Lady Liberty (48 page)

He looked as if he wanted to say more about both but couldn’t make himself do it. “I’ll let you know if I hear anything.”

“I appreciate it.” Sybil walked out of the hospital room.

Jonathan fell into step beside her. When they got on the elevator and the door closed, he asked, “Anything?”

“He denied knowing anything.”

“I sense a
but
in that.” He pushed the button for the first floor.

“But
he knows plenty,” she said. “I gave him a graceful way out—to find out what he can from his connections. Now we just have to wait to see if he has the courage to take it.”

“What does your intuition say?”

Jonathan trusted her instincts, her woman’s intuition. Loving him for that, too, Sybil clasped his arm and leaned against him, appreciating his solid warmth at her side. “I think he somehow got snared into a part of this, and he couldn’t find a way out. I also think he’s a better man than I believed him to be. But I honestly don’t know what'll he do. I wish I did.”

“Ground Serve was delivering something to his office, Sybil. We only need the DNA and the key. His part—and he did have a part or he wouldn’t have pulled that no-notice inspection—had to be in it.”

The elevator jarred to a halt. The bell rang then the door slid open. Sybil stepped out. “The answer is there.”

“Where?”

“In those deliveries.” Leaving the hospital, she looked up at the night sky. So many stars. Pretty. “It has to be in those deliveries.”

Midway through the parking lot, she suddenly stopped and clutched at Jonathan’s sleeve. “Do we have security cameras inside the inner hub?”

“Yes.”

“Can we access them from outside it?”

“Of course.” Understanding dawned in his eyes.

Sybil nodded. “We can see what he did there that day”

“The tapes have been reviewed, Sybil.” Jonathan ran a security sweep on the car, then opened the door for Sybil to get inside. “There was nothing on them.”

He walked around, settled in behind the wheel, and then cranked the engine.

“What if the ‘nothing on them’ was like the nothing on the Intel tapes we reviewed?” Sybil kicked the air-conditioning up a notch. “The one where we found the photo of Faust?”

“Good point, ma’am. We’re on our way”

Austin Stone sat in Commander Conlee’s office. A mural of eagles in flight covered the far wall, giving the illusion of open space and blue sky. Misleading but welcome when stuck underground and robbed of fresh air, natural light, and any sounds of nature.

Conlee sat behind his desk, his frustration with Austin apparent in his voice’s sharp edge. “You called this meeting, Stone. Start talking.”

A green bar lamp on the desk spilled amber light over the chair’s leather arms, giving them a rich brown patina Austin appreciated even now. “I’m in a gregarious mood, so I’m willing to negotiate.”

Conlee crossed his arms over his chest. “Can you stop the launch?”

“Yes, I can. Your experts were good, but the delay on implementing the loop and disconnecting me from the network gave me all the time I needed to alter my previous programs. Your original key will open the inner hub.”

“What about the DNA?”

“That and the launch key, you don’t have.”

Originally Austin had configured the secure system to the inner hub using Gregor Faust’s DNA. Poetic justice. Yet after Gregor had double-crossed him, Austin had been left with no choice but to incorporate a cover for himself in Plan B, so he had changed DNA codes. He’d also found changes at A-267. Worrisome changes, because they meant Faust had an in at A-267 aside from the one Austin had provided. The Ballast contact had proven to be Austin’s contact, Captain Mendoza, which of course made killing him necessary.

“What do you want?” Conlee pushed.

Resenting the handcuffs circling his wrists, Austin slid him a reproving glare. “A face-to-face meeting with Sybil and the media. Sam Sayelle from the
Herald
and one representative from the major networks, Fox News, CNN, and MSNBC.”

“For what purpose?”

“That will be disclosed in the meeting.”

“You’re not giving me much to take to the vice president.”

“I’m giving you the only possible means of stopping the Peacekeeper from launching. I’d say I’m offering you a lot, Commander. She will agree with me.”

“I’ll take the matter under consideration.”

Austin stood up. “Remember, Conlee. I’m not a patient man.”

“Guard!” Conlee shouted a summons.

The door opened before he’d finished calling. Two armed guards escorted Stone out, then back to detention.

Conlee hated that sorry-ass scum sucker. Just talking to the man made him feel as if he needed a long, hot shower. Shaking off the feeling, he put in a conference call to the president and Lady Liberty. When he had them on the line, he passed along Austin’s proposal.

“Why does he want the media?” David asked.

“He wants to cast a shadow I’ll have to walk in.”

“Sybil, I know you’re in an impossible position on this,” David said. “So am I. I either risk the meeting and compromise you, or I refuse the meeting and watch the missile detonate.”

“It’s a simple decision,” she said. “A-267’s security has already been compromised. We have nothing to lose by bringing in the media. I’m on my way, Commander.”

“Sybil, you don’t have to—”

“Yes, David, I do. This is our only chance. To live with myself, I can’t
not
do this.”

“Ma’am,” the commander cut in. “I didn’t like the looks of him. He’s got something nasty in mind. I don’t know what, but I’d bet my retirement on it.”

“You’d be right.” She paused, and then added, “He means to humiliate me.”

What Austin didn’t understand and, Conlee suspected, never had was that Lady Liberty would gladly forfeit her pride to save lives. That made it difficult to relay what he must tell her next. “I’m afraid there’s more bad news. About three minutes ago we experienced a cycle shift. We have a new target.”

Sybil didn’t have to wait to know where Austin had targeted. Deep down, she had known he wouldn’t be able to resist stabbing her with one more thorn. “Peris or Abdan?”

“Actually, both.”

“I’m sorry, Sybil,” David said. “I’ll talk with the premiers immediately”

“David, how did you know he was going to do this?”

“You wanted them to have peace. Targeting them would hurt you most.”

“Because Austin is Austin.” She reached for Jonathan’s hand.

“Because Austin is Austin.”

On the A-267 elevator, Jonathan smelled that smell. Dark. Dank. Evil. “Sybil.” His tone carried a warning. “This isn’t a good idea.”

She placed a hand against the sleeve of his black jacket. “It’s all we have.”

Resigned to that truth, Jonathan pushed the button. The elevator began to descend and he leaned back against the wall. “The president should have started the cross-check on key staff sooner.”

“You’re right. He talked with everyone, but he should have taken the investigation farther. We knew we had a traitor on staff soon after the crisis started—long before we got out of the swamp. But I understand David’s reluctance. He backs up his team. If he didn’t, he would have asked for my resignation before the divorce.”

Instead, he was refusing to accept it now. “I’m glad
about that, but this isn’t a political game of strategy. We’re facing the threat of annihilation.”

She rubbed his sleeve. “You and I know that, but part of David’s genius is that he sees them as the same. There are times when that’s advantageous and times when it’s not. That’s why he needs us. We see the difference.”

The death stench grew stronger. “I don’t want you going in there alone.”

“I won’t be. The media will be there, and Commander Conlee.”

“And me.”

Sybil hated what she was about to say, but she had to do it. “I don’t want you in there, Jonathan.”

“Why the hell not? I’m in your life now. We’re riding this relationship together willingly, remember? That means all the way, Sybil. Marriage, kids—a whole life.”

The bottom dropped out of her stomach. “You want to marry me? And have kids?”

“Well, yeah.” He seemed confused. “I mean, we don’t have to have kids literally. There are a lot of kids out there already who need parents.”

“What about older ones?” she asked, unable to digest all of this.

“Hell, they need us most. Everyone wants to adopt babies. The older ones just keep getting shuffled around until they outgrow the system. Yeah, older kids works for me.”

A burst of joy erupted inside her, spread warmth from her head to her heels. “Well then, I guess we’ll have to get married. It’ll make adopting easier.”

“That was my thought on the matter.” He’d grab whatever straw he could to get her used to the idea of marrying him and building a life together.

“Right.” She sounded sarcastic, but she was happy. Jonathan loved her and he wanted to marry her. She wanted kids, and he wanted her to have them. God, what a special man, and how lucky she was to have him. She’d been so
fearful she’d nearly let their chance slip away. Just how close she’d come to doing that had her queasy.

“So, considering I’m going to be the father of your children—mmm, how many children are we talking about here? Just a rough estimate is fine with me.”

“Four or five, I thought,” she suggested, half serious, half trying to shock him. “Or is that—”

Clearly picking up on what she was doing, he didn’t miss a beat. “That works.” The playfulness left his voice, warning her he might sound as if he were teasing but in truth he was dead serious. “But it’s not just for you, Sybil. The kids, I mean. I love kids.”

“I know.” She remembered him that day in Columbus, playing with the children.

“So, considering I’m going to be your husband and the father of your children, why are you banning me from this confrontation with Austin?”

She shifted on her feet. “Because Austin’s goal is to humiliate me. I can handle that, Jonathan. Really I can. But I can’t handle you watching him do it.”

Jonathan gripped the handrail and squeezed. Better than any other living soul, he knew what that admission had cost her. “It wouldn’t change the way I see you, honey. You have to know that.”

“I do.” She also knew it would take an army to keep Jonathan from going for Austin’s throat. “But it would change what I see in your eyes when you look at me. I—I don’t want to sacrifice that, too.” Her face flushed and earnest fear flooded her eyes. “Please. Don’t ask me to sacrifice that, too.”

Jonathan thumbed a joint in the handrail with his nail. “He’s going to humiliate you and then refuse to tell you what you need to know to stop the launch, isn’t he?”

“Probably,” she hedged, then caught his reprimanding expression and confessed. “I’d say the odds are ninety-nine percent that he’ll refuse.”

“Then why do it?”

“Because there’s a one percent chance he won’t refuse. I have to try.” She smiled. “Besides, being humiliated by him isn’t anything new. I can take it.”

“You shouldn’t have to take it.”

Never had truer words been spoken. “No, damn it, I shouldn’t. But sometimes we don’t get to choose.”

The elevator stopped.

“Please, Jonathan.”

He nodded once, hard, clearly under protest.

“Thank you.” Sybil glanced down at his feet. Seeing his black sneakers put her in the right frame of mind to deal with whatever lay ahead.

Lieutenant Gibson stood at the security station. Sybil nodded and walked in his direction. “Didn’t the commander offer Gibson some down time?” she whispered to Jonathan.

“He refused it.”

Sybil understood. So far as he knew, the crisis had started on his watch with the lockdown. He needed to see the challenge through. “Remind me to recommend him for a commendation. He was wonderful with Cap.”

“I’ll remind you to tell Grace. She’ll see to it.”

Commander Conlee intercepted her, looking annoyed as hell and about as amiable. “The media is here. I’m having Dr. Stone brought out now”

“Where are we meeting?” Sybil nodded to a guard at the mouth of the corridor leading to Home Base.

“Conference room.” Conlee looked at his watch. “We’ve got less than two hours, ma’am.”

Walking in that direction, Sybil grew more and more tense. Austin would degrade her in every possible way. She knew to expect the worst from him. And she turned inward, depending on her unfailing source of strength to get her through this.
Please, God. Give me the courage to do whatever I have to do.

She walked into the conference room. Seven familiar reporters, including Sam Sayelle, and their six cameramen
stood lined up against the wall. “Thank you all for coming.” She walked to the head of the table and sat down.

Conlee sat down on her right. “Would you like a glass of water or something, ma’am?”

Her insides were shaking so hard that anything she put down her throat would just come right back up. “No, thank you.”

Two armed guards led Austin Stone into the room. He was wearing handcuffs, leg shackles, and a smile. “Good evening, everyone.”