Oh, yes, he thought as he took a sip of coffee, I do feel good … not that I don’t have my doubts.
What Jaruzelska and her fellow conspirators planned to do was mind-boggling in its size and complexity. For all her reassurances, for all her confidence, for all her steely determination not to fail, Michael was struggling to believe they could pull it off. There were a million things that could go wrong, and Michael was in no doubt that his old friend Mister Murphy would be hard at work to make sure they did.
Even if everything did go right, none of it would count if Anna did not make it; he wished he knew how she was. What with her joining the NRA to fight the Hammers and the fact that Hartspring and Team Victor were after her, her life was hanging by a thread. He sighed in frustration. Jaruzelska had promised him a detailed briefing on the situation back on Commitment but wasn’t sure when that would happen, so he would have to wait.
Michael put the mug to his lips only to choke on the burning hot coffee, distracted by the arrival of a familiar figure. “I don’t believe it,” he muttered. He got to his feet and threaded his way across to where a woman in dark gray one-piece shipsuit had followed General Yilmaz into the room.
“Lieutenant Commander Fellsworth!” Michael said, putting out his hand, a broad grin splitting his face.
“Hey, Michael! Admiral Jaruzelska told me I’d find you here,” the woman said, taking his hand before folding him into a crushing bear hug. She pushed Michael back and put her hands on his shoulders, then looked right into his face. “It’s good to see you,” she went on. “I really thought you were a goner this time.”
“You and me both.”
“I take it you know each other?” Yilmaz said with a good-natured smile.
“Sorry, sir,” Fellsworth said. “This man saved my ass back on Commitment. And not just mine. He saved the lives of my people. I … we owe him.”
“I remember,” Yilmaz said. “After the Ishaq was ambushed, right?”
“Yes,” Fellsworth replied; her face twisted with pain for an instant. Michael understood. Pain had nothing to do with it; guilt did.
“I’ll catch up with you later, Captain,” Yilmaz said. “I need to see Admiral Jaruzelska before she heads back.”
“Sir,” Fellsworth said.
“Captain?” Michael said when Yilmaz had gone, spotting Fellsworth’s rank badges for the first time. “I’m sorry. I didn’t notice. Congratulations. Well deserved, I’m sure.”
“Thanks, though it has little to do with my talent, such as it is. No, we’ve lost a lot of good people, too many, so promotion’s been fast.”
“A bloody war and a sickly season,” Michael said.
“An old saying but a good one, and it’s certainly been a bloody war. But if those Hammer pigs think we’ll let them come out on top after all we’ve been through, they’re damn fools. Right, enough of that. The admiral says I’m to answer any questions you have, but before I do, are you hungry?”
With a start, Michael realized he was, ravenously so. He had lost a good ten kilos since his arrest. Now his body was telling him it was time to put the weight back. “Since you mention it, I am.”
“Me too. Come on; the canteen’s this way.”
“That’s better,” Fellsworth said, pushing her tray away. “So how’s Anna?”
“Anna? Wish I knew,” Michael said. “That bloody woman always was a wannabe marine, and now she is one. Last time I heard from her, she was a captain in the NRA’s 120th Regiment, so she’ll be in the thick of things.” Michael sighed. “She always is. Oh, and we’re married now. It’s Anna Cheung Helfort now.”
“I’ll be. Well, congratulations and all that. The bride wore white, I hope.”
“Combat fatigues, actually. Weddings back on Commitment are low-key affairs.” The pain in Michael’s voice was obvious.
“It must be hard,” Fellsworth said, her voice soft. “Leaving her, I mean.”
“It was. It still is. But what’s worse is knowing that she’ll think me dead, though at least I can see a way through now.” His eyes locked onto Fellsworth’s. “Will it work?”
“Hmm,” Fellsworth replied, “that’s the only question that matters, of course, but before I answer, I need to check something. Can you sit tight for a moment?”
“Sure,” Michael said, mystified.
Five minutes later Fellsworth was back. “I was right,” she said, dropping into her seat. “Jaruzelska’s authorized your security clearance, but I can’t talk to you until we’ve uploaded a bomb into your neuronics.”
“A neuronics bomb?” Michael’s eyes flared wide with alarm. “You’ve got to be kidding me.”
“Nope,” Fellsworth said with an emphatic shake of her head.
“But a neuronics bomb? Talk about extreme.”
“We can’t afford any leaks, so every last member of the conspiracy has one loaded.”
“That’s as may be, but if anyone puts a neuronics probe into me or I leak any information to anyone not cleared, then pffft-” Michael snapped his fingers. “-my brain implodes and I’m dead.” He shivered at the thought. “But you’re right,” he went on when he saw the sense in it. “There’s too much at stake to worry about someone screwing up and dropping dead.”
“There is. Jaruzelska’s told you what we’re planning?”
“She has.”
“Well, in that case you already know too much. We need to get that bomb uploaded right away.”
“Do I have to? Jaruzelska didn’t drop dead. If you can trust her, I think you can trust me.”
“She is one of a tiny handful of exceptions. She has to be able to talk to people outside the conspiracy without her head imploding. But you won’t be doing that. You’re dead, remember?”
“Oh, yes, I am, aren’t I?”
“You are, so let’s get that bomb into your neuronics.”
Michael shivered again; he had been too close to death to want this even though he knew full well he had to do it. “Go on, then,” he said with obvious reluctance.
Uploading the bomb was the work of seconds; a few more seconds and a tiny green spot appeared in front of his eyes to confirm that he was talking to someone with the right clearance.
“You good to go?” Fellsworth asked. “See the green spot?”
“Yes,” Michael said; he licked lips that were suddenly dry.
“Remember, never give or transmit any operational information to anyone unless that green spot is showing. If it turns red, the neuronics bomb will arm; any breach of security after that and it will trash your brain, and you’ll be dead two seconds later. If it’s flashing amber, you are outside a secure facility and must talk neuronics to neuronics, nothing out loud. Got all that?”
Michael nodded; he didn’t trust himself to speak.
Fellsworth laughed. “Cheer up. You’ll get used to it, I promise.”
“I hope so.”
“Right, you asked if what we’re planning will work. Your question is actually two questions. The first is whether we can keep Juggernaut secure until we are ready to launch.”
“And can we?”
“It’s a huge ask, but yes, I think we can. As you now know, everyone involved has a neuronics bomb uploaded; all mission information is security-tagged, even the lowest of low-grade stuff; and the overall environment is very good.”
Michael shook his head. “The environment?”
“The people we work with, even if they are not part of the conspiracy.”
“Ah, you mean Jaruzelska’s psyops campaign.”
“It’s worked, a bit to my surprise. Fleet and the Marine Corps are where they need to be, not every last one of them of course, but enough to put a shell around Juggernaut that Ferrero’s people will find almost impossible to penetrate.”