Crow's Gambit, page 15
part #1 of Sylphan Revelations Series
For several years she had just floated through life without much of a purpose.
Darrow read something from her silence. “The job? The challenge? The feeling of being able to contribute to something?” He took her silence for confirmation. “You can take comfort in knowing you are helping with the greatest challenge of your, or perhaps any, generation. And you have become critical to its success. Which is also why we are here to answer your questions.”
Darrow leaned back and waited, watching her carefully. She felt like she had opened the proverbial genie’s bottle. Be careful what you wish for. Be careful what you ask. You may not like the answers.
She decided to start with recent events.
“Explain what happened at the Smithsonian.”
“We aren’t positive.”
She narrowed her eyes at him again.
“No, honestly, we aren’t. Gloria has been back at the site doing more research. The Smithsonian staff has called in the FBI as well. The three men have disappeared, but we have confirmed the guards didn’t work there. Your visit just happened to be bad timing.”
“Why were they there then?”
“To sabotage the XS-9. Wang was correct. Several of the circuits had been rewired. If they had tried to test fire the engine it would have destroyed most of the circuits and the engine itself. When the two of you started looking at things, they must have gotten worried you would realize what they were up to.”
“So that wasn’t Dr. Howard’s assistant?”
“The man was a former assistant. One who had been fired. The assistant scheduled to be working that day has disappeared. The FBI is looking into that aspect.”
“I don’t understand any of this. Why would someone go to the trouble of sabotaging the XS-9? If you get that pile of parts at the Smithsonian working and off the ground, it’s just going to get zapped a few seconds later. It’s not worth anyone’s time to try and stop, regardless of their ideas on flying in general. The Sylph will do the work for them.” She paused. “No offense.”
Darrow leaned back in his chair and steepled his fingers together. “I wouldn’t be so quick to count on its destruction, but nonetheless, you have to understand it might just be the idea someone would dare try. Maybe they’re afraid of giving people hope and greater ambitions.”
“That’s almost correct.” Dale interrupted from the doorway of the conference room. He walked over and handed Darrow a tablet. “The security system at the restoration facility had been tampered with but some of the cameras were still recording. We scoured the sensor data and came up with what you see.”
Darrow glanced at the display. “The Church.” He shaped the name like it left a particularly sour taste in his mouth.
“The Church of the Sylphan Resolution.” Dale took the tablet and handed it to Cassie.
She recognized the image as one of the fake security guards. He was pointing his weapon at someone. If she remembered correctly, her. The tablet had highlighted the part showing his hand and wrist. When she zoomed in, she saw there was an image or symbol on the man’s wrist. The tattoo work was intricate and detailed. A sphere marked with symbols adorning a cross. The same symbol the protestors had on their signs in D.C.
“Many of the modern cults, or movements as they like to be called, use specialized tattoos to identify themselves,” Dale explained to her.
“Yes,” she swallowed. “I’ve heard that.”
“The sphere and cross are the symbol worn by acolytes of the Church,” Dale handed the tablet to Neil.
Obviously, she had heard of them, but she had thought the stories were exaggerated. They were one of the post-Net-Day cults which had managed to evolve themselves into a supposed religion. Some people still called them terrorists, but they had members in all areas and ranks of society.
They believed the Sylph were messengers from God. Something like angels or demons sent to show everyone God’s plan. Oh, and punish those who didn’t follow it. Central to their faith was the belief God never intended man to fly.
“Okay, I get why they wouldn’t like you,” she pointed at Darrow. “Why sabotage a broken plane though?”
Neil finally spoke from the back again. “They could be afraid we’re going to bring down the wrath of God for even trying to restore it, let alone fly it.”
“Neil is essentially correct,” Darrow nodded agreement. “We have no reason to believe this was connected to our main endeavor. This could just be an act by a radical segment of the Church who opposes anything aerospace related. You and Wang just had bad timing.”
“Wait. You intend to fly it, you said so. If they found that out, I can completely see why the plane would be a target. Unless by main endeavor you mean something else.” Cassie frowned and looked between the two of them.
Neil was pointedly studying the ceiling while Darrow had a blank smile on his face. “All right. That’s it. I want to know all of it. Now. Or tomorrow I’m back in Minnesota even if I like it here.”
Darrow sighed and stood up. He walked down the length of the room before turning. “You are correct. We have been keeping secrets from you. Ironically, however, it’s your secrets that are stopping us from telling you ours.”
“Wait, what? That doesn’t make any sense.”
“You see, we aren’t sure we can trust you. There’s a minor matter of your own tattoo,” Darrow replied with raised eyebrows. “And how it marks you as a member of a terroristic Millennium group.”
Chapter 24
CASSIE SLUMPED LOWER in her chair and shut her eyes. That tattoo had been the bane of her existence ever since she got it. Up until now there were only three people who had ever seen it, including herself. She had done her best to conceal its existence, knowing it would effectively ruin any chance of getting into a university or even getting most jobs. Now there were at least three other people that knew about it. Somehow.
The tattoo showed two feathered wings, opening below, and wrapping around the bottom of her breasts. In the center a mandala traced up her sternum, between her breasts. Right in the middle the Millennium uroboros and hexagon symbol was embedded within it. A thin snakelike dragon wrapped in a circle, swallowing its own tail. In the center of the circle a six-pointed star.
Given its location it had been easy, if not convenient, to conceal. For someone to see it she would have to be naked, or at least topless. Opening her eyes, she glared at Dale wondering again how he had found out about it.
“Yes, I admit it. I have a Millennium tattoo, but I swear, I have never been a member of one of their groups.”
The Millennialists believed in a fundamental transformation of society and the Sylph’s arrival indicated its time had come. In spirit and action, they were just short of anarchists. It wasn’t just enough to believe in the transformation, they intended to help speed it along by tearing down the existing society. Plain and simple, they were terrorists.
The room remained silent. “It was my ex-boyfriend’s idea. I didn’t realize what the tattoo artist was putting on me until it was done.” She took a deep breath and continued. “Turns out, my boyfriend was a member of a Millennium group.”
“Well that seems like a poor life choice,” Darrow said, rolling his eyes. “If it was a mistake, why didn’t you have it removed?”
“I couldn’t. I didn’t have the money to replace it.” They just looked at her with questioning expressions. “The tattoo is my IPU.”
For several decades, it had been possible to tattoo electronic circuits directly into the layers of skin. Besides the ascetic aspects, tattooed IPUs were powered biologically and provided increased levels of security since they were part of the person. They were also difficult to detect, which is why groups like the Millennialists liked them. Unfortunately, they were impossible to change and expensive to remove.
“Ha!” Neil exclaimed with a smile. He pointed at Darrow. “I told you her IPU was tattooed. That’s why the portal scanners didn’t recognize it at first.”
“After the university incident, I needed a job. My boyfriend said he knew some people. He said if I flew some barnstorming jobs for them, they could get me an IPU. It was the only way I could afford to get one. Without it I wouldn’t have been able to continue flying—meaning I would’ve had no way to make the money to get back into the university.”
“And when you saw the tattoo, you realized who his friends were. Did you do any jobs for them?” Darrow gave her a look of concern.
“No! I told them I wouldn’t fly for them.”
“And they just let you walk away after paying for your IPU?” Neil asked.
“Not exactly.” She bobbed her head a few times nervously. “I may have used the security codes they put in the IPU to hack their system and copy certain pieces of compromising information.”
“So, you blackmailed the Millennialists using their own technology?” Neil started laughing. “See, I knew I liked her.”
“Neil’s approval aside, the tattoo creates a slight problem,” Darrow studied a photo on the wall. “The actual project we are working on is for the Department of Defense. It requires the highest level of security. As a former member of a Millennium group...”
“I wasn’t a member!” Cassie interrupted.
“If the Department of Defense knew about your tattoo, I think they might have a different opinion.” Darrow looked at Neil. “Could it be removed?”
“Yes. It’s very expensive and time consuming, but possible.” Neil glanced to Cassie. “There are just a couple potential drawbacks.”
“Like?” Darrow asked.
“Widespread scarring and loss of network identity.” Cassie had done considerable research on the consequences of removal. They were so severe a tattooed IPU usually required a month waiting period before you could get it, just to make sure the person was committed to the idea. When her boyfriend arranged it in a couple days that should have been her first red flag. “My IPU contains the tokens and transaction records for my entire life. Network login id’s and passwords. Tax and employment records. Passport. Everything. Until all of that was rebuilt, I probably couldn’t even manage the connection to fly your drone.”
“And those items can’t be backed up or copied?” He looked from Cassie to Neil.
“No,” Neil answered. “Since there is a biological link they can’t be copied. That’s part of the security of a tattooed IPU.”
Dale cleared his throat. “Not to mention to whoever does the removal this will look like a known terrorist trying to cover her tracks. We would need to be extremely careful about who was involved.”
“Of course, this is only a problem if anyone else knew about the tattoo. Which they don’t?” Darrow’s question was directed at Dale. He gave a short shake of his head.
“Well then, it’s a problem we can deal with later.” Darrow clapped his hands to settle the matter. “Dale? Would you leave us now?”
Dale nodded and left the room.
Once the door was closed Darrow continued. “The project is named...”
“Wait.” Cassie held up both hands in a stopping gesture. “You’re going to tell me about it anyway? What if they find out you told me? Won’t we get in trouble?”
“Better to ask forgiveness than permission,” Neil quoted from the couch where he was having another drink.
“Like I was saying,” Darrow continued. “Project Icarus. Everyone knows the government still works with drone development and limited, low level flight. However, officially the U.S. is not conducting any research into other flying vehicles, such as high-speed cruise missiles.”
“Well it is against international law.” She knew most people viewed flying as a provocation to the Sylph. No one wanted to see cities start to get vaporized next.
“Be that as it may, the U.S. and several other nations have been quietly conducting research on a new generation of cruise missiles that won’t get vaporized by the Sylph. The nation who gets there first will have a strategic advantage that will reshape the battlefields of the world.”
“So, you’re trying to make a weapon? A cruise missile?” That was not exactly what she had signed up for.
“No.” Darrow shook his head. “Project Icarus is intended to determine the best method of avoiding destruction by the Sylph. That’s the purpose as stated on the authorization from the Appropriations Committee. While the data could, and would, be used in the future development of cruise missiles, the current project specifically prohibits the actual creation or testing of a cruise missile.”
“However,” Neil held one finger up in the air. It was possible his speech was just a little slurred. “It does allow for limited experimentation to gather data. And there is no provision against trying to put a drone in orbit to test whether it can avoid destruction.”
That’s convenient. Of course, most people wouldn’t consider that a possibility, so why prohibit it?
Caught between trying to swallow and make an exclamation, Cassie choked and coughed for several seconds. “I repeat my previous assessment. You’re both crazy,” she finally got out. “You might, might, be able to find a way to keep a cruise missile from being noticed but that spaceplane of yours is going to go boom.” She mimicked an explosion with her hands.
The more she thought about the project, the more she panicked. “Didn’t the last scientist who tried to make a rocket end up at the International Criminal Court?” She stood and started pacing with her arms crossed in front of her. “I don’t think I can do this.”
“Relax.” Darrow stood and walked over to her. He placed his hands gently on her shoulders. “Nothing has changed from what I told you in New York. We want you to help us train the AI to fly it. We aren’t asking you to fly it yourself.”
Taking a step back Cassie moved out of reach. Her arms were still crossed protectively in front of her. There was another question that felt relevant to ask right about now. “How was Grandpa involved with all of this? I know he worked on the XS-9, but you both knew him. Before you deny it, I have a photo to prove it.”
“Ahh,” was all Darrow said.
“He never mentioned knowing Mr. Peter Darrow, robber baron, and one of the richest most influential people on the planet. That seems a little odd don’t you think? What aren’t you telling me?”
She held Darrow’s eyes for several seconds before he finally looked away and started pacing back across the room.
“Ostensibly Project Icarus is a defense related project. However, it is actually a culmination of over ten years of effort by a group of people who secretly think the human species needs to resist the Sylph and find a way back to space.” He turned and faced her from across the room. “Now that we are nearing the end of these efforts, it’s only fitting that a McIntyre be part of it since it was a McIntyre who started it.”
She inhaled a sharp breath. “My grandfather was part of this then?” Some part of her had suspected, but the confirmation still made her world spin.
Darrow nodded. “Bill McIntyre came to me with ... a friend, over a decade ago. He described a plan to get back into space and an argument for why we needed to. At first even I thought he was crazy. In time he convinced me.”
The claim would have been easy to dismiss if she hadn’t seen the photo of Darrow and Grandpa together. It also had a strange ring of truth to it. She had always known Grandpa felt chaffed under the constraints of the world after Net-Day. If he had worked on the XS-9 when he was at NASA, it would only be natural he would look to it for help getting back to space.
“I know this a lot to take in.” Darrow pressed his hands together in front of his mouth as if he were praying. “Before you decide about all of this, look at what we’ve done so far first. That’s all I ask.”
Looking at the floor, she took a deep breath and let it out slowly. They weren’t asking her to do any more than she had already been doing. She was still just working with the simulator. And if this was a project her grandfather had been involved with, she wanted to know more about it.
Her grandfather was the entire reason she’d really been convinced to get involved in the first place. The XS-9 was his work. Apparently, there was a lot about him she still didn’t know. Right now, the only way to get to the bottom of everything was to stick around for a little longer. She nodded at Darrow.
“Good.” Darrow smiled. “Neil, I think it’s time Cassie met Mr. Hodson. Would you mind introducing her?”
Chapter 25
NEIL GROANED AT DARROW’S suggestion. “Couldn’t we just give her the data ourselves?”
Darrow didn’t reply but gave him a consoling smile.
Neil sighed, pushing himself off the couch. “I didn’t think so. Okay, Cassie follow me.”
He led her to a part of the building she had not been in before—the purple sector. The name plate on the office door read “Mr. N. Hodson, Esq.”
“Esquire? Who calls themselves Esquire anymore?”
“He’s British. Thinks he’s some kind of gentry pseudo aristocrat.” A shrug and nod of his head showed what Neil thought of the idea. “He is, however, useful for some things. And very sensitive. My advice is to try not to annoy him.”
She nodded.
Neil took a deep breath and knocked twice on the door. There was a curt call of “Enter” from within.
Opening the door, Neil waited for her to enter first. The office was not what she expected. The walls were wood grained and mostly covered with bookshelves. The books on the shelves appeared to be heavy tomes, a few with leather covers.
Two chairs sat in front of a massive wood carved desk. Behind the desk a skinny gentleman sat in a leather office chair. His gray hair was cut short with a matching short mustache. He wore dress slacks and a button-up shirt but with a sweater vest. His impeccably knotted tie was the first one she remembered seeing at Crow Research.
“Mr. Larson. What brings the joy of your presence to my door today?” The man took two exaggerated sniffs in the air. He peered over the top of wire rim glasses. “Had a few drinks already this morning?”
