Drop Zone

by Amanda Carlson

  “Norm needs the details, too,” Mina said. “I’ll run it down quickly for you both. Basically, our extremely talented hackers are going to send the satellite owned by Travis Blade, named Currency Reigns, zooming backward to burn off the fuel, then enact a full system failure. I don’t have a drop rate yet, but I believe it will take between ten and twenty minutes to fall the full two thousand kilometers. The moment the satellite begins to thrust backward out of its orbit, and the system subsequently fails, the Syndicate will receive an alert. Since Harmony and Lee are tracking the trajectory ahead of time and can decide the exact moment to disable it, we will know the drop location within a few square meters only minutes before the Syndicate does. Those minutes will determine our ability to get our hands on the stable heart or not. The stable heart is where all the sensitive data is stored and is built to withstand the heat of reentry. The Syndicate will be extremely motivated to retrieve it, as they don’t want whatever data is stored inside to be exposed. Once we get our hands on it, we utilize the military to crack it open, analyze the data, then we bring it to Judge Mackey. Waterbury will then be picked up and given Babble, and the Syndicate crumbles.”

  “One more thing,” Kaylee added. “We need cooperation from the media. The breaking story has to be as chaotic as possible right out of the chute. Coverage of the satellite tumbling from the sky, investigating where it came from and whose it is, conflicting reports about who has it in their possession. This all has to come out immediately. Once it’s widely reported that the satellite is owned by Travis Blade and that the authorities are investigating, the goss will start to rage because, as you know, all the Syndicate bosses are infamous media stars. Then, not long after, it will be reported that a Syndicate minion has been picked up and given a dose of Babble. All of this will be fed to the media by a reliable source. The story then blows to geyser proportions. If the coverage is done right, it should send all the higher-ups in the Syndicate scrambling. They’ll have no time to plan retribution or to even find out who was behind this operation. In order to do that, we have to have a formidable person people trust front and center.” She flashed Vince a big smile. “That’s where you come in. You’re someone who can get people to do things. If you call the media up to inform them of a big, breaking story, they will totally show. If they’re getting the scoop from you, they will take it at face value. Because your face has value.” She extended her hands out to either side. “All of our problems are solved. Ta-da.”

  Mina began to object. She wasn’t about to let Vince be the face, but he responded before she could say anything. “How about Melissa Socorro? She’s a pretty big name. If the story came from her, people would listen.”

  Kaylee’s tongue looked in jeopardy of tumbling out. “Yeah. She would be…ideal. You two, um, know each other?”

  “We’ve met. Once.” Vince chuckled at Kaylee’s reaction. “It was at Petra’s vid premiere. Melissa offered me her call address. Media airmelds work differently than civilian ones. They have broader access. Before I could say yes or no to Melissa, she airmelded her address to my cuff.” He tapped his wrist. “Here it is. I have protocols and blocks in place, and my cuff won’t accept airmelds from most people if I don’t personally approve. But media is classified differently. It’s entered into a secure folder.” He met Mina’s gaze. “We’ll have to go over exactly what I’m going to say to her and when. I have no doubt that if we promise her a scoop, she’ll jump on it.”

  “I’m sure she will, especially if it comes directly from you,” Mina agreed. “But having it leaked down the jet stream that Melissa received the information from you is not what we’re looking for. The possibility of a leak on that end would be huge. You giving them a scoop is also a scoop.” Mina could hear the media reports already. International heartthrob and military leader Vincent Kramer secretly informed Melissa Socorro that Travis Blade’s satellite crashed to Earth before it exited the strato. How in the world did a colonel from another country know this?

  “The Syndicate already has my DNA,” Vince pointed out. “I’m in this. It’s better me than any of you. If we’re going to leave a trail, it should be mine.”

  Norm snorted. “Not a chance. This is all my fault. The trail is mine. I’m already in their laser scopes. No way to get out of ’em. Even though you rescued me, I’m the key witness. I’m the trouble. I’m the walking, breathing testimony. If it goes to court, I’m the one they need to get rid of. Right now, the Syndicate doesn’t know if I’m alive or dead. Once I announce that I survived and the guy who got Babble is the one who tortured me, nothing you say or recall will matter.” He wagged his finger at Vince. “My firsthand account is the only ticket in town, and it will keep the focus on me, the way it should be. You fade into the background as some guy who heard my cries for help.” Norm continued wagging his finger as Vince started to form a rebuttal. “You’ll be surprised to learn that Melissa Socorro also knows who I am. I’ve given her a couple of juicy tidbits over the years. She’ll perk right up when I get a hold of her. She’ll know it’s something to do with law enforcement and criminal activity, which she loves. It riles her fan base straight through the galaxy. When she sees that thing streaking through the atmosphere, knowing I know all about it, we’re all set. I’ll even promise her an exclusive about my torture.”

  Kaylee glanced between Norm and Vince. The colonel-in-arms sat back in his seat, accepting defeat. Then she shrugged. “Honestly, I don’t care who gets a hold of her, we just need to make it happen.” She directed her comments to Norm. “Contact her immediately when we get back to Harmony’s. We need her salivating and ready to pounce.”

  Norm nodded once. “On it.”

  The sim intoned, “Public landing in thirty seconds.”

  Mina glanced at Vince. “This landing pad is only about a block away from Harmony’s. I don’t think you’ll be too noticeable, but just in case, you should probably keep your head down.”

  He grinned. “That’s my go-to these days.”

  Chapter 16

  “Operation Drop This Sucker is a go in less than forty-five minutes,” Harmony hooted from her desk. “Currency Reigns reaches our shores in thirty-three minutes. Drop time is eleven-point-six minutes, so that’s actually forty-four-point-six minutes. But that’s not even accurate, because it took me twelve seconds to say all that. But we’re on the clock here. That’s what’s important. These guys aren’t going to know what hit ’em. One second, everything’s printed cake. The next, their satellite is thrusting backward, hemorrhaging fuel, then dirty secrets are crashing through the atmosphere like excrement rain.” She rubbed her hands together. Harmony was a hacking ninja who enjoyed the hunt as well as the conquest. She was going to become a brilliant agent.

  They’d been assembled in her compact residence for a little less than an hour. Things were moving quickly and efficiently. Mina was pleased. At this rate, they’d be able to give Judge Mackey the evidence with time to spare.

  There had been some worry early on that the only option would be an ocean landing, which would have made retrieving the stable heart too complicated. But careful calculations on Harmony’s and Lee’s parts had the stable heart on track to land on a small island off of the coast of Florida.

  Their calculations had to be exact, or there would be issues.

  If not the island, they’d have to wait several more hours and retrieve it in the Republic of South America. Or wait a full twenty-four hours for the satellite to circle back around the globe.

  They’d all agreed the island was their best shot, even though there was still risk involved. Not only from the chances that the stable heart could still end up in the ocean, but also because the tiny island might not give them enough cover when the Syndicate arrived. They’d have to get in and out very quickly.

  Which was why they’d agreed to fly down to be near the island before Harmony and Lee set the full plan into motion.

  “Excellent,�
�� Mina said. “The rocket shuttle is ready to go. It’s just a short ride away, fueled, and ready to launch.” Rocket shuttles were leagues faster than the supersonic transport of the past. They used methane, culled from the carbon dioxide in the air, and were very efficient. They traveled at almost ten thousand kilometers per hour, and the g’s were pretty intense, but fun. The ride would be so short that as soon as they reached altitude, they would start decelerating for the landing. But it was the fastest way to get where they needed to go.

  Kaylee paced the middle of the living area, arms crossed. “McAllister has everything arranged. The mili base outside of Miami is expecting us. Their team will accompany us to the island after go time. They’ll provide muscle, tech, and transport back to the base. That’s where we’ll crack the heart open and get the data inside. It actually works out perfectly, because that particular base operates cloaked at all times. They have what’s called a dome perimeter cloak, meaning nobody can see in, and everything’s highly encrypted. We have permission to use one of their op rooms to do all the technical stuff.”

  “We’re bringing our comps, which McAllister has already preapproved,” Lee confirmed. “Cloaking is a definite asset, but we need to use our own software for this. They don’t like foreign comps on the premises, because signals in and out are difficult to manage, but they’ve approved it. I already checked, and all their hookups are compatible. Not every base has the newest upgrades, but this one does.” He smiled, looking relieved and happy. “We are ready to go.”

  “It’s actually stellar how this all worked out,” Harmony added. “Trying to coordinate this with the Republic of South America would’ve been hard, if not impossible. Their government is so conservative, they would’ve had us signing reveal docs and declaring a bunch of stuff. There would’ve been no way to keep this under the radar. They also don’t have the compatible components we need. This is the best option by far. It’s a tiny patch of sand, but I know we can hit it.”

  Mina nodded. “Let’s call Norm back and get moving.” She checked her cuff. “We need to be in the air in seven minutes.”

  Norm had taken a short trip to the basement, where Strum Littlefield, Harmony’s father and a renowned hacker, was living. Strum was helping Norm contact Melissa on an untraceable channel. They didn’t want Melissa to have any real information until right after the satellite dropped. It had been decided that Strum would be the one communicating with her while they were in Florida. He had volunteered his time and considerable resources, shrugging off any issues involving blowback from the Syndicate, citing that if his daughter was involved, he would accept the risk. That was after he laughed off any possibility that Syndicate hackers could trace where the media summons had originated from.

  It seemed they’d landed at the right place.

  Mina didn’t have to call Norm back. A short knock sounded on the new door the government had provided Harmony—made of honeycombed graphene—after Mina had broken the previous door, before it swung open. They hadn’t engaged all the new security features that came standard on it, as Harmony had set up an elaborate alarm system throughout the building. If anyone unauthorized entered, they’d know immediately.

  “It’s all set,” Norm said. “Melissa’s interested in the scoop and will be waiting with a crew when Strum contacts her.” The ex-marshal chuckled. “She’s no pushover. She laid it out for us and told us what she expected. We were vague on details, like we agreed, but we gave her enough so she understood this would be a major break for her. I had to swear on the honor of my deceased mother I wasn’t lying. It shouldn’t have meant that much, but the way she put it had me thinking about my mother. I’m sure if this doesn’t live up to Melissa’s expectations, I’ll hear about it.” He nodded at Vince. “But we did this the right way. If things leak, which Melissa assured me they won’t—and, with Strum’s help, hopefully that will hold true—this all came from me. Which, I assume, the Syndicate will respect as retribution. They can’t expect me to keep quiet and sit on my hands after what I endured at the hands of—”

  An alert sounded from Vince’s cuff.

  It was a short staccato, accompanied by a holo star that flashed once, similar to what the CIU agents used.

  Vince met Mina’s inquiring gaze. “This only activates if someone unauthorized tries to get inside my personal areas. This alert is coming from my residence in France.” He strode toward Harmony’s waste room, which was the only place inside her apartment with a door. “Excuse me while I deal with this and see what’s going on. I’ll only be a minute, then we can leave.”

  After he left, Kaylee announced, “Everyone in this room knows that the Syndicate just tried to get to Vince through his residence. It’s nighttime in France. They think he’s at home. And you know that the colonel-in-arms of the French Protectorate’s got an airtight residence. Who would even try that? It’s almost for sure that they’d get caught. Which means the Syndicate is running scared and moving too quickly. They’re not using their brains. They don’t know if Norm’s dead, so they’re trying to get to Vince. If he’s the only witness they know about, and if he disappears, the case is over. Vince was probably seen in France a few hours ago. McAllister got him out quietly. That works in our favor. But now, more than ever, we have to get this stable heart to the ground. We need to get to that base now.”

  Mina nodded, tapping her cuff.

  “Report, Agent Kane,” McAllister said.

  “The Syndicate just attempted a break into Colonel Kramer’s France residence two minutes ago. We’re all clear here, media is set, and we’re ready to shuttle out. Once we arrive in Florida, which should take no more than ten minutes, Agent Adams is approximating that full timing from hacking in to satellite drop is approximately twenty minutes. Six minutes to hack, three minutes to burn fuel and deorbit the satellite, eleven-point-six to drop. Harmony and Agent Adams need to be in place in twenty, or we miss the trajectory they have planned.”

  “Good work,” McAllister confirmed. “I’ve arranged for transport to the rocket shuttle. It will land on Ms. Biggins’ roof in two. The space up there is extremely small, so I’m sending a stealth drone. It will be a little crowded inside, but it’s the only thing that fits. It will get you to the shuttle faster. Report once the hack has started. I plan to come down to see it through. If you have any issues at the base, let me know. Your contact there will be Sergeant Collins. He’s leading the small team that will be accompanying you. They are unaware of what they are retrieving. It will be up to you to share details or not. They are highly trained combat soldiers who regularly participate in sensitive missions, which is why they were chosen. Sergeant Collins, who I spoke with personally, has no issues with not being fully informed. He will follow your orders as lead on this case.”

  “Understood,” Mina said as Vince emerged from the waste room, giving her a short nod. “We’re heading up to the roof now.”

  “Good luck,” McAllister said. “I have faith that this mission will go off flawlessly, which will kick off a possible takedown of one of the most dangerous crime organizations in the world.” He popped off.

  Harmony and Lee jumped up from the desk, grabbing their compucases. Other necessary items had already been packed, and everyone grabbed something.

  “We’re heading to the roof,” Mina said for Vince’s benefit, since everyone else had heard what McAllister had said. “A stealth is on its way.” This type of craft was shaped to be efficiently aerodynamic and go much faster than a regular transport drone. It had propellers, as well as cold thrusters. “They typically only carry four, so two people will have to double up.”

  “Karmaseeker and I can share a seat,” Harmony offered as they walked out of her unit. Lee nodded, blushing heavily. She turned to secure her door, then she led them down a very short hallway and into a stairwell. There were no tubes that Mina could see. This building hadn’t been updated in at least fifty years.

  Mina w
as about to offer to share a seat with Kaylee when Kaylee interjected, “You and Kramer can share the other seat, obvi. No reason to make the rest of us uncomfortable when you two clearly want to snuggle.”

  Mina opened her mouth to deny any snuggling claim.

  “Oh, please,” Kaylee said. “You can stop right there. Telling us you don’t want to sit on that hunk’s lap is like telling me you don’t want to eat a delicious nonprinted meal or bubble for hours in your soaker. Don’t even try.” She pointed at Mina. “It’s unbecoming of you and untruthful. Which compromises you because you’re our truthful leader. We bow down to your truth-telling. So if you lie now, it will besmirch your perfect record.”

  “I’m not besmirching anything,” Mina replied, trying to dig up some indignation, but failing. Sitting with Vince didn’t sound too bad. If they’d been with other agents, Mina wouldn’t make that choice, as being professional would outweigh any of her wants. But she was basically surrounded by family. “You’re assuming that Colonel Kramer wants to sit with me.”

  Vince tipped his head back as they climbed the stairs, and a throaty, extremely likable sound came out. “Don’t pin this on me. I welcome your company, but it’s your decision to make.”

  “Well,” Harmony said as she pushed open the stairwell door that led them toward another door, “you’re going to have to make it soon, because we’re already here. Four stories up. That’s it. I live in the shortest high-rise in the city. Not technically a high-rise. More like a squat-rise.”

  The stealth drone had already made its landing and was sitting precariously perched on wheels, its tail resting on the edge of the building. It didn’t have a standard door. Instead, stairs had been extended from a small opening in the hull.

  Harmony and Lee boarded first, Kaylee went next, then Norm. Mina swept her arm to indicate Vince should go next. Before he went up the stairs, he leaned into her, saying, “I’m looking forward to carrying your weight.” He winked, chuckling as he ascended into the drone.