Alpha Site
Edge of Danger
“We have to find out who this woman is.” Ramsey Redcliffe shuffled through the manuscript that covered his desk.
“It’s only a story,” said the man seated in the chair opposite. He looked to be thirty-five and in very good condition for a man his age. “There’s nothing to worry about.”
“A story? A story? That story, as you call it, is so exact in its details that it scares the hell out of me. There are things in there even our scientists don’t know.”
“It won’t do good to overreact, Ramsey. It will only raise your blood pressure and draw attention to something that at the moment is a controlled situation.” Shayne Michaels sat with his legs crossed at the ankles and hiked up on Ramsey’s expensive mahogany desk.
The Director swatted at Michaels’s feet. He was definitely losing his superior sense of cool. Shayne had never seen him so spooked.
“What’s really going on, Ramsey?” Shayne looked at his friend and colleague skeptically. “I’ve seen you tackle more important shit with much more fineness.”
“Just read the girl’s web page.” Ramsey insisted, then thrust a piece of paper at Shayne with the website’s URL. “Then you tell me if I have cause to be concerned.”
Shayne exited the office stuffing the note into his pocket and wondering if he’d just stepped into the Twilight Zone. Lowell Vargas met him at the crossroads of the first hallway. The man looked discombobulated. Not that that was anything new. He always looked as if he had forgotten his head at home.
“Eavesdropping again, Radar?” Shayne remarked to the technician.
A sudden horrified expression crossed Vargas’ face and then faded. “Eavesdropping? Me?”
“Don’t feign innocence, Lowell. I know your fingers can’t help but trip Alpha Site’s fantastic gossip grapevine. When it comes to secrets in here, you’re always there with the dirt.”
“My fingers didn’t need to do any tripping. I was the one who brought the suspicious website to the director’s attention.”
Shayne rolled his eyes.
“A fanboy, are we? Great. Now everybody’s surfing for a scapegoat.”
“Not a scapegoat.” Vargas looked around then whispered to Shayne. “I believe it’s an advanced form of remote viewing. We did some research here back in the late seventies. Way before my time. Amazing results, but there was some sort of accident, which is classified, and the research was dropped. I’ve been searching for the missing files for years.”
“Good luck in your search,” Shayne said, backing away. He continued on down the hallway muttering, “Freak,” under his breath.
“Don’t forget to check out the site,” Vargas called after him. “You’ll be intrigued.”
“Sure, I will,” Shayne said sarcastically, stepping into the elevator, then disappearing behind the swiftly closing metal doors.
***
Ramsey Redcliffe had no sooner watched Shayne walk out the door when he placed a call to one of his associates.
“Kate? This is Ramsey. Have you looked over the document I sent you?”
Katherine Donovan glanced around the formal dining room. It was filled to capacity tonight with many, many guests who wouldn’t appreciate being interrupted by the phone call she was now receiving. She placed her still full champagne flute on a passing waiter’s tray. A group of eight well-dressed men gathered around her speaking in foreign tongues. They had no clue she, the master of eight languages, could understand every sentence.
“If you’ll excuse me, gentlemen. I see someone I must have a word with. She nodded politely at the men, then walked toward the open balcony doors. She carefully surveyed the area before activating the Bluetooth device around her ear hiding under her expertly styled hair.
“Exactly what is so important it couldn’t wait until after tonight’s Gala?” her curt tone was quite a one-eighty from the one she’d displayed a few minutes earlier.
“Have you read the manuscript I sent you?” Ramsey repeated.
“You mean the one about the girl’s website?” Kate heard a grunt of yes. “I’ve glanced over it.”
“What did you think?” Ramsey asked eagerly.
“It’s fiction, Ramsey.” Katherine was not amused.
“You must not have read it too closely then, because this fiction exposes many of your program’s secrets.”
“Is this a joke? Is this what couldn’t wait until after the Gala?”
Redcliffe chuckled. “Judge for yourself. The manuscript claims two youths from a secure wing escape. That was posted on her site tonight. Out of curiosity, have you checked on your subjects today?” Ramsey paused, more for effect than anything else. “Read the manuscript, Katie. You’ll be enlightened. I know I was.”
Ramsey clicked the connection closed leaving Kate grunting at the abruptness of the termination.
She walked back into the formal dining room and spied a familiar face across the room. A jazz band located at one end was playing a generic form of elevator music and people were taking advantage of the large ballroom floor. Couples gathered together as the music played. Kate circled the outskirts of the room and met Shayne Michaels who was standing just inside the halls elaborate foyer.
His skin was tanned from many hours working outside. She didn’t know if his body matched the outer package but considering the way that monkey suit fit him he was probably well chiseled.
“I didn’t know you owned a tux,” Kate remarked.
Shayne gave an uncomfortable glance down at the outfit then raked a hand through his mussed brown hair. It was the only thing about his appearance which wasn’t sheer perfection.
“Tux isn’t mine. They keep it in the back of the closet for me in case a mission calls for black tie. Otherwise you wouldn’t catch me dead in one of these things.” Shayne surveyed the room. “Where’s Stark? I thought he lived for these things.”
“I lost track of him about a hour ago. It’s not my responsibility to watch him any longer now that we’re divorced.”
“Never knew what you saw in the guy. Did they ever find the stick corporate shoved up his ass?”
Kate laughed. It wasn’t something she did often, but it felt good to let loose once in awhile.
“I’m sure that stick is now a permanent part of his anatomy,” Kate said with a smile.
“Damn, the luck. I knew there was something I didn’t like about Corporate. The two-by-four probably comes as part of the orientation package.”
“You’re awful.”
Shayne smiled. “That’s why you love me.”
A man appeared behind them both. He was dressed in a sharp Armani suit, his hair styled flawlessly, not one strand out of place. Johann’s face glowed with a natural tan many would envy.
“So, this is what you do when we have a security breech? You trade witty banter with Michaels?”
Shayne was quick with a come back. “I wanted to go for something raunchy, but Kate doubted your guests would approve.”
Kate slapped Shayne’s shoulder.
“What do you mean we have a security breech? Why were there no alarms?”
“Maybe if you’d answer your cell phone once in awhile, you’d know the answer to that,” Stark said abruptly, then turned on his foot and walked away.
