by C. G. Cooper
“I’ll bet if we look back at the video we won’t even see how he got out of those restraints. That guy’s a real pro.”
Cal simply nodded. Just when he thought things might be going their way, it had gotten worse.
“Shit.”
Daniel looked at Cal with serene confidence. “We’ll get Neil back. Don’t worry.” He patted Stokes on the shoulder twice and started walking.
Cal stared back at his friend. For some reason he believed him. There was something in Daniel that inspired trust and calm. He’d talked about it with Trent a couple days before. MSgt Trent, being a much more spiritual man than Cal, thought that Daniel had some kind of God-given gift. He tried explaining it to Cal.
“I knew a preacher when I was a kid. Momma always said he was blessed by Jesus. This dude would walk into crack houses and gang hangouts and somehow come out untouched. He had this calming presence that good people flocked to and that bad people respected and were scared of. It’s hard to explain other than to say that your boy Daniel has the same thing. Have you ever seen the kid get hurt or angry?”
Cal had not. He remembered the story Daniel had told him about his last time in Afghanistan. After the SEAL team they’d accompanied got killed by a large insurgent group, a building collapsed on him and his spotter. His spotter died and Daniel walked away unscathed except for the mental scars. After leaving the Marine Corps and wandering aimlessly through alcohol and bad dreams, Briggs found God. He never talked about it, but you could almost feel the invisible bond the former sniper held with the Almighty.
He looked over at Daniel as they walked back to their house. Briggs walked with an air of confidence that most men wished for. Cal hoped that Daniel’s gift would help them find and rescue their lost friend.
Chapter 13
Teton Village, Jackson Hole, Wyoming
11:34pm, September 27th
It hadn’t been hard to lose his pursuers. Trapper knew the area well, and the dark night further aided his escape. He paused again to catch his breath and listen for sounds of pursuit. Nothing.
The safe house wasn’t far. Just another ten minutes of jogging and he’d be there. Trapper took off down the dirt path. There was a storm looming on the horizon, and it had nothing to do with the weather. The killer’s mind imagined the retribution he’d soon levy against Cal Stokes and his men.
+++
Cal and Daniel returned to the house and awakened the team. Two men were posted to guard their remaining prisoner. They wouldn’t lose this one.
After reviewing the taped interrogation two more times, they agreed that it was very likely that The Ponder Group had at least a base of operations if not a headquarters in the area. The assumption was confirmed minutes later by a call from Todd Dunn.
Cal had a pen and paper out, ready to take notes as he talked to SSI’s security head.
“I’ve confirmed that Ponder registered his corporation in Wyoming. He’s got a P.O. Box listed in the public record along with his attorney’s address. The lawyer’s office is in Wilson, which is just around the corner from Teton Village. I’m still working on locating his physical address.”
“Sure would be nice to have Neil around right now,” Cal noted ruefully.
“Yeah, he would’ve found Ponder in a couple minutes.”
“Any progress on finding out who the leak is?”
“I think we’re getting close. Me and Higgins narrowed it down to five guys in the R&D department. Neil hired them all. Looks like they didn’t get as thorough a check as most new hires do.”
“How did that happen?” Cal was confused about the security lapse by the otherwise overly cautious Dunn.
Dunn exhaled. “I won’t blame it on Neil, but I’ll probably have to have a little talk with him if we get him back.”
“WHEN we get him back,” Cal corrected.
“Right. WHEN we get him back, Neil needs to have a little class on security. We all know he’s prone to seeing the good in people. Looks like this time it’s really coming back to bite him in the ass.”
“That seems a little harsh, Todd.”
“I know it might, but we wouldn’t be in this mess if it weren’t for Neil. Shit, Cal, you know I love him as much as you and Travis do, but Neil really messed up on this one. First he denies the personal security and now we’re finding out that he probably hired a rat. I think it’s time for a little wakeup call for Mr. Patel.”
Cal knew Dunn was right. He could only imagine how bad Neil’s wakeup call was going.
+++
Neil was in the process of learning another lesson at the moment. He’d refused to do the ‘test’ Ponder had demanded. Now, for the third time, Neil was stripped naked and tied to a post outside the compound. The first time had been a warning. The second time lasted longer. This time Neil was sure he was almost hypothermic.
The temperature had to be in the low thirties. To make matters worse, every five minutes Ponder would walk outside with a bucket of cold water and dump it on the shivering Patel. Neil would cower and try to make himself and small as possible. He had no idea how long this time would last.
He kept himself going by thinking about his friends: Cal, Trent and Brian. Neil knew they wouldn’t back down. He’d seen the after effects when they’d finally rescued Cal from the gangster Dante West. His friend came out beaten and bloody but in good spirits and, more importantly, alive.
Neil vaguely remembered MSgt Trent telling him that it was all about toughness and humor in the beginning. First get pissed off, then make it funny. Didn’t Senator McCain say the same thing?
Neil knew that eventually all men broke under torture. He had to hold out as long as possible. The alternative was simply too terrifying to think about. If he used his talents to do what his captor wanted, he knew where it would lead. They were testing him. Patel was simply a tool to be used.
Despite his time with the company, he never truly understood the dangers their elite warriors faced. He’d heard the stories from the sidelines of the action, but being in the thick of it was something else entirely.
The front door of the low building opened and light spilled out into the darkness. Ponder’s form appeared with his now familiar metal bucket.
“You ready to take your test or do you want to take another bath?” Ponder asked.
From his position on the ground Neil thought once more about his friends. What would Trent say? Between chattering teeth he answered. “I thought you’d…never ask. I was getting…hot out…here.”
Ponder walked faster and threw the water right in Neil’s face. It jolted him and took his breath away. Whatever reprieve Neil expected disappeared a second later when Ponder bent down and put his face right in front of Patel’s.
“Now you listen here. I can do this shit all night. You’ll feel like you’re about to die and then we’ll bring you back to life.”
He reached down and grabbed Neil bandaged stump. Neil clenched his teeth as Ponder began to squeeze.
“Come on, you pussy. You know you want to scream. Go ahead, no one can hear you anyway.” Ponder squeezed harder and harder as Neil struggled to stay lucid. Tears streamed down his face as he turned to his aggressor.
“You’re…the….pussy.”
Ponder yelled in his face and followed it up with a quick head butt. Neil crumpled into unconsciousness.
“Shit,” muttered Ponder. He hadn’t meant to knock the kid out. Time was running out and so was his patience. The buyers were hounding him about providing proof that Patel was the real deal. Add the snowstorm blowing in and Ponder was scrambling to keep the transaction together.
He fished out a walkie talkie from his coat pocket. “Come out here and get him.”
Thirty seconds later, the hooded jailer walked out, unlocked Neil from the pole, and picked him up gently.
“Put him back in his cell and warm him up. We’ll try again in the morning,” Ponder ordered.
The jailer nodded and carried his package back into the building
.
Ponder stood outside, marveling at the stars. The view was crystal clear. It would be gone tomorrow when the clouds rolled in. He hoped it wasn’t a sign of things to come. There was too much riding on the sale.
+++
Neil regained consciousness just as he was being laid back down on his cot. He pretended to still be unconscious as the guard covered him with a blanket and left to fetch the large electric heater they used to bring Neil’s body temperature back to normal.
Shivering under the wool blanket, Neil had one more thought as he drifted off into a fitful sleep. I won this round, asshole.
Chapter 14
Camp Spartan, Arrington, TN
12:40am CST, September 28th
Dr. Higgins and Todd Dunn were looking over the files of the five suspects. All five were relatively recent hires. Only one had been at the company for longer than a year. They were similar in that they all had some kind of computer science background. Under Neil Patel’s leadership, SSI’s R&D division had grown quickly over the preceding years. Cyber attacks were becoming more and more frequent around the globe, and Neil wanted to be part of the force fighting it.
The year before, the U.S. military’s new Cyber Command had enlisted SSI’s aid in building a more secure infrastructure. They now had SSI on retainer for future consultation with the caveat that Neil Patel be the lead troubleshooter.
“Do we still have all of these men on the premises?” asked Higgins.
“Yep. I gave the whole division orders to stay close a couple days ago. They’re effectively on lockdown working around the clock.”
“Good. They’re probably nearing exhaustion. That should help our interrogation.”
“What do you want me to do, Doc?” Dunn knew a thing or two about questioning suspects, but he also understood that Dr. Higgins’s skills were on a whole other level. The pudgy professor was the most effective interrogator Dunn had ever witnessed. You don’t get to be the CIA leading expert on interrogation techniques without having a lot of success. Higgins had paid his dues around the globe countless times.
“I’d like for you to be with me for the questioning. Do you think you can play bad cop?”
Dunn offered a rare smile. “No problem, Doc.”
Higgins went back to the files.
“I know I don’t have to tell you this, Doc, but we need to find the leak fast and have time to assess the full extent of the damage. Marge says the federal investigators are coming tomorrow.”
Higgins looked up from his scanning. “Then I guess we better get to work then.”
Dunn shook his head in amusement. Leave it to Higgins to state the obvious.
+++
Thirty minutes later they’d devised their plan. Dunn picked up the office phone and dialed his deputy’s number.
“I need four guards to meet me at the Batcave now. Tell them to come loaded.” The Batcave was what everyone called Patel’s underground research and IT facility. It not only held multiple office suites full of computers, but it also housed a large warehouse area that the teams used to test new technology. As a joke, someone had even plastered a few Batman movie posters on the door leading into the cavernous main room.
He hung up the phone and looked at Higgins. “You ready to go?”
“After you, Todd.”
+++
Five minutes later, Dunn and Higgins linked up with the four-man team waiting at the security desk outside the R&D labs. Each man wore all black combat suits and carried an H&K G36C automatic carbine. The fire team leader nodded to Dunn, who motioned for the men to follow.
The six men walked quickly down the long hallway leading to the entrance of the Batcave. Dunn put his hand on the entry scanner, and a second later the heavy magnetic lock clicked open.
Grabbing the door handle, Dunn turned to the fire-team leader. “Take Dr. Higgins down to the interrogation rooms. Help him setup whatever he needs. I’ll be down in ten minutes.”
SSI kept ‘mock’ interrogation rooms in the depths of its Tennessee campus. Used mostly for training, the rooms were now being utilized for the first time ever on SSI’s own employees. It still shocked Dunn that a breach of this magnitude happened on his watch. He promised himself that it would never happen again.
As the four operators escorted Higgins to the lower level, Dunn headed to the common computing room that most of the geeks occupied after hours. He’d already confirmed with security that the five men he wanted to question were still there.
He walked into the large common room and looked around. Even though he’d never been to the headquarters of Google or Facebook, this is what he imagined it probably looked like. The room was huge and wide open. There were dartboards and a ping-pong table in one corner and a full array of video game systems in another. The center of the space housed modern tables of varying shapes and sizes. Twenty some odd programmers and technicians were scattered around the room engaged in both work and play. Dunn understood the necessity to blow off steam, especially if you spent all hours underground. The guys worked hard and deserved the added amenities.
Scanning the large room, he quickly found the group he was looking for. They were clicking away on mini laptops. Everyone was so engaged that they didn’t even turn as Dunn moved closer. One young man finally looked up. “Can I help you, Mr. Dunn?” The caution was evident in his tone. Todd Dunn was known throughout SSI for his no B.S. attitude. If he came calling, you stood at attention. The rest of the small gaggle took the hint and stopped what they were doing.
“I need to see some of you.” Dunn read off the names. “If you can close up whatever you’re working on and meet me in the next room in five minutes, I’d appreciate it.”
Without another word, Dunn turned around and left the room.
“I wonder what that’s all about,” commented one of the programmers.
No one bothered to answer the statement. The five employees called out by Dunn quickly packed up their gear.
Terrence Zheng tried to hide his discomfort. He’d been one of the five Dunn had requested. Zheng tried to act casual as his nerves rattled inside. The last thing he wanted to do was spend time with Dunn. He’d thought that the FBI investigation would’ve given him the opportunity to leave the campus unnoticed, but there hadn’t been a chance to yet. Not only was his division being worked overtime, it had also been discretely recommended that they all remain on the headquarters’ grounds.
Terrence had to somehow get word to Ponder that they were starting to question employees. Maybe his newest benefactor could get him out of it.
As the five men stepped out in the corridor Zheng spoke up.
“Hey, can you tell Dunn that I’ll be there in a minute? I’ve gotta hit the bathroom. Too many Red Bulls,” Zheng offered embarrassedly.
“You better hurry up,” answered a small Vietnamese named Tony. “I heard the last time someone kept Dunn waiting he made him strip down and do push-ups in the cafeteria cooler.”
Zheng gave Tony an exasperated look as the others laughed. “I’ll be there in a second.”
He walked quickly to the restroom and headed for the nearest stall. Sitting down to relieve himself, Zheng pulled out his cell phone and logged in to the remote email server. He wrote a quick note and left it in the drafts folder. Flushing the toilet, he hoped the entire ordeal would be over soon. He looked forward to a much-needed vacation on a beautiful island.
Episode 2
Chapter 15
Camp Spartan, Arrington, TN
1:25am CST, September 28th
Terrence Zheng left the restroom and joined the others.
“Sorry about that, Mr. Dunn. Figured I should take a piss before we got started,” Zheng offered.
Todd Dunn nodded. “We’re headed downstairs. There’ve been some developments in Neil’s disappearance but we need your help. It shouldn’t take long.”
They all looked at Dunn in confusion. Usually they were allowed to work independently. Initial guidance was given followed by
the occasional check-in. Then again, the current situation was unique. They all knew Neil well as he’d hired each one of them. The overtime they’d logged wasn’t just mandatory, every man had volunteered to stay and work.
Zheng played along because everyone else had. He couldn’t wait to walk out that door and never look back.
Dunn continued, “We’re trying to nail down details so we can find out what happened. I know you’ve probably already answered some of this stuff but me and Doc Higgins wanted to hear it personally.”
Two of the men groaned. What had already looked like a long night just got longer.
Dunn ignored the frustrated sighs, then turned and headed to the stairwell. As he walked, he was already running the interrogation through his mind. He’d already chosen his first target: Terrence Zheng.
+++
The mood went south as soon as they reached their destination. Even though they were used to working in the subterranean facility, this was something else. The main waiting area held stadium seating similar to what you might find in a university or outside an operating room in a teaching hospital. Everything had the sterile feel of a medical facility too. There were no decorations or even the slightest attempt to warm the place up. It was what it was, an interrogation facility.
The seating overlooked ten rooms, each about twelve by twelve with a metal table and two sets of chairs. Although the lighting was comfortable in the gallery, the interrogation rooms looked like they were lit by prison spot lights.
None of the five had ever been to the interrogation pod. There were only a handful of SSI employees that had the security access to come this far underground.