cryptologists at my disposal had been working on the case for weeks without any progress. We’re living in an age where one truly gifted person with a computer can do more in a day than a roomful of PhDs could in a year.”
“ I’m not disputing that Nico Gold is a smart person. But in this case, when you chose to enlist the help of a felon, you made a mistake.”
He hated them. He hated this . His thoughts drifted to Operation Crossbow, which had only just gotten interesting. One of the world’s most powerful bioengineers had said that he had the capability to clone a human being, and then had gone missing. Whatever country or organization had nabbed him now had a tremendous intellectual asset at their disposal, and you could bet they weren’t going to use it for a good cause.
“Agent Carver?” Blick said. “We’re waiting.”
Carver quickly rediscovered his train of thought. “My only mistake was bringing Nico in too late. If it hadn’t been for him, you might not be sitting up there today.”
Gon zales leaned forward. “Save the speeches, Agent Carver. The committee will determine, upon learning more details, whether those choices were justified.”
“ No it won’t. The committee is incapable of making that determination without all the facts, and those facts are sealed.”
“Is that so? Then I’d like to hear Mr. Gold’s heroics from his own mouth.”
“I bet you would.”
“Do you know where we can find him?”
“I really couldn’t say.”
Blick took off her glasses and peered down at Carver, her eyes darting back and forth between the federal agent and his attorney. “To be blunt, Agent Carver, we have evidence that you forged a judicial order to arrange for Mr. Gold’s unlawful release. Out of respect for your service, the White House has strongly recommended that we look the other way on this transgression, which we are inclined to do despite the fact that nobody will tell us why you’re such a value to our intelligence community, or even what agency you currently answer to. Despite this, we might be persuaded to comply with this request providing you help us return Mr. Gold into federal custody.”
The double doors at the back of the room opened. Julian Speers blew in, nodding at Carver as he walked past the table and made a beeline for Rep. Gonzalez. The congressman leaned over the wood paneling to get a quiet but spirited earful from the DNI.
Gon zalez’ face turned a shade of pink before he abruptly spoke into the microphone. “The director has just advised me the president has suspended these hearings in the interest of national security. Naturally, we will use every feasible legal and constitutional option to reverse this decision.”
As the committee erupted into chaos, Speers motioned for Carver and started for the door.
Carver waited until they were in the hallway before speaking. “Took you long enough,” he grumbled as they speed-walked. “Things were getting pretty heated in there.”
“ I didn’t bail you out for your benefit,” Speers said. “If you knew what was good for you, you’d have told them how to find Nico Gold.”
“Then why are you here?”
“The president asked for you personally. We have a mess on our hands.”
5 th Street Northeast
Washington D.C.
The inside of Speers’ black Highlander was just as Carver had remembered it. It smelled like a candy store and was littered with chewed lollipop sticks and fast-food wrappers. The only new wrinkle was the pair of child car seats in the vehicle’s second row. The babies were the result of a torrid relationship Speers had with a DOJ analyst named Lydia. Within four months of dating, Speers had gotten her pregnant with twins. Before he knew it, he needed a wedding planner, a financial planner and a real estate agent.
Speers pulled the SUV up to the address FBI Director Chad Fordham had given him on 5 th Street Northeast. The home was inconspicuous among the row of three-story
“ I’m not disputing that Nico Gold is a smart person. But in this case, when you chose to enlist the help of a felon, you made a mistake.”
He hated them. He hated this . His thoughts drifted to Operation Crossbow, which had only just gotten interesting. One of the world’s most powerful bioengineers had said that he had the capability to clone a human being, and then had gone missing. Whatever country or organization had nabbed him now had a tremendous intellectual asset at their disposal, and you could bet they weren’t going to use it for a good cause.
“Agent Carver?” Blick said. “We’re waiting.”
Carver quickly rediscovered his train of thought. “My only mistake was bringing Nico in too late. If it hadn’t been for him, you might not be sitting up there today.”
Gon zales leaned forward. “Save the speeches, Agent Carver. The committee will determine, upon learning more details, whether those choices were justified.”
“ No it won’t. The committee is incapable of making that determination without all the facts, and those facts are sealed.”
“Is that so? Then I’d like to hear Mr. Gold’s heroics from his own mouth.”
“I bet you would.”
“Do you know where we can find him?”
“I really couldn’t say.”
Blick took off her glasses and peered down at Carver, her eyes darting back and forth between the federal agent and his attorney. “To be blunt, Agent Carver, we have evidence that you forged a judicial order to arrange for Mr. Gold’s unlawful release. Out of respect for your service, the White House has strongly recommended that we look the other way on this transgression, which we are inclined to do despite the fact that nobody will tell us why you’re such a value to our intelligence community, or even what agency you currently answer to. Despite this, we might be persuaded to comply with this request providing you help us return Mr. Gold into federal custody.”
The double doors at the back of the room opened. Julian Speers blew in, nodding at Carver as he walked past the table and made a beeline for Rep. Gonzalez. The congressman leaned over the wood paneling to get a quiet but spirited earful from the DNI.
Gon zalez’ face turned a shade of pink before he abruptly spoke into the microphone. “The director has just advised me the president has suspended these hearings in the interest of national security. Naturally, we will use every feasible legal and constitutional option to reverse this decision.”
As the committee erupted into chaos, Speers motioned for Carver and started for the door.
Carver waited until they were in the hallway before speaking. “Took you long enough,” he grumbled as they speed-walked. “Things were getting pretty heated in there.”
“ I didn’t bail you out for your benefit,” Speers said. “If you knew what was good for you, you’d have told them how to find Nico Gold.”
“Then why are you here?”
“The president asked for you personally. We have a mess on our hands.”
5 th Street Northeast
Washington D.C.
The inside of Speers’ black Highlander was just as Carver had remembered it. It smelled like a candy store and was littered with chewed lollipop sticks and fast-food wrappers. The only new wrinkle was the pair of child car seats in the vehicle’s second row. The babies were the result of a torrid relationship Speers had with a DOJ analyst named Lydia. Within four months of dating, Speers had gotten her pregnant with twins. Before he knew it, he needed a wedding planner, a financial planner and a real estate agent.
Speers pulled the SUV up to the address FBI Director Chad Fordham had given him on 5 th Street Northeast. The home was inconspicuous among the row of three-story
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