Changing Tides (3 page)

“Everyone back to work,” Major Fitzwilliams ordered. “I expect all officers in the conference room now.”

Brett joined the flow of people leaving the lounge and made his way to the secure conference room. The weekly meeting would no doubt ignore what had just been broadcast. Trying to shake off the uneasy feeling left behind by his commander’s decision, he took a seat and replayed the news. He didn’t believe in the theory that investigation added credibility. It was the same thing he’d been told when Taren was killed. There would be no search for the responsible parties, because it would mean that the government saw them, whoever was truly responsible, as a real problem or threat, which would lead to more people being murdered. Too many questions or accusations thrown out heedlessly would destabilize the government and erase everything General Landry had accomplished.

He knew that—his father was a colonel and would make base commander soon—but it didn’t make any more sense now in this situation than it had when Taren was murdered. The need to do something pricked at his conscience. He hated the idea of not acting, of not trying to catch whoever was trying to purposely start a civil war.

Brett schooled his features as the conference room filled up. The conversations centered around the holiday celebration, as though they hadn’t just been told that possibly hundreds of thousands of people were dead. They acted as if the government hadn’t been accused of lying about responsibility for the deaths and stealing money from its citizens, who paid extra taxes for loved ones who had been committed.

Aware that he was being watched, Brett made sure to behave the same way as he always did. He sat in his usual seat, answered questions on his holiday as his stomach rolled with disbelief and kept his comments concise and direct. The idea of not even doing a cursory investigation didn’t make sense to him. It might have if Taren hadn’t been murdered, but he had. And the same reasons touted for not trying to find out who had killed him shouldn’t apply to an accusation of this severity.

After the briefing ended, he headed for the bathroom then returned to his desk. Grateful for a lack of cameras inside the large windowless room, he sat down. He’d need to sort through the latest assignments, shuffling workloads as needed before he started compiling a list of people and groups who might have the ability to hack into government media systems, break into gated institutions patrolled by armed guards and get video images of everything. It was all he could do given the fact that he shouldn’t be looking into it at all.

Brett blew out a breath and shoved a hand through his hair. He had to do something. If he didn’t, he’d start thinking about things he shouldn’t be. Things like Orion and what if the video was right? What if the government had lied to them about this? What then? More than that, what else are they are lying about?

Brett picked up a pen and spun it through the fingers of one hand and swore. Orion should be in an institution. Somehow, Brett’s father had learned of his interest in him and checked him out. Orion was the only surviving child of Lieutenant Colonel Janice Hellman, a nationally recognized hero who had given her life to save General Vanessa Landry from an assassin’s bullet. The rest of his family had died in an accident when they swerved to prevent a runaway vehicle from hitting a group of children. It was because of those incidents that Orion, who had already been in a military academy, was kept out of the institution. Doctors claimed trauma had induced idiocy.

If the video was right, Orion would be dead, too. Brett clenched and unclenched his fists and took another deep breath. Anger would help no one; it would only draw attention to himself.

Tossing the pen aside, he pulled out a notepad and the file he’d been given earlier. He needed to organize his thoughts and shift internal priorities. The task at hand could help him with both ideas. His focus had been on Orion when he’d originally been handed the file, and he hadn’t paid close enough attention to it. He needed to familiarize himself with the assignment and try to recall what had been said about it. Determined, he forced his thoughts away from the man he’d been dreaming about constantly since they’d first met.

Kissing Orion last night had been the highlight of his last few months and the perfect way to end his leave. Heck it still consumed his thoughts. He struggled to focus, then a piece of paper tucked under his keyboard caught his attention.

Carefully pulling it out, he looked up and around the room. No one was nearby or looking in his direction. Heart pounding, he unfolded the small, white sheet. Stomach clenched, he read and reread the neatly printed block letters. Fear threatened to overwhelm him.

Someone with access to his office and desk had left a simple note thanking him for saving their brother’s life. The message hadn’t been signed and hadn’t said anything threatening, still his unease and fear escalated. What else did they know? Did they want anything? Would they blackmail him? Would they force him to do something illegal or immoral or ask for money? Brett bit the inside of his cheek, forcing his body to calm down. He needed to figure out what his next steps would be.

He hadn’t told anyone he’d helped the injured stranger. He certainly hadn’t told the injured man where he worked or even his name. Brett hadn’t recognized him. He hadn’t even seemed vaguely familiar. That the man knew Brett’s identity was unsettling enough. That more than one person knew and that someone had gotten in here and placed a note on his desk without raising suspicion was down right disturbing. There was no way the injured man could have made it onto base, let alone into the building without raising suspicion or getting arrested.

Brett drew in a deep breath then let it out slowly. He couldn’t discuss this with anyone. He’d only meant to help someone. Now, he could lose everything he’d worked for. If he wasn’t careful, not only would he lose his freedom, he’d lose his life.

The light on his phone flashed, pulling him from his thoughts.

“Lieutenant DeMarco speaking,” Brett said into the receiver.

“In my office, now,” Major Fitzwilliams demanded.

“Yes, Sir.”

Brett hung up the phone. Unlocking a drawer in his desk, he removed a couple sheets of blank paper then slipped the note between them. Stopping at the cross-cut shredder used for shredding confidential information, he fed the sheets through it before heading into Major Fitzwilliams’ office.

“Close the door and sit down, Lieutenant,” Major Fitzwilliams said firmly, waiting until Brett was seated before continuing. “Under normal circumstances, you’re right to have your team start looking into the video.”

“These aren’t normal circumstances?”

“No, they aren’t,” Major Fitzwilliams said. The older man leaned forward, resting his elbows on the edge of his desk. “The person listed in that video wasn’t some random name. He’s the son of General Williamson, the head of Homeland Security.”

Brett swore. “That—”

“Changes everything. Yes. I want you to work on it, quietly. Also, I’m not sure if you’re aware of it or not, but General Landry’s cousin and uncle were also placed in an institution years ago by her father. So, while I’m letting you proceed discreetly, we will need to wait for direction from the Capitol and Homeland Security,” Major Fitzwilliams said, steepling his fingers and leaning forward. “I trust this will not go any further.”

“No, Sir, it won’t.” Brett stood. He’d forgotten about the scandal concerning General Landry’s uncle. Her father had taken over, declaring himself president after finding both his brother and nephew in compromising positions that had led to a judge proclaiming them mentally deficient. General Vanessa Landry was later viewed as a hero for wiping out the corruption that had been present under her father and uncle’s reigns.

“One more thing. It has come to my attention that you’re interested in the general’s special staff member.”

Brett let out a breath. “Yes, Sir.”

“Don’t let it affect your job, and don’t share any of this with him or anyone else.”

Brett nodded. “I understand, Sir. I won’t.”

“Good. I know your choices must be made in a matter of months, but you’ll need to talk to Brigadier General Reynolds about the boy. There are circumstances that must be considered. I would, however, wait until tomorrow to approach him.”

“Yes, Sir. Is there anything else, Sir?”

“No, you’re dismissed.”

Brett saluted, turned and left the office. Once back at his desk, he doled out assignments and discreetly worked with Tech Sergeant Westbrook on the video. Throughout the day, he found himself wondering how Orion was doing and if he was safe.

* * * *

Brett stretched and rubbed the bridge of his nose between his thumb and forefinger. He’d learned that a half-dozen individual teams across the country were trying to figure out who had hijacked the system and had been for the last five days. The government’s response had promised an investigation and told citizens not to believe the lies being spread by the terrorists. They’d assured people their relatives were fine.

Brett knew the messages did little to reassure anyone. There had been an unprecedented demand to see those who had been institutionalized. While no mention of General Williams had been made public, within twenty-four hours of the broadcast, everyone had known who the person shown in the broadcast had been.

Adding to the mounting tension were the lists. Names of people, their birthdates and their death dates, as well as photos of the graves. The lists were released randomly with no common point of origin. So far, no one had been able to determine how it was being done, who was doing it or why.

Glancing at the time, Brett grabbed the files he’d been working on and made his way to the conference room. It was the same one he’d met his father in weeks earlier. This time, it was filled with top security personnel, including Brigadier General Reynolds—and he hoped Orion. Brett hadn’t yet been able to speak with the general about Orion, but he’d made a point to be outside every night when Orion was running. He’d joined him the last three times.

Orion no longer protested the kiss Brett gave him each night, but he flatly refused to go up to Brett’s quarters with him. Nor did he invite Brett up to his. They were finding ways to communicate with each other. It was a slow, frustrating process for both of them. Brett was fairly certain he was the first person to try to get to know the man in years, possibly his whole life.

Brett entered the conference room, automatically searching for the man he’d become enamored with. Hiding his disappointment when didn’t see Orion, he took a seat at the far end of the table. Hope sparked inside him when he realized Brigadier General Reynolds wasn’t present either. He sent up a silent prayer that Orion would be accompanying the general to the meeting.

Several long minutes passed before security called to say the general was on his way up. Fear of failing shot through Brett and was quickly chased away by adrenaline. The sudden realization that he was the youngest and lowest ranking person in the room did little to reassure him. It wasn’t often he’d attended security meetings with the base commander present, but Major Fitzwilliams had reiterated these were unusual circumstances.

“Room atten-hut!” The order was snapped out as soon as the door opened, letting the general in.

Heart pounding in his chest, Brett stood still and waited to see Orion. The door closed behind the senior officer. Disappointment pushed away any remaining fear or adrenaline.

“At ease. Be seated,” Brigadier General Reynolds said. Silently, chairs moved and people sat down. Papers shifted as everyone situated themselves. “So, where are we on these terrorists responsible for the video and lists?”

“Lieutenant DeMarco has that report,” Major Fitzwilliams answered.

“Go ahead, Lieutenant,” Brigadier General Reynolds said, flatly.

“Yes, Sir,” Brett replied taking a deep breath. “We know that a group calling itself Citizens for a Free Aelland is now claiming responsibility for the original and ongoing breaches. However, aside from the name, there’s little known about the group. They are also calling President General Landry a tyrant and dictator, demanding her resignation and execution and asking the people to rise up and demand the democratic government we once had. They have yet to release any sort of manifesto, so the true purpose of their agenda is unknown. At this time, we have to assume they are trying to overthrow the government.”

“Anything else?”

“Unfortunately, no, Sir. We have reexamined previous suspicious persons, as well as looked over any new information, and we can find no one associated with this group. There is no history of them, no prior mention of them anywhere by anyone.”

“I see.”

“There were several statements made shortly after the terrorists made their initial announcements. However, except in one case, all of those appeared randomly and without any way to back them up or connect them to the group or any one person. They were conflicted and offered no real information. We don’t know which, if any were made by actual members of this group.”

“And the condition of the person we did know about.”

“My understanding is that he died during the interrogation, without revealing any information, Sir.”

“Here?”

“No, Sir, at Fort Landry.”

“I see. Do we know how they are getting into the system?” the general asked.

“No, Sir. Not that I’ve been able to determine.”

Brigadier General Reynolds nodded. “Write up a formal report detailing everything you know and any suspicions you have, and have it to me this evening. Because of the group’s level of sophistication and knowledge, Homeland Security thinks it’s most likely based out of the capitol. They will handle the investigation from now on.”

Brett hesitated before responding. “Yes, Sir.”

In his gut, he disagreed, but there were no clues, no information pointing to who the Citizens for a Free Aelland were, what their message was or how to get rid of them.

“You disagree with this decision, Lieutenant?” Brigadier General Reynolds asked.

“Yes, Sir, but I have nothing else to offer, no other evidence or information to say otherwise,” Brett replied. “Homeland Security has more resources and information available. Hopefully, they can make more progress than we’ve been able to.”