“WHAT?”
“An incredible coincidence, I know. And Price has no knowledge of his heritage. One of our people was the first to see it at a party Price attended. I’m afraid her attraction to him is a bit of a problem right now, but she has been our information conduit and we have to trust her. Price seems quite taken with her.”
Arthur was amazed. “What webs we’ve woven here, even without knowing it. But when you get down to it, we’re all the same people.”
“Watt is also one of us, sir, but I do not claim him. Now he’s dropped out of sight, and we anticipate more sabotage or worse. I’ll spare you the details, but there has been more than one attempt on Price’s life, and with the flight test only days away we’re expecting another. There was an attempt to place a bomb on the star craft just yesterday. I have only a few cloaked personnel, barely enough to cover the star craft and portal bays, and then there was a kidnap attempt on one of our people in town, the woman Price is attracted to.
“I have three people with cloaking capability to cover all our town operatives, including Price. I need four times that, and I need a visible permanent force at the base. Davis is not cooperating. He insists our people must leave at the end of each working day, and the guarding of the bays is hopelessly inadequate. Davis says he will not tolerate the continuous presence of foreign troops in his command.”
“You want me to order it? Officially I haven’t even been informed about this project. The Pentagon sees it as a minor issue of technology transfer from turncoats. Only a few even know how advanced that technology might be.”
“Including the man who just walked out of your office,” said Vasyl.
“Yes.”
“And he’s in charge of your deepest security operations. He could make a request. You wouldn’t have to know details. It would be a diplomatic gesture to a friendly, foreign power.”
“I’ve known Gil a long time. Hell, I trained him, and I know what he’ll say. The presence of foreign troops on a highly classified base is a bad precedent. Why not order Davis to use his own people, and stiffen up the guard for the project?”
Vasyl sighed, and shook his head. “We don’t trust his people. Watt has been spreading money around like butter, and he’s infiltrated their ranks just like we have. When something happens, Watt knows it within hours, and we’ve only identified a couple of his sources. I need to have our own people there, in force, and before the flight test.”
Arthur leaned back in his chair, and drummed the fingers of one hand on his desk for a moment. He fixed his gaze on Vasyl, and then said, “I realize I’m a bit out of practice in the clandestine world, but I hear you telling me that Watt and his followers might attack the base with considerable force of arms.”
“It’s a real possibility, sir. We have to be ready for it, at least for the next two weeks. Flight-testing has to be done in two stages, or we could lose the star craft, and it would take us years to bring in another. Governments come and go, and our next one might cancel the entire project.”
“Only a fool would do that.” Arthur rocked in his chair, and studied Vasyl’s face. The man was calm, but his eyes betrayed the anxiety within him. Arthur had known him for nearly two years, but they had met formally on only three occasions. Vasyl had the good looks and manners to charm anyone, but he had the daring of a combat officer and the attention to detail of an accountant. Arthur liked him.
“All right, I’ll talk to Gil right away. Everyone will know the order has come down from me. We don’t have time for arguments.”
Vasyl visibly relaxed. “Thank you, sir. I realize this is a political risk for you.”
“Blowing my nose in public is a political risk, Vasyl. Everything is headline news in this country.”
“Our people will never be seen outside the portal and support bays, and they’ll be dressed as American marines. When should I activate them?”
“Give me until midnight. If I haven’t called, then do it.”
“Yes sir.”
“I really appreciate what you’ve done, Vasyl, and the personal sacrifices you’ve made for us. It’s hard to spend an entire tour of duty away from family. Any children?”
“One girl. She just turned four. I’ve been collecting dolls for her—and some jewelry for my wife.”
“Well, this will all be wrapped up soon, the way things are going, and we’ll see you back at home. Maybe I’ll get a chance to visit you there someday. I should get back to the Old Country at least once. My people came here so long ago there’s probably no family of mine left across the big sea anymore, but it couldn’t hurt to look.”
Arthur stood up, signaling that the audience with The President had ended. Vasyl stood, and the men shook hands. Arthur walked him to the door.
“We’re making history, Vasyl,” said Arthur. “Unfortunately, the public might never know the who or the how, only that suddenly we can travel to the stars. I think that’s a good thing.”
“I agree,” said Vasyl.
Arthur opened the door for him, and clapped him on the back. “Then let’s do it,” he said, and Vasyl went away.
Arthur returned to his desk and took a cell phone from a drawer, punched in numbers and listened.
“Gil?” he said softly. “Something has come up, and I need you back in my office right away. I hope it’s not too inconvenient.”
He laughed. “Ah, good. See, there’s an advantage to slow cab service on occasion. Give me ten minutes, and come right in.”
Arthur hung up, punched a button on his intercom. “Dorothy? Gilbert Norton will be returning soon. Send him right in when he arrives.”
The President of the United States took pen and legal pad, and began scribbling an order with language terse enough to make even the toughest Pentagon obstructionist obey without argument.
He was still scribbling when Gil arrived.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
VISITORS
The more Leon searched, the more he worried. John Coulter had dropped off the face of the planet only days after giving Eric a substantial amount of money and talking about assignments. Coulter knew that Eric and Leon were close. Leon expected a call from him, an assignment, maybe even another unmarked envelope stuffed with fifty-dollar bills. He waited a week, and then called the cell number Coulter had given him. There was no answer, so he left a message. He sent e-mail to the address on Coulter’s business card, but it was returned immediately with the admonition ‘user doesn’t exist’. In retrospect, that was the first warning that something had gone wrong.
For over two weeks, he’d roamed the streets mornings and late afternoons in search of Coulter’s black Mercedes. Those wasted hours were only added to by repeated phone calls that went unanswered. The man had disappeared. Something had spooked him. It had to have something to do with the meeting Eric had had with him, but Eric remembered nothing unusual. Coulter had told him what he wanted, and paid him handsomely for it.
Leon made inquiries with any person he knew had seen Coulter in the past. He went to the Coffee Pot, Shari’s, The Planet, described the man who’d been there before with Leon. Nobody had seen him. He even asked Nataly, thinking Coulter might have come to her shop when Eric was there. Nataly hadn’t seen the man, didn’t know who he was. She looked away from Leon when she said it, distracted by something.
“When you see Eric, tell him I came in to flirt with you.”
“I haven’t seen him for a while, Leon. We’ve both been busy.”
Something in her tone of voice bothered him. “You two okay?” he asked, and meant it as a friend.
Nataly smiled faintly, put a hand on his arm. “I think we’re trying to figure that out.”