John Krygelski - The Aegis Solution

Before he could answer, the assistant director, ignoring the protests from Liz, pushed his way in next to the makeup chair and urged, “Erin, we need you on the set.”

The tension of the moment caused Erin’s emotions to flare. “I’ll be there when I can!” she barked uncharacteristically.

Unaccustomed to this sort of an outburst from her, the assistant director backed off, mumbling something to the effect that she should hurry, and then he scooted away, talking excitedly into the mouthpiece arced around his cheek.

Returning her attention to the phone, she began again. “Rusty, sorry about that. Tell me about the plane. What happened?”

“We don’t have all the details yet. Those things are built to fly inside hurricanes, so I can’t even imagine what happened. In our last communication with them, they were about to enter the center zone.”

She could hear him cover the mouthpiece of the phone and begin speaking to someone else. A few seconds later he spoke into the phone. “Erin, I’ve got to go. I’m heading out there now.”

Once more, she only took an instant to make her decision. “Rusty, pick me up. I’m going with you.”

The technician pulled back on the manipulator gloves and slipped her hands out of them, picking up a cotton towel and vigorously rubbing her face.

“Yolanda, why is it the minute I put the gloves on, my face starts to itch?” she asked the technician at the station beside her.

The other woman laughed. “Psychological, Syndi. You know you can’t scratch it, so it itches. Remember, this is much better than the full suits.”

Standing, Syndi agreed, “That’s true. Well, I’m done. Thirteen hours is long enough.”

“I hear you. I’m about ready myself. I still can’t believe they’re having us retest.”

“Guess they figure after two years of storage, they’d better make sure it still works.”

Syndi left, and Yolanda completed the medium transfer she was working on. She pulled back on the gloves to extricate her own hands, and noticed an unusual tug as she freed her right hand. Looking down, she muttered, “Damn!” On her right wrist was a gold-plated charm bracelet, a gift from her sister and strictly forbidden in the lab.

Nervously, she unclasped the bracelet and dropped it into her pocket, angling her body to obscure what she had done from the ceiling-mounted camera, which was behind her and to the left. Glad that she was the last person in the lab, she pulled out the right glove a bit farther and examined the portion of it that had been adjacent to the bracelet.

She did not want to lean down and stare at it closely, as that would be too obvious on the security camera. With the inspection Yolanda was able to do, the material looked intact. She did not notice any tear or snag in the laminated and reinforced fabric.

The tension of the near catastrophe was causing her to sweat profusely. She picked up the cotton towel from the neighboring station and mopped her face and neck, before getting up and hurriedly departing the lab.

“I’m guessing you did connect with our colleague from Mossad.”

“I did,” Elias answered tersely.

Wistfully, Stone continued, “That’s the weakness with intel — never the full picture. We thought he had tried to set up a meeting but it hadn’t happened yet.”

“You and Faulk have too much faith in your technology and your own competence. I knew I was being watched. I knew my emails were read and my phones were all monitored. When I heard from Benjamin, I used an intermediary, made a blind drop.”

“Ah, yes,” Stone said, shaking his head, “the old-fashioned way.”

“Everyone has become far too dependent on electronics. You’ve got whole rooms full of people staring at computer monitors, waiting for the other guy to make a call, text a message, use a chat room, or send an email. There’s nothing like pen and paper, transported by a person you can rely upon.”

“How did you meet him? After he left you that voice mail, we were watching him, too…every minute of the day.”

“I didn’t say that I did, only that we connected. I sent him a message, using the drop, telling him that he was also being watched. As you said, the old-fashioned way. Benjamin sat down, handwrote everything he had learned, and the courier, someone I knew I could trust, brought it back.”

Stone chuffed, a sound of disgust. “So I suppose you think you know it all.”

“I have no idea if I know it all, and I don’t care. I know about the lab. I know why you killed Leah. And I know Faulk is behind all of it.”

The one reaction Elias did not expect from his erstwhile friend was the one he got. Stone laughed, the sound echoing off the concrete walls of the raceway. “It would be generous to say that you only know the tip of the iceberg. But even what you think you’ve figured out is wrong.”

“Why don’t you enlighten me?”

“Why don’t you go to hell?”

“The only person going to hell in the next few minutes will be you. I’m just giving you a chance to clear things up for me before you go.”

Stone stared at Elias for a moment. “Sure. Why not? You already know that Mossad raided a Taliban nest in the West Bank. There was only one survivor, Bassam. You also know that Bassam was Khalid’s number-two man. Our Israeli friends don’t have the weak stomach that we have as far as using effective interrogation methods, so Bassam talked his head off. He told Benjamin about the lab. He told him that Leah had found out about it and she had to die. How am I doing, so far?”

“He also told Benjamin that it was you who came up with the idea for the missile strike.”

“He’s right. It was. It was perfect. It got rid of Leah and gave Khalid a perfect PR story for the whole world.”

Elias felt his finger tighten on the trigger. With monumental effort, he relaxed the pressure.

Acting as if he were oblivious to the fury building in Elias, Stone inquired, “Tell me, Elias, what did Bassam disclose to Benjamin about the lab?”

Even through the self-induced fog of his rage, Elias was unsettled by something in Stone’s demeanor, something he could not quite identify.

“That Faulk and others were operating a bio-weapon lab, in violation of our laws and international treaties.”

Elias saw a slight smile play across Stone’s face. “That’s it?”

“That and the fact that the lab was on the verge of perfecting a new aerosol agent.”

Although he had the muzzle of an automatic rifle aimed at his chest, Stone relaxed. Elias, noticing this, sensed that he was running out of time. “Eric, where’s the lab?”

This last question from Elias caused Stone to break out in a broad grin. “Elias, thank you. Your question was the last answer I needed from you. Now you only have one remaining function to fulfill.”

Sensing the muscles in his back and neck tighten, Elias suddenly felt at a disadvantage but still was not sure why. All at once, his thoughts crystallized. He shifted the barrel of the AK-47 downward so that it pointed at Stone’s leg, and pulled the trigger. He heard only a single click. At that moment, Stone stuck his fingers into his pants pocket and pulled something out, tossing it on the floor between them. It fell with a metallic clatter, coming to rest inches from Elias’ feet. It only took him a moment to recognize it.

“If you’re going to shoot one of those things, Elias, it helps to have the firing pin installed.”

As Elias was about to charge at him, Stone slid his hand behind his back and pulled out the 9mm.

“Stop!” Stone snapped.

Elias froze in mid-stride.

Taking in a deep breath, Elias asked, “Eric, why? What turned you?”