The Code - Genesis - Book I (13 page)

“Less than an hour, Sir.  City P.D. is holding the perimeter to prevent fans from entering the stadium,” Knight replies.

Marsh continues, “I’ll contact Baxter.  I’m sure he’ll want to alert the President.”

“I’ll update you shortly, Sir.”

“I’m on my way, Agent Knight.  Make sure Natan gets out of there.”

Knight says, “I’ll do my best, Sir, but the bomb squad commander couldn’t even get her to leave…not sure I’ll have much better luck.”

“Man the hatches, Agent Knight, until I get there.”  Marsh hangs up and Knight hears dial tone.

Inside the ventilation room, sweat streams from the commander’s forehead as he

wipes his brow.  Natan’s face also glistens as the stress emanates from each of them.  The bomb reads 45:38, as the seconds tick.  Natan inquires, “Should I start getting a little concerned here?”

The commander fiddles with the wiring, “I almost got it.”

“When you say almost, how long are we talking?” Natan asks as she holds her breath.

The commander expresses his annoyance, “Almost as in stop talking to me so I can do my job.”

“I’m just wondering if we’re talking minutes or longer.  I’m not a very fast runner is all…” her voice trails off.  The bomb continues ticking, 43:57.  The commander continues fiddling.  Assessing the situation, Natan starts to back up.

The Commander cuts a red cord and the bomb reads
00:00
.  “Ye of little faith,” he says
,
relieved
.
 
Natan joins him in her own sigh of relief, joking, “Uhh.  I was wondering if I was gonna have to practice my sprinting.”

“All that chit-chat must have slowed me down,” the commander replies.

“Didn’t you find my presence encouraging?” Natan quips.

“Not especially,” he replies.

“Oka
y, okay, duly noted,” she says. 
Natan starts to walk away.

The commander softens, relinquishing his thanks. “Agent Natan, it’s a damn good thing you found this when you did.”

“We were lucky,” she replies.

“Well, thank God for luck then,” the commander says.  Natan smiles to herself.

             
A jubilant Natan and the commander emerge from the stadium to an applauding crowd of law enforcement personnel.  Natan begins clapping for the commander also.  She addresses everyone, “Thank goodness for the bomb squad!”

The commander replies, “Thank God for the N.S.A.”

Knight, Emerson, and Kalin stand in the background watching events unfold.

Knight addresses the fellas, “Still think there’ll be a game?”

Emerson motions to fans in the background. “Twenty bucks says they won’t be

able to hold those Sox fans back more than fifteen minutes.”  Knight and Kalin look at one another.  Emerson continues, “What?  No takers?” 

Knight shakes his head at Emerson, “Not me.”  Kalin ignores the wager altogether. 

Unnoticed in the distance, huddled in the crowd of fans, Josh and his father stand on the street behind a barricade waiting to be let in to see the game.  A police officer stands in front of them and the barricade holding the crowd back. 

Emerson taunts Kalin, “Looks like you’ll be waiting for that lead position a hell of a lot longer huh, buddy?”  Emerson pats Kalin on the back as he walks toward Natan.

Knight admits, “I guess she is a pro.”

Kalin is dazed.  Emerson congratulates Natan in the background.  Kalin pulls

Knight aside.

Kalin replies, “How could she have known all of the details? 
Boston
,

Fenway
Park
, the ventilation system.”  He eyes Natan angrily, “It doesn’t make sense.”

Knight retorts, “Instincts, my man.”  Knight pats him on the shoulder.

“Just enjoy the fact that our team found it.  We’re heroes, man.”  Knight walks away, leaving Kalin standing alone brooding to himself. 
Instincts my ass.  Something isn’t right.

In the therapist’s office Natan sits across from
Christine
, who sits with her hands folded in her lap, listening intently to the end of Natan’s recollection as if she is watching a play being reenacted. 
Christine
comments, “You know I heard rumors that a terrorist plot had been averted on the east coast.  I had no idea they were really true.”

“That’s the way the government wants to keep it,” Natan replies.

Christine
continues, “You must feel so fulfilled to know that you prevented such a significant event.  You know that Fenway always hosts a sell-out crowd.”

“I know,” Nata
n says. “It was all overwhelmin
g actually.  The President quietly commended our team.  That was definitely a memory to keep.”

“I bet.” 
Christine
picks up her pen, tapping it on the notepad.  “You know there has to be a connection between this event and your dreams.  The time line just makes sense.”

“You think so?” Natan asks.

“I do,”
Christine
replies. “Tell me more about these hunches of yours.”

“What’s to tell?  Don’t most people who work in law enforcement have hunches?” Natan asserts.

“Perhaps.” 
Christine
leans in. “Describe the sensation or feeling you get when you experience one of these hunches.”

Natan thinks for a moment before she replies, “It starts in the pit of my stomach…then resonates throughout me.  Does that make sense?”

“I think so.”

Natan shrugs her shoulders. “I don’t know…I just knew somehow.”

Agent Natan walks out of
Christine
’s office.  A shadowed woman watches Natan from a car.  Agent Natan gets to her car and clicks the auto-unlock on her key chain.  She gets into the vehicle.  The light catches Amanda as she watches in the shadows, scribbling Natan’s license plate number down on a pad.  Natan is oblivious.

Chapter Twenty

At the
University
of
Maryland
, Josh sits in his office at his desk reviewing more Code papers.  The phone rings as he jerks with surprise, picking up the phone. “Professor Sails here.”

In his congressional office,
Kent
stands looking out a window as he speaks on his office phone. “Josh.  We need to talk.”

Josh puts his pages down on his desk to give
Kent
his full attention. “Congressman.  To what do I owe the pleasure?”

Kent
’s voice is terse. “When you said you would be showing up at my door with a unicorn, I never thought it would be N.S.A. and C.I.A. agents.  Was your surprise a dozen agents searching my office and questioning me about Mexican artifacts?  Or was the surprise something about you perhaps smuggling said artifacts into the country?”  Josh is silent.  “What have you gotten me into, Josh?  What the hell is going on?”

Josh stammers, “
Kent
, this may not be the best time to discuss this.”

Kent
continues, “Yeah, well, seeing that I helped you get back into the country and am now being investigated, when the hell do you think would be a good time?”

“Rest assured I’m not smuggling anything,” Josh promises.

“How am I supposed to know what’s going on, Josh?  Remember your history?”

“That was a long time ago,
Kent
.”

Kent
cannot contain his anger. “Okay, let’s focus on the present then.  First you tell me to meet with you to discuss this amazing discovery…that you only vaguely elude to.  Then you get arrested for what I thought was trespassing, ask for my help…which I give…and the next thing I know, my position on the subcommittee, not to mention my seat in Congress, may now be in jeopardy because of my dealings with you.”
             
             

“
Kent
, you know me,” Josh replies.  “This is all just a big misunderstanding.  I truly am sorry that you’ve been put through this.  I can’t go into detail now, but I promise you I’ll make things right.”

“And how are you gonna do that, Josh?”

“I have my connections,” Josh replies.

Kent
unloads, “I hope they don’t get as screwed as am I,” as he slams down the phone, leaving a dazed Josh inside his office still holding the phone. 

“Hello?” Josh says.  He hears dial tone.  “Damn,” Josh says, as he hangs up the phone. 
I need Agent Natan.

Chapter Twenty-one

Josh stands at Natan’s front door and lightly knocks. 
Please be home.
  Natan opens the door and, seeing that it’s Josh, pulls him inside quickly.  Inside her living room she questions him. “I thought we discussed that you would call from a pay phone with the signal if you needed to see me and we would meet at the designated location.  What part of that gave you the most difficulty?”

“I’m sorry…it was urgent,” he says.

“Well, at least you’re arriving within my designated hours, Professor.”

“I need your help, Agent Natan.”

“Uh-oh.  And what’s required this time?  Sneaking you back into
Mexico
?” Natan chides.

“The N.S.A. and C.I.A. paid Congressman Bradshaw a visit today.”

“Marsh said they would interview him,” Natan replies.

Josh is visibly upset.  “His position on the Tactical Subcommittee…his career…could be in jeopardy.”

“What do you want me to do?” she asks.

“Can you speak with your immediate boss and get them to lay off?”

“Are you kidding?” Natan can’t believe his nerve.  “My section chief is even being questioned.  I told you…we’re in dangerous territory here.  We need to lay low.”

A man sits outside Natan’s house in a van labeled “Mark’s Heating and Cooling
.
”
The van is parked down the street from Natan’s house.   Watching Josh and Natan through a telephoto camera, the man snaps photos.

Inside Natan’s living room, Josh tries to muster her
support.
“There’s got to be

something we can do.”

“Professor,” she begins, “you shouldn’t even be here.  I told you, we can’t be seen together.  We need to stick with the contact arrangements we discussed or my career may be in jeopardy.”  

             
“I’m just not used to this type of thing,” he confides.

“I understand…”  Natan tries to be sympathetic.  “Look, I’ll see what I can do, but I can’t guarantee anything.” 

The van man adjusts the volume on the listening device he holds in his hand as he

listens with headphones.  He watches Natan and Josh through the living room window. 

Natan continues, “It seems anyone attached to this is under suspicion now.”

“Maybe we should just tell them everything,” Josh says.

Natan is appalled. “We can’t tell anyone anything right now because we don’t know anything…not the parts we play…not what this all means…if it’s even true…let alone the rest of the proof that vanished with your bag.  Who’d believe us?  Speaking of which, has it turned up?”

“No,” he replies. “And, my camera was in the bag, with backup photos I took at the ruins.”

“What about the first symbol?  Have you deciphered it yet?”

Josh shifts uncomfortably. “I’m close.”
             

Natan focuses. “Let’s work on those two things and I’
ll see what I can do about the c
ongressman, okay?”

“Okay,” Josh agrees.

“One more thing…,” she says.  Josh looks at Natan, waiting to hear her request.  “Can you run a matrix with my name,
Boston
, and baseball and see if you find anything?”

Josh is confused. “Why?  What’s this about?”

“Just run it and I’ll tell you if you find anything,” she replies.

“Okay.”  Josh starts to leave.