by E L Russell
Meret continued. “Steve, can you get the interrogation of Piero underway with a team that understands how important it is to generate a short list of Katya’s location? His injuries will require a very light touch. The team needs to be prepped and in position the minute Piero’s doctors say he’s competent enough to deal with the questioning.”
Not waiting for a response, she spoke to Poppy. “Start a lab team working on the virus Zhen’s SuperFlys will use to remove Katya’s ability to use her voice and touch so she can’t use them against anyone. She must be incapacitated so whoever transfers her into confinement is safe. One more thing. Zhen, how soon can you give me six SuperFlys with the no-speak virus and upload the new app to all company cell phones?”
Zhen glanced at Poppy. “What do you think? Working together, non-stop, we could get the SuperFlys ready in two days.”
Meret felt her jaw drop. “Two days? Is that realistic?”
“Of course,” he said, “People tag one another on many social apps. Couple that with the beetle bot's facial recognition, and you only need a few days to integrate the routing in existing software. I'm confident the field trials will prove successful.”
Meret pulled back her chin. “Field trials?”
“Poppy and I often play hide and seek in the Zoo’s park.”
“True,” poppy nodded. It’s quite fun actually. We take turns hiding in the crowds while the agency’s pilots test search patterns for effectiveness.”
“Good. Confirmation this plan can work— provided we can get close enough. Pray Piero survives. His information is critical to everything else. We must locate Katya.”
59
Katya orders Jack
Late November, PSI Corp, Washington - he next thing
Katya, kept her rights as an employee, sat alone in Dirk Donahue's office waiting impatiently for Jack Strake. He wasn't late, he wouldn’t dare be, but she never enjoyed ‘down time' and resented the fact he didn’t arrive early.
Surprised by his gaul, she almost did a double-take when he walked through the door. “Sit, Jack. I need you to take care of some things.”
He sat and tossed today’s morning edition on her desk. “Looks like you’ve had a successful get together with one of our spy-guys, ‘gov.”
His effort to fold and tuck the paper, so it displayed a short, out of town article was a mess but she saw enough of it to recognize the topic. She’d read the piece earlier. “What do you make of it, Jack?”
“It’s about some poor bloke who tried to dive out of an upscale hotel in Houston. I thought you might have worked with him. The article doesn’t say, but I gather the bloke didn’t make it.”
She leaned closer but did not pick up the paper or respond.
I like it when they follow orders.
“Tell me, Jack,” she used his name repeatedly for mind control, “is everyone in place and have you trained them as I instructed?”
“Right as rain, ‘gov. These men are used to dealing with dangerous substances. They'll be careful.”
“Jack, how many times have I told you to tell them that handling the substance poses no threat to them? It is designed to harm only special people. They can’t stay relaxed and in the role if they look like they’re handling something dangerous. They need to look like they’re carrying out minor housekeeping duties, not balancing something deadly that will spill on them. That behavior will raise attention and suspicion, and will lead to interrogation.” She slapped the desk and leaned into his face. “Then we lose! Got it?”
“Yes, mum, I’ll make sure they conduct live training exercises with the chemical to make that point.”
“Good. Okay, here’s the special job I need you to run for me. It closes some loose ends that are the only thing that could ruin the big operation we just started. You and four or five of your best men need to grab two women and hide them away for a while.”
He sat forward in his chair and looked at her sideways. “Why are thee two women so important?”
“One is close to the hackers who are helping us with the big operation and the other works as a consultant with the CIA.”
He shrugged, “So?”
The hackers know how to find me and if the CIA learns too much we’re done for. Together, these two women could make both of those things happen. If either one does, we can kiss our millions good-bye and spend the rest of our life in jail. Lock the women in a dark place and there’s no stopping us. So, as I said, you and your team needs to shake things up and create one huge headache and distraction for the feds. The women must be alive and able to function like real ransom victims. They are guided by a small CIA team in a penthouse of the Jackson.”
“I know that place. Lots of Washington power people stay there. The hotel’s got its own respected security and you’re telling me the CIA is assisting? I’m to pull this off with only five people from a penthouse? Isn’t that stretching it a bit?”
“Do you question me, Jack?”
“Oh. No, Ma’am. Certainly not. No, Sir.”
“That’s better. Here’s a rough outline. I call this, Project Takeover for reasons you will soon discover.”
She placed two folders on the desk in front of him. “Along with the photos of each woman you’ll find everything we know about her and why they are significant the CIA. As you can see, both are in residence at the Jackson. I’ve included floor plans of the penthouse apartments and the entire building. Time is growing short. I suggest you keep the two women sedated and alone where no one will notice them.”
He wiped his chin and sat back in the chair in silence.
“Come on, Jack, you and the boys are up to this. Eliminate the feds and the women will be easy. Just get it done in the next four days.” She slid the folders across the desk with her eyes focused on his. Jack, the word is “Yes.” [check this]
He picked up the folders and nodded.
She altered her pitch. “We’re in this together, Jack. We are partners who stand to get millions. You and I already own PSI Corps.”
He frowned. “How so, ‘gov?”
“With Donahue's unexpected departure, the consortium I work with, the money behind the big job we’ll be doing after the holidays, has managed to purchase, PSI Corps lock stock, and barrel. We made an offer they couldn't refuse. Everyone, but the two of us, has been handed pink slips. That means our new job, yours and mine will be to rebuild a completely new, and financially more sound company in the coming year by the monies generated by Rapture2, and Project Takeover.”
* * *
Two days later, Jack and his crew, dressed in housekeeping uniforms slipped out of a vacant third-floor conference room using dead Donahue’s account and entered the near-by elevator. Jack hit the button and waited for the elevator to rise before speaking softly. “Mike, Harry, you clear any security standing down the hallway to our left. It's sixty-four feet from the elevator so keep your weapons hidden behind the service carts until you get close enough to take them out. Fred, you and Bill hold the door until Mike and Harry clear the hall, then you stand in front of the door to our immediate right and take down anyone who comes out. Now, it's up to you two. Even though he had gone over it a hundred times, he felt compelled to review the plan one more time. He wanted no mistakes and he certainly did want Katya on his ass.
He lifted his chin to Mike and Harry. “Hide your weapons on the tray under napkins and grab the dart guns. We don’t need any noise. The dart will take them down immediately.” He wiped his hands. “Twist your dimple, plain and simple, but once you get inside, expect at least one of the women to be armed. I'll follow Fred into the end room where their security bunks and work the adjacent rooms with him toward Mike and Harry. No witnesses and use the darts on the women so the two rabbits get snared alive for the taking. Got it?”
60
Taken
October, Jackson Hotel, D.C. - sudden changes
Special Agent Carol Kennedy stood in the small kitchen area of the VIP penthouse suite dunking
a tea bag in a cup of steaming water. It was midnight and all was quiet except for the running water from Debby’s shower. Good. That was just the way she liked it. Feeling a chill from the lowered air conditioning, she tightened the belt on her hotel’s terry cloth robe and felt a bit silly in the bunny slippers Meret left for them, but she'd make the sacrifice for warm feet.
A small click triggered her senses. The door. She stopped humming and pulled her Glock from the robe pocket and reached too late to kill the lights. A sharp, deep pain tore into her shoulder and she dropped to the floor.
Debby turned the shower off and stepped onto the furry rug. As she reached for the towel something slammed into her stomach.
* * *
Jack commanded his team. “Step on it. Get the shit off the carts so we can stow the hostages for transport. These women could be the only people who have a clue about the location of Katya’s safe house and we’re going to join them there.” The four men brushed towels to the floor and opened the hinged tops, revealing ample space for each of the two women.
Non-to-gently, they dumped Carol and Debby into their modified service carts and Jack casually tossed a towel over her unconscious, naked body. “A bit of respect, mates.” He looked around the room. “Sweep the room of all evidence while me and Fred disable the elevators. It's you two up the service steps with them in he cart to what this hotel claims is a proper roof. I'll be sending for the copter now so kill the elevators and get to the roof. You got seven minutes.”
* * *
Meret sat next to Granger while he argued with the hospital’s attending cranialtrauma doctor to release him. Happy to be sitting this one out, she listened while texting Poppy.
“I’m okay. Look, I’ve been here four days now—”
Meret interjected. “Barely three.”
“And we have work to do.”
She looked at the exasperated doctor. “It seems we’re at a temporary lull while others are prepping for the next thing.”
Granger held up one hand for her to stop talking. “Incoming.”
The doctor put her hands on her hips. “No ear buds, agent. You know the rules.”
Meret's heart skipped a beat, and she tightened her grip on his hand.
Granger jerked the buds from his ear yanked on his PIC line. “We're outta here.”
Monitors beeped and wailed at being unplugged from their patient.
“Hold still.” The doctor put her hands on his shoulders, doing little to delay his sit up. “You’ll tear your stitches.”
Meret, alarmed, stood. “What's happened? She's right if you start to bleed they'll have to restrain you.”
He stopped moving and grabbed her arm pulling her face close to his. “Hotel security reported Debby and Carol Kennedy were taken. All of our people found unconscious. No one in the hotel caught it for two hours. They could be anywhere.”
Meret glanced at the doctor and flashed a signal with her chin for her to give him a sedative. She braced herself tight to the side of his bed and rolled on top of him, used her weight and her grip on the bed to force him down.
“What the hell, Meret? What are you doing?”
She grabbed his chin from its underside and latched her eyes to his partly to distract him from the needle he was about to get and certainly to get more information before the sedative put him to sleep. “What else do we know?”
He suddenly seemed tired. “They hope to find trace.”
“I’m staying here with you and will work with our CSI team remotely. I’ll keep you filled in but you need to rest and heal or you’re terminally useless. Got it?”
His eyes closed.
The doctor let out a sigh. “ He’s a bear. Thanks for the help.”
Meret sighed. “He has a strong will. Don’t restrain him, that will only make him crazy mad. I'll monitor his sedation while you continue treatment.”
Meret slid her recliner away from his bed, and speed dialed a conference call with Poppy and Zhen. Although faced with a pile of detective and lab work ahead, Her thoughts returned to one thing. Katya.
They had to find the bitch before she did catastrophic damage.
Poppy's face appeared on half of the cell's screen already talking. “The events at the Jefferson were meticulously planned. The fact that we have both Debby’s and Kennedy’s DNA will be helpful in the search for them. Zhen says the tracker we implanted is passive and will only respond if within range of one of our smart phones.”
Meret bit her cheek and pursed her lips. “Yeah, at least something’s going our way. I think the taking of hostages by the people behind the coming attack on the Homeland is a clue. How close must she be to a CIA smart phone to ping back?”
“Zhen says about a mile, depending on interference. What about them taking hostages? How would that be useful?
“Don’t know. Debby’s one of two people who could lead us to Katya from information she gets from Henri. They could have eliminated her at the hotel, but by chose to remove her as a hostage.” She thought for a second and then speed dialed Steve. He didn’t wait for her to speak.
“I just heard about the kidnapping. How’s Granger?”
“We had to sedate him when he learned Debby was taken, but listen. I think she and Kennedy are alive because Katya and crew needed to delay and distract us. We must be getting close.”
“Right. If they wanted to end her ability to learn of Katya’s location they could have just killed her.”
She added, “And, the ‘by getting close,’ part tells us that she might have a safe house nearby.”
61
Reactions
October, Hotel Zalea - Meret plans, Katya recovers
Meret’s conference call with Poppy and Zhen refocused her mind on the business at hand. They had to locate Katya and grill her for information. Ling Chang’s mash up of biochemistry and Nano technology meant they could cast a wide net to find her. As soon as Zhen and Ling created the needed SuperFlys, the search was on, but the process was too slow. They needed more people in the lab. Damn her grandfather for holding her trust.
Poppy obviously thought along the same lines. Progress was too slow. She injected, “Zhen, is your friend Ling able to break the beetle components into smaller segments so we could contract manufacturers to mass produce single parts of the beetle?”
“Yes, but—”
“Crazy, I know but I don't know, but I like the idea no one would know what we are making. We could then hire less expensive, lower-level technicians to assemble them in our facility.”
“I like it.” Meret said. “Meet with Ling Chang to see what's possible and don’t forget to let her know we don’t do patients. That is as good as going Open Source for others to reverse engineer. Let’s not get entangled with that kind of manufacturing strategy. I’ve been too long away from the lab.”
After the business part of the call, Meret jumped into a brainstorming session about what they could do to find Katya. “During our last conference, we discussed engineering a no-speak virus within an SKV designed for Katya. We can't simply find and kill her without discovering what her plan is and who is behind it. For our own safety, when we find her, we must immediately disable her voice and physical coordination. They are the main components of her mind-fuck.”
Poppy reflected, “I got the impression that Debby’s partner, Henri, knew of Katya’s powers and feared she would condition his mind to even forget that she had trained him.”
Meret raised her voice. “That’s why the bitch needs her tongue cut out. I want to see her live the rest of her life in a sealed cell with an intercom that electronically alters her voice and makes it impotent.”
Zhen placed his tented fingers over his mouth and spoke softly. “Katya has attacked and seriously injured someone close to you. Do not let this evil overwhelm your thinking.”
Meret lowered her chin and closed her eyes. After a deep sigh she continued in her normal speaking voice. “Poppy, how’d your research go with finding an existing vir
us we can use to silence Katya.”
“A-Okay as you yanks say. You nailed it. I found the ideal flu virus. Just like you described, one of its side effects is that it causes immediate swelling of the vocal chords and renders speech impossible. If not treated, it’s been known to be fatal.”
Meret said. “It is good fortune for her that we need her alive.”
Poppy continued. “We also conducted a successful search of PSI Corps with a CIA team where everyone flew a 3K beetle into—”
Meret interrupted. “3K?”
Poppy replied, “Sorry, that's our designation for a beetle with three ounces of bam-bam juice. In order to eliminate the risk any of a beetle getting in enemy hands, we want to be able to have it self destruct.”
“Sounds smart, Poppy.”
“We found the facility deserted except for the usual rent-a-Barney security guarding some equipment and had little trouble finding viable trace for Katya. We've identified and sequenced her DNA and are confident we located sufficient unique markers to allow an SKV to find her, even in a crowded auditorium.
“Wait a minute. Did you fly beetles from here? Houston to Washington?”
Poppy grinned. “Fair dinkum. They did their flying inside a cardboard box and shipped them overnight air. Zhen called Special Agent Fairchild at D.C. Headquarters and requested the two additional beetles they had get software updates. It's no more complicated than what used to be a long-distance phone call. Zhen says he’ll add an update option immediately and in the next release.”
Zhen held up several borosilicate glass test tubes. “We downloaded the DNA data from the cloud and did the biological engineering here in our Houston lab. Each test tube contains enough of the viral cocktail for ten drones that can inject your no-speak virus. We know it’s fast but are not exactly how fast it works to shut down the vocal chords.” He grinned at Poppy. “Poppy won’t allow me to test it on her.”