by JC Ryan
“No, I am not saying that. What I’m saying is that it’s possible some of the people I work with could have.”
Brad knew he was not going to get more information, and he changed the subject.
“We have an invitation to a cocktail party at Councilor Martinez’s house - I take it you already know that?”
“Yes, I brought a special suit for the occasion.”
As they settled in their hotel rooms in Brussels, Jack went to Brad’s. “I’ll stay out of your way for the next few days until we meet with the councilors. I’m going to look up a few old friends.”
When he walked out the front door of the hotel, a taxi driver lifted his eyebrows and asked, “Mr. White?”
Jack nodded and got in. After an hour-long sightseeing tour of Brussels, making sure they were not followed, the driver dropped him off at the safe house, where a few of the Tectus members were waiting for him.
Guillaume Francois was the leader of the Western European chapter of Tectus. He introduced himself and his three companions in a thick French accent. Jack soon realized that all of them were native French speakers and were struggling to get the conversation flowing.
“Pouvons-nous parler en français?” he asked in perfect French to the surprise of everyone.
“Yes, thank you. We’ll do better in French.” Guillaume replied in his native language, with a bit of an embarrassed smile.
Jack opened the briefcase, and for the next few hours, he showed the four enthusiastic agents how to operate all of the surveillance equipment. He explained what his immediate objectives were and how important it was to get as much information as possible about Weinstein and Martinez within the next four days. Guillaume got a mirror phone, which he would use to keep Jack posted with progress.
By the time Jack left them, they were all inspired and ready to get their new toys in operation as quickly as possible. Early the next morning Jack was pleased to hear from Guillaume that the two councilors were under full-time surveillance at their homes, offices, and in their vehicles. He reported to the Rabbit Hole and also used the opportunity to speak to Sue-Ellen and the kids for a while.
The first day and a half went by without producing much useful information, other than finding out about the security, as well as what the councilors' houses, offices, and family members looked like. In operations of a different nature, this would have been good information, but Jack was on the hunt for evidence that would give him the sign that he could appear at the dinner. The councilors were living a protected but otherwise routine life, as far as he could see.
On the evening of the second day, things took a different turn when Guillaume hooked Jack up to his screen via the mirror phone and showed him a few video clips.
“What do you make of that?” Guillaume asked. “It looks like our councilors are already under surveillance.”
Jack replayed parts of the clips a few times, stopped and studied the images closely. “Excellent catch Guillaume! They are definitely being followed, and I am willing to bet on it that their phones are tapped, and their houses and offices bugged as well.”
“The million dollar question, as you Americans say, is who is doing this and why?”
Jack was worried that the councilors might already be in trouble. “Two possibilities I can think of quickly. The two councilors are suspected of something, and someone is collecting evidence. The other possibility is that all councilors are under surveillance, which means someone is paranoid about being stabbed in the back or is collecting dirty secrets to use against them in the future. No reward for guessing who that someone could be.”
“John Brideaux,” Guillaume mumbled. “There are a lot of street stories in Brussels about that man’s crazy behavior. I wouldn’t be surprised.”
“Okay, Guillaume, here is what I want you and your team to do. Use the spyflies in the houses and offices and scan for all the bugs. Draw maps of the houses and offices and plot exactly where the bugs are planted. Then get a few of your people to put surveillance on the rest of the council members so we can find out which of my theories are correct.”
“No problem, Simon. I will get that in place right away and let you know how it goes.”
Jack reported the discovery to Sam, who agreed that if their expanded surveillance showed Martinez and Weinstein were the only ones with taps on them, he would abandon the mission and go back home.
By the evening of the fourth day, Jack and Guillaume were on the phone to discuss the day’s catch.
“Two topics to discuss, Simon. The results of the surveillance of the other council members and a breakfast meeting between our two friends tomorrow morning.”
“Let’s talk about the councilors first,” Jack suggested.
They studied the latest video clips and got confirmation that the entire Supreme Council was under the constant scrutiny of the Brussels police department’s undercover agents.
“Now we know two things for certain. One, John Brideaux is cracked and paranoid. Two, Martinez and Weinstein have not been singled out for special attention,” Guillaume concluded.
Jack smiled. “This is good information. I am going to make a little presentation out of these images for our two friends. I’m sure they would appreciate my concerns about them.”
“I would like to have a spyfly on the wall at that meeting, Simon!” Guillaume quipped.
“We aren’t out of the woods yet. I must have confirmation about Martinez and Weinstein’s inclinations by midday tomorrow, or I’m going back home, and we will have to wait for another opportunity. It would be a pity if I have to do that. On the other hand, my coming here has at least served the purpose of setting you guys up with the right equipment for the future.”
“Yes, undeniably. Maybe you will get what you want during tomorrow’s breakfast. It will be the first time we are able to find out what the two of them talk about when they are together.”
“If they’re actually on their own, then yes, there is a good chance for that.”
“We have everything ready. The flies are already waiting for them to arrive.” Guillaume laughed.
A fact-finding mission
At 7:30 the next morning, Councilors Weinstein and Martinez seated themselves at a table in a private area reserved for special guests at the Hotel Le Plaza.
Two spyflies blended perfectly into the folds of the dark blue curtains less than three feet away from them. The video screens in Guillaume’s apartment displayed crystal clear pictures to him and Jack as they were watching the councilors place their orders. The sound was perfect. Sam and the ops team were linked up to Jack’s computer, holding their breaths.
“Amigo, you remember the cocktail party at my house tonight?”
“Wouldn’t miss it, my friend. Not that I like partying so much, but I am rather looking forward to talking to Johnston and his special investigator. I did a bit of research on him. He has an impressive record.”
Martinez laughed. “You should have told me - it would have saved me the trouble of checking him out as well. I am interested to see Johnston’s report and to hear what White has to say.”
“Rafael, I am just worried that we are chasing after something that will lead us nowhere. It feels as if our plans are taking too long. We have to try and speed things up.”
“Amigo, the Japanese have a saying, ‘isogaba maware’ it means ‘make haste slowly’. It means you should advance and grow, but you must do so with the utmost thought and care. We will be of no use to anyone if we can’t stay alive and help to complete the defeat of that madman and his cohorts.”
Jack and Guillaume pumped their fists in the air with glee. In the Rabbit Hole, the ops team looked at each other incredulously. They could almost not believe what they’d just heard.
Nigel looked up and whispered, “Thank you God.”
In Brussels, Weinstein continued, oblivious that his words were being broadcast halfway around the world. “Wise words, my friend. Very wise words. It’s just that every day when
my conscience accuses me of my evil actions in the past, I am forced to think how to make it good again and right now would not be too soon for me.”
“Amigo, for now we have done what we could. Our scientists have the chips and will find the answer eventually. We have control of everything else we will need. Once we can beat the chips, things will move much quicker. In the meantime, there is also the possibility that we could find the Rosslers. We know they already have the solution. That incident in Austin a few weeks ago has proved it. I am placing a lot of hope on finding those people soon.”
“I remain skeptical. Although I agree, it would be ideal if we could get in touch with them. I am still not sure how we are going to introduce ourselves and win their trust. Somehow I don’t think they would be too keen to be seen in public in the company of two members of the Supreme Council!” Weinstein laughed.
Daniel could not help himself. “You can bet your ass on that! But after what I’ve just heard, I am so keen to meet you guys that I’m thinking of throwing a private party here at the Rabbit Hole and invite you two over.” Luckily, Sam had the microphones muted.
“I told you before. We will know how to deal with that issue once we have established contact with them.” Martinez grinned.
“Let us hope we can get that done soon. But I have to say I am not holding out much hope that Johnston will be the man that will be able to do it. Maybe his ace investigator could do it. We will know better after our meeting tonight.”
Martinez nodded.
“That Austin incident has reminded me that we will also have to find a way to eliminate those deathbots. As you know, they have been distributed all over the world.”
“I am sure if the scientists can find a way to beat the chips, they will also find a way to beat those bots. But you are right. That would be one of the obstacles to overcome.”
***
“Well Daniel, it looks like the attendance of your private party has just become compulsory for the two of them,” Nigel remarked, only half in jest.
The ops team would replay that recording many more times just to confirm they hadn’t gone crazy. That they had, without a doubt, found knights in shining armor who would help them to get over the final hurdles to the finish line.
***
Jack was back in his hotel room, busy unpacking his bags when Sam phoned to confirm that the dinner was on.
Councilor Martinez’s villa was an impressive and elegant place in peaceful settings with magnificent views and over a park of about twelve acres. It boasted nine thousand square feet of living space, reception rooms opening onto a stunning terrace, seven bedrooms, seven bathrooms, a lift, caretaker's accommodation, and a seven-car garage.
Rafael Martinez and his wife welcomed Brad and Jack when they arrived. After half an hour of standing around making small talk with the guests, Ruben Weinstein arrived at the group where Jack and Brad were standing.
“Good to meet you, Mr. White. Brad speaks very highly of you. I'm looking forward to catching up with you later.” He smiled as he moved on to mingle with the others.
By 9 pm, all the guests but Brad and Jack had left. One of the house staff showed them to Martinez’s study. Jack activated the pen of silence in the side pocket of his jacket while they were on their way - he knew of at least three bugs in that room.
Martinez and Weinstein were waiting for them and showed them to their seats after handing them each a drink.
“Brad, it is good to see you again and kind of you to have accepted the invitation tonight. We have been looking forward to hearing what news you bring us from America.” Martinez smiled.
From where Jack was sitting opposite Brad, he could see the nervousness on his face and the slight shaking of his hands when he took the reports out of his briefcase.
“Councilors, I brought this for you. It was authored by Mr. White. As I have explained over the phone, I brought him along with me, in case you want to discuss anything in more detail.” He handed them each a copy.
Weinstein placed his on the small table next to him and said, “Thank you for that, I will study it carefully later. I am thinking it would be good if you could give us a summary of what we will find in the report.”
Martinez nodded his agreement as he put his report down.
Brad took a sip of his drink - his hands were still shaking. It was obvious to Jack that Brad was anxious. They must have put the fear of God into him during that first meeting.
Jack wanted to get to the point - he didn’t care much for all the bogus niceties while everyone, except Brad, knew full well what was important. “Councilors, please accept my apologies in advance, but if you would bear with me for a moment, I would like to make a suggestion.”
“Please go ahead, Mr. White,” Martinez replied while Brad visibly relaxed. He could not stomach another inquisition - it would be better if White did the talking.
“Why don’t we rather discuss our common goals? I know we have the same concerns about the world out there. Why don’t we talk about what must be done for the billions of people out there living in the most horrendous conditions, with chips in their bodies like animals? People are killed and tortured out there, while we are sitting here in luxury. My suggestion, Councilors, is that we talk about that.”
Both Martinez and Weinstein went pale with fury. No one dared speak to them like that. “White, listen here. I will give you three minutes to explain yourself, and then I will call security.”
“Councilors, I am not worried about that, I can assure you when you have heard what I have to say, you will be grateful.”
“You had better start talking, White, my patience is growing thin.” Martinez barked.
Brads’ face had turned a strange shade of blue as he was struggling to breathe. It looked as if he was on the verge of a heart attack.
Jack smiled as he looked at him and said. “You okay over there, buddy?”
Brad nodded his head, but it was clear he was not okay. However, Jack had to continue. He'd keep an eye on his companion to make sure he didn't get worse.
“Good. Where were we? Oh, yes, you are waiting for an explanation. So let me do that, then. I work for the Rossler Foundation. I am here on a fact-finding mission to investigate the possibilities of a joint venture with you gentlemen. My understanding is that there are some common interests, and that a joint venture could be advantageous to both sides.”
The two councilors’ mouths hung open in shock and disbelief as they looked at each other and Jack. Brad was making strange noises as he sat forward and buried his head in his hands.
“Excuse me for a moment gentlemen, my friend here is not well. Let me just check what’s wrong with him. I will be with you in a sec.” Jack got up and walked over to Brad, placed his hand on his shoulder and whispered, “Buddy you must be strong now. Everything is going to be okay. Just hang in there. You are going to be a very happy man soon. Sit up, take a few deep breaths, and relax. Everything is going to be good.”
“Apologies for that. I think he should be okay now.” Jack was still smiling.
Sam and the ops team were biting their nails as they watched the event unfolding. They were worried. The councilors were fuming. Had Jack pushed them too far?
Weinstein was furious. “White, you think you are smart. You will not walk out of this place a free man tonight. You can take my word for that. If you have anything sensible to say, I suggest you get on with it. Your time is running out.”
“Good. I see you don’t believe me. I can understand that. Let me help you get over your doubts by showing you a few things.” He opened his briefcase, took his tablet out, and placed it on the coffee table in front of him.
The councilors leaned forward on their chairs.
“Did you know that you are being followed by the Brussels police department, and that your houses and offices are bugged?”
Jack’s question hit them between the eyes - they looked around the room nervously. Martinez tried to keep his pose. “Come on, Wh
ite, that is impossible!”
Jack smiled - he was waiting for them to step into that. He started the slide show and gave it to them, warts and all. He was watching their expressions and body language as he talked. When he got to the last slide, he was looking at two very distressed councilors.
Weinstein was still a bit skeptical. “You are telling us there are three bugs hidden in this room, yet you are not worried to talk in their presence.” He thought he had Jack trapped.
Jack took the pen with the little blue light out of his pocket and placed it on the coffee table. “No, I am not worried to talk as long as I have that with me, and that light is on.”
“Don’t tell me you are recording our conversation!” Martinez shouted.
“No, I am not recording it.” Jack grinned.
“White, have you had too much to drink?” Weinstein growled.
“Okay, gentlemen let’s do one thing at a time. First let me explain to you what that pen does. It suppresses any bugs in this room, and it will not let any sound out of a circle ten yards around us. I will demonstrate that to you later if you are interested. Now if you will please follow me, I’ll show you the bugs.”
Brad was still not feeling well and preferred to remain seated. Jack took them around the room and showed them the bugs. Martinez wanted to pull them out, but Jack stopped him. “Don’t do that. The police will immediately know that you found them, and that will blow your cover.”
They returned to their chairs with changed demeanor.
“These are the maps of your houses and offices with the exact locations of the bugs. However, as I have said, you should not remove them under any circumstances. Leave them where they are and learn to live with it.”
“Simon, this is disturbing information.” It didn’t escape him that Martinez was calling him Simon all of a sudden. “I want to know how you got that information.”
“Councilors, I will explain that to you in all the detail you want. But for now, can we move on to the real purpose of our meeting?”
“As you wish. Let’s continue then,” Martinez said.