Or she just assumed all Asians drink tea.”
“Perhaps.” He sipped again. “I must admit, you’re at least half right about why I’m here. I do want something, but I believe it’s in your best interest as well. When we cooperate, we make a formidable team.”
“I won’t disagree with that. My concern is that I can’t trust you, Tran. Or perhaps I should say, I can’t rely on you, which might be even worse.”
Spooky smiled. “As blunt as ever. The problem is that you westerners associate bluntness with honesty, whereas we Asians often associate it with discourtesy. You think you want bluntness in others when you’re actually looking for honesty. Just because my ingrained politeness and sense of privacy prevents me from telling you everything on my mind, don’t think that my intentions are always ill.”
“I like how you put that. Not always ill. Meaning sometimes they are.”
Spooky sighed and set his tea down. “We live in a brutal world. You know that better than anyone. You may disagree with my methods, but hopefully not the results or my loyalty to Markis and the Free Communities. Make no mistake. I will do whatever it takes to protect both.”
“You misjudge me. It’s not your methods that make me nervous. I spent nearly thirty years in the CIA and understand having to get your hands dirty to protect something you love. My concern is for your secrecy and your lack of true cooperation. It makes me nervous when I don’t know what I’m dealing with. Worse, it causes screw-ups.”
“Please allow me to be blunt in return,” said Spooky. “I hope you interpret it as honesty rather than discourtesy.”
“Go ahead.”
“Your inability to trust me is your issue. I’m not going to tell you everything about me and everything I intend simply to placate the intelligence director’s desire to know everything about everyone. Frankly, I shouldn’t have to. Does Markis tell you every deep dark secret he has?”
“No, but that’s –”
“Does he clear everything with you beforehand and let you know his intentions?”
Cassandra didn’t answer for a moment. “You’re not Markis. You’re my peer, not my boss. I’ve always told you what you needed to know. I don’t think that courtesy has been reciprocated.”
Spooky smiled. “A part of you believes you must be suspicious of me in order to protect Markis and the Free Communities from me. Might I suggest that in the future you do not waste you limited efforts and resources worrying about me? We have plenty of other things to concern us.”
“Fair enough,” said Cassandra. “I’ll work on my personal issues, as you call them, while you work on your ability to cooperate. Now would you please tell me why you are here?”
“Of course. I presume you’re up to date on the recent votes in the United States?”
“Certainly. Not only did the Unionists sweep the U.S. elections, but Texas and Alaska have seceded. According to the federal government, they’re now in a state of rebellion. There’s not much else on the news.”
“I also presume you know that they’ve both reached out – separately it seems, but perhaps not – to Markis for help.”
Cassandra’s lips thinned. “And he promised to give it.”
“What’s your assessment of their chances of success?”
“Slim, but if you’re going to ask me to go behind Markis’ back and undermine him, you can forget it. It’s his decision and we’re here to advise and assist him.”
“I couldn’t have put it better myself,” Spooky said. “Markis has the vision and provides us his larger intent, but his vision tends to fail when it comes to the methods. That’s our department: making sure his goals get accomplished, regardless of whether he might like how we do it…assuming he has to know.”
“I don’t keep secrets from Markis.”
“Of course you do. You have a whole floor of secrets, and I doubt he knows all of them. You tell him what you think he needs to know and don’t bother him with the rest. I’m simply saying that soon there will be more of these things he doesn’t need to be distracted with.”
Cassandra crossed her arms. “You still haven’t told me why you’re here.”
“The Texas rebellion will fail,” Spooky said with certainty. “They have impressive resources and resolve, but in the long run isolation will ruin them. If it weren’t for the fear of the Edens they might have a chance, but no major power is likely to help them knowing they will gain all of the Big Three as enemies.”
“What a world,” Cassandra muttered. “China, Russia and America all agreeing on a major issue. I used to think that would be a good thing.”
“Be careful what you wish for.”
“Indeed.” She rubbed her forehead. “We will have to support them. Markis promised them help and you know he won’t go back on his word. I think you saw that in Ethiopia.”
“Of course. I’m not proposing that we fight Markis on this. What I am proposing is that together we play the long game and use this as an opportunity to prepare for the larger fight that’s coming.”
“You might be wrong. They could win. Texas is strong, and Alaska’s territory is too large to control. Stranger things have happened.”
Spooky lifted his lip in a sneer. “Alaska. All the U.S. has to do is occupy Anchorage and the rest is a sideshow unless Russia gets involved. As for Texas…it’s possible they could hold out, but even if they do win their independence, do you really think the United States will ever leave them alone? If they become their own country, they will face conflict and aggression until the end of time. They’ll be like Cuba without the ocean. Over time they will weaken and fall.”
“The longer that takes, though, the better off we are.”
Spooky lifted an eyebrow. “Texas will be our proxy.”
“Much as the Soviet Union did with North Vietnam, the U.S. did with the Mujaheddi
n in Afghanistan, or Iran did with Hamas. Supply them with everything we can, and let them fight on our behalf, soaking up American time and resources.”
“Taking their focus off us.”
“Just use them for our own goals?”
“No. We will really help them, but we will do it with both eyes open. Protecting Edens and surviving is the goal, not the independence of Texas.”
Cassandra closed her eyes and thought. When she opened them Spooky was still looking at her calmly. “We agree on that, then.”
Spooky sipped his tea. “We will use the time gained to prepare for the more important fight that’s coming.”
“The Unionists. Which in two years, when they take the Presidency, means the full weight of the U.S. government.”
Spooky nodded. “You know they will eventually come for us. Probably not alone. We must do everything we can to be ready when that day happens.”
“For intelligence and spec ops – you and me – you’re talking about source networks,” she said. “Subversion, sabotage, resistance fighters.”
“Yes.”
“That’s why you need my help. I have the connections and the expertise to make it work without people ending up in prison or worse.”
“And I have the teams to take direct action when the time is right,” Spooky said.
Cassandra nodded. “Okay, but I have two conditions.”
“Naturally.”
“First,” she said holding up a finger, “complete openness on this. That means no bullshit like you pulled on the Ethiopian op.”
“Agreed. And what is the other condition?”
“That we do it my way, using clandestine methods, until I tell you it’s time for direct action. When it comes to protecting our assets in harm’s way, I have to have the final say. If you’re coming along behind me and changing things, it will only get people killed. Tradecraft and operational security are my areas.”
“I understand.”
“I know you understand, Tran. I need you to agree.”
Spooky chuckled. “We’ll do it your way for now, Cassandra. Just remember that in the larger scheme of things, all individuals are expendable when protecting the whole. Even us.”
“I somehow doubt you see yourself as expendable. I know I’m not, if only because I’m needed to keep you in check.”
Chapter 4
Jill “Reaper” Repeth made her way through what she thought of as the corridors of power in the Free Communities. Headquarters was a nice enough cluster of buildings, but she distrusted such places. Her few trips to the Pentagon had made her feel edgy and uncomfortable. Bureaucracy smothered clean, simple imperatives to complete missions, substituting shadowy power plays and manipulations.
Give her a simple job with a defined enemy any day.
No one had stopped Reaper as she walked into the special operations section of the building. Muscular men and startlingly fit women in dark uniforms had looked her over before speaking into their wrist microphones, but none had challenged her. That was likely a good thing, because she didn’t want to be here anyway. The first excuse she got, she was gone.
She’d trusted Spooky once, even admired him, but he’d proven himself to be one of the users. Reaper had seen dozens of those types during her Marine Corps career. Usually they were officers who said all the right things, but in actuality cared only about themselves. They would step on the backs of their own people to get ahead.
Worse yet, Spooky did such things unapologetically. When she’d confronted such types before, they typically had the decency to at least act ashamed or try to make excuses.
Maybe that wasn’t such a bad thing. It showed Spooky was honest, in his way. Or perhaps his bluntness was a double bluff. She sighed internally. You never know with him. If this is how he is as an Eden, what must he have been like before?
Reaper paused outside Spooky’s office, realizing she was nervous and hating that feeling. He’d asked her to come speak to him, and she’d accepted his invitation in order to prove she was over his betrayal in Ethiopia. Now she wondered if she were here for other reasons, reasons she wasn’t ready to admit to herself.
She opened the door abruptly, without knocking, and stepped into the large office. A television mounted in the corner carried a news broadcast, and Spooky sat behind his desk, watching the monitor. At the sound of the door, he spun in his chair and put his hand under his desk before relaxing.
Wonder what he was reaching for, she thought. A gun? An alarm? Nice to see I could’ve gotten the drop on him, though. He’s not invincible.
“Jill,” Spooky said, rising and extending a hand. “It’s good to see you again.”
She accepted his handshake automatically. “You too.”
Be on guard, she told herself. He’s a snake.
“Please, sit,” Spooky said and then turned back to the television. “Have you been watching this?”
Reaper looked at the broadcast after seating herself in a comfortable chair. The U.S. President spoke from behind his desk in the Oval Office. His hair was grayer than the last time she’d seen him on television, and wrinkles appeared to be spreading like cobwebs from the corners of his eyes. “I don’t have time to keep up with the fear-mongering propaganda. It’s the same old thing anyway, just with Texas as the enemy of the day instead of Edens. Keeps the sheep too worried about security to oppose their own oppression.”
Spooky shook his finger at her. “That’s a rather shortsighted view. It is important to study your enemy. They will often tell you much about themselves and their plans, if you only listen.” He picked up the remote and turned up the volume before Reaper could respond.
“The Texas rebels will be defeated,” the President of the United States said, using his most serious face. “Their illegal seizure of government property is criminal, and those responsible will be brought to justice. The forceful eviction of citizens who refuse to take an unlawful oath of loyalty to this rebel regime is proof of their illegitimacy. These traitors are not only acting irresponsibly but also dangerously. They seek to weaken our nation at a critical time. We cannot allow that.”
The President paused and softened his face. “Our nation has weathered worse storms than this one, and we will prevail. The so-called Republic of Texas has no more legitimacy than the old Confederacy did. Make no mistake. Texas is still part of the United States of America and the people living there are still American citizens. I urge loyal Americans within the rebel territory to refuse to comply when they can. Do not cooperate with this unlawful regime. Rest assured that when Texas and its people are rightfully brought back into the United States, there will be an accounting for every action that private citizens and government officials take. I urge you to make sure your actions can withstand scrutiny on that day. Similarly, I must condemn the leaders of the so-called Alaskan Nation. They are –”
Spooky muted the sound. “What do you think of that?”
Reaper’s tone turned sarcastic. “I have to admit that it’s really fun to hang out and watch TV together again, but I have things to do. How about you tell me what you want?”
“Haven’t you guessed already?”
Reaper crossed her arms. “I don’t play games. If this is some sort of roundabout apology for screwing us in Africa, then I accept.”
“Apology?” Spooky seemed genuinely confused.
“Fine.” Reaper sighed. “I forgot for a minute who I was dealing with. What is it you want?”
Spooky steepled his fingers together in front of him. “I want you to gather your team and lead them on an extremely critical mission. Time is short, so unfortunately you’ll need to depart soon. I’ve taken the liberty of making all the arrangements.”
Reaper realized her mouth was actually hanging open, and she snapped it shut. “You’re serious? How can you possibly think I would work for you again after what you did?”
“I’m afraid you’re taking those events too personally.”
“Kiss my ass,” Reaper sa
id spinning on her heel. “This was fun. See you next year.”
“They’re planning to nuke Texas,” Spooky said abruptly.
Reaper froze at the door. “Be that as it may,” she said, looking back at him, “I can’t work for people I can’t trust. Find someone else.”
“There is no one else,” Spooky replied.
Reaper started laughing. “A little bird told me you tried to get someone else to lead my team and my guys wouldn’t go for it. I bet you’ll claim you don’t have time to train a new unit.”
“That pretty well sums it up.”
“Bullshit. You have your own teams. Use them.”
“I could. But I want you. You’ve proven yourself to be the best.”
“Touching. How is any of this my problem?” Reaper asked.
Spooky shrugged. “I supposed it’s not. I’m giving you an opportunity to prevent the death of millions of innocent lives, but if you chose not to take it, that’s not something I can do anything about. It’s your choice.”
“Double bullshit. You can’t put this on me.”
“I can if you’re really the best choice. If you refuse and another team fails, you’ll always wonder whether you could have prevented a disaster.”
“That’s hardly fair,” Reaper answered.
“Fairness is an illusion, an invention of the weak-minded.” Spooky said, leaning forward intently over his clasped hands. “It’s for those who whine and complain and constantly look for someone else to blame or take care of them. Every situation and experience in this vast universe throughout all of eternity is unique and different. Nothing is the same. How could fair even exist?”
“Because human beings make it that way by treating each other fairly. It’s something you seem to have missed. That’s why guilting me into doing what you want won’t work.”
Spooky pointed back to the silent television screen. “The President is in a very tough spot and is likely saying what he has to. The Unionists swept the elections of everything below the Presidency – Congress, governorships, state legislatures – but even before that, they were starting to pull the strings of power. Now they are firmly in control and they will force the President to do something drastic.”
Apocalypse Austin Page 3
