Deadly Weakness (Gray Spear Society) (25 page)

"Yes, sir," Hanley said.

"Until this business is settled, you'll continue your duties as chief of the Special Missions Unit. Send your men home. Get them out of harm's way as quickly as possible."

"Yes, sir."

"Try to maintain contact with Xavier," Aaron said. "We'll be closely monitoring all your communications, of course. We'll know where you are at all times."

"Why am I pretending, sir? Why don't you just kill Xavier now?"

"There may be other traitors. We have to watch him a while longer to be sure he's working alone. In the meantime, it's essential that he doesn't know anything has changed. We don't want him to run."

Hanley understood. He was very familiar with the rules of the spy game.

"Ideally," Aaron said, "you'll be back in your office in Washington by Monday. Take that opportunity to start getting your affairs in order. After Xavier is finally dead, you'll die, too."

"What?" Hanley's eyes opened wide.

"It will be a fake but convincing death. The Race Hanley identity must be destroyed to protect your family and yourself. You have to cut all ties to your current life. We don't want our loved ones to be used against us by an enemy."

"But what about my wife, sir?"

"She'll receive a shockingly large death benefit," Aaron said. "Don't worry about her. The Society watches out for those we leave behind. After your untimely passing, you'll be permanently assigned to a cell. Then you'll begin your new life as a Spear."

"Doing what, exactly?"

"Protecting the Earth from God's enemies. That's what we do every day. That's what you'll do for the rest of your life."

Hanley lowered his head and stared at the floor. He felt completely overwhelmed by what was happening.

"We're done," Ethel said. "Marina, take him back to his hotel."

"Yes, ma'am," Marina said.

She found a winter coat for Hanley. She tugged on his arm to get him to his feet. When he stood up, he automatically expected to feel pain, but his knee was solid and strong. He couldn't help but smile.
This job has nice health benefits at least,
he thought.

Marina led him outside. He discovered he had been held in a small suburban house. He saw the tall buildings of downtown Milwaukee in the distance.

They got into a car and travelled towards downtown in silence. He had a thousand questions, but he wanted a moment to think before he asked them. He had a lot to think about.

He looked over and noticed she was still wearing her weapons. He could easily grab the gun from her holster. The idea was tempting.

She handed the gun to him. "Here, take it if it makes you feel better."

He checked the weapon and found it was loaded with explosive tipped bullets. He thought about pointing the gun at her, but it wouldn't accomplish anything. She was going to release him anyway.

"Cheer up," she said. "One day you'll look back and realize this was one of the best nights of your life."

"Then why do I feel like I just got shanghaied by pirates?" he said.

"Joining the Society is a rough experience for everybody. When God decides you're ready, it happens fast."

"So I should blame God for this?"

She shrugged. "If you want. Honestly, you're going to love your new life. There are only 210 members in North America, less now thanks to you. We have to protect 500 million souls. Sometimes we fall short, but when we win, it's the greatest feeling ever. It's worth all the pain and sacrifices."

"How many lives have you saved, really?"

"Me? Millions, I suppose. I've been in the business for eleven years."

"Come on." He made a face at her.

"I don't want to go through all my missions. I'm too tired. But I'm telling the truth. You're on God's team now, and we play for the highest stakes."

He frowned. "All this talk about God. It still sounds like religious nonsense to me."

"I've met the Guy several times. Manifestations, at least." She held up her hand. "He gave me these fingernails."

"No offense, but black nail polish isn't a good look for you."

"That's my natural color. They grow black and very sharp. Touch them if you want, but be careful."

She held out her hand. He touched the tip of one fingernail and nicked his finger. It felt like a razor blade. The black color appeared to be inside the nail.

"That's freaky! And you produce venom, too?"

"I can paralyze people," she said, "put them to sleep, or kill. That's how I knocked you out."

It was one more piece of unbelievable information to throw on top of the pile. These people seemed to live in an entirely different world.

Hanley furrowed his brow. "But how does the Society really work? Where does the money come from?"

"You're obsessed with money." She glanced at him.

"I spend a lot of time in budget meetings."

She rolled her eyes. She took out a bulky gray phone like the one Ethel had used.

"Bethany?" Marina said. "I have Hanley with me. Ethel just made him a member. It sounds crazy, but it's true. He has questions about money. Enlighten him." She gave the phone to Hanley.

He spoke into it. "Who is this?"

"Bethany." The voice sounded like a young woman. She spoke softly and in a very polite tone. "I'm one of the computer experts in Chicago. What do you need to know?"

"What's the budget for the Society?"

"We don't have one."

"Then where does the money come from?" Hanley said.

"I'm not allowed to answer that question. It's one of the secret ways God interacts with mankind. It's complicated anyway. I'll tell you money is a very powerful illusion, but nothing more than that. Why? Do you need some?"

"Sure. I always want more money."

"I can't give you money just because you want it," Bethany said. "You have to actually need it for something useful. That's the rule."

He furrowed his brow. "I have some credit card payments which are due."

"You have debts?"

"A mortgage, car loans, all the usual stuff. Is that a problem?"

He heard very rapid typing. After a moment she said, "They're gone."

"What are?"

"Your debts. There will be no more payments."

"Huh?" He raised his eyebrows. "How did you do that?"

She sighed. "Do you need anything else?"

"Can you put ten million dollars in my checking account?" he said eagerly.

"Do you want it or need it?"

"But you can do it?"

"Of course," she said. "It's just a number in a computer. You're wasting my time, and I don't appreciate it. I've had a very long day."

"Sorry."

"Can I talk to Marina, please?"

"Sure." He gave the phone back to Marina.

"How are you guys holding up?" she said. "I know. We're all tired. Call Aaron and ask him if you can sleep. I think the heavy lifting is done for tonight. Bye." She put away her phone.

Hanley was silent for a moment. It felt strange to be completely free of debt.

"Satisfied?" Marina said.

"She just deleted all my loans." He looked at her. "Is everything that easy for you guys?"

"We have problems, too. They're just different from the problems normal people have. Ours are always life threatening. We'll be back at the hotel in a few minutes, so let's go over your instructions again."

"Send the Unit back to Washington. Convince Rosecrans to retire. Stay in contact with Xavier."

"And don't let him even suspect you flipped sides," she said. "Be extremely careful with him. You don't get to be a commander if you're any kind of fool, and he's been a commander for a long time. Oh, don't forget the survivors from San Francisco. Call the warden and make sure our people are treated well."

"ADX Florence doesn't have luxury accommodations, but I'll do my best."

They were quiet for a moment. Hanley could see the hotel in the distance. At this time of night, there was no traffic at all.

Marina smiled and patted him on the leg. "You'll be OK."

"What evidence do you have to support that dubious statement?"

"Let's just say you smell like a proper Spear."

"And how does a proper Spear smell?" He looked at her.

"Like a grave yard."

He snorted. "I'm not sure if that's a good thing."

She shrugged.

"Ethel..."

"Refer to her as the legate."

"The legate mentioned a very generous pension for Rosecrans," he said. "How much should I offer him?"

"Money, again?" She glared at him.

"I just need a number."

"It really doesn't matter. Whatever seems reasonable to you will be fine. And while you're at it, you can pick how much money you want your widow to receive. Just tell Aaron, and he'll have Bethany take care of it."

"Do I have to fill out an expense report?" Hanley said.

She widened her eyes. "I can tell this is going to be a difficult transition for you."

She dropped him off in the hotel parking lot and drove away. She let him keep the gun. It was a nice one, and he appreciated the gift.

According to his watch, only two hours had passed since his abduction. It had seemed much longer. He might still get a little sleep tonight.

Four police cars and a forensics unit were parked in front of the hotel. He realized he would have to answer a lot of questions. He obviously couldn't tell anybody the truth, but he didn't have the mental energy to come up with a convincing lie. That left saying nothing at all. Fortunately, the military had a tried and true procedure for doing exactly that.

Hanley entered the warm lobby, went to the elevator, and rode up to the seventh floor. He stepped out of the elevator and found two soldiers on either side of the door.

They jumped to their feet. "Sir! You're alive!"

"Yes," Hanley said, "I'm fine, and thanks for your concern. You can go back to your rooms now. You're relieved of guard duty. There's no need for special security anymore."

He went down the hall and around the corner. There was a cluster of men gathered near the door of his room. Most were men from the Unit, but some police officers were in the mix. Colonel Rosecrans stood with the rest, and he was wearing a bathrobe. Forensics technicians were dusting the doors for fingerprints.

As soon as the men saw Hanley, they came running over. He was immediately peppered with questions.

He put up his hands. "Sorry, I can't talk about it. That's classified information."

The questions continued. He had to say "classified" several more times before everybody calmed down. It was like a magic word.

"The party is over, gentlemen," Hanley said. "Nothing happened that you need to know about. Go to your rooms and try to get some sleep." He looked at the police officers. "You can go too. I'm sorry we wasted your time. It was all a big misunderstanding."

The police were reluctant to leave, but his refusal to cooperate eventually defeated them. Finally, the only person left in the hallway was Rosecrans.

The colonel glared. "What happened to you? And if you tell me it's classified, I'll slug you." There was a red mark on his cheek.

"What happened to your face?"

"The maid kicked me."

"The maid?" Hanley said.

"Yes. She had white hair."

Odelia,
Hanley thought.

"Then they gave me some kind of drug." Rosecrans touched a small cut on his neck. "Made me sleep for an hour."

Marina.
"But you're fine now?" Hanley said.

"Just shaken up."

"What about the men?"

"No serious injuries," Rosecrans said. "The Society made us look like complete chumps."

Compared to them, that's what we are,
Hanley thought. "That's good news."

"You're avoiding the question. I presume you had your mysterious meeting."

"Let's not talk about this in the hallway."

They went into Hanley's hotel room. Seeing his familiar possessions struck him oddly. The Race Hanley who owned these things would soon be dead.

Rosecrans closed the door. "Spill it. You can start by telling me how you escaped."

Hanley sat on the bed and stared at his friend. There was so much he wanted to say and so little he could.

"They let me go."

"Did they hurt you?" Rosecrans said.

"Not really. We just talked, but I can't say what we talked about. I will tell you this mission is hopelessly compromised. My contact was feeding us bullshit from the beginning. We have to send the men home before anybody else gets killed. We really shouldn't be here at all. We'll leave in the morning."