Covert Talents: Age of Expansion - A Kurtherian Gambit Series (Uprise Saga Book 1)

by Amy DuBoff

  Luke unlocked it with a keycard and handed it to her. “Home sweet home,” he said.

  “No biometric lock?” she questioned.

  “We use keycards at the lab, too. Easier to visually check from a distance.”

  Ava shrugged. “Whatever works.”

  She peeked inside the cottage. The compact living room contained a couch, entertainment center, and a kitchenette. A door adjacent to the kitchen led to a bathroom, and another to a bedroom. “This looks good, thanks. I shouldn’t be here long.”

  “Why do I have a sneaking suspicion that when you’re done with this investigation, I’m going to be out of a job?”

  Ava leaned against the doorframe. “I hope that’s not the case, but I’ll do anything I can to help you find another position if it comes to that.”

  “I’m not worried about finding other employment. I’d just hate to think that I was a part of something that was in some way dangerous or harmful.”

  “In my time in the FDG, I’ve learned corruption has many layers. Even if one NTech lab is up to no good, that doesn’t mean the organization as a whole is bad, or that people who work for them are enemies. A small handful of people can set the tone for much larger issues.”

  “So you think whatever is going on here is an offshoot of the organization?”

  “We’ll know soon enough,” she replied. “But, Luke… I need to know that you’ll be honest with me. If I find something that’s not right, can I count on you to help me do whatever needs to be done—shut down the lab, file documents with the Nezaran government, whatever?”

  He searched her face. “I’ll do what I think is in the best interest of Coraxa.”

  “Then I think we should be on the same page.” She nodded.

  He cracked a smile. “I’m looking forward to seeing you at work. You always enjoyed a challenging investigation.”

  “This is a little different from a school research paper,” Ava replied with a smirk.

  “Everything is always more fun when up against a shady organization with interstellar security on the line.”

  “Let’s not go too far! It may be nothing.”

  Luke crossed his arms. “Ava, we both know you wouldn’t be here if it were ‘nothing’. You’re here because there’s already an issue.”

  She looked down. “And that’s why they picked you to be the local contact. Not much makes it past you.”

  “Which is why it’s so surprising to hear that NTech may be up to something. In the two months I’ve been at the lab, everything has seemed completely legit.”

  “It often does,” Ava murmured.

  “But if it’s not, I want to know. And I want to make things right. This is my community—the last thing I want is for there to be a poison in our midst.”

  She nodded and gazed into his violet eyes. “That’s why I joined the FDG. I wanted to root out the bad and make things better. Just so happens that the scale of those assignments goes beyond the scope of one city or planet.”

  “I get it.” He looked like he was about to say something else, but then he took a step back. “I’ll let you get settled in. I told the lab I’d head over in a couple of hours to check on the progress of some analyses, and you can tag along.”

  “Ah, the ‘old friend visiting from out-of-town’ routine.”

  “The very one.” Luke looked her over one more time. “See you at 15:00.”

  Ava watched him enter a cottage two away from hers. She stepped the rest of the way into her own residence and closed the door, dropping her bag on the ground.

  The upcoming visit to the lab should help to fill in gaps in the narrative running through her mind. What is NTech after? Who are they working for? With any luck, the answers would be straightforward.

  She chuckled to herself, knowing better. There were no easy answers.

  ***

  Not surprisingly, Colonel Marcie Walton had ripped Kurtz a new one for posting unendorsed deployment orders. Kurtz was still reeling from the conversation, but he’d gotten out of it with his rank and most of his dignity intact.

  After he’d explained the reasoning behind his approach to rooting out the mole, the colonel had seen fit to let him correct the issue himself. Good intentions, and all that. All the same, he was on notice. He needed to address the known leaks and make sure any other as yet undiscovered collaborators would have a difficult time relaying anything useful.

  Kurtz’s first visit was to the head of FDG internal security, Denise Ortaga. Given the tricky situation, he had to make sure the events unfolded in the proper sequence.

  He took the elevator down one level to the security division’s main operations center and strode toward Denise’s office, across the lobby filled with surveillance screens. She was absorbed in an image on her monitor when Kurtz knocked on the doorframe.

  Denise looked up, startled. “Oh, hello, Colonel. What can I do for you?”

  “It’s urgent, and it’s more than a quick conversation,” he replied.

  “Have a seat.” She gestured to the single chair in the front corner of the room.

  Kurtz closed the office door and dragged the chair up to her desk. “We have a leak. Well, actually three that I know about.”

  “This have anything to do with that monitoring dashboard Spencer set up for you?”

  “You know about that?”

  “I’d be a pretty shitty head of security if I didn’t recognize a trap when I saw one.” Denise cracked a slight smile. “So, who took the bait?”

  “No one I know personally, though their names and faces are familiar. I checked their personnel records and there were no red flags before this incident. A low-level comm officer, a lieutenant with one of our special ops teams, and a major assigned to security oversight.”

  Denise’s brow furrowed. “What’s the major’s name?”

  “Samuel Ellis.”

  “Sam? That’s…” she faded out. “He’s never given me any reason to doubt him.”

  Kurtz leaned over the desktop and placed his right palm flat against the surface. When a prompt appeared, he entered his password to log into the system. He navigated to the record of the data packet’s transfer. “You can see Ellis’ access of the file here—a document he’d have no reason to open. The tracker was stripped, but if you note the file size, you can see a matching document was forwarded from Ellis’ account to a server in Nezaran territory four hours ago.”

  “I can’t argue with the evidence, but I don’t understand why he’d do this,” Denise said.

  “I have a hunch, though it would make things even more complicated if I’m right.”

  “What is it?”

  “That these three incidents are independent of one another. Multiple forces are at work toward different ends.”

  Denise’s frown deepened. “Why do you suspect that?”

  “Because the recipients of these data packets are so diverse: a media outlet on Alucia, the Nezaran military, and the new NTech lab on Coraxa.”

  “What if they are connected?” Denise speculated.

  “Then I have no idea what the endgame might be.”

  She nodded. “Only way to find out is to detain each of them for questioning. If there’s a link, we’ll find it.”

  CHAPTER SIX

  After a short nap on the couch, Ava awoke with a clear mind, feeling refreshed. The air and unique energy on Coraxa always had a revitalizing effect, and it was only after a decade away that she realized just how much she’d missed it.

  She took a shower to wash off the travel residue and changed into a dress. A girly dress—with a flower print. She hadn’t worn anything but a military uniform or powered armor in… she couldn’t even remember how long.

  Ava blow-dried and styled her short hair. It wasn’t until she saw herself in the dress that she missed the long hair she’d sported in her pre-FDG days. But long, flowing hair had no place in uniform when she needed to cram her head into tight helmets. Her pixie cut was pushing the boundaries of r
egulation as it was.

  She hurriedly finished dressing and stepped outside to get some fresh air while she waited for Luke to come over. The afternoon sun warmed her face as she faced it with her eyes closed, slowly rotating her arms to get even exposure.

  “I bet I can find you a lounge chair,” Luke’s voice interrupted her sunning.

  Ava’s eyes shot open. “I don’t think I’ll have much time for relaxing. Figured I should get in a few seconds while I could.”

  “Well, you are supposed to be here for some R&R,” he pointed out. “I’m just trying to help you look the part.” He grinned.

  “You always were good at bending the rules.”

  “Me? I’m very by-the-book.”

  “Uh huh, says the person who calculated a weighted average of all assignments in his classes to figure out the bare minimum score necessary on the final to get an ‘A’ in the class.”

  Luke shrugged. “That was just efficiency.”

  “Rule-bender.”

  “Efficiency-hater,” he shot back with a daring grin.

  She laughed. After all these years, the repartee is alive and well. As much as she wanted to needle him further, there was no point in starting something she knew she couldn’t finish. “I guess we should get you back to the lab.”

  “Right.” He headed for the car. “You look really nice, by the way.”

  Ava looked down at herself. “Thanks. Hopefully I don’t need to rearrange anyone’s face today, because these shoes are a far cry from combat boots, and I am not sure if blood would come out of this dress’ fabric.”

  “If you need to do that, then I don’t think your undercover op would be off to a very good start.”

  “You bring up a valid point.” Ava climbed into the car and buckled her seatbelt. “To that end, what should I know about this place?”

  Luke focused out the windshield and started the engine. “I feel like you’ll ignore everything I have to say.”

  “Try me.”

  He sighed and pulled out of the driveway onto the road. “It’s all pretty standard. Most workers, like me, started about two months ago, after construction was complete. NTech brought in their own construction crew from offworld as well as their own senior management. There’s a front reception area and, as far as I can tell, three wings to the facility. I work in the A Wing, which is to the right when you enter through the lobby. We have an administrative area with computers for data processing, a cafeteria, and there are some private rooms for interviews, medical procedures, and the like.”

  “What kind of medical procedures?” Ava prompted.

  “Minor tissue samples, mostly. As a geneticist, I’ll occasionally work with a specific subject. All we need is a cheek swab, but it sets the patients at ease to have a room that looks official.”

  “I could see that.”

  “As for the B and C Wings, they’re devoted to nanotech research and biomedical engineering, respectively.”

  Nanotech research sounds awfully close to nanocytes… “Anything else beyond those three areas?”

  “Not that I know of, but I can’t definitively rule out the possibility.”

  “In that case, there’s almost certainly something else, especially considering that they went out of their way to bring in their own construction crew.”

  “Based on what little you’ve told me, that’s sounding more and more likely.”

  “What about the staff?” Ava asked.

  “Handful of locals like me,” Luke replied, “paired with the NTech corporate senior managers, and some specialists from various academic institutions.”

  “Anyone of note?”

  “I haven’t met him personally, but I heard there’s a pretty well-known nano researcher over in B Wing who specializes in biomedical applications.”

  That sounds about right. Ava sighed. “I don’t suppose you have clearance to access that area?”

  “No, but I can at least get you a visitor tour of A Wing where I work.”

  Ava clasped her hands. “Luke, you’re the best.”

  “The FDG better be standing by for an evac in case this goes south.”

  “Don’t worry, they’ll have our backs. As long as you stick with me, you’re golden.”

  They drove the rest of the way to the facility in virtual silence, though Ava made occasional comments about new developments along the road that hadn’t been there when she’d last seen her home city.

  The NTech lab itself was set into a hillside of the valley containing the city of Tribeca. From the outside, it looked to be only a one-story structure, with a white stone façade and tinted glass that reflected the afternoon sun. Half a dozen armed guards were stationed out front, and the roof featured a remote-operated gun.

  “Um, Luke… You didn’t tell me about the gun mounted outside to welcome your visitors.”

  “Oh, right. I guess I’ve gotten used to it.”

  Ava smoothed her dress with her hands. “Luke, a giant fucking assault gun is not a normal thing to have above the main entrance to a civilian research facility.”

  “Yeah, that was a little unnerving at first…”

  “‘Unnerving’?! Are you fucking serious? This is insane!” Ava exclaimed. She took a deep breath. She looked back over at her companion with a more level expression. “This just means I might have to get more creative than I’d initially anticipated.”

  “I have no doubt you’ll manage.” Luke parked the car in a marked employee lot to the left of the main driveway.

  The parking lot was situated in an open field at the base of the hill housing the lab facility. Several boulders embedded in the surrounding field had been arranged to form the entry for the lot, and a path wove around the edge of a circular drive leading up to the entrance.

  Luke turned off the car, and they stepped out.

  “Now, who am I again?” Ava prompted, testing that Luke would default to her cover story.

  “A childhood friend. You’re on leave from the FDG after a challenging op, and are looking to reconnect with your homeland so you can re-find yourself.”

  She shrugged. “Close enough. Lead the way, buddy ol’ pal.”

  He rolled his eyes at her and proceeded down the path to the lab’s entrance.

  As they approached, the guards out front stiffened.

  Luke held out his ID badge. “Returning from a long lunch. A friend of mine is in from out-of-town; I’ll check her in at reception.”

  The guard closest to them nodded and waved them through without the slightest break in his permanent scowl.

  “Really went all out on the welcoming committee,” Ava commented once they were beyond earshot.

  “Believe it or not, he’s way more charismatic than the other guy.”

  Ava scanned around the overhang above the entrance while she passed underneath, noting a full suite of optical and thermal sensors. If that was any indication, there would be a host of additional equipment hidden within. She’d need to have a legitimate reason to come back—one that would afford her some freedom.

  Luke approached the reception desk that sat a dozen paces inside. He smiled at the cute blonde behind it. “Hi, Martha. My friend Ava here is visiting for the week, and I was hoping to show off my new digs. Could you help me out with a visitor pass?”

  Martha looked Ava over. “We have a strict visitation policy—”

  “Is there anything you can do? I’ll stay with her the whole time, and just in the general access areas.”

  “Really, I just want to see if the lunch room is as nice as he tells me it is.” Ava winked. She brushed her hand against Luke’s arm. And damn, his bicep was as firm as it looked through his shirt. He’ll make a good sparring partner, she thought. That, and— She cut off the thought. Focus.

  Martha glanced down at her desk. “We do have a special friends and family pass, but you’ll need to check out by 17:00.”

  “More than enough time,” Luke said with a bright smile. “Just you wait and see about that lu
nch room,” he teased Ava.

  “Yeah, yeah.” She gave a playful roll of her eyes.

  “You two are just too cute.” Martha giggled. “Now—Ava, was it? I’ll just need your palm print on this panel and a quick photo to get you your ID.”

  Great, biometrics logged in internal record. So much for sneaking around and not leaving a trace. She plastered on her best fake smile. “Great, no problem.” She placed her hand on the designated panel atop the reception desk and looked into the indicated camera for her glamour shot.

  “Perfect.” Martha made some entries on her keyboard. “And I’ll just need you to sign this waiver.”

  Text appeared on the desktop in front of Ava. “What does it entail?”

  “I’m sure it’s nothing,” Luke whispered.

  Undercover op or not, I’m not signing away my body to science if they’re trying to pull some shady shit. She scanned over the agreement. It wasn’t quite handing over her soul, but it was close. “This is quite the agreement, Martha.”

  “I’m afraid agreeing to those terms is necessary for me to issue a visitor badge,” the receptionist replied.

  Fuck, I guess handing over my body is what I did when I signed up for the FDG, anyway. Ava placed her thumbprint on the appropriate box for her digital signature, and the screen turned green.

  “Great, we’re all set. Just one second.” Martha swiveled around and grabbed an ID card printing from a machine on the shelf behind her. She scooted back to her desk and handed the card to Ava. “Now, don’t lose this. Be sure to return it to me when you’re done with your tour.”

  Ava clipped the badge to the front of her dress. “You’ve got it, Martha. Thanks for your help.”

  “Enjoy your time!”

  Luke headed to the right, toward a security archway. He flashed his badge at the guard standing next to the arch and was beckoned through.

  Ava smiled at the guard while she pointed to her badge and went to follow Luke.

  The guard held up his hand to stop her. “Please remove the ID card and hand it to me, miss.”

  Yep, definitely not waltzing in here without an express invitation. Remaining calm, she did as she was told.

  The guard studied the ID and consulted a hidden monitor on a kiosk in front of him. “Says here you’re active duty FDG.”