Patted his hand, but chose to show off my diplomatic skills and not mention that his jealousy could take the day off, in part because he’d only sounded about a three out of ten on the scale. “Okay. So, what’s the issue we’re all here to powwow about?”
Horn sighed. “We’ve identified a link between several multinational corporations to terrorist organizations.”
“You mean aside from Titan Security, Gaultier Enterprises, and YatesCorp, most likely linked to the Al Dejahl terrorist organization and all of its offshoots? Because those links are seriously old news and if that’s all the F.B.I. has, I think you might want to consider putting in for a transfer to another agency.”
“Yes,” Horn said. “But we also know that they have protection at—”
“The highest political levels. Yeah, old news. If they didn’t my mother would have stopped Herbert Gaultier a hell of a long time before he, ah, disappeared.” And never let me and Amy be friends, of course, so at least some good had come out of the powerful people protecting the Evil Genius Society and its entire membership.
“Yes,” Horn said again. “However, the issue is that it’s been identified that those who used to be in charge of these corporations have all died or disappeared under mysterious circumstances.”
Did my best to look calm and cool. One thing about my recurring nightmare—I wasn’t thrown or flustered by this statement in the least. “Yes, they have. What of it? Is the F.B.I. upset that the old villains aren’t around any more to make a good golf foursome or something?”
Horn chuckled as he shook his head. “No. Titan was brought down, for the most part, but not completely, and it’s starting to rebuild. Gaultier and YatesCorp, however, have sailed along with business as usual, with nary a hiccup, even though they lost their CEOs and then some. Meaning we have new people in old positions or people who’ve been around for a long time ensuring ties to terrorist organizations still remain strong. And we need them stopped.”
“Is the F.B.I. aware that there’s more going on with all these corporations than mere terrorist links? Because there are worse things out there than fanatics with guns, and these three corporations like to really be diverse in the kind of evil services they provide.”
“Yes, we’re very aware.”
“So why are you coming to us?”
Horn looked me straight in the eyes. “Because I know you’re the ones who took down all those people missing and/or presumed dead.”
Maybe I’d been having that damn nightmare for a reason. I shrugged. “Proof would be a requirement, I’d think.” Was proud of myself—my voice didn’t falter in the least and I sounded close to bored.
Horn smiled. “Yes, it would be, if I wanted to bring anyone in for prosecution. But that’s not my goal. The C.I.A. isn’t the only agency willing to make deals in order to get things done.”
“What deals are you talking about?”
Horn’s turn to shrug. “We need to identify which politicians and people in power are behind these anti-alien and anti-U.S. programs. And stop them. Permanently. Preferably before the next big plan is put into action.”
Asked what I felt was the obvious question. “What’s the next big plan?”
“No one knows,” Armstrong said. “Things have been quiet since you identified Lydia Montgomery as being the person responsible for killing off over two dozen fellow politicians.”
Kept my opinion on this to myself. We’d discovered there was a Mastermind behind most of the Bad Guy du Jour plans, and he or she was working like the Sith, meaning an Apprentice was a necessity. Esteban Cantu had been one of the Apprentices, but he’d been arrested during Operation Destruction and murdered by the bad guys during Operation Sherlock. Meaning that it was Open Enrollment time for Apprentice Wannabes.
That had been what drove most of Operation Sherlock—Apprentice Tryouts. Due to evidence, some of which we were all pretty sure was planted, Lydia was incriminated for not just the murders we knew she’d committed but more besides. This had given law enforcement and Capitol Hill a nice feeling of closure. The idea that Lydia had acted alone and there was no one on the grassy knoll helping her out was a stupid assumption on their parts, of course.
However, I could confirm that while there were a lot of questions left unanswered at the end of Operation Sherlock, things had gone very, very quiet in the six months since.
Thought back to the bit of conversation I’d heard on the way in. “If things have been quiet, why are you here?” I asked Horn.
“I agree with Charles—just because things are quiet it doesn’t mean nothing’s going on. But I’d like your opinion, Kitty, about why things are quiet.”
Looked around. “Why mine as opposed to everyone else who’s here? Or is it just that you already know everyone else’s opinions?”
“You’ve been identified by all agencies as being instrumental.”
That wasn’t news I liked hearing. It was accurate, sure, but that everyone in the Alphabet Agencies had me marked as their go-to girl, either pro or con, was unsettling at best. That the heads of the three corporations we were discussing had tried to have what now seemed like an end-run meeting with me only made this worse.
Looked to Chuckie again. He nodded.
“Fine. Has anyone forwarded our Mastermind theory?”
“Yes, Charles and I went over it in some detail the other day.”
Made sense—Horn was now Chuckie’s counterpart in the F.B.I. But Chuckie had called him “sir.” Meaning that Chuckie likely both respected Horn and also thought of him as higher up the food chain. Interesting.
I’d have loved to have more time to process all this interesting, and having had a chance to sit down and regroup from all the morning’s fun activities first would have been nice, too. Chose to hold off on asking where, if this was a lunch meeting, all the food was. Sure I’d just eaten a little while ago, but all the stress and such had worked up my appetite again.
“Super. Well, my opinion is that the Mastermind figured out we were onto him, and has chosen to lie low until we get distracted with something else.”
Horn beamed. “That’s my opinion, too.”
“Why does our being in agreement make you so darned happy, Vander?”
“Because you’re likely to agree with what I want to do.”
Looked around the room. Had the distinct feeling that everyone else knew what Horn wanted to do and that none of them agreed with it.
“Okay, I’ll bite. What’s your plan?”
“I want to do a full-scale congressional investigation into Gaultier Enterprises.”
CHAPTER 9
LET THAT ONE SIT on the air for a bit. Clearly I’d picked up some dream and memory reading talent, maybe from hanging out with Gower for so long. Because I could see where this plan of Horn’s would lead.
“Vander, you realize that if we start congressional hearings over Gaultier, then the disappearance of Herbert Gaultier, and the disappearance and reappearance of LaRue Demorte Gaultier, and her subsequently bringing an alien invasion back with her, will be top of mind for one and all, right?”
“I don’t see it as an issue,” Horn said.
“Twenty bucks says you’re the only one in the room who doesn’t.”
“I agree with the Ambassador,” Armstrong said. “While I’d love to figure out all that Gaultier is involved in, and stop them, a very public display doesn’t sound like it’s in anyone’s best interests.”
Mine in particular. I’d been dreaming about how I’d handle a congressional hearing. “Not well” was my final verdict.
Horn shook his head. “We have Herbert Gaultier’s only child sitting right here. She’s fighting to take control of the corporation. This could help her.”