The Ajax Protocol

CHAPTER 34

The next morning, Nick, Selena and Ronnie had landed in Washington and were on their way back to Project headquarters. Elizabeth, Lamont and Stephanie were in Harker's office. Elizabeth phone signaled a call. She looked at the display.

"It's Hood," she said. "Hello, Clarence…" she began, then stopped. "What? You're sure?"

The others watched her. "You're certain. All right. Yes. Thank you." She ended the call. She looked at the others, her face tight.

"Edmonds is sending a security team to shut down our operation. Hood thinks he intends to take us into custody with some excuse about national security."

"What?" Lamont said. "Are you kidding? He can't do that. Why would he do that? I thought only Rice could shut us down."

"Only Rice can," Harker said. "But it looks as though Edmonds thinks he has the authority. Until it gets sorted out he can create a lot of trouble for us."

"I guess you really pissed him off," Lamont said.

"It's more than that," Elizabeth said. "Something else is going on here."

"What do we do?" Stephanie asked.

Lamont was about to say something when the klaxon hammering of the security alarm drowned him out.

"What the hell…" he said.

Elizabeth flipped a switch on her desk. The monitor on her wall came alive. Three white Suburbans with Department of Homeland Security markings were coming down the drive toward the building.

"What are they doing here?" Lamont said.

"Edmonds must've sent them," Elizabeth said. "I don't think we'll wait and see what they want. It will take them time to get in here. Let's go."

They got up and headed for the spiral stairs leading down to the lower level. Stephanie grabbed her laptop from the desk. The cat was lying on the couch. Lamont scooped him up and held him against his body. Burps had been getting fat and lazy. He looked up at Lamont as if to ask what he was doing, but made no effort to escape.

Their footsteps rang on the metal steps as they hurried down the stairs.

Elizabeth had always been a believer in overkill when it came to security. She had installed an emergency escape tunnel from the computer room. It ran under the lawn and flower gardens and emerged a hundred yards away from the house in a tool shed. The entrance to the tunnel was out of sight behind one of the Crays, the only clue to its existence a thin outline in the wall. Stephanie pressed on a wall panel and the door slid open with a quiet, pneumatic hiss.

Lights came on in the tunnel. The door closed behind them. They walked quickly to the far end and climbed up into the tool shed. Lamont looked out through the screened window. From here they could see men in dark suits standing outside the building, arguing with one another.

There was a door in the back of the tool shed, out of sight from the house. Close by, a thick stand of oaks bordered the building. They slipped in single file from the back of the shed and into the woods. From there, a faint path ran through the western part of the property until it came up against the security fence. There was a gate here, electronically locked. Harker entered a code on a keypad mounted by the gate. It opened with a soft click.

Beyond the fence, camouflaged under the trees, was a single car garage. Another electronic keypad gave access to the interior. Inside was a dark blue Chevy SUV. It looked like any other SUV. There was nothing to make it stand out, but a close observer might have noticed that the glass seemed thicker than usual, the bumpers heavier.

"Slick," Lamont said. "I didn't know this was here. Will it start?"

"There's a solar feed to keep the battery charged," Elizabeth said. "It will start. The tires are a little low, but they'll do. You drive. I'll signal the others."

They climbed into the car and Lamont started the engine.

"Where to?"

"The Marine Corps Memorial," Elizabeth said. "Follow the track through the woods. In half a mile we'll come out on paved road."

Lamont put the car in gear and headed for the highway. Elizabeth looked at her watch. It was 9:30 in the morning. She took out her phone and punched in a series of letters and numbers.

She pressed send. "I gave them a half hour," she said.

"What do you think is happening?" Steph asked.

"What's the plan, Director?" Lamont reached the road. They bumped onto the pavement and headed for Washington.

"I don't know yet. We'll talk it over at the Memorial."