Forever Until Tomorrow (War Eternal Book 5) Page 7

  "My apologies, General," Yousefi said. "I appreciate that you're sharing this intel with us, but I don't understand why you're sharing it? You could have pulled Major Asher from the program without telling us a thing. After two attempts on her life, even the media would have accepted whatever you told them."

  "I'm telling you directly because it is right, Admiral. I do not lie to my people, even if the UEA would prefer it. Also, I need to know from Major Asher if there is anything she can share that may help us understand why they want her off the launch?" He looked at Katherine. His expression was warm and friendly, and she understood immediately how he had been so successful during the war.

  "I told the MCI everything I know, sir. I'm as baffled by the request as you surely are."

  Petrov nodded. "I thought as much, but I was hopeful that perhaps you could think of something. Anything. You see, Major, I told you it is not our desire to give the AIT what they are asking. Yet, I also mentioned the cost involved with delaying the launch."

  He stopped there. He didn't need to fill in all the blanks. If she had nothing to help them make sense of the AIT's plans, nothing to help them stop it ahead of time, she was out. They were going to take the deal and keep the launch on track, even if it meant caving to terrorism.

  Silence blanketed the room. Katherine stared at Petrov while she tried to decide if she should tell him the one thing she hadn't told the MCI. The one name that might or might not mean a damn thing.

  "You don't know they won't renege," she said instead.

  "No, we don't," Petrov agreed. "But it will settle the rest of the UEA leadership enough to take that risk. The other option is to cancel the flight, to give in completely to their threats while we focus on eliminating the problem. You've been part of the program for some time, Major. You've seen the state of things here. Merging militaries and governing bodies of so many countries is no simple task, and it is all very new. If we end up in a direct confrontation with the AIT, we may be stalled for years."

  Katherine's heart pounded, her emotions pushing against her, threatening to either throw her into a rage, or turn her into a tearful ball of depression. She pushed back, keeping herself level.

  "So that's it?" she said. "We don't know a damn thing about our enemy, but we're going to surrender to them, anyway?"

  Petrov's face changed, from friendly to hard. "Surrender, Major? No. I do not surrender. Every good commander knows you must lose some battles to win the war. This is one battle we can afford to lose."

  "And what will you be doing in the meantime? Do you have operatives trying to uncover the root of the AIT and take it down?"

  "Of course. If the external situation changes, the internal situation will change accordingly. You aren't being punished, Major. This is a strategic decision to balance the needs of many, many people. Do not think that I am happy with the idea, but a good commander also knows that you do what needs to be done, not what you want to do. That is why I was hoping you had some other information that could help. If we can uncover the AIT, not only will we all breathe easier, but you will be on the Dove when she lifts off into space."

  He was dangling the carrot. Did he know that she knew something she wasn't saying? How could he? She barely understood it herself. And what was it really? A name. Some nightmares. Nothing concrete. Nothing she could give him that would change the inevitable truth that after two close calls, her dream really was going to die.

  "I wish I could help you, General. You know that I do. I don't understand this either. Why me? I'm one pilot out of over a thousand. How can they think my position is important or that I'll do something up there that will hurt their cause? They'd have to be able to see into the future."

  "I understand, Major. Believe me." She did believe him. He didn't look happy at all. "I'm sorry, Katherine. You are removed from the active flight list for the Dove effective immediately. My aide will deliver the paperwork for your honorable discharge tomorrow."

  Both Katherine and Yousefi stood at the same time.

  "What?" Yousefi said for her. "Sir, you didn't say anything about discharge?"

  "There is some concern that we too may renege on our end of the deal," Petrov said. "For now, we must make every effort to convince the AIT that we have followed through. It is not permanent, Major. I have the power to let you go, and the power to bring you back."

  Katherine couldn't breathe. Being off the program was one thing. Being out of the military? She had joined the Air Force the day she turned eighteen. She didn't know how to live as a civilian anymore. Everything. She was going to lose everything.

  She struggled not to let the tears come. She wouldn't let the General see her weak.

  "Of course, sir," she managed to say, keeping her voice level. "I appreciate your candor in this, more than you know."

  "And I appreciate your courage, Major," Petrov replied. "I know this is no easy thing for you, and I am personally sorry to deliver this news, and to affect you in this way. It is not what any of us want."

  Katherine nodded but didn't say anything else.

  Petrov collected the document from the table. "Admiral, please escort the Major back to her quarters. Major, if there is anything I can do for you, as a man who respects you quite highly, please do let me know."

  "Thank you, sir," Katherine said.

  She and Yousefi bowed to him and headed toward the exit, where the Corporal was already waiting. He led them back to the car.

  "Katherine," Yousefi said, once they were inside.

  "Don't talk to me," Katherine said, still fighting to keep her emotions in check. "Nothing you say is going to help or change anything. I know you're sorry. Everyone in this damn place is sorry. It doesn't change the facts or the truth."

  Yousefi was silent for a moment. "It just makes no sense," he said quietly.

  "No, it doesn't," she agreed.

  Mitchell. The name moved to the forefront of her thoughts and hung there like the carrot. Teasing her. Mocking her. Find Mitchell.

  She had two choices. She could accept her fate and hope for the best, or she could keep following the line of insanity all the way down the rabbit hole.

  She wasn't the kind of person to ever let anything else control her destiny. If she were being discharged, that meant there would be no orders to follow, and no one to tell her what she could or could not do.

  If the UEA couldn't figure out the secrets of the AIT, she would.

  Mitchell.

  It all started there.

  15

  Katherine stood at the window of the small apartment the UEA had set her up with, looking down at the street eight floors below. They had offered to send her anywhere in the world she wanted to go, but she had no idea where that would be. Instead, she was only a few miles away from Naval Station Norfolk, trying to convince herself that what she was about to do was a good idea.

  She held her AR glasses in hand, having already attached the neural-impulse receiver to the back of her neck. All she had to do was put them on and make the call.

  Much like General Petrov, she didn't want to do it. She also felt that she had to. There was nobody else she could turn to in a situation like this. Nobody else who would be able to help. Besides, how much trouble could he get in from his apartment in Soho?

  She put the glasses on, plugging the end of the receiver into the frame. She spoke out loud even though she didn't have to.

  "Call Michael," she said, clenching her jaw immediately after. She still had time to change her mind. Disconnect or make a different excuse.

  "Kathy?" the tired voice said.

  "Hi, Michael," she said. "I'm sorry to call you back so late. It's been a long day."

  There was a silent pause. He was probably clearing the sleep from his throat. "It's no problem. I completely understand. I was worried about you. I read about your discharge."

  He had called four times during the day to check on her. She hadn't been ready to talk to him then.

  "Yeah. That's why I was cal
ling."

  "Need someone to commiserate with? We can play a game of Fighter Squadron Xeno. It will help you take your mind off it."

  Kathy hesitated. This was her last chance to keep him out of it. To do this on her own.

  Except she couldn't do this on her own, and she knew it.

  "No. No games. Michael, I know what you read. It isn't what you think. Not at all."

  "What do you mean?"

  "I didn't ask for a discharge because of emotional trauma. You know that isn't me."

  "Hmm. Yeah, I thought that seemed strange, but who am I to judge? You don't have to be a super woman all the time. So what's going on?"

  "The UEA cut a deal with the AIT. They wanted me grounded in exchange for staying out of the way when the Dove launches."

  "Huh? You're saying the AIT, the terrorists, made one demand, and it was to get you off the ship?" He sounded as confused as she still was.

  "Yes."

  "And the UEA buckled to it?"

  "Yes."

  "What the hell, Kathy?"

  "I know."

  "And they kicked you out of the military for it? That's been your dream for as long as I've known you."

  "You don't need to rub salt in it. I know."

  "Sorry. So what are you going to do?"

  She had one more chance to stop herself and keep him out. She was going to be putting him in danger if he agreed to help, and it was the last thing she wanted to do. This wasn't about want. It wasn't even just about her spot on the Dove. The AIT's actions were chaotic, and that could only mean bad things for everybody.

  "I need to figure out what the AIT is up to," she said, feeling her heart race as she said it. She had no choice.

  "Kathy, I don't think that's a good-"

  "I didn't ping you for your advice. I pinged you for your help."

  "What? What can I possibly do to help you?"

  "Come on, Michael. You're a freaking genius. If I'm going to figure out what the deal is with the AIT, I'm going to need intel."

  "You know how to use the net."

  "So does the FBI, the CIA, Homeland Security. I need to go deeper than they can go."

  "I think you're overestimating my skillset."

  "Am I?"

  Silence consumed the other end of the connection. Katherine knew how much pride Michael took in his abilities. She also knew it was because he didn't feel like he had much else to offer, and she was taking advantage of it.

  She was a lousy friend.

  "Okay, maybe you aren't. Even so, I have no idea where to start. Do you have anything at all I can work with?"

  The moment of truth. "I have a name."

  "Really? A member of the AIT?"

  "I don't know."

  "Well, where did you get it?"

  "You wouldn't believe me if I told you."

  "I just believed you were discharged because the terrorists wanted it without question."

  She couldn't help but smile at that. "True. Okay, here's the thing. Ever since the attack on the party, ever since I got shot, I've been having these nightmares, and hearing people say things they aren't saying."

  "You're putting my trust to the test in a hurry, aren't you?"

  "I told you."

  "What are the nightmares about?"

  "I don't know, exactly. I'm in space, I think. Maybe even on the Dove. There are these pyramids and these explosions. I'm not sure. All I know is that when I have them, I get this horrible feeling in my gut."

  "I have those, too. I don't go chasing terrorists over it."

  "Save the sass, will you? I'm serious."

  "Okay. Sorry. What about hearing things? What do you hear?"

  "A name. The name I want you to check on."

  "A name? That's it?"

  "Yes. If it were more than that I might think I'm totally insane, instead of just mildly crazy."

  "What's the name?"

  "Mitchell."

  She felt a chill saying it out loud for the first time, and pressure like a pair of hands gently squeezing her shoulders.

  "Mitchell what?"

  "That's it. Just Mitchell."

  "Is that a first name or a last name?"

  "I don't know."

  Michael started laughing. "I want to help you, Kathy. How am I supposed to find anything based on one name?"

  She sighed. "I don't know. Maybe I shouldn't have asked. I'm trying to make sense of all of this, and it's all I have."

  "Okay. Don't get stressed. Let me think about this and I'll get back to you."

  She could have left it there. She could have let him start thinking about the problem, which would lead to him trying to solve the problem, which would lead to him searching for any connection she might have to anyone named Mitchell. She was a lousy friend, but she wasn't heartless.

  "Michael, wait. You need to know. Whatever you do, if the AIT finds out, they'll kill you."

  Silence filled the connection again.

  "You don't have to do it," she said. "You can say no. I don't want to put you in danger, but I don't know what else to do."

  More silence.

  "Just tell me to go to hell or something."

  "I've been to the therapist every day for the last four days," Michael said. "Trying to work through what I saw, and more importantly, what I felt. But you know what? It didn't take me that long to realize what I felt, and why I've had to go back home and crash on my mom's couch to get some sleep."

  "What do you feel?" Katherine asked.

  "Powerless, Kathy. I feel powerless. Those people came in and started shooting, and I hid under the table and wet myself while you grabbed a gun and started shooting."

  "I'm a soldier, Michael. You're a programmer."

  "Maybe, but if you died at least you wouldn't have died afraid."

  "Bullshit. I was afraid."

  "You weren't paralyzed by it. You took control. Anyway, I'm trying to tell you that I'll help you. Whatever the risk is, I don't care. I'm not going to let them control me. If you're right about something bad happening, we need to try to stop it."

  "If I could hug you through the stream, I would," Katherine said.

  "You can owe me one. Mitchell. I'll start digging. What are you going to do in the meantime?"

  "Go shopping," she replied.

  "Shopping?"

  "Yes. Let me know if you get anywhere. Thank you isn't enough to tell you how grateful I am to have you as a friend."

  "You're welcome. The street runs both ways. You were always there for me. I'm glad I can do something useful to help you for once."

  "Me too. Thanks, Michael."

  "Any time."

  Katherine dropped the connection and pulled the AR glasses from her face. She made her way to the kitchen, where her pay card was sitting. The UEA had given her two years severance for the trouble.

  She knew exactly what she was going to do with it.

  16

  Reggie sat in an interrogation room of the St. Louis police station. He was wearing an orange jumpsuit - the only thing the police had for him that was dry. They had promised they would get him something more suitable as soon as they had the time. He wasn't a prisoner, after all.

  The officer sitting across from him was named Detective Carson Lyle. He was a large man, with dark skin and big eyes. He wore his plain gray suit well. It was crisp and neat, everything in its proper place. Reggie was certain the man had been in the military, though he had yet to ask.

  "So, you checked out of St. Mary's about six hours ago?" Lyle said.

  "Yes."

  "You walked about half a mile, and then you were waiting in an alley for someone to rob?"

  "No. I was waiting for a car. The other guy jumped in front of me, so I shoved him. We got into a fight inside."

  "He said you were trying to rob him."

  "That would be stupid. You can't rob people nowadays."

  Detective Lyle raised his left eyebrow. Reggie didn't care if the man believed him or not. He would have to p
rove he was lying.

  "You know that the man you got into the... altercation with is an attorney? Paul Blevins. He's got a reputation in this city."

  "As an asshole?"

  Lyle lowered his head and covered his mouth to hide his grin. "No. As a philanthropist. He said he didn't want to press charges. But then, you didn't try to rob him, right?"

  "Right."

  "Whatever happened in the car with Mr. Blevins is ancient history," Lyle said. "I don't give a shit what you were trying to do, especially since he doesn't want any complications in the matter. He wasn't hurt, and after what happened with the car you were in, I think he's feeling pretty grateful about that."

  "He was lucky he got out when he did."

  "And you weren't. I guess you stayed in the car even though the officers were trying to coax you out because you didn't do anything wrong?"

  "I thought you just said that was ancient history?"

  He didn't hide his smile that time. "Yeah. Bad habit of mine. Anyway, I've been trying to figure out how an autocab winds up going haywire and driving itself, and its passenger, into the Mississippi River."

  "I almost died."

  "Almost. According to the divers, you put up a pretty good fight first. They've never seen so much damage done from inside a car."

  "I didn't want to drown. Anyway, it didn't help much, did it? I couldn't get out."

  "I went ahead and pulled your file from St. Mary's," Lyle said, switching topics. "According to your record there, you were found on the same night the XENO-1 crashed, with second and third-degree burns on both arms, and no memory of who you are or where you came from."

  "Yes."

  "Are you an alien?" Lyle asked.

  "That's stupid."

  He shrugged. "I figured I'd throw it out there. Not that you'd tell me if you were."

  "Are you going somewhere with all of this?"

  "I have a problem, Reggie, and I'm hoping you can help me solve it."