CHAPTER 2

"...I had sent my spies out… that I might discover their preparations…"

Mosiah 10:7

October 2013, Florida USA

Doctor Scott Hardy was in his mid-fifties and not getting any younger and he currently wasn’t in a happy mood. He was actually in a foul mood and his morose thoughts were making it worse. He had spent almost thirty years teaching physics at Santa Fe College in Florida and he resented every day of it. That day back in 1984 still rankled. His life had been taken from him when Colonel Stone had come back and told him that the government was taking control of his project for national security reasons.

They told him that as of that moment he would no longer be allowed to conduct research or even speak about what he had been doing. They also told him that neither he nor any member of his team could have any further contact with each other or they would be imprisoned. His G.H.O.S.T. project was now no longer his. Instead the government had set him up with this tenured position teaching undergraduates and strongly recommended that he keep it.

As it always did remembering his project brought memories of his team and desires to know how and what they were doing now. One team member especially came to mind, Sarah Winter, the woman he had loved and been forbidden to ever see again. Sarah was the first person he had found for his team back when they were both graduate students. His ideas about ghost phenomena had intrigued her and fired her imagination as much as his.

They had stayed together for the next several years and fallen in love but just didn’t see a need to get married since they spent all of their time together anyway. Then when the government had taken his project and forbidden them contact they saw their mistake. Kevin and Wendy Sparks were allowed to stay together because they had been married. Scott regretted many things in his life but the two biggest were not marrying Sarah and sending a videotape of his project to the government. Of course, at the time, he and his team needed funding so they decided to send the tape. That didn’t alter the thought in Scott’s mind that the two greatest losses in his life were due to his choice to send that tape. This was the line that his thoughts were taking as he walked from his classroom to his office.

As he approached his office he saw the two men in uniform standing next to his door and his already foul mood turned to one of total belligerence. He marched up to the nearest man and pushed his nose up against the soldier’s and said, “I have done everything you people ever told me and have paid for that with a lifetime. What do you want now, my blood?” The soldier’s eyes widened slightly and he took a measured step back away from the face of Hardy’s aggression.

Before Hardy could follow up on his anger the other soldier intervened by saying, “Doctor Hardy, please, we aren’t here to cause you any problems. We need to speak to you about your project, it’s urgent.” Hardy’s anger wasn’t cooled it simply refocused itself on the speaker and he said, “I don’t recognize either of you but your people have already taken that and more from me so I don’t have any more that I can give you. Why don’t you just go away and leave me alone?” With that he pushed between the two soldiers and went into his office where he received the second unpleasant surprise of the day; Major Decker was sitting in one of his guest chairs.

“Hello, Doctor Hardy,” Decker said as he rose from the chair and offered his hand to shake. Hardy just stood there looking down at Decker’s hand and fought to contain the rage that was trying to overwhelm him. After about a minute Hardy raised his gaze to Decker’s and the anger was so plain on his face that Decker lowered his hand and looked away.

“You have a lot of nerve coming here after what you and Stone did to me. I want you out of here, now,” Hardy said in response to Decker’s greeting.

Decker’s hands came up in a semi-defensive gesture which turned into a calming motion. “I’m very sorry about what happened to you Doctor Hardy and I certainly don’t want to cause you any more pain, but I need your help,” Decker replied.

“You have got to be out of your mind if you think that I would ever do anything to help you. Where’s your boss Stone? Doesn’t he want to take some more from me?”

“Stone retired after our visit with you and no one knows what happened to him after that. Would you at least give me a few minutes to let me tell you why I’m here and then you can decide if you’ll help me?”

“I’ll give exactly one minute and then I’ll call campus security,” Hardy said through clenched teeth.

Hardy walked around his desk and sat but glowered at Decker as he started to seat himself again. With a deep sigh Decker straightened back up and began to tell why he had come. “Doctor Hardy, about twenty years ago or so we discovered through intelligence sources that an organization, we believed it was the Russians, had begun to experiment with creating wormholes to other places. The reports contained enough details that we became convinced their research was based on your own work. All of your former associates were scrutinized but no evidence was ever found that any of them had had contact with that organization. You were then placed under surveillance and your home and office searched several times over a five year period.”

“I knew something was going on, I knew it, but no one would listen to me. I kept finding my things had been moved or altered just a bit but security and the police just told me I was being paranoid. I may have been paranoid but, as it turns out I was right, too,” Hardy interjected with a scowl at Decker.

“No evidence was ever found that you were in contact with the Russians, the organization, or anyone else or that you had ever revisited your work,” continued Decker. “Nor was any evidence found that your office or home had been bugged or searched by anyone other than us at any time. You were basically cleared of any connection to the leak but you were not contacted directly for fear that you might be meeting or otherwise transmitting information that could not be detected. After the five years of surveillance you were left alone in all ways and allowed to continue your life with almost no suspicion but you were also to be kept at arm’s length.

“At the same time the NSA and the President deemed it prudent that your work be brought out of mothballs and continued in a top-secret location. Because you were under suspicion at the time you were not told nor were any of the people that were recruited allowed to contact you in any way.”

“So, it wasn’t enough for you to just steal my life’s work, you also lied about it being too dangerous to be continued,” Hardy laughed to himself with grim humor.

“Believe me, I only found out about the existence of the operation about a month ago when I was assigned as the director by the OSI. Doctor Hardy, the bottom line is that the G.H.O.S.T. project has been operating for years without either of us knowing about it. Some excursions have been made using the GHOST technology that you created and now I need your help to solve a problem. Our science director specifically requested that you be brought in to help. I thought it would be best if I came personally to make the request.”

“After our last meeting I find it a little difficult to trust you; so tell me Major Decker, what’s in it for me – what kind of guarantees would I have?”

Decker’s brow drew down into a scowl and he heaved a deep sigh of frustration before replying. “Doctor Hardy, I can’t give you any guarantees on anything. I am the one who approved this contact and I came personally because I believe that what was done to you was wrong. What I can also tell you is that if you can help with our problem and we don’t find any additional security issues surrounding you, then I will want to keep you with the project permanently and you will be able to continue your work.”

“Why don’t you just tell me what kind of problem you’re having and I’ll tell you if I can help you fix it, Major Decker?”

“Unfortunately Doctor Hardy I can’t tell you anything unless you agree to join the project and come with us.”

Hardy stood and paced within the confines of his small office. He kept his hands behind his back tapping one into the other as he paced back and forth. He scowled and shook his head from time to time after shooting glances at Decker. He paced this way for about thirty minutes and then went around the office looking at things and reflecting on his life for the last thirty years; picking up first one item and then another before replacing them with a small smile or a shake of his head and a frown.

He returned to pacing for a few more minutes and then turned to Decker and said, “You’ve just explained all about how you’re not sure if you can trust me with my own ideas and project but the real question isn’t whether you can trust me or not. The real questions are whether I can trust you and why I should. So tell me Major, can I trust you?”

“Doctor Hardy I believe that trust can only be earned and not simply given. I can’t say anything that will cause you to trust me so I don’t know how to answer your first question. I can tell you that I am not your enemy and I would like to be your friend or, if not, at least your colleague. What you showed me that day has stayed with me ever since and I think that you should be a part of what is happening with the project now. Again, I would like to be your friend but I would settle for being your associate on this endeavor. So if you would like to be part of your own project again I’m offering you that chance, but you need to decide now because we are on a clock.”

Hardy sat down and leaned back in his chair and gave Decker a hard look for several minutes as he drummed his fingers on his desk. Finally he leaned forward and said, “All right, Major, I accept but I want to have access to all of my old data.”

“I’m sorry Doctor but right now you will be given access only to what the project director thinks you’ll need. You are going to be on the project on a provisional basis until we can be certain that I’ve made the right decision in letting you come back in. Once that has been determined then we’ll be able to talk about your access. That’s the best I can give you for now and I hope that my candor will let you know that you can trust me.”

“For now, that will be enough. When do we leave?”

“Is there anything you want to take from this office? Anything you think you’ll need?”

Hardy looked around his office again with its accumulated detritus of a thirty year career teaching undergraduate students. The basic physics textbooks, piles of ungraded papers, various knick-knacks that favorite students had given him over the years and files stuffed with old exams he had planned on recycling. He looked on the remains of his artificially limited life and in a quiet and sad voice and with a small shake of his head he replied that there was nothing he would need to take from his office. He said they could go any time Decker was ready.

“I’ll tell the officers outside to escort you home to gather a few things and then we’ll be wheels up in one hour. By the way Doctor Hardy, those two officers will be with you until the decision is made on your status with the project. They’ll help you with anything they can but they are as much guards as assistants. I believe it will be the best for both of us,” Decker said.

When they reached Hardy’s house at least one of his two guardians was with him at all times as he went through the house and gathered up some clothes and other personal items that they recommended he take. Hardy also pointed out some of his books that he wanted to take and asked his keepers to collect them while he gathered his socks and underwear – and the thumb drives he had folded into his socks.

Hardy had been aware that the government had been keeping him under surveillance since they took away his project and, while he had not shared his thoughts or calculations with anyone but himself, he had not simply given up on his research. He had kept everything on thumb drives rather than on his computers so that no evidence could be found if his computers were searched. He knew that there would be valuable data on them that he could use and he couldn’t just leave it behind. After just a half-hour Hardy was ready to leave and got back into the car that had brought him and he was on his way back to his life.

***

The person in the dark, baggy sweat-pants and hoodie with the hood pulled up had been watching the children play while feeding the birds for nearly two hours before crossing the street and waiting at the bus stop on the east side of the street, across from Huntridge Circle Park. They sat on the bench waiting until the last bus of the evening was approaching then they reached under and stuck the envelope to the bottom of the bench as it arrived. As the door of the bus opened the person stood up, boarded the bus and rode away.

An hour later a man wearing an expensive business suit came around the corner from Francis Avenue and walked toward the bus stop from the north. When he was about twenty feet away he withdrew a small device from his pocket, pointed it at the street light, and pressed a red button on it. The street light over the bus stop sputtered and went out and in the darkness the man reached under the bench and removed the envelope and tucked it into his jacket, barely breaking his stride. He kept walking south and when he was nearly twenty feet away from the bus stop the street light flashed a few times, started to glow, and slowly came back on. As he reached the next corner a black town car, with windows tinted so dark the surrounding night seemed no more than twilight, stopped and he climbed in through the rear door.

The car turned west on Charleston Boulevard and headed toward the center of the city. It didn’t have a particular destination and drove the streets randomly turning corners and changing directions as the driver felt. After an hour of driving the man felt certain they hadn’t been followed. He turned on the reading light and reached into his jacket, withdrew the envelope, and opened it. He stared at the note for a minute before he remembered the particular cipher he had assigned to this operative and then started to read:

“I am unable to acquire either package. Access has become highly restricted and controlled. Decker has gone to recruit Hardy. He will return tonight. If Hardy joins the project he won’t take long to find what I did. I need instruction on how I am to proceed.”

The man re-read the note and then tore it into eight equally sized pieces. He returned the pieces to the envelope and rolled it up tightly and placed it into a small metal canister. He poured lighter fluid into the canister, soaking the paper inside. After turning off the reading light he made sure the street they were on had no other traffic or pedestrians, then he pressed the window button and as the window silently lowered he lit the contents of the canister and then tossed it from the window.

He pressed the window button again and as it returned to the raised position he sat back in his seat and thought about how he should proceed while the car continued its random course through the city. He wasn’t certain how long he had been thinking when his attention was caught by the bright lights and crowds that walked the central strip of hotels in the center of the city. Their course had brought them to cross the area and the flashing lights brought him back to the present and he made his decision. He leaned forward and said to the driver, “Take me to the second drop. After that I’ll need to go to the airport, but don’t hurry.” The driver nodded his understanding and continued his circuitous drive through the city.

The man took his tablet from his pocket and typed out his message using the same cipher and sent it to the small, portable printer on the seat next to him:

“Proceed with mission. Obtain packages by any means necessary. Prevent Hardy from resolving problem until package is in hand. Acquisition of first package imperative. If you are unable to obtain the entire second package, a sample will be adequate but must be acquired.”

The man read over his response after it was printed, folded it precisely into thirds, placed it in an envelope and sealed it. He then sat back and waited until they arrived at the second drop site. The car pulled next to the curb on Horse Drive and the man got out of the car. As he walked into the park the car pulled away from the curb and made a right turn at the next corner.

He walked along the gravel path that led into the park until he reached the central court. He went and sat on the middle of three benches near the sandy play area. He sat looking out over the play area and soccer pitch for ten minutes before he pulled himself up from the bench with his hands and continued through the court to the gravel path. He followed the path as it wound around to the parking area on the south-west side of the park. When he reached the parking lot he turned west and walked until he saw a trash can. He tossed a wadded paper at the trash can as he went past.

The paper missed but fell next to the can. The man made a disgusted sound and walked over, bent down to retrieve the paper, dropped it in the can and then walked across the parking lot and out to the street. As he crossed the parking lot he muttered to himself, “Fortunately for me you are not my only asset on this project.” A few seconds after he reached the street his car pulled to the curb next to him and stopped only long enough for him to again climb into the rear seat. The car pulled away without waiting for the door to be completely shut. As his car drove away into the night the man began composing a text message on his phone.

Thirty minutes later an old Camaro that had seen better days pulled into the parking lot and parked at the far eastern end of the lot. The person in baggy sweats and hoodie got out and walked up the gravel path and into the park. After following the path into the central court they walked to the same middle bench and sat down for a couple of minutes. Then they also pulled on the front of the bench to stand up and continued through the court around the building to find the paved path that passed the tennis and basketball courts. That path led back to the parking lot and the person, heading back toward their car, walked up to a trash can, dropped a water bottle in and then knelt down next to it to tie their shoe. Before they stood up they slipped their hand under the can and retrieved the envelope the man had placed there.

The person walked back to their Camaro, got in, opened the envelope and read the note. After reading the note they said, “What are you expecting me to do? This is not the bargain I made! I can’t do this anymore! I will not go to jail!” slamming their fists on the steering wheel with each exclamation.

The person sat staring at the note crumpled in their hands for a long time. After taking a few deep breaths, they ripped the note and envelope into tiny pieces, started the Camaro and drove off into the darkness heading for the north-bound entrance to US highway ninety-five. Along North Fort Apache Road a blizzard of paper flakes was left in the wake of the Camaro as the person started their three hour drive.

Ten minutes after the Camaro’s taillights had disappeared, deep in the driveway of a home on Teton Crest Place that faced the park, the door of a dark sedan opened. The car had been nearly invisible parked in the deep gloom next to the garage. No light escaped from the car because the dome light had been turned off. A man in uniform slowly exited the car and a stray bit of moonlight reflected of something metal at his chest and collar as he turned toward the street. Stiff from sitting for hours he walked rigidly up the street to North Fort Apache Road. When he reached the road he took a small flashlight out of his pocket and carefully jogged across to the park.

First he went to the trash can the two individuals had approached and, after poking around a bit, removed something. Then he returned to the street and started methodically walking west sweeping his light on the ground in slow arcs until he found what he was looking for, a tiny piece of torn paper. He carefully picked it up with a pair of tweezers and placed it in a plastic bag. He continued this process for two or three hours until he had gathered all of the papers he could find. Having decided there was nothing more he could do alone he returned to his car and started his own three hour drive north on highway ninety-five.