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“He’s right,” Liz added.

“That’s assuming any part of the government still remains,” Lipton said. “I really doubt the CIA survived what happened out there. It’s not like there’s much of a need anymore.”

Krista brought her eyes around and studied Lipton. The man’s face usually carried a hint of arrogance, as if he knew something that everyone else didn’t. But right now, it looked as though he was forcing his expression to be something different. Like a bad poker player trying to hide his tell.

Lipton must have noticed her noticing him because he turned his head and stared at the empty wall, running his hand over his chin.

That was when Krista saw his fingers twitching. It brought a new idea into her brain. She let the words fly at him, no longer willing to temper her thoughts. “You son of a bitch. I knew it.”

“What?” Summer asked.

Krista looked at Summer. “Think about it. What are the odds that the very last frequency on the list is the one we make contact on?”

Lipton brought his focus back to the group. “It’s called a statistical anomaly. Otherwise known as dumb luck.”

“I doubt that,” Krista said to Summer. “He knew we’d make contact on this one. That’s why he wrote them down in the order he did.”

Krista held the paper up and showed it to Summer, her fingers scanning the list from top to bottom. “Why else would they be out of order like this? If he’s the super brain he says he is, and he memorized them, they’d be in numerical order. Not this mess.”

Summer swung her eyes from Krista to Lipton and back again. “I see your point.”

“That doesn’t mean anything. It’s called random memory recall. Look it up,” Lipton said.

Krista pointed at him. “Look at him, boss. He’s squirming. He knows I’m on to him. He knew they’d be listening; that’s why he put it at the bottom of the list, hoping we’d give up long before we got to it.”

Summer nodded. “And we almost did.”

Krista was surer than ever. “Oh yeah, these are the people he contacted before.”

“That’s your theory?” Lipton asked, shaking his head. “That I’d be dumb enough to include the one frequency actually being monitored, hoping you’d give up long before you ever tried it?”

“Yep. No doubt about it.”

“Look, if I didn’t want you to make contact, all I had to do was leave that one frequency off the list. You never would have known it was missing,” he said to Krista before turning his gaze to Summer. “Tell me you’re not buying her logic. Or lack thereof.”

Summer didn’t answer.

Lipton continued, “She’s just trying to invent a narrative that fits her agenda. One that justifies her hatred of me. And her distrust. This is insanity.”

“Or it’s brilliant,” Krista said in a matter-of-fact way. “Think about it. No matter how it turns out, he’s covered. Either we never make it to the end of the list and give up, or we make contact, at which time he can use this preplanned excuse about not leaving it off the list to cover his ass. He’s playing both ends like the conniving asshole he is.”

Wick stepped forward, raising his rifle at Lipton. “I can put a bullet in him right now, chief. Just give the order.”

Liz stepped in front of Wicks with her hands out. “Okay, I’ve heard enough. Everyone needs to calm down. This is getting out of hand. We have more pressing business to handle right now.”

“She’s right,” Summer said. “We can deal with Lipton later. Let’s get back to the radio. Either way, we need their help.”

Lipton tilted his head, his face showing its usual expression of smugness. “As I said.”

Krista agreed with Summer and Liz, though it was clear her gut was more on fire than theirs. She engaged the mic once again. “Blackstone, this is Eagle Base. You mentioned a trade. What do you have in mind? Over.”

“We need supplies and someone to help with repairs. Over.”

Lipton pointed at the radio. “There you have it. Quid pro quo. A simple proposition.”

Krista held the mic steady. “What kind of repairs? Over.”

“We need someone with a background in science. Advanced physics, preferably. Over.”

Krista whipped her eyes around to Lipton. “That figures.”

Lipton smiled, turning her insides raw as his lips began to flap again. “Good thing you have exactly what you need. As in me.”

Krista held her eye lock on him. Blackstone’s need for a scientist fit her suspicions, proving in her mind that she’d been right all along. They were looking for a geek like Lipton. That’s why they would have worked out a deal with him when he talked to them covertly.

“Ask them about the supplies,” Summer said, breaking Krista’s focus on Lipton.

“What kind of supplies are you looking for, Blackstone? Ours are limited. Over,” Krista said, grabbing a pencil and slip of paper to jot down what she assumed was a long list.

“Equipment mainly. Over.”

“Please explain, over.”

“A Geiger counter if you have one. Plus, a spectrometer would be helpful. And some protective gear. Over.”

Krista looked at Summer, then at Lipton, shooting him a raised eyebrow and a look that told him to explain their needs.

“Do I really have to lay it out for you?” he snarked.

“Humor us,” Krista said, figuring he already knew the answer. Perhaps his words might convince Summer that this was all a ruse, set up long before today.

Lipton pointed at the transmitter. “They have a radiation leak, obviously, and need someone to repair whatever device is causing it.”

“Can you do it?” Summer asked.

“Impossible to know. Not without more specifics.”

Krista turned to Summer. “Do we have a Geiger counter?”

“Yeah, there’s one in the basement, along with a bunch of old suits, but I don’t know if they are the right kind of protective gear.”

“You know it doesn’t matter, right?” Lipton said.

“Which part?” Summer asked.

“The gear. Whatever is going on has already become critical. That’s why they’re reaching out and risking a reveal of their location on an open frequency.”

“He makes a good point,” Wicks added.

Krista shook her head at Lipton. “There you go. You just made one of those miraculous leaps again. It confirms what I said earlier.”

“That I already knew the answer?”

“Roger that.”

“It’s simple logic, not some kind of setup,” Lipton replied. “Just think about it. Otherwise, why would anyone ever take the chance to reach out and expose themselves? They didn’t have a choice.”

“Like us and our problems,” Summer said.

Lipton nodded. “Exactly. They are desperate. Their needs list proves as much. You don’t ask for protective gear and a Geiger counter unless you have a radiation leak.”

“Maybe we can use that to our advantage,” Wicks said. “Even if it is a trap.”

“Possibly,” Krista said, taking a moment to think. She brought the mic back up. “Blackstone, this is Eagle Base. We have the items you need. Over.”

“Even the scientist? Over.”

“See? They don’t know I exist,” Lipton said.

“Actually,” Krista said, “they don’t know that we know you. That you’re here and not somewhere else.”

“You’re right,” Summer said.

“Like I said, this is all a setup.”

“Damn, I just can’t win, can I?” Lipton asked.

“You should probably answer them,” Liz told Krista.

“Right. Right,” Krista said, bringing the mic back to her lips. “Ten-four, Blackstone. We have everything you need and would be willing to trade, if you can reciprocate. Over.”

“What do you need, Eagle Base? Over.”