Friends In Spy Places

by Diane Henders

  Stemp was still frowning. I leaned forward, willing him to understand how close I’d come to living my worst nightmare. How I could still end up trapped in an eternal hell.

  “That could…” Suddenly realizing I was about to reveal the breadth and depth of my claustrophobia, I bit off the words ‘that could have been me’. I forced my voice steady. “That could mean there are a lot of other things we haven’t found out about the network keys just because of our own assumptions.”

  “True.” Stemp eyed me quizzically. “But hardly a revelation. This has been uncharted territory from the beginning.”

  I leaned back in my chair, faking calm for all I was worth. “Yeah, I guess you’re right.”

  “But you haven’t stated your main concern,” he said. It wasn’t a question.

  For a moment I considered denying it, but he’d know I was lying.

  Heaving a sigh, I met his gaze with the best honesty I could fake. “You’re right. I’m worried about Rebecca. When I get stuck in the internet for a long time, I can feel myself kind of… I don’t know how to describe it. Thinning, I guess. It gets harder and harder to hold my consciousness together. I’m afraid that by the time I get to Rebecca, she won’t have enough consciousness left to salvage. Or else she’ll be so messed up from being stuck in the internet for days that she’ll be completely nuts even after we get her back into her body.”

  “In that case…” Stemp said slowly, “…our duty is clear.”

  Staring at his emotionless façade, my blood chilled. I wasn’t going to like this…

  “I will kill Ms. Stile’s physical body,” he said with brutal precision. “And you will kill whatever remains of her consciousness in the internet.”

  Chapter 30

  “No!”

  The fierceness of my refusal left Stemp and me staring at each other across his desk, only a few feet away but light-years apart.

  I lunged to my feet. “I won’t murder an innocent woman in cold blood!”

  Stemp pinched the bridge of his nose as though battling a crushing headache. “That would be a last resort. As always, I look to you for an alternative that will allow us both to sleep at night.”

  His lack of resistance cooled my fury. Whooshing out a long breath, I sank back into the chair.

  “But I must emphasize…” Stemp went on, his hard amber gaze drilling into mine. “…our top priority is national security. I share your reluctance to follow such an extreme course of action, but the good of the many…” He made a weary gesture and didn’t complete the quote.

  “I’ll figure out something,” I vowed.

  “I know you will do your best. But remember that your duty prevents you from sacrificing your own life to save Ms. Stile’s.”

  “How the hell do you figure that?” I demanded. “Aren’t we supposed to be protecting innocent civilians, not murdering them for our own convenience? Rebecca hasn’t done anything wrong! She doesn’t deserve to die!”

  Stemp sighed. “It is our duty to protect as many innocent civilians as possible. Sometimes that causes collateral damage. Ms. Stile’s death, however tragic, would affect only a handful of people. Yours could impact nations.” He held up a restraining hand as I opened my mouth. “Please allow me to finish.”

  Poised on the edge of my chair, I fought the need to spring to my feet and yell.

  Stemp waited, as if doubting my ability to contain myself.

  When I gave him a sharp nod, he went on, “Consider the alternatives. If Ms. Stile’s consciousness is as… frayed… as you postulate, then even if you succeed in returning the remains of it to her body, she will suffer for the rest of her potentially long life with significant cognitive, physical, and/or psychological deficits.”

  Fixing me with his reptilian gaze, he moved to his next point. “If her consciousness is intact but psychologically damaged, then returning it to her physical body would allow her to undertake actions that could cause significant harm to herself, or to thousands if not millions of other innocent citizens if she also retains classified knowledge and uses it inappropriately.”

  “But-”

  He silenced me with an upraised palm. “Even in a best-case scenario where Ms. Stile’s consciousness remains intact and you are capable of returning it to her body, she will have to be incarcerated in a high-security facility, possibly for the rest of her life, to protect the classified knowledge she may have acquired. Do any of these scenarios seem preferable to a quick and merciful death?”

  I hid my instinctive shudder. Dammit, he knew me too well.

  “I don’t know,” I said, holding onto control with all my might. “I can’t make that decision for Rebecca.”

  “I can.” Cold dispassionate Stemp was back. “Unless you find her consciousness intact and edit her memories to remove all traces of classified information, Ms. Stile will be terminated.”

  “That’s BULLSHIT!” I launched to my feet, my frustration escaping in a full-throated bellow. “WHO THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU ARE? GOD HIM-FUCKING-SELF?”

  Stemp eyed my quivering fists for a long moment before replying, “No; and if such a deity or deities actually exist, I do not envy him, her, it, or them. I am merely stating our duty.” The hard line of his mouth eased. “Despite your…” He allowed himself a small sigh. “…forceful opinions… I am nevertheless grateful for your input. I have been doing this job for too long; and you remind me of what it was like when I still retained my humanity.”

  I sank into the chair again and buried my head in my hands. “There’s nothing wrong with your humanity. Like you said, you’re just stating the facts.” I rubbed my aching eyes. “I don’t see any alternatives, either. I was just… shooting the messenger. Sorry.”

  “No apology necessary.”

  Letting out a sigh, I slumped back in the chair. “But even if I put aside for a minute that killing Rebecca is just immoral, your plan has a serious flaw. I don’t have a clue how to kill her consciousness in the internet. I don’t think it’s even possible.”

  His gaze pinned me to the chair. “Are you lying to me?”

  I took no offense. “No. We can go over to the office and I’ll say it again under the lie detector if you want.”

  A tense silence settled between us.

  After a long moment, Stemp sighed. “I will be forced to verify your statement under the lie detector. The stakes are simply too high, and the chain of command will require it.”

  “Okay.”

  He rose tiredly. “Let’s go.”

  When we emerged from the hallway, three anxious faces turned toward us. Moonbeam inquired, “Is everything all right?”

  “Fine,” I assured her. “We just have to go to the office for a few minutes.”

  “With all due respect to you and our son,” Moonbeam replied, “We don’t believe that this is as inconsequential as you say. We could hear you shouting.”

  “Mother,” Stemp said with fond patience. “I merely have to verify one of Agent Kelly’s statements under the lie detector to satisfy the chain of command. If she is not lying to me, and she assures me that she is not…” He gave me a ‘you’d-better-not-be-lying’ glance. “…then we will literally be only minutes.”

  “And what if she’s lying?” Skidmark inquired.

  “Then… we will be considerably longer.”

  “Then we will come, too,” Moonbeam said matter-of-factly.

  “Mother!” This time Stemp’s tone was pure exasperation, but a moment later his shoulders relaxed and he gave her a shrug and a wry smile. “Very well, then; let us complete our social evening at Sirius Dynamics.”

  “Nah, I’m good,” Skidmark demurred. “It’s cold out, and I don’t feel like traipsing across town when there’s nothing I can do to change the outcome anyway. See you, Storm. I hope you’re not in shit.”

  “I’m not.” I hugged him. “Have a good trip.”

  “Thanks, girlie. Stay safe.”

  “I think everyone’s interests will be suitably pro
tected,” Karma rumbled, eyeing Moonbeam with a smile. “So I will say my farewells now, too.” He came over to place his hands on my shoulders. “Remember, should you ever need our assistance, you have only to ask. May the Earth Spirit guide and protect you.” He drew me into a warm hug.

  “You, too,” I mumbled into his shoulder. “Thanks. Enjoy your trip.”

  He released me, smiling. “I’m sure I shall.” He turned to Moonbeam. “Stay warm, my love.” They shared a kiss, parting unhurriedly. Moonbeam kissed Skidmark with equal tenderness while Stemp looked on with a fond expression that told me he’d finally accepted his three parents; and despite the nervousness prickling the back of my mind, I was smiling when we departed.

  A short time later, Stemp faced me across the table in the interrogation area while the crown of electrodes sat heavily on my head.

  Dispensing with his usual warmup questions, he asked, “Do you know if it is possible for you to kill or destroy Rebecca Stile’s consciousness in the internet?”

  “No.”

  The green light indicated that I’d told the truth, and he rephrased the question. “Can you think of any way that it might be possible for you to destroy or kill Rebecca Stile’s consciousness in the internet?”

  “No.”

  The green light shone again. Stemp eyed me frowning. “Do you think it would be possible for you to come up with a way to destroy or kill Rebecca Stile’s consciousness in the internet?”

  I frowned back at him. “I don’t know. I might, if I thought about it long enough, but I can’t imagine how. Rebecca and I are both just a bunch of data bits, floating along in a bigger stream of data bits. If you think of it like a stream of water, how would one part of the water be able to attack another part of the water? It’s all just a bunch of identical molecules tumbling along.”

  “I see the conundrum,” Stemp agreed. “However, the lie detector requires a yes or no answer.”

  I sighed. “Ask the question again.”

  “Do you think it would be possible for you to come up with a way to destroy or kill Rebecca Stile’s consciousness in the internet?”

  “No.”

  The yellow ‘inconclusive’ light flashed.

  I shrugged and said, “Yes”, and the yellow light flashed again. “See, I really don’t know.”

  Stemp smiled and rose. “Thank you for your patience. I will be pleased to return you safely to your protector now.”

  Slipping off the headdress, I stood, too. “Your mom wasn’t taking sides against you, you know. She didn’t believe either of us.”

  “I realize that.” He held the door for me, and we walked down the hall together. “It is not your responsibility to broker peace between us,” he added. A smile warmed his voice. “Though we appreciate your tireless efforts.”

  “I didn’t mean to overstep,” I said hurriedly.

  “I know.”

  When we emerged from the secured area, Moonbeam stood up, her gaze searching the air around us. Her face relaxed into a smile. “I see from your auras that all is well.”

  “Yes, Mother.” Stemp gave her an answering smile. “As I assured you earlier.”

  “So you did,” she agreed. “But despite your assurances to me, you were unsure yourself. Now your worries have been resolved.”

  Stemp’s smile faded. “My questions have been resolved. My worries remain.”

  Moonbeam caressed his cheek. “My dear son. Yours is a difficult job.”

  Her tender pride sent a stab of pain through my chest. Why couldn’t my mother be like Moonbeam?

  I was turning away to hide my expression when my phone vibrated.

  Uh-oh.

  Thumbing the ‘Answer’ button, I snapped, “Kelly.”

  “It’s Security calling from the hospital. There’s a woman here who claims to be Nora Taylor, Weapons Director from the UK. Her credentials and biometrics check out. She’s asking to see Agent Rand. A man came in with her and he’s waiting in the lobby. Didn’t ask to see Rand, but he hasn’t left, either. No hits on him in any of the facial-recognition databases.”

  My heart lurched into rapid drumming. “Don’t let them anywhere near the secured area. Tell them Agent Rand can’t have visitors, and put Rand’s guard on high alert. Put a tail on Taylor and her friend when they leave. I want to know where they go, what they do, and who the hell that guy is.”

  “On it. I’m uploading his biometrics to the analysis team and your desktop now.”

  “Thanks,” I said, but the connection had already closed.

  When I turned, the other two were eyeing me worriedly.

  “Problem?” Stemp inquired.

  “No, just a development.” Hiding my anxiety, I summoned a smile. “Have a good trip, both of you. I’m going to hit my desk for a while…”

  “And then go home and sleep for at least eight hours,” Stemp prompted. “Dermott has been apprised of your status.”

  His warning came through loud and clear, and I sighed. “Yes, I’m definitely going home to sleep after I finish. I don’t think this will take too long.”

  “Very well, then.” Stemp gave me a nod. “I will be in touch.”

  “Good luck, dear.” Moonbeam enfolded me in her soft embrace. “May the Earth Spirit guide and protect you.”

  “Thanks.” I hugged her in return. “You, too.”

  A few minutes later I was slumped in my desk chair scowling at the biometrics the analyst had sent.

  Who was this guy, and how did he know Nora?

  He was the same man Nora had greeted at the hotel, but I was pretty sure I’d never seen him before that. I’d just have to wait for the analysts to finish checking the databases. Dammit.

  Sighing, I brought up the surveillance logs from Nora’s day.

  Half an hour later I still had nothing. She’d had a couple of conversations with her lawyer about regaining ownership of Sirius Canada, and she’d called the management company to request their financial records pertaining to Sirius. Other than that, the bug in her hotel room had only picked up a few hours of quiet page-turning followed by bathroom noises, and then the sound of the hotel room door closing behind her when she left. She hadn’t even used her credit cards to buy dinner.

  Dammit!

  I should have slipped a bug into her purse when I’d met her for coffee. Instead, she had left her room, gone who-knew-where with who-knew-whom, and I’d missed the whole fucking thing.

  Chapter 31

  Grabbing the phone, I punched the analyst-on-call extension. When a wide-awake female voice replied, I asked if they were working on the data that had just come in from the hospital.

  “Yes,” the woman replied crisply. “I ran it through the espionage and police databases and came up empty; and I’m waiting on the results from our worldwide biometric search now. It’ll likely take a while, but I’ll upload any hits directly to your desktop.”

  “Thanks. Ping my cell phone, too, would you, please?”

  “Will do.”

  My next call went to the Security desk. Leo had clocked out for the day, but his replacement assured me that Nora and her companion were under surveillance.

  “They left the hospital and went straight to the hotel bar,” he reported. “They look pretty chummy. Not sexy; but relaxed and friendly. We’ve been trying to lipread them but it’s dark in there. We’ve only caught part of the conversation, and it seems like they’re talking about their families. I’m uplinking the video feed to your desktop now.”

  “Their families?” My fingers quivered as I brought up the surveillance screen. “Has Nora mentioned me?”

  “We only caught the guy talking about his. Any keywords we should watch for?”

  I hesitated, studying Nora’s grainy image as she chatted with her companion. “Just the usual ones, I guess…”

  Nora threw back her head and laughed, then reached over to lightly clink her glass against the man’s. They downed the last of their drinks and rose.

  “Looks like they’re
calling it a night,” the security guard said as they left the bar and turned toward the hallway that led to the rooms. “Which one do you want our guy to follow?”

  As he spoke, the camera view jiggled and shifted, then moved toward the door of the bar. A moment later it rounded the corner in time to catch Nora raising a hand in farewell to her companion. He returned the salute and disappeared into one of the rooms.

  “Get that room number and then follow Nora,” I snapped. “Find out who’s renting that room, put a camera on it in the hallway, and put another camera outside Nora’s room. When you get the guy’s name, shoot it up to the analysts. Um, thanks,” I added belatedly.

  “No problem.” The clicking of computer keys drifted faintly over the line.

  We watched while our covert camera followed Nora to her room. When she went inside, I fell back in my chair with a long sigh and checked my watch. Only nine-thirty, but it felt like the middle of the night.

  Instead of the groan I wanted to emit, I said, “Nora’s probably in for the night. I don’t want to waste resources by keeping our guy at the hotel, but send video feeds from the hallway cameras to the analysts. If that guy or Nora comes out of their room any time tonight, I want them followed.”

  “Done.”

  “Thanks,” I repeated, and hung up.

  I eased the kinks out of my shoulders and knuckled my gritty eyes. At least we’d get a name off the hotel register for Nora’s new friend, even if it wasn’t his real name.

  But I might have a better source.

  Grabbing the phone again, I dialled Nora’s number.

  “Dani-dear!” she exclaimed when I identified myself. “It’s been such a long day without you! This hotel room is so lonely.”

  Dutiful-Daughter-Me swallowed burning guilt. My own mother, visiting from an ocean away after all these years, stuck alone in a hotel room while I had an unused guestroom in my three-bedroom house.

  Secret-Agent-Me kicked Dutiful-Daughter in the ass and took over the conversation. “I’m sorry it’s been such a long day for you. Didn’t you go out at all?”