In the Grey

by Christian, Claudia Hall

  “Any others?”

  “If the MK-Ultra and MK-Search documents are phony, who in the agency is involved in the cover-up?” Leena asked.

  “How so?” Patrick asked.

  “The documents were redacted in 2001,” Alex said. “Who released them? Who redacted them? Who certified them as MK-Ultra files? Who told everyone the files were stored in the wrong place? A lot of this happened a long time ago, but some of this puzzle unfolded recently.”

  Patrick nodded.

  “Any ideas?” Alex asked.

  “You?” Patrick asked.

  “You’re hilarious,” Alex said. “I wasn’t involved nor was Ben. Carlos was too stupid and Raz wasn’t in intelligence at that time. But someone was involved. Who?”

  “I have some ideas,” Patrick said.

  “Good,” Alex said.

  “Anything else?” Patrick asked.

  “We have a few questions related to Robert Ludlum and his characters,” Alex said. “White Boy?”

  “Robert Ludlum was burned alive in his recliner in March, 2001,” White Boy said. “The MK-Ultra files were declassified in July, 2001. Was he killed because he’d know the documents were fakes?”

  “Was there ever anything like Treadstone71?” Trece asked.

  “Yes,” Patrick said.

  “Those guys would be at the center of this whole thing,” Trece said. “Where are they?”

  “Dead,” Patrick gave Trece a grim look. “And before you ask, they were killed by the agency.”

  Trece stopped moving, and Troy gave him an open hand to the face. Trece stumbled and fell. When Troy leaned over to help him up, Trece pulled him down. They grappled on the floor.

  “What about the movies?” Vince asked. “There’s such an interest in the Bourne movies. Is it a coincidence that the men were activated now? Do the movies relate to the program?”

  “How so?” Patrick asked.

  “Is there a large action coming that they want to be able to explain via MK-Ultra or whatever?” Alex said. “Are they using the movies to get to make their case before the action starts?”

  “A kind of pre-action jury tampering?” Patrick asked.

  “Sure,” Alex said. “After seeing the movies, who would convict Jason Bourne of anything?”

  “Or are they just movies?” MJ asked.

  “I don’t like coincidences,” Patrick said.

  “Right, but maybe the movies gave him the idea,” Alex said.

  “We don’t know,” Patrick said.

  “Exactly.”

  “Why use the same kind of action as last time?” Colin asked.

  “What do you mean, son?” Patrick asked.

  “Last year, we ran around the world rescuing hostages while he was planting a virus in the most secure computers in the nation. This action should keep us super busy and distracted.”

  “Like last year,” Alex added.

  “If we do the work ourselves, we’ll be running from place to place for at least a year,” Colin said.

  “He does know how to keep us busy,” Patrick said.

  “What if we missed something last time?” Colin asked. “What if he’s using the same kind of action because it hid what he was doing, and we didn’t catch last time? And, what’s his endgame?”

  “Do you think you missed something?” Patrick asked. “In the last year, we’ve been over and over this stuff.”

  “Anything’s possible,” Alex said.

  “We have a lot of ideas about what his endgame is,” Patrick said.

  “But we don’t really know,” Alex said.

  “Especially since it now looks like he orchestrated, through the Boy Scout, the Fey Special Forces Team chaos the last year we were in service,” Joseph said.

  Patrick frowned at the thought.

  “What about the girls?” Matthew asked.

  “What about the girls?” Patrick asked.

  “I think our question is vague,” Alex said. “The current thought is that the CIA trained a number of children – boys and girls, mostly based in Los Angeles – to serve as child prostitutes to important men. The interactions were photographed.”

  “With the intent of manipulating those men,” Patrick said. “That’s correct.”

  “Where are the photos?” Zack asked. “I know a girl whose dad did that to her, and the photos and videos are still around. She’s tried to destroy them, Alex has even tried, but they’re in the world. They keep coming back to haunt her. If there were photos or videos, where are they?”

  “Did they ever use the photos to control the participants?” Leena asked. “Are any of those men in office now?”

  “They’d be too old,” Patrick said.

  “There are eleven federal judges over the age of ninety, sir,” Troy said.

  “Some of the men would have been in their twenties or thirties when the program was active,” Alex said. “And there’s always senior status federal judges and a few elderly senators and representatives.”

  “Never thought of it,” Patrick said.

  “Anyone come up with anything else?” Alex asked.

  The team fell silent.

  “I guess I have one,” Sergeant Dusty said.

  “Go,” Alex said.

  “Why us?” Sergeant Dusty asked. “Sure, we’ve been working on Eniac’s case, but there are thousands of intelligence teams. The CIA has its own paramilitary branch now. Why call up Joseph? Wyatt? Why are we involved in this shit?”

  “Again,” Joseph said. “It’s not our mission. Not even close.”

  “You know how this is going to end, sir,” Raz said.

  “How?” Patrick asked.

  The team stopped working out to look at Patrick. Used to scrutiny, he didn’t flinch.

  “I’m serious,” Patrick said. “How do you think this will end?”

  “With me in a box,” Alex said.

  Unsure of what to say, Patrick cleared his throat.

  “If there are no more questions, I’m sure the General would like to report to his team,” Alex said.

  “Yes, sir,” her team called.

  “Thank you,” Patrick said.

  He gave Alex an odd kind of nod, almost a bow, and left the room. Alex shrugged and went back to working with Leena.

  F

  CHAPTER FOUR

  Friday evening

  November 5 – 6:07 p.m. MDT

  Denver, Colorado

  “Wyatt,” Alex said softly.

  Sitting on the bed, she put her hand on his shoulder, and he opened his eyes. He closed them for a moment and then opened them again. His eyes moved over her face.

  “Max?”

  “It’s Alex,” she smiled at him.

  “You are not the love of my life,” Wyatt closed his eyes.

  “I’m here,” Max said from the other side of the bed.

  Wyatt’s head turned toward the sound of Max’s voice. He smiled at Max and patted the bed for him to sit down. Max sat down and took Wyatt’s hand. Wyatt looked back at Alex.

  “It is uncanny how much you look alike,” Wyatt said.

  Alex smiled.

  “Where am I?” Wyatt asked.

  “Our basement,” Max said.

  “How did I get here?” Wyatt asked.

  “What’s the last thing you remember?” Alex asked.

  “The phone ringing,” Wyatt said.

  “Anything else?” Alex asked.

  Wyatt shook his head.

  “You were activated,” Alex said.

  “I . . . was . . . activated . . .” Wyatt said slowly. “I guess I remember that. Did you lock me in the bathroom?”

  “No, I did,” Max said.

  “Why?” Wyatt asked.

  “You weren’t exactly yourself,” Max said.

  “It’s what you agreed to,” Alex said.

  “I did?” Wyatt asked.

  “When we went over the mental training you’d received,” Alex said.

  “I guess I did agree to that,” Wya
tt sat up against the headboard.

  “How do you feel?” Alex asked.

  “Weird,” Wyatt said. “Oddly energized and . . . did you give me sedatives?”

  “You’ve been asleep most of the day,” Max said.

  “I feel giddy, like too much caffeine, and also down like I’m on sedative,” Wyatt said. “How did I get down here?”

  “You agreed to come with me,” Alex said. “You didn’t recognize Max. You knew me from when we met before.”

  “When I was a Ranger?” Wyatt asked. “With Jesse?”

  “You kept asking me where Jesse was,” Alex said. “You’d lost all sense of your life now.”

  “God, how horrifying,” Wyatt said. “I’m so sorry, Max.”

  “We’ve been worried about you,” Max said.

  “Me? I’m fine,” Wyatt said. “At least I think I’m fine.”

  “Except for the giddy feeling,” Alex said. “Have you felt that way before?”

  “Sure,” Wyatt said.

  “Do you remember when?” Alex asked.

  “No,” Wyatt said. “Must have been around the time I met you, Alex, because it’s associated in my mind.”

  “Were you in the program then?” Alex asked.

  “I . . . well . . . I don’t know,” Wyatt said. “I don’t think so, but I might have been. Have you reached the guys on my team? Were they activated?”

  Alex gave Wyatt a small smile.

  “I know that look.” Wyatt furrowed his brow and looked at Max. “What?”

  Alex shook her head and looked at Max. He returned Alex’s look. In the way of identical twins, a silent conversation flowed back and forth between them.

  “Don’t you dare!” Wyatt’s frustrated voice echoed in the small room. Surprised, the twins turned to look at him. “Don’t shut me out. This is not twin time. You don’t get to disappear anytime you want! Tell me what happened!”

  “Your team was eliminated,” Ben said from his position near the door. Alex and Max turned to look at Ben. “Earlier this year, in the spring. They appear to be a series of random accidents until you look at the fact that everyone came from the same unit.”

  “Why didn’t I know?” Wyatt’s lip curled. His voice held a searing indignation unheard of in the person Alex knew. “I would have at least gone to the funerals, visited their families. God, many of the men had young children. How could you keep this from me?”

  “I told the twins not to tell you,” Ben said. “It was hard for them, but we agreed it was in your best interest.”

  “We were concerned for your safety,” Max said.

  “Why?” Wyatt asked. “Was I on the elimination list?”

  “We’re not sure, but your entire team seems to have been,” Ben said. “We wondered if you were saved for a unique purpose. Because you live here, I was confident that we could keep an eye on you.”

  Wyatt gave a quick shake of his head. He looked down and then under the sheet. As if a switch flicked, Wyatt’s anger inflamed. A tall, fit man, he looked like he was ready to pounce.

  “I’m naked, and your father’s here?” Wyatt asked. “What the hell are you trying to do to me?”

  “Wyatt . . . ,” Max started.

  “Don’t Wyatt me,” he said. “Get him the hell out of here. Whatever the problem is, we can solve it ourselves. We don’t need the dark overlord of mystery here.”

  Max glanced at Alex and she nodded.

  “There you go again,” Wyatt shifted to get up. “I’ll tell you what. I’m not going to sit here . . .”

  “You’re going to sit there,” Ben’s commanding voice boomed in the small room.

  Wyatt stopped moving. He gave another quick shake of his head.

  “You’ll follow orders,” Ben said.

  Wyatt started to move again.

  “Soldier!” Ben’s voice rose in a drill sergeant’s threat. “You will follow orders. Is that clear?”

  When Wyatt looked at Ben, his eyes held a vague, dreamy quality.

  “Why are you here?” Ben’s voice was loud and demanding.

  “I’m gay, sir,” Wyatt said. As if he was in a trance, his face was placid. “My father isn’t speaking to me. The Army is my only family.”

  Alex and Max took a quick in breath. Alex didn’t dare look at Max for fear she would break down.

  “If brass finds out, I’ll lose everything – my career, my job,” Wyatt said. His face flushed with desperation, and fat tears rolled down his cheeks. “My future. I can’t pay for school on my own. I’m almost done. If I’m dismissed, I’ll have to go home. But there is no home.”

  “Why are you here?” Ben kept his voice demanding.

  “My CO, sir,” Wyatt said. “He knows. He knows. He . . . sent me here to make it better, make sure I could stay in. He knows how bad I need to stay in or . . .”

  Wyatt leaned forward. He held himself in a tight hug.

  “I can’t help it,” Wyatt whispered. “I don’t date. I don’t have a boyfriend . . . not since I joined. I’m not involved with anyone . . . anyone . . . but I’m still gay. I can’t change that. If I could . . . If I could . . . I would do it, but . . . I can’t.”

  Ben snapped his fingers once.

  Wyatt blinked.

  Ben snapped his fingers twice in rhythmic succession.

  “NOW!” Ben said in a loud demanding voice.

  Wyatt gave a quick shake of his head.

  Ben nodded to Max.

  “Wyatt?” Max asked.

  “Max!” Wyatt said. “There you are!”

  Wyatt held out his arms and Max hugged him.

  “You’ve been crying,” Wyatt touched Max’s face. “What happened?”

  He looked at Alex and then at Ben.

  “What’s going on?” Wyatt asked. “Where am I? And why am I naked?”

  “You’re in our basement,” Alex said. “You’re naked because you didn’t get dressed today. You’ve been here since this morning.”

  “No wonder I have to pee,” Wyatt smiled. “May I . . . ?”

  He pointed to the small bathroom off the side of the room. Ben nodded. Max gave him a pair of boxer briefs. He got out of bed, turned his back to Ben and Alex, and put on the boxers. He gave a slight shrug to Ben and went into the bathroom.

  “How did you . . . ?” Max asked Ben.

  “I’ve seen it before,” Ben said.

  “But . . . what does it mean?” Max asked.

  “It means that the program didn’t end in 1973,” Ben said.

  “I think he means, ‘Why Wyatt?’” Alex asked.

  “I don’t know,” Ben said. “But I’m sure as shit going to find out. We need to debrief him.”

  Alex made a sour face.

  “It’s the only way we can be certain he won’t kill us in our sleep,” Ben said.

  “He won’t,” Max said.

  “He won’t want to,” Ben’s voice shifted to that of a kind and caring father. His eyes echoed his love for Max. “He might not have a choice. You heard him. He was manipulated into it.”

  “Because he’s gay,” Max said. “Don’t ask, don’t tell.”

  “Precisely,” Ben said.

  Alex hugged Max.

  “Do you want to do it?” Ben pointed to Alex. “It’s either you or Patrick.”

  “Why not you?” Alex asked.

  “Because I’m going to find out why the hell Wyatt Klaussen, MD, PhD was programmed,” Ben looked furious. “He’s family now, and God damn it if I’m going to . . .”

  The toilet flushed inside the bathroom. Wyatt opened the door.

  “I’d prefer Alex, if that’s all right,” Wyatt said. “I trust her completely, and I’d rather not do it in front of my fathers-in-law.”

  “You don’t have to do this,” Max said.

  “Did I split?” Wyatt asked Ben.

  “Yes, son,” Ben said.

  “You were disorganized at first – some there, some here – and then you switched,” Alex said.

  “You b
rought me back?” Wyatt asked Alex.

  “I did,” Ben said. “It looks like you have a complete separate identity. I’m sorry.”

  “Then I have to do this,” Wyatt put his arms on Max’s shoulders. “I want to be able to trust myself with you, with our children, with the family. I can’t do that now.”

  “We’ll leave you,” Ben said. He looked at Max and added, “Ten minutes.”

  Max gave a sad nod. Alex followed Ben out of the room.

  FFFFFF

  Saturday, early morning

  November 6 – 3:21 a.m. MDT

  Denver, Colorado

  Raz leaned back against the hot tub in a small window-lined room behind the kitchen of the house next to the rooming house. He gazed up at the stars through the line of windows in the ceiling and let the warm water work on his tight sore body. He felt a nudge and looked up to see his girlfriend, Samantha Hargreaves, holding out a full glass of red wine to him. He smiled and took the glass. She slipped off her silk robe and got in the tub with him.

  “How was it?” she asked.

  “Awful,” he said. “One of the most painful things I’ve ever been involved with.”

  “Can you tell me why it was so bad?” Samantha asked.

  “I can always tell you about me,” Raz smiled and put his hand on her thigh.

  “Why was it bad for you?” Samantha asked.

  “Because I like Wyatt,” Raz said. “And I know Alex likes Wyatt, but she . . .”

  He shook his head and emptied his glass. Samantha smiled. She reached over and refilled his glass.

  “I brought two bottles,” Samantha said.

  He kissed her.

  “Alex can be so fierce, so tough,” Samantha said. “And all the while, she seems so incredibly kind.”

  “I could hear the kindness, her caring for Wyatt, and she just kept pressing,” Raz said. “I would have let up but . . . I would have been wrong.”

  “I watched while she interrogated the senator, you know the guy . . .”

  “Last summer,” Raz said.

  “She was awesome,” Samantha said.

  “She wasn’t very nice to the senator,” Raz said.

  “No, she was not,” Samantha said. “I just . . . I know what you mean.”

  Raz put his arm around her and closed his eyes.

  “Whatcha thinking?” Samantha asked.