“I know that,” Niles said. He mentally surrendered and waved Virginia over to where they were standing.
“Jack,” she said, pushing her hands into her lab coat.
Collins nodded and looked at Niles, who had made a decision.
“Virginia, cut the colonel and Captain Everett orders releasing them from duty at the complex. They are on extended leave for the next five days.” He looked at Jack.
“Okay,” she said, turning to face Collins. “Going fishing again, Jack?” A smirk of her own stretched across her pretty face.
“Yeah, something like that. Look, since we won’t have Mendenhall, I need someone who’s good with Europa on a mobile terminal. Can you spare anyone?”
Niles lowered his head in thought. He looked at Virginia and then at Collins.
“We’re in the planning stages of what we need to do. I have the entire computing staff at my disposal and I have Virginia. That leaves our resident genius Pete Golding free. Take him.”
Collins looked from Niles to a surprised Virginia. Neither could hide their shock at the mention of Pete’s name.
“I appreciate the offer, but Pete has exactly zero hours in the field. This could get a little dicey.”
“I understand that, but with Pete you have a fighting chance of discovering something others would overlook. He’s the best, and you need every advantage you can get. He’ll dig up a starting point for you. Leave him on the plane if you have to, but take him.”
“Okay, Pete it is.” Jack knew that they did need someone good. They were going to Germany without really knowing who it was they were looking for. “I also want Doc Ellenshaw. He’s down in the Crypto Department doing absolutely nothing, and we just happen to be dealing with something that’s not just about the past but may be about our entire history. Ellenshaw irritates Pete to do better. And besides, I like the way the doc thinks out of the box.”
The director looked happy that Jack seemed satisfied. Then the happiness fled as Collins faced Niles and Virginia, focusing finally on the director.
“Can I ask a question that you probably won’t answer?”
“Of course.”
“Why did the president choose you to coordinate something this big when it’s obviously out of your area of expertise?”
Niles ignored Jack’s question. “You got Charlie and Pete and your orders. Good luck, Colonel.” Niles started turning away to get back to the amazing work going on in the science department. Then he stopped and turned back to face Collins. “Colonel, if you get caught, I don’t know if we can help you,” Compton said. He watched Jack, who had already turned for the door. “And take care of those two professors. I happen to like them.”
“Say good-bye to Lieutenant McIntire and tell her she better not do anything stupid while I’m gone.”
“Jack, did you hear what I said?” Niles asked. Collins reached the doorway and then turned and looked at both Niles and Virginia.
“Mr. Director, concentrate on the what if’s of getting those people back if you have to send them up there. That’s a little more unforgiving than being caught by Interpol.”
As they watched Collins leave the lab, Niles looked at his deputy director.
“He’s got a point, doesn’t he?”
“That’s one thing I’ve noticed, Niles,” Virginia said, as she watched the door closing behind Jack. “The colonel always has a good point.”
The meeting was as tense as McCabe had ever had with the billionaire head of Faith Ministries.
“I really don’t understand your anger,” he said to Rawlins. Rawlins’s daughter stood by the window without comment and without much expression during the whole meeting. “We have stopped the Russian project dead in its tracks with a minimal expenditure of men and material, and placed the blame on our friend the Mechanic just as planned. He’s none the wiser. We now know that this Compton is linked to the intrusion of Colonel Collins and his men down in Ecuador. We have the government of that nation on our side thanks to your bribes, so now we have the upper hand there also.”
“The point of my daughter killing this Compton was to send a message to the president, telling him in no uncertain terms that there is a growing groundswell of religious passion he has to deal with.” Rawlings spat the words. “Killing his front man would have given him pause. Just look at the thousands of God’s people who protest in front of the president’s home. He cannot ignore the facts any longer-going into space is not the Lord’s will.”
“I don’t know what world you live in sometimes, but the killing of one man rarely deters a president from doing what he needs to do. My intelligence people have linked the president with Niles Compton. They’re old school buddies. Killing him would have had the opposite effect of what you desired. So please, allow me to conduct the operations as I see fit, or you can go about them alone.”
For the first time in the meeting, Rawlins was silenced. McCabe saw him take a breath and then his eyes wandered to Laurel’s back. Her arms were crossed and her body stiff.
“Your daughter’s desire for excitement, while dangerous, can be assuaged if she wishes. The last remaining man who can pinpoint the burial site for Columbus has been found in Munich and preparations for his elimination are progressing. If Laurel wishes, she can accompany the Mechanic when he goes to Germany to take care of this gentleman.”
Both Rawlins and McCabe turned their eyes toward Laurel. She finally turned and looked at McCabe. He saw that the storm in her features had not yet subsided.
“To watch as your little pet terrorist does the wet work?”
“Laurel, you’re still learning. Anything more at this time could get a little dangerous,” Rawlins said, standing and attempting to hug his elder daughter. She angrily threw his arms off and continued to stare at her now ex-lover McCabe.
The former Army officer finally smiled and stood.
“Okay. I’ll send you to meet with the Mechanic and I’ll order him to allow you to have your warped fun. Right now he’s in California making plans. Your plane leaves for Germany in eight hours.”
A smile crossed her face. She looked from McCabe to her father. He wasn’t smiling.
“I never imagined you were so dedicated to the Lord that you would offer yourself up as a sacrifice to his cause,” he said, placing his hands on her shoulders. He pulled her to him and hugged her. “I pray it’s not for the want of blood that you do these things.”
She maneuvered her head so she could see McCabe. He saw her smile, her eyes ablaze with passion-not for the Lord but for the thrill she was getting as she realized that she would soon have a man’s life in her hands, a life she fully intended to take.
McCabe gathered his papers and headed for the door.
Soon he’d have to distance himself from these nuts.
They all watched the rover John as it used its drill arm and bucket carrier to right itself at the rim.
The camera angle shifted, it seemed to go crazy for a moment and then the picture stabilized. Loud shouts and cheers coursed through the control room as John had pulled off the miracle and righted itself. The view was once again spectacular and the technicians shouted praises to the telemetry team that had come up with the plan to use the complicated appendage system to correct the problem of John lying on its side.
Nathan looked to his left and the president nodded his head, mouthing the words, “Great job.”
No one but the closest Secret Service agent could see the small laptop in front of the president of the United States, nor the clear picture of Niles Compton as the president spoke to him in hushed tones.
“Okay. Let’s get ready to shut John down to recharge,” Nathan called out, as he waved for his people to sit back at their stations. “He’s got to be tired after all of that effort to sit up.”
The president was talking into his headset. Then he nodded to no one and placed a hand over the
