Impossible (Fuzed Trilogy Book 3)

by David E Stevens

  47

  COLLIDE

  Christoff sees Josh, Jessica and Greg off the next morning. Standing on the end of the dock next to a sleek new seaplane, he says, “I wanted to lease a plane but couldn’t find any on short notice. Had to buy this one and pay extra to have pilot fly it here this morning.”

  Josh nods. “It’s a beauty. I’ll have the pilot check me out in it on the way back so I can fly us here next time.”

  Christoff nods. “It’s fully insured.”

  Josh shakes his head with a smile. “Very funny.”

  Christoff gives them all a good Russian hug and kisses their cheeks before they board the plane.

  As he walks back down the dock, he meets Alina and asks, “Have you seen Mr. Smith, Dr. Lopez or Colonel Crow yet?”

  She says, “Mr. Smith went for a run on the beach and I think Dr. Lopez and Colonel Crow are still sleeping. Would you like me to wake them?”

  “Absolutely not.” With a smile, he adds, “I’ve learned that women such as these look like cute fuzzy kittens. Wake them early and you discover they are actually Bengal Tigers only after you’ve lost your head.”

  Alina laughs.

  Back at the house, Christoff grabs a carafe of coffee and a couple cups. He sits outside on the travertine deck that wraps the front of the house. As he faces the ocean, Sheri’s room is on his far left in one wing of the beach house, and Wendy’s just to his right. Wendy’s room faces the ocean with a private patio angled slightly away from the dock.

  He sits pondering their upcoming mission, when he hears a soft, “Good morning.”

  Turning to his right, he sees Wendy peeking around her room’s patio wall.

  He smiles and says, “Good morning,” and then points to the coffee.

  With her long black hair in beautiful disarray, she joins him. “That would be great.” She’s still wearing pajama bottoms and a tank top, which does nothing to disguise her exceptional physique. Her small smile transforms her from scary to breathtaking.

  As she pulls up a chair next to him, he pours her a cup of coffee. Not wanting to poke the tiger, he sits quietly, letting her absorb caffeine.

  After a few minutes of silence watching the ocean and sipping, she finally says, “I love the sound of the surf. I kept my patio door open to the beach all night and slept like a rock.” She gives him a sheepish smile. “Of course, the Stoli probably helped.”

  “You hold vodka like a Russian.”

  “Debatable. I don’t drink often,” she shakes her head, “which is good, because lately, when I have, it’s gotten me and others in trouble.”

  She doesn’t elaborate and he doesn’t ask.

  Finally, she says, “Where is everyone?”

  “Most of them left early this morning.”

  “Josh?”

  He nods

  She stares at the horizon. “In a few weeks, I’ll be taking the space station out to L2. For six months, I’ll be further away from Earth than anyone has ever been. It’s the pinnacle of my career, and I wouldn’t trade it for anything in the world.” She glances at him with a wistful smile. “But now I realize, I may be leaving … much behind.”

  After Sheri wakes up, she does research on the current Russian administration. She also checks the news to see what’s happening in Moscow and then calls her old friend, Minister Pasha Antonovich. “Hi Pasha, it’s Sheri Lopez.”

  In excellent but heavily accented English, he says, “Sheri, it’s so good to hear from you. I was so sorry to hear about your husband. Please accept my condolences.”

  “Thank you. It’s been hard.” She adds the appropriate pause. “Congratulations on your new cabinet position, that’s fantastic.”

  “Thanks Sheri, it’s been exciting but challenging.” He pauses. “Is there anything I can do to help you?”

  She sighs. “I just can’t sit at home, I’ll go crazy. I decided the best way to deal with this is to get out and work. I’m writing another book.”

  “That’s a great idea.”

  “I could really use your expertise, particularly from your new vantage as a member of the cabinet.”

  “Of course, Sheri.”

  “And I think just getting out of the country and meeting new people will help.”

  “I think that’s a great idea and I would love to see you.” He pauses, “I remember that you enjoy social events. Sheri, there’s a state dinner in two days if you can make it. I’m sure I can get you an invitation.”

  “Thank you Pasha, that would be great. While I’m in Russia, Christoff Bobinski, the Russian construction expert is going to be hosting me. Would it be ok to bring him?”

  Sounding a little less enthusiastic, he says, “Yes, yes of course.”

  After finishing their conversation, Sheri finds Christoff and shares the invitation.

  He responds in a monotone, “A state dinner; how exciting.” Smiling, he adds, “I understand. The Russian government is still dominated by men, and men with vodka inside and a beautiful ear outside….”

  “You’re a smart man, Christoff.”

  He shakes his head. “It took me two wives to figure any of this out.”

  Josh flies back to New York City and goes to the U.N. He’s excited to see Elizabeth but also nervous. He hopes his new position will at least help her understand that others think he’s not paranoid, and give him an opportunity to explain. He’ll have to figure out how to get her alone first.

  As soon as he arrives at her office, he learns she’s in Houston with Turan, shepherding the TELEMED program fix but will be back late that afternoon.

  He turns himself over to Turan’s staff and ends up sitting through 10 hours of briefings with the promise of two more days of the same.

  Although he wishes they could talk faster, he finds that the projects the Global Security is working on are extensive and impressive. The only one that gives him pause is the passport initiative. They’re promoting the voluntary use of RFID chips, similar to the chip surreptitiously injected into his hand. They want to replace passports and even have them carry emergency medical information. The idea isn’t new but in a world where country boundaries are fading, the argument is stronger. It will speed up international travel and make it easier to catch criminals and terrorists on the move. He knows only too well, however, it also makes it easier to track law-abiding citizens.

  As for veto authority over nuclear weapons strikes, it’s a great theory. He has a hard time imagining any nuclear capable country agreeing to it, and an even harder time seeing how it could be enforced.

  During the meetings, he’s introduced to many of Turan’s high-level staff as well as the Deputy Secretary-General. Hassan Batusura, from Indonesia, is a small, nervous man and not particularly friendly, but is supposed to be an exceptional administrator. Josh sees or hears nothing from him or any of Turan’s staff that raises suspicions.

  After the briefings, he gets word that Elizabeth is back from Houston and goes to her office. He knocks on her open door.

  She looks up. Her face is a mask as she says, “What do you want?”

  He’s taken back by the cold response and actually stumbles. “I … umm. We need to talk.”

  “Is it in regards to telemedicine?”

  He frowns. “Uh, no.”

  “Then I’m not sure we have anything to say to each other.” She looks back at her computer monitor.

  He’s so surprised, he doesn’t respond initially. Finally, he takes a step into her office and says, “I’m still your husband! We need to get things straightened out.”

  She looks back at him. “I think you’ve made your choices very clear.”

  “What?! Elizabeth, I know there have been some awkward situations, but I can explain all of it, if you’ll just give me the chance.”

  Still cold as ice, she crosses her arms and says, “I’m listening.”

  He shakes his head and with real frustration says, “I can’t talk about it here!”

  “I don’t have time for t
his. Our program is under a critical time line, and I have to be back in Houston tomorrow. I don’t need distractions.”

  Now he’s mad. “So, I’m just a distraction?!”

  Her eyes flash. “Let me save you some time. I know you were in the Caribbean with Wendy, so let’s not pretend anymore.”

  Again, he’s surprised. “Uh … yes but I can explain.” His hands are tied. Even if there are no nano-drones around, he’s standing in her office doorway where other people can hear.

  “I think you already have. You need to leave now and let me get back to work.”

  “I…” He shakes his head. “Damn it, Elizabeth, you’re being unreasonable.” He points at the giant flower and fruit basket near her desk. “Is it because of those?”

  She closes her eyes for a second. When she opens them, he can see tears, but she maintains steel in her voice as she says, “Just leave. Now.”

  He throws up his hands and opens his mouth but nothing comes out. She won’t even make eye contact. He turns and leaves.

  As soon as Josh is clear of the U.N. and nano-drones, he calls Sheri and explains what happened.

  When he finishes, Sheri says, “Yeah, I can see how that would look to her. Glad I’m not in your shoes.”

  “Sheri, that’s not really helpful.”

  She sighs. “Elizabeth is clearly not of a mindset to let you explain right now and that’s not logical or fair to you.” She takes a deep breath. “Our only chance is to get her alone.”

  “Any ideas?”

  “Yes … Christoff and I are scheduled to fly out of New York to Moscow. Let me see if I can meet with her. I’m sorry, Josh, I know this is causing both of you a lot of pain.”

  “Yeah, and we need to move quickly.”

  “Why?”

  “We need her on the team and … I’m about to be traded in for a better model.”

  48

  ELIZABETH

  That evening, Elizabeth’s phone rings.

  It’s Sheri Lopez. “Hi Elizabeth, how are you doing?”

  “Hi Sheri! I’m doing fine but I’ve been a terrible friend. I’m so sorry about Tim.”

  “You sent beautiful flowers and Josh told me right after it happened that you’d both jump on an airplane and be there anytime.”

  “I know but I should have kept in closer touch.” She sighs. “How are you doing?”

  “I’m doing ok. It helps to reconnect with friends. I’m going to Moscow tomorrow for some research on a new book, but I’ll be flying through New York City and have a few hour layover in the morning. Know it’s short notice but any chance you might be available for an early breakfast?”

  “Absolutely! That will actually work great. I have to fly to Houston tomorrow at noon. Just name the time and place.”

  “I’ll have a driver while I’m there, so I’ll pick you up and we can figure out a place to eat.”

  Dustin leads Judy into a small room. It’s a mockup of a regular drone operation cubicle. She recognizes it from the pictures Tim showed her.

  He brings out a small, flat metal box, opens it and gives her a magnifying glass.

  She looks inside. “Weird. I’ve seen pictures but in real life it looks like the offspring of a mosquito that slept with a Transformer.”

  He laughs. “Ok, sit down in the chair and put on your VR headset.”

  As her headset comes alive, she sees what the nano-drone sees. She sees herself sitting in the chair and Dustin handing her the controller. She immediately tries to bring the nano-drone to a hover with Dustin coaching.

  “Easy with it. A little less power. Ok, keep it away from the wall.”

  The real thing is different from the simulators. It’s both easier and harder. She flies it into a wall.

  He says, “No problem. They’re pretty tough. Just give it a little power and work on hovering.”

  After 10 minutes, he says, “You’ve got it. I’m going to open the door and I want you to take it for a spin around the campus very carefully. There’s a light breeze which you’ll have to accommodate for but these things can handle up to 15 knots.”

  She flies it right outside the room for a few minutes to get used to open spaces and the breeze.

  “The next step is flying patterns, but you’ve got it down pretty well, so I’ll teach you some tactics. Take it up to about 20 feet and pick someone with a yellow bracelet walking across campus.”

  She sees one of her classmates and heads toward him.

  “Good. Now come up behind him. We avoid flying in anyone’s forward vision area. Although, we’re hard to see, we’re not invisible and many nano-drones have been smashed by flyswatters.”

  She flies it behind him.

  “You want to be a little higher, so if they turn around you won’t be in their face and you can see what they’re seeing.”

  She flies it just above and behind his head and keeps it there.

  “Great job tracking. You really are a natural. Ok, now let’s try something a little more advanced. This won’t be easy. You want to try and land on his shoulder near his collar.”

  She makes several passes but with the video pointed straight ahead, it’s difficult to see below and judge distance to landing.

  After several attempts, she finally does it.

  “Congratulations! It usually takes days to master that! It’s like you’ve been flying drones for 20 years.”

  “I feel like I have.” He had no idea of her real age. She asks, “Why do we want to land on someone’s shoulder?”

  “It’s the easiest way to follow them into a building, car, etcetera. There’s a good chance that the suspect will enter an area that will block our signal. Not only can’t we monitor them, we lose control of the drone. The bottom of each drone has a sticky landing gear, kind of like a real insect, and it’ll stay attached even when we lose contact. Then we just wait until we get a signal again and off we go.”

  “Can the drone record while it’s offline?”

  He shakes his head. “We wish. There isn’t enough room in them to record data. They can only transmit what they see and hear.”

  “Why do we park them near the collar?”

  “We tried the hair but people comb it or brush it. People will also brush their shoulder for dandruff, or get patted. By keeping it close to the collar, there’s less chance of being knocked off or seen.”

  After the session, they go to the cafeteria for dinner. Smiling Judy asks, “Would you teach me some more of the advanced tactics in an after-hours session?”

  “We’re really not supposed to do any after-hours training. I don’t want to get us in trouble.”

  “No, I wouldn’t want that but it would be kinda fun … Maverick.” She puts her hand on his arm and adds, “Then maybe you could come over to my place … after?”

  “Well … guess it wouldn’t hurt if we just took one out for a short flight, and you’ll need to know how to operate at night.” He looks around with a conspiratorial smile. “Meet me back at the training building tonight at ten.”

  Judy goes straight back to her place and flies her sports drone so she can text Jen the tactics she learned. When she finishes, she returns to her apartment. She sets the sports drone and VR headset on a table. It’s possible that her apartment is bugged but it’s unlikely she, or any of the drone pilots and hackers, are being regularly monitored. They can’t monitor all the monitors. Eventually, they’d run out of people. On top of that, they have them contained inside the facility and can kill them quickly with an electronic command.

  She disassembles her sports drone. Among drone racers, it’s not uncommon to soup up or trick out the drones. With parts scattered all over the table, she knows that even if she’s being watched, it would be hard to catch her inserting a circuit into her VR headset. The circuit will save whatever the headset sees to a tiny removable memory card.

  The next morning, peeking out her apartment lobby windows, Elizabeth sees a blacked-out limo pull up. She steps outside.

 
The driver, a Sikh with a turban, beard and sunglasses, gets out and opens the car door for her.

  As she slips inside, Sheri hugs her and says, “I know a nice quiet place to eat in the Hamptons overlooking the ocean.”

  “That would be great.”

  “Before we go, is it ok if we get a picture?” Sheri hands her phone to the driver.

  She’s a little surprised but says, “Of course.”

  The driver never takes off his sunglasses but sweeps the phone around the interior as if trying to get it to focus, then takes several pictures. He hands it back to Sheri, closes the glass panel between them, and pulls out.

  Sheri looks intently at the pictures and then, turning to her, says, “Oh, hold still. It looks like you might have a little bug on your right shoulder. Don’t move.” She takes an empty metal coffee thermos, holds it against Elizabeth’s shoulder and gently brushes something into it with a tissue.

  Elizabeth frowns as she watches Sheri cap the thermos and set it in the limo’s cup holder, wondering if the stress of Tim’s death might have something to do with her odd behavior. Not sure if Sheri wants to talk about Tim, she lets her drive the conversation.

  Sheri asks her about her job.

  After several minutes describing her program and the challenges, Sheri nods and says, “Wow. Sounds like you’ve been very busy.” She pauses. “Oh, I ran into Josh recently. Sorry to hear you guys are having some struggles.”

  Elizabeth nods. “I’d rather not talk about that right now.”

  “Why?”

  “Sheri, you have enough on your plate.”

  With a slight smile, she says, “Remember, I am a psychiatrist and I like to help people, particularly, people I love.”