“Ha! Told you she was law enforcement, Rand!” he crowed. “You owe me fifty bucks! Look at you trussed up like a Christmas turkey! So much for your fancy MI6 training. Ha!” He turned his grin on me. “Girlie, as soon as he pays up, I’m giving his fifty bucks to you to pay for the entertainment. That was the funniest thing I ever saw.”
“Shut it, you old wanker,” Orion/Rand snapped. He eyed me over his shoulder and wiggled his hands in their bindings. “If you please?”
“Sorry,” I mumbled, and cut the ties.
“What happened to your shirt, Rand?” Skidmark was in full cry again. “You cut off your sleeve to use for a diaper when you shit your pants? Or is that a nappy like you Limeys say?”
“Now, Skidmark, dear,” Moonbeam remonstrated gently. “That’s really not fair. Storm Cloud Dancer is obviously not run-of-the-mill law enforcement.” She turned her luminous smile on me. “Are you, dear?”
“You saw the whole thing? Explain!” I tried to sound authoritative but it came out more like a plea.
“Yes, we have surveillance cameras on the bridge and at intervals along the road inside the commune. Won’t you sit down, dear? We’ll tell you all about it.” She indicated a desk chair.
“Uh… no… thanks, I’d rather stand,” I lied, and leaned against the wall as close to the door as possible. “I have less than five minutes before my check-in, so let’s make this quick.”
“She told Helmand where the door was,” Orion interrupted. “We need to do damage control. I’ll start.” He turned to me and extended his hand. “Ian Rand. MI6. Five Eyes,” he added as if that should mean something to me.
I shook his hand warily. “Okay…?”
Karma’s laugh boomed out. “Remember, Rand, she’s just a bookkeeper.”
“Oh, yes, that’s very funny,” Orion griped. “Ha, ha.” Then he apparently recognized my genuinely blank expression. He frowned. “MI6,” he said slowly. “The British Secret Intelligence Service…?”
“Yeah, I got that part,” I agreed. “I watch James Bond movies.”
He winced.
“Sorry,” I added. “I just didn’t get the four-eyes part.”
“Five Eyes. The international intelligence alliance.”
Obviously I still looked as confused as I truly was.
“The U.K., Canada, the United States, Australia, and New Zealand,” he enunciated slowly. “Working together to monitor and neutralize terrorist activities.”
My shock was wearing off, rapidly turning to fury. Dammit, had Stemp been jerking me around for the last four months? Surely he’d know about any joint operations like this. And he sure as hell should know that his parents…
My mind reeled.
His parents were agents. Fuck me.
“Why the hell didn’t I know about this?” I demanded.
“I’m sure I don’t know,” Orion said, his accent sounding slightly snooty. “Five Eyes has been active since World War II, and has been widely known to the public since the late 1990s.”
I shot him a glare. “I should have left the fucking gag on you. I meant… this!” I jerked a hand at the electronic equipment that surrounded us. “Why the hell wasn’t I briefed?”
“Perhaps your security clearance…” Moonbeam began tactfully, then stopped, maybe reading something in my face. Or maybe in my goddamn aura.
“Oh,” she said. “You have a very, very high security clearance, don’t you, dear?”
I didn’t reply to that, mostly because I didn’t know how to without revealing much more than I wanted them to know.
“Well, that explains a few things,” Karma said. “Your lovers came up in our system immediately; Kane’s cover as a police officer and occasional petroleum consultant, and Helmand’s as a retired army corporal turned private investigator. Then Rand dug into the classified records and discovered Kane’s credentials as an undercover agent and Helmand’s Special Forces weapons expertise. But no matter where we searched, all we found on you was Aydan Kelly, a.k.a. Arlene Widdenback and Arlene Cherry; bookkeeper, fraud artist, and part-time internet porn star.”
It was my turn to wince.
“So we speculated.” Moonbeam took up the story. “Cosmic River Stone would have told us if he’d known about your, er… line of work…”
Wait, they were agents but they didn’t know their son was the director of clandestine operations in Alberta?
I dragged my attention back to Moonbeam’s narrative.
“…when you arrived so obviously traumatized, we first assumed you had been a victim of some violent crime…”
“They assumed that,” Skidmark butted in. “I said if you’d been mugged or raped you wouldn’t be wandering around in the woods alone at night.”
“How did you know about that?” I demanded. “Nobody ever…” My voice faded as Karma pointed to a large video screen displaying a map of the commune. It was peppered with small dots, evenly distributed in the area of the encampment. A few dots moved slowly, scattered in the vicinity of the main building and latrines.
The dots looked a lot like the one on the tracker in my pocket.
“You’ve tagged everybody.” I stared at the screen. Sure enough, five dots were clustered at the garage. Right where we stood. Goddammit, now I knew why my tracker had shown Orion at the garage all day but I couldn’t find him.
“The bracelets.” I barely squelched the urge to shout. “You’ve tagged the fucking Earth Spirit bracelets. ‘The protection of the Earth Spirit’, my ass!”
A phone vibrated in my pocket.
“I have to get this,” I said. “I’ve missed my check-in.”
“You can’t tell them about any of this,” Moonbeam said urgently. “You mustn’t blow our covers. Please!”
I stared at her for a moment, my mind spinning. Then I punched the Talk button.
“I’m here. I’m fine. Sorry I missed the check-in,” I said.
“What’s happenin’?” Hellhound demanded.
“I’ve found Moonbeam and Karma…”
Moonbeam shook her head, giving me an imploring look.
“They’re fine,” I added. “And Orion is cooperating. I’m questioning him now.”
A moment of silence hovered on the line before Hellhound spoke. “Ya want help with the cleanup when you’re done?”
“No cleanup this time,” I assured him. I threw out the first idea that occurred to me. “Orion didn’t want to kidnap Moonbeam and Karma but the renters forced him. He led me right to where they were being held and I’m figuring out what to do next. I’ll call you when I have the whole picture.” I changed the subject. “What’s new on your end? Have you had a chance to try disabling those charges on the bridge?”
A sudden movement made me look up. Everyone wore expressions of chagrin. Moonbeam shook her head violently and Karma drew a vigorous finger across his throat.
Hellhound replied, “Nah, but now that I know you’re okay I’ll go check-”
“Uh, hold off on that for now,” I interrupted. The almost-palpable relief in the room indicated I’d said the right thing. “I, um… I don’t want you to get close to them until we know what the renters are up to. If they decide to blow them while you’re down there…”
“They can’t blow ‘em if I disable ‘em,” Hellhound argued.
“I know, but I don’t want to take a chance while those trucks are over there,” I countered with no logic whatsoever. When he began to demur, I spoke over him. “Sorry, Arnie, it’s…”
I nearly blurted out ‘Stemp’s orders’, which would not only have been a lie but also would have outed Stemp to his parents if they didn’t actually know what he did.
“…just a gut feeling,” I finished instead. “Let me finish questioning Orion first.”
“Okay, darlin’. I’ll tell Kane. Check in again in ten minutes.”
“Okay.”
I hung up and glowered around the room. “Spill it. All of it.”
Everyone began to speak, but Karma�
�s deep bass won out. “The three of us…” He gestured to himself, Moonbeam, and Skidmark. “…began this commune in 1968, looking for…” He glanced at Moonbeam, and I got the distinct impression he was editing the story already. “…a peaceful retreat,” he finished.
I did the math. That was the year Stemp had been born.
“We were joined by several like-minded people, and the commune has grown modestly in the decades since then,” he continued. “The three of us had…” he hesitated again, choosing his words carefully. “…played various covert roles for the allies in Vietnam around the time the conflict with the United States was escalating. But even though we retired to civilian life and sought peace and solitude, we couldn’t turn our backs on our obligation to our countries.”
“They’re Canadian; I’m American,” Skidmark interjected.
“The rented land has served various groups over the past decades,” Karma continued as though Skidmark hadn’t spoken. “Due to its isolated nature it has been attractive to militia groups and occasionally to home-grown terrorists. When we discovered the first terrorist training camp decades ago, we reported it through our old intelligence contacts. We were instructed to continue our surveillance role.”
Well, shit. That explained why Skidmark wasn’t getting a veteran’s pension. He wasn’t retired.
Karma was still speaking. “…so far we have foiled three separate terrorist groups over the years. The current renters are the fourth.”
“They’re terrorists?” Adrenaline surged into my veins. “Shit!”
“Yes, and I need to be back over there in twenty minutes,” Orion said. “This is big, Aydan. They’re part of a group of terrorist cells who have been organizing across Canada, and they’re planning a synchronized strike on all the provincial legislative buildings. Mesker, their leader, described the plan but he never disclosed a date, so we didn’t know until an hour ago that they planned to strike tomorrow at ten AM Pacific.”
Skidmark added, “But we guessed it’d be pretty soon when their arms shipment came in a couple of days ago.”
“They’re planning to take over the parliament buildings with replica guns and bayonets?” I asked.
“No.” Orion frowned. “They have operational M4 carbines. They smuggled them in from the States across the Strait of Juan de Fuca a couple of days ago. The replicas were just for drills until they got the real weapons. They did their live-fire exercise last night during the fireworks.”
My heart lurched into my throat to vibrate there. Thirty wacko terrorists with assault rifles and bayonets. Jesus Christ.
Orion turned to Moonbeam and Karma. “I’ll tell them you’re dead and there’s nothing to hinder them pulling out tonight.”
“Good,” Moonbeam agreed. “JTF2 reports that their roadblock is in place and surrounded by ground troops. All you have to do is get the terrorists clear of the commune.”
Orion turned to me with a slightly condescending smile. “I presume you’re familiar with JTF2? The Special Forces counter-terrorism troops?”
“Yeah.” I held my face expressionless. “I’ve worked with them a few times.”
“Oh.” He had the grace to look slightly sheepish. “Sorry.” His expression faded into concern. “One more thing,” he said. “All the terrorists are dangerous since they view the commune members as depraved sinners worthy of death, but Ratboy has a real vendetta against you. He’s been bragging about how he’ll make you pay, and I think he was on his way to look for you. You should probably stay here in the control room until we’re clear of the commune.”
“That little prick,” I muttered. “I’d like to see him try.”
Skidmark wheezed laughter. “Girlie, I’d pay good money to watch you take him apart. But you’re gonna have to let this one go.” He winked. “You wouldn’t want to blow your cover.”
“Yeah,” I grumbled.
“I’m running out of time,” Orion interrupted. “But before I leave, I need to know: How did you knock me out?”
I eyed him. If he didn’t know, it meant he wasn’t familiar with our classified weapons. Probably not up to me to enlighten him.
“Vulcan neck pinch,” I said.
“Oh, very funny.” His brow furrowed. “So, a new classified weapon, then. I don’t suppose you’d fancy lending it to me for the evening?”
“Sorry, I can’t.”
“Pity.” He shrugged off his dismembered shirt with a resigned arch of his eyebrow before pulling his jacket on again over his T-shirt. He gave me a pointed look. “Perhaps you could inform your team I’ll be returning to the renters’ side. This mission has been jeopardized enough. And I’d like my gear back, please.”
“Hang on…” I rummaged through my backpack handing him bits and pieces. My stomach roiled at the thought of how bad this could have been. Hell, might still be. I passed over the last knife and added, “I’ll call them right away. And I’m really sorry.”
Orion finished stowing the last of his equipment and his smile came back, transforming him from a grim-faced agent to the carefree hippy I’d thought he was. “It’s all right. I likely would have done the same under the circumstances.” He eased his weight cautiously from one leg to the other. “I’ll have some interesting bruises tomorrow, if I live the night.”
Skidmark snickered, and Orion shot him a narrow-eyed look before returning his attention to me. “Just so you know, I would have made a better show of resisting if I hadn’t been so pressed for time tonight.” His mouth hardened. “And if I hadn’t believed you were law enforcement, you wouldn’t be standing here.”
“Big words,” Skidmark needled. “She had you, Rand. You weren’t going to get out of it.”
Orion shrugged. “Maybe, maybe not. But even if I couldn’t, it wouldn’t have mattered.” His expression was grim again, his beautiful eyes hard as emeralds. “I wouldn’t have broken. No matter what you did.”
I swallowed. “I don’t doubt that. I’m really glad it worked out this way.”
“Me, too.” Orion’s face softened into a smile and he gave us a jaunty salute. “Well, I’m off. Cheers, all. See you on the other side.”
As he vanished out the door I pulled out both my phones and pressed the speed dials. Hellhound and Kane answered simultaneously, and I rattled off, “The renters are terrorists, and they’re planning a strike on the parliament buildings in Victoria tomorrow morning at ten AM. They’re fully armed with real M4 carbines and live ammo. Orion is going back to the renters’ side as a mole. Don’t interfere with him, and don’t engage the renters. We just want them clear of the commune. JTF2 has a roadblock set up to stop them down the road.”
Their exclamations assaulted my ears in stereo, and I tried to reassure them without giving away any secrets. “We can trust Orion not to sell us out.” I drew a deep breath and spoke over their continuing objections. “Yes, I’m sure… Look, my op; my orders. I can’t tell you more now; I have to get back to Moonbeam and Karma. I’ll call you as soon as I have them settled.”
I clicked off both the phones and turned back to my deceptively-smiling hippies. “Why are we leaving the explosives on the bridge?”
“Those are mine, dear,” Moonbeam said with a hint of pride. “Any time we feel one of the groups might be a threat I rig the bridge so we can contain them in an emergency if necessary.”
I eyed the flowing rainbow-coloured caftan that disguised a ruthless professional agent. “So the Earth Spirit is bullshit,” I said.
“Oh, my dear.” Moonbeam gave me a sorrowing look. “The Earth Spirit is as real as-”
“It’s bullshit,” Skidmark interrupted. “The only reason we feed it to the members is so we can run the evacuation drills. Every man, woman, and child is conditioned to go to the muster point and follow their leaders immediately and without question as soon as the bells ring. If we have to get them out fast, there’s room for four cargo choppers to land in the field, one for each group.”
I stared at him, my jaw slowly dropping. �
�That’s… fucking brilliant. And the fireworks simulate live fire so nobody will be alarmed if they hear it. And the lights and sound generators in the field simulate the helicopters…” The penny dropped. “So you only set off fireworks when you think there’s an imminent threat of gunfire from the renters. And the lower walls of the main building are bulletproof. As long as everybody’s lying down meditating, they’re safe.”
Three smug smiles greeted my deduction.
“So Aurora and Zen and the other leaders…” I began, still struggling to catch up.
“Just as brainwashed as the rest of ‘em,” Skidmark said, earning a reproving look from Moonbeam. “They think the Spirit talks to them through a series of tones the crystal makes. Each tone corresponds to an evacuation route. That way we can guide them via the safest route from the control centre here.”
“Shit.” I tottered over to a chair and sat down after all. “So why can’t I tell John and Arnie about this? They have really high security clearances.”
“You mustn’t!” Moonbeam shot a look of alarm at Karma before returning her wide-eyed gaze to me. “Our cover is too deep. The only reason we revealed ourselves to you at all was to save Orion Moonjava.”
Skidmark tilted his chair back, grinning. “If it was only Rand’s balls on the line we wouldn’t have bothered, but we needed him to be able to walk for the op tonight.”
“Skidmark!” Moonbeam frowned at him before turning back to me. “Of course we wouldn’t have let you harm him. But if we hadn’t been reasonably certain you were a covert agent yourself, we would have found another way to stop you.”
“But if you’re working with Five Eyes, John and Arnie could find out about you anyway,” I argued. “They’ve got the clearances, so why-”
“We’re not,” Skidmark interrupted.
“What do you mean, you’re not?”
“Five Eyes doesn’t know we exist,” Karma explained. “Nobody does, except one person in one small department of the B.C. government. We get cast-off equipment from other intelligence operations so there’s no paper trail of resources to us. If we report a possible threat it gets filtered through that one person and leaked ‘accidentally’…” He made air quotes around the word. “…so the Five Eyes analysts think they’ve found it themselves.”
Spy High Page 27