Jackson Ford - Random Sh*t Flying Through the Air

“How nice of you. What happens to her now? Guantanomo Bay?”

“Hardly. She’s signed the same NDAs as Mr Kouamé did.”

Africa . “OK? And?”

“She’s agreed to a small retainer fee as a scientific advisor. I don’t think you’ll need her on the team full-time, but she’s a bright girl. It would be good to have her around.”

“Yeah, well.” I can’t think of what else to say to that, so I settle for, “You’re welcome.”

I’m planning to steer us back on track, ask her why she didn’t know about Matthew before he wrecked California, when she says, “You will notice that I have not yet mentioned your actions at the Vance Creek Campground.”

“My actions ?”

“Indeed. The boy had to die.” Said like she was ordering a cup of coffee. “Once you’d positively identified him, the course was clear. He was far too dangerous – and we were already running a major risk letting him get that close to Cascadia. And then there you were, trying to prevent my team from doing their jobs.”

“Hey, your sniper missed .”

“Master Sergeant Okoro missed because you moved her rifle barrel, Ms Frost. And don’t insult me by pretending you didn’t. It is simply impossible for someone with Okoro’s skill and experience and temperament to miss at that range – or so unlikely as to be effectively impossible.”

The retort I had ready dies on my lips. Tanner fills the silence herself. “And tell me: what did you gain from confronting the boy? What information did you extract?”

“That there was a school in New Mexico. And there were other kids like him – or other people, anyway, he didn’t say how old they were. How can you tell me that information wasn’t useful?”

“Oh, it’s very useful. It’s also the kind of thing we could have easily uncovered ourselves, after the boy was dead. Okoro’s instructions were to kill him , not his mother. She was not considered a threat, and we believe she would have given up the information readily.” Her voice is a low monotone, dull as a torturer’s knife. “You performed admirably in the immediate aftermath of the earthquake, I will grant you that. But you put yourself and your colleagues in danger because you forgot what you were supposed to be doing. And then you see fit to question my decisions in front of other employees?”

“Oh, fuck you.” I get in close, anger overriding the fear. “I’m so sick and tired of being treated like a little kid. Like I can’t understand, and I should just let the grown-ups take charge and decide what’s best for me. You do it. Reggie does it. Even Paul, he…” I stop, stunned at the lump in my throat. Choking off the words.

“You can’t understand,” Tanner says softly.

“And there it is. Same old shit.”

“It’s not personal. I would say the same thing to Ms Cruz. Ms McCormick. Even Mr Marino, were he here. None of you have the capacity to gather intelligence in a meaningful way.”

“Do you ever say anything nice? Or did they remove that part of your brain at birth?”

She at least has the good grace to wince, very slightly. “I admit, the phrasing there could have been better.”

“Yeah, no kidding.”

“But I want you to understand this. It’s imperative you understand it. Gathering actionable intel is hard . I’ve been doing it for decades, and it has only gotten more difficult. Our intelligence community is simply not set up to deal with people who have abilities like yours. It is a big, grinding battleship, and we are asking it to do a three-point turn so it can track a tiny thing made of shadows. That’s part of the reason you’ve been so useful in the first place – because the enemies of this country can’t see you coming, either. But it works both ways. You have no idea – the battles I’ve fought, the politics I’ve had to play. Just to convince my superiors to keep you in the field.”

“And I’m supposed to be grateful?”

“A little gratitude wouldn’t hurt, yes. But let’s not get distracted. So there was a school in New Mexico, containing other individuals with abilities. Was it an actual school? Or was this just the boy’s way of thinking of it? Where was it? If it’s still there – and I very much doubt it is – where did it come from? What shell corporations funded it? Who owns them? Is there a paper trail? More importantly: how? That psychokinetic you faced a few months ago – Jake – was one thing. There’s a logical explanation for where he came from. There is no logical explanation for a young boy who can cause earthquakes. It goes far beyond your parents’ research – something completely new. And the other people at this school ? What can they do? And why would someone set up a facility to develop them in the first place? What’s the end game here? If you can answer these questions – if you can answer even one – then I’ll never bother you again. I’ll let you do as you please.”

I can’t help but look back towards the house, as if Reggie is going to come to my aid. She’s at the kitchen table with Annie. The dreadlocked dude from before is there, too, in the middle of some story or other.

I turn back to Tanner. “So what you’re saying is, I’m just a little cog in your intelligence machine.”

She sighs. “Once again, you have completely misinterpreted what I said. You’re not just a cog. You’re the cog. You are the central gear around which all of this turns. You are our entry-point into this world.”

“Oh, come on .” I fold my arms. “I break into safes and crack locks and lift people onto roofs and plant tracking devices and shit. Little stuff.”

“For your information, everything you’ve done has furthered the security of this country. I don’t waste my assets, Ms Frost – something you should know by now. I don’t bother with the little stuff . In any case, that was before. Things are very different now. And you cannot just throw yourself into situations without thinking it through. You are far too important. Especially now that your abilities extend to organic matter.”

Her words take a second to sink in. I try very hard to keep my face neutral… and fail spectacularly.

“What are you talking about?” I say.

“Ms Frost, you were underground longer than Mr Marino was – whatever your talents, they do not include the ability to hold your breath longer than a former Navy man.”

“Yeah, but I—”

“I have already told you, Ms Frost.” She’s dead still. Even her lips hardly move. “Don’t insult my intelligence.”

Oh.

I get it.

Back on Schmidt’s plane, when Tanner first told me that Annie and I were going to Washington State. There was something off about what she was saying – a weird element to it I couldn’t put my finger on.

She claimed that it made logistical sense for Annie and me to be together at at least one of the ETS zone sites. That it would be better than us patching in by video, having us ID the kid remotely. It sounded strange then, and now I know why. She wanted me up there.

She must have known about my newfound ability before I did – but how? And how could she have known it would show itself in Washington?

Crap. If she knows, then other people in the government know, too. If she isn’t able to protect me any more, then I have a real fucking problem.

“I suspected your ability had changed as you’d gotten older,” Tanner says. “No, don’t interrupt. I didn’t know how – or by how much. I certainly didn’t know you had the power to affect organic molecules.”

The confusion must show on my face, because a hint of a smile creeps onto hers. That’s how she likes it – when she knows more than everybody else.