by David Archer
“Son of a bitch,” he muttered. “How the hell did they find me?”
He turned and moved along the car, hoping to make a break for his own vehicle and get away before the other two men could get a bead on his location. His car was only twenty feet away, and he jumped to his feet and ran for it.
Suddenly, a Ford van whipped into the parking lot and slid to a stop. Belcher raised his pistol, but men were pouring out of the vehicle and raising automatic rifles. He froze, still ten feet away from his car, and slowly lowered the pistol to the ground.
“You got me,” he said. “I surrender, hold your fire.”
The two remaining suits came rushing up behind him and he was quickly handcuffed. They bent him over the hood of his own car and searched him, removing another pistol from an ankle holster and a pair of knives.
“Mr. Belcher,” one of them said, with barely-controlled rage in his voice, “I am Special Agent In Charge Ronald Dickerson, and you are hereby under arrest for the murders of federal agents, along with violation of your agreement with the United States government under Special Executive Order 12 – 755 – 300.” He was yanked to his feet and the armed men kept him covered as he was loaded into the back of the van.
“Was this really necessary?” he asked, but no one bothered to reply. “I guess you’re taking me back to the Dragon Lady?”
Dickerson looked him in the eye. “My orders are to deliver you to the director of E & E in Kirtland, Colorado. After that, what happens to you becomes so classified I’m not even allowed to think about it.”
The other men piled inside, still keeping their weapons trained on him. No one spoke to him as the van started moving. Belcher gave out a sigh and sat quietly until they arrived at the airfield, where he was loaded into a Gulfstream jet. His escorts filed in behind him, still keeping him covered.
Moments later, the airplane was in the air. Richard Belcher, formally known as Unicorn, was on his way back to Neverland.
He knew it was likely to be the last journey he would ever take.
* * * * *
Thirty minutes later, Noah’s phone rang, and he glanced at it to see that it was Allison calling.
“Camelot,” he said.
“I thought you’d be pleased to know that Mr. Belcher has been taken into custody and is en route back here as we speak.”
“That is definitely a bit of relief,” Noah said. “Was there any trouble?”
“He fought,” Allison said. “He killed two FBI agents, but they had enough reinforcements to take him. They already have him in the air, and he’ll be landing at Kirtland in about an hour and a half. It’s going to be up to Parker to handle the questioning, and we’ll let you know what we learn about your current mission. After that, Mr. Belcher is finished. Donald is going to see to that personally.”
“Very good,” Noah said. “I’ll see what I can do to make this useful on my end.”
Allison hung up the phone and Noah put his own into his pocket.
He got up and made himself a cup of coffee, and then his first interviews began to show up. Of the seven people he interviewed, six were hired on the spot. The last one turned out to be terrified of flying and decided to withdraw his application when he learned what duties would be expected of him.
Marco returned just before noon, and then he and Noah went out for lunch. It was while they were having lunch that Noah told him about Allison’s call. “Belcher is gone,” he said to Marco. “Apparently he put up a fight and killed a couple of FBI agents, but he’s already back in Neverland and being questioned by Doctor Parker by now.”
“Couldn’t happen to a worthier bastard,” Marco said. “You think Parker will get any serious intel out of him?”
“If anybody can,” Noah said. “Now we just wait for Conley’s reaction. If Belcher was the only one running procurement around here, he and Mayweather should be just about in a panic before long.”
“Yeah,” Marco said. “But how you gonna approach them about putting me into his job? I mean, how would you know if I was the kind of guy who could do that sort of thing?”
“Why, that’s easy,” Noah said. “I got my good friend the computer whiz to run a complete background check on all the new hires today. He’s so good he found out that you are another rogue government agent, wanted for murder under another name. Since you don’t want anybody turning you in, you’d probably be willing to do just about anything to avoid that, right?”
Marco grinned. “They won’t think it’s funny I turn up at just the right moment?”
“It’s possible,” Noah said, “but these guys are so confident in themselves that they may see it as some sort of divine providence. You’ll see what I mean eventually, they seem to think they have the right to do whatever they want. I think they’ll jump at the chance to get somebody like you.”
* * * * *
Parker walked into the room and looked at the man shackled to the table, then sat across from him.
“Richard,” he said. “It’s been a while.”
“Yeah, few years. How you been, Doc?”
“I’m still the same old bastard I always was,” Parker said. “You, on the other hand, have been a pretty busy boy. I’m sure you know why you’re here.”
Belcher nodded. “Sure. You want me to give up the rest of the people in my most recent project, right?”
“That’s correct,” Parker said. “And you know we’re going to get the information out of you. I’m sure you also know that, once we get it, you will be terminated. You can save yourself a lot of pain and suffering if you just tell me what I want to know.”
“I don’t really know that much,” Belcher said. “It’s a compartmentalized operation, and I only knew the people directly involved in my end of it. There are people much higher that I never met, and I have no idea who they are.”
“Oh, come now, Richard,” Parker said. “Are you honestly going to try to tell me that your curiosity never got the better of you? There’s no way in the world I could believe that, not of you. I read too many of your after action reports, your curiosity was your biggest failing.”
“It’s true,” Belcher said, shrugging. “All of us in Galveston were kept in the dark about who was above us. I can tell you about Harold Conley, Barry Linden, Bill Mayweather, Steve O’Brien and John Whitfield, but those are the only people I actually know who were involved.”
Parker nodded. “Conley, Linden, O’Brien and Mayweather were already on our radar. Who is Whitfield?”
“Doctor John Whitfield,” Belcher said. “He and Linden handle the organ removals, just depending on which one of them is available at the time. There also are a couple of nurses, Dina Casey and May Jackson, they help in the surgeries. Then there’s a couple of guys who keep the livestock, but I’m not sure what their names are.”
“I’m sure we can find them,” Parker said. “Now, where are those livestock being held?”
Belcher grinned. “Going straight for the mother lode, aren’t you?” he asked. “I knew you were going to want that information, so this is where we begin the negotiations. You’re right, you can get the information out of me at some point, but I’m willing to bet I can hold out a lot longer than you think I can. Or, we can work out a deal, and I’ll give it to you right now.”
“The only deal I’m authorized to offer you,” Parker said, “is a merciful bullet between the eyes. Anything else requires bringing in Allison, and I don’t really think you want to come face-to-face with her. She’s pretty pissed, Richard.”
“I’ll risk it,” he said. “I’m willing to deal, and it won’t even be that bad a deal for you guys. I might even have a little extra information you really want, like the names of a couple people here at Neverland that you shouldn’t be trusting. Don’t you think that might be worth a little negotiation?”
“People we shouldn’t trust? Are you saying we have security problems?”
“Remember the ISIS leader you sent Team Beowulf to take out a year ago? The missio
n went sour, and he got away?”
Parker’s eyes narrowed. “Somebody here tipped him off?”
“Yes. I was approached to go and prevent the assassination. Somebody here collected a ten million dollar payday for keeping the bastard alive. And before you ask, I only got a million.”
“If that was you,” Parker said, “then you killed two of our people. You honestly think Allison will agree to keep you alive after that?”
Belcher shrugged. “The name of the person involved should be worth something, don’t you think? I’m not going to ask for my freedom, but there are ways I could still be useful to the outfit. And let’s face it, I know you can fix me up to monitor everything I do.”
“Tell me what you’ve got in mind.”
“I’m kinda sick of fieldwork. I’ll give you two people who have sold out information from Neverland, and I’ll give you the location of the holding facility near Galveston, and all I want is an instructor’s position. Let’s face it, I can train new operatives in techniques that I developed out there in the field, techniques that can keep them alive and help them accomplish their missions.”
“Well, I can ask her,” Parker said. “But if I were you, I wouldn’t get any hopes up.”
TWELVE
Allison walked into the room a half hour later and sat across from Belcher.
“Parker told me about your offer,” she said. “Richard, you deserted your post and now we know that you killed two of our people. There’s no information that you have that we can’t get out of you, so what on Earth would make you think you’re in a position to deal?”
Belcher grinned at her. “Time is on my side,” he said. “If you sent people to pick me up, then I have to believe that you got a team working on the project I was involved in down there. If we can work out a deal, I’ll give you all the information I have, to help you shut it down and rescue about three dozen people before they go under the knife. I’ll also give you the names of two people here in your organization who have been communicating with me. If we don’t, then I’m willing to bet I can hold out against whatever you throw at me for quite a while. Several of those people will be chopped up within the next forty-eight hours, and I don’t think there’s any way your team is going to find them before that happens, not without my help.”
“And you want an instructor’s job here?” Allison asked. “What makes you think I would ever trust you again?”
“Wire me up,” Belcher replied. “We both know you can rig it so you know everything I do, everywhere I go. I’m pretty tired of being out there looking over my shoulder, anyway. I was pretty sure you would find me sooner or later.”
Allison stared at him for a couple of seconds. “And if I refuse?”
Belcher shrugged. “I’ll do my best to hold out and not give you any information,” he said. “If I’m going to die anyway, Allison, I can probably figure out a way to kill myself before I break. Wouldn’t you think so?”
“That might be hard to do if you’re strapped down to a table. Do you think I would be silly enough to give you an opportunity to check out like that?”
“Ever heard of biofeedback? I’ve been studying it for quite some time, and I’ve got to the point that I can slow my heart enough to make me pass out. I’m willing to bet I could find a way to stop it completely. Are you? Are you willing to gamble the lives of the innocent victims and leave a couple of security risks in place? Look, all I’m asking for is the chance to come in out of the cold. I can still be valuable to you, and you know it. I accomplished missions that nobody else could. Don’t you think my experience would be valuable to your new trainees?”
Another ten seconds went by before she replied. “Richard, I’ll rescind the termination order I already signed on you in return for all of that information. As for making you an instructor, I’m not sure I’m willing to do that just yet. How about a position at R&D while I decide whether I trust you or not?”
“R&D? What would I do out there?”
“As you said, you did accomplish a few missions that should have been impossible. I think your imagination might be valuable to Wally. What do you say?”
Belcher looked at her and then he grinned. “If you rescind the order, that means I won’t be killed here at all? No termination?”
“Not anytime soon, unless you walk out in front of a truck or something,” Allison said. “Of course, I’m going to implement corporeal monitoring. You’ll be implanted with monitoring equipment that will listen to everything you say and record everything you do. We have an AI computer that can watch you twenty-four hours a day now. That’s the deal, take it or leave it.”
Belcher rolled it around his mind for a few seconds, then nodded. “All right, deal,” he said.
Allison leaned forward. “Then start with the location of the holding facility,” she said. “Where is it?”
“I can’t give you its exact location,” Belcher said. “Unfortunately, that’s impossible, because it keeps moving. What I can tell you is that it is somewhere in the Gulf of Mexico, about fifteen miles out. It’s a yacht in international waters, so it might be hard to claim any actual jurisdiction.”
Allison narrowed her eyes. “Fifteen miles out in international waters? According to my sources, it’s within thirty minutes of a location in Galveston.”
Belcher cocked his head to one side and grinned. “Holy shit,” he said. “That new kid is one of yours, isn’t he? Townsend, the guy who’s going to be shipping the organs out.”
“That’s right,” Allison said. “He’s Camelot. I’m sure you’ve heard of him?”
Belcher let out a whistle. “Indeed I have,” he said. “There are a lot of people in intelligence who really want to know who he is. If I were you, that would be a really good reason to close up those security leaks.” He shook his head. “Is he really as good as they say?”
Allison grinned. “Richard,” she said, “he makes you look like an amateur. Now, if the holding facility is on a boat in international waters, how can it be less than thirty minutes from his facility?”
Belcher returned her grin. “Allison, Allison,” he said. “Haven’t you ever heard of a helicopter? That kid picked the ideal spot, because there is an empty field right beside his building. The chopper can land right there.”
Allison stared at him. “You’re shipping harvested organs using a life flight helicopter?”
“Of course,” Belcher said. “We were originally shipping them right out of the medical center. Nobody ever bothered to pay attention to the helicopter when it landed there, it wasn’t any big deal. Townsend’s new location is even better, because it’s almost completely out of sight.”
Allison nodded. “I can see that,” she said. “Now, tell me about my security leaks.”
Five minutes later, Allison walked out of the room. Parker was waiting for her in the hall, and she motioned for him to follow her. When they got outside and away from the building, she turned and looked at him.
“Have him taken out to Wally,” she said. “He’s to be implanted with monitoring, and tell Wally to make sure he adds that little trick we learned from Monica Lord. As soon as that’s done, he’ll be working for Wally at R&D.”
“Are you sure that’s wise, Allison? He and Wally used to be pretty good friends.”
“Which is exactly why I’m doing it. I trust Wally, don’t get me wrong, but we should be able to analyze their interactions to make certain Wally isn’t compromised. Besides, Belcher says he wants to make a contribution around here. I’m pretty sure he can come up with some ideas that Wally will find interesting. I’m giving him a thirty day reprieve, under full twenty-four hour monitoring. If he makes it through that, I’ll consider extending it.”
Parker nodded. “Yes, ma’am,” he said. “And our security leaks?”
Alison’s eyes suddenly grew dark. “I intend to handle those personally,” she said. She turned and walked away without another word and Parker watched her go for a moment before turning and reenteri
ng the building.
* * * * *
Noah spent the early part of the afternoon lecturing his new employees about their responsibilities, explaining the necessity of making sure that nothing happened to the package they would be carrying. His instructional class lasted more than an hour and a half, after which he allowed them all to go home for the day. They would report the following morning at nine, ready to scatter to the four corners of the world, if necessary, in order to deliver their precious cargo.
At ten minutes after three, the door chime announced someone entering and he stepped out of his office. As he had expected, Harold Conley was standing there with his face pale.
“Rob, we’ve got a problem,” he said.
They went into Noah’s office and Conley told him about the arrest of the man he knew as Jim Harmon. He had known about the security company, and about Harmon’s other identity as John McGinty, but the arrest had sent him almost into a panic.
“Is he going to talk?” Noah asked. “About what we do, I mean?”
Conley shook his head. “No, I’m sure there’s no chance of that. Good Lord, he’d have to be an idiot to tell them anything. No matter what they might think of the rest of us, he was the one who actually kidnapped people and brought them back to be butchered. I’m just worried about what’s going to happen when the people above us find out he’s gone. They don’t like it when there’s a problem, and we sure as hell don’t want them getting pissed off over this. You’d probably be safe, they don’t even know who you are yet, but some of us—well, some of us would probably disappear.”
Noah leaned back in his chair for a moment, steepling his fingers in front of his face. “What if I had a way to solve the problem?” he asked.
Conley looked up at him sharply. “What? Are you willing to take on that part of the operation yourself?”
Noah let his eyes go wide. “Me? Oh, no way,” he said. “On the other hand, I got a friend who’s really, really good with computers. Considering what we are into, I wanted to know exactly who my new employees really are. Last thing in the world we could stand would be for some undercover cop to get on here, right? Well, turns out one of them is a lot like Mr. Harmon.”