MJ-12: Shadows

12

Danny exited the door of the cargo plane and let the hot desert air hit his face, prompting a smile. He’d never thought he would’ve been much for deserts, but having spent time at Area 51 for years now, he’d found himself missing its sun and warmth. Less so, however, the headaches.

Major Hamilton was waiting for him and Maggie at the bottom of the stairs. “Didn’t expect to see you back here so soon, Maggie,” he said.

“Neither did I,” Maggie said. “How you doing, Major?”

Danny shot Hamilton a glance. She’s not cleared. “Keeping busy,” the major said cheerily. “Let’s get you back to base. We’ve set up a room for you near the administrative center, where some of the scientists stay.”

Her eyebrows shot up. “You mean I don’t have to drive the three miles to stay in the barbed-wire playpen?”

“Not this trip, Mags,” Danny replied. “Need you handy. You won’t be here long.”

Maggie looked at him, expecting more information, but Danny didn’t feel like repeating himself later, so he motioned for her to walk ahead toward the waiting jeep. “We buttoned up here?” he asked Hamilton quietly when she was out of earshot.

“I think so. Tell you more in a bit.”

The five-minute ride to the main base was spent in silence. When they arrived, Danny urged Maggie to settle in and “freshen up,” which she seemed to take with some bemusement. Then, with Hamilton in tow, Danny made a beeline for his office, where Detlev Bronk was already waiting for them.

Danny made sure the door was closed before he started talking. “Really good job, gentlemen. I figured Montague would try to pull something while I was gone. Just didn’t think Forrestal would involve himself personally.”

Hamilton handed over a teletype. “Resigned this morning. Health reasons.”

Danny couldn’t help but crack a smile. “Hope he’s feeling better. Now, what’s the latest?”

Bronk went first. “We didn’t discover that Schreiber had been visiting POSEIDON until the third or fourth time. Apparently, the last few times he was down there he actually drew blood and then used the samples in various vortex experiments — late at night, while everyone who would have known he was up to something was asleep. Schreiber was a night owl to begin with, so it wasn’t seen as such a big deal when he came in to do work at 2 a.m.”

Danny frowned. “New rule: at least three people are in the room with the vortex at all times, and I want it locked down between 11 p.m. and 7 a.m. unless specifically requested and signed off on by at least two of the three of us. What else?”

“We’re still trying to figure out what the results of his testing were, and if POSEIDON’s blood had any effect. I have a team going over the readings now, and all of Schreiber’s notes.”

“Where’s Schreiber now?” Danny asked.

“House arrest,” Hamilton said. “We took everything out of his room, searched it, and then gave back only some books and stuff, nothing related to his work. He’s out of the picture for now, but he hasn’t exactly been completely transparent about what he was up to and whether it worked or not.”

“I really wish we could get Mrs. Stevens on the vortex study,” Bronk added. “She’s far too smart to be creating underwear for Variants.”

Danny smiled. “Did the underwear work?”

“Of course it did,” Bronk replied. “She even got pockets in ’em.”

“Handy. And we may earn some extra trust on this next assignment I have for her. Meantime, I’ll need you to take the lead on the vortex and, most importantly, figure out what Schreiber was up to. John, how are we looking on security?”

The tall, good-looking man shrugged. “Nothing beyond that direct call to Schreiber. The rest of Forrestal’s orders came through normal channels. We let ’em through and then watched like a hawk. Most of it came from Montague, but he said he was acting under orders from the secretary. So, he’s clean.”

“Sure he is,” Danny remarked. “All right. Great job, gentlemen. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to do a quick mission briefing for a detached team.”

Hamilton stood to go, but turned back. “Detached team?”

“Keeping this one close. Maggie and Mrs. Stevens. Sorry, all I can say.”

Hamilton shrugged and left, leaving Bronk to linger a moment. “I thought we were keeping Mrs. Stevens out of fieldwork. She’s doing incredible things in the labs here, Dan. Incredible things.”

“Not my call, Doc,” Danny said, making it clear it wasn’t up for further discussion. After Bronk left, he had his clerk run out to find both women. It took fifteen minutes before both of them were sitting in his office and reintroductions were made.

“So what can I do for you two?” Mrs. Stevens said. “I always love creating things for your little business trips.” She added little finger-quotes around “business trips” for good measure.

“Well, actually, this time you’re the one on the business trip, Mrs. Stevens. I have a sensitive assignment for you and Miss Dubinsky here. I think you’ll like it.”

Maggie leaned over. “That means you’ll hate it,” she interpreted.

“I’m sorry, Commander, but I just can’t up and leave on some kind of assignment!” Mrs. Stevens protested. “I have several experiments running in my lab right now. And who’s going to take care of Mr. Stevens while I’m gone?”

“Mr. Stevens will be given full privileges at the mess hall for the duration of your absence, and we’ll have someone come in and clean house every so often,” Danny said, making a note to himself to actually deliver on these promises. “If all goes well, you won’t be gone very long.”

“Well, I’m sorry again, Commander, but when I took this job, it was with the understanding that your assignments wouldn’t conflict with my duties at home. My most important duty is to my family, sir!”

Danny shot a look at Maggie, who was ready to burst out giggling. “Mrs. Stevens, I couldn’t agree with you more. But this assignment doesn’t come from me. It comes from the very top. From President Truman himself.”

Mrs. Stevens, who had been sitting up straight with reserved and proper anger, suddenly settled back into her chair. “The President? Why does he even know about little old me?”

“You’re a Variant, Mrs. Stevens. He’s read dossiers on all of you. More importantly, you’re the most intelligent person ever measured in IQ, and this assignment needs your smarts and discernment.”

“And what does it need from me?” Maggie asked.

“Your warmth and way with people, of course,” Danny cracked. “This isn’t a combat op, Mags.”

“Damn shame,” she replied, earning a look of horror from Mrs. Stevens. “What’s the op?”

“What I’m about to tell you is sensitive as hell, and you’ll be involved in a domestic matter for the first time. That means that you cannot, repeat cannot, allow yourselves to be discovered as Variants under any circumstances. You’ll be covered as special Secret Service investigators under a new program for women.”

“Do they even have women Secret Service agents?” Mrs. Stevens asked.

“They do now,” Danny said. “Your job — and yes, this comes from Truman himself — is to investigate potential leaks regarding Area 51 and the MAJESTIC-12 program by the now-former Secretary of Defense, James Forrestal.”

For once, Maggie seemed genuinely shocked. “The Defense Secretary sold us out?”

“We don’t know that yet, but there have been some activities here at Area 51 under his purview that violated direct orders from the President. Luckily, I had people watching for it while we were in Damascus, and we caught it. But now the President wants a full-on security review, and you two will be part of that.”

Mrs. Stevens nodded gravely. “You want me to analyze his behavior and his friendships and acquaintances to find any potential patterns, then see if other people’s patterns check out as well.”

“Bingo,” Danny said.

“And you want me to talk pretty to them,” Maggie said.

“Doesn’t have to be pretty. But we need the truth,” Danny said. “We’ve worked very, very hard to give Variants a place to live and a chance to serve their country. For all your sakes, you need to find any potential leaks, if only to protect other Variants.”

“And if we find a leak?” Mrs. Stevens asked.

“I can only assume it will be dealt with accordingly,” Danny replied neutrally. “But I should add, plugging the leak is not your purview here. Read me?” He said the last part, looking directly at Maggie.

“Loud and clear,” Maggie replied, but Danny knew full well she was fiercely protective of her fellow Variants. In fact, he was counting on it.