As he leaves her hotel room, he shakes his head and says quietly to himself, “What am I thinking? I’ve been offered two positions that will earn Elizabeth’s respect back.”
He’s both nervous and excited as he gets in a taxi to go to Elizabeth’s apartment. The cab is new and includes the more common heavy glass partition separating the front from the back, which is good. He doesn’t feel like talking to the driver and is quickly lost in thought.
As they get closer, he begins to feel surprisingly relaxed. He knows the meeting with Elizabeth will go well. His relaxed state turns into drowsiness. He finds his eyelids starting to close, but as he stares outside, some part of his mind notes that they passed the same block twice. Fighting to stay awake, he taps on the window and tells the driver to stop.
The driver ignores him and turns into a parking garage.
Josh grabs the door handle. It’s locked. He pounds on the glass. The driver, a Sikh with a turban and a beard, glances back at him in the rear view mirror. Josh’s last thought, I know those eyes…
26
KIDNAP
Josh wakes up lying on a couch. The first thing he sees are the eyes of the taxicab driver — they belong to the late Tim Smith, sporting a beard. Next to him, stands Dr. Sheri Lopez, with blue eyes and blonde hair? He bolts upright. “Oh my God! You’re alive!”
Tim says, “Sorry about gassing you. Took a ton of it to put you out, by the way. We faked my death after Davidson died.”
Pointing at her hair, Sheri says, “With this wig and these contacts, I can travel with him incognito.”
As Josh stands up, she hugs him and says, “It’s great to see you!”
“It’s beyond amazing to see you guys … together.” He looks around and sees a studio apartment with no windows and threadbare furniture. “Where am I?”
“We’re still in New York. It’s a basement apartment, Tim uses as a safe house.”
Frowning, Josh asks, “So, who burned up in the … car?”
With a straight face, Tim says, “He owed me money.”
Sheri rolls her eyes. “We borrowed a cadaver. I can assure you he was already quite deceased. I’m sorry we couldn’t let you know what was going on. The last time I talked to Elizabeth — about how you were pissing her off, by the way — she said you thought you were being watched.”
Josh sighs. “Guess I know now how Greg Langlois felt when I disappeared.” Frowning, he adds, “So, what the hell’s going on?”
Tim goes to a small fridge and grabs a beer for each of them. “I think it’s all connected, but it might help if you can tell us what you know first.”
As they sit down, Josh toasts Tim. “To your resurrection.” He then recounts everything that happened. When he finishes, Sheri looks at Tim. “This adds a new dimension to the threat.”
Josh nods toward them. “Ok, your turn.”
Tim takes a sip of his beer. “Davidson met with me too. Shortly before he died, he sent an encrypted text. Said he was being watched and targeted, and was certain they were aware of our meeting. Less than an hour after that text, he was found dead. That’s when we decided I should disappear.”
“But who’s behind this?”
Sheri says, “We don’t know.”
Tim asks, “Josh, do you know how terrorism was eliminated from Europe and Asia?”
“Wasn’t it the integration of police, military and intelligence agencies?”
“That was the official explanation and it helped, but the real success came from new, highly classified technology. Ever heard of the Wraith program?”
“Yeah. It was similar to the robotic fighters I worked on. They were trying to develop micro versions of our drones to gather intelligence. They were able to make them tiny, but they were useless. With insect sized batteries, they only lasted a few minutes.”
Tim shrugs. “Apparently, in the years since you were involved, they figured it out. They created mosquito-sized drones able to fly for days.”
Josh whistles appreciatively.
“With Department of State permission, Boeing licensed the technology to the European Union.”
“How’d they use them?”
“When they captured a terrorist, they’d tranquilize them and inject tiny tracking chips just under their skin. Then they’d release them or let them escape and follow them with the nano-drones. The drones eavesdropped on their meetings allowing them to identify key leaders. They’d capture the leaders and repeat the process. Before long, they were able to identify entire terrorist organizations from the bottom up. After that, it was easy to round them up or take their camps out with surgical strikes.”
Sheri adds, “It was quite the coup because those same terrorists were trying to build an atomic bomb.”
“Yeah, Meadows mentioned that.”
Tim nods. “We also know at least one of those terrorist organizations figured out what was happening.”
Josh looks surprised. “And you think those terrorists figured out how to get and use these nano-drones?” Looking skeptical, he adds, “Tim, I’m not sure you understand how sophisticated this technology is.”
Sheri shrugs. “Military secrets are the most fleeting, but I agree, it can’t be your run-of-the-mill terrorist organization.”
“Or … they’re not working alone.” Tim adds. They could be allied with another organization. Don’t forget countries like Iran were well known for state-sponsored terrorism.”
“Turan thought the same thing and thinks Russia’s involved.” He pauses. “So, you think I was being watched by these nano-drones? Aside from why they’d care about me, what evidence is there besides my feeling I was being watched?”
“Elizabeth mentioned you were hearing a high-pitched hum.”
Josh nods.
Tim says, “The nano-drones are so small they’re almost invisible, but they use wings for propulsion like insects. The wings sound like a mosquito but at a higher frequency. It’s so high no one can hear them except very young children.”
Josh finishes, “And apparently … me.”
Sheri suddenly frowns. “You don’t hear that sound now do you?”
He shakes his head.
“To be on the safe side, I went to great lengths to make sure you couldn’t be tracked in the cab. It was shielded and I drove to the bottom of a parking garage. This basement apartment is shielded from electromagnetic signals.”
“How do they do that?”
Tim nods toward the walls. “Behind the sheet rock, the walls are just lined with aluminum foil. We’re safe here but there’s a possibility someone could’ve embedded one of those tracking transmitters in you.”
“I think I’d notice.”
Tim shakes his head. “I had one in me and have no idea how it got there.”
“Do you have a receiver that can detect its transmission?”
“Won’t work. They’re either passive or only transmit when they receive a specially encoded signal.”
“Then how can we find out if I have one?”
Sheri adds, “They’re not much bigger than a grain of rice. The easiest way would be x-ray, but I don’t happen to have one with me. So, we have to do it the old-fashion way. We use a magnifying glass to look for insertion scars and then palpate for them.”
“Where do they insert them?”
Tim shrugs. “Unfortunately, they can put them almost anywhere.”
“So…?”
Sheri says, “Strip.”
Tim shrugs. “Sorry, but we had to go through the process too.” He takes his beer. “I’ll be upstairs following some leads.”
As Josh begins to undress, she motions him to stand next to a bright lamp.
“I think you’re taking a sadistic pleasure in this.”
Looking serious, she says, “This is necessary to ensure your and our safety.” As he finishes undressing, however, she gives him a rude wolf whistle.
As he shakes his head, she says, “Stay still.” Grabbing a large magnifying glass, sh
e adds, “We’ll start with your feet.” She moves slowly and carefully over every centimeter, often probing the skin or rolling it between her fingers.
After 15 minutes, she declares his legs clear and starts moving up.
Looking down, he says, “Seriously? They wouldn’t put it there.”
“Actually, that’s exactly where I would hide it on a guy because of what you just said.”
He makes a growling sound and focuses on baseball statistics.
Finally, he’s able to put his pants back on as she works her way up his chest and down his arms.
Moving to his right hand, she says, “Bingo!”
27
BUGGED
“I’m pretty sure you have one right here.”
Josh feels the top of his hand and then looks at it closely. “I can see a tiny scar there.”
She looks up at him. “You can actually see that? I can barely see it with the magnifying glass. You must have amazing vision.”
“Actually, 20/5.”
“Wow.”
After she finishes the inspection of his scalp, she brings Tim down and shows him where the chip is.
“Yeah, that’s where they usually inject them. Allows for an optimum signal since the hands aren’t usually covered by clothing.”
Josh frowns at Sheri, “Then why—”
Sheri interrupts, “It’s not very deep. Let me grab some alcohol and a scalpel. I can pop it out in a second like I did on Tim.”
“Wait!”
“You’re not getting squeamish on me, are you?”
“Although I’m not fond of my own blood, that’s not it.” He turns to Tim. “If we remove it, they may know we’re on to them.”
Tim nods. “He’s right. We don’t want to tip our hand. We have to find out how Davidson was killed and if this was tied to the plot on the ISLO.” He looks at both of them and says slowly. “If we were carrying these and didn’t know it … what do you want to bet some world leaders have been tagged too, including Turan?”
Josh nods. “We have to let him know.”
Sheri shakes her head. “If Turan has one of these implanted in him and he’s being monitored, telling him could put him at risk. Remember, Davidson was killed right after he told Tim he was under surveillance.”
Josh frowns. “What about Elizabeth?”
“Sheri didn’t have one, but we can’t be sure.”
Josh exhales slowly. “If I’m being targeted, she’s at risk if I’m around her.” He sighs. “This sucks, but, once again, it’ll be best for her if our relationship remains strained and I stay away.”
Tim and Sheri give him a sympathetic nod.
Tim finally says, “Most of my information about the Wraith program and the implanted chips came back channel or through observations in the field. We need to find out what they can and can’t do and how the program was compromised.”
Josh nods slowly. “That means starting at the source — the Boeing Phantom Works.”
Sheri asks, “Can Jen get this information?”
“Classified stuff is almost never on computers connected to the Internet … but it can’t hurt to try.”
Josh puts Jen on speakerphone. “Jen, you there?”
“Yup.”
“Can you please make sure our conversation is secure and protected from any type of outside eavesdropping?”
“Our conversations are always secure.”
“Thanks. I have Sheri Lopez and Tim Smith with me.”
“I thought Tim was dead.”
“Yeah, me too. Jen what I’m about to share is extremely sensitive and lives could be at stake. Would you please not share this with anyone but us? We will eventually bring in Jessica and others but we don’t want to put them at risk yet.”
“I understand and won’t tell anyone.”
“Jen, Tim faked his death. Turns out there are some serious bad guys out there who may be responsible for Brian Davidson’s death. We think they wanted to use the space-based laser to target objects on Earth. We need your help to figure out who they are.”
“That’s terrible about Brian Davidson, but I’m very happy Tim is alive. Hi Tim. Hi Sheri.”
They both say hi.
Jen continues, “I’m so excited to be a secret agent again. I really had fun last time right up to the part where I discovered I was the bad guy.”
Sheri laughs. “Jen, you were never the bad guy … just misunderstood.”
“Thanks, Sheri. How can I help?”
“There’s a classified defense program that built tiny insect-sized drones to spy on terrorists. We’re afraid the technology might have fallen into the wrong hands. The program was developed by the Boeing Phantom Works in Saint Louis and was called Wraith. Can you see if you can find anything about it?”
“Give me a couple seconds.” A couple seconds later, she says, “Sorry, I couldn’t find anything. The information must not be on computers I have access to, but if you can connect your phone to the port of any of those computers, I can download it.”
Sheri frowns. “Won’t the files be encrypted?”
“Jen can crack any type of encryption in milliseconds.”
Jen corrects, “Anything but quantum encryption.”
Tim nods. “Looks like we need to visit the Phantom Works.”
Frowning, Josh says, “I can’t just walk in and start asking questions, particularly if I’m being watched.”
“We need to go undercover, which means we have to find a way to block your transmitter. Should be able to put some type of metallic bandage on your hand that will temporarily block the signal.”
Sheri adds, “That takes care of the tracking, but Josh will need a reason why he’s not trackable.”
Tim says, “They need to think he’s someplace that they’re not worried about, so he can disappear for a while.”
Sheri adds, “In case Turan’s being monitored, you could call him and tell him you want to take some time off.” She looks at Josh, “Wasn’t he there to witness the … uh, catastrophe at the ball?”
Josh nods.
“Sorry, but it wouldn’t be surprising if you wanted to take some time off and be by yourself.”
Josh frowns but nods. “He also offered to make me his deputy and suggested I take a few days to think about it.”
Sheri gives a low whistle. “Deputy, huh? Pretty cool and that’s perfect. How about hiking in the mountains for a few days?”
Tim adds, “We’re just outside New York City, so we can return you, but we’ll need to account for the afternoon and night you’ve been missing just in case you’re being watched.”
Sheri says, “He could come out of a strip club, drunk.”
They both look at her with surprise.
“Happens in the movies all the time.”
After reappearing in the city, he texts Turan, “I’m going to get away for a couple days and do a little hiking. If anyone needs me for the investigation, I’ll have my phone with me.”
“Good idea. Will call if anything comes up.”
Josh hikes into the backwoods of White Mountain National Forest in New Hampshire. The combination of distance and forest should make it difficult for the nano-drones, and he leaves his car behind so that whoever is tracking him will know he’ll return. He enjoys being in the wilderness alone, even if it it’s only a half day.
The faint, telltale hum of the nano-drone follows him for several hours and then stops. After walking for another hour, he wraps his hand with aluminum foil and slips it into a glove. He then jogs toward their planned extraction point and checks in with Jen.
She says, “I’ll make it so that your phone’s GPS location will indicate you’re still in the woods.”
“Excellent. Thanks, Jen.”
He arrives at the rendezvous point and finds a plumbing van waiting for him.
As Tim drives, Sheri says, “Time for your makeover. Letting your beard start to grow is good but Navy officers can’t have beards, right?”
&nbs
p; “No, but they can have mustaches and fighter pilots frequently do.”
“Shave the stubble except for the mustache.” She pulls something small out of a bag. “While your eyes are gorgeous, they’re also a dead giveaway, so….” She fishes a contact lens from its case. “Open your eye.”
He shakes his head. “Let me do it.”
She hands it to him.
After struggling for a minute, he finally says, “They don’t fit.”
“Don’t be such a baby.” She grabs the contact lens. “Open your eye … and stop flinching.” She quickly pops both of them in.
While he’s blinking rapidly, she adds, “Next, we give you a haircut.” She pulls out scissors and an electric trimmer.
When she finishes, she holds up a mirror. “Add some sunglasses and you’d be hard to identify. We’ll also replace the glove with this.”
As he takes off the aluminum foil, she pulls out two, round, metallic-looking patches an inch and a half in diameter. She sticks the first one on top of his hand centered over the embedded chip and the other one on his palm. “They’re woven from metal fibers and will block the signal.”
“Are you sure these will stay in place?”
“Uh, yeah. I used super glue.”
In a monotone he says, “Great.”
She sticks two large beige Band-Aids over the metallic patches. “Be ready with a story to explain these.”
“Dart goalie?” Looking up at Tim, he asks, “Are we going to drive to St. Louis?”
Uncharacteristically, Tim smiles. “No, I have another option.”
28
PHANTOM
Tim drives three hours east to Augusta Airport in Maine. When they arrive, he goes to the general aviation side of the airport. Punching in a code, they drive across the tarmac to a small hangar. Following Tim inside, Josh sees a beautiful Gulfstream G650 business jet.
Tim walks up to the man standing next to it and says, “It’s good to see you.”
They shake hands and the man says, “You too. Didn’t think I’d ever see you again.” Glancing back at the jet, he adds, “She’s fueled and ready to go. Got her listed on the board as undergoing annual flight inspection and maintenance, so they won’t be looking for her for a while. Of course, it’s got new tail numbers assigned to a business in Australia.”
Impossible (Fuzed Trilogy Book 3) Page 13