by Needles, Dan
36
Sunday, June 14, 2020
For the second time that morning, Ed Davis’ shoulder bothered him. He felt it even in VR. It had started when he arrived in Hong Kong, and staying on Pacific Standard Time had not helped.
His trip was a short one—only five days. It made no sense to alter his schedule. Besides, he worked in VR almost the whole time anyway, occasionally jumping out to change planes and participate in a few interviews with local officials. Why should he convert to Hong Kong time?
Ed sighed. He took his job too seriously, working nights and weekends, and for what? The departments under him hated I2 Corp, the newly created fifth branch of the military.
Ed had his own doubts. Still, the plan did solve two problems. Fiscally, the consolidation of the twelve existing intelligence agencies into one conglomerate saved billions of dollars. Strategically, I2 Corp filled the informational warfare void in the Department of Defense.
Before, the DoD was setup for only physical confrontations—Army for land, Navy for sea, Air Force for sky and space, and Marines for miscellaneous; but there had been no provision for Information Warfare—battles online or in VR. The I2 Corp filled that void.
Yet, the change was radical and politically shaky. Every affected agency fought him on this. He wasn’t sure if the President could make it stick. Ed rubbed his brow. The stress was unimaginable. If he were not careful, this new appointment would kill him.
Ed ran a hand across his graying goatee. He was only fifty-two. If he were not dead by the end of this year, he would retire. His body felt old and broken. Government service had long since sucked the life out of him. Now it gnawed on his dry bones.
He remembered when he was younger, before the gray streaks appeared in his hair and the lines of stress had permanently scared his face. He had entered the military full of integrity, ambition, and hope for the future, but as he climbed the military hierarchy, he quickly outgrew his naiveté.
He learned the ropes and adapted to his new political environment. Ed traded his integrity for political savvy, his ambition for ambivalence, and his hope for the party line. Today he lived his reward as the Assistant Secretary of Defense, the leader of the Information and Intelligence Corp.
Ed looked around the hexagon room. Virtual copies of accolades he had collected over the years broke up the room’s dark, dithered walls. It did not matter where Ed went. This was his home away from home. Ed shook his head at the irony.
Everyday this week he had flown to some new and exotic place. Even now, his body was in a helicopter heading toward the second Warscape on U.S.S. Abraham Lincoln in the South China Sea. Yet, regardless of where he flew, he always spent his days cooped up in here, in his virtual office. Maybe that was the problem, the reason he was so melancholy.
Use your head old man, Ed told himself. If you can’t enjoy the exotic places you’re visiting in reality, then bring the exotic places to yourself!
“Computer, open the windows to Seven Waterfalls.”
Four sides of the hexagon room dissolved into window views from the side of a mountain, overlooking a sweltering tropical valley. Across the valley, a crimson cliff resonated in the sun, showing complex strata, consisting of layers and layers of sedimentary rock. The wall of rock did not conform to a straight line as it ran across the valley. Instead, it meandered westward, occasionally turning sharply north or south for a hundred feet before continuing west, making a slow progression toward the horizon. This created twenty or so facets. From seven of these, waterfalls plummeted toward the valley floor, disappearing into the rainforest’s canopy.
Out of all the office backdrops on the market, this was Ed’s favorite. He smiled. Ed got up and paced in front of the windows, rubbing his chin. After a few minutes, he sat back down, feeling a little better, even perhaps invigorated.
Ed called up his calendar. “Computer, who’s my next appointment?”
“Jamie Hwang, a reporter.”
Ed smiled. How could I forget Allison’s feisty mother! He remembered the interview he had with her earlier in the week. He checked the time: 4 a.m. That made it 8 a.m. in California.
“Computer, did she say what it was about?”
“No.”
Great, just great! If it were good news, she would have mentioned it to guarantee a foot in the door. She probably was still sore about Allison gutting her piece. But all was fair in love and war, especially with the way she had grilled him.
He thought about blowing her off, but his job was to sell the President’s plan, court the media, and taint the press coverage with his spin. Through them, Ed would cajole congress into voting the bills and initiatives required to make I2 Corp a success.
“Show her in.”
Ed painted on a smile as Jamie entered the room. He stood and extended his hand.
“Jamie! It’s good to see you again and so soon! To what do I owe the honor?”
She politely shook his hand. “I’m doing a story on the Nexus and how it has changed the virtual landscape.”
A red flag went up in his head. “So why are you talking to me? Why don’t you talk to the folks over at Nexus?” He sat down and Jamie sat in the chair opposite.
“Well, I wanted to map the history of the Nexus, from its conception to its approval, to its eventual release. Obviously, one of the agencies under you, DARPA, played a pivotal role by reviewing and approving this product for the Internet. They say you actually took a personal interest in that project. Is that true?”
“I know what Allison said. I’m rather busy, so if you could get to the point. What is it that you need me to do?”
“Is there any way I can talk to someone else at DARPA who worked on this project?”
Ed thought for a moment before shaking his head. “I’m afraid that I disbanded the group some time ago. All its members have been reassigned to other projects. I cannot afford right now to pull anyone from the field. I can offer you the final report created after the Nexus Transporter’s approval.”
“You know Allison already gave me that.”
“I’m sorry, but that’s all I can offer you right now,” Ed said, hiding behind his smile.
“So you’re telling me every single person that was on that team is not available?”
“That’s right.”
“I just need one hour with just one of them.”
“That’s one hour more than I can give you right now.”
“I’m asking this as a favor, Ed.”
“Jamie, I’m sorry. Remember, we’re a public company, not a private one. Funding was cut last year during the Department of Defense consolidation. I simply don’t have the extra manpower … I mean people power.”
“Then consider it an investment in public relations. This could be good publicity for you,” she said.
Ed gave her an incredulous look. “Really?”
“I mean, it would look a lot worse if I had to say that you had no comment.”
“About what?”
“About the deaths surrounding the Nexus.”
Ed laughed. She couldn’t be serious! He was surprised she used such a weak ploy. “Jamie you never change! I suppose you can give me their names, too?”
“Of course. Camille Anderson, Shannon Pierce, Skip Harvey, Brooke Donovan, and Mike Burns.”
Ed stopped laughing. She was serious. What had Allison done? The Nexus project was hers. She had assured him that everything was fine.
“Either way your name is going into the article,” Jamie pushed.
Her words jolted Ed from his thoughts. He did not tolerate personal threats coming from anyone, even his dead friend’s widow. He stood.
“Thank you for coming, Ms. Hwang, but I’m going to have to ask you to leave. I’m late for my next appointment.”
Behind her a portal opened up, the same one she walked through to get there. She stood, not saying anything.
Ed could almost see her mind whirling, trying to salvage the situation, searching for something in t
heir personal relationship; but this was business.
“Goodbye, Ms. Hwang,” Ed said, turning to view the scenery once more.
Getting up, she sighed. “If you change your mind, you have three days before I run the report.”
Ed remained silent.
She stepped through the portal. It closed behind her.
He rubbed his brow. If what she said were true, the President’s plan was dead. There was no way it, and for that matter Ed, could survive. She was probably bluffing, but he would check into her story anyway. Either way Allison had better have a good explanation for this.
His mind drifted back to when he had visited Allison’s father after her birth. His friend was so proud as he bounced little Allison on his knee. They had both laughed when she spat up all over Ed’s uniform. Things had changed.
The smile that had crept across his face faded as he came back to the present. Allison had lied to him. He had promised he would take care of her. Now, he would have to break that promise. She had given him no choice. He was so angry with her.
Three days. Ed glanced at the time and paged Allison and Vinnie. The helicopter would be landing soon and he would meet with the Admiral. He would have to resolve this situation before then.
37
Allison approached the front door of Steve’s house. Why hadn’t he called her? She had paged him all night. The door rocked idly on its hinges. Dread filled her as she saw the splintered wood. Someone had busted the door in. Syzygy!
Withdrawing her gun, she edged the door open a crack and peeked inside. Light from a window above the door illuminated the dark hall. No movement. Waiting silently on the threshold, she listened. Nothing.
She nudged the door open, slipped inside, and inched her way down the hall. Brooke’s bedroom door was wide open. She peeked around the corner and glanced inside—unmade bed, open closet, dresser with one drawer slightly ajar. She dropped to a knee and scanned under the bed and dresser. Nothing.
She continued down the hall. A sound came from Steve’s office. She peaked in. Cleared Desk, trampled papers, broken scanner on the ground—all signs of struggle.
She heard something from the kitchen. Cocking her head, she listened as the glass door opened and closed. She stood and crept down the hall to the entrance of the kitchen. She placed her back against the wall. She took a deep breath. One, two, three. Allison whipped around the corner and leveled her gun.
Steve had just returned from a run. His heart was already pounding in his ears when he looked first at the gun and then into Allison’s eyes. “What the hell?”
Allison hastily holstered her gun and glanced around the kitchen. “Someone broke down the front door and trashed your office.”
Her words took a while to register. Lifting his sweatshirt, he wiped the sweat from his brow and off his face. He leaned back against the counter and took a deep breath.
“It happened yesterday … when they tried to save Brooke.” In his mind’s eye he saw Brooke on the desk again, the fireman leaning over her, a long tube stuck down her throat, as they poured drugs into her.
“Oh, I’m so sorry. I tried to call you last night. Why didn’t you answer my pages?”
Looking at the ground, he remembered the night in Allison’s hotel room. He had needed her last night too, but he could not trust her. “Too much has happened. My wife died last year, now my daughter. Everyone important to me is dead.”
“Not everyone,” she whispered under her breath, stepping toward him.
He smelled her sweet perfume. It made his stomach turn when he thought of Brooke. He pushed her back. “Don’t.”
“What’s wrong?”
“What’s wrong? I lost my daughter because of some bullshit political game of yours!” Turning, he pulled down a glass from the cupboard.
“What are you talking about?”
“They told me you run DARPA, that you could’ve initiated a recall at anytime. Is that true?”
She stared down, searching for words between the lines of the oak wood beneath her feet. His heart sank.
“Just what I thought. I think you should leave.” Opening the fridge, he grabbed a bottle of V8 juice.
“Please don’t jump to conclusions. This case is extremely complex. There are powers at work, extenuating circumstances. You don’t understand!”
A cold anger flowed around his heart, causing his hand to shake. Setting down the juice, he pierced her with an angry stare. “Allison, Brooke was not an extenuating circumstance.”
She winced. Her gaze told him that he had hurt her.
“Nothing, and I mean nothing, excuses Brooke’s death or anyone else’s.” He looked down and shook his head. “It makes me sick that you are involved in this!”
“I was trapped. I couldn’t do anything until now. I … I know it won’t bring Brooke back, but I am going to authorize the recall this morning. I am doing it for Brooke’s sake … rather her memory … and for you, Steve. I know it’s too late. I thought I had no choice.”
Despite his anger, her compassion touched him. He needed her. Steve met her gaze.
“I wish there was something I could do to change this, but there isn’t. I swear I will do whatever I can to help you with this recall. You have my word. I’ll pick up the pieces of my career later. I don’t want to lose your friendship. Not like this.” Tears filled her eyes.
Steve felt torn, pulled in two directions. He needed distance from her. Walking across the kitchen, he leaned against the kitchen table. “Why did you lie to me about who you were?”
She shook her head.
“You owe me that, Allison.”
She took in a deep breath. A quiet storm raged in her deep green eyes. Another tear ran down her cheek. It reminded him of Brooke. Earlier that week, he had wiped Brooke’s tears away while he sat at the edge of her bed. A year earlier he had done the same thing for Tamara; but that memory was fuzzy. He could not see Tamara’s face anymore. Soon he would not see Brooke’s face either.
“A year ago, before the China war broke out, Ed Davis and my father arranged a mission to ensure my promotion to DIA chief.” She looked down and sighed heavily. “I was the department’s prodigy; destined for greatness at a young age. My father was so proud of me, following in his footsteps.” She smiled. “I looked up to him like no one else. My mother and I were never close. I don’t know why. I guess I was more like him.
“We went to Hainan disguised as reporters. It was a quick operation—get in, get out—but the attack came early. We got caught in the crossfire. He didn’t make it. I still remember his expression as he fell out of the plane—surprise and disappointment. It all happened so quickly. I tried to bring him back in, but I couldn’t hold on. I let go of everything that was dear to me. He died there because of me. I vowed that day that wherever he was, he would see me succeed.
“Davis gave me a second chance. He blamed my father’s death on the convoluted chain of command. His efforts resulted in I2 Corp, a unification of all the intelligence agencies. The flagship of the new Corp was Warscape, a tactical surveillance of China. CoolAlerts made up the guts of the system, collecting information through remote sensors, satellites, whatever. He asked me to find the display, someway to present the mountains of information.
“I knew Austin Wheeler through my father. We made an agreement. I gave him a lot of cash and approved the Nexus in exchange for the Nexus schematics.”
“You knew about the defect even then?” Steve asked.
“No!” She shook her head. “It wasn’t like that at all. He only briefly mentioned the defect; I had no idea how bad it was.” She paused for a moment. “But I didn’t look that hard for the truth either. When I returned to Davis with the Nexus, I completed the most powerful weapon in history—Warscape. More importantly, I fulfilled my father’s dream. I became the youngest DARPA chief ever.
“Everything was fine until last week. Austin contacted me about the defect, filling in a few missing details; someone had died. I kept it qui
et, trying to take care of the problem myself. I lied to you and everyone else to protect my career, to keep Davis in the dark. If he found out about the defect, then he would know Warscape was vulnerable because of Nexus, because of me. I really thought we could nail Syzygy before anyone else would get hurt. I didn’t know.”
“What happened with Austin?” Steve said.
She shook her head in dismay. “He figured things out and threatened to talk to Davis. He was going to page him. I grabbed his arm. We struggled. He fell on top of me and your weapon just went off. I couldn’t do anything.” She raised her hand to her head, rubbing her temples.
It took two shots to kill him and I intentionally fired the first. I am also to blame. He moved toward her. She looked him in the eye.
“I had no idea it was going to get this out of hand. I love you. Please forgive me. I am so sorry.” Her eyes filled with tears. “I can understand if you don’t want to see me again. I made some horrid mistakes out of guilt over my father’s death and my love for him. I know you know what that feels like when your best intentions have the worse results.”
She was right. When the business went sour, he turned to drinking, drove drunk, and killed Tamara. He brought Austin on board and the defect slipped through. He pursued the Nexus healer and missed Brooke’s final days. Sadness welled up inside him. “Oh god,” he whispered. Piece by piece his mistakes were tearing his life apart.
“I want you to know who I am, Steve.” She touched his shoulder and moved behind him.
He didn’t push her away this time. Tenderly, she held him.
His eyes teared. “Out of the millions of users, why did Syzygy attack her?”
She said nothing for several seconds. “I was thinking the same thing. That’s why I came in with the gun. I think he’s after you, Steve.”
He turned to face her. She released him.
“I’ll talk to Ed Davis; I’ll make him understand. This recall has to happen.” She looked down, crossed her arms, and then looked up again. “Do you think you can get the money together?”