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.“Dr.Johann Konrad.I would like to bring him in.”“Wait,” Zach said.“This guy is still alive?”The president looked at Griff.“Didn’t you give him the briefing book?”“He says he skimmed it,” Griff said.“Do you have any direct evidence Konrad is involved?”Cade shrugged.“No.”“He’s the only man who could be doing this,” Griff said.The president looked at his file.“According to this, that’s not strictly true, is it? Other people have used Konrad’s discoveries, haven’t they?” The president read from the page.“Evans City, Pennsylvania, 1967.Camden, New Jersey, 1957.”“We couldn’t prove Konrad was involved in those, but we suspected him,” Griff said.“We made him a deal,” the president said, still looking at the folder.“Full pardon.Full citizenship.We may not like it, but I am bound to honor my predecessor’s wishes, based on that favor he did for us in 1981.”“That was no favor,” Griff said.“You might feel differently if it was your life on the line, Agent Griffin,” the president said sharply.“He’s still our best lead,” Griff insisted.The president thought for a moment.Wyman used the pause as a chance to jump in again.“I have a question,” he said.“Why didn’t we know about this before?”“We only made this discovery a few hours ago,” Griff said.“That’s not what I meant,” Wyman snapped.“Soldiers who don’t need to eat, don’t need body armor and can’t be stopped.Why aren’t we using this technology ourselves?”Zach was pretty sure Wyman didn’t see the president’s look of annoyance.“CEO Number Thirty-Seven,” Cade said, his voice flat.“Signed by President Eisenhower in 1958.Expressly forbids the use of any of Konrad’s discoveries by any agency of the U.S.government.”Zach finally recognized something Cade was talking about; he’d gotten that far in the briefing book.The CEOs—Classified Executive Orders—were how the presidents left instructions for their successors after they had been introduced to the big secrets, including the existence of Cade.The formal numbering only began with Roosevelt, during World War II.Before then, the presidents had merely written things down in a leather-bound journal that stayed in a safe in the Oval Office.Wyman waved Cade off.“That was a long time ago,” he said.“I’m sure Ike didn’t know all the threats we’d have to face in the twenty-first century.He probably didn’t intend to tie our hands like that.”“Actually, he did,” Cade said.“I was there.”Wyman’s scowl deepened, and he turned to the president.“This is exactly what I was talking about before,” he said, his voice creeping close to a whine.“When I see these things just going to waste, under glass in that little secret hideaway he sits in.These aren’t artifacts.These are weapons.We should use them.”Griff made a noise, deep in his throat.“Something to say, Agent Griffin?” Wyman asked.Zach hadn’t seen Griff’s face like this before.The veep had done something Zach hadn’t managed with all his needling.He’d pissed the old guy off.“Yes, sir,” Griff said.“Are you out of your fucking mind?”Wyman’s mouth dropped open.The president suppressed a smile.“You are out of line, Agent Griffin,” Wyman hissed.“I’m not finished,” Griff said.“Haven’t you been listening? Those things aren’t weapons.That’s just the promise they dangle in front of the people stupid enough to use them.They’re keys, and they open a door that has to be kept closed, at any cost.This isn’t a policy debate.You haven’t a fucking clue as to what I’ve seen, and you damn sure don’t want it walking the Earth.Sir.”Wyman’s face went red.“We’ve already let evil inside,” he said, looking at Cade.“Some might say we’ve let it get far too close.”Griff looked ready to fire back, but the president held up his hand.“That’s enough, Agent Griffin,” he said.“What about a missile strike?” the chairman of the Joint Chiefs asked.“Conventional or nuclear, those bastards can’t walk away from that.”“No, they can’t,” Griff agreed.“Neither will anyone else in the target area.”The chairman made a face.“In other words, the only way to stop them from killing thousands of people is by dropping a bomb that will kill thousands of people.”“Maybe we could get some Predator drones into the air,” the director of the CIA suggested.“In domestic airspace?” Wyman shot back.“Are you insane?”“And who would be at the trigger?” the chairman asked.“CIA or DOD?”The men began talking over one another.Cade walked away from the table.The president noticed.“Are we boring you, Cade?”“Yes,” he said.A short, shocked laugh from someone.“Unbelievable,” Wyman muttered.“You have something to add, let’s hear it,” President Curtis said.Cade looked at the ceiling, then back down at the men at the table.“Very well.Small words.If we are right, there will be dead soldiers walking down the street of an American city.Killing everything they find.Made of the pieces of men who died to protect this country.Mothers will see their dead sons’ faces on television, doing horrible things.And people will believe in the things in the dark again.Every time this happens, the Other Side gains ground.Its borders expand with fear.It feeds on our pain.And every corpse that is piled in the street will tell the world you failed to protect this nation.”That shut everyone up.Even Wyman.The president looked at the photo of the tattoo, still on the screen.“So what are our options?”“We stop them before they are activated,” Cade said.“That is the only option.”Zach knew he probably shouldn’t say anything.But now he was scared, too [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
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.“Dr.Johann Konrad.I would like to bring him in.”“Wait,” Zach said.“This guy is still alive?”The president looked at Griff.“Didn’t you give him the briefing book?”“He says he skimmed it,” Griff said.“Do you have any direct evidence Konrad is involved?”Cade shrugged.“No.”“He’s the only man who could be doing this,” Griff said.The president looked at his file.“According to this, that’s not strictly true, is it? Other people have used Konrad’s discoveries, haven’t they?” The president read from the page.“Evans City, Pennsylvania, 1967.Camden, New Jersey, 1957.”“We couldn’t prove Konrad was involved in those, but we suspected him,” Griff said.“We made him a deal,” the president said, still looking at the folder.“Full pardon.Full citizenship.We may not like it, but I am bound to honor my predecessor’s wishes, based on that favor he did for us in 1981.”“That was no favor,” Griff said.“You might feel differently if it was your life on the line, Agent Griffin,” the president said sharply.“He’s still our best lead,” Griff insisted.The president thought for a moment.Wyman used the pause as a chance to jump in again.“I have a question,” he said.“Why didn’t we know about this before?”“We only made this discovery a few hours ago,” Griff said.“That’s not what I meant,” Wyman snapped.“Soldiers who don’t need to eat, don’t need body armor and can’t be stopped.Why aren’t we using this technology ourselves?”Zach was pretty sure Wyman didn’t see the president’s look of annoyance.“CEO Number Thirty-Seven,” Cade said, his voice flat.“Signed by President Eisenhower in 1958.Expressly forbids the use of any of Konrad’s discoveries by any agency of the U.S.government.”Zach finally recognized something Cade was talking about; he’d gotten that far in the briefing book.The CEOs—Classified Executive Orders—were how the presidents left instructions for their successors after they had been introduced to the big secrets, including the existence of Cade.The formal numbering only began with Roosevelt, during World War II.Before then, the presidents had merely written things down in a leather-bound journal that stayed in a safe in the Oval Office.Wyman waved Cade off.“That was a long time ago,” he said.“I’m sure Ike didn’t know all the threats we’d have to face in the twenty-first century.He probably didn’t intend to tie our hands like that.”“Actually, he did,” Cade said.“I was there.”Wyman’s scowl deepened, and he turned to the president.“This is exactly what I was talking about before,” he said, his voice creeping close to a whine.“When I see these things just going to waste, under glass in that little secret hideaway he sits in.These aren’t artifacts.These are weapons.We should use them.”Griff made a noise, deep in his throat.“Something to say, Agent Griffin?” Wyman asked.Zach hadn’t seen Griff’s face like this before.The veep had done something Zach hadn’t managed with all his needling.He’d pissed the old guy off.“Yes, sir,” Griff said.“Are you out of your fucking mind?”Wyman’s mouth dropped open.The president suppressed a smile.“You are out of line, Agent Griffin,” Wyman hissed.“I’m not finished,” Griff said.“Haven’t you been listening? Those things aren’t weapons.That’s just the promise they dangle in front of the people stupid enough to use them.They’re keys, and they open a door that has to be kept closed, at any cost.This isn’t a policy debate.You haven’t a fucking clue as to what I’ve seen, and you damn sure don’t want it walking the Earth.Sir.”Wyman’s face went red.“We’ve already let evil inside,” he said, looking at Cade.“Some might say we’ve let it get far too close.”Griff looked ready to fire back, but the president held up his hand.“That’s enough, Agent Griffin,” he said.“What about a missile strike?” the chairman of the Joint Chiefs asked.“Conventional or nuclear, those bastards can’t walk away from that.”“No, they can’t,” Griff agreed.“Neither will anyone else in the target area.”The chairman made a face.“In other words, the only way to stop them from killing thousands of people is by dropping a bomb that will kill thousands of people.”“Maybe we could get some Predator drones into the air,” the director of the CIA suggested.“In domestic airspace?” Wyman shot back.“Are you insane?”“And who would be at the trigger?” the chairman asked.“CIA or DOD?”The men began talking over one another.Cade walked away from the table.The president noticed.“Are we boring you, Cade?”“Yes,” he said.A short, shocked laugh from someone.“Unbelievable,” Wyman muttered.“You have something to add, let’s hear it,” President Curtis said.Cade looked at the ceiling, then back down at the men at the table.“Very well.Small words.If we are right, there will be dead soldiers walking down the street of an American city.Killing everything they find.Made of the pieces of men who died to protect this country.Mothers will see their dead sons’ faces on television, doing horrible things.And people will believe in the things in the dark again.Every time this happens, the Other Side gains ground.Its borders expand with fear.It feeds on our pain.And every corpse that is piled in the street will tell the world you failed to protect this nation.”That shut everyone up.Even Wyman.The president looked at the photo of the tattoo, still on the screen.“So what are our options?”“We stop them before they are activated,” Cade said.“That is the only option.”Zach knew he probably shouldn’t say anything.But now he was scared, too [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]