Daniel Suarez - Kill Decision

“Oh. Of course.” Tierney glanced back at McKinney and headed for the door.

The Homeland Security agent grabbed the folder from him. “Speak no more of this with anyone. Your SAIC will debrief you.”

“Yes, sir.”

The agents headed out along with the local agent in charge, and the door closed behind them, leaving McKinney alone with the recent arrival.

He nodded and sat down across from her. “How you holding up, Linda?”

She studied him warily. “Not well. Who are you?”

“Agent Blake, Homeland Security.” He produced his credentials again, handing them to her so she could inspect them closely. The gold shield and ID were enclosed in a quality black leather sleeve. “I flew here from Chicago once your report was flagged in the system.”

After examining his credentials she handed them back. “From Chicago? Because of me?”

He nodded.

She dropped her head onto her hands. “Oh, thank God.” She lifted her head up again. “Please tell me you believe me.”

“Something in your written statement intrigues me-your theory about the terrorist bombings. You mention that they’re actually drone strikes. Who told you this?”

“That’s what the man commanding the operation told me. He goes by a-a call sign. ‘Odin.’”

“Odin.” It was unclear whether it was a declaration or a question.

“I don’t know whether it’s true or not.” She studied his expression. “Is it?”

He took out a black leather-bound pad, from which he drew an expensive-looking silver pen. “I have no idea, but if there’s a special military unit here in Kansas City, I should know about it. And I don’t.”

“If they’re a legitimate defense operation, that’s one thing, but… I’m a scientist. I needed corroboration before I-”

He patted her hand. “You did the right thing. We need to get this sorted out. You’re lucky you got away-if what you’re saying is true, they’re very dangerous people. Can you tell me where their operation is headquartered?”

She sighed in relief and nodded vigorously. “Yes. They’re in a place called SubTropolis-on the north bank of the Missouri River.”

He nodded. “I know it. Homeland Security and the FBI use it for archival data storage.”

“Then they might be legitimate?”

He jotted notes. “Let’s stick with what we know.”

“They said they chose it so that drone missiles couldn’t hit them.”

“Clever.”

“You’re with the government-can you call someone and find out if this is legitimate?”

“The federal government is a complex organism, Professor. Sometimes pieces of it become… cancerous. Dangerous. As a scientist, I’m sure you understand.”

McKinney didn’t know what to feel.

He squeezed her hand again. “I’m sure this has all been very stressful, but what’s important is that you’re safe now.”

McKinney nodded. “What happens next?”

“I need to make arrangements. In the meantime, let’s get you to a safe house. Someplace where no one with access to government systems can find out where you are.”

She gave him a sideways look.

He smiled reassuringly. “I was thinking a downtown hotel under an assumed name. Room service, cable TV. I’ll assign agents to guard you.”

“You believe my story.”

“Let’s just-”

“Then what they told me about the drone attacks must be true. It’s why you came down here so fast, isn’t it?”

He stared at her, unreadable.

“I’d like to phone my father.”

“I don’t mean to alarm you, but if this is a rogue government agency we’re dealing with, your life is in danger. And we’ll need to get your family under protection as well. We need to get you into hiding, and I need to get you out of here as quietly as possible.”

McKinney fidgeted in the back of an unmarked government sedan, Agent Blake at the wheel. The car moved through late-night traffic near downtown Kansas City, Christmas decorations on the light poles. Blake had asked her to assume the posture of a suspect being transferred to Homeland Security custody, and accordingly they out-processed her and put her in a vehicle with a metal grille partition that separated her from the driver. Even worse, they’d handcuffed her like they would any other prisoner. She even had her hands chained to her waist, wearing a tan prisoner jumpsuit and booties. With each passing day her life just kept getting stranger.

“Now that we’re away from the FBI office, can you please take these chains off me, Agent Blake?”

He shook his head. “We need to get well clear and make sure we’re not being tailed first.”

McKinney slumped and tried as best she could to get comfortable on the hard plastic seat. As they drove through downtown, she leaned her head against the window, watching the shop and office facades passing by. Normal life. There wasn’t much foot traffic. It looked like the type of downtown that cleared out after dark-after the office workers left.

McKinney wondered if the Feds would raid the secret base. Was it still there? Perhaps Odin’s whole team had picked up or destroyed the evidence and fled. A sudden fear gripped her that she’d been wrong or that the Feds would get involved in a shoot-out with the military team because of her-a miscommunication or misunderstanding that might wind up subverting America’s defenses. Guilt nagged at her as she recalled the dead, burned bodies in those bombing photos. The face of one dead little girl in particular bothered her.

But what other choice had there been? She was a scientist. You don’t just take people’s word for things-you find out. She needed to corroborate their story, and they were unreasonable to expect that she’d do what they asked without official sanction that the operation was legitimate and legal. If the Feds raided the place and it turned out to be an illegal operation-or worse yet, that they were behind the drone attacks-or bombings, or whatever they were-then she would actually have helped stop a serious crime. Wouldn’t she?

McKinney didn’t feel any better. She realized that this was probably what intelligence work was like: no idea what the big picture was, and no clear best course.

She’d been lost in her own thoughts for a while when she suddenly noticed they were moving through a large, empty parking lot. Cones of bright light from towering lamp poles stabbed down at regular intervals. She could see passenger jets taking off in the distance. A car rental lot was visible several hundred yards away, as were illuminated billboards that only occur in the nether regions around airports-shuttle bus and mileage program ads, breakfast buffets. The usual corporate chain hotel logos glowed on towers not far off. Apparently Blake was bringing her to a hotel near the airport. Not a bad idea to remain anonymous.

The sedan slowed in the middle of the parking lot. Blake circled, looking warily in all directions.

McKinney leaned forward. “What are we doing?”

Blake ignored her.

“Agent Blake, what’s going on?”

Without answering Blake stopped the car in the center of the lot, ignoring the parking lines. He got out.

“Hey!” McKinney leaned over to watch him walk out to the edge of the cone of light in his full-length greatcoat, scanning the horizon. “Hey, what’s going on?” Her shouts were magnified in the plastic confines of the sedan’s backseat. She tugged against the chain binding her handcuffed wrists to her waist. “Agent Blake!”

He continued to act as if she didn’t exist.

McKinney glanced around. There were no other cars within two hundred yards of them. It was a vast, empty place beneath floodlights. The winter cold was already creeping into the car-her breath stabbing out vapor. She could hear the engine parts clicking as they cooled.