by David Archer
“Because Uncle Sam isn’t stupid enough to cut out the man who keeps saving the world. They might list you as retired on the payroll, but nobody at the top levels of U.S. intelligence is dumb enough to think they won’t need you again.”
Harry chuckled. “Then I guess that’s why I keep getting copies of Ron’s reports,” he said. “Somebody must think my opinion could come in handy, do you think?”
“I do. Now, here’s what we are up against. We now know that we’ve been led on a wild goose chase. While we were focusing on catching the triad leader, we had a plant inside my team who was leading us like puppies on a leash. Every major clue that led to our prime suspect came from Joel Streeter, our liaison with CerebroLink. I’m sure you know he was one of the recipients of the last iteration of a BCI chip, and he gave us some incredible demonstrations of just what he was capable of. He did a fantastic job of convincing us how dangerous it would be for a criminal element to have the newest chip, the one that was stolen, and he led us to a man named Li Chang. Chang was actually an engineer at CerebroLink, one of the people who developed the new chip. Combined with a lot of other little hints Joel dropped, we became convinced that Chang was the infamous and invisible Yue Fei, the triad leader. Even some of the members of the triad believe he was Chang, but we now know that it was Joel using Chang as a front man the whole time. He manipulated our investigation to the point that we handed him everything he needs to accomplish his goals. A couple of hours ago, he steered us toward the location where he said we would capture Chang while he was preparing for surgery that would give him the new chip. In reality, he led us into a situation that allowed him to snatch the surgeon he intends to force into performing the operation.”
“All right,” Harry said. “I’m with you. Do we have any idea where Joel is now?”
“Unfortunately, no. Indie has been watching a video feed with Chang and several medical staff, which we thought was at the location we recently raided. It turns out that was a smokescreen, with only a few triad soldiers there to keep us busy while Joel made off with the doctor. The video feed was being relayed from somewhere else, and she hasn’t been able to determine where.”
“He’s a cocky bastard, then,” Harry said. “That video feed is probably from the real operating room and he’s daring you to track it down. We certainly don’t want to disappoint the man, do we, Sam?”
“No, not a bit,” Sam said sarcastically. “I know Ron is trying to track the video as well, but we need whatever muscle you can provide in the IT world. Can you get us some help on this, Harry?”
“I’ll call Durbin over at the CIA’s dark web operation,” Harry said. “If anyone can trace the kind of thing you’re talking about, it will be his boys and girls. I’ll have him contact you directly if he comes up with anything, Sam.”
“Thanks, Harry.” The line had already gone dead, so Sam looked around at the group with him. He was about to say something more when the cafeteria door burst open, and Denny and Summer burst in.
“All right,” Denny said. “What have we missed?”
“What the hell are you doing here?” Sam asked. “Aren’t you supposed to be resting up? You were both in the hospital a few hours ago.”
“Yeah, well,” Summer said, “that was before Ron called me to ask how Walter was doing. Apparently, he thought we were all still at the hospital together. I called Steve and found out what happened, and he said you were all meeting up back here, so we came. My limp isn’t as bad as yours, and Denny just has a bunch of iodine on his back. We can help, so fill us in.”
“Okay,” Sam said, “have a seat. Any update on Walter?”
Denny nodded. “Steve says he’s got a mild concussion, and they want to keep him overnight. Other than a headache, Steve said he’s acting pretty normal and already corrected the doctor three times. Steve is going to stay with him for the night, but he says to call if you need him.”
Sam grinned. “Sounds like he’s going to be okay, then. All right, here’s what we’ve learned so far…”
The majority of the next half-hour was spent in bringing them up to speed, which elicited a number of sarcastic comments out of Summer.
“I never did really like that kid,” she said. “He always seemed like he was snickering at us behind our backs. I guess maybe he was, after all.”
“He definitely knew how to play us,” Sam said. “We can worry about how we feel about him personally later, because right now, we need to concentrate on finding the son of a bitch. I don’t know what he’s using to force Daphne to perform the surgery, but it will be something she won’t be able to refuse. If he gets that chip in his head, he’s going to be almost invincible. There just wouldn’t be a lot we could do about a man who could nuke a city just to get rid of a few of us.”
“Yeah, no kidding,” Summer said. “Do we have any leads at all?”
Sam shook his head, but it was at that moment that his phone rang. He snatched it off the table and saw that it was Indie calling.
“Babe? What have you got?”
“Do you love me?” she asked, and he grinned despite the frustration he was feeling.
“What kind of question is that?” he asked. “Of course I love you.”
“Well, you might love me even more in a minute. I told Herman the video feed was being relayed, and he started breaking it down into packets and tracking their origins. I don’t have an actual address, yet, but the feed is routed through a server farm somewhere in the area around you. But...”
“Babe, that’s awesome,” Sam said. “Can you get an address, or any lead on the location?”
“Eventually, but that’s not even the good part,” Indie said. “Let me finish, okay? The video is originating out of San Jose, so I’ve been looking at available medical properties there. There are only a few, but none of them are functional, so I started Herman digging into facilities that have recently been purchased or leased, because this Chang doesn’t seem to have any problem spending money, right?”
“You’re right, but we found out it isn’t Chang,” Sam said. “He’s the front man, but the real mastermind seems to be my new buddy Joel Streeter. He knocked Walter out a little while ago and disappeared with Dr. Hu. I’m willing to bet that the video feed you’re actually seeing is from the place where he’s taking her to do the operation.”
Indie was silent for a few seconds. “Then—oh, goodness, Sam, then the chip is for him? I mean, he wouldn’t want his assistant to get the better chip, right?”
“Right on the money. There’s no doubt in my mind that Joel staged this whole thing in order to give himself a major upgrade.”
“Then this information is even more important. There were two medical clinics sold in San Jose in the past four months. One is a small place that specializes in botox and such, but the other is a super-high-tech surgical facility. It’s called Patterson Surgical Partners, and it was actually in operation but on the verge of bankruptcy when controlling interest was bought out by a trust, and suddenly it’s in the black again. I can’t find any names to attach to it, but it’s almost got to be the kind of place Joel would want to use, right? And if he saved the day for Dr. Patterson, I’d imagine he could just about make any demands and get them met.”
“You’re right,” Sam said. “Can you get me an address for the place?”
“I’ll send it right now,” she said. “Love you!”
She was gone before Sam could respond, and suddenly his phone chimed an incoming text message. He looked at it quickly and saw that it was an address, then snatched up his phone again and dialed Harry.
“Sam? Something new?” Harry asked.
“Indie just got a hit,” he said. “The video feed she’s been watching is coming out of San Jose, and she’s pretty sure she tracked it to a place called Patterson Surgical Partners. They were in bankruptcy just a few months ago, but suddenly an investor bought controlling interest and saved their bacon.”
“Give me an address,” Harry said. Sam read it
off to him and he told Sam to hold for a moment.
“Is there any way to confirm that’s where it’s coming from?” Albertson asked while Sam was on hold. “I’ve got friends on the force down there, I can get us backup if there’s reason to believe he’s there.”
“She can’t find anything concrete,” Sam said. “It’s just an awfully big coincidence, when we know Joel needs a surgical operating room. The only other possible place she could find is little more than a facelift outfit, and they wouldn’t be equipped for surgery on this scale. Patterson specializes in high-tech surgeries, and that sounds like exactly what the doctor ordered. And yes, that was an intentional pun. Harry is probably checking with the CIA’s people to see if they can get any kind of confirmation.”
“Sam,” Harry said, returning suddenly, “Durbin is turning his people loose on this, as well. Give him a few minutes to see what they can find and he’ll give you a call. I think it would be better to let you speak to him directly, now, and get me out of the middle.”
“Okay,” Sam said, “and thanks, Harry. If we can lock down where he is, we may be able to capture him before it’s too late.”
“Sam,” Harry said, “this falls under national security. Do not risk letting this man escape. If it is necessary to kill him, I am telling you not to hesitate.”
Sam gritted his teeth. He been forced to kill in the past, but it was something that never sat well with him. “I understand, Harry,” he said. “We’ll do whatever we have to do.”
Harry hung up, and Sam put the phone down on the table once again.
“The CIA is checking Indie’s lead to see if they can confirm it,” he said to the others. “They are supposed to call me shortly and let me know what they find out.”
“What are we waiting for?” Jade asked. “It might be faster for us to just go down there and find out.”
“But if it’s another wild goose chase, that only lets Joel get even further ahead of us. We should know something pretty quickly…”
His phone rang and he answered it instantly.
“Prichard,” he said.
A man’s voice came on the line. “Prichard, this is Jack Durbin. Harry Winslow said you know who I am, so I’ll dispense with introductions. We’ve tracked the video feed that your wife found back to the location she gave you in San Jose, but there are some irregularities in it. The bandwidth tends to waver, the way it would if it’s still coming through even more relays. We haven’t been able to confirm any more, but I needed to let you know it’s possible.”
“I understand,” Sam said. “However, it’s the only lead we’ve got, so we’re going to move on it. Call me if you learn anything else, please.”
“I certainly will, and you do the same. We are not stopping, there are other things connected to this feed that have caught our attention. It’s possible we may have more information for you fairly soon.”
The call ended, and Sam looked at his team. “Let’s do it,” he said, and they all rose from their seats and headed for the door. This time, Pat and Becky were determined to go along.
Once more, Sam’s little convoy hit the interstate. Luckily, Interstate 280 was a direct route to San Jose, and they were moving at almost 10 miles per hour over the speed limit. The navigation app said they should arrive at the clinic in fifty-two minutes.
Inspector Albertson called Sam one time to let him know that the San Jose police department was ready to offer backup. “I had to explain your Homeland Security connections,” he said, “but they know me well enough to take my word for it. They got a staging area set up a quarter-mile from the clinic, at an abandoned food warehouse.”
“Okay,” Sam said. “You take the lead, then, and show us how to get there.”
Albertson moved in front of the line and Sam got on his tail. His speedometer went up by another ten miles per hour once the inspector was in the lead.
They arrived at the warehouse only forty-four minutes after leaving CerebroLink, and Sam was surprised to see three squad cars and a SWAT van waiting for them. They all pulled into the parking lot and Sam was introduced to Lieutenant Merrick, the SWAT commander.
“Mr. Prichard,” Merrick said, “our HQ has reached out to someone who confirms your DHS status, and we’ve been ordered to assist you in any way we can. DHS says you are the agent in charge, so you’re giving the orders.”
“Thank you,” Sam said. He quickly briefed Merrick and his SWAT team, as well as the other officers, on the situation. They were all shown a photograph of Joel Streeter, and Sam asked Merrick to put snipers in position around the building. “Joel cannot be allowed to escape,” he said emphatically. “If he makes any attempt to leave the building, I want your men to take any shot they’ve got. This is a national security emergency, so if it is not possible to take him alive, then we are ordered to shoot to kill.”
Merrick nodded once and turned to his men. “Taylor, I want you, Nestor, and Milligan to find high points as quickly as you can. Cover the most likely exits, and remember what Mr. Prichard had to say. This man cannot be allowed to escape, so make absolutely certain you don’t let that happen.”
The three men nodded and spread out, moving as stealthily as they could between buildings and through alleys. It was almost 15 minutes later when all three reported that they were in position, and Merrick turned to Sam.
“I’ve got a breaching crew with me,” he said. “Subject to your approval, I’d like to take them through the front door. It’s probably not locked at the moment, but I’m sure the area we need to get to will be as secure as they can make it. We’ve got what it takes to blow a door, if necessary.”
“All right,” Sam said. He quickly broke the rest of them up into teams and put two of his people in charge of each one. Denny and Darren would lead one team, Summer and Jade would lead another, and Sam and Albertson took the third. Pat Morgan insisted on going along with Sam’s team, so Becky was left behind with one of the local officers to keep her safe.
Merrick and his breaching crew went with Sam, and they got themselves into position as quickly as they could. Sam was studying the layout of the building, and was surprised to see people walking in and out the front door as if nothing was going on. He watched for a moment from where he and his team were crouching behind some equipment in the lot next door, then turned to Merrick.
“Something feels off,” he said. “Tell everyone to hold for a moment.” He took out his phone and called Indie.
“Sam?”
“Indie, are you still watching that video feed?”
“Yes, I haven’t taken my eyes off it for more than a few seconds at a time. Why?”
“Have you seen any sign of Joel Streeter or a tiny Asian woman?”
“No. Chang is still there, and the doctor and other staff, but nobody new has come in.”
Sam chewed his bottom lip for a moment, thinking hard. “Have you checked all the cameras in the building?”
“Of course, babe,” she said. “I got a split screen set up, so I can see all of them at once. It’s actually looking like business as usual on most of them.”
“Okay,” he said. “Thanks. I just get the feeling that something isn’t right about this, and I don’t want any innocent parties to get hurt.”
He ended the call and looked at Merrick once again. “Keep everybody holding,” he said. “I’m going inside to do a little recon.” He touched Pat on the shoulder and motioned for the retiree to follow him, and the two of them put their weapons in their waistbands, under their suit jackets. They backed off a little bit and then came walking as nonchalantly as possible up the sidewalk toward the clinic.
“I’ve heard a lot about this place,” Sam said to Pat as they walked up the steps toward the front door. He reached out and opened the door, holding it for Pat to step inside. “I understand they do some pretty remarkable things, here.”
The conversation was merely camouflage, of course. “Well, son,” Pat said, “you know how I feel about operations. If they want to
go cutting on me, they’re gonna have to convince me there’s no other option.”
Sam nodded as they walked up to the reception counter. A young woman behind the desk smiled up at them.
“Good afternoon,” she said. “How can we help you today?”
Sam smiled back. “I’m trying to convince my uncle, here,” Sam said, “to go ahead and have an operation his doctor says he needs, but he’s one stubborn old cuss. Is there somebody here we can talk to about it? His doctor says if he wants to get it done right, he might want to come here.”
“Oh, sure,” she said. “Doctor Iversen is here, he’s got a few minutes. Can I get your names?”
“Yeah,” Sam said, “I’m John Davidson, and this is my uncle, Bill Laney.”
“Okay, just have a seat and I’ll get Doctor Iversen to come and talk to you.”
Sam and Pat sat in the chairs near the reception desk, and it was only a moment before a tall, gray-haired man approach them.
“Mr. Laney? I’m Doctor Iversen, I understand you have some questions.”
They shook hands with the doctor, and Pat put on his grumpy old man act. “My doctor says I need to get my prostate out,” he said. “I’ve done read all about that and it doesn’t sound like a very pleasant experience. He said you folks here can do the best job, and my nephew decided to drag me down here to see about it.”
Iversen nodded. “Oh, yes,” he said. “We’ve actually made some great strides in prostate surgery, and we found that there are a lot of times when it doesn’t need to be quite as extensive. What’s the reason for the surgery, can you tell me?”
“Well, yeah,” Pat said. “It’s hard to go pee. I end up standing around for half an hour trying to get everything out, and when I think I’m done, then I gotta go again five minutes later.”
“But you haven’t been diagnosed with prostate cancer?”
“No, just a prostate the size of a grapefruit. Makes it hard to go pee, I can tell you that.”
The doctor smiled. “Actually, I can relate,” he said. “I think you’re not any older than I am. We can go down to my office if you like, to discuss this a little more privately.”