Sigma Division

Chapter 30

The door opened and a handcuffed Spicer was pushed into the suite on the 33rd floor. His first thought was that the ocean view from the floor-to-ceiling windows must have been magnificent in daytime, but at the moment the windows only reflected the light from inside the spacious suite.

The Secret Service agents escorted him to the conversation area while Clara followed. She had personally searched Spicer and she was holding his secret gun holder. Esther, Ned, and Esther were already on the couch. They weren’t handcuffed but it was apparent to Spicer they were prisoners as well.

Houseman was sitting in a wing chair while Michaels and presidential candidate Regis Ford were standing next to him.

“Beautiful,” Spicer said. “The brass of the Nazi Party is here.”

Clara shoved him to shut him up and she tossed the gun pouch on an empty sofa. Michaels turned to the federal agents.

“Thank you, we’ll handle it from here.”

They nodded and left. Normally, the Secret Service would have been reluctant to leave their principal with known criminals, but they’d been made to understand that these were extenuating circumstances. On top of that, Houseman, Michaels, and Ford were all powerful and influential government figures with clout.

“So Gerald,” the presidential candidate began, staring at Spicer. “This is the son of a bitch who started it all.”

“Yes.”

“How do you suppose we handle this?”

Dr. Michaels was eager to be heard on the matter and smacked his lips. “I’m sure Clara can help us out in this department.”

Houseman ignored this. Instead he stood up and came closer to Spicer. “Why did you come here, Mr. Spicer?”

“People in handcuffs rarely tell the truth.”

The director of Sigma made eye contact with Clara who shook her head.

“I would advise against it, sir.”

“If he wanted to kill us, we’d already be dead. Isn’t it right, Mr. Spicer?”

The order was clear. Clara shrugged and went to Spicer to remove the cuffs. He rubbed the pain in his wrists away.

Ford said, “Answer the man’s question now.”

“I wanted to let you guys know that I…” He glanced over at his friends. “We know what your agenda is.”

“Is that right?” Dr. Michaels asked with a snort.

“The Anchises Project is about developing methods and technologies that will allow you to mindfuck the masses. Brainwashing on a global scale.”

“You have no proof of that. You don’t even have proof that we exist.”

“But I also know that Sigma is funding Ford’s campaign. That can be checked.”

Ford moved over to the bar — a full bar — and he poured himself two inches of scotch. Spicer liked having this effect on people. He waited until he had begun drinking before saying more.

“With Ford in the White House, you’ll get all the money you’ll ever need to finish your project. And then you’ll sedate Congress into signing the laws that the two of you will have agreed on. A few amendments to the Constitution, a trip to the shredder with the Bill of Rights, and all of a sudden we wind up with Regis the First, American Emperor.”

Ford slammed his last down on the bar. “Shut him up. Shut him the fuck up!”

Calm as ever, Houseman turned to him.

“No reason for panic, Regis. We’re all civilized here.”

“Are we?” Weller mumbled.

Houseman smiled. “Put out of context, you’ve painted me as a madman.”

“Oh, I’m sorry. Would you prefer the term degenerate fucking lunatic?” Spicer asked.

“If we could control what people think, we could do magic for society. We could suppress violent tendencies. Think about it, no more hatred, no racism, no crime. Wars would be a thing of the past. We’d have peace at last.”

From the way he was beaming, from the way his voice soared, Spicer realized that the man was truly believing this.

“But at what price, a world full of zombies?”

“Happy zombies, Mr. Spicer.”

“Then what?” Ned inquired. “What happens when a few people start rebelling against you? Before you know it, society becomes a huge slave ship.”

“It will work. It has been a dream of mine for the last fifty years and I’ll be damned if someone like you ruins it.”

Spicer spat, “You just watch me.”

Dr. Michaels came forward. “Okay, I don’t think anyone’s gonna agree with the other on this one. Why don’t you tell us what the hell you’re really doing here, Spicer. You came to assassinate Mr. Ford?”

“I came to offer Ford the chance to quit the race?”

“Are you out of your fucking mind? I’m ahead in every state. I’ll be President in a few hours!”

“We’ve already called the Federal Election Commission. Once they know what to look for, it won’t take long to find out how well-funded you were.”

“Then again, you have no proof.”

Esther raised her head proudly. “They’re a paranoid bunch over at the FEC. All they need to investigate is a tip.”

“If you win, you resign. No harm, no foul.”

Clara opened her jacket and reached inside for her weapon. There was a time to talk and there was a time to kill. At last she saw an opportunity to do what she did best.

Ending things.