She waited for him at the door. When he reached her she said, “no sense waiting outside. You’re the guest of honor. Mr. Ramirez.”
“My name is Gonzalez,” said Ramirez.
“I know that’s the legend we created for you. Please let’s go inside. It’s harder for unwanted others to hear us.”
That’s the second warning about others listening in, thought Ramirez. “And please turn off your phone. Your questions will be answered in a few minutes.”
The woman’s tone was firm and commanding.
◆◆◆
Charlotte Smith watched the cameras focused on the parking lot. She arrived early today to verify the security for the meeting was adequate. The Deputy Director for Counterintelligence at the FBI did not stop by every day.
This meeting had to go off without a hitch, Smith thought. The ramifications of what Zoe and Dr. Stein proposed hinged on it. The Cabal had been further embedded within the government than anyone realized. The murder of Robert Fritz was the proof.
Thanks to some creative hacking, Robert Fritz had gone on the run. It appeared he had been double-dealing with Chinese operatives. Initially, Fritz had been picked up in San Jose by former Ranch residents and taken there for a round of enhanced questioning. Not like what the CIA did. Smith devised a method that used nanobots to monitor brain activity to detect lies.
Those same nanobots would then cause a facial tick each time a person lied.
No pain involved.
When Zoe Mills arrived back at the Ranch, she questioned Fritz. The answers he provided were illuminating. She used Fritz as bait to draw out Monitor. That was who Fritz said he reported to at the Central Intelligence Agency. A tip would be called in to the hotline established by the FBI, who wanted Fritz for questioning.
But it all went sideways.
Hector Ramirez did not inform the Las Vegas field office of Robert Fritz’s whereabouts.
Monitor and the CIA got to Fritz first. He was found out near Red Rocks. A single round to the head.
Smith intercepted a message from Monitor to his operatives in the Cabal to move forward with all plans.
Monitor went dark after that.
A few days later, Malcolm Cross was announced as the new Chief Executive Officer of NorthBay Conglomerated. Within hours the Ranch was evacuated.
That’s when Director Greenway first contacted Stein and Mills.
He knew about Project Aurora, about Monitor, and Greenway had a proposal. He needed time to set things into motion before he dared present it.
Today was the day.
Smith saw Ramirez in the parking lot. She liked he was thorough in his surveillance.
He was not obvious in his intention.
When Novak pulled into the lot on her Ducati, Smith could see the apprehension on Ramirez’s face.
Hope Novak did that to people. It was her eyes, thought Smith.
She placed a call to Novak. “Please, invite our guest in the Mazda MX-3 in.”
“The one I parked next to? Will do.” To the point, as always, Smith thought.
FORTY-EIGHT
Novak thought Charlie could have called her sooner to bring their guest in. She parked next to him. Instead of walking back out into the lot, Novak motioned for Ramirez to join her. She could have some fun with him, at least.
Novak waited at the door.
She feigned annoyance.
Ramirez looks worried, she thought.
As he approached, she said, no sense waiting outside. “You’re the guest of honor. Mr. Ramirez.” Novak saw the shock. He hid it quickly, though.
He just might do, thought Novak. She continued to play up to his insecurity, telling to hold his questions.
A reasonable request.
Never too sure who was trying to gather intelligence on this minor operation.
Once inside, Novak turned to Ramirez, “Follow me.”
She intentionally remained aloof.
People found that tact disconcerting.
Novak enjoyed that. It gave her an upper-hand.
She never had that in her old life. Novak would take every advantage she could.
They stopped at the security desk. “You’ll need a pass to go past this point. We did not want to send that with your packet for obvious reasons,” she said. “Also, we just moved in, so excuse the mess.”
“Understood. How do you know so much about me?” asked Ramirez. Novak could see the curiosity evident on his face.
“A mutual acquaintance.”
She smirked,
Novak wanted Ramirez off balance.
She was testing him. “We’ll discuss everything in a few minutes once everyone is gathered.”
Once badged, Novak led Ramirez through the security door. “Everyone entering needs to swipe the keycard. The wall is reinforced to withstand armor-piercing bullets.” There were no security scanners, but cameras monitored the door.
She was slightly annoyed at playing tour guide, but it would make Ramirez’s entry into the building smoother. Novak understood the Cabal was still out there and interested in the actions of those who opposed them.
They probably want both me and Zoe back too, she thought.
She continued to lead Ramirez through the offices in silence. He withheld questions, but she saw his head was on a swivel. Novak expected that.
Ramirez had served eight years in the Army before joining the FBI. She had read his file.
If not for the debacle with Fritz’s murder in the desert, he’d still be an agent, Novak thought.
◆◆◆
Ramirez took everything in.
He still did not know why he was here.
Not even the name of his escort.
She had been blunt in answering questions or providing information. Ramirez was convinced it was to test him.
He played along.
The Deputy Director promised it was an opportunity.
Ramirez had come this far. He would at least hear the pitch.
As they passed through security, his escort explained how entry into the building worked. Ramirez wondered why a startup would need the level of security he saw.
As he was led through the offices, he could tell. This place was occupied before, vacated in a hurry. Or it had been partially occupied, he thought.
The next thing he noticed.
The employees.
Many looked like those who recently left the military.
San Antonio was a military city.
Brooks-City Base itself had been an Air Force installation at one time.
On second look, some employees looked older.
Like they had seen other employment, law enforcement. Ramirez thought, this is a private security outfit. The type that gets government contracts for jobs the federal government cannot do.
That would explain the Suburban with the blacked-out windows, he thought.
The woman led Ramirez into a conference room.
His suspicions were confirmed. Seated near a young woman with auburn hair and an older man was Deputy Director Greenway, who looked to Ramirez and said, “good of you to come.”
FORTY-NINE
Once Novak entered the conference room, Zoe had Smith secure the room. “Everyone’s here, Charlie, you know what to do.”
The conference room was an interior room with no windows, except along the hallway. With a push of the button, the blinds closed, the door swung shut and sealed, and the lights dimmed for the overhead projector.
That’s new, thought Novak. She glanced over at Ramirez, who looked equally impressed.
Novak did not know who was sitting with Zoe, but Ramirez did. He seemed differential to the man. He said, “thank you for having me. For those that don’t know who I am, my name is Michael Greenway. Until last week, I was the Deputy Director for Counterintelligence at the FBI. As of four days ago, I am on the National Security Council. Specifically, I am the Special Assistant to the President for matters involving emerging threats.”
&n
bsp; “So you weren’t acting as an FBI director when you handed me this opportunity?” The question came from Ramirez. Novak noticed he seemed on edge.
“Hector, there are events in motion that we did not fully recognize until about a week ago. My last act as Deputy Director was to ensure your employment ended. You were needed here.”
Novak could see the anger in Ramirez’s eyes.
Apparently, Greenway could too. “You need to be, this is related to what happened with Michael Fritz. Just listen to the briefing. Please,” said Greenway.
Ramirez sat.
Novak took the last seat at the table.
It was next to Ramirez. She leaned towards him and said, “sounds like someone other than me is going to be getting some payback.”
◆◆◆
“We’ve been in contact with Michael since the story broke,” said Zoe, “it was with his help that we secured this building. The company that was in the process of moving in had some issues in Indianapolis that looked about to repeat themselves here in San Antonio.”
Ramirez noticed the woman next to him stiffen.
She hadn’t introduced herself yet. “They probably didn’t like what we did there.” The comment came from the blonde seated next to him. “I especially liked the exit strategy.”
Ramirez was wondering what happened in Indianapolis.
“For those of you here for the first time, it sounds like a recap is in order. Charlie, play the video.”
Ramirez noticed the woman speaking and Charlie had a resemblance.
Like sisters.
Ramirez was surprised as the video played. It showed several of the people in the room assaulting a lab. He did not think anyone in the room capable of such acts. The proficiency to execute a breaching raid like that takes years of practice, he thought.
Towards the end, Ramirez noticed who was the rescue target. Her hair was longer, but there was no mistaking the woman sitting next to him.
He realized his initial impression was correct.
She is not someone to mess with. She took out an armed security guard twice her size.
Like it was nothing.
The audio was poor, but Ramirez could hear the anger in her voice just before she pulled the trigger on an unarmed scientist.
He wondered why they weren’t under arrest.
“There you have it.” Greenway was talking again. “We found a facility here that was three times the size as the one in Indy.”
He paused and looked at the woman at the head of the table. “But, that’s not the problem we’re here about. Five days ago, a privately owned prison under contract to take federal inmates went offline. What I mean is, the prison is empty. No inmates or guards. The inspectors from the Bureau of Prisons showed up to find it vacated. Since then, three additional men’s and three women’s facilities have been found abandoned.”
Six prisons empty, Ramirez thought. How is more like. “Why isn’t this in the news?” he asked.
“Because there are people at this table who would be at risk. It turns out Project Aurora is part of the Minerva Program,” said Greenway.
Ramirez saw the blonde turn pale.
On the overhead, three photos were displayed. A man and a woman in their twenties and a woman in her forties. “These are three people who’ve been through the protocols of Project Aurora. They are all in this room,” said the auburn-haired woman seated next to Greenway. “I hate to do this but could those people raise their hands.”
Ramirez saw that she, the blonde seated next to him, and Charlie raised their hands.
“Wait. I see pictures of two women and one man.” Ramirez was confused.
“I used to be Charles Smith, the man in the photo used to be me,” said Charlie.
“Project Aurora is a means to create the perfect spy, assassin, or whatever you have in mind.” A fresh voice had joined the mix. “It includes mental conditioning and DNA re-sequencing along with nanobots to aid in the physical and mental reconstruction. A project I wish had never got beyond theoretical,” said a man in his fifties.
“Dr. Stein, the group behind this would not have been exposed otherwise,” said Greenway. “Your team is being assembled to cope with this. We can’t release this to the media. Based on how Project Aurora works, we don’t know who we’re looking for yet. We know who they were, but what they look like now is anyone’s guess.”
The blonde next to Ramirez looked upset. “Zoe, there are people like us out there that would do harm to others. A lot of them. Why wasn’t I told sooner?” she asked.
“We were figuring it out first, Hope. We’ve been contracted by the government to fix this. Some of these people went overseas. But there are others missing, too. People from tech companies,” said Zoe.
“And the man who put us on a course to meeting,” said Greenway.
A new image appeared on the overhead.
Ramirez studied him.
He looked familiar.
Someone in the news, he thought. “The Company called him Monitor. He handled the Minerva Program. Not only has he gone missing, but we know he murdered Michael Fritz.”
“Sir, you should have led with that. Whatever’s going on here, I’m in,” said Ramirez.
“Good. Because this organization has been tasked with tracking him down, his cutouts from the tech companies and the prisons down. You may have to operate outside legal means, which is why the United States government is not directly involved. After today, I will not be seen here. My contact will be through established intermediaries,” said Greenway. “You will operate with the approval of the President, but do it from outside the spotlight. Get it done. They only one we really want alive is Monitor. He goes by Malcolm Cross, the CEO of NorthBay Conglomerated. He’s holed up in Switzerland.”
“Great. Non-extradition.”
“Part of the reason for the government not being involved,” said Greenway. “We need to know what happened to the prisons. Where are the inmates and guards? Honestly, we’d rather not have most of these people brought in. If Project Aurora were found out by others.” Greenway left the statement hanging. Ramirez understood. He could see the others in the room did too. “I’ll leave you to it.”
Greenway prepared to leave. The meeting was over. The blinds and doors reopened, and the lights were brought up.
Ramirez looked over at Hope. He at least knew her first name now. He wondered though which one she had been. The middle–aged woman or the mousy-looking twenty-something. This Project Aurora was dangerous, he thought.
He understood the need for secrecy now.
“You don’t need to stare. I’m not going to kill you,” said Hope.
Ramirez realized he’d been lost in his thoughts, and Hope thought he had been staring at her. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to. That was a lot to take in,” he said.
“Understandable. Imagine how it is for me. I know what Project Aurora is. What it creates.”
“What is that?” Ramirez was interested in Hope’s take on the briefing.
“In my case, and to a degree in Zoe’s, assassins and intelligence operatives. Spies,” said Hope.
“So how many ways could you kill me?” Ramirez asked.
He was being sarcastic, but the thoughtful look from Hope worried him.
She smiled. “I’d rather not. You don’t seem like you deserve it. I’m Hope Novak, by the way.”
“That wasn’t one of the names for the one Zoe pointed out.”
“No. Other than Charlie, who is Charlotte instead of Charles, we have different names. I chose mine as a reminder,” said Hope, “my first name is to look for the light in life and my last means ‘new person’ in Polish.”
“Good choice.”
◆◆◆
The conference room had cleared.
Mostly.
Novak noticed other than her and Ramirez there was only one other person in the room.
Zoe.
“Mr. Ramirez, I hope your introduction to us wasn’t overwhel
ming,” said Zoe.
Novak saw the shrewd look on Ramirez’s face. He knew which photo had been Zoe. “I’d be lying if I said no. But, please, call me Hector.”
“Hector, I’m Zoe Mills. We’ve got a space setup for you. There’s some reading there to catch you up on what we’re up against. Hope can take care of questions you may have. You’ll be sharing the workspace.”
“Thanks for filling me in,” said Novak. Great, she thought babysitting duty. Zoe seemed to know her thoughts.
“Hope, look at this as an opportunity to improve your interpersonal skills. And there’s still background information you haven’t seen.”
“Yeah, sure.”
Novak glowered.
“Apparently, I’ve become antisocial. Come on, Hector, let’s get you going. We’ve got lots of bad people to take care of.”
Novak understood the meaning of Greenway’s instructions.
Capture if possible.
Eliminate otherwise.
Simple instructions she could live with.
◆◆◆
As the Suburban pulled away from the interior parking, Michael Greenway dialed his phone. The call rang through one time and was answered. “Everyone is in place,” said Greenway.
“Good. They suspect nothing?”
“No.”
“Then this mess will be resolved in a few days,” said Monitor. The call ended.
Greenway lied in the meeting.
Malcolm Cross was not in Switzerland.
◆◆◆
In the seat next to Greenway, Brittany Thompson sent a text. “Monitor bought it.”
She received a one-word reply.
“Understood.”
Within two days, all hell would break loose and this would be ground zero.
FIFTY
Two days of studying files proved Zoe right, thought Novak. She and Ramirez had ensconced themselves in an office, reading the background information on the Minerva Program and Project Aurora.
Project Aurora (Hope Novak Thrillers) Page 15