The Kafir Project

by Lee Burvine

  At this point those three suspects were coming out of that building. Either in cuffs or in body bags.

  It was up to them now.

  * * *

  Rees followed Danni and Morgan along the hallway, past the entrance to the Core's anteroom, and on to another secured door. This one led to the new accelerator complex and down to tunnels that would take them well outside the Livermore campus and its security.

  Danni swiped her pass key in the lock.

  Nothing happened.

  Rees felt his stomach drop. "Maybe it's not activated yet. Because it's still under construction?"

  Danni swiped the key again. Still nothing. "I don't get it. I've been through here a couple times already. To look at the work they're doing."

  Morgan leaned in and checked out the indicator lights on the lock. "I think they shut down your pass key, Danni. They're individually coded now. It was one of the changes I instituted when I was here."

  Danni looked ill with tension. "Shit, you're probably right."

  Rees wondered for a moment if she might actually get sick again. She'd wrung herself out pretty good back there in her kitchen. If she threw up now, it would have to be something like a major organ. Fortunately, the human body wasn't piped that way.

  Rees suddenly had a thought. "Does the Core itself connect anywhere with the new accelerator facility?"

  Danni's eyes darted back and forth as she accessed some memory. "Yeah, it does. Both facilities share the same super-cooling system. There's a common crawlspace for service and maintenance."

  "That's what I was hoping," Rees said. "And the Core has a numerical lock. I saw Louis use it earlier. We don't need your pass key to get in there."

  "But?" Morgan asked. She'd apparently spotted something on Danni's face that Rees didn't know her well enough to read.

  "But," Danni said, "the crawlspace access is right at the heart of the Core. Did Louis tell you guys about the conditions in there?"

  Rees nodded. "The negative Kelvin environment. He said it drained energy from the space around it. A field effect."

  "Yeah, typical inverse square field." Danni sounded defeated.

  Before Rees could explain to Morgan what the implications were, she surprised him by putting it out there herself.

  "We get ten times closer, the field gets a hundred times stronger." She looked at Rees, as if she'd just read his mind. "I'm not innumerate." She turned back to Danni. "So how cold is it where we have to go? To get to that access plate?"

  Danni rolled in her lips and shook her head. "Somewhere below it'll kill you. How far below doesn't really matter."

  Rees tried to tease apart the factors here. They were, in a sense, fighting two kinds of cold. The low temperatures that would leach heat from their bodies through the air, and the field effect that would steal heat energy directly.

  Those phenomena were independent of each other.

  "What if we shut the whole system down?" Rees asked. "I know there isn't time to let the environment warm up in there, but at least we wouldn't be fighting that field sapping our body heat."

  Danni scrunched up her face. "It's still gonna be wicked cold."

  "Yes, but is it higher than it'll kill you? That's all it has to be."

  Danni didn't answer, she just hung her head. Rees couldn't tell if she was hammering out the numbers or didn't even want to consider it.

  "If it won't work," Morgan said to her, "then that's just how it is. We'll take our chances out here."

  Danni finally looked up. "Getting to the crawlspace and maneuvering through it-that's going to take more time than anyone would ordinarily spend in there. But with the system shut down ... it could work. We gotta move fast, but I think it's doable. Good chance we get a little frostbitten."

  Rees became keenly aware of how cold it felt where they stood right now. Tropical compared to where they were headed. An environment that Louis had quite accurately represented as the coldest place in the known universe.

  He'd heard it described as a painless, almost pleasant way to go-freezing to death.

  At the moment, Rees didn't find that very comforting.

  CHAPTER 26

  Washington, D.C.

  CARL TRUBY COULDN'T sleep.

  It wasn't the helicopter flight back from New York. These little jaunts had become mundane for him years ago. Truth was, he hadn't had a good night's sleep since he learned what happened at Fermilab. How the whole goddamned thing got away from them.

  Truby donned his robe, poured himself a scotch, and stepped out into his enclosed patio.

  He stood on the deck watching the distant lights of D.C. illuminate the underside of a low cloud layer. A kind of false dawn. Too bad the real one was still hours away.

  From the start, Truby knew he couldn't stand on the sidelines as this thing worked itself out. Not in his nature. The so-called hand of Fate or of God-that shit was a pathetic sop for weaker men. If he had a stake in the outcome, Truby never sat back and watched the trajectory of events.

  He orchestrated it.

  His extraordinary abilities had made him very rich and unspeakably well connected. Literally. The people behind the scenes whose interests he represented in this current action alone controlled more than half the globe. That was a conservative estimate.

  The wealth that came his way, truth be told, he didn't care much about-although his current wife and all of his exes enjoyed it. Even the power per se didn't matter so much as what he could serve with it.

  A marvelously stable social system.

  One that worked. One that worked as well now as it had throughout history, regardless of whatever appeared to be happening in the public arena.

  Truby was thinking about what might happen to that system if Fischer succeeded, when a shadow in the corner of the patio separated itself from a wicker chair and stood up.

  "Don't be alarmed, Mr. Truby."

  "A little late for that." Truby's heartbeat accelerated even as he got the words out.

  The shadow stepped forward, into the patio light. A black man in a well cut suit, no tie, stood on Truby's back deck. Truby had never seen the man before in his life.

  "My name is Singleton," he said. "I've taken charge of your account."

  "Jesus. This couldn't wait for morning?"

  "No. And it's too sensitive for anything but a face to face."

  Truby stepped over to a nearby chair and sat down. A deliberate gesture of disrespect. Taking the power back. "What the hell happened to Doubleman? And how am I supposed to know you're really working with him?"

  Singleton seemed prepared for that. He stepped forward and handed Truby a small piece of paper. "You'll find those numbers match the Cayman Island account through which you have paid for our services. I can wait while you check them."

  Truby had by no means a photographic memory, but he'd always possessed a freakish ability to store names and numbers. These numbers were in fact correct.

  He slipped the paper into his robe pocket. "That doesn't tell me what happened to your other man."

  "He has become unavailable."

  "You're not going to tell me are you?"

  "A new decision point has developed. Gevin Rees will soon be in DCIS custody."

  That didn't sound right to Truby. "Why are you involving them? I thought you had your own man on this?"

  "The longer Rees is out there, the greater the risk that some party outside our reach apprehends and questions him. We have resources inside the DCIS. I recommend we use them to eliminate Rees now."

  Truby's initial fear had turned to a more familiar emotion. Anger. "This is bullshit. You were supposed to grab Rees, not the feds. You come to my house in the dead of night to tell me you've screwed up. With Rees gone, how are we gonna locate the backup that Fischer made? What about the artifacts? The other conspirators?"

  "We have a lead on the one called Herodotus. I believe you knew that already. And we have a contingenc
y plan to eliminate the other collaborators. With them gone, the data and artifacts are effectively lost anyway."

  Truby felt the knot in his gut returning. "Doubleman told me about your 'contingency plan.' You're going to kill more than a dozen people who worked on the project."

  "Not necessarily. We'll interrogate each of them as we go. Odds are we'll find the two other scientists involved well before we get through the whole list."

  Truby gave Singleton a hard stare. "What the hell do you need from me, then?"

  "I thought you would want to make this call personally. Was I wrong?"

  No. You're sure as shit not wrong. "Do it. Shut Rees up."

  Singleton started to turn away. He stopped. "One other thing..."

  Truby shuddered to think what fresh hell this man might throw at him tonight. "What?"

  "Your home security is woefully inadequate. Get yourself a new company."

  CHAPTER 27

  DANNI LOOKED UP from the keyboard she'd been typing away on. "I'll need about eight minutes or so to finish the shutdown sequence."

  Rees stood beside Morgan in the Core's control room, wondering if following the proper protocol here really represented an effective use of time. "I'm sure it isn't the best thing for the quantum computer, Danni, but ... can't we just yank the plug?"

  "It's not about the computer," Danni explained. "It's the cryogenics. We use massive amounts of liquid helium. When that warms, you have an expansion ratio of about one to eight hundred."

  "Yikes." Rees recalled nitroglycerin had approximately the same expansion ratio and decided to stop making helpful suggestions.

  "Yep," Danni said. "You don't want to be anywhere near here if this warms up too fast." She threw a nod to the anteroom. "You guys should go in there and get your coats and stuff on. I'll join you when I'm done."

  "We'll see you in there," Morgan said.

  Rees watched them share a look. Whatever they once had, it definitely hadn't gone away. Even in the middle of all this craziness, he felt himself hoping they both knew that.

  And that they'd live long enough to do something about it.

  Rees left the control room with Morgan and they walked next door.

  He noticed for the first time an external safety lock on the Core's anteroom door. A red lever operated it. The thick Plexiglas here probably served as a safeguard against precisely the danger Danni just described. An explosive liquid helium leak. Unfortunately, they'd all be on the wrong side of that particular safety measure. So now it only served as a reminder of how badly it all could go.

  Inside the anteroom, Rees again donned one of the heavy parkas, then slung the strap of Fischer's leather pouch over that like a sash. He pulled on a pair of insulated gloves, and watched Morgan grab a knit cap. He needed to say something, and he might not have many more chances to do it.

  "Special Agent Morgan."

  Morgan pulled her cap on and looked over at him. "Yes?"

  "I don't know you very well, but I wanted to say, what you've done for me tonight ... I want to take a second and say thank you. That's all."

  Morgan nodded. "You're welcome, Dr. Rees." She picked up a pair of the gloves. As she pulled them on, a grave look came over her face. "My agency is involved in this. Responsible. People I work with. Maybe even people I know. I just can't stomach that. I'm doing this for me too. I think you should know that."

  Her own people had let her down, and Rees understood her pain. People ultimately disappoint. "I get it." He grabbed a knit cap off the shelf, hesitated a moment, then laughed.

  "What's funny?" Morgan asked.

  "Oh, I just flashed on, of all things, head lice. And then I thought, why worry? They'll probably freeze to death in there too."

  Morgan nodded, straight-faced. "Good thinking."

  "You know, you and Danni make a good team." Rees hadn't planned on saying that. It just bubbled out.

  Morgan didn't reply. She nodded, though. And Rees thought he saw the hint of a smile.

  Rees snapped the cuffs closed on his parka, and wondered if he and Morgan and Danni might all end up close friends one day. He knew people could tear your heart out without even meaning to. His own sister had done it. And he still believed that letting people in would always be a huge risk.

  Maybe you just had to find people who made the risk worth taking. He'd heard something like that once, and tried to remember where.

  "Rees." Morgan was looking toward the Plexiglas wall that separated them from the control room.

  Rees looked over too.

  Danni was still in there. She wasn't alone.

  CHAPTER 28

  "DON'T MOVE AND keep your hands where I can see them," Gibson ordered.

  He had Dr. Danielle Harris at gunpoint and the other two suspects in sight. They were behind some kind of thick glass. They'd both spotted him, but neither had made a move to run or fight.

  He keyed his shoulder mike. "Agent Gibson, inside the computer building. I have one suspect in custody, and eyes on the other two. There's a ... like a glass wall between us. Requesting backup. Over."

  He waited. No response.

  "Agent Gibson here. Repeat, I have Dr. Harris in custody. Requesting backup. Get the hell in here. Over."

  Nothing.

  He didn't seem to be getting through. Great.

  Gibson had taken the lower levels of the building while his partner Swain cleared the upper floors. He hadn't figured on finding the suspects split up like this.

  He sure as shit didn't expect to be cut off from any help.

  And on top of everything else, it was goddamn freezing in this place.

  "Can they hear us through that?" Gibson asked Harris, pointing toward the glass wall between them and the next room.

  "There's an intercom." She was staying calm. That much was good.

  "All right, then. Turn that on. Keep both hands where I can see them."

  She pushed a button on the console. "Okay. I'm holding the microphone open. They can hear us now."

  Gibson cleared his throat. Took a deep breath. He couldn't see a microphone, but he bent down toward where he guessed it would be. "This building is surrounded by agents of the US Defense Department. You are all under arrest. Put your hands on top of your heads and keep them there."

  And what are you gonna do if they don't, Special Agent Gibson? Shoot 'em through the damn glass?

  The man he recognized as Gevin Rees quickly did as Gibson ordered. The woman too. Thank God for small favors.

  That woman in there was armed, the report said. If Swain were here, one of them would cover the suspects while the other one confiscated weapons, cuffed them, and patted them all down. But like this? Alone, looking through a glass wall?

  It sure as hell wasn't a scenario they simulated back in training.

  Getting everyone in the same space where he could keep them all covered seemed like the thing to do. Swain would finish his sweep and double back to find him eventually.

  That was the plan, then.

  Gibson kept his weapon pointed up, but ready. To Harris he said, "Turn off that microphone."

  She released the switch.

  "Now get up slowly. You and me are going into that other room."

  Harris shook her head. "I have to finish this shutdown sequence."

  Jesus, she's gonna resist. That's just great.

  This was the last thing he needed. No back up and an uncooperative detainee. He glanced through the glass again. The other two still had their hands on their heads, at least.

  "I have to finish running the sequence," Harris repeated.

  Gibson raised his voice. "Hey! You have to do what I tell you to do, is what you goddam have to do. Okay? I am instructing you for the second time now to get up and walk ahead of me. Out to the hall and over into that other room. Now!"

  She still wasn't moving. Goddamnit. At what point did he actually aim his weapon at her? And what then?

  Har
ris pointed down at the console. "Listen to me. These dials are pushing the red zone already. See right there? If I don't finish the shutdown sequence, there's a very real chance of an explosive event. You been watching the news? What just happened back east at Fermilab, that's what I'm talking about. That's gonna happen right here, if you don't let me do this right."

  Gibson didn't know if this was some bullshit stall or what. He sure didn't want to make the call alone.

  C'mon Swain, c'mon. Get the hell down here.

  Was it worth taking the risk, making her get up and screw the damn shutoff procedure?

  He flashed on news images of that explosion back in Illinois. Smoke pouring out of a collapsed building. People in Chicago panicking, because some asshole tweeted about a radiation leak. Huge goddamn mess.

  "How long is this gonna take?" he asked.

  "Maybe four or five more minutes."

  He nodded. "Key the intercom. Keep the hands where I can see them."

  She reached down and did it.

  Gibson looked at the suspects over in the next room there. He licked his lips. His mouth had gone as dry as week old toast. "Okay, this is what we're gonna do here people. You're-"

  The door flew open behind him. He spun and levelled his gun.

  "Hey, hey! Lower that weapon." Merriweather was standing there with his gun out, scowling at him.

  Jesus. Thank God he didn't fire.

  Merriweather had a kind of hard ass, old guy face ordinarily. Right now he looked pissed enough to shoot Gibson just for taking aim at him.

  Gibson raised his gun to a safety position. "Sorry about that."

  Merriweather eyeballed the other suspects through the glass wall. "What the hell's goin' on here? Are they secured over there?"

  "Turn the mike off," Gibson told Harris. "Let go of the thing." He waited till she did it. "No. They're not secured. I haven't patted them down or anything. I just got here a minute ago."

  "Where's your partner, Swain?"

  "Clearing the upstairs areas. Look, we got a situation here."