—I didn’t steal anything! It was your idea to get it from the bottom of the…trench. You brought me on board long after the construction work had begun.
—Since, as you emphasized, I am no longer a part of this project, it would appear that the responsibility now rests solely on your shoulders.
—I only did what the board…what the board sanctioned. We had to show the world what it can do if it’s going to be effective as a deterrent. Don’t wo…worry about me. I know what I’m doing.
—You unfortunately do not. That much is obvious. If you had even the most basic understanding of the situation, you would not have taken her out before you knew more of what she can do, and you certainly would not have been reckless enough to bring her back here.
—Where was I supposed to take it?
—Perhaps the base in Russia. Anywhere but here.
—The…the base in Russia isn’t finished yet.
—That is something you might have considered before you took her out for a stroll. That is definitely something you should have thought of before you took her back into United States territory, on a boat. It took over a week to get back here. There is not a government on the planet that does not know exactly where the robot is.
There are three countries that are part of this consortium, one of which you were already in. Yet, you chose to bring the robot back into the one country that has a legitimate claim on it. One thing is certain, you will never get it out of Puerto Rico again. I would also expect the board to react, shall we say, unfavorably to this decision, as you have effectively turned over their investment to the US.
I spoke to the Office of the President several times since the event. They were ready to declare a blockade when they realized where you were going. The only reason US Marines have not already stormed this place is because they have not yet figured out why you would do something so stupid.
They have, however, deployed half the Atlantic Fleet around the island. The seaward boundaries of Puerto Rico extend nine nautical miles from the shore. Believe me when I say that no one, especially Russia, will ever cross that line. Neither will you.
—What about the other nations in the consortium?
—The Emirates do not have boats that could come this far. If they did, they would not use them. You can also assume that South Korea will not enter US coastal waters uninvited.
—So what are we supposed to do?
—You can either trust Russian diplomats to work out a compromise, or you can let me handle it. Either way, I hope you brought a few good books. You will be inside this compound for a while.
—I can’t make that kind of decision without running it by…
—The board. Yes. You do that. By now, Russia and Korea will have realized what you have done, but your private partners will be glad someone is there to explain to them why they are out of business.
—You’re loving this. Aren’t you?
—I take no pleasure in your misfortune, Ms. Papantoniou.
—Sure you do. You cou…could have warned me.
—Would you have listened if I had? I have explained to you, several times, that you could only use this weapon when absolutely necessary, and only for defensive purposes. In fact, I specifically told you to ensure that your actions could never be misconstrued as offensive. That did not stop you from marching right into the Korean demilitarized zone before anyone threw so much as a rock at South Korea.
—There was an immediate threat.
—North Korean troops gathering…inside North Korea. That is unheard of.
—They were massing very close to the border.
—North Korea is the size of Ohio. It would be geographically challenging for them to gather very far from the border.
—Say what you will. You could have warned me on the way back. As you were happy to point out, we weren’t exactly traveling at super…sonic speed. You had more than a week to tell me to turn around.
—Indeed. I chose not to.
—Like I said. I don’t know you very well. I know you don’t like me, but I have a hard time thinking you’d purposely s…s…sabotage this entire project just for the pleasure of watching me fail.
I assume this was all part of some great master plan. So how does it work? You swoop in, save the day, and you get to run this project yourself?
—Rest assured, Ms. Papantoniou, I have no desire to take your place. Nor do I wish to see this project fail. I do have a vested interest in the people I recruited, and their well-being is very important to me. I would like you to make peace with Ms. Resnik.
—I can’t help it if she won’t cooperate.
—She still lives in the compound, comes to work every day. She spent more than a week on a cargo ship to go to Korea on a mission that should never have happened. She has, as I understand it, set limits on the type of procedures she will allow you to perform on her body. That seems within her rights even under these special circumstances.
—You didn’t always have a problem messing with another person’s…body against their will.
—I could say the same about you.
—I don’t know what you’re talking about.
—…Perhaps. Were you referring to Mr. Couture’s legs?
—I was.
—The doctor performed the surgery against his will. Mr. Couture had no reservations about the operation.
—Did he even know what you were gonna do to him?
—He knew the alternative was to lose his legs. However painful the experience may have been for him, I believe he would choose to undergo the procedure again.
In any case, if Ms. Resnik will not consent to more invasive procedures, I suggest you find a way to work with what she will consent to. In the meantime, I will go back to Washington and see if I can find a solution to your current predicament.
—Thank you. I’ll talk to…
—To the board, yes.
—I’ll talk to the board about keeping you on as a consultant, but I can’t…can’t promise anything.
—That is very generous of you.
FILE NO. 253
TRANSCRIPT—GEOINT SURVEILLANCE—KH-9 SATELLITE (BIG BIRD)
National Reconnaissance Office, Chantilly, VA
[11:30] Movement alert. Big Bird is geostat over Puerto Rico. Now leaving Watch Mode. Manual tracking enabled.
[11:31] Male, female, designated Alpha, Bravo, spotted outside compound. Heading west on foot along access road.
[11:39] Several people exiting compound. Eight men total, all armed, wearing tactical gear. Designation: Charlie 1 through 8.
[11:42] Charlie 1–8 entering two vehicles, pickup trucks, parked outside compound. Vehicles heading west.
[11:46] Tracking. Vehicles approaching Alpha and Bravo. Male and female leaving access road, heading north through wooded area.
[11:47] Vehicles stopped. Charlie in pursuit on foot.
[11:52] Bravo down.
[11:53] Alpha heading North. Bravo still down.
[11:54] Charlie 1–4 stopping near Bravo. Charlie 5–8 still in pursuit heading north.
[11:56] Charlie 1–4 carrying Bravo, possibly dead, back to vehicle.
[12:01] Lost track of Alpha. Charlie 5–8 slowing down, splitting up into two groups.
[12:08] Charlie 5–8 abandoning pursuit. Heading back to vehicles.
[12:17] Vehicles heading back to compound.
[12:24] Vehicles back at compound. All occupants entering.
[12:32] No further activity. Big Bird resuming Watch Mode.
FILE NO. 254
INTERVIEW WITH VINCENT COUTURE, CONSULTANT, GAIA CONSORTIUM
Location: Bar El Batey, San Juan, Puerto Rico
—Where is Ms. Resnik? I was expecting both of you.
—She didn’t make it.
—You left her behind?
—There was nothing I could do. She got hit in the back with a Taser gun. I tried to help her up, but they got me in the shoulder and I fell backward down the hillside. Whe
n I came to, I was a few hundred feet from the water.
—They did not chase you?
—I don’t know. I didn’t see anyone, but I didn’t really stick around to find out. Maybe they were too busy restraining Kara, maybe they don’t care so much about me.
—Believe me, they care very much about you. Even if Ms. Papantoniou managed to get the helmets to accept other people, she would need someone to operate the legs and the console. You are the only one with a sufficient understanding of the math involved.
—It’s not that hard. It can be learned.
—I am certain it can, but you are also the only person whose anatomy is compatible with the controls. Anyone else would have to stand backward and face away from the console. They could use a third pilot on the other side of it, but coordinating the actions of three people when one of them is facing away does not seem like a viable solution. If they had been able to catch you, you would have been recaptured before her. She is easier to replace than you are.
How did you get to San Juan?
—There was a small fishing boat near the shore. I swam to it, told them I was snorkeling and the boat I came on left without me. At least, I think that’s what I said. You know how good my Spanish is. Anyway, they took me to Playa Sardinera. I took a bus to get here.
—Very astute of you. How did things get so bad? What happened at the compound?
—We escaped.
—I meant what happened before. When did you decide to escape?
—Yesterday. Well, today, but it all started yesterday.
—Please take me through it.
—I woke up late. I didn’t take a shower, I just ran downstairs for breakfast. They called her on the intercom about halfway through.
—Ms. Resnik?
—Yes. She said she’d be right back. She told me to make sure no one took her coffee.
—Then?
—Then nothing. I waited for a half hour. I went to her room, to med bay. The door was locked. I started knocking. After about five minutes, the door opened. Did you know that piece of shit Ryan was there?
—I did.
—And you didn’t think that was something I might wanna know?
—Can we do this at another time? Ms. Resnik was in the medical bay…
—Yeah. I tried to get to her. She was lying unconscious on a metal table. Her arms and legs were strapped. She must have put up one hell of a fight. Ryan’s brow was cut. He must have helped to restrain her because I don’t think the two guards that were there could have handled her on their own. Alyssa certainly couldn’t.
Ryan grabbed me. He said no one would hurt her. I didn’t believe him so I kept on fighting, but he’s a lot stronger than I am. Alyssa was there, and she picked up something in one of the drawers and she stabbed me in the neck with it. Next thing I know, I was in my room.
—What did they do to you?
—I don’t know. I woke up with one hell of a headache, but not much else.
—Did your back hurt?
—No, not really. Why?
—What kind of tests did Alyssa perform on you before the mission to Korea?
—She sent me to San Juan for some X-rays. She took a bunch of samples.
—What kind of samples?
—Everything, I guess. Blood. A lot of blood. Saliva, sperm, hair. Why? What do you think she’s doing?
—I do not know. How did you manage to free Ms. Resnik?
—I didn’t free her. I think they were done with her so they let her go. She knocked at my door.
—How was she?
—Pretty banged up. She was still hammered from whatever Alyssa had given her. She grabbed my hand, and we lay down in bed until morning. When I woke up, she was already dressed. She looked really nervous. We both knew we had to get out of there.
—What was your plan?
—We didn’t have a plan. We just tried walking out the front door. The guards had orders not to let us through. I could tell Kara was thinking about fighting her way out. I wasn’t really up to fighting four armed men. I put my hand on her shoulder to stop her. It took a few seconds, but I eventually felt her relax. Once she’d given up on the idea, we went back to my room to whip up some sort of plan.
—What did you come up with?
—Nothing at first. There’s only one elevator shaft, and it’s heavily guarded. That left only the underwater hatch and the air shafts. Neither of us knew how to ride a sub, so we gave up on that one rather quickly, and we couldn’t come up with a way to climb the shafts. They’re about a mile long. Then I thought: Han Solo.
—…
—Han Solo, you know. “If they follow standard imperial procedure, they’ll dump their garbage before they go to light speed, and then we just float away.”
—Is that supposed to help?
—Today’s garbage day. They take out the Dumpsters once a week, whatever they couldn’t incinerate—metal, all kinds of scraps, and then a truck picks it up. We snuck into one of the containers, and they carried us out, with the rest of the trash.
—I am surprised Ms. Resnik went along with that plan.
—I was too. I can’t say I was too confident about it myself. The one thing we knew is that we didn’t wanna spend another day in there. It was just better than not trying anything at all.
We got out of the Dumpsters when we heard the door close and we started walking. We weren’t even half a mile away when we heard the trucks they sent after us. We cut through the woods and ran as fast as we could. They caught up to us real fast. I told you the rest already.
We can’t leave Kara in there with that psycho.
—I agree.
—OK, so what’s the plan?
—I have absolutely no idea.
—Can’t you storm the place with a platoon of Marines?
—No.
—Delta Force, anything?
—I wish I could. I no longer have access to military personnel. As far as the United States government is concerned, I am in the proverbial doghouse for the time being.
—You must have friends somewhere else.
—I have connections in several countries, but if by “friends,” you mean military-trained people who will foray into US territory for a rescue mission in a hostile environment, then no, I do not have friends at the moment. I do have access to substantial amounts of money. Given enough time, I can probably assemble a team of mercenaries, but it is not something that can be done in a matter of hours, even days.
—How long?
—Two or three weeks at best.
—She can’t stay in there for two weeks. She could die today, tomorrow. She might be dead already.
—There is time. They will not kill her. This might sound insensitive, but she is too valuable an asset to risk permanently damaging her. Her stay will involve some unpleasantries, I am sure. Ms. Papantoniou will do everything in her power to discover what makes her…special, but she will not kill her.
—I know Alyssa won’t kill her on purpose, but you know Kara. She can get a rise out of anyone. I’m worried she might do something stupid. I’m sure the guards were told not to harm her, but they won’t just stand there while she beats the crap out of them. There are a lot of guns in there, people on edge. A lot of things can go wrong.
—I suggest you accompany me back to the United States. We may be able to convince the Office of the President that it is in their best interest to help.
—What do you need me for?
—I will be arrested the minute I step through the White House gate. If they decide to let me sit in a cell for a few days, you can deliver the message yourself.
—They won’t lock you up before they hear what you have to say. You go. You convince them we need their help. I’ll stay behind and see what I can do from here.
—What could you possibly do? You do not know anyone and you do not speak the language. Where will you hide?
—Nowhere. You’re right. I’d have a hard time ordering coffee out here. I’l
l go back. I think they’ll let me in.
—They will lock you in a room and never let you out.
—I don’t think so. I’ll tell them I realized that this project is all I have, that I have nowhere to go. They probably won’t trust me at first—I mean, it’s too obvious—but if I keep it up, they’ll want to trust me. It would be too convenient for them if I really wanted back in. It’ll be impossible to resist. I’m pretty sure they’ll give it a shot.
—If they do fall for this rather patent subterfuge, what will you do then?
—Wait for the cavalry. Make sure nothing happens to Kara.
—And if I were to be unsuccessful? You will have risked your life and lost your freedom again, for nothing.
—I’ll find a way, maybe. I’ll try to come up with something better than hiding in the trash. I’ll try to find out what Alyssa has up her sleeve. I mean, if she’s willing to treat us like prisoners, she can’t really expect us to cooperate that much. She must be really close. Maybe she has something working already.
—Before she evicted me from the premises, she suggested she might have found a way to keep the helmets working after you had turned them on. She made it sound more like a project than something functional.
—I doubt that. She has a big ego, but if you were that close, wouldn’t you step on your pride for a few more days rather than risk everything on a bet? And that can’t be all of it. She couldn’t keep the helmets turned on forever. She’d still need us to start her up from time to time. It would need to be something we don’t have to do voluntarily. It’s hard enough to get up there as it is, I can’t imagine trying to bring up someone who doesn’t want to go.
—Please forget about the investigation and focus on finding a way to escape again. I am worried that Alyssa may not be the only imminent threat to your life and that of Ms. Resnik. The cavalry, as you called it, might do more harm than good.
—Do I wanna know?
—There are a lot of moving parts to this plan. The United States government might simply decide to cut its losses and neutralize the threat.