The Phoenix Agenda: A Thriller (A Rossler Foundation Mystery Book 6)

by JC Ryan

  “You see Mr. Johnston, that’s the problem when you start lying - you have to keep on lying, and sooner or later you get caught up in your web of lies. Maybe you should play for time, tell him that the investigator is following up on all the leads, and it could take a long time to see any results. You are returning to Washington, you have the full cooperation of the police chief, and he will keep you informed.”

  “That might keep him off my back for now I hope.”

  "Just remember, hope is not a strategy, Mr. Johnston. I think we’re done. I was just wondering if it would be necessary to remind you that I can also push your button and, of course, those of your family?” He held his cell phone up.

  "It's not necessary. I understand that well enough." Brad replied with a grim look on his face.

  “Have a safe trip. We will be in touch.”

  Waiting for them to arrive

  When Jack arrived back at the Rabbit Hole late in the evening of the next day, he received an idol’s welcome from the ops team. He could not get the three canisters out of his bag quick enough for Roy, Raj, and Rebecca, who immediately rushed off to the lab with them.

  Jack was relieved to see that his derogatory comments about the Rossler Foundation during his interrogation of Brad Johnston, apparently didn’t cause any permanent psychological damage to his friends.

  For the next few days, the ops team went into overdrive to prepare the file for Johnston and make Jack’s travel arrangements. The technical team was occupied with the analysis of the free-roaming killer bots and the solution for its deactivation. Tectus was busy working out their strategies to plant EMP devices and nanonukes in target locations in preparation for the final day.

  Jack and Peter kept a close watch on Brad’s communications and other activities, making sure that he showed no signs of double-crossing them. As soon as they learned that the arrangements for the European tour were in place, they got Tectus to deliver a message to set up a meeting to finalize the plans.

  Brad arrived at the address in a quiet neighborhood on the outskirts of DC a few minutes before 10 pm.

  “Come on in, Mr. Johnston.” The voice, he recognized immediately - it was the first time he saw the face. “I am Simon White. Now you’ve seen my face and know my name. You will have to excuse my companion here. You have met him before, but unfortunately, he is a very shy sort of person and asked to remain anonymous.” Jack smiled as he pointed to Peter’s balaclava covered face.

  Brad laughed. “Well, I guess I don’t need any introduction. I am glad we are on better speaking terms now than our previous encounters. Please call me Brad.”

  “I prefer that we keep our relationship friendly but formal. That way we won’t get confused about our roles.”

  Brad nodded his head in agreement. “You’re right, Mr. White. Maybe it’s better that way.”

  “Good. Now that we have the formalities out of the way, let’s get on with the plan. I see you have booked a very nice trip for us. Five days in Brussels, then London, Paris, Rome, Prague, and Berlin. I’m excited!”

  “You will have to give me a bit more detail about your involvement so I know what to expect and plan for it,” Brad said.

  “You’re forgetting yourself, Mr. Johnston. May I remind you that you aren’t the one in charge here? You aren’t in a position to make demands. And I’m sure you understand the principal of ‘need-to-know’ and the importance thereof in our line of work. Here’s what you need to know for now. I’ll give you the information about the forty-one missing people and the process of modifying the chips that I promised. I’ve included a little bonus about the Rossler Foundation. You will be presenting it to your friends, so I suggest you study it carefully, and tell me if you have any questions. Luckily, we don’t need passports and travel documents. These chips make it so much easier to travel around these days.” Jack pointed to his right shoulder.

  The surprise on Brad’s face was obvious when he came to the realization that Jack was chipped.

  “Like I said, the chips do have some advantages.” Jack smiled.

  “Well, I would much rather prefer the disadvantage of not being chipped.”

  “According to your itinerary and meetings schedule, you will have dinner with the councilors on your last day in Brussels. That suits me very well.”

  “How do you know … huh … don’t worry, for a moment I forgot you know everything I do.” Then he realized what he’d just heard. “Wait, hang on there. You’re going to the dinner as well? How the hell …”

  “Yes, of course. I wouldn't miss it for the world. I take it you can organize that?”

  “I will see what I can do.”

  “You’ll have to do better than that. Do I need to remind you that the deactivation of one of your family member’s chips depends on that dinner invitation for me?”

  “Understood.”

  Jack smiled and continued. “At that meeting you should present to them what’s on the flash-drive. I will be listening.”

  “You still haven’t explained your role in all of this.”

  “I am a security consultant and special investigator – a former FBI field agent that worked for a special top-secret branch in that organization. You have contracted me to advise you about the Rossler Foundation, the missing people, and the chips. I am the author of the information on the flash drive. That’s why you brought me along with you.”

  “And if they decide to run a background check on you?”

  “Then all three of you will know that I am not lying. I told you before - I choose honesty. It has always served me well.”

  “To end with, I just want to confirm that a man of your stature does not have to go through the usual customs and security checks?”

  “Yes, that’s correct. I assume you’ll be taking some special luggage with you then?”

  “No, you will be the one with the special luggage. I will give it to you at the airport.”

  Brad nodded.

  “Familiarize yourself with the information on this flash-drive. The flight to Brussels is about seven and half hours. We’ll have plenty of time to talk about any questions you might have.”

  “Thank you. I’ll see you at the airport in ten days.” Brad shook hands with them and left.

  ***

  During the first hour of the flight back to Mount Ararat Peter and Jack were quiet. Their thoughts about the danger that Jack was walking into kept their minds occupied. The mission relied on Brad Johnston, who was a selfish man. A man who was cooperating with them only for his own advantage, he didn’t care about anyone else. More worrying was the fact that Johnston’s cooperation was driven by his belief that he had no choice, since the killer bots in his chip were still active and his belief that they held the button that could kill him in their hands. He was not motivated by patriotism, or the will to be free, or to help his fellow humans. Brad Johnston was the weak link in the chain and a dangerous man.

  “Jack, I suspect we might have the same concerns about this whole thing. Can you see any other way we can do this? Once you get on that plane with Johnston, there's no turning back. We still have ten days to pull out and find another way.”

  “Peter my friend you must have read my mind. I have my concerns, and Johnston ranks right at the top of my list.”

  “And mine.”

  “That man will sell his mother to the highest bidder. I know his type - he will work with whoever offers him the best deal. The problem is that he is the only person that can get me close to Martinez and Weinstein.”

  “I agree with that, but we’re making big and risky assumptions about those two. We believe they’re looking for a way out, based only on their strange behavior during their dealings with Johnston. There could very well be some logical explanation for that, and we might not know until it's too late.”

  “Well, I’m as troubled as you are, but as you said, we have ten more days to change our minds and abort the mission.”

  “It would have been very helpful if the
Tectus agents in Brussels were better equipped, so they could get close to our friends the councilors. A bit of inside information like that would have helped us make the right decisions now.”

  “You’ve just given me an idea. I’ll have five days from the time I arrive in Brussels until the dinner. If I can get a few Tectus people activated quickly, and we concentrate all our efforts on the councilors, we might just be lucky enough to collect some useful information in that time.”

  “I’m feeling a bit more comfortable with that idea. It will be better than going to that meeting on a gut feeling alone. You might just have the validation of our theory or the warning to disappear and get on the first plane out of there.”

  “Let’s convey our discussion to the rest of the ops team when we get back and see what they can contribute. Tectus can give their people over there sufficient warning about my arrival and what would be expected of them.”

  ***

  Jack had eight days back at the Rabbit Hole with his family and to prepare for the dinner appointment should it be decided that he would attend. The operations team spent many hours looking at the mission plan from all possible angles, debating the alternatives and escape plans. Their conclusion, despite all the precautionary measures, was that it remained a daring undertaking with many unknowns and uncertainties. Therefore, it was decided that Jack would have the only and final say in the decision to go ahead.

  Roy and Raj equipped and trained him with their latest and best gear to take with him for his own and the Tectus agents’ use.

  Five days after the meeting with Jack and Peter, Brad had gathered enough courage to call Councilor Martinez. He explained that he had hired a highly skilled special investigator, a former FBI agent, and that his work had produced some good results so far. He explained that he would be bringing the man, Simon White, with him on the trip to Europe and recommended that they should meet him.

  Martinez immediately gave Brad a dressing down. “Brad, you will have to stop doing this. One day, and that day is not too far away, I will lose my patience with you. You went out and hired this Simon whatever his name is and didn’t tell me until now?”

  “Councilor, I am very sorry about that. I didn’t think you would mind. The man has an impeccable record, one of the best FBI special investigators there was. In the short time he has been working, we have made more progress on the missing people and the Rosslers than anyone else has.”

  “What has he discovered?”

  “I have a report from him, which I am studying at the moment. It looks like he has discovered evidence of an underground network of people closely linked with the Rosslers and the missing people. He also uncovered some clues to the locations the nine families escaped to, clues that all other investigators have missed. I firmly believe if there is anyone that can get to the bottom of this, it would be him.”

  “Who else knows that he is working for you?”

  “Only you and me, sir.”

  “Make sure it stays that way. Understood?”

  “Yes, sir.”

  “Bring him along to the dinner. See you in a few days.”

  Brad let out a sigh of relief when the call ended.

  At Mount Ararat, Peter and Kelly smiled when Brad’s call with Martinez ended. “I reckon we just got another strong hint that the two councilors are working on something that they don’t want their colleagues in the Supreme Council to know. What do you think, Peter?”

  “Yes, that certainly seems to be the case. Let’s get hold of Jack and send him the recording.”

  No one was surprised when Jack told the ops team on the sixth day that he had given it due consideration, and despite the perilous situation, he wanted to proceed.

  On the morning of the eighth day, in the last ops meeting Jack would attend before he left for Europe, Nigel wanted the last word. “Son, during my time as president I had to send people into harm’s way, too many times. It was always one of the most difficult tasks of my presidency. Today I feel like I am doing the same thing again. It brings back memories that I would rather not have. I have been thinking through this carefully, and I want you to give me your word of honor that you’ll do as I am going to ask you.”

  “Yes, Mr. President?” Jack could not get used to the idea of calling his former commander in chief by his first name. Nigel ignored it. This was a serious moment.

  “If by lunchtime on the day of the dinner, you have not received confirmation of the bona fides of those two men, you will go to the airport and come back here to your family and friends. New opportunities will present themselves to us at the right time. Do I have your promise?”

  “Mr. President, but …”

  “No buts. That is an order.”

  “Yes, sir. You have my word.” Jack was standing to attention.

  “Good. In that case, son, I am happy for you to go, and may God bless and protect you.”

  It was a somber group of people who wished him well the night he walked out of the Rabbit Hole with JR, Mark, and Doug.

  Since their arrival, he and Sue-Ellen had been quickly welcomed into the group of families of former military service members. Jack was pleased to know that Sue-Ellen had made good friends with their wives, and that she and the children would be in good care while he was away.

  Sam was the last person to shake his hand. “Jack, you and I have come a long way. You are a treasured friend. I want you to come back alive. That is more important to me than this mission is. You know our rule, ‘if in doubt leave it out.’ I want you to look me in the eyes and tell me that you will do as Nigel Harper told you this morning.”

  “I will do that.”

  “Okay, Jack. It's all over to you now. God bless.”

  ***

  Jack met with Brad at the airport as agreed, and while they shook hands, Jack swapped the identical briefcases so swiftly that Brad didn’t even realize it happened.

  They were booked into first class, and there was enough space around them to be able to talk without being overheard. Nonetheless, Jack made a quick scan with his phone to satisfy himself there were no surveillance bugs.

  “Mr. White, I studied your report. It contains explosive information. Where and how did you get hold of that?”

  “I told you I’m a special investigator - that’s what we do.”

  “The information about the technology used to get those families out was amazing. I’m baffled that our investigators couldn’t figure that out.”

  “Well, you had to know what to look for to be able to figure it out. They obviously didn’t.”

  “What’s the story with the video clips and images of people being tortured? Why did you put them in your report, and where did they come from?”

  “You mean to tell me you don’t know?”

  “What is it that I’m supposed to know?”

  “That’s the work that the Science Advisory Panel does at that chip manufacturing plant in China under the leadership of Professor Barbara Cohen.”

  “Good God! No! That can’t be true. It’s impossible!” Brad had gone pale in the face. “How do you know that? How did you get those videos and images?”

  “I told you. I’m a special investigator. That’s what we do - we collect information. You’ve only seen a few minutes of it. I have more than six hours of video footage and over a hundred pages of text showing in detail what’s happening at that place.”

  “Fuck, man. I’m sick just to think that I’m an official of a government that can do something like that.”

  “I hope you’re beginning to understand how important this mission of ours is, Mr. Johnston. There are thousands of human guinea pigs in that place. They are tortured and killed in their hundreds every day as we speak. You see - this mission is not just about you and your family. There is a much higher purpose than just you and me - it’s about everyone there and the billions of us who have been chipped.”

  Brad was staring in front of him slowly nodding his head as the gravity of Jack’s words settled in
his mind. “Do you think it is a good idea to show that to the councilors?”

  “Well, if they don’t know, I reckon it's time they do. If they do know, I would certainly like to know how they feel about it.”

  “I agree, but the problem is disgusting as that video may be, that the councilors’ feelings about it has nothing to do with your investigation. They might get upset if we present them with information they didn’t ask for, especially if they already know about it.”

  “We will see how they react. I suspect they have no idea about this.”

  “Let’s talk about the Rosslers. Do you really think they’re hiding somewhere in Mexico? What lead you to that conclusion?”

  “I had a good look at the Harper’s escape, and I got the idea that they were airlifted out of there. Therefore, I studied the radar reports of the air traffic for that time and found there was quite a lot of activity going on at the time. However, there was one report that got my interest. It was about a light plane that flew south late at night and then went off the radar close to the Mexican border.”

  “I have never heard anyone mention Mexico as a possible hiding place. Alaska, Canada, and South America - all those places have come up in speculation, but none had any concrete evidence to back it up. It might be worth following up on that idea of yours.”

  “As I’ve said before, you guys are barking up the wrong tree. You are giving the Rosslers much more credit than they deserve. As far as I’m concerned, they’ve chosen a prepper lifestyle and just want to be left alone. That’s why they’ve only helped their family and friends. If they had any intentions of overthrowing the government, they would act very differently.”

  “That could be so, but it doesn’t explain how their families escaped the killer bots.”

  Jack laughed. “You’ve already forgotten that the chips can be neutralized and removed.”

  “Are you saying you’re the one who helped them?”