General Benjamin Larkin paced the floor in his large office as he lectured the man seated before him, Chet Hackett.
“Chet, you’ve served me with distinction, which is why you are running New Horizon. So, you can imagine my shock, when I discovered that one of your people is keeping an advanced technology from us, for whatever reason.”
“Sir–”
The General raised his hand to silence him. “Let me finish. I realize these scientists have a mind of their own. But, I don’t need to remind you, everything they produce, their entire work product, is owned by DARPA per the terms of our funding agreement. Keeping information from us that is vital to this nation’s welfare is illegal and treasonous.”
“Sir, how do you know that someone is keeping information from you. Certainly, you don’t think that I would.”
“Of course not, Chet.” A tired smile crossed his face. “We monitor anyone that we have reason to be suspect of. You know that.”
Hackett nodded.
“We have suspected for some time that Alvin Grace has had another agenda, and we confirmed it the other day. You and I need to decide what to do about it,” the General said.
“What do you think it is?” Hackett asked, totally surprised.
“We’ve learned that Grace has built a technology that’s a breakthrough in nanoparticles–exactly what, we don’t know.” The General took a moment to gather his thoughts. “The good professor keeps virtually all of this to himself, and that makes him dangerous,” he emphasized.
“How do you want him handled?” Hackett asked, fearing the worst.
The General’s brow furrowed. “We are taking steps to secure all of his research, and when we have it, we won’t need him any longer.”
“What do you need me to do?” Hackett asked.
“You just be prepared to get your scientists all over his work. No one is indispensable,” the General said with conviction, but Hackett wasn’t so sure when it came to Dr. Alvin Grace.
Hackett left, and the General’s next appointment arrived, five minutes later.
“Good morning, sir.”
Reed Logan closed the door and sat across from the General.
“Tell me where we are,” Larkin ordered.
“We have secured all of Grace’s research, and we infected him with the neurotoxin earlier today.”
“How long will it take?” the General asked.
“It takes ninety days. There are virtually no symptoms. On the ninetieth day, it hits like a bolt of lightning, and it’s over.”
The General nodded. “Well done. Get me an update before the end of the day.”
“Yes sir.” Logan left.
The General neatened the few objects on his desk. Everything in his life had a purpose and a place. Larkin was a complicated man. Educated at West Point, he had served his country with distinction. At just over six feet and square jawed, he was in good shape and cut a dashing figure for his fifty-six years. Married twice and divorced, he had three grown children with families of their own that he only saw once a year, if he had to. The altruism and kindness of his youth had given way a long time ago to a practical reality and brittle hardness, which caused him to cross lines from which there was no return. He had grown comfortable with all his life’s choices.
Reed Logan was back, providing an update. “I confirmed that Grace went to the morgue and identified the body of Blake Weston. We learned that he was very upset.”
“What do you think happened?” the General asked.
“I can’t prove it yet, but I think Weston somehow got word to Grace. Remember, we caught Weston while he was running from us. We learned that the technology has massive capability, although Weston couldn’t give us anything other than a general statement that it can render a subject invisible.”
“What!” the General gasped.
“Unbeknownst to Grace, Weston saw him use it two weeks ago. It’s not at all like the crude attempts that have been made to date. This is the real deal.”
“What else did he say?” the General asked, anxiously.
“His heart gave out. We couldn’t bring him back,” the man said with resignation.
“Heart? What did you do to him!” the General erupted
Logan looked down at his hands. “We didn’t touch him. After a little digging, we learned that Weston had a bad heart condition. The stress of the situation killed him. It was just too much.” Logan frowned and shook his head.
“So, Dr. Grace is spooked and on the run, but in ninety days he’ll be dead?” the General asked.
“That’s right,” Logan confirmed.
“We need to find him before he does any damage!”
“We’re trying, but he went off the grid. He systematically withdrew twenty thousand over the last six months, so he’s been planning this for some time.
The General slumped in his chair. “He could be anywhere. We’ll need to go public that we’re looking for him.”
“Do you want me to handle that?” Logan asked.
“No. I’ll get my staff on it. They’ll find him. I just hope it’s in time.”
The General called a meeting of his trusted staff. They were gathered in his spacious conference room.
“We have confirmed that Dr. Grace has committed treason, and he is on the run. We need to find him. That man possesses secrets that are vital to this nation,” the General said.
“Sir, shall we’ll alert NSA.”
“Yes and if we don’t locate him by this time tomorrow, I want you to unleash the FBI,” the General said.
“We can have a BOLO put out, if you want that.”
The General stood up. “If he’s gone to ground, then we are best served by having all of the government’s resources at work. Grace is a smart man, and we must never forget that. We must make sure that he never shares his technology with another soul or god forbid–one of our enemies.”
His staff left to broaden the hunt for Dr. Grace. It was a national priority.
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