Milton fell back in his seat, his shoulders slumping as he closed his eyes. “I should have just stayed home.”

  Acton chuckled, giving his friend’s shoulder a squeeze. “They were probably coming after you regardless because of the university’s computers being used. They would assume you gave permission.”

  Milton grunted. “Yeah, they’d never believe that I have rogue staff crippling my network for weeks on end for a personal project.”

  Tommy frowned, glum. “Sorry.”

  Milton dismissed the apology with the bat of a hand. “Just ignore me, son. It’s not your fault.” He pulled out his cellphone and paused. “Should I risk calling them? And what do I tell them?”

  Acton glanced at Laura. “What do you think?”

  She pinched her chin, shaking her head. “I don’t know. I wish Dylan were here. He would know what to do.”

  Acton looked about for Kane. The gunfire in the distance had stopped some time ago. Kane and the others were to take Milton’s van when it was safe to do so, but there was no sign of them. There was only one way out of the gated community, and this was it. “They must be detaining them.”

  “Who?” asked Laura, Acton forgetting he had been thinking to himself.

  “Dylan and the others. This will all get sorted out in the next few minutes, I’m sure.” He turned to Milton. “I think it’s best to maintain radio silence for now. Your phone’s not secure, and your home line definitely isn’t.”

  Milton grasped at his temples with one hand. “I don’t know. Minutes count.”

  Niner and Atlas jogged up to the group now clustered around their ride. “You guys all right?” asked Niner.

  Acton nodded. “We’re all good except Greg’s back is acting up.”

  “I’ll live,” said Milton unconvincingly.

  Niner jerked a thumb at Atlas. “I can have the big man stretch you out. You’d be in for a treat.”

  Atlas rolled his eyes as Laura snickered.

  Milton waved off the offer, a touch of fear in his eyes at the prospect. “I’ll be fine. I’m more concerned about my wife and daughter.”

  “You’re right. Let’s get down to business,” said Niner. “We’re all being let go on the condition that once this is all over, we voluntarily come in to give statements. Of course, the big man and I won’t be showing up, but since you all have to live here, I recommend you do and tell them everything you know that hasn’t been classified.”

  “Where are Dylan and the others?” asked Laura.

  “They’ve been released. They hung back to help those police officers that were pinned down. They should be here any minute.”

  “What do we do now?”

  “We need to get you all to a secure location.” Niner held up a hand, cutting off Milton. “That includes your family, sir.”

  “And just where might that be?” asked Acton.

  Niner smirked. “I had a thought about that.”

  33 |

  Winters Residence, Knightsbridge

  London, England

  Mary was fully showered, dressed, and fed, ready for anything that might come, eager for the truth to finally come out now that the biggest secret of her career had been discovered. It appeared someone was already on to it, according to the desperate phone call from Laura demanding a jet be arranged as quickly as possible. The details given to her were scant, though enough for her to know that something was wrong, and it was definitely related to her client’s brother.

  It had her wondering how Laura would react when she found out the truth. Would the woman understand what her job had been all these years, or would she feel betrayed? If the roles were reversed, she would think betrayal would be the order of the day, and she wouldn’t blame her. For ten years, Mary had been lying to Laura, and though they rarely met, she had little doubt Laura thought of her as a friend. Mary wanted to feel the same but had never allowed herself to cross that line like she had with Laura’s brother.

  It was simply too difficult.

  The lie was meant to protect Laura, protect her brother, and if something had happened back in Maryland, as she suspected, that lie had been necessary, and how this situation would be resolved satisfactorily was for the moment unknown. If the secret were out, there was no faking his death a second time. No one would believe it. Palmer would have to hand himself over to one of the friendly governments, likely his own British government, and agree to work for them in exchange for their protection. There were worse things, she supposed, but he would essentially be a prisoner of his own country.

  She didn’t envy the choice now ahead of him.

  Her phone beeped with a secure message and she brought it up. It was from him, the response to her latest update about his sister requesting an aircraft. Her eyebrows shot up at his instructions.

  Well, this could be interesting.

  34 |

  Montgomery County Airpark

  Gaithersburg, Maryland

  Acton took a seat in the luxurious Gulf V, part of Laura’s private lease-share network of jets arranged by their travel agent Mary, a woman capable of working wonders with no notice. Kane, Sherrie, and Fang had showed up a few minutes after Laura had made the call for a jet on Niner’s instructions, then they had retrieved Milton’s family. Right now, in this one plane, almost everyone he cared about in the world was here. If what Kane suspected were the Chinese caught up to them now, everything he had fought for over the years could be wiped out.

  Niner and Atlas stood at the head of the aircraft, its engines whining, ready to taxi to the runway. “This is where we leave you, ladies and gentlemen. Once you’re in the air, you’ll be safe until you land. Hopefully, before that happens, we’ll have some answers. Good luck.”

  “Thank you, guys,” said Acton, standing and shaking their hands. “You saved our asses once again.”

  Laura gave Atlas a hug then Niner gave her a big one, lifting her up off the floor slightly. He groaned. “That just made it all worth it.”

  Laura giggled and patted Niner on the cheek. “And you say hi to Angela for me.”

  Acton leaned in. “And when I see her next, I’m giving her a big hug.”

  Atlas grunted. “Now you’re in trouble, little man. One hug from him and Angela will realize what it’s like to be with a real man.”

  Niner stepped back from Laura. “Doc, you wouldn’t!”

  “Keep grabbing my wife like that, and I would.”

  Niner frowned. “You wound me, Doc. She’s like a sister to me.”

  Atlas groaned. “That’s disgusting, dude.”

  Kane cleared his throat. “I don’t know what kind of love quadrangle or whatever is going on here, but how about we get in the air and you guys settle this later?”

  Acton laughed, slapping Niner on the shoulder. “He’s right. You two get out of here, and thanks again for all the help.”

  “Anytime, Doc,” replied Atlas. “And I apologize for my friend hitting on your wife.”

  Niner grinned, jerking a thumb at his big friend. “I only do it to make him jealous.”

  Atlas headed for the door. “I’m out of here.”

  Niner pranced after his friend, his hips thrust out, his butt cheeks clenched, leaving them all laughing, Milton’s daughter Niskha giggling at the antics. The flight attendant closed the door and moments later they were taxiing as everyone strapped themselves in. Niner’s idea to get them in the air was brilliant, yet it was only a temporary solution. The pilot would have filed a flight plan, and Acton had little doubt the Chinese would have access to it. As soon as they landed, they were a target once again. Hopefully, before that happened, their CIA friends would have figured out something.

  But then again, could that something save their lives?

  Laura gripped his hand as they took off. She wasn’t a nervous flyer, the source of her anxiety the situation. They cleared the runway and rapidly gained altitude when the pilot’s voice came over the PA.

  “Ladies and gentlemen, this is your captain speaking. I’m now finally able to tell you that our destination is the Azores, at which point you’ll be switching to a different aircraft, the details of which will be provided to me upon arrival. I’m sorry, I don’t have much more info. This is a bit of an unusual flight for me and the crew, but I learned long ago not to bother asking questions, so let’s just sit back and enjoy each other’s company. My understanding is we have a young lady with us tonight. If she wants to visit the cockpit, just let the flight attendant know. That goes for any of the big kids too.”

  Kane unbuckled his lap belt and turned in his seat to face Acton and Laura. “Azores? Did you guys have anything to do with that?”

  They both shook their head and Laura responded. “No. I just told Mary that we needed a plane immediately, it was an emergency, I couldn’t give her any details, and I said I didn’t have a destination, I just wanted to be in the air for as long as possible.”

  Sherrie turned in her seat. “Why the Azores? Why would she pick a destination like that? There’s nothing there and definitely nobody who can help us.”

  Acton grunted. “Not to mention the last time we were there things didn’t go so smoothly.” His eyes narrowed as he thought about it. “You know, if there’s one destination within range of this aircraft that is almost definitely not going to have a pre-positioned Chinese unit, it would be the Azores. There’s no strategic value.”

  Kane’s head bobbed in agreement. “That’s true. But how the hell would your travel agent know that? And she’s got us switching to another aircraft. Why not just refuel this one? And where’s that other aircraft heading?”

  “Not to put a damper on things,” said Fang. “But unless my government has become completely inept since I left, if they don’t know about this flight already, they will soon. And then they’ll access the flight plan and know we’re heading to the Azores. Even if they don’t have a team pre-positioned, they can get one there before we land.”

  “Then what do we do?” asked Laura.

  “We have to hope we can transfer to the second plane without them intervening.”

  Kane shook his head. “But then they’ll just trace that one. This is a game that only works for so long, and my guess is if it works in the Azores, it’s the last time it will. It’s time for some answers.”

  35 |

  Operations Center 2, CIA Headquarters

  Langley, Virginia

  Leroux glanced over at Tong before returning his attention to the main display. “Anything?”

  She shook her head as she continued to work her station. “Nothing. Just a couple of regularly scheduled flights. Nothing private, nothing last-minute.”

  Child spun in his chair. “But that doesn’t make sense. If they’re supposed to meet up with this second plane, there has to be a flight plan on it, doesn’t there?”

  Leroux folded his arms and turned, facing the young man who wasn’t that much younger than him. “Eventually, yes. But we’re going to have to assume for now that the plane is being held in reserve and will be sent at the last possible minute.”

  Tong faced him. “But isn’t that level of planning a little bit beyond a travel agent? I mean, she has them heading to the Azores, which from what I can tell is about the perfect place for them to head, then swapping onto a plane that for the moment doesn’t exist. That’s something we would think of. But would she?”

  Leroux pinched the bridge of his nose as he closed his eyes. “What do we have on this woman?”

  Tong pulled up the file, displaying it on the screen, reading off the highlights, nothing particularly standing out. It appeared she had been in the travel business since she graduated from an unremarkable university in the UK, then founded her own firm a decade ago, catering to the well-heeled.

  Leroux sighed. “I don’t see anything here that suggests she should be this on the ball.”

  “Maybe she just reads a lot of spy novels,” suggested Therrien.

  Leroux grunted. “It’s as good an explanation as any, but for now, we’re going to have to try to anticipate the moves an amateur might make to hide that connecting flight, though beyond just doing everything last-minute, I don’t see what else she can do. For now, let’s just monitor it and focus on finding Professor Palmer’s brother. What’s the status on that, Sonya?”

  She tapped at her keyboard then jerked her chin toward the displays, six photos shown. “This is what we’ve found so far where facial recognition gave an initial positive. Photos two, four, and five were false positives.” They disappeared from the screen. “These three, however, appear to be him. An initial analysis suggests they’re genuine, however, photo number one, despite its metadata indicating it was taken two years ago, was actually taken twelve years ago. Somebody obviously set the date wrong on their device.”

  Leroux stared at the screen, his arms folded as he eyed the remaining two photos. “And these ones?”

  “One was taken two years ago, the other eighteen months ago. The first in Dubai again, the most recent in Qatar.”

  “More specifically?”

  She smirked. “Well, they weren’t all at Terminator retrospectives, but they were all around movie theaters.”

  Leroux smiled slightly. “It looks like we’ve found his Achilles heel. He has a weakness for seeing movies on the big screen. He also seems to be hanging out in the Gulf States. Okay, let’s move the timeframe forward to that last photo, and concentrate all our efforts on the Gulf States around any movie theaters and entertainment districts. With what the Chinese just did in Maryland and the fact they lost three teams doing it, they’re going to know that we suspect the same thing. Charles Palmer is alive. They’re going to be throwing everything they’ve got at this as well. This is a race, people, and whoever wins it could control cyberspace for the next decade. Let’s get to work.” He headed for the door. “I’m going to brief the Chief. When we do locate Palmer, extraction could get ugly.”

  36 |

  Unknown Location

  Charles Palmer lay back in his massage chair, the Swedish creation doing wonders to relax his tense body. As he controlled his breathing in an attempt to steady his emotions, his eyes stared out at the images shown by his VR headset, images of his sister, some of them from when they were younger, others far more recent, depicting the life she had created for herself after his death. When he had discussed faking his death with Mary, he had proposed bringing Laura along with him. Mary had nixed the idea. Keeping two people hidden from the modern world doubled the chances of discovery. And besides, it wouldn’t be fair to Laura, because she would immediately agree. She would do anything he asked of her, and it would have ended her life. Here she was successful, happily married, with good friends and a new family. She hadn’t gone wild with the money he had left her, and had instead used it wisely, for good.

  He was so proud of her, and every day he wished he could tell her the truth. Yet he couldn’t. It was simply too dangerous. Before he made his decision to remove himself from society, somebody had broken into his private lab and discovered how close he was to succeeding. He was far ahead of everyone when it came to quantum computers, having taken a different approach from most labs researching it at the time. If his research fell into the wrong hands, it could be easily exploited and data encryption as we knew it would be obsolete. It didn’t bother him if his government or the Americans exploited it. It was countries like China, North Korea, Iran, Russia, or criminal organizations gaining access that truly terrified him.

  He had always known the danger, which was one of the reasons why he had sold his company so that he could focus solely on his research without having to report his progress to shareholders, or worse, government regulators. By doing what he was doing privately, he could be assured of absolute secrecy. But somebody had suspected something, broken into his lab, and it was only a matter of time before someone decided he was close enough to kidnap and force him to work for them.

  That’s when he had called Mary, the only person he could think of that might know a way out. He had loved that woman, probably still did, and when he had found out she was an MI6 agent sent in to figure out what he was working on, the betrayal had hurt him, a gut punch that took years to recover from. She had put together the plan to fake his death, she had sent in the team to plant the explosives that would take down the tunnel, to hide his change of clothes so that he could pose as a local emerging from the cave only moments before the explosion, detonated by one of the team hiding in the rocks nearby.

  In the chaos that ensued, he merely walked out of the camp, climbed into a pre-positioned car and drove away. The team sent in to help him had no idea who they were helping and had no involvement after the detonation. He made it to Amman, boarded a private charter that took him to Dubai with all new ID. While he was traveling, Mary had used her contacts to have the Jordanians immediately shut down the dig site, yank all the permits, and put a ban on all further excavation in the area. It meant nobody could go in to find that his body wasn’t there. Her plan had worked perfectly, no one suspected anything, his well-attended funeral going off without a hitch, the name Charles Palmer soon forgotten by the few who knew it.

  Yet despite the success, his heart had been broken. He loved his sister so much, and had despaired that she had thrown herself at her work for so long, never finding love, never even seeking it until James Acton had yanked her out of the shell she had withdrawn into.

  But now the secret was out. How, he wasn’t sure. With the number of cameras everywhere, perhaps it was inevitable that somebody somewhere would catch him in public, someone would recognize him. Things were happening fast now. The Chinese had made a play for Laura, and if they knew, this entire house of cards he had built would soon collapse. The secret was about to come out, and he wanted to tell his sister in person why he had done what he had and beg her forgiveness.

 

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