The Manhattan Incident

by Raymond Poincelot

  Agent Dubrov watched the unfolding scene on the car’s video screen. Everything was being recorded and transmitted back to MI in Area 51. Colonel Lanzo nodded as he looked at the photos. Screen shot grabs of the two photos were as Lanzo expected, photos of John Cabrot and Paul Laurent. For several minutes neither Fodor nor Cooper spoke. The only action was Fodor staring at the computer screen and tapping in a few commands. Finally, Fodor spoke. “The results are in. There is a 90% probability that these two individuals are really only one person.” “Dr. Fodor, that is very interesting. My client will be pleased to know that a relation of his has attempted to hide his identity.” Fodor’s thoughts ran wild as his mind pondered to what use that information might be put. Agent Dubrov also found the information intriguing. He had wondered why MI had so much interest in this matter. Now he knew. Somebody’s cover was blown.

  Mr. Stokes got up and walked around the desk. Fodor slid his hand in his pocket, ready to pull the blaster out. “OK, Dr. Fodor, I wish to see you delete the photos and file.” Fodor did as directed. Satisfied, Mr. Stokes walked back to the front of the desk. “Thank you. It was a pleasure doing business with you. Good bye.” With that word, Mr. Stokes walked to the door and let himself out. As he walked away, Cooper thought things had gone well. It appeared that there was at least a 90% chance that God was right, John Cabrot had not died. Dr. Fodor didn’t relax until the final scene from the building’s surveillance camera showed Mr. Stokes leave the building. Only then did Fodor restore the files.

  Fodor picked up the phone, having made up his mind to contact the NYPD about what had just happened. A disguise, likely a fake identity and the desire to leave no traces behind sounded like someone up to no good. Given his consulting business with the NYPD, he felt an obligation to let them know. The MI tap on Fodor’s phone caused the monitoring technician to block the call, letting it ring. He was unsure what to do. He immediately radioed Agent Dubrov. Agent Dubrov had activated the system that rotated the license plate such that it bore a new number. He was in the process of pulling out of the parking space to tail Cooper’s car. “Yes?” “Agent Dubrov, Comm Central Control here. Fodor has just called the NYPD. I have him on hold. Your decision is needed.” Dubrov didn’t think it was a good idea to involve the NYPD in this matter. This matter had to be kept quiet.

  “Transfer the call directly to me.” When he heard Fodor’s voice, he said, “Agent Dubrov here. How may I help you?” “Fodor felt confused. He had never heard the title Agent used at the NYPD. “I want to speak to Sergeant Gallette. Tell him it’s Dr. Fodor with a matter of some urgency.” Dubrov responded. “That won’t be necessary. I’m with MI and we have been watching Mr. Stokes for a while and are aware of what happened in your office. This matter is top secret and concerns national intelligence. You will not contact anyone or discuss this matter with anyone under penalty of immediate arrest. The same goes for deletion or alteration of any files involved with the Stokes meeting. Do you understand?” “Yes” came the stammering reply. “An Agent from MI will come tomorrow at 9:00 AM to gather all the files and interview you about what transpired. It’s best that you forget that this event happened.” With that, Dubrov hung up. He called the Comm Central Control. “Keep the tap on Fodor for at least another week. Any calls to any police or other security officials, politicians, lawyers or personal calls are to be monitored. If Fodor mentions anything about this event, terminate the call and send an Agent to place him under immediate arrest.” There was no need for worry. Fodor was not someone to rock the boat. He knew full well from his past work with the NYPD that MI was not to be trifled with.

  Agent Dubrov watched from his just parked car as Cooper drove into the ramshackle garage and the door closed. The tailing of Cooper was routine. Dubrov radioed in to headquarters. “Agent Dubrov here, I want around the clock silent air drones assigned to this GPS position. Whenever, Cooper leaves, I want to be immediately notified. If internal surveillance shows Cooper donning a disguise, I want to be notified immediately also. Is that clear?” “Yes, Sir.” “I also want you to send Agent Ang to Dr. Fodor’s Office first thing tomorrow morning. Call Dr. Fodor’s house to let him know that Agent Ang will be at the office at 9:00 AM. I’m sure he will be very accommodating. Have the agent thoroughly interview Dr. Fodor about the meeting with Cooper, aka, Stokes, and collect all files, written notes, and security camera footage from the office and building system. Have a Judge issue an immediate subpoena to facilitate evidence gathering. Tell the judge that it is a matter of top secret national inquiry. Have the judge contact me if he has concerns. Have the agent report to me in my office at 1:00 PM sharp with all the materials. He is to talk to no one but me about the matter.”

  Agent Michael Ang returned from Dr. Fodor’s office with the various files and documents. He walked down the hall toward Dubrov’s office. He was puzzled. The matter at hand seemed blown all out of proportion. The veil of secrecy seemed like overkill to him. The only thing he could think of was that the individual was in a witness protection program and his cover was blown. Ang thought the person must be extremely important, given the secrecy and gag order. He knew better than to ask questions or do any snooping on his part regarding the individual. He was only a minnow in a shark pool, being a low level junior agent. Still, he was pleased to be trusted for the assignment. He felt a little nervous, as Agent Dubrov had a fierce reputation. He knocked and entered when he heard the words come in.

  “Agent Ang, have a seat at my conference table. Spread the materials out. Plug the USB key into my laptop. Tell me all about the interview. Ang went over everything. Dubrov listened while the recording system made its AV file. When Ang was finished, Dubrov had learned very little that he didn’t know already, having gone over the surveillance footage from Fodor’s office several times. The two things he did learn were that Fodor was afraid of Stokes, to the point of arming himself with a blaster. Dubrov learned that Fodor’s fear arose from having realized Stokes was in disguise and wanted to remain totally anonymous to the point of not even leaving a file, fingerprint, or DNA trace behind. The other thing he learned was that Fodor had not destroyed the files. That was very good news. The screen grab of the two pictures wasn’t that good. Dubrov looked at the digitally scanned photos. One face was naggingly familiar. Yes, no doubt he thought, Cooper now knows that these two individuals are the same person, but why is that so important? Suddenly he recognized one of the photos as Dr. Cabrot, having been involved in the investigation of his assassination some years back. So, John Cabrot hadn’t died at all. He felt pleased that MI’s head, Colonel Lanzo, had enough confidence in him to give him the assignment, given what was uncovered.

  Ang got up his courage. Agent Dubrov, may I ask a question? “Yes, Ang.” Is this guy in a witness protection program and his cover is now blown?” “Yes, Ang, you might say that. Now, having heard that, you must forget that this event even happened. This situation is above your security clearance. I assume I can count on your discretion?” “Yes, Sir, Agent Dubrov. It’s forgotten already.” ”Thank you, Agent Ang. That is all. Return to your other assignments.”

  After Ang left, Dubrov looked over everything one more time. He remembered that some years ago, the regional MI office in New York had been ordered by Colonel Lanzo to investigate Cooper as a possible suspect in the death of Dr. Cabrot. But for what reason, he did not know. Dubrov turned to his computer and requested a file search within the system for Cooper. A few minutes later, the dialogue box read “No file matches your query.” Dubrov was puzzled. He knew he didn’t imagine the Cooper investigation, having been part of it. Next he tried a Cabrot death investigation query. Again the same dialogue box came up. Dubrov begin to realize that someone must have sanitized the system, most likely the national office of MI in Area 51. Dubrov then decided it was best to inquire no further. Too late, the software spy had already detected the inquiries and immediately sent a top priority coded message to MI’s Director, Colonel Lanzo. Looking at the message, Colonel Lan
zo sighed. Dubrov was good, perhaps too good. Well, now Dubrov would have to become part of the solution instead of being a problem.

  Dubrov’s P-Com resonated with a tone he hadn’t heard before. Looking at the screen, he saw a flashing message, “Urgent matter, Colonel Lanzo. Switch to secure channel.” Shit, thought Dubrov. Maybe it wasn’t a good idea to have conducted the file search. Dubrov switched to the secure, highly encoded channel. “Agent Dubrov, here. Good to hear from you, Colonel Lanzo.” “I bet not, Agent Dubrov, given your snooping.” Dubrov grimaced a bit. He suspected spyware, but to actually now know it as a reality was somewhat disconcerting. “Just doing my job, Colonel.” “Hmm, well your job performance just earned you a special for your eyes only assignment. I will notify your State Director that you are to be given free rein on resources and budget. I’m sure Director Sharon Bates won’t like it, but she has no choice.” Dubrov smiled. Bates was a pain in the ass many times. Sweet justice, he thought.

  “One question, does anyone else suspect what you have figured out about the change of identities?” “Yes, Agent Ang put it together, but doesn’t know who was given a new identity.” “Well, then Agent Ang must be a member of your team now. Do you trust him?” “Yes, he is a smart up and coming Agent.” “Good. Upgrade his clearance and brief him with all you know. You will need to select other agents as needed to carry out your assignment. Just give them enough info to carry out their specific tasks. We want this kept absolutely quiet. I will send you an encrypted file detailing your assignment tomorrow. Read it thoroughly and then obliterate the file. Your assignment start date is currently unclear. I will personally call you to notify you of the start date. I will use the same ringtone that you heard with this call. MI is counting on you. Good luck, Agent Dubrov. One last thing, don’t discount Cooper. He has excellent security in his organization, both in terms of people and electronic technology. Tell your agents to be discreet and not develop patterns in their surveillance. Oh, and you might be in this task for the long term. Cooper probably will wait some time to make his move. Based on our electronic eaves dropping, Cooper appears to be overly cautious and somewhat paranoid.” After disconnecting, Agent Dubrov wondered what Cooper’s next move might be. Colonel Lanzo had not actually stated it, but Dubrov expected Cooper would attempt to assassinate Cabrot again. Patience was the watchword.

  Back in Area 51, Paul Laurent sat in General Straub’s office. “Well Tyler, I believe there is no further need here for Zack’s special ability, unless you want to spy on people in Area 51. I know that the autopsy of the alien is complete and that there were no surprises. The alien is more closely related to reptiles than humans based on DNA analyses and the organs are more or less like ours in terms of function. There is no more that Zack can do here.” “Paul, you are right, but not completely. Given Zack’s ability, he is very special in terms of GAF security. He might be able to sniff out moles. I’m sure if the Earth First government got wind of Zack’s talent, he would be yanked away from both of us. Now before you get pissed off, I have no intention of letting Earth First offices know about Zack. If I did, he would be gone in a heartbeat and probably never available here again, nor to you and Roberta. I value our friendship, so let’s keep it here. I have instructed all those who know of Zack’s talent that the information is top secret, under penalty of arrest. Yes, I would like him to stay here and vet all our staff, but I have a compromise in mind. It will keep you and me happy, and allow Zack to have a normal family life more or less.” “Tyler, this more or less concerns me, but I’m listening.”

  “Paul, in regards to that, I have good news and bad news. Colonel Lanzo and I have discussed the problem regarding you. You have a choice. That’s the good news. The bad news is neither choice is without risks.” At this point Paul gave Tyler a very perplexed look. “Sorry, Paul, but I wanted to let you know that you have a choice before I filled you in on the details. Now, let’s get to the hard part. Your identity has been blown. Somehow our Reverend Cooper has figured out that you are really John Cabrot. We don’t know how he did it. We can’t find a leak or any evidence that he was in touch with anyone having the knowledge of your new identity. Paul’s look became one of alarm. “Do you think Cooper will come after me and possibly my family?” “Unfortunately, the answer is yes, based upon our psychological profile of Cooper. We are watching him very closely, but unless he makes a move, we can do nothing. The press would crucify us if we did without evidence. So, your choice is simple. You can stay here in Area 51 under our full protection. It is highly unlikely Cooper can reach you here. I understand it will inhibit your life and your family, not to mention your STEMEO work which is highly valued by us.”

  “The other choice is you return to your home and work. This scenario works to Earth First’s advantage. Cooper is a thorn in their side with his ever growing flock that believes the aliens will bring about the Rapture. Our biggest fear is that Cooper will incite an uprising when the aliens return, thus pitting GAF against civilians and aliens. It isn’t a pretty picture. Earth First Council would prefer that Cooper be stopped, thus derailing his religious movement. If returning home is your choice, and I emphasize your choice, MI will keep you and your family under constant surveillance. All travel will be vetted and approved through MI. Your bodyguards will coordinate all activity with MI. While your family and work life will be better than here, it will have some constraints. Your safety is not as good as staying here, but we are confident that Cooper can be stopped. The down side is you are the bait in the trap. If our security fails, Zack is your most trusted asset and last resort. Zack should be able to sense Cooper’s approach and your bodyguards will take it from there. Sleep on it, discuss it with your family, and let me know your decision tomorrow, Paul. I wish there were some other way.”

  After Paul left, Tyler sat there for a few minutes, thinking to himself. Old friend, I didn’t tell you everything. There are layers of complication that it’s best you not know. MI has detected a growing movement in Cooper’s worldwide flock, a movement leading to the announcement that Cooper embodies the second coming of Christ. Once this happens, his Christian soldiers are more likely to rally behind him. This possible future must not happen. GAF will have at best a 50-50 chance of beating back the next invasion wave, but with an Earth-based human force supporting the aliens, the odds will be considerably lower. Our side needs to move fast before Cooper accepts his Christ-like mantel.

  Fortunately, cooler heads have prevailed. We cannot just assassinate Cooper, for that will make him a Christ martyr and even more dangerous to GAF when the aliens return. We must take Cooper alive and in the act of a serious crime such as attempted murder against you or your family. That way he can be tried and shown to be a common criminal, and with enough evidence, the force behind the first attempt on your life and your colleagues. So, whatever your choice, Paul, Cooper will be led to the trap. If you stay here, a double agent set up by us will lure Cooper here with a guaranteed lapse of security. If you go home, the door will be left open for Cooper, so to speak. I am truly sorry, Paul, that it must go this way. I hope and pray that you and your family come out of this OK, my friend. Tyler hated the fact that those above him wouldn’t let Paul know. Not even Paul’s bodyguards would be in on the plan from above. Another layer within the layer was that those above valued Zack much more than Paul or Roberta. If things become too dicey, Zack would be yanked, even if it meant a kidnapping. Tyler was not feeling good about himself at this point.

  Paul ate his dinner in silence. Even the wine failed to cheer him up. Roberta studied Paul with concerned silence. Zack sensed that things were not good and something about choices all being bad. Finally, Zack spoke. “Dad, normally I try not to read either you or Mom. However, your thoughts and actions are a major distraction, no matter how hard I try not to pry. What’s going on?” Roberta looked at both of them and said, “I agree with Zack. While I know nothing about your thoughts, your demeanor says it all. It speaks of big trouble ahead.” Paul said, “Ye
s, you are both right.” Paul then described his meeting with General Tyler in detail. Both Roberta and Zack blanched upon hearing the story. Paul finished with “So, what are we going to do?” Roberta and Zack both tried to speak at once. Zack grinned and said, “You first, Mom.” Roberta nodded. “Paul, I will do whatever you think is right. You should decide.” Paul looked slightly annoyed. “No, we are going to decide. What is your first choice, Roberta, and yours, son?” Roberta looked pensive for a few moments. “I would opt to live life normally and to its fullest, so I vote for returning home.” Zack smiled and said, “This place gives me the creeps. I vote for going back to Stamford.” Paul smiled and said, “Good, it’s settled because I want to resume my life. We are all in agreement. I’ll tell Tyler in the morning. Roxanne, what’s your choice?” Roxanne thumped her tail vigorously on the floor when her name was mentioned. “Good, it’s unanimous,” said Paul with a big grin.

  The next morning Paul, Roberta, Zack and Roxanne boarded the military transport, the same top line Eclipse jet that brought them here. Joe and Lisa accompanied them, as did a few other uniformed soldiers who said very little. Joe and Lisa took an instant dislike to them. While they appreciated the need for extra protection given the Cooper threat, there was a sense of information withheld whenever Joe and Lisa tried to make conversation with them. They were not there to talk, but to watch and protect was their gruff reply. Not unexpectedly, Captain Pinter greeted them as they entered the plane. “Good to see all of you again. The weather is sunny all the way back. We’ll have a smooth flight. Please be seated and buckle in for takeoff. Sometime later the plane taxied to a stop on the tarmac. There wasn’t much going on, but Westchester airport was never very busy these days. The limousine met them nearby. All were quiet, buried deep in their thoughts as the limousine headed for Stamford, Connecticut.