Terry Neale - Jo-el

“Can you write something on the TV on the wall?” I pointed at the hologram of the conference room.

“No.”

“Oh! Okay, what about one of the computers they have on the table?”

“Sure, I can do that.”

“Large font?”

“Whatever you want, Joey-boy.” I grimaced at her, I hated that name.

“Right, the Indian lady, what’s her name?”

“Pippa Moran, short for Philippa, why’d you pick her Jo-el?”

I grinned, she knew why, women!

“Write this, before they break up. ‘Pipper, I would like to meet with the team, Jo-el.’

I watched the hologram expectantly, enjoying the feeling of power I possessed. Sally added clicking sounds as the letters appeared on Pippa’s computer screen so that she looked down. Her mouth opened and her beautiful brown eyes widened to their largest aperture.

Pippa interrupted the meeting, Lambert was just wrapping up her opening brief.

“There’s words appearing on my screen,” she had pushed a little way back from the table in surprise and was pointing at the laptop. The two CIA guys on either side of her looked over and saw the same words.

“Sally, write. ‘Please ask Colin and Georgina if I could join you?’” Pippa literally jumped in her chair, the inferences of what I’d done was frightening. How could this individual take over her computer in a secure facility? How could he know the names of people there? The three FBI agents from the other side of the table got up and were now looking over Pippa’s shoulder.

“What’s happening?” Georgina Lambert said, her voice raised. Both she and Colin Alberton had remained seated where they were.

Pippa read out my words.

Alberton said. “How could he possibly know about this meeting? How can he do that? What the hell is going on here?” There was fear in everyone’s eyes, nothing generates more fear than the unknown.

“Sally write, ‘please don’t be frightened, I’m on your side.’” She did what I asked. A wry grin was plastered across Sally’s expression; she was loving this.

Pippa read out my latest sentence. There was silence in the room, all eyes were either on the screen or Pippa. Eventually Alberton said, “Pippa, ask him where he is?” Pippa typed.

“Sally, type, ‘I’m close, I can be at the front entrance in twenty minutes.’”

“Why so long?” Sally asked.

“Don’t want them to think I’m hanging around the place, plus I need to think how this is going to pan out.”

Alberton looked at Georgina Lambert and raised his palms up in a gesture of ‘what do you think?’.

“Why not?” Lambert said.

“Tell him okay, Pippa. We’ll have someone at the entrance to meet him.” She typed the message.

“Type, ‘have Pippa Moran meet me, no weapons, see you in about twenty minutes, say one forty-five.’”

“Tell him ‘okay’, Pippa,” said Alberton.

“It had to be the Indian girl, Jo-el, eh?” Sally said.

“She’s my contact, but I bet she’s American.” I kept my demeanor businesslike.

“She is America, but she looks Indian.”

“Enough of Pippa, let’s think how this with work. I’d be surprised if they don’t have guns. Plus, I doubt I’ll get through their security with this,” I pulled up my shirt top and revealed the belt computer.

“They would have to make an exception. Who knows what they’ll do? You’re unique.” Sally said.

“I think you need to be ready to bounce me out at any time.”

“No problem.”

I looked up at the hologram to see what the task-force were up to. The discussion seemed to revolve around where they would take me. Lambert was adamant that I should be arrested. Alberton was saying for what cause and Lambert was saying national security. Alberton argued that all I’d done was rescue people, not exactly much threat to national security. Lambert just wanted an excuse to hold me for a while. I watched with amusement and could see both sides. But I needed to know something from Sally, so I ignored the task-force.

“What’s my protection against guns, Sally? I know I can bounce out of there but a nervous trigger could be fatal.”

“I can wrap you in a transparent bullet proof shield, the only problem is it hasn’t been tested. It should be fine but you might be knocked over and maybe hurt. A head shot could be worse. Best if I disable any guns pointed at you.”

“How do you do that?”

“Melt their insides. I fire electrons at the guns and melt the salient internal mechanism. Might make the weapon too hot to hold if the person isn’t wearing gloves, so the likely result is they’re dropped.”

“Can the heat cause it to explode, that wouldn’t be good.”

“I don’t think so, I can direct the heat to the firing pin, but the gun is worthless after that, unfixable.”

“What if someone tries to grab me?”

“How about an electric force field? Say two hundred volts,” she beamed.

“How about fifty?”

“Oh, you’re no fun.”

“Okay, I’ll tell you what to do at the time, only interfere if I’m incapacitated.” Which I didn’t think was likely to happen.

I looked at the time, one forty, just five minutes. The task force had broken up, there was no one in the conference room. “Where did they go?”

“I secure facility in the basement. Except your girlfriend.”

I ignored the snide comment. “Show me the front of the building.”

There wasn’t a sole in sight, they’d cleared the entrance. That was quick.

“What’s the reception committee?”

“A Swat team, they’re out of sight.”

“Ouch! Bit overkill. I guess the ‘no weapons’ went right over their heads. Better start with the shield.”

The weather was dull in the Washington area. Low, dark clouds filled the sky, but it wasn’t raining. I changed into my Jo-el uniform and that elevated my heart beat somewhat. “Put me in the clouds, I’ll fly down, might as well go for the big entrance.”

Sally grinned eagerly, she was on the edge of her armchair, ready for action. I saw Pippa appear at the entrance, under the portico.

“Okay, let’s do it.”

I was getting used to the bounce, my expectation of the initial disorientation was now familiar. I felt the change in temperature immediately and I was blind deep in the cloud. I let myself fall gently and after a moment I was under the cloud, the CIA headquarter building below. It suddenly occurred to me that they may have some sort of defense mechanism, but I decided to ignore it, it couldn’t be designed to pick up a flying man.

Nothing happened, I flew lower to about two thousand feet. The Swat team were still out of view, but again I decided to ignore them. I just could not imagine a scenario where they would shoot. As I descended the last few hundred feet I could see Pippa standing on the step just outside the portico. I landed about ten feet away from her and smiled warmly. It was obvious she was extremely nervous. She was heavily wrapped in a dark gray overcoat, the collar pulled up over her neck. Her brown eyes were bright and inquisitive, her lips red with the cold. I put out my hand for her to shake, which she did tentatively.

“It’s nice to meet you, Miss Moran?” Corny, but I couldn’t think of anything else right then.

She smiled. “You have us at a disadvantage.” She kept glancing at the wings, I guess that was to be expected.

“I don’t know; the Swat team is going a bit far.”

“How did you know?”

“I think we better go inside,” I said. I was unsure how much information I should give out immediately. I realized anything I said to Pippa would be passed on. She may even have a wire or perhaps they were using directional mikes. It didn’t matter that much, I simply presumed that every word I said would later be analyzed to death.