‘The president kept our identities a secret for some time before finally disclosing them,’ Bic said. ‘Whether he likes it or not, it strengthens our influence over him.’
Steiner shook his head. There was no arguing with Bic sometimes, the hacker saw what he wanted and nothing Steiner said would change his mind. ‘How do we get close now that everyone knows our faces? Our pictures are everywhere.’ Steiner glanced at a news stream, which displayed a reward for their capture. It was like L.A. all over again.
‘That is the beauty of it,’ Bic said. ‘The fact that everyone knows our faces is exactly why we will get close to him.’
Steiner arched a brow. ‘That was your plan all along?’
‘There’s something you should know by now, Professor Steiner.’
Steiner considered the man on the screen before him. ‘And what’s that?’
Bic smiled. ‘That you should put your trust in me.’
Something dawned on Steiner. ‘You still think this is all a game, don’t you?’
Bic’s smile broadened. ‘Life is one big game, Professor Steiner. And there is something else you should know about me by now; my plans always come off.’
That’s what I’m worried about, Steiner thought. ‘And yet you still can’t tell me where you’re located, where the mighty Bic plots his campaigns.’ Steiner held the hacker’s gaze. ‘Why are you going to all this trouble to save a way of life you’ve always tried to destroy?’
‘I have not wanted to destroy life itself, Professor Steiner, just the capitalist society that seeks to cripple the planet we live on.’
Steiner felt his frustration rising. Bic’s motivations were, as ever, a closed book and Steiner couldn’t understand how one man could continue to do what Bic seemed to be able to do with such ease. And that, above anything else about the hacker, continued to confound Steiner. He’d often wondered if Bic were not acting alone, but GMRC profilers had dispelled that myth long ago. He was one man. But his actions, as far as Steiner was concerned, defied the laws of physics. One man couldn’t be right all the time, couldn’t do the things Bic did seemingly at will. It was an impossibility, and the more Steiner tried to pin down how Bic did it, the more baffling it became. As far as Steiner could see, the hacker used code that shouldn’t – couldn’t – work, but despite the code’s fragility, and in some instances, outright redundancy, it paid off time and time again. Steiner had concluded that what he was witnessing in the digital ether was not what Bic used to manipulate the electronic environment, which he was capable of infiltrating at will. But such a disturbing revelation begged the question, if it wasn’t the code that was doing Bic’s work, what was?
‘How do you expect me to trust you,’ Steiner said, ‘when you distance yourself from everyone and everything?’
‘Because, Professor Steiner, you must.’
The professor muttered a curse and Bic’s image disappeared from the screen, leaving Steiner feeling as impotent as ever. If he thought he was in charge, he needed to think again. The hacker was in the driving seat, he always had been, and like it or not, Steiner and everyone else was along for the ride.
Chapter One Hundred Thirty-Six
The following evening, Jessica and Eric sat in the corner of the room they used as their living quarters, while Brett and Steiner scouted the surrounding area for more water and food.
‘They’ve been gone a long time,’ Eric said.
Jessica looked at her watch. It hadn’t been that long at all. ‘At least the professor seems to have given up on his idea to send us away,’ she said, knowing Eric was still shaken up from their confrontation with Steiner the day before.
Eric grunted something in German that Jessica didn’t quite catch. The young hacker said nothing else and it wasn’t long before he nodded off to sleep, and a few minutes after, Jessica joined him in the land of dreams.
♦
The sound of a door closing woke Jessica from her slumber. She wiped the sleep from her eyes and noticed the main lights were still on in the next room. She couldn’t remember whose turn it was to keep watch, but they must have been trying to use the bright lights to stay awake. She yawned and sat up, noticing as she did so that Brett’s large form lay sprawled on a sleeping bag beyond Eric’s smaller frame. She wondered how long she’d been asleep.
Jessica’s ears pricked up at the hushed murmur of someone talking in low tones.
She glanced behind to where the professor normally slept and saw the space was empty. Duh, she thought, who else would it be?
She looked at her watch.
It was the middle of the night.
She stood up, stretched, and made her way to the door, which stood ajar.
‘... why tell him about only one asteroid?’
Jessica recognised Bic’s voice.
‘Because,’ the professor replied, ‘he would have a hard enough time accepting that, let alone the five more following in its wake.’
‘I’ll leave it to your discretion,’ Bic said.
Steiner muttered something in response.
‘You know you need to move,’ Bic said. ‘They know you’re in the local area, it’s only a matter of time before they turn their attention here.’
‘They’re getting closer?’
‘Every minute.’
‘Then we’ll move.’
‘Time is of the essence, Professor Steiner.’
‘Don’t you think I know that?’
‘You do, but they don’t.’
Jessica frowned. What else are they keeping from us? She sidled even closer to the gap in the door.
‘I think our biggest problem is still the GMRC,’ Steiner said. ‘If she’s passing them information, Joiner will know his every move.’
‘The First Lady is a concern,’ Bic said.
‘And you made it worse,’ Steiner said. ‘Exposing her past live on air was beyond cruel. I never would have agreed to it if I’d known.’
‘You said it yourself, John Henry needed to know.’
‘Not like that. He will never trust us now and you know it. You murdered his agents, shot his friend, exposed his wife … you’ve literally destroyed his whole life.’
‘He had to know he has no one he can trust but us.’
Steiner gave a growl of frustration. ‘Did you not hear what I just said?’
‘He fully activated martial law,’ Bic said. ‘And not some watered-down version, a full-scale military recall. In my book, that’s a success, and the end justified the means.’
‘And I suppose that goes for Jessica, as well?’
Jessica frowned and moved closer still, her ear as close to the gap as possible. In her desire to hear what they had to say, she got careless and her foot caught a glass bottle which had been resting against the wall.
The noise made Steiner turn in her direction and Jessica ducked back out of sight.
Footsteps approached and Steiner peered through the opening.
Close by, hidden in deep shadow, Jessica pressed herself up against the wall and held her breath.
Steiner closed the door and Jessica let out a sigh of relief; she hadn’t been seen.
Returning to the door, she pressed her ear up against it and prayed she’d still be able to eavesdrop on the conversation.
That the professor was keeping things from her was not a surprise. He’d admitted as much previously. What was a surprise was how much he was keeping from all of them. It was like he didn’t trust them at all.
‘Jessica’s family is her priority,’ Bic was saying, his voice faint but still discernible through the door. ‘I know that doesn’t interest you, but I feel compelled to help them, even if you don’t.’
Jessica waited for Steiner to reply.
‘How can I help them? They’re in England, there’s only so much I can do.’
‘And you think letting them die is what she deserves for helping you?’
‘Don’t put words in my mouth, I said no such thing.’
‘You d
idn’t have to, Professor Steiner,’ Bic said. ‘Your actions, or lack of action, will mean Jessica’s family will not see out the year.’
‘So you say,’ Steiner said. ‘For all I know, you’re the one putting them in danger.’
Jessica felt her heart skip a beat. Evan and the girls are in danger? The world spun around her and she grasped the doorframe to keep her balance. She felt sick. Keep it together, Jessica, she told herself, and keep listening!
♦
Steiner glared at Bic, daring him to continue.
The hacker hesitated and Steiner wondered if he’d finally caught him out.
‘Why would I do that?’ Bic said. ‘I would never put them in danger.’
‘You put them in danger when you brought her into your world. The first time you contacted her, you put her family in danger. You care nothing for her or them.’ Steiner’s eyes blazed with anger. ‘You sent her out there alone, against my wishes. You care nothing for anyone except yourself.’
‘And you do?’
‘That you ask me shows how little empathy you possess. I’ve been tracking her family ever since I suspected your duplicity.’ Steiner glowered at the hacker with baleful eyes.
‘The only duplicity is yours, Professor Steiner. Your secrets have secrets.’
‘Says the man with no name.’ Steiner gripped the top of the monitor. ‘The only reason her family will die is if we fail to stop the asteroids and you stop protecting their whereabouts from the GMRC.’
‘Which is my meaning,’ Bic said. ‘Your failure to do what needs to be done will end us all before this year is out.’
‘I’m doing what needs to be done. God knows, I’m doing what needs to be done.’
‘Are you?’ Bic said. ‘I sense doubt in your commitment to the cause. You have a dark secret, Professor Steiner, and it’s eating you up inside.’
Steiner’s stomach clenched. Does Bic know? he wondered. Does he know I’m still undecided? Steiner couldn’t believe it; he had trouble admitting it to himself. There’s no way the hacker could know. Is there?
Steiner thought of his choice between letting billions die on the surface for the sake of those beneath, before another thought struck him like a blow to the head. Unless, Steiner thought in horror, he’s found out about the Tenth Protocol!
No, he told himself, there’s no way he could know. Only the Directorate knows of the Protocol’s final order. No one else can know but them, how could they? The fallout would be beyond horrific, so much so it was decided early on that only the Directorate would hold the knowledge. For, if the time came it ever needed to be actioned, it was best that orders were carried out without question, and, most importantly, without the knowledge of the majority of the underground residents, for if it ever got out ... if it ever became known what had happened … the new civilisation below ground might well suffer the fate of that above.
Steiner suppressed a shudder as he imagined the worst, while the fear that Bic might find out, or worse still, might already know, gnawed away at his soul.
♦
Outside the computer room in the abandoned warehouse, Jessica calmed her nerves after listening to the conversation between Bic and Steiner. Her family was still safe, at least for now. But her trust in the professor was gone, the safety she’d once felt in his company dashed on the rocks of lies. All she knew was that Bic was keeping them protected, which meant despite her distrust of him, he was at least living up to his part of the bargain, whereas Steiner seemed unwilling to commit to their cause. At least, that’s how it had seemed when he’d failed to respond to Bic’s accusation. What is the professor hiding from us? she thought. What does he know?
The questions went on, round and round in dizzying spirals, without an answer. She felt bile rising in her throat and went unsteady as the world spun around her. Unreal. Unlit. Undirected.
Jessica hadn’t felt alone since the professor had taken charge, but now that feeling had vanished to be replaced by a gaping hole of doubt and fear.
As she battled to regain her composure, Jessica returned to the door and tried to clear her head. The two men beyond had resumed their discussion and Jessica wasn’t about to stop listening now; she was, after all, a journalist by trade, and snooping was in her DNA.
♦
Steiner sipped at a bottle of rainwater he’d sourced with Brett earlier that evening, the metallic taste bitter on his tongue. But it wasn’t his palate that disturbed him so. No, it was something the hacker had said. My secrets have secrets, he thought. Is it true? Is Bic right about me? The idea was worrying, as Steiner was equipped with a keen sense of self-appraisal and he knew the feeling when an uncomfortable truth had been revealed. It’s only natural, he told himself, you’ve been privy to the biggest black project the world has ever known. And before that he had operated for most of his life under the official secrets act. He’d been keeping secrets his whole life, it was second nature.
‘My commitment to the cause is as strong as it ever will be,’ Steiner said. It’s not a lie, he told himself, just an avoidance of the truth.
Bic’s brow furrowed. ‘So, you do wish to save the surface?’
Steiner’s heartbeat quickened. He knows! ‘You think I don’t?’
‘I don’t think; I know.’
‘Think what you like,’ Steiner said angrily. ‘I won’t be accused by the likes of you.’
‘It is the likes of me that keep you alive, Professor Steiner,’ Bic said, his expression darkening. ‘Now is not the time to dismiss my talents, your life is in the balance.’
‘All our lives are in the balance.’
Bic shook his head. ‘Yours more than most.’
‘Are you threatening me?’
‘Do you want me to?’
The two men stared at each other with poorly disguised hatred and the silence continued until Bic finally relented. He smiled and said, ‘I have found something.’
Steiner said nothing; he was considering cutting Bic’s connection, and would have done so already if he wasn’t relying on the hacker to warn them of any approaching vehicles.
‘Don’t you want to know what it is?’
Steiner still didn’t trust himself to reply, his animosity towards the man before him all-consuming.
‘I’ve intercepted a transmission, a top level encrypted communication delivered into the heart of the GMRC’s operation.’
‘Directorate?’ Steiner said, intrigued despite himself.
‘Watch,’ Bic said, and the transparent screen to Steiner’s left glowed to life.
The image of a woman appeared, her face hard and angular, her expensive clothing understated and crisp.
‘Ophion,’ she said. ‘I have work for you.’
Moments passed before the woman spoke again, ‘Assassination.’
More seconds ticked by and her expression became impatient. ‘Three,’ she said.
Steiner glanced at Bic on the other screen. ‘Do you have the other end of the video call?’
The hacker shook his head. ‘Keep watching.’
‘All you need are photographs,’ the woman said; she paused and then continued. ‘This will be your most difficult assignment yet. The Committee wants your guarantee of completion.’
Steiner’s eyes narrowed at the mention of a committee.
The woman waited as the person known as Ophion responded. She then moved closer to the camera and said, ‘Your guarantee, Ophion.’ Another pause. ‘Then observe.’ A moment later she said, ‘Still confident?’
The woman gave a self-satisfied smile, the effect chilling considering the conversation’s content.
‘Two weeks,’ she said, ‘and in the order shown. And that is non-negotiable. The order is key.’
‘What do you think?’ Bic said, pausing the footage.
‘I’ve never heard of anyone called Ophion on the Directorate,’ Steiner said, ‘or in association with it. The woman seems familiar, but she’s not GMRC; her attire is all wrong.’
‘The
woman is called Selene Dubois and she is a civilian resident in USSB Sanctuary.’
Steiner’s stomach tightened at Bic’s reference to Sanctuary. The hacker could never find out about the ancient Anakim stronghold ... ever. He thought for a moment and then frowned.
‘You recognise the name?’ Bic said.
‘I think I do. There was a Ms Dubois who handled financial transactions at that base.’
‘A base you always seem reluctant to talk about,’ Bic said.
‘I won’t tell you anything about any of the bases unless absolutely necessary, and Sanctuary is no different.’
‘Her occupation and location are not what interest me,’ Bic said. ‘It is her affiliation.’
‘A committee?’ Steiner said.
‘Not a committee, the Committee, a single distinct organisation. An organisation I believe is at the heart of all that is wrong with the GMRC. I believe it is this Committee that is controlling the Council from within, a virus within an unwitting host.’
‘Impossible,’ Steiner said. ‘The Oversight Division was set up to prevent any such manipulation.’
‘You still resist the obvious? And if the Oversight Division is infiltrated?’
Steiner said nothing; he’d been easily disposed of from the Directorate’s ranks, and bearing in mind what else had transpired – the space stations’ destruction and USSB Steadfast’s demise – he knew anything was possible.
‘You haven’t asked me the most important thing,’ Bic said.
‘And what’s that?’
‘Who has been scheduled for assassination, and by whom?’
‘I imagine the “whom” is this Committee and the “who” is President Henry, the Vice President and the Speaker of the House of Representatives. The presidential line of succession, clearing the way for the GMRC to push through a Congressional vote to break with protocol and sanction their nominee for the new Commander in Chief.
Ancient Origins: Books 4 - 6 (Ancient Origins Boxset Book 2) Page 74
