Chapter 28
Two dark figures emerged from a black SUV and approached Sally as she dropped off her rental car.
“Ma’am, Major Craig sent us. Would you mind joining us in our vehicle?”
“Would you mind showing me your identifications?” Sally insisted.
They obliged. “Now I’ll need your wives’ middle names. I know I sound silly, but Major Craig insisted, said I needed to confirm something not on your IDs; something only you would know.”
“Yes ma’am, Craig informed us. Said you would want to confirm and we know how he can be ma’am. Please, if you could take a seat in the rear of the vehicle, we’ll be able to establish a secure communications link for your conversation with the Major. Once you’re on with him, we’ll step out as we do not have the required clearance levels to listen in.” With that Sally slid into the back seat while they established a satellite link with Craig.
When the connection was up, they left Sally and took positions on either side outside the truck.
“Dr. Evans, thank you for accommodating my request, I know you are on personal leave for a family matter, or at least that’s what an associate named Jarrard at your lab advised me. I hope everything with your family is okay. And I do hope you don’t mind me calling your private cell, this is a matter of the gravest importance.”
“Major Craig hello, yes it’s all perfectly fine. My family is healthy and well, thank you. Please, no worries. The Sentient project is my baby and your mission. Our professional paths intertwine. The Sentient is my primary work and focus so anything I can do to support your efforts in behalf of national security comes first. My associate Dr. Jarrard was right to provide my contact info. Jarrard assists me in much of the research and development we conduct on the Sentient. But he’s not much of a people person, more of a back room guy, which is why you haven’t met. What can I do to help you?”
“Dr. Evans…,” Craig began.
“Please Major, call me Sally. We have worked together long enough to drop titles.”
“Yes, agreed, and of course, you can call me Thomas, or Tommy, my nickname at Yale. Up until now, you had some idea of our intended use of the Sentient and, in that regard it has been exceptional in its performance.” Craig went on to describe the recent success they had in apprehending El Sharrad, then continued, “Well, the reason we put so much pressure on you to accelerate and deliver the Sentient was we learned a few months ago about a pending terrorist attack with a dirty bomb, and only El Sharrad knew the target city. To keep us off-center, they only indicated the attack would be on a sports stadium, but not which sport, or which city. We suspect the day to release the dirty bomb is near, and he has directed his sleeper cell to the stadium only he knows.”
“Did this El Sharrad provide any clues as to the location?”
“Sally, that’s why I had to contact you; he killed himself today before we could learn anything. He also had his entire family murdered before he committed suicide so they couldn’t be used as leverage to talk. That’s how serious this is.”
“Major Craig, oh, I mean Thomas, well, as horrible as it all is, doesn’t it take care of your problem?” Sally asked. “He’s dead, he can’t order the attack.”
“Little bit more complicated. In uncovering the plan, we also found out if he was killed or unable to give the order, a default cell would go ahead with a target indicated long ago, and we know of twelve possible jihadist groups near major U.S. cities with the ability to deliver.”
“Major, then what do you need from me? You already have the Sentient and with your success in applying it towards the capture of your terrorists, it seems you are more than capable in using it, so if there is someone else you need to find, employ the Sentient again. Please tell me specifically why you need me?” Sally asked again.
“Well, you’ll probably want me to go back to calling you Dr. Evans after what I’m about to tell you. As a matter of practice within the intelligence community, whenever we contract outside our agencies with civilian or commercial companies, we feel it is our right, and obligation to monitor communications. We do this to prevent leaks and maintain control while containing top-secret information dissemination, intended or otherwise. After 9/11, as you are well aware, if we can legally expand our areas of surveillance and it results in saving American lives, we feel we are just to use whatever means necessary,” Craig said.
Sally’s ears started to burn, her face flushed; she felt betrayed by her own country, by her own people. Trying to maintain her composure, she asked, “Still, Craig, what do you want from me?” Then, she defiantly added, “That you don’t already seem to know?”
“Yes, I’m sure you’re upset, and I would be too if I were I your shoes, but I’m not in your shoes so get over it. Our analysts have overheard comments or discussions between you and the surf photographer, and recently between the photographer and your previous team lead, Dr. Benjamin Campbell. We are a bit confused as to the true meaning of the discourse, so we invited others within your field to review the conversations after we read them in on the Sentient Project. They were all quite skeptical, but most conclude you have used the Sentient images to communicate with someone who has died. Could this be true? If it is, we must get you to a lab right away.”
No longer able to restrain herself, Sally attacked, “Major, the rage and indignation I feel right now makes it extremely difficult to answer any of your questions or even have this discussion. How dare you or any government agency listen in on my private conversations with my friends and family! Neither Shawn Pérez or Ben Campbell have anything to do with the Sentient at Photon, or our working relationship within the structure of our project!”
Perfectly calm, Craig answered, “Dr. Evans, excuse me. First of all, you can be tried for breaking a number of laws under new Homeland Security guidelines for sharing U.S. secrets with individuals who hold no clearance on your project. If it were found either one of them was not a U.S. citizen, it would then be treason, but let’s not go there. You just need to get over it. If you take a moment to consider, you invented a camera which reads DNA. Your Sentient invades the most private information about any of us. What we are made of. So before you get all high and mighty, imagine all the other intrusive uses we will have for your Sentient technology. At the Agency we act knowing your privacy is of secondary importance when stacked up against national security and the lives of innocent men, women and children. We have legislation to back us up. But look, we are losing valuable time. Will you cooperate or do I need to inform you of some of the other provisions of the new law?”
Weighing her options, Sally paused a moment before resuming the phone conversation. “What do you need me to do Major?”
“I need you to bring El Sharrad back to life. I need to talk to him.”
Sally was stunned. “Major Craig, I am not sure for a good number of reasons — some personal, some science — and even if there is a chance to bring someone back, which is not really the best way to describe the process, I have moral as well as religious objections.”
While Sally explained this to Craig on the secure line, she discretely typed out a text to Shawn: “Not coming, heading to Salvation, to Frisco; will explain later.” She’d do her best not to give Craig any clue as to Ben’s location, if they did not know already.
“Ms. Evans, you have twenty four hours to comply. In the meantime, everything in your lab at Photon will be sealed off. All your computers have been filtered. The Sentient project data and all related information was always the property of the U.S. Government, but now we control it all. The scientists we enlisted to review the research data along with your recorded conversations are now in charge of your technology. We have agents meeting with your associate Jarrard and he is very eager to contribute after we showed him what you were keeping from him. He was actually very pissed off. The agents will release you or take you wherever you wish to go. I will make contact at the end of twenty-four hours. Until then, one of the agents will provide you with a secure ph
one you must keep on you at all times. Do you understand? Confirm!”
Sally answered, “I do understand!” Then she thought, amazing how one phone conversation can destroy an entire relationship. Guess my first impression of Craig was right after all. With that she backed down, knowing this was one man she did not want to tangle with.
“Yes, Major Craig, I understand. We will talk again in twenty four hours. Are we finished here?”
“Affirmed, we are finished. Stay somewhere safe away from the public. Think about what I’ve shared. If you decide not to assist us, and a bomb detonates causing thousands of deaths, you will have a part in the blame. Could you live with that on your conscience? Good afternoon.” The screen went blank.
Sally sat stunned; one thing for sure, she couldn’t lead them to Shawn and Ben, which also meant she couldn’t prevent whatever those two were up to. I need a quiet place to think, I have to get back to the boat.