David said, “Sorry, I need to get this out, but I don’t want anyone outside this room to hear.”
Henry said, “No problem. We’re in the trust tree here. Spill it. What’s wrong?”
“It was when the helicopter came. The night Bill left. It was late. Middle of the night. I couldn’t sleep. Jet lag or something. I don’t know why I did it, but I decided to take a little walk outside. I guess I was still thinking about my family and needed to clear my head. I thought the walk would help…”
Brooke said, “And what did you see?”
“I saw Lena take Bill to the helicopter. It was dark, and I was still a little freaked out about the way they kidnapped me and threw me on the plane to take me here. I guess I was having trust issues anyway. So I guess that’s why, when I heard the door to the Comms building open — I was standing nearby — I ducked into the bushes. I was hidden pretty well, I guess. Nobody saw me. Like I said, it was dark…”
Norman said, “You hid from her?”
David said, “Like I said, they kidnapped me twenty-four hours earlier. It was the middle of the night, and I had heard helicopter rotors in the distance. Something just didn’t feel right. Anyway, while I was hiding I saw her drag Bill out. He wasn’t conscious.”
“What!” Brooke put her hand over her mouth.
Henry held his hands out. “Shh. Let him finish.”
David said, “I don’t know if he was dead or what. But he wasn’t walking under his own power. Lena met up with a guy from the helicopter and then took him up into her building…”
Norman got louder and used a stern voice. “Wait. Hold up. You’re saying he was unconscious? What the—? Why didn’t you say anything about this before?”
Henry’s voice was soft. “Let him finish.”
David said, “Sorry. I’m sorry for not letting you know sooner. But I’m afraid of what we’re into here. I saw Lena walk down to the helicopter, then walk back up with a guy wearing a helmet and uniform—”
Norman said, “What color uniform?”
“I couldn’t see. It was dark. But the two of them went into the building and then came out with Bill. Each of them had one of Bill’s arms wrapped around their shoulders. They carried him like that — dragged him, really — down to the helicopter. Then Lena came back and the helo flew off. I waited a while before I moved. I didn’t want to be seen. I wasn’t sure what to think after witnessing that. I watched her go back into the Comms building. I waited ten minutes. I didn’t want to take any chance and get seen. When I thought that the coast was clear, I walked as quickly as I could back up to my room. But she saw me…”
Brooke said, “What? What did she do?”
“She came into the barracks as I was opening the door to my room. She asked if I had gone outside and I said no. But I think she knew I was lying. She… she wiped some of the sand off my shirt and then left.”
Henry covered his mouth with his fist, pressing his lips to his thumb. He looked lost in thought.
Brooke leaned forward, mouth open. She kept saying, “Why would she do that to Bill? Why would she do that to Bill?”
Natesh was the calmest of the group. He said, “David, are you sure there is not a reasonable explanation for any of this?”
The others looked at Natesh and then back at David.
David said, “I saw her again this morning. I was out running. On the runway.”
Norman said, “You went running? Like — for exercise? After what you saw her do to Bill?”
David said, “Well, first off, I didn’t actually see her do anything to Bill. But I’ve been going crazy keeping this to myself. And this may sound weird, but I’m kind of a workout nut. I needed to get my fix. I was like a stressed smoker who needed a cigarette.”
Norman rolled his eyes and said, “Yeah, I knew guys like that in the Marines. Whatever, man. Just—Jesus, you know? This is a big deal. One — watch your back. And two — you should have told us. So what the hell happened when you saw her this morning?”
David said, “Nothing at first. She just ran right by me going the other direction. But then she came over to me when I was finished and stretching. It was a weird conversation. She told me to do my job and not — how did she put it? She told me not to make waves or something. She basically was telling me to shut up and keep quiet. Guys, I don’t trust her at all. I was trying to think of a good reason for why I saw what I saw, but I can’t think of one. I needed to tell someone. I’m starting to think…”
Brooke said, “Think what?”
Henry said, “You’re starting to think that this operation isn’t legit. Right?”
David nodded, “Right. I couldn’t see that helicopter very well. But I come from a big Navy family. My sister’s actually a helicopter pilot in the Navy. And I swear that thing didn’t look or sound like one of ours.”
Natesh said, “There has to be some reasonable explanation for all of this.”
They were whispering now. Brooke heard a few voices in the hallway outside her door. People walking back to their rooms.
Brooke said, “Okay, let’s think about this logically. What are the facts?”
Henry said, “Well, Bill’s gone. That’s one fact.”
David said, “Natesh, how long have you known Lena?”
Natesh said, “A week. Maybe ten days.”
“Can you be sure that she is who she claims to be?”
The others studied Natesh. Maybe they were wondering if he wasn’t in on it. Brooke thought that was highly unlikely. The guy was in his twenties. An entrepreneur. A business consultant. It wasn’t the profile. Right?
Natesh said, “If we’re going by the facts, then the answer is no. She approached me about ten days ago. First via phone. Then a onetime meeting at a rented office in the Bay Area.”
Norman looked at David as he said, “So David — you’re saying you don’t think she’s really CIA?”
David said, “The way I see it, there could be two reasons why Bill would be taken away like that. One: Lena and this whole operation are legit. She’s CIA but because of the level of secrecy of this operation, they kept Bill heavily sedated during transport. It was like putting a bag over his head so he wouldn’t see anything. Two: Lena and this whole operation are not legitimate. In which case, all bets are off. And these plans that we’re making got a whole lot scarier.”
Norman said, “Holy shit. Holy shit…” He started looking around the room like he wanted to punch something.
Henry remained composed. It was a stark contrast to his normally humorous tone. He said, “I agree with your reasoning. I don’t see too many possibilities beyond that. But let’s go with scenario number two. Let’s say Lena and this island are a big sham. What’s the angle?”
Brooke was thinking. Her eyes went back and forth looking at the ceiling. She said, “Okay, look, I’ve been working on related operations for weeks. Fact: Jinshan and the Chinese invasion plot are real. David, you’ve worked on the cyberweapon that they supposedly have access to. ARES, right? We know that capability is real. Why would anyone bring us to this island if not to help plan the defense against a Chinese attack?”
David said, “But we’re not planning the defense. We’re planning the attack.”
Brooke said, “So… Lena actually works for…”
Henry nodded. “Say it.”
Brooke said, “… China.”
Everyone was quiet.
Brooke said, “This has all been staged by China? But then we can’t trust anything Lena has told us. So is ARES really in countdown?”
Henry said, “The question to ask is — are the Chinese really making plans to attack? If the answer to that is yes, what is this Red Cell all about? A way to gather extra information before the attack?”