VirtuaScape

by Kelvin Kelley

The quad made the rest of the trip without incident, but Grace was relieved when the craft finally settled gently on the roof top of the hotel. She thanked the Pilot, but Connor rushed her away before she could get her name. She looked like a Rebecca, she thought. Probably Becky to her friends, and Beck to her fellow Pilots. Grace would never know. Connor escorted her to the same suite she and Mason had shared the last time they were here. The night of the first debate. But this time Mason had his own suite, and she was relieved she did not have to face him. With the polls so close, and only two nights left, he was in constant preparation for the final debate. Once again the debate would be held via hologram, for the safety of both candidates. Bazir had evidently not left his secure location since he had arrived there weeks ago.

  Upon their arrival, she checked the news feeds anxiously, but still no indication could be found that her message had been received, or more importantly, believed. If the media outlets would not publish the information, then the public would not know of the atrocities that lay only a matter of days in the future. She thought that maybe she should resend the message, but send it from her own account. And follow up with the major outlets to confirm the authenticity of the information. But every time she did, she thought of Sarah, and of little Bradlie. She knew how hard this was going to be for all of them to accept and overcome, but if they found out that it was she who leaked the information, they may never forgive her. They loved him. Sarah had always admired and looked up to her Dad. And little Bradlie thought he was the greatest person on Earth, aside from her Grandma. This was going to break her heart. The next morning as she waited for Connor to arrive, and then the teams that would make her presentable to the nation before her slew of interviews scheduled throughout the day, she pondered if she could do it. Sending the message anonymously had been easy, once she realized the depth of depravity the plan contained. Stopping it from happening was not the question. How to do it and still protect her family, or at least keep them together had become her focus. A knock came at the door. Connor opened the door and entered the room.

  “Morning, mam.” He said as he glanced around the familiar hotel room. “Looks the same as last time.”

  “Except this time I didn’t try to shoot you.”

  “And I appreciate that, mam. There are better ways to begin your day than getting shot at, I assure you.” He smiled. She did not. “You okay?” He asked.

  “No. I mean physically, yes. Emotionally, no.”

  “You’ve got a busy day.”

  “I know.” She stepped closer to him. “Connor?”

  “Mam?”

  “There is still nothing from my messages.”

  “I know, mam. I was up half the night checking. Even the obscure outlets that you sent it to are completely quiet. The only thing any of them are reporting on about the election is the debate.”

  “I know. Look...” She paused. “I think I have to tell them. You know, tell them myself. Not anonymously.” He looked into her eyes for a moment, contemplating her sincerity.

  “I think you may be right. I reached out to my boss last night-”

  “You what?” She said in sudden desperation. “You told me you wouldn’t!”

  “Calm down, Grace. I didn’t tell him anything.”

  “Then what did you say?”

  “Nothing, really. I just asked a question. What if, I said, hypothetically, some information came to light that would paint one of the candidates in a negative light.” Even as he spoke she realized that she felt a little bit relieved that this may be a way to stop Mason, without anyone knowing that she was the source of the information.

  “Okay.” She said, obviously relieved, but still concerned. “That’s pretty vague. And what did he say?”

  “Keep a lid on it.”

  “Keep a lid...you’re kidding right?”

  “No, mam. He said, politics is not our game, Agent Sloan. You keep them alive and well, and don’t you dare get involved in any mud slinging or I will put your neck in a vice, and snap that spine of yours right in half. Quote, end quote.”

  “Not much left to interpret there.”

  “No, mam. Pretty cut and dried.”

  “So what about any of the other law enforcement agencies? There has to be some one we can go to.” Now that the idea of involving law enforcement, without having to directly take responsibility for the leaked information had entered the conversation, she began to feel that it may be the best solution. At least this way Sarah, and Bradlie would not know it had been her that had taken down Mason.

  “I don’t think so, mam. The work has already started at the abandoned bases. The primary national and local law enforcement agencies are already involved at that stage. Granted, most of the grunts on the ground have no idea what the overall plan may be, but we have no idea how far up the involvement may go.”

  “What if we chanced it?”

  “That’s what it would be...a chance. Or more like a gamble. If anyone in the upper levels gets wind of it, they would likely issue a kill order.”

  “On Mason?”

  “Uh...no, mam. On you.” He said sternly.

  “Me?” She gasped. Suddenly the enormity of her position slammed home. She was not just facing having her family broken up, but she was facing her own possible death. Suddenly she flashed back to the voicemail message that Teresa had left Mason. There had been the indication that he was going to make some move to get rid of her. Dear Lord, she thought, I really am in danger, and not just from him. “What if I make an announcement?”

  “Announcement? How?”

  “Today. I’ve got these ten interviews. I could just spill the beans today.”

  “Not a good idea, mam.”

  “Why not? We’ve got to get the word out, and the longer we wait the more likely something will happen to make it impossible to do so.”

  “Happen...like what?”

  “It’s Mason.” She turned away from him. “I think he intends to hurt me.”

  “I won’t let that happen, mam.”

  “But you can’t control it, Connor. He could have you reassigned, and then where does that leave me.”

  “What makes you think he will hurt you? I mean if he doesn’t know that you know his plans.”

  “He has a mistress.” She turned from him, her eyes full of tears that she refused to shed.

  “I see.”

  “I over heard something A voicemail he had deleted.”

  “What did it say?”

  “It was from, her! She was agreeing with him that something needed to be done about me, but she did not want to know the details.” She turned back to him. A single tear ran down her cheek. “They are planning on getting rid of me.”

  “Getting rid of you? How?”

  “I don’t know.” She broke down, as the tears overcame her. He stepped to her and held her.

  “Shh.” He said, as he gently comforted her. She sucked in her anguish and pushed back the pain. She looked up at him.

  “I don’t know what to do.”

  Well,” he began, “I don’t think breaking this today, in the interviews is a good idea. Even if it were to get the info out there, he will know beyond a shadow of a doubt that it was you.” He looked down at the ground for a second. “Grace?”

  “Yes?”

  “In that situation...I don’t think I could protect you.” He said, sadly.

  “But you would be here.”

  “Maybe. But they could pull me off of your detail, with one message. Then where would you be.”

  “No. They can’t! They can’t do that!”

  “They could, Grace. I can protect you without fail, as long as my boss allows me to keep this assignment. Even from Mason. But if my boss pulls the plug, I’ll have no choice but to go where I am told.”

  “You could quit.”

  “And for you, I would. But that does not mean that I could still look after you. There is no way they would let me protect you when another agent had been assigned.”


  “I’ll tell them you are my private security.”

  “And Mr. Alexander will tell them differently. Grace, look, I know how important this is, believe me, and I applaud your strength. But if I thought there was any way to reveal this today, and to keep you safe, I would say go for it. But, Grace...it just cannot be done. Once you let the cat out of the bag, it’s over. We have to make sure that I can protect you from that moment on, without any chance that Mason can interfere. It can not be today.”

  Chapter 27