Monday, October 31, 2011

The Honey Trap (Chapter 5)

       Dr. Allison Krieger stood motionless, in quiet contemplation, watching her fish as they swam gracefully within the large wall sized aquarium. There was an audible hum as the cleaner drones disposed of the uneaten food and drink, returning the table to its normal day to day state.
      The door chimed.
      “Enter,”she said, her attention still focused on the fish. A Deteis member of her research staff entered the darkened dining room. He wore a white lab coat. His sandy blonde hair was cropped close. Although he was visibly younger than her, in his early thirties, he exuded a sense of quiet professionalism that belied his youth. Allison glanced over her shoulder at him as he entered. The light from the aquarium cast an iridescent blue sheen over her face.
      “Good evening Dr. Magad,” Allison said, nodding in his direction, before turning her gaze back to the tropical underwater world.
      “Looks like the dinner went well,” he said, observing the drones cleaning the table. “Did you learn anything new about his origins?” He approached her as he spoke, coming to a stop a few feet off her left shoulder.
      “He was surprisingly forthcoming with questions that helped me form a rough personality profile.” She crossed her arms and took in a deep breath, letting it out slowly. “He wouldn't answer anything that would help us identify him, or the group he works for. I didn't bother to press him about it further. From our talk in interrogation it was clear he wasn't going to give that information up.”
      Dr. Magad had a look of mild surprise on his face. “Have you seen someone like him come through here?”
     “Never. Even if their records are sealed or classified to the highest levels there are always records. Someone went through a lot of trouble to make this man disappear.”
      “I see,” he said in a concerned tone. His eyes tracking one of the neon colored fish that weaved in and out of the corral rock. “Subject 11 has no personality tests or combat records on file. It should be interesting to see if he can make it through the program without a psychological breakdown.”
      “Indeed.” She glanced at him, pausing to consider his statement. “Since we can't fully account for his background, I want you to record notes and data points on him, as normal, but make sure that none of Subject Eleven's test results are included in the final statistical analysis. As far as I'm concerned he is an outlier.”
      “Understood,” he said nodding. “Shall I assign him to a random team?”
      “No...put him in Fire-team Alpha.”
      “Throwing him to the wolves from the get go?”
      She smirked mischievously. “Something like that.”

***

      “You wanted to see me, Chairman?
      “I did, Director Berkley, come in.”
      The slender gray haired man stepped through a metallic doorway into the darkened conference room. The Chairman sat alone at the head of a long table centered in the middle of the large dimly lit chamber. A few feet above the table was a holographic star-chart of the New Eden galaxy. It rotated slowly, creating an eerie blue glow that permeated the room.
      Chairman Mabius, like the director, was Deteis but a few years older. Mabius extended an open hand, motioning for the director to take a seat. The director obliged, crossing the room and seating himself to Mabius' right. Mabius removed a cigarette from a case on the desk. He extended the case toward the director.
      “No, thank you.”
      “Just as well, it's a filthy habit anyway,” he said as he lit the cigarette and took a slow drag. He exhaled upward, blowing the pungent smoke toward the star-chart. There was a slight distortion as the smoke mingled with the light. Director Berkley was about to speak when he noticed Mabius staring intently upon the star-chart above them. Berkley found his eyes searching the star-chart for the source of the chairman's apparent fixation. Clearly visible were the various stargate networks that crisscrossed New Eden.
      “It's beautiful isn't it?” Mabius asked.
      The director nodded but remained silent.
      “I sometimes find myself staring up at it with such focus I lose track of entire tracts of time. I must admit it's not an unpleasant occurrence. New Eden's beauty brings me a measure of peace, even during some of the more...turbulent times,” Mabius said, his steely gray eyes still fixed on the image above.
      “I can share the beauty sentiment, but I think that's where we part ways.” Director Berkley's eyes passed over the image as he spoke. “New Eden is as dangerous as it is beautiful. When I look at those stars I can never separate that reality from the representation. All those threats beyond our borders, all laid out clearly for us to see. I see star systems which at worst harbor our numerous enemies,” Berkley said, pointing to the general area of Gallente space, “and at best they contain the forces of lukewarm allies.” He gestured toward the systems belonging to the Amarr. “Not to mention the growing power and unpredictability of the capsuleer class. I don't honestly see how you can look up at that star-chart and derive any kind peace from it.”
      Chairman Mabius leaned back in his chair chuckling. “That's the kind of response I'd expect from a director of operations,” he said with a grin. “Always focus on the threat. With all that training and daily operational experience it becomes a mantra to live by, second nature.” He took another long drag off the cigarette and exhaled. “I was in your shoes not so long ago, I remember all too well what it was like.” His expression became more serious and he leaned forward, his blue eyes focused squarely on the director's face. “There are threats out there, director, that much is undeniable,” he said as he waved his hand in front of his face in a dismissive gesture. “It's important to never lose sight of them, but for every threat and danger that exists out there, there exist many more...opportunities. Opportunities to exploit the weaknesses of our enemies, to turn them on each other, to extend our influence, to bend our enemies to our will.” He paused to tap the cigarette ash into a nearby tray. “It is those opportunities which bring me peace.” He paused, looking back up at the image. “When I stare up at that map I know that for every threat out there, there's ten ropes to hang them with.”
      Director Berkley nodded, and sat silently for a moment. “I'm guessing you didn't summon me here to stare at the star-chart,” he said with a slight smirk.
      “No, I did not,” Mabius said, leaning back to adjust his suit slightly. “I wanted an update on the operative within the Osiris project.”
      “He was moved into place four days ago. The project team confirmed his physiological compatibility with the technology.”
      “I assume you chose an operative that is fully up to the task.”
      The director nodded in the affirmative. “Our psychoanalysts hand picked him as the best suited for the project. The man was a killer before we ever got our hands on him. He's thoroughly battle tested, one of the best operators we have. I'm told he should perform well, but there are no guarantees. Data on how the human psyche copes under that set of circumstances is highly limited.”
      “We will know soon enough,” Mabius said, toking off the cigarette.
      “Combat testing will begin within the next 24 hours. I will be receiving and monitoring performance reports from our contacts within the BPD. Information flow out of the facility will be extremely limited given the nature of the project,” the director said, his brow furrowing noticeably.
      “I know that look,” Mabius said, studying the directors face. “You have concerns you want to voice. Speak them now.”
      The director shifted uncomfortably in his seat. “I still have...” he paused briefly, shifting uncomfortably in his seat, “reservations about your decision to intentionally compromise the security of the project. Project Osiris represents the largest leap forward in Caldari military technology since the capsule. It would provide us with a significant edge over our enemies,” Berkley cautioned. “If he gets his hands on the cloning technology it won't be long before it's up for grabs to the highest bidder, and we both know who that would be.”
      “Your concerns are understandable, but the leak is already underway. We are committed to this course of action. That being said, I still need your continued discretion regarding this operation. The success or failure of this will ride heavily upon secrecy. No one new should be brought into the loop... that includes members of the council.”
      “Keeping this a secret may prove difficult. The project is already on the radar of several members of the council. Especially after the near miss with the Amarrian spy ring. If this operation touches off a larger incident there will be an investigation, one that might lead back to us,” Berkley warned.
      Mabius' face turned determined, and he raised his voice to match. “By then it will be too late. I'll deal with them if it comes to that. Regardless of how the rest of the council would see it, the Osiris project is more useful as a necessary sacrifice to achieve a much larger objective. How long after the deployment of the technology before the other major powers catch on and make progress to reestablish parity?” The chairman paused as if waiting for the director to answer.
      Berkley remained silent.
      Mabius' voice calmed slightly. “The project, even if it could be kept a secret until it was ready for deployment, would provide a temporary edge at best.  An edge that would be offset by the current fractured nature of the State. We would never be able to use the advantage in time to do anything meaningful.” Mabius pressed a finger into the desk as if to punctuate the end of the sentence. “The speed with which capsule technology spread serves as the perfect example of how short a time such a technological advantage can be maintained. Proliferation is assured regardless of what we do.”
      Berkley nodded in agreement. “The possibility exists he might want the project destroyed if he views it as a threat to his own advances.”
      Mabius leaned forward, interlacing his hands in front of him with his elbows resting on the table. His voice lowered slightly. “Steps will be taken to ensure the technology won't be lost to us regardless of his intentions.”
      “I haven't been apprised of such plans,” the director said with a raised eyebrow.
      “They exist.”
      “You have assets in play I don't know about?” Berkley asked, noticeably irritated.
      “It will be taken care of,” Mabius said, waving his hand dismissively. “That is all you need to know for now. Despite the risks involved, the project is the perfect bait. That much is undeniable. The new cloning technology, the potential military application, and the presence of an asset of ours he could turn against us...he won't be able to resist it. It leaves us with an opportunity...an opportunity we should use to our advantage.”

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