by R. D. Brady
Because if his time in Washington had taught him anything, it was that there was always an angle to play.
Always.
He dialed Frankel’s number, speaking as soon as she answered. “Here’s what you are going to do.”
CHAPTER 95
Bluefield, Virginia
Laney sent everyone but Jen to the airfield. Jake had just sent a text saying that they had made it all right and they were in the air. The last plane would leave in an hour. Laney really hoped she and Jen made that plane, because the only way she could see Jen and her getting down to South America was through a really long run.
But that was an issue for another time. Right now the issue was what they were going to do with Major Carstairs.
They had taken the major to the foreclosed restaurant they’d stopped at on the way. They’d propped her against the wall of a booth, waiting for the sedative to wear off so they could question her.
Laney had had Danny run a quick search on the woman. From her official record, this appeared to be the first time she had ever worked with Senator Shremp. She had a stellar military record, and in fact, had spent the majority of her time over the last ten years in Afghanistan, Iraq, and Germany.
The German station had given Laney pause. After all, Carstairs had been at the same base that David had managed to get in and out of without a problem. She’d contacted Bruce and David, and they denied any knowledge of the woman, but Laney wasn’t sure she believed them.
“How long do you think it will be before she wakes up?” Jen asked.
Laney pulled out a chair at a table across from the booth that the major was propped up in. “Oh, she’s already awake. She’s just hoping we don’t notice. Isn’t that right, Major Carstairs?”
The major’s eyes squinted open. “Maybe.”
Laney smiled. “I would have done the same thing.”
“Me too.” Jen took a seat on the table of the booth next to the major, her gaze on the woman.
The major grimaced, stretching her back as she straightened. “What did you guys give me?”
“Just a little sedative.”
The major looked around. “Where are we? And what do you want?”
“We are somewhere where we will not be disturbed. And we want to know if you’re a good guy or a bad guy.” Jen leaned forward, the leashed violence clear in her tone and posture. Apparently Jen wanted to play bad cop.
The major raised an eyebrow, eyeing Jen. “And how exactly are you planning on doing that?”
Time for good cop. Laney sat back, crossing her feet at the ankles. “Through conversation. Major, why don’t you explain to us how you ended up working with the CEI?”
The major cringed, sitting a little straighter. She looked between Laney and Jen. Laney worried for a moment that she was going to stay silent. But then she shook her head, blowing out a breath. “Following orders. I’ve only been back on the mainland for two months. My last station was Kandahar. Anyway, apparently one of my superiors was not happy when I turned a fellow soldier in for sexual harassment and sent me to work with the senator.”
Jen raised an eyebrow. The major caught the look and glared back at her in response. “Look, I have not spent the better part of my adult life serving this country to allow some little asshole to think he’s entitled to make comments about my sex life, my anatomy, or my potential.”
Laney put up her hands. “Hey, preaching to the choir here.”
The major nodded. “Anyway, the officer is being investigated, but I am now persona non grata. So when the CEI requested a psychiatrist, my command leapt at the chance to throw me in.”
“What were you told?” Laney asked.
“That there was an enemy combatant with a serious psychological disorder who needed to be questioned.”
“An enemy combatant?” Jen demanded.
The major eyed her. “That’s what I was told. Imagine my surprise when I arrived to find it was Dr. Dominic Radcliffe, renowned intellectual and friend of Delaney McPhearson. I knew of Dr. Radcliffe’s condition, his agoraphobia. I was not happy when I learned of how they’d gotten him there. But I figured being he was there, I could at least try to help calm him down, stabilize him. So I did.”
“And then?” Laney asked.
The woman looked like she was ready to spit. “And then they ‘interrogated’ him. I insisted on being in the room. It was fine at first. Standard stuff, but then they tried to drug him to get responses.”
“You allowed that?” Laney asked.
“No.” She nodded to her darkening eye. “That’s how I got this little souvenir and how I ended up locked in that room. They used me to get Dr. Radcliffe to provide them with some sort of formula.”
Laney’s heart raced as she sprang to her feet. “He gave it to them?”
The major’s head snapped to Laney, and she backed away. “To protect me, he gave it to them. I don’t think he would have any other way.”
Laney turned her back on the woman. The government had the formula for the Omni.
Oh my God. By now, Shremp could have shared it with dozens of people. What the hell am I going to do?
Behind her, the major spoke quietly. “How is he? Dr. Radcliffe?”
Laney turned around as Jen answered. “He’s with people who care about him. We sedated him. We thought it would be best until we get him somewhere safe.”
“That is probably best.” The major crossed her arms over her chest. “Now what are you planning on doing with me?”
“That is the question.” Laney took a seat back in her chair, pushing the thoughts of the Omni aside. Yet again, that was a problem for another time. Right now, they needed to deal with the immediate problem, which was what to do with the major. Laney had never taken a prisoner. Well, at least not one who wasn’t destined for an SIA prison cell. And she really had no interest in going down that road. Besides, Danny had managed to bring up the video from Dom’s interrogation, and the major was at least telling the truth about that.
But then again, it’s possible she was a plant. Of course, that would require Shremp having the foresight to know that Laney would take the woman with them, which seemed like a bit of a stretch. God, the world of “what ifs” was going to eat her alive if she let it.
She sighed, feeling very tired. “I’m inclined to just to let you go.”
The major’s head snapped up. “Seriously? After all this?”
“Well, I wanted to see what you knew. And to learn if you harmed Dom,” Laney said.
“And if I had?”
“I would have turned you over to the police,” Laney said.
“I would have punched you a little first,” Jen muttered.
Laney rolled her eyes at her.
“What?” Jen said. “I would have.”
Laney’s phone beeped, and she answered it. “Hey. We’re about to start heading back.”
“Do you still have Carstairs?” Jordan asked.
“Yeah. We were about to let her go.”
“Well, you might want to warn her that she’s been made a big part of the story.”
“What?”
“I sent you a news link. You need to watch it.”
“Okay.” Laney disconnected the call and immediately clicked open the link Jordan had sent.
“What’s going on?” Jen moved over to peer at Laney’s phone.
“Apparently Dr. Carstairs is in the news.”
“What?” Carstairs exclaimed.
After a moment’s hesitation, Laney propped her phone up so that Carstairs could see as well. She hit play. It was a clip from CNN.
“Breaking news at this hour. We have learned that a major in the United States Marine Corps has apparently led an assault in conjunction with Delaney McPhearson and her people on a secret military base that was on the front lines of the battle to defend against the Fallen.”
Carstairs mouth fell open. “Led the assault?”
Carstairs growled as a man in uniform appeared on screen.
“I would like to say I am surprised by this admission, but unfortunately I am not. Carstairs has had a difficult transition since returning home. To be honest, I was waiting for something like this. She definitely has a problem with authority.”
“That’s the asshole I put the complaint in about!” Carstairs yelled.
The anchor went on to detail how a secret facility had been investigating Fallen abilities had been attacked, all the guards killed. Laney paused the recording, feeling numb.
Carstairs reared back. “Did you—”
Laney frowned, looking at Jen, her mind whirling. “No. Everyone was alive. I mean, a little banged up or tranqed, but not a single one was killed.”
Jen kept her gaze glued on Laney. “Which means if they are dead, and we didn’t kill them . . .”
“Then the government did.”
“Why would they do that?” Carstairs asked.
“To make it look like we declared war on the United States. To turn the public against us,” Jen said.
Laney shook her head. “But Danny must have gotten footage from the attack. He could—”
Jen’s voice was somber. “We took their security system with us. We won’t have any footage from after that point. We could get some satellite footage, but it won’t show anything from inside the building.”
Laney put her hand to her face. Jen was right. They had nothing to counter the government’s argument. “We need to find out what happened.”
“I’m sure Danny’s already on it.” Jen nodded to the phone. “Let’s see what else they have to say and how Carstairs fits into all of this.”
Laney nodded, hitting the play button, but feeling adrift. Was it possible the government would sacrifice its own people just to set Laney and her friends up? I mean, if they had the Omni, why take this step? Laney barely listened to the rest of the recording. It detailed Carstairs’s history, all of which countered what Danny had already dug up on the woman. But Laney had a feeling those records had already been changed. The recording ended, and no one spoke. The only sound was the drip of the leaky sink from behind the counter.
Carstairs looked pale, and there was now a noticeable tremor in her hands. “They made me sound like an unstable woman. I’ve dedicated my adult life to this country, and in one fell swoop they wiped all my hard work away.”
Laney took a seat in the booth across from her. “I’m sorry you got caught up in this. But I promise we will try everything in our power to get your name cleared.”
Carstairs stared at her. “Why? You’re not responsible for this.”
Jen gave a small laugh as she pulled a chair up to the end of the table. “That is Delaney McPhearson’s true superpower. Her ability to feel responsibility and guilt for any actions that might even be tangentially related to her.”
Laney rolled her eyes. “I’m just saying, the major helped Dom, and now she’s being hung out to dry. The least we can do is help clear her name.”
Carstairs raised an eyebrow. “The least you could do is walk away. Clearing my name is a bit more involved.”
Jen shrugged. “It’s what we do.”
Carstairs looked between the two of them. “Neither of you is what I expected.”
Jen nodded toward Laney’s phone. “Well, you can’t always believe what the government says about people.”
“Yeah, I see that.” The major blew out a breath. “Well, what the hell am I supposed to do now?”
“Do you have some people you can stay with?” Laney asked.
The major shook her head. “I don’t want to bring this to anyone’s doorstep. I have some money stowed away. I’ll lay low, hire a lawyer—”
Jen shook her head. “They’ve probably frozen your accounts. And I don’t think on your own you can lie low enough for them to not find you.”
Carstairs dropped her head into her hands. “I cannot believe this is happening.”
“We know how that feels.” Laney glanced at Jen and raised her eyebrows. Jen looked at Carstairs before nodding. “You could come with us,” Laney said.
Carstairs’s head snapped up. “What?”
“Look, you’re wanted. You’re going to need a place to hide out. We are in the same situation. So you’re welcome to come hide with us.”
“But you guys don’t even know me.”
“No. But you protected Dom when no one else did. That counts for something,” Laney said.
“What if I’m a plant? I could trade in your location for my own safety.”
Jen smiled. “Then I’ll break every bone in your body, wait until they heal, and then do it again.”
Carstairs gave a nervous laugh. “She’s kidding, right?”
Jen raised an eyebrow, and Laney shook her head. “Nope. She’s serious. So if you have any intention of trying to use us, it will go badly for you. People have tried to take us down before. It hasn’t gone well for them.”
The major looked between the two of them. “But if I keep your confidence, I have your word you’ll help me hide until I can get my name cleared?”
“And we’ll help you clear it,” Laney said.
“Well, I guess you have a deal.”
Laney extended her hand. “Welcome to the club, Major.”
The major took her hand. “You should probably call me Gina.”
Epilogue
Washington, D.C.
The President walked down the hall toward the apartment of the bunker. Since the coronation, she’d spent her nights down here as much as she could stand. She hated being underground. But the Secret Service seemed to be issuing threats on the hour that landed her here. It became easier to simply stay down here, although she knew people thought she was the one demanding she stay down here.
But that was her decision too. She’d rather look nervous than have the country know how many times the Fallen had come close to breaching the White House defenses.
The Secret Service agent opened her door, nodding as she passed. “Good evening, Madame President.”
“Good evening, Felicia.” She stepped through, waiting for Felicia to close the door before she kicked off her shoes. She slipped into the slippers she kept by the door. She wanted to throw on her pajamas and curl up on the couch, but she wasn’t quite done for the night.
She poured herself a scotch and took a sip before topping her glass back off and pouring another in a second glass. She carried both to the coffee table, placing them down as a knock sounded.
“Come in,” she called as she sat in the large chair facing the door.
Vice President Eric Brisbane stepped in. He smiled at the Secret Service agent, waiting until the door was closed to speak. “Well, Shremp sure has mucked things up.”
The President nodded toward the other glass. “True, but he’ll take the fall, and our hands are clean. And now we know that Dr. Radcliffe won’t break.”
It had been a risk putting Shremp in charge of the CEI. He was ambitious. He was stubborn, and he was not particularly politically adept. He also believed himself to be much smarter than he was.
Eric unbuttoned his suit jacket as he took a seat on the couch, grabbing the other tumbler. “You were right, though. He did get us answers quicker than we would have otherwise been able to manage.”
The President smiled grimly. She was not happy about the events of the last few days. Taking Molly McAdams, that had been unforeseen. And what happened to her, Shremp would have to pay for that. But those actions did provide insight into what the Fallen were capable of, what they could withstand.
And even though Molly was only a child, she had withstood quite a lot. So as much as the President disliked—hated, in fact—what had been done to her, it was a necessary evil. Because if Molly at her young age could withstand that much pain and injury and recover, well, her scientists suggested an adult could withstand almost double.
Which meant the United States and the world had a huge problem. A problem they were no closer to solving.
“You’ve had the lab’s res
ults verified?”
“Dr. Radcliffe lied. And the blood from the subjects was useless. They could not detect any difference in them from non-enhanced individuals. The animal research is demonstrating a difference, but that’s years out.”
“And that’s cats. We need human soldiers.” The President sipped her scotch. Delaney McPhearson was on the run, wanted for murder. She had taken her little Fallen friends with her. Wherever she had gone, it was outside the U.S. They were able to verify that much.
“Do you think she did it?” Eric asked.
“Did what?”
“Killed those soldiers in Bluefield.”
The President pictured Delaney McPhearson on coronation day. She had been focused and ruthless when dealing with Samyaza but careful to make sure no innocents were harmed. She could have taken out every single agent who tried to arrest her. Yet she didn’t. She’d let herself be arrested.
She shook her head. “No. That was Shremp.”
Eric did a double take. “Are you sure?”
“Yes. But as far as the public knows, it was McPhearson. Until we figure out a way to neuter her, put her on a leash, or create a weapon that can defeat her, she will be publicly held responsible.”
“And what about Shremp?”
“His political life is over. He’s not a man who can handle public shame.”
“But he killed people.”
“And once McPhearson is taken care of, he will be held accountable. Until then, McPhearson will be held accountable in the public’s eyes for Shremp’s actions.”
“I understand.”
“And do you agree?”
“Reluctantly, yes. Any word on the Omni? Any other lines of investigation?”
The President took a deep drink, the alcohol burning its way down her throat. “No.”
And if they never found a way to neutralize McPhearson or defend against the Fallen, the President didn’t know what was to come of the world. She could foresee the world breaking into two camps: enhanced and non-enhanced. And the enhanced would have no use for the non-enhanced. She gripped her tumbler to her chest.