by J C Ryan
Sean had to admit he didn’t. But he added that he couldn’t see how it was possible, either.
While they were talking, Mackenzie had been thinking about it. “I guess it’s not too farfetched. I know that even when a computer is switched off, it still has its CMOS battery running. That’s for the clock, right? What else could it be running? I’ve always wondered how a computer hard drive ‘remembers’ its information when it’s unplugged.”
“Well, there you go,” Carter agreed. “I don’t know much about it, either. Maybe it’s different now, but I remember as far back as 1985, this guy named Wim van Eck proved you could read side-band electromagnetic radiation emissions coming off all sorts of electronic devices. He called it phreaking.”
“Freaking what?” Mackenzie asked, laughing. “Like, freaking crazy? Freaking amazing?”
“P-H-R-E-A-K,” Carter corrected. “I don’t know why he called it that, but it was called phreaking eavesdropping. Capturing those emissions and replicating the data they represented. He also proved you could compromise election voting machines with it.”
Sean chuckled. “I think we’re all too tired to think straight. You guys have had an especially long day. Tomorrow, oh wait, it’s already tomorrow. So, later today, I’ll make some discreet inquiries with the IT specialists at the CIA to see what they say about this. I’ll also pull an EA team together to help me investigate those NSC people.”
“I could use some sleep,” Mackenzie admitted.
“Good. In a few hours, Dylan will be here for a briefing. He’ll carry any messages or instructions back to Freydís for you. After that, we’ll move you to a different safe house, and we’ll continue to move you every few days until we get a handle on all this.”
Chapter 26 - A stab through the heart
Though James and Irene didn’t know it when they met with Sean, they’d already been outflanked by FBI Director Alec Burnett, and a crony of his, Brigadier General Jonas Fleming, the current head of INSCOM. General Fleming had been the last step in the conduit for Burnett’s briefing and had made Ham and White available for Burnett’s ass-chewing. The least he could do now was support his old friend in his scheme to assess the President’s degree of guilt. The old “what did you know and when did you know it” was paramount in his mind as the two were led into the Oval Office.
Burnett nodded to his CIA counterpart, Bill Griffin, who returned the nod stiffly. Trailing Burnett and Fleming were Kelly White and Russell McCormick.
“Mr. President, Bill. I’ve asked Special Agent White to present information she has discovered with the help of Assistant Director Russell McCormick from my office. I think you’ll find it a serious matter.”
Burnett and Fleming observed the President and Bill Griffin closely as Kelly handed over one damning piece of evidence after another. They were looking for subtle signs of prior knowledge or any other indication of guilt.
Kelly began with the letter and package of evidence she’d received from the anonymous source, explaining that she’d corroborated the evidence before taking it to her supervisor in the division. The President and Bill recognized the A-Echelon information as an exact replica of the information Howard Crane had brought to them. Before they could say they’d already seen it, she started presenting the information about Carter and Mackenzie—that was new. Their blood ran cold when they watched a video clip on her laptop of Carter Devereux in the lobby of a Swiss bank whose name could clearly be seen on the walls in the video.
Kelly followed that up with a running narrative of Carter’s suspicious activities as she presented the proof—deposit records and more.
Grant and Griffin didn’t want to believe it. Independently, they flashed on the notion that whoever was out to destroy them hadn’t bet on just one horse. Howard Crane had either withheld or hadn’t been given the evidence they were seeing now.
What was this game, and who was playing it?
Kelly had planted a seed of doubt. She watered it by playing NSA recordings of phone conversations between Carter and two other men, one Russian, one Iranian.
When it came to the evidence of leaks from the A-Codex data and Kelly’s report that the Patch Barracks explosion had been a direct result, they both exhibited shock and disappointment.
For Bill and the President, it was damning evidence that persuaded them the Devereuxs had gone rogue and sold secret technology to enemies of the US.
Kelly put the lid on the coffin when she gave her final piece of evidence. The Devereuxs had overpowered her and her team and escaped earlier that day, even before she’d accused them of any wrongdoing. For her, it was an admission of guilt.
Bill couldn’t believe he’d been such a fool. If the Devereuxs had been innocent of these allegations, why didn’t they call for James, Irene, or even him to be there during the interview? That they chose instead to escape and go on the run was evidence they were guilty. He could see from the President’s expression that he was equally disturbed.
Kelly had fallen silent to wait for a response from the President. She’d neglected to mention the directors of A-Echelon, or the fact that Carter and Mackenzie had repeatedly asked for them to be present. In fact, she hadn’t mentioned it to anyone in the chain of command. It was irrelevant. She was one hundred percent sure of her conclusions.
She’d soon have them in custody and get their confessions, and then it wouldn’t matter that she’d cut a few corners. She was almost never wrong when she got a hunch, and in this case, it was much more than a hunch. Just look at all the evidence. A conviction was certain. Another feather in her cap in her bid to advance in her career.
At last, the President, bearing an expression of hurt and disappointment, dismissed them with a solemn voice and the statement that he’d have orders for them at seven a.m. the next morning.
He signaled for Bill to hang back as the others left. When they were all gone, he turned to Bill, troubled.
“What do you make of this, Bill? How could Devereux have pulled the wool over our eyes for so long? And for God’s sake, why?”
Bill answered, frowning, “You’ve got me. Usually it’s a case of money, but the man’s already got more money than most small countries. I don’t know what could be motivating him. It’s inconceivable to me that I could have been such a poor judge of character.”
“Don’t beat yourself up, Bill. He fooled me as well. And, I assume, James and Irene.”
Bill looked up, stricken. “Can we trust them? They’ve been close to the Devereuxs, visited them at home. They hired them and managed them. Could they be in on it?”
The President considered the question. “You’re right, they could be, and then we’ve got four people, and maybe more, in a conspiracy to destroy the country of their birth. What could possibly motivate Rhodes and O'Connell?”
“Money. They aren’t wealthy like Carter. James is only a year away from retirement. The money could come in handy. Irene has a family. It’s crazy, but not impossible.” Bill fell silent. The reason he’d given was a thin one, considering the stakes. But money had a habit of turning good people bad in the blink of an eye.
It was a stab through the heart.
After a moment of silent reflection, the President called in his Chief of Staff, Scott Eadie. “Scott, forgive me. If I’d known what we were about to see, I’d have had you here in the first place. We,” he added, indicating Bill and himself, “have just received some very disturbing news that impacts the plans we made with Howard Crane.”
He spent a few minutes summarizing the evidence against the Devereuxs and the doubts he and Bill had about James and Irene.
Scott stopped making exclamations of dismay, and his expression became grimmer and grimmer with his teeth tightly clenched and his lips pressed tightly together as the President spoke.
“Your thoughts?” Grant asked.
“I think a couple of the Congressional oversight committees are going to have a field day with this,” Scott responded.
“You thin
k we must put this before them?”
Scott nodded vigorously. “Oh, yeah. House Intelligence and Homeland Security, for sure. Maybe others. If you don’t take it to them, they’ll slaughter you when it all comes out, once these clowns are caught and put on trial.
“But it’s not all bad. The Devereuxs make perfect scapegoats if we can spin it right. It helps they’re guilty of treason. We apprehend and incarcerate them, it takes the attention off you.”
The President lifted his chin, which had fallen to his chest with Eadie’s cynical statement. “We don’t know they’re guilty yet.”
“With all due respect, Mr. President, if it walks like a duck… This gets everyone out of this mess, except Rhodes and O’Connell. And they were out anyway, in our previous plan,” Eadie said.
It wasn’t lost on the President that Eadie was satisfied, if not actually happy, that the solution to their political problems had been handed to them on a silver platter. But Eadie was paid to be an advocate for the President, and more so for the office of the Presidency, in all matters. And he was a spin-master extraordinaire—he could pull it off. He couldn’t be blamed for his attitude.
Grant’s own heart was heavy, however. He would never understand treason, no matter what the traitor’s reason. The Devereuxs’ treason was not just against their country, it was also personal—it was as painful as the loss of a loved one.
Chapter 27 - The morning after
March 16
If he had slept at all, Sean would have regretted his late night. But when his session with the Devereuxs had broken up, it was already past three a.m., and Dylan was due just a couple of hours later. Sleep was overrated, anyway.
He made a couple of phone calls to people, who helpfully pointed out the time of day, and then headed for the airport where Dylan arrived on schedule at five thirty a.m. They went straight to the safe house.
Carter and Mackenzie hadn’t slept much, either. Both were showing signs of stress, but they put on cheerful faces to greet Dylan. Carter was frying bacon, and Mackenzie offered the newcomers coffee.
After accepting, Dylan sat at the kitchen table and said, “Okay, Sean’s given me some of it. You guys are in trouble, and I get the feeling I’m going to be cut out of the fun part. Rushing in like your knight in shining armor and all. What’s the scoop?”
Mackenzie smiled at his whimsy. “Aw. Poor Dylan.”
Carter, now frying eggs while Mackenzie manned the toaster, turned and gestured with the spatula. “It may not be fun, but you’re the guardian of the castle, man. We wouldn’t trust our privacy, not to mention the kids, to anyone else. We’ve talked about it, and we don’t see a path that brings us out the other side without a lot of media attention.”
Dylan rearranged his face to wipe the grin off it. “It’s true then. Sean told me you’re being targeted as traitors?”
Carter nodded silently.
“Just letting you know, I know you’re not traitors,” Dylan said. “What’s the plan?”
He kept his mouth shut and his ears open as they filled him in on what they would do to clear their names and what they needed him to do at home, including the messages to their children, family, translation staff, and the EA people at Camp Tala.
Finally, Mackenzie said, “Try to keep the kids from knowing we’re in trouble. Just tell them Mommy and Daddy love them, and something’s come up at work, but we’ll be back as soon as we can.”
“You can bet on that, Mackenzie. I promise you, we’ll take such good care of them they won’t even miss you!”
***
President Grant was up at his usual time, five a.m., to meet with Scott Eadie and other advisors. At precisely seven a.m., his staff informed him Alec Burnett and his entourage were there for their meeting.
He stood to meet them as they were ushered in and remained standing. “Gentlemen, Special Agent White, this won’t take long. Based on your evidence, you are to arrest Carter and Mackenzie Devereux immediately. It’s paramount that you keep it under wraps so we don’t have the media all over the manhunt, but use every other tool at your disposal, including the full cooperation of all security agencies. Refer anyone who resists cooperating to my office, and I’ll deal with them. I want these traitors brought in yesterday. Do you understand?”
Burnett resisted a powerful urge to snap off a salute. Instead, he answered crisply, “Yes, Mr. President.”
General Fleming did salute.
“That’s all. Keep me informed.”
***
Less than half an hour later, James Rhodes and Irene O’Connell arrived for their rescheduled meeting with the President. Both were bewildered by the cold expressions on the faces of the President and Bill Griffin. James tried to shake off a bad feeling as he held out his hand to shake Bill’s, but Bill made no move to take it.
“Sit down.” The President’s utterance sounded more like an order than an invitation. James and Irene sat.
“Listen very carefully, because I’m only going to say this once. You’ll do well to follow orders without question.”
James and Irene shared a quick glance with a what’s this about? look on their faces.
“You are to close A-Echelon operations within the hour. Bill will help redeploy staff to Langley and elsewhere. You will not answer questions from your staff. You’re both suspended, with pay for now. When you’re done clearing out your offices, go home and be quiet.
“By ‘quiet’, I mean you are not to talk to the press, and you are not to contact Carter or Mackenzie Devereux. If you know where they are, you will turn that information over to the FBI immediately or face charges of impeding an FBI investigation. Your only communication will be with the investigators, or when the time comes, to testify before Congressional oversight committees.
“Do I make myself clear?”
James and Irene both started to ask questions at once, but the President made the universal signal to stop talking by swiping a flat hand across his neck. “No questions. If you don’t follow these orders, your pay will be suspended and your pensions will be in danger. Is that clear?”
James and Irene were gob smacked.
Irene nodded miserably, a tear escaped and rolled down her cheek.
James made one more effort, getting out the question, “Why?” before Bill repeated the President’s gesture.
However, the President relented just a bit. “Your employees and friends, Carter and Mackenzie Devereux, have gone rogue. Their security leaks have put me and this country in an untenable position.
“As of this morning, they are public enemies, numbers one and two.”
Irene, still too intimidated to speak, widened her eyes and shook her head violently. This is NOT happening.
James said, “But—” and was promptly interrupted by Bill.
“Give it up, James. There’s irrefutable evidence. Now get out, and do as you were ordered.”
With no opportunity to tell the President or Bill they were acting on false information, James and Irene left. They were both in need of a strong drink, but considering the hour of day, they made do with a quick stop for a Starbucks takeaway with a double shot of espresso. They’d arrived in separate cars, but Irene left hers in the parking garage and got in with James.
“James, how could this be happening? What happened to make them refuse to at least consider the possibility this could be a setup? Not even giving us a chance to speak,” she said. “And is it only me, or are they now suspecting us of some transgression?”
“It certainly looks like that, Irene,” James replied. “It would have been nice to get the opportunity to tell them what we have learned.
“I’m afraid our fears came true—Kelly White got to them and pumped their heads full of crap.
“They’re playing right into Shadow’s hands.”
“What do you mean?” Irene asked.
“This is all an elaborate scheme of the Nabateans—I’m sure of that—to eventually get their hands on those codices.
&
nbsp; “In the process, they’ll take revenge for our part in their past failures and destroy us all.”
“It’s clear we’ve lost the support of the President and the CIA,” Irene said. “I have a feeling A-Echelon is going to become the proverbial albatross around our necks.”
“No, we won’t have to wear a damn bird around our necks for punishment,” James retorted. “There won’t be enough left of us after the President throws us under the bus.”
“It’s mind-numbing to see how quickly trust and loyalty can become casualties in DC,” Irene murmured.
“Hey, I hear that! To think, I offered to take the fall for the President when it was him under threat. But it’s a lot different to take the fall and still have his support as opposed to taking the fall when you’re all but accused of treason and then get stabbed in the back. What a difference a day can make in this place.”
Irene brightened. “You know what? He didn’t tell us not to talk to Sean. Thank goodness Sean wouldn’t tell us where Carter and Mackenzie were. And thank goodness, we still have a way to get a message to them. Our best hope is to help them clear their names, whatever the risk.”
“You’re right. Let’s get a message through to Sean ASAP. Set up a meeting for right after we close our offices.”
***
After James and Irene left, Bill excused himself to President Grant. “With your permission, sir, I need to secure the Codices at the Devereux ranch. May I be excused?”
“By all means. Of course,” Grant agreed. “Keep me informed of your progress.”
Bill hurried to his own office, where he summoned a senior agent. “Get a team together and requisition a cargo plane and crew. You’re going to Canada. What do you know about Carter Devereux and his ranch, Freydís?”
“That’s where they’ve got all kinds of hush-hush research going on, isn’t it? It’s A-Echelon territory. Why not send them after it?”
“Look, I don’t have time to give you the song and dance. A-Echelon is being shut down as we speak, and the Devereuxs are fugitives. Just get there, retrieve everything that belongs to the US government, including personnel, and get back here ASAP. I’ll deal with the Canadians.”
