The Aegis Solution (19 page)

Elias waited patiently, accustomed to his companion's delivery.

"Naturally, he bragged about the quality of the lab, the superlative staff at his disposal, all of the
other resources. But during his final visit, he told me that if I joined his team, I would be allowed to
share a very special privilege…access to the outside world."

"What?"

Recognizing the outburst as rhetorical, Wilson sat back and said nothing.

This new packet of information affected Elias more strongly than the description of the
disappearing stranger, for it instantly blazed new paths, new possibilities, new explanations. And what
was most disturbing was that all of them led Elias to some very unpleasant conclusions.

He had no idea how long he had sat silently in front of his host. But, finally speaking, Elias quietly
said, "I…I am not sure what to think."

Sympathetically, Wilson reached forward and placed his hand on Elias' arm. "It is a bit of a
game-changer, isn't it? It seems that whoever built Aegis has given this monster a spare key to the door!"

CHAPTER SEVEN

Charon's mind whirled with possibilities as he pondered the information given to him by Wilson.
The statements could only be regarded as revelations – facts, if they were indeed factual – that changed
the very underpinnings of his reality insofar as Aegis and Faulk's agency were concerned.

The corridor was empty as he walked, having left Wilson to his lush atrium, with the promise of
a prompt return. If what he had been told was true, Elias could not imagine an explanation that did not
indicate a complicity between Faulk and Kreitzmann, if not in the present, then surely in the recent past.
The ramifications of an association between Kreitzmann and the government were unspeakable. If
Faulk and Kreitzmann were connected, why did Faulk send him in here with the assignment he was
given?

Mentally shifting gears, Elias thought back over the final questions he had asked Wilson. The
scientist had no knowledge of Eric Stone's presence or whereabouts within Aegis. He did, however,
provide Elias with directions to Kreitzmann's area within the complex, a route he would soon cautiously
follow, right after he completed his detour.



Wilson sat patiently on his porch until he heard the clanging of the cowbell as Elias exited his
atrium. For good measure, he waited several more minutes, keenly listening for the telltale sounds of
a person moving among the foliage. As a final precaution, he quickly toured the grounds. Seeing no one
and hearing nothing but the wind and its effect on the branches and leaves around him, Wilson returned
to the interior of the shack, walking across the small main room to a door on the far side. His knuckles
rapped twice on the door before he opened it, seeing his friend waiting, holding a pistol aimed at his
chest.

"He's gone."
         



His base camp appeared to be untouched since his departure. Elias checked the laptop to make
certain it was still recording the various audio and video feeds, before he grabbed the item he had
returned for, the AK-47. He was not at all convinced that this weapon would be effective against the
ghosts – as he was beginning to think of them – which he might encounter, but it made him feel better
to have it. Shoving the spare magazines provided by Sweezea into his pockets, he struck out for
Kreitzmann's lab.



Frank D was crouched near the first intersection after the turnstiles, at his usual post. He still
simmered over the turn of events, angry that he was working for the Man again.

"This ain't right," he grumbled aloud to no one. The other two members of the ambush party were
hiding across the intersection, too far away to hear his muttered comment.

His angry reverie was interrupted by the scuffling of footsteps coming from the entrance. Feeling
the jolt of adrenaline that always came as they were about to jump a newbie, he leaned forward and
peered around the corner, keeping his head low and close to the edge. There, tentatively walking
forward through the graffitied corridor, was a girl who did not look much older than seventeen. She was
slender and blond, and he thought to himself that she was just his type. The thought of turning her over
to the Man, untouched, reignited his furor.

He had to admit that their artwork on the walls had a powerful impact on nearly everyone who
entered. From the moment the newbies emerged from the last turnstile, they knew they were in a foreign
land, a zone owned lock, stock, and barrel by the ZooCity locals. The newbies realized that they were
interlopers. He knew that the effect was intimidation, and the desired result – fear. By the time the
newbies arrived at the first intersection, they were already broken, ready to submit. Their minds had
conjured the worst during the short walk, and when he and his two men stepped out, the newbies were
ripe and ready.

Right on cue, as she entered the center of the intersection, his two partners stepped out from their
hiding place. The young girl let out a strange combination of a gasp and a muffled shriek. Frank D came
up behind her as she stood frozen in place, like a deer in the headlights. He grabbed her roughly, his
hands traveling to parts of her anatomy now forbidden by their new alliance.

"Please, don't hurt me…let me go," the girl begged weakly.

"Hey, Frank! Stop that. You know the rules," one of the others cautioned, a sudden expression of
worry on his face.

"Screw the rules," Frank D snarled, talking to his accomplices as if the girl were not struggling in
his arms. "I want this one for me."

"We can't," the other insisted, hoping that he did not see the telltale blur, his eyes darting around
the corridors.

As the two men hassled, the young girl thrashed feebly, wrapped inside Frank D's powerful arms,
a pathetic whimper coming from her lips. Her movements were less than ineffectual. "They ain't gonna
miss one little girl. They'll never even know."

The other stared at their captive, and a glimmer of lust appeared in his eyes. "You don't think so?"

"Hell, no. Who's gonna tell 'em? You?"

The other looked over at their companion, a gang member not known for utilizing, or even
possessing, any mental abilities. The silent one shrugged, and the second man turned back to Frank D.
"I guess you're right."

A wide smile spread across Frank D's face as he effortlessly lifted the girl and walked her into the
nearest room, followed by the two others.



Elias followed the directions provided by Wilson. Both Walden and Madison had constructed
barriers at the entrances to their enclaves. Thanks to Wilson, he knew the configuration of the entrance,
but had no idea what he would encounter, in terms of perimeter security, when he reached the boundary
of Kreitzmann's area.

In his mind, Elias visualized the layout of Aegis as a clock face. With the entrance at six o'clock,
he knew that ZooCity roughly occupied the seven to eight o'clock portion of the face. Walden was
basically in the four to five o'clock region, with Madison filling the two to three o'clock space. The route
laid out by Wilson placed Kreitzmann's lab and compound from nine o'clock to approximately eleven
o'clock.

It was accessible by not only one of the spoke corridors, as the others were, but by two. With no
real reason, Elias had chosen the corridor on the left, and was slowly moving forward. His level of
vigilance was at its maximum internal setting, his senses so intensified that the sounds of his breathing
and heartbeat seemed amplified, and the noise from each careful footfall was almost like thunder to his
ears.

The corridors and hallways were still deserted. Elias was relieved he did not encounter some
meandering Aegis resident, fearful that, in his heightened state, he might loose a barrage from the
automatic rifle without determining if he or she was even a threat.

He neared the point in the corridor where Wilson said the entrance would be, and was reassured
to see that it was set up exactly as described. There was no doorless block barrier as there had been at
Walden. Nor was there the offsetting serpentine maze with gun slots which Madison utilized. Instead,
there was a simple wall across the corridor with a double door in the center. From his current distance,
he could see that there were two peepholes, one in each leaf of the double door.

Since his conversation with Wilson, Elias had decided that a direct approach, with a bit of
subterfuge, was probably the best tactic for gaining access to the compound and to Kreitzmann himself.
With that in mind, he dropped the cautious air of a soldier on a reconnaissance mission and adopted
a casual demeanor. Slinging the rifle over his shoulder, Elias walked directly to the double doors and
knocked.

Almost instantly, the doors opened. Elias was surprised to see that he was not greeted by some
tough-looking guard, but rather by a young woman who could fit easily into the role of a receptionist
at a corporate high rise.

"Can I help you?"

Elias smiled. "I'm here to see Dr. Kreitzmann."

The woman eyed the AK-47. "Of course. But I'm afraid you'll have to relinquish your weapons if
you wish to come in."

"Not a problem," Elias answered. "I only armed myself because I hit a few rough patches coming
through the facility. I shouldn't think I'd need them now that I'm here."

He unslung the rifle and handed it to her. She took it by gripping the barrel with her thumb and
two fingers, as if she were accepting his soiled undergarments. Next, he reached into the pocket of his
windbreaker and pulled out the 9mm, relinquishing that, as well.

"Please come in," she said, turning away from him and gingerly placing his weapons on a side table.

Elias stepped through the doorway into a large room, the width of the corridor and at least thirty
feet deep. Inside were the side table, a desk with two visitors chairs, and three work cubicles. He noticed
that the three cubicles were occupied, two by women and one by a man, all of the occupants at work
on something displayed on the computer screens in front of them, none of them paying Elias any heed.

"What's your name?" Elias asked conversationally as the woman turned back to face him.

"Anita. And may I tell the doctor who is calling?"

Grinning at the surreal formality in the midst of Aegis, he answered, "Of course. I'm Patrick
Brightman."

If she recognized the name, no indication showed on her face as she shook his hand.

"I'll tell the doctor. Please have a seat." She motioned toward the two chairs at the desk. "It should
only be a few minutes."

"Thank you."

She turned and left the room. Elias lowered himself into one of the chairs and waited. He was
certain that one of the women at the cubicles was watching him, so he made a point of leaning back in
the seat, casually crossing his legs, and staring upward at the ceiling, while showing no interest at all in
his surroundings or the paperwork on Anita's desk.

At least ten minutes passed before Elias heard someone approaching. Standing, he saw Rudy
Kreitzmann entering the room, followed by Anita. Tall and lean, the scientist was wearing a
long-sleeved, powder-blue dress shirt and dark slacks. His hair was cut short in a military style, and he
had no moustache or beard. Noticeably, he had the air and demeanor of a confident and competent
surgeon.

"Doctor Brightman. A pleasure to meet you."

"The pleasure is mine, Doctor Kreitzmann."

"Please, come with me to my office."

"Thank you."

Kreitzmann turned his head toward the woman. "Thank you, Anita."

"Of course, Doctor." She took her seat at the desk, as Elias followed the scientist down the hallway
from which he had emerged.

"And please, sir," Kreitzmann requested as they walked, "we are not all that formal here. I would
appreciate it if you would call me Rudy."

"Of course," Elias replied, "and I prefer Patrick over Pat."

"Patrick, it is. If you don't mind my asking, what brings you to Aegis?"

Elias had planned out his response. "Several factors, really. I have admired your work from afar for
quite some time."

"Thank you. I am a bit surprised. We never communicated."

Even though they were walking at a brisk pace, Elias attempted to convey embarrassment. "Yes.
That's true. I must admit I was somewhat…."

"Afraid," Kreitzmann finished the sentence.

"Yes. I suppose that would be it."

"Don't be concerned. I made many more enemies out there than friends. And you wouldn't be the
first to keep your support for my work to yourself. Doing so publicly would have been the kiss of death
for you or, at the very least, your funding."

Elias nodded his agreement. "I'm glad you understand. That being said, I came upon a roadblock,
a rather substantial one, in my own work, and have been struggling to get past it for quite some time.
I have suspected that it is a problem with which you could be of some help."