“I can see that. She already knows about the B1, so how she got here shouldn’t be hard to explain. We can also say we used Plan B to get her out of the hospital. I’ll make sure Dick supports us on that.”
“I believe that will work, Commander.”
After an hour out of the chamber, Barbara’s eyes slowly opened. At first she only stared at the ceiling. Then she shifted her gaze to Van and Harry, and eventually looked around the room.
“It’s good to have you back, Barbara. You have no idea how worried we were!” Van said.
“How did I get here, and where is everybody?” she asked.
“You’re in a private Stellar facility where we do medical research and have a small medical unit. Harry and I flew you here in the B1 after picking you up from the hospital. Only Harry and I are here at the moment, but you have been getting the very best of care.”
“But why take me from the hospital?”
Van was ready for this question. “The doctors did a great job of fixing most things, but they couldn’t fix everything. They said that you would probably not last the night. Dick and I didn’t like that plan, so we made arrangements to get you here and use some of our more advanced medical technology.”
Barbara was not fully awake and was frowning. “What kind of technology?”
“Mostly nanites.”
“You mean you filled me with creepy-crawly things?”
“Well, yes. But they’re not creepy-crawly things. They are highly sophisticated, microscopic medical devices. Highly effective at their jobs. You are a healthy living sample of their work.”
“OK, but they are gone now, right?”
“Not exactly.”
“What do you mean ‘not exactly’?” Barbara’s face started to color.
“Well the process has a really great side benefit. Once the nanites are finished with their main jobs, most shut down and are flushed out of your system. Those that remain are programmed to protect you from a wide variety of diseases and minor cuts and abrasions.”
“For how long?”
“Indefinitely.”
“You mean forever, like always?” she shouted.
“Don’t get overexcited, Barbara, you’re still recovering.”
“I want them out now!”
This was unexpected. Van tried to come up with a plausible response when Harry spoke up.
“I am afraid, Ms. Fuller, that the remaining nanites are now required by your system. Without them you could fall ill almost immediately. With them, however, you will be resistant to nearly all the common ills that afflict people on a regular basis.”
There was a long silence while Harry and Van stared at each other.
“I was really dying?” she asked.
“Yes,” both Van and Harry said at the same time.
“And there was no other way?”
“No,” they said again in unison.
Barbara let her head fall back on her pillow and gave a long sigh, looking up at the ceiling, her eyes flicking left to right. “Well I guess I should be thanking you both. I wasn’t quite ready to die. Who else knows about the nanites?” she asked pensively, looking back at Van.
“Only Dick,” Van said, “and he’s keeping all the details secret. Which, by the way, you should also keep secret until Stellar introduces their advanced use in some way. Nobody from the Carson Group will ask about anything except how you feel. They are all worried about you, by the way.”
Suddenly remembering the details of the attack and who had been with her, Barbara sat up and asked, “What happened to Rick Conners?”
“I’m afraid that he didn’t make it. You are alive in large part because of him. He threw himself over you when the shooting started.”
Tears formed in her eyes and ran down her cheeks. Van found a tissue and wiped her eyes and dried her cheeks.
“When can I go home?”
Van looked at Harry, who said, “Can you stand, Ms. Fuller?”
“I think so.” She raised herself from the bed and stood fixed by its side, trying to smile but failing.
“Then you can return now if you like,” responded Harry.
“Then take me home.”
When they got to her Virginia apartment, Van took some time to make sure Barbara was settled and that she had everything she needed. He wanted to stay with her and tell her how he felt, but she pushed him away, saying all she wanted now was to sleep. Strange, not her usual boisterous self, Van thought. So he returned to Site R and his work with renewed determination to settle the score with Meier for what he had done to the Carson Group… but more importantly, to Barbara.
CHAPTER 36
Three days after returning Barbara to Virginia, Van and Harry were again busy at Site R.
“OK, Harry, relaxation time is over. Time to renew our mission to put Meier out of business. But first I think we need a little frosting on the revenge cake.” Van was rubbing his hands together.
“I do not understand, Commander.”
“Supposedly Meier is worth somewhere north of forty billion dollars. True?”
“Actually, Commander his estimated net worth is forty-five point five billion. Not all of that is in cash or fluid funds, however.”
“How much could you track and transfer to our remaining safe accounts, do you think?”
“Right now about half of his total net worth, or twenty-one billion dollars, Commander. It would take at least a week to make all the connections and then move the funds at the same time. If we tried doing it a little over time, Mr. Meier would see what was happening and be able to stop the process.”
“Make it happen, Harry. But not all to our accounts. Send anonymous donations to the laboratories and research centers around the world that are likely close to major breakthroughs. As we have done in the past, keep ten percent for our operating funds only.”
“I have already started, Commander. Wait, we have a call from Mr. Carson in the Carson Ops Center.”
“Hello, Van, and you too, Harry. Wanted the both of you to know that while repairs are going on, the Ops Center is still functional, as is the warehouse. However, before you find out in some other way, I need to tell you a few things.
“First, we were able to collect some reasonably good video from the night of the attack. A little from our own internal cameras in my office and Barbara’s, but also some interesting footage from the building’s security cameras. We focused on the fake WJLA helicopter. I say fake because WJLA doesn’t have a helicopter. Barbara has some footage we want you to see. We pieced the best shots from all sources together for this video.”
On the big view screen at the Site R Ops Center, Van and Harry could see the brightly painted red and yellow Bell 206 with “WJLA” on the side approaching and flying slowly abreast of the Carson Group’s offices. There were two men in the cockpit. Suddenly the rear doors rolled open to expose two more men dressed in black. One held an RPG launcher and the other was picking up a heavy-duty machine gun like the US M60. The man with the RPG launcher was having a hard time getting into a firing position due to his above-average height, but he was ready quickly enough. Both weapons fired at the same time, and quickly the video began to disintegrate as the cameras were destroyed. Then all was black and Dick appeared again.
“What do you think, Van?”
“A nice movie, but what were we supposed to see?”
“Barbara is calling up a still from the video. Ah, here it is now. It shows the helicopter before the rear doors opened and the shooting began. See anyone you know?”
Van stared at the photo but was having trouble identifying the blond man in the copilot’s seat until Harry said, “I have run a photo analysis and there is no doubt that is Eric Borman of Red Wolf Security.”
“Yes, Harry, you get the prize! We did our own analysis and came to the same conclusion. We also suspect that the man firing the RPG is the one referred to as the ‘Tall Man’ in the Stellar break-in. We know who did this and who is behind it!”
“Yes he has, and I have never seen him so focused on a new mission.”
“Wait, Dick. I thought our next target was to be Meier himself, and then all of this would be over.”
“That was true, but do you think that you can do a better job of stopping Brice than I can? Besides, Meier didn’t go into the Black Sea on his yacht as we thought he would. We used some of Harry’s surveillance coverage to observe the man getting off the helicopter and onto the Valkyrie. After the fact, we were not convinced it was Meier. The Valkyrie turned around shortly after you aborted the mission and went into port in Istanbul. Through some contacts there, we determined that Meier was not on it when it docked. It was a setup, Van. Meier was never on his way to the Black Sea. He fooled us!
“So while Barbara and Harry try to pin Meier down again, Brice is itching to go after Borman, and I can’t fault him. What do you think?”
“Where is Borman now?” asked Van.
“Our sources suggest he is back in his Red Wolf facility outside Frankfurt. Perhaps Harry can help pin him down while still looking for Meier.”
“I’m getting a nod from Harry now, confirming that Borman is in Frankfurt, and we’ll probably have a closer location soon. Harry will set up a surveillance net right away to gather advanced information. We’ll give you all the support we can, including use of the B1. I’ll drive and provide backup, but this is something I think Brice and his team need to do themselves.”
“Good to hear you say that, Van, because those are almost the exact words Brice used just a few minutes ago.”
After the video conference, it suddenly struck Van that Barbara had not said a word. Unusual for her. In fact, as he recalled it now, the views of her in the background suggested no clear emotional signs of any sort. Also unusual for her. Women, he thought. I just don’t understand them.
Back in the Carson Ops Center, Dick looked over at Barbara and said, “What’s up with you? Usually you have something to say—and today nothing. You didn’t even seem angry at the prospect of Van going on the next mission.”
As had been the case with Brice days or weeks ago—she couldn’t remember how long ago now—this was not a conversation she wanted to delve into. But her own introspection came out on its own. “I’m not sure, Dick. After the attack, and I guess a brush with death, I feel different, more focused on the job and being successful no matter what.”
“Did I detect a cold shoulder to Van?”
“No… maybe.” She couldn’t be sure herself how she felt. “After all that happened, he brought me back here and I haven’t heard from him since. It’s as if I really don’t matter to him that much.”
“You’re wrong there, Barbara, and it’s only been a few days. Had you seen him in action when he learned what happened, you might have a different view.”
He’s probably right, she thought. But there was something she couldn’t pin down. Was it his actions, or was there something he was keeping from her? She couldn’t decide. But she did know she didn’t want to continue the conversation with Dick.
“Perhaps. Now, however, we need to focus on Borman and Meier. Nothing should cloud our vision. I’ll get with Harry right away and start gathering the needed intelligence.”
She left the Ops Center with Dick just shaking his head and staring at the spot where she had been standing.
CHAPTER 37
The day before the mission to Frankfurt, Van accepted a conference call from the Carson Ops Center for a mission brief.
As in previous briefs, Barbara opened the session. “As you might expect, the Frankfurt headquarters of Red Wolf Security is a very different target than the previous ones. The others were in semiremote areas adjacent to open areas where the B1 could land. Borman, probably on purpose, has his facilities in a high-rise building just a little northeast of the Frankfurt airport. The building was named the Light Tower by its developers and lives up to that name due to the massive glass-covered exterior. The glass reflects all lights around it day and night. A spectacular sight, by most tourist reports. The one advantage for us, however, is that the reflection at night obscures visibility of the roof from the street, suggesting a roof approach at night would be best.
“In addition to being in a central business location, there are other business tenants both above and below Red Wolf. Blowing up the facility in this instance is not an option. Too many innocent lives potentially at stake. However, Red Wolf occupies the whole of the fourteenth floor of the seventeen-story building. That’s both good and bad—good because once on the fourteenth floor, there will be only Red Wolf occupants, and bad because the team must pass through three occupied floors to get to Red Wolf. The combat suits in their stealth mode will be to the team’s advantage, along with the suppressed weapons Brice intends to carry.
“The plan is similar to the assault planned on the Valkyrie. The team will rappel from the B1 to the Light Tower roof and then infiltrate through the lower levels to Red Wolf. While we all have good reason to want to see Borman dead, our first choice is to capture him. If we have no option, the team will eliminate Borman and all other opposition.
“In addition to Borman, we also want to recover the hard drive from his personal laptop and any other computer that he may personally use in his office. As a final touch, the team will be using a strong but portable electromagnet to erase or disrupt all other storage devices on the premises. We know that Borman is a night owl and workaholic and does most of his work until the early morning hours. He even keeps a cot in his personal office in the center of the fourteenth floor. Harry’s recent reconnaissance verified his habits. Brice, what do you have to add?”
“Thanks, Barbara. As in the Bern operation, the team will rendezvous with the B1 in the same remote location. Same equipment load-out, but this time the MP5s will be suppressed. Mr. Childs and Stellar Projects will have a few life-support capsules loaded on the B1 should we take any casualties. I will go over the operation of the capsules when we’re airborne. Any questions?”
No hands came up.
“Good. We depart here at 1700 tomorrow, Saturday. That’s all.”
With the team loaded the next night and the B1 buttoned up, Van watched as Brice again came to the cockpit to take a seat next to him. He’s getting to like these flights and taking an interest, Van thought. He also talks to me more, and I’m interested in what he thinks.
“Thanks for letting us take the lead on this,” Brice said. “The team and I really want this guy Borman and his friends taken care of.”
“I think you mean that you and the team really want to capture this guy, right?” Van wouldn’t mind seeing Borman dead, but if taken alive, Borman could provide important intelligence on Meier.
“Well sure, just like Barbara said in the briefing, if he lets us. But personally, I don’t think that’s going to happen. In fact, I predict that he will not let us. By the way, when did you come up with those capsules you have tied down in the back?”
“Actually, Harry and Stellar have been working on those for a while. They are experimental and in testing. As a reminder, they will only help sustain a person’s vitals until we can get them to one of your medical facilities and real healing.”
“I’m for that. I’m always worried that our own medics will be faced with something they can’t handle and we might lose a team member. The whole team likes your technology; you know that, don’t you?”
“I think both Harry and I understand that. It’s what motivates us to develop more and better devices.”
“I still don’t quite understand why you don’t go public with all of this. You could make a fortune.”
“As far as these capsules are concerned, I plan to release them as soon as they finish their test phase. But Harry and I don’t care about the money, other than for operating funds. The combat suits are another matter. I’m not convinced yet that the world is ready for them. Nearly invulnerable soldiers could make conflict easie
r to initiate and more horrible. It may sound corny, but we just want to help change things for the better. And right now, Borman and Meier are standing in the way of our being able to do that.”
“I second that. We’ve also had to withdraw from some of our normal business to take care of this mess… and it has gotten personal, if you know what I mean.”
This was an insight Van suspected, but he was glad to hear it from Brice. “Yes I do,” he said, without adding, more than you know.
Prior to the mission launch, Harry sent the Enterprise ahead of the team with two D2s and a supply of fireflies. One D2 had been released and was in low orbit over the Light Tower. The fireflies were spreading themselves around the building and into the various office spaces of Red Wolf via the air-conditioning vents, including the offices above and below. This gave the team the advance intelligence needed to verify Borman’s presence and his night owl habits.
Using building plans and data obtained from various contractor sources, Harry was able to display an accurate floor plan of the Red Wolf facility and acquire insight into the security systems and the security codes for the elevators. Without the latter, the elevators would not stop on the Red Wolf floor. What Harry could not find himself, he programmed the fireflies to find.
By the time the B1 was three-quarters of the way to Frankfurt, Harry was able to transmit a real-time picture of the building and all the important interior rooms. Either with forethought or after seeing what could happen to a glassed-in office on the outside portion of a building, Borman had situated his office in the middle of his suite, defensible from 360 degrees. Borman was in his office, and in the surrounding office space lurked five men in black utilities and body armor vests, carrying what looked like unsuppressed Uzi submachine guns, likely 9mm Parabellum. Each man also had a sidearm: Glock 17s also in 9mm. Everyone had small tactical radios. All in all, a force not to be taken lightly.
Future Discovered: Host Saga Book 1 Page 24