“I’ll still never be able to fully forgive you for the emotional agony you put me through,” said Heather as she released Girdler’s hand. “Even if Alex does.”
“I understand. Again, I can’t blame you.”
“So what now?” said Altschuler.
“My hope was to convince you to stay missing once I got you back from Victor. Restoring sight and hearing to the blind and deaf could still go forward, but BrianWeb could not. Not without you. Your disappearance would remain a mystery until we decide it’s time for you to reemerge.”
“Let me guess,” said Altschuler. “You were also hoping I would set up a skunk works research effort to perfect encryption, right? Change my appearance some, like Nick has, and operate under the radar.”
“Good guess,” said Girdler. “In my dream scenario, Heather would join you, and see to it that a healthy percentage of your billions was transferred into a Swiss bank account for your use. Even if none of this had happened, I honestly believe that it would have been a good time for you to lie low. You were too attractive of a target. BrainWeb too much of a flashpoint technology, stirring up too much greed and too much passion.”
“Anything else?” asked Heather.
“Only for Nick and Megan. My hope was that if they resurfaced, they could stay off the grid and continue their work trying to find an antidote to ESP.”
Altschuler stared into the eyes of his fiancée and an unspoken communication flowed between them. “We’ll have to give it more thought and discussion,” said Altschuler, “but given the stakes, I suspect we’ll agree to this. To be honest, we aren’t mansion people anyway. And I’m the type of nerd who enjoys working on an impossible problem like quantum encryption more than being a high-profile CEO.”
“Outstanding,” said Girdler happily. “Truly outstanding.”
“What about you, General?” asked Megan.
“My plan had been to take my twenty million and live out the rest of my life avoiding the dragnet. Oh yeah,” he added, remembering. “I guess it’s twenty-five million now.” He looked at Hall. “Or is my confidence in Victor’s trustworthiness too high? I’m betting he wires the extra five million, as promised.”
“He will,” said Hall with a smile. “Say what you want about him, but he has a clean, clear mind, and he fully intends to honor this commitment.”
“You did save his life,” said Campbell. “Just because you were doing it so he could sabotage our enemies is beside the point.”
Altschuler stared thoughtfully at Girdler. “You said your plan had been to disappear into anonymity,” he said. “Past tense. So has this plan changed?”
The general grinned. “As a matter of fact, yes. While you and the colonel were catching up on your beauty sleep, I had a very interesting conversation with Nick here. Very interesting. And while the guts of my plan remain, I think we might just be able to make some key improvements to it. Improvements that should even benefit me,” he finished happily.
62
President Timothy Cochran eyed his private cell phone warily. For the first time in his recollection it had failed to identify a caller. Which was worrisome, because this number was only known to his family and a few close advisors.
He was lounging on the spacious bed in the presidential bedroom with his head propped up against the headboard, watching the news, while his wife was taking in a romantic movie he had no interest in seeing in the White House theater. He threw his feet over the edge of the bed, rose to a sitting position, and answered the call. “Who is this?” he asked warily.
“It’s Nick Hall, Mr. President,” said the image on his screen. “The mind reader,” added Hall, as if Cochran could possibly forget who he was. “I’ve changed my look, which is why you don’t recognize me.”
Cochran didn’t reply for several seconds, digesting this bombshell of a surprise. “Hello, Nick. How is it that you have this number?” he asked suspiciously.
“About that,” began Hall, glancing down with a guilty expression on his face. “Turns out I was within mind-reading range of you a short while ago. And I stored certain information of interest in the cloud for later retrieval. Like your private cell phone number. And other . . . items.”
“And other items? What’s that supposed to mean?”
“I’d rather not specify if I can help it. Why raise topics you would find . . . troubling?”
“If this is a thinly-veiled attempt at blackmail, it isn’t all that thinly-veiled.”
“My purpose for this call is not blackmail, Mr. President,” said Hall. “Far from it. But it is true that I read enough in your mind to ruin your marriage and bring down your presidency. And muddy the water on your legacy. But my intent is for this information to never see the light of day. To never be disclosed to even a single person. The truth is, while I’m not a big fan of either Republicans or Democrats, I have become a fan of you.”
Cochran’s eyes narrowed as he tried to figure out how much of what Hall was saying was the truth.
“All things considered,” continued Hall, “I think you’re a good man. Everything I know tells me you’ll agree to do what I ask because you honestly believe it’s the right thing to do. But just in case, I thought it made sense to disclose that I had read your mind.”
“What do you want?”
“That gets a bit complicated. I’m going to bring some other people in on this call. I just need you to hear us out and not call the Secret Service or any other group at your disposal. I need you to be alone and private for an hour or so. If this is a bad time, I can call at a time of your choosing.”
“No,” said Cochran. “I’m alone. Now is as good a time as any.”
“Great,” said Hall. He moved his phone so it now took in the face of General Justin Girdler.
Cochran’s jaw dropped, but he recovered quickly. “So you’re working with an enemy of the state?” he said in disgust. “You just said you thought I’d be willing to help you, even without your threat. So I guess that was just total bullshit?”
“The general isn’t an enemy of the state,” said Hall firmly, “no matter what you might think. Hear him out, and he’ll convince you of that.” He paused. “But before he does, there are others here listening to this call. I’ll introduce them.”
Hall first introduced Mike Campbell, whom the president knew of in his role as head of PsyOps. He then introduced Megan Emerson as an important player in his search for an ESP antidote, for reasons he would go into later. Megan said hello, and Hall knew that she relished the chance to be part of a phone conversation with an actual president of the United States.
He also introduced Heather Zambrana, but she needed no introduction, as her romantic entanglement with the CEO of Theia Labs had made her famous in her own right.
And finally, Hall introduced Alex Altschuler.
The president was as shocked by this as he had been when Girdler’s presence had been revealed, and he strung together a rapid-fire series of incredulous questions, which Hall assured him would all be answered in due course. And then Hall turned the floor over to the general.
Girdler walked Cochran through his misgivings about BrainWeb, its potential to be transformed into the ultimate spy device, and all that had transpired since he first contacted the arms dealer named Victor.
The president asked pointed questions, but it seemed to Hall he was quickly coming around to Girdler’s point of view. And why not? The potential for misuse of the technology was staggering, and appalling.
Based on his knowledge of Cochran’s thoughts and memories, Hall had believed the chances were good he would help them, but his blackmail threat served as the perfect insurance policy.
As Girdler continued to present his case, the president was astonished by the complexity and success of his Trojan Horse plan, and eventually agreed that he had done the right thing. The ability of the NSA to spy on citizens was too tempting, and the potential for criminal misuse of the data by unscrupulous politicians and other power pla
yers too great. Not to mention that the treasure trove of intel they would be generating on America’s worst enemies was a game changer, a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity too golden to pass up.
“Brilliantly done,” said Cochran when Girdler had finished. Hall thought he was being sincere in his praise, but he was still a politician, so there was no guarantee.
“So why did you decide to tell me about this?” continued the president. “And how would you recommend we proceed?”
“I’m telling you because Nick thinks the country is lucky to have you. And I know you were in my corner during the recent court martial maneuverings. Also, Nick has enough leverage on you to make it worth the risk of reading you in on this.”
Cochran nodded, but didn’t respond.
Girdler sighed. “As to how I would like to proceed,” he said, “I thought you’d never ask. First, call off the manhunt for Nick Hall.”
“I’ll see to it. It wasn’t getting anywhere anyway. But Nick has a face that is well known, so even without a manhunt, I’d recommend he still avoid public places.” Cochran paused. “What else?”
“I want a pardon from you so my record is clean. But not just yet. And I want you to call off the manhunt for me. But again, not just yet.”
“Why the delay?” asked Cochran with genuine curiosity.
“Because Victor is very smart. If he learns through his sources that I’ve been pardoned, or that the manhunt has been called off, he’ll get suspicious. Nobody wants that.”
“Agreed,” said the president.
“So I’d like you to put out the word that I’m to be captured alive at all costs. That way, if I do slip up and get caught, I’ll survive long enough for you to arrange a catch-and-release. After a year or so, you can call of the manhunt entirely. And just before you leave office, you can grant a full pardon.”
“Go on.”
“I want you to personally see that funds are diverted to a special Black project, with me in charge, using an alias we’ll come up with. The project’s goals will be as follows. One, perfect quantum encryption so no one can turn BrainWeb into Brain-Spy, like I just did. Two, set up an organization to manage and strategize around the massive intel we’ll be receiving from this Trojan Horse program. And three, find a way to counteract ESP if this is ever developed.”
“This last is the project Nick was working on before the events at the Oscars, correct?” said Cochran.
“Exactly. But I want to combine all three of these projects under one organizational, and possibly physical, roof. And it would be the blackest of Black projects, with all the secrecy and security this affords. But you will be the only one with full knowledge. I’ll be in overall charge of the project as I said. Alex Altschuler will run the security initiative. Nick Hall the ESP initiative. And Mike Campbell the intelligence initiative.”
“So far I’m more than willing to support this,” said Cochran. “And not because of any dirt Nick has on me,” he added pointedly.
“I know that, Mr. President,” said Girdler. “We just couldn’t take any chances. Sorry we had to even bring it up.”
“What else?”
“I want Drew Russell on the team as well, as head of software.”
“I’m unfamiliar with this person,” said Cochran, “but I don’t see why this would be a problem. But as I’m sure you’re aware, the intel end of this will be a massive undertaking. It will require ten times the security of Fort Knox, and ten times the secrecy of Area 51.”
“Well put,” said the general with a smile. “I couldn’t agree more. My thought is we would limit the raw data to as few people as possible. They would be heavily screened, with comprehensive background checks that would be more invasive than a proctology exam. And then we keep their testicles in a jar. Because if word ever leaks out about what we’re doing, we blow the best chance we’ll ever have to stop this terrorist blight. We can feed intel to other agencies without them knowing where it’s coming from or how we got it. Mike and I can make sure we’re careful so we maximize this advantage and don’t spook any of the bad guys. Until it’s time to roll them all up.”
“General, I’m on board a hundred and ten percent. And given your expertise and what you’ve just accomplished, I truly can’t think of a better man to run this show.”
“Thank you, Mr. President,” said Girdler. He paused, and looked decidedly uncomfortable. “But as much as I believe you really do support what we’d be doing, there is enough at stake that I’m afraid I’ll have to sick our human lie detector on you. Just to be sure.”
Cochran thought about this for a few seconds and then laughed. “What the hell,” he said. “I’ll arrange a secret meeting with Nick. I should have given him my personal thanks for his heroism at the Oscars long ago, anyway.”
“I’m surprised you’re taking the prospect of being near a mind reader so well,” said Girdler.
Cochran shrugged. “He already knows all of my secrets. And I really do see what you’ve done as an incredible coup, General, as Nick will verify. Finally, I know he can read me from a distance whenever he wants, like he did the first time. So I appreciate your honesty in even telling me that this was your intent.” He smiled. “So bring on the great and powerful Nick Hall. I welcome the meeting.”
“Thank you, sir,” said Hall. “It will be an honor to finally meet you in person.”
***
The call ended minutes later. “That went well,” said Girdler happily. “Against all odds, it looks like we’ve managed to get the entire band back together. And we’ve even added two new members, Drew Russell, and the president of the United States.”
“I have to admit,” said Campbell, “I didn’t see that last one coming.”
“I say we celebrate,” said Girdler. “I’ve already made reservations tomorrow night at the nicest French restaurant in town. Dinner is on me.”
Megan laughed. “Nothing like thinking you’ll be considered a disgraced traitor, forever on the lam, and ending up in charge of the most important Black Op since the Manhattan Project to bring out your generosity, huh General?”
“I’m ecstatic about how things turned out, don’t get me wrong. But that had nothing to do with me springing for dinner. Turns out I recently came into twenty-five million dollars.”
“So dinner is really on Victor,” said Hall in amusement.
“Yes. He truly is the gift that keeps on giving. Speaking of which,” added Girdler, “I’ve decided to spread the wealth. I’m giving six million each to Nick, Megan, and Mike, and keeping seven for myself.”
“That’s very generous, General,” said Campbell. “But entirely unnecessary.”
“Are you kidding? It’s the least I can do after the hell I put all of you through. And seven million for me is more than enough.”
“I don’t know,” said Hall. “Marc Fisher was responsible for the hell Megan and I went through, not you.”
“Yes,” said Girdler. “I’m well aware I put Alex and Heather through the worst of it. And I’ll never be able to make up for that. I just wish they weren’t billionaires so a gesture of a few million dollars might be meaningful. But if they ever lose their money, I’m splitting my share with them.”
“Good to know,” said Altschuler wryly. “So let me understand. We don’t get any of Victor’s money. You had me kidnapped by a deadly arms dealer. Because of you I’m no longer the highest profile CEO in the world. And you stopped BrainWeb, probably costing me a hundred billion dollars. Is that about right?”
“Wow,” said Girdler in amusement. “When you put it that way, I get why a sincere apology might not be enough. You did hear the part about me buying you dinner tomorrow night, right? And I’m prepared to go even further. How about this? Feel free to get an appetizer and dessert. Now who’s going the extra mile?”
The entire group laughed.
“Speaking of dinner,” said Campbell. “The president probably won’t have called off the dragnet for Nick by then. Are we really going to risk ce
lebrating in public with two men who are both the subjects of manhunts that rival the one we conducted to find bin Laden?”
“Yes,” said the general. “What the hell. We deserve a celebration. And judging from the brilliant makeover you gave Nick, I think you missed your calling. You should have been a Hollywood makeup artist. I can’t wait to see what kind of magic you can perform on me.”
“Even I can’t turn a lump of clay into a diamond,” said Campbell, shaking his head.
Girdler laughed. “I’m not saying you have to make me handsome. I’m looking for a disguise, not a miracle.”
“Not to spoil the fun,” said Megan, “but let me ask a serious question, General. You mentioned the possibility of housing us all under one Black Ops roof. Would that include Nick? Is everyone suddenly comfortable working around a mind reader?”
“Good question,” said Hall. “How about it, everyone. And be honest. I know that I’m a pariah, so don’t pull any punches.”
“Can’t you just read the answer to this question in each of our minds, Nick?” asked the general.
“No. I’ve promised not to read the thoughts of this group unless I can’t help it.”
Girdler grinned. “Then there’s your answer. This promise is good enough for me.”
The three other parties in question nodded their agreement.
“Besides,” continued Girdler, “if the president is willing to submit to full rectal probing, who am I to be squeamish about you reading the occasional extraneous thought. But I will make sure you have a retreat close to wherever we put our headquarters. So you can get some solitude from the thoughts of others when they become too much to handle.”
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