As soon as Scarecrow had explained the bottom line, Billy breathed a sigh of relief. It was short-lived, though, once he realized who needed to be included in the final briefing. His stomach had complained loudly when he’d scheduled this meeting for the morning.
Amanda, Francine, and Lee came into the conference room together. Unusually, they sat down with Lee and Amanda on either side of Francine, instead of Lee and Amanda sitting next to each other. Billy began to say something light about that, but reconsidered before any words came out: the arrangement had to be deliberate. A second after that, he understood the reasons why and nodded his approval. Optics mattered.
Douglas Trent came in a few minutes later and he, too, stopped short. Then, after a glance at Billy, he seated himself on the other side of the conference table from the trio. “That’s all of us,” he said.
“Not quite,” answered Billy. Speaking of optics…
The door opened one last time to admit Dr. Smyth.
At least, thought Billy, he’s not fashionably late. Though he certainly had pushed it to the limit: the clock was just now reaching 8:30.
“Let’s make it snappy, children,” the Agency Director started out. “I have a meeting on Pennsylvania Avenue in an hour.”
Trent frowned slightly. “This may take more time than that.”
“Then you’d best start right away,” replied Smyth. “And get to the important parts first. Why is a non-American agent in this room?”
“Because I ordered him to help,” replied Billy, careful of his tone. “You yourself approved the exchange program, Smyth.” So you know full well he has clearance, he thought but didn’t say. Based on the director’s expression, he had guessed the unspoken sentiment anyway. There’d been a time that might have worried Billy, but not anymore. He was through with all the shenanigans that had been going on around here.
“So I did,” Smyth acknowledged with a soft snort. “Continue.”
“Trent, you’re the systems expert,” said Billy. “We’ll start at the end so that Dr. Smyth can have all the time he needs.” At that, the director frowned. Billy ignored it. “What was the final result of the operation?”
The British agent’s eyes flicked around the room once before he turned back to address Billy. “Once I explained the parameters, Miss Desmond was able to program a systems routine that prevented the executable from being processed. The Ansar al-Safa group was unsuccessful in its attempt to alter the Aegis system’s operations.” He paused.
“In layman’s terms,” added Lee, “Ansar al-Safa was trying to send false targeting data to a missile system. We weren’t able to stop the bad data from being put in, but we stopped it from getting to the missile launch system.” He paused. “I’m thinking the two different versions of the data should be enough for Legal to start a criminal case, and for us to open a permanent file on stopping these guys.”
“It will,” said Billy.
“You were headed that direction anyway,” retorted Smyth. “Without Miss Desmond’s involvement. Why was it necessary to bring her in? She is on suspension.”
“She’s familiar with the programming,” replied Trent. “I’m more familiar with the structure than I am with the content. It also would be better if an American agent got that far into the weeds of the files anyway. I can’t betray any details I don’t know.”
Smyth’s frown deepened, but he gestured for them to continue.
“We were able to trace the operator’s location through several different relays,” continued Trent, “and, rather to our surprise, it turned out to be right behind the Agency. They had circled back after we chased them off, and were operating from the van. This way, they were able to make it look as though the incorrect data was coming from someone at this location.” He paused. “It’s an effective tactic. It might have worked if all our entrances weren’t secured.”
Lee’s lips thinned.
“Something to say, Scarecrow?” asked Billy.
“No,” he answered, though there was a wary tone in his voice. “Not right now.”
“Don’t withhold anything on my account,” said Smyth.
“I’m not,” answered Lee. “I just…have a few questions. But we can get into those after the summary.” His expression changed. “None of my concerns are about Francine’s role in this operation. She did as well as she always does.”
“I’ll make that decision,” said Smyth.
“No, sir,” said Billy. “I’ll make that decision. I’m the Director of Field Operations and agent assignments are my responsibility. I’ll take ownership of allowing her back in even though she was on suspension. It was the right thing to do.”
“We’ll see about that.”
It was all Billy could do not to roll his eyes. “Keep going, Trent. Was there anything else?”
“No, sir. That’s what I know about the current status of the operation.”
Now Lee did speak up. “Zeta and Scotty are tracking down where the van went after it left the second time. They’ve already pulled our security camera footage, and they’re working on getting more from the other businesses on this block. They’ll keep moving along the trail once they know which direction to go next.”
“I see,” answered Smyth. “And how long do you expect that to take?”
“As long as it takes.” The skin around Lee’s eyes tightened slightly. “Sir. But I don’t expect them to be later than today or maybe tomorrow.”
“I wasn’t aware you were giving the orders now,” said Smyth. His voice was soft, but there was no mistaking the edge in his tone.
“Lee is the agent of record,” clarified Billy. “Since he understands what Aegis does, and since Francine’s on suspension.” He wasn’t yet ready to mention that the assignment had also been a test.
“Francine is the only one who understands what the program was trying to do,” said Lee. “I needed her.”
“And what was it trying to do?”
Francine’s voice trembled slightly, but she met Smyth’s eyes without hesitation. “It was a part of the targeting system. The added code was meant to change the target coordinates before they were transmitted out.” She paused. “Lee, what were your questions about?”
“The SYS_DIAG routine you wrote,” he answered. “I still don’t understand why it kept blanking our screens.”
“That’s normal for most computer diagnostics,” said Trent quietly. “And it isn’t related to the altered targeting data.”
“Which is why I said I’d ask my questions later.” Lee turned toward Smyth. “Sir, according to Francine and Amanda, the program alterations were subtle. We might not have even recognized they were there if we hadn’t already been in the system trying to stop them. There’s a good chance that we otherwise would have had no idea that there were targeting problems until a missile went off course.”
“Saved by the bell?” asked Smyth. “At the very last minute?”
“Something like that,” said Billy, not entirely succeeding at keeping the pride out of his tone. Lee’s analysis had perfectly framed this operation amidst the larger intelligence picture.
“I see.” Smyth made a bit of a show out of checking the time. “And I also need to be going. Melrose, you and I will be discussing Desmond later.”
“I’ll look forward to it. But I would like to keep her here at least until we’ve finished mopping up.”
“I’ll allow it.” Smyth glared at him as he spoke the words. “This time. But you are not reinstated for anything else, Desmond.”
Francine looked as though she wanted to speak, but Amanda laid a hand on her forearm. She closed her eyes, sighed, and nodded. Good, thought Billy. That one small reminder had been all it took for her to think about her timing. And that, too, boded well for what he had in mind.
The tension in the room had lessened considerably with Smyth’s departure, but Stetson’s continuing unease suggested things might not be going as well as Douglas had hoped. That didn’t make sense. Hadn’t the entire operation been a success?
“So what, exactly, did the program do?” Melrose was asking now. “You said it was part of the targeting function, right?”
“Right,” answered Desmond. “From what I can tell, it translates the coordinates the user enters into instructions for the missile launchers. The introduced code was short and simple: it scrambled some of the numbers before writing the instructions for the missile launcher. The targeting data it received would have been different from the data that was entered.”
“How far off course would the missile have gone?”
Desmond took a breath. “I don’t know, but it wasn’t much. Maybe a few thousandths of a degree of longitude or latitude.”
“That could easily be several hundred feet,” remarked Stetson. “It’s enough.”
Douglas thought about that for a moment. “That may have been intentional. If the group were hedging against the possibility of a human being re-checking the coordinates, they would have wanted them to look right at first glance.”
Stetson was nodding. “Yeah, that’s what I would have done.”
Melrose shook his head. “You almost sound like you admire them.”
A chuckle went around the room, sending the director’s eyebrows up. “What?”
“It’s the same thing Lee was complaining about while we were actually working the breach attempt,” replied Amanda.
“Respect for design isn’t necessarily admiration of purpose,” Douglas answered, and the chuckles faded. “The point is that our opponents aren’t amateurs. They’re quite sophisticated, which means they’re likely equally determined.”
Melrose sighed. “Which means they’re likely to try something else.”
“I would assume so.”
“Any ideas what?”
“I can look at their response to Miss Desmond’s SYS_DIAG routine and make some guesses,” answered Douglas. “But I’ll be the first to admit that’s all they would be. Guesses.”
Melrose nodded. “Speaking of that routine, what was the deal with the — what did you call it, Scarecrow — screens blanking?”
“Probably nothing,” said Stetson. “I just…I was counting seconds in my head, and there was a progression. Five seconds, then eight, then thirteen.” As he said the words, he fiddled with something in his pocket.
Amanda caught his meaning immediately. “Those numbers are in the Fibonacci sequence.”
“Yeah,” he answered. “But I suspect it’s a coincidence.”
Desmond frowned. “No, that’s not right. The flickers should have been randomly spaced.”
“Three data points isn’t enough to establish a pattern,” Douglas reminded her.
“No, but I want to check it again.” She stood. “I’ll be back in a few minutes.”
She was back in less than five, and the look on her face silenced all small talk. Her shoulders drooped and she sat down heavily.
“Well?” asked Melrose.
“We didn’t completely isolate the directory,” she reported quietly. “We stopped the program from running, and we locked them out enough to keep them from counteracting that. But they weren’t completely locked out of the system.” She took another breath. “It looks like they were trying to get copies of the diagnostics themselves. And it might have worked.”
“So they’re going to analyze those to plan their next try,” he concluded. “We just moved the possibility of a next time from ‘likely’ to ‘almost certain.’ Didn’t we?”
All three of the American agents nodded. Douglas joined them, his mouth going dry. “Unfortunately, this level of sophistication suggests they won’t use the same methodology the next time.”
“Agreed,” said Stetson.
Desmond was looking down at her hands. “I should have realized it couldn’t have been that easy. I’ll pull the data again and go back through it with a fine-tooth comb. We might be able to get some clues by seeing what diagnostic data they were able to retrieve.”
“Francine,” said Amanda gently. “Things were moving quickly. You didn’t have time to double-check yourself then.” She paused. “And we didn’t really understand just how deceptive they could be, either, until just now. Take it easy on yourself.”
“If you’d like,” said Douglas quietly. “I can help you with the data analysis. Structure could tell us as much as content.”
Desmond nodded, though she didn’t meet his eyes.
“You can’t always out-think an enemy on your feet,” he continued, still looking at her. “I agree with Mrs. St — with Amanda. I see no failure here.”
Desmond’s lips quirked. “I hear you, Trent. But it’s going to take me a little while to get over it.” She looked at Melrose. “That is, if I’ll be allowed to work on it at all.”
“Amanda and Trent are right,” said Melrose. “You didn’t make any mistakes. In fact, we couldn’t have done it without you. Which I intend to make sure Smyth knows in great and explicit detail. Right before I tell him I’m reinstating you.”
That earned him a small smile. Douglas was careful to keep his expression neutral, but he couldn’t help but notice that the tension in the room had eased even more. Melrose really did know how to get through to his people. As for Desmond? She’d handled this more than professionally. Maybe it really was time for him to learn more about her.
She was still subdued and clearly upset, but Amanda was cheered to see the return of the seasoned professional she’d gotten to know over the past several years. Francine still had a long journey of grief ahead of her, but it was clear she had gotten started down the road instead of remaining lost in the throes of it.
As the briefing broke up, she could hear Douglas and Francine discussing the best times and places to get started on their work. She would have followed with an offer of additional help, except Mr. Melrose had given Lee and her both significant looks before tapping on the table.
They stayed.
“That was excellent work,” Mr. Melrose began. “Especially you, Scarecrow.”
“Thank you,” answered Lee, though Amanda could see tension in his expression. “But that’s not why you kept us here.”
Mr. Melrose sighed. “No. Unfortunately, it isn’t.” He looked away briefly. “Kelford sent me his final evaluation report yesterday. I read it, but I didn’t want to interrupt the operation, especially since it was going so well. I…” he trailed off. “I’m sorry, Stetson. I have to pull you out of the field for good.”
“Why?” asked Amanda. “There are other agents who mostly work in the office.”
“Yes, but they’re still liable to be called out to the field anytime we need the manpower. Sunlight, I can let you stay if you want. But we can’t keep an agent who’s actually unable to do field work. Not in this section, anyway.”
Lee’s fists clenched. “So what now? Do I get medical’ed out or something? Didn’t Kelford tell you that I’ll probably be able to walk and run again once I’ve finished rehab?”
“He did. And there’s nothing wrong with your head, so there’s no need to medical you out. You just can’t have field status. Not unless you re-qualify.”
“Then I’ll re-qualify,” he growled. “If I have anything to say about it. Do I get any say in where I go while I do that?”
“Yes, actually,” said Mr. Melrose. “That’s why I asked the both of you to stay. About six weeks ago, the Agency decided it needed full-time liaisons with other intelligence groups around the world.” He paused. “When I first saw you in the hospital, I sent a recommendation in, and they responded a couple days ago. There’s an opening in London. Primarily liaising with MI6, but you’d also be making contact with other European agencies.”
“In London?” echoed Amanda. Panic began skittering across her skin. This couldn’t be happening. First Joe, now Lee leaving her to go overseas?
“That’s part of why I haven’t told you about any of this until now. Sunlight, I’ve found a place for you there as well. Not in the same section, so you won’t be working together anymore.” He paused. “Officially.”
Amanda forced herself to take a breath. This isn’t the same as what happened with Joe, she told herself. And neither are you. “And unofficially?”
“We’d like to send you into the U.S. Embassy,” explained Mr. Melrose. “As a cultural attaché, helping people with passports and visas, that sort of thing. You have the skills.”
“Secretarial work?” She frowned. Yes, that was how the Agency had initially brought her in, but she was a trained agent now!
“Hear me out. You’d need to do some of that for the job, but you’d also be responsible for verifying intelligence Lee receives through his liaison contacts.” Mr. Melrose paused. “It’s official in the sense that it’d be part of your job description. But it would be a classified part. Only you and Lee, and maybe a couple of others, would know what you discussed.”
Lee’s expression was still stormy. “We don’t like taking work home with us.”
“You have in the past. And Amanda’s cover position would intentionally be part-time. You’d get at least one day a week where she could ‘visit’ you at the office.”
Amanda shook her head. “No, sir. That wouldn’t work. It’d be too unusual or suspicious, and it could affect Lee’s credibility if it looks like I’m not capable of being away from him while he’s at work.”
“Then maybe you could help us figure something out. Something that looked more normal.”
Lee was watching her. She turned to him. “What are you thinking, Sweetheart?”
“I think,” he replied, and she could hear the controlled anger in his tone, “that if they’re bound and determined to take me out of the field permanently, this is a good way to do it. Even though I’d be able to come back in a year or two.” He turned to Mr. Melrose. “How long is this assignment?”
“Five years.”
“No,” said Lee immediately. “I’ll be out of rehab way before then.”
“Scarecrow, you’re not staying in the Field section. I thought I made that clear.”
“You also,” he snapped, “said I’d have some say in the matter.”
“Some say. Not the final word.” He paused. “And I don’t know if any other alternative assignments would necessarily keep you together.”
“Then I’d quit,” said Amanda. “And five years? Even if we took Jamie with us…” she shook her head. “That’s a long time for him to be out of the country. For us, too, but it’d affect him a lot more. I’d have to talk it over with his father, and Jamie’s already had to go through one of his parents being away for long periods of time, plus he’s a teenager which is about the worst time for things to change anyway. He’s already been having problems since Mother and Phillip d —” her voice caught, and she had to take another breath. “Since then. There have been a lot of changes in not that much time. I don’t want to pull the rug out from underneath him again.”
“Both positions come with an increase in pay,” said Mr. Melrose. “You’d be able to afford to come back once or twice a year.”
“That’s not enough.”
Lee laid his hand over hers, but his question was directed to their supervisor. “Billy, what other options are there?”
“Right now? Not a whole lot. But I’m sure we could find something.” He met Lee’s eyes. “You don’t have to be medical’ed out, but you could be if you wanted it. You have enough time in.”
He shook his head. Amanda agreed. Lee wasn’t the kind of person who could simply take medical retirement and be done.
“Will you at least consider this one?” asked Mr. Melrose. “Go home. Talk to Jamie and to — what’s your ex-husband’s name again? Joe? Talk to him, too. I don’t have to have an answer right now. It’ll wait until tomorrow.”
Amanda looked at Lee again. He looked back at her.
“Take the rest of the day off if you want, so you can think about it.”
“I think,” she said, “we’ll take you up on that.”
“Yeah,” said Lee. “But don’t hold out a lot of hope, Billy. This whole thing is pretty damned —” he visibly cut himself off. “It’s ridiculous. I can go on some sort of detached duty for a year without needing to leave the States.”
“Just think about it,” said Mr. Melrose. “And let me know in the morning.”