John Krygelski - The Aegis Solution

“You’re not exactly a killing machine,” Elias offered.

“You’re right. I’m not. Over the years I’ve done my share. But it’s always been single targets, enemy garrisons, terrorist cells, not a huge gathering of American citizens.”

He paused and looked pointedly at Elias. “And if I wasn’t curious before, I sure as hell would be now.”

“Why?” Tillie asked.

Stone turned to look at her. “Because he sent Elias in with the same assignment.”

“I don’t understand.”

“Eric’s trying to say that I couldn’t kill a fly.”

Stone laughed. “Right! You’re the next Gandhi.”

“Come on! Would someone please explain?”

“Faulk knows Elias and I have a history, a long one. He knows we’re friends. He also knows how Elias feels about him. Keeping all of that in mind, do you think Faulk would send Elias in here with the same assignment I had, tell him that I was in here, but not to rescue me? That he was to only carry out the mission?”

“I do believe that Mister Faulk has other plans for the two of you.”

All eyes turned toward Wilson, who had turned back to face them as he spoke.

“Plans?” Tillie repeated.

As if he were engaged in an abstract discussion at some old-fashioned gentleman’s club, Wilson casually took another sip from his tea mug, his hand shielding the top from the incessant wind in an effort keep out airborne detritus. “It would appear that your Mister Faulk wants to be rid of both of you.”

“I was wondering if you would come to the same conclusion,” Elias commented sourly.

“Wilson, why would that man want to get rid of Elias and Eric? They work for him.”

“Correction…I never worked for him.”

“Until now,” Wilson corrected.

“Right, until now,” Elias admitted.

“Now that we have that cleared up,” Tillie retorted sarcastically, “why would he want to get rid of them?”

“Tillie, you were absent at the time Elias and I had a chat about his past. It seems that there was an operation which had gone horribly wrong, resulting in the death of Elias’ wife. Eric was involved in that operation, and Faulk was in command.”

Her voice abruptly shifting to one of sympathy, Tillie remembered, “I heard you and Kreitzmann talking before you punched him. He mentioned that you had lost your wife.”

Elias nodded and repeated the story he had told Wilson. When he was finished, Tillie said quietly, “Oh, my God. I am so sorry.”

Before Elias could say anything else, Stone spoke. “There’s one thing that doesn’t add up.”

“Just one?”

“Well, quite a bit, Elias. But why was I captured by the speed demons almost the minute I arrived, but you weren’t? If this is all a setup orchestrated by Faulk, it makes sense that they would know I was coming, but they would have known about you, too.”

“That’s true, Eric. In fact, I was jumped by the ZooCity Zooks right after I got here. It was one of Kreitzmann’s Zippers who got me out of it.”

“That’s very strange. Kreitzmann’s freaks stopped them but left you alone?”

“Yes.”

“It’s quite simple, actually,” Wilson stated in the condescending voice of a college professor talking to a freshman.

“At least he didn’t say ‘elementary, my dear boy,’ huh?” Tillie muttered to Elias.

Ignoring her aside and Elias’ snicker, Wilson continued, “Elias was effectively captured the moment he walked through the turnstile. Eric, you were merely the bait. You had to be held in abeyance. Otherwise, Faulk couldn’t be certain that Elias would accept the assignment.”

“Makes sense,” Stone stated flatly.

“Once Elias was inside Aegis, it didn’t matter to Faulk if he was nabbed by Kreitzmann or not. He was inside and that was the point.”

Several of the pieces fell into place in Elias’ mind. “There was obviously never going to be an extraction, for Eric or for me.”

“It would appear not.”

As Elias mulled over the implications of Wilson’s hypothesis, the mathematician continued, “I am curious about one thing.”

“What’s that?”

“How were you to dispose of all of us in Aegis? By what mechanism?”

“Thermal explosions,” Elias answered, wondering what path the old man’s mind was following now.

“Makes perfect sense. To the outside world it could be explained as an unfortunate, accidental fire, a tragic accident. After all, who knows what those people inside Aegis have been doing? And fire would have the added benefit of obliterating so much physical evidence, as well as the DNA of the victims. All in all, it would be an excellent way to clean up after an operation. You obviously didn’t carry that ordnance in with you when you arrived.”

“No, I received a drop last night. It came with that.”

“I doubt it.”

“Of course it did. I unpacked it myself.”

“Oh, they may have sent something resembling the devices, but I suspect that what they sent to you is quite harmless.”

“If that is true,” Stone posited as he joined the conversation, “that would clinch it. There couldn’t be any doubt that Faulk is behind all of this.”

“True,” Elias agreed.

“I’ll go check it out,” Stone ventured. “All I need to do is open up one of them and I’ll be able to tell.”

“I’ll go with you,” Tillie added quickly.

“No, you should stay here.”

“Huh-uh. I know the way to his stash.”

“So do I. I assume that you used the same spot I was supposed to use?” he asked Elias.

“As far as I know.” Elias went on to describe the location.

“Yep, that was going to be my drop location.”

“It doesn’t matter!” Tillie maintained, raising her voice insistently. “I’m going, too.”

“Look…,” Stone started to argue, but was cut off by Elias.

“She isn’t quite sure about all of this, Eric. And in her shoes, I wouldn’t be, either.”

“What do you mean?”

“Okay, hotshot,” snapped Tillie. “I’ll spell it out for you. You were sent here to kill all of us. You were captured the minute you arrived, so you never got your supply of firebombs or whatever they are. Elias tells you that they arrived last night, and all of a sudden you are eagerly offering to go check them out. You haven’t even asked us if you could use the bathroom yet! I don’t think so, pal. Not without me.”

Stone grinned at Elias and commented, “She’s quite a piece of work!”

Elias nodded his agreement. “You don’t know the half of it.”

With Stone and Tillie gone, Elias settled into the comfortable silence which seemed to surround Wilson. The two men listened to the whipping wind and watched the trees and plants in their frenzied dance.

After some time, Elias finally spoke. “I never knew it was normal for the wind to have such intensity in this part of the desert.”

“It isn’t. Or, at least, it wasn’t always.”

“You lost me.”

Wilson tilted his head back and looked up at the sky, partially revealed above. “When I first arrived here, it was gusty, to be sure. And it seemed to be constant. I’m not a native of this land, but when I met Tillie, she informed me that at the time she came to Aegis…on its opening day, mind you…it was still. According to Tillie, whom I trust implicitly — not only her integrity but her observational skills, as well — the wind has gathered steadily since that day.”

“How can that be?”

“Alas, I am no meteorologist. However, my meager knowledge of the field tells me that there is no viable explanation. What I do know of desert winds is that the rule is a general calmness during the late night through mid-morning, followed, as the day heats, with an escalating wind. What you have, perhaps, not noticed in your short time here is that this wind is unceasing… unabating twenty-four hours a day. Of course, there is always Tillie’s explanation.”