Genomorph

Chapter 52

CHAPTER 52

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 29, 2005
1000 EST

“Isn’t this illegal?” Karen asked as Maxine Andrews picked the lock on the back of a house in Arlington, Virginia, after disabling the security system. The house was vacant with a ‘for sale’ sign out front and was conveniently just down the street from the target.
The lock clicked open, and Max swung the door wide and entered with Karen close behind.

“Well, technically our conducting a surveillance operation in the United States is illegal,” Max told her. “What’s a little breaking and entering compared to that?”

Karen grinned. “You remind me of someone I know.”

“I hope that’s a good thing,” Max said as they made their way through the house.

“Oh, it is,” Karen said. “She’s not one to let the rules stop her from doing what’s right either.”

“Sounds like my kind of girl,” Max said.

“Sorry, Max, she has a girlfriend,” Karen giggled, causing Max to give her a sharp look.

“How did you know?” Max asked.

“Hey, I’m an intelligence analyst remember?” Karen said. “Actually, my best friend and roommate for the last six years is a lesbian. I have two other friends who have been in a relationship for several years. I guess I just developed a sense for it. Plus, you and Kyle have known each other for years, and you’ve never dated.”

“Well, he did try when we first met, several times,” Max told her as they headed upstairs. They set up their equipment at a front window that afforded a good view of the house down the street.

The house was a large two-story colonial with a perfectly manicured lawn. It blended perfectly with the other houses in the neighborhood; the picture of suburban bliss.

“Are you sure your people got the address right?” Max asked.

“The house is owned by Arthur and Marion Rothberg,” Karen said. “He is apparently a quite successful computer consultant who operates his business out of his home. The only problem is, he doesn’t seem to have any clients. The business records show income from several corporations, but when we dug deeper, they all turned out to be dummies.”

“Of course, none of it ties back to the organization,” Max said. “I guess it’s hard to connect anything to something that doesn’t officially exist.”

“There is a trail, but it’s very hard to spot,” Karen said. “His credentials are real enough, and we have their marriage records.”

“Oh, I’m sure it’s all real,” Max said. “He’s the tech maintaining the computers, and his wife is the security. I’ll bet they sleep in separate bedrooms.”

“So, what do you think?”

Max studied the house through the telephoto lens of the camera before speaking.

“It’s a cinch they have a state of the art security system,” she said. “If we show up with a truckload of feds, they will destroy everything. I would guess they have it set up on some kind of ‘dead man switch’; they probably have to enter a code at regular intervals to prevent the system from wiping itself. They probably never leave the house together either; one of them stays with the equipment. Getting inside without tipping them off is going to be tough.”

~ Brandi could get in there with no problem, ~ Karen thought, but that was not a viable alternative.

The morning progressed as they maintained surveillance, one of them watching the house while the other watched the driveway to make sure an enterprising realtor did not decide to show the house. Around ten, a man came out of the house, and Max snapped several pictures of him as he retrieved the morning paper.

“So what’s she like?” Max asked after the man had returned to the house.

“My friend Melissa?” Karen asked. “Well she’s ….”

“No, I meant Brandi.”

Karen turned from the window where she was watching the driveway and stared at Max. She knew Kyle had not told her anything about Brandi.

“Hey, I’m a spook,” Max said. “Just because we’re not supposed to operate here doesn’t mean we don’t. Besides, we got a bulletin about her through channels. They tried to make it sound innocent enough, but it set off warning bells.”

Max waited, but Karen said nothing, just stared at her. Max was CTAG’s liaison with the CIA, and Karen felt she could be trusted, but it was not her place to divulge any information about Brandi. The thought that the CIA knew about her friend was disturbing, however, and Karen wondered just how much they did know.

“We thought it was odd that they were so interested in finding her. After the incident at UCLA, it became clearer why they want her, but I think there is still more to it.”

Karen almost sighed with relief; Max was fishing. The CIA knew about Brandi, but they did not know much. It made sense that the organization would try to get the Agency to work to help them, but they would never let them know why Brandi was so valuable.

“Max, I know we only just met, but I’d like to think we’re friends,” Karen said slowly. “I gather from your reaction earlier that it’s not widely known that you’re a lesbian. I want you to know that your secret is safe with me.”

Max smiled, “I appreciate that, Karen, but my sexual preference is not a matter of national security.”

“Neither is Brandi,” Karen said. “She is a victim of these people; the same people who have agents planted in the CIA. You saw the evidence; what do you think of these people?”

“They’re worse than scum,” Max said. “Karen, I joined the CIA because I want to defend this country. What they’re trying to do sickens me.”

“Then I’ll tell you this; they’ve done worse,” Karen said. “What they did to my friend … Max it would horrify you, and afterwards they tried to lock her away and make her a tool. After they are dealt with, she will have the freedom to choose what path she wants to take. I’m not being overly dramatic when I say I would die to protect her, because I know she would do the same for me without hesitation.”

“You know, I think we are going to be good friends,” Max said as she turned back to the camera. She found Karen’s loyalty to her friend admirable, and it made her more curious than ever to know the person who could inspire it.

The house was still quiet, and Max turned back to Karen one more time.

“In this business, it’s very easy to lose yourself,” she said. “The black and white starts to become gray. Don’t ever let go of your convictions, Karen. Don’t ever lose that sense of right and wrong. Our job is to ensure the security and safety of the nation, but if we forget that the people are the nation, it’s all for nothing.”

Around noon the garage door of the house opened, and a Mercedes 350 SLK began backing out. Max snapped pictures until it was out of sight.

“That was the woman,” Max said. “Hopefully, I can get a better shot of her when she comes back.”

A little over an hour later, the Mercedes returned. The woman left the garage door open as she removed shopping bags from the trunk, and Max was able to get several shots of her. Once the garage door had closed, Max began reviewing the pictures on the LCD screen of the camera.

The woman calling herself Marion Rothberg was about five feet eight inches tall and had auburn hair that hung just past her shoulders. She has a nice figure, voluptuous but not overly so. In fact, from a distance, or in a fleeting glance at a closed circuit monitor, she could easily have been mistaken for Karen … or vice versa.

“I have a wild idea,” Max said. “Kyle is definitely not going to like it though.”

*****

The GMU chamber was filled with a loud hum as the machine powered up. The subject on the table, one of the mercenaries hired to protect the facility, was in a total state of relaxation. The scanning beam swept over his nude body, and after the scan was complete Barbara pressed the glowing touch pad to initiate a transformation sequence. The hum increased slightly and then an alarm began sounding.

Critical Error…Genomorph Transformation module is damaged…transformation sequence terminated…

The words flashed mockingly on the display as the GMU powered down. The subject was oblivious to what was happening and would remain that way for several hours.

“What is the problem this time?”

Barbara turned and looked at the Man, but unlike most of his subordinates, there was no hint of fear in her eyes. It was one of the things he liked about the young woman.

“The same problem as the last time,” she said. “This GMU is identical to the other, but has added components to create Genomorphs, and those components are damaged beyond our ability to repair.”

“I don’t like excuses, Dr. Currant.”

“It’s not an excuse, it’s a fact,” Barbara snapped, refusing to be cowed. “If you want to create more Genomorphs, you’re going to have to reverse engineer the device and construct a new one. That process will take years … decades probably.”

“Then we will have to bend the existing Genomorph to our will.”

“Yes, that worked so well the first time you tried it,” Barbara said acerbically. “Can’t you understand that one of those warrior genes is what defeated the original attempt to program her? Now that she is a Genomorph, that genetic resistance to outside control is ten times stronger.”

“There are many ways to control another,” The Man said. “Once we have her girlfriend and Dr. Covington here, we will have all the leverage we need.”

“Of course,” Barbara said as the Man left the control room.

~ The blind fool. Even if he succeeds, Brandi will just wait for the perfect opportunity to destroy him. ~

The technicians began wheeling the comatose subject out of the chamber on a gurney. He would awaken in a few hours and be returned to duty, and never know how close he had come to a much ruder awakening.

~ Even if the module wasn’t damaged, it would have never worked, ~ Barbara thought as she studied the scan data. ~ The subject didn’t have the warrior genes or any of the Forerunner genetic traits Brandon possessed. ~

As the technicians exited the chamber, Martina Todd, formerly the organization’s chief analyst, Todd Martin, entered nervously. Martina was little more than a sex toy with excellent office skills, and there was very little of Todd left. Barbara had watched as Reginald Mercer personally deleted the data matrix that could one day have restored Todd, and he had obviously enjoyed the power of utterly destroying another human being with the touch of a button. Still, there was enough left that Martina knew to fear the GMU chamber.

“It’s all right, Tina,” Barbara said as she stepped out of the control room. “Nothing is going to hurt you. I just want to run a quick test to make sure you’re healthy.”

“I really feel fine, Dr. Currant,” the young woman said.

“I’m sure you do,” Barbara said. Like all subjects who were processed by the GMU, Martina had a body that bordered on perfection. It was not like Brandi’s, but she would rarely, if ever, get sick and would likely have a very long lifespan. The optimization of a subject was another built-in default of the machine. Any procedure other than a simple scan would result in the process being carried out.

“Please, Dr. Currant, I don’t wanna wake up somebody else!” Tina cried.

As Barbara looked at Tina sharply, the young woman thought she actually saw tears in the scientist’s eyes. Barbara put her hand gently on Tina’s arm and squeezed softly.

“You won’t even go to sleep, I promise,” Barbara said. Tina nodded her head and allowed Barbara to steer her towards the crystal chamber. Tina started to remove her clothes, but Barbara stopped her.

“That’s not necessary, Tina,” she said. “This will only take about five minutes, and then you can get back to work.”

Tina looked at her, and Barbara could see conflicting emotions warring in her eyes. Desire and disgust battled for control.

“I could stretch it into an hour if you want,” Barbara said with a gentle smile that was very uncharacteristic for her.

Relief washed over Tina’s face, but was quickly replaced by concern.

“What if Reggie gets mad?” she asked. “He’s my boss, you know, and I’m supposed to take care of him.”

“Agent Mercer is on his way to Virginia, remember?” Barbara said.

“Oh, yeah,” Tina said, her voice dejected. “I sure hope he gets back soon.”

Tina settled onto the couch in the chamber, and Barbara turned back towards the control room.

“I’m very sorry,” she whispered. Despite the softness of her comments, Tina heard the words.

“It’s all right,” Tina said. “I know you didn’t want to.”

*****

“Have you lost your mind, Max?” Kyle asked after Max had told him her plan for getting into the house in Arlington.

“Kyle, we have very limited resources,” she explained calmly. “If we are going to get the information secured, we need someone inside to slow down any reaction to the troops when they move in. Karen is the same height and build as the woman calling herself Marion Rothberg.”

Over a very short period of surveillance, they had determined that the woman frequently left the house on errands. The plan was to take her into custody on one of these trips and have Karen switch places with her. Karen would then return to the house and deal with any security monitors and the man inside, until the NCIS agents moved in to take over.

“The only other option is to kill the power for the entire neighborhood,” NCIS Special Agent Tony Capriatti said. “If they have backup power, which they almost certainly do, they would still be able to destroy the files.”

“You could send a pair of your people to the door disguised as delivery men or salesmen while the woman was out,” Kyle suggested.

“I did just that,” Max said. “I went up with a fake survey and rang the bell. He never answered. I suspect he was watching the security monitors the whole time, but he won’t come to the door when she is not there.”

“If we used that ploy while she is there, we’d get her, but he could still destroy the evidence,” Capriatti said. “There is no way we can get a full team anywhere near the house without tipping them off. The ground is covered by motion detectors, and there are video cameras everywhere.”

“We can use the crystal,” Kyle said. “Zap the woman at the door, and have her call him down.”

“What if he sees us use it?” Max said. “He will almost certainly be watching the monitors anytime she goes to the door.”

Karen listened to the exchange in silence. She was not thrilled about the idea of going into the house and facing a man who would likely not hesitate to kill her if he had the chance. But her best friends were getting ready to enter the enemy’s base of operations, where they would be facing far more certain risk. Could she do any less?

“What would I have to do?”

All eyes turned to Karen when she spoke, and they saw the hesitation and fear in her eyes.

“Kyle, I’m not happy about this either,” Karen said. “In fact, I’m scared half to death. I’m not a big thrill seeker, I don’t even like driving on the freeway, but there is a lot at stake here, and I have a personal stake in this.”

“All you have to do is get in and get him away from the computers,” Max said. “We have the layout of the house, and from thermal scans we know where the computers are, in an upstairs bedroom. The security monitors may be there, but most likely there are monitor stations in several rooms. Get him away from the computers, use the crystal on him, and send the NCIS guys the signal; they will be in the house in less than ten seconds.”

“All right, when do we do it?” Karen asked.

Max smiled. Kyle was right about this girl; she had what it took to get the job done. She remembered her first field assignment and how nervous and frightened she had been, even with the benefit of extensive training. Karen had to be terrified, but she was hiding it well.

“As soon as we get word that they have taken your friends, we’ll take up positions in the neighborhood,” Capriatti said. “The next time the woman leaves, we’ll arrest her and make the switch.”

“What if she doesn’t leave the house before the SEALs go in?” Kyle said. “We’ll have a very tight window.”

“We’ll go with Plan B, a felony raid, and hope for the best,” Capriatti said. “We’ll kill the neighborhood power and hit the house as fast as we can. Hopefully, we can at least secure any hard copy files.”

“All right, I still don’t like it, but I’ll authorize this,” Kyle said. “I want Karen in a vest though.”

“That shouldn’t be a problem,” Max said. “It’s going to get cold tonight and should be raining over the next two or three days. Marion will be dressed for the weather, and once Karen has switched to her clothes, the vest should be well covered.”

“I want you rested,” Kyle said to Karen. “There’s nothing more you can do for now. If anything comes up, I’ll send someone for you.”

Karen nodded and rose from her chair, walking over to the door. As she was about to leave, Kyle spoke again.

“You don’t take any unnecessary risks, Karen. I want you back.”

After Karen had left, Kyle turned and looked hard at Max.

“And you keep your hands off her,” he said. “She’s mine, and I’m not going to let you steal her for the Agency.”

“Now, Kyle, you know me better than that,” Max laughed, but she never promised not to try.

“All right, now what about the legalities?” Kyle asked. “Are you going to need a warrant, Tony? I’d rather not risk going to the courts if we don’t have to.”

“We can prove the house is owned by a federal agency,” Capriatti said. “We can also prove that the occupants are employed by that agency. That, plus the rudimentary evidence we have of the plot, gives us sufficient exigent circumstance to enter without a warrant. The risk of them destroying the evidence we need is too great.”

“It’s not like this will ever see the inside of a courtroom,” Max said.

“True, but we need to be clean,” Kyle said. “We can’t let these bastards wriggle off the hook. At the very least some of the lesser players will be charged and take the fall.”