Alex knew about some of this takeover strategy from the meeting she had eavesdropped on while hidden in the equipment closet. She tried to remember the details of that meeting. Kramer had not appeared to be leading the takeover conspiracy. At the time of that meeting, Alex had not even been able to fully and undoubtedly ascertain if there was, indeed, a conspiracy going on, or just an innocent plan to invest in the company's future. Now the pieces of the puzzle were falling into place, answering most of her questions.
"But here comes Miss Smartass," Kramer continued, "and you start looking into budget cuts for infrastructure and support. Did you look into the stuff that's normally being done, such as cut staffing, training, benefits, perks, and bonuses? No, 'cause you had to do things differently than everyone else, didn't you?" Kramer's voice was filling with anger again. "Unlock the car," she said.
Alex took out her car keys and unlocked the doors.
"Get in here," Kramer said, pointing the gun at the passenger side door, "and get behind the wheel."
Alex complied, keeping her eyes on the gun. She put the key in the ignition and started the engine. Kramer climbed in the passenger seat.
"Where are you taking me?" Alex asked.
"Out to the testing field," Kramer said.
Alex suddenly remembered the drone that locked target on her. All Kramer had to do was launch a drone. She felt a blood-freezing chill, despite the intense heat in the car. She put the vehicle in gear, and then her eyes fell on the temperature reading on the dashboard. It was 129 degrees; the car had sat in the blazing sun for a couple of hours. Then she remembered.
"Can I turn on the AC?" she asked, not willing to startle Kramer with her hand movement.
"What do you think? Jesus, you are such a moron," Kramer said with contempt.
Alex turned the AC dial to the max, held down the fan button for two long seconds, and then hit the air recycling option. Brian Woods had thought of it all, installing the emergency paging and recording system in her car. Now she had a glimmer of hope.
"Why are we going to the testing field?" Alex asked, hoping that someone at The Agency would listen.
"You'll see," Kramer said, then fell silent. "Turn here," she said.
"You know, I was tasked to cut the spending; it wasn't my idea," Alex said, trying to rekindle the conversation.
"Yes, you were. All department heads were. All of them did the same old budget-cutting dance, except you. You had to challenge every systems and software vendor, especially those offshore. You had to audit every contract we had in place, for hundreds of thousands of dollars per month worth of development costs, or outsourced R&D, or off-shored software development. You didn't think of terminating a single employee or cutting a single bonus, but you damned well thought of doubting the judgment and investigating the decisions of all the leaders who signed off on those expenses.
"In the ten days since you were hired, you found a less-expensive vendor for outsourced R&D — not somewhat more inexpensive, but 89 percent, no less! And you had to advertise your big achievement in cost cutting, making us all look like a bunch of clueless idiots with too much money on our hands! Do you know how hard I worked to get these contracts in place, to keep the goddamn stock price under control? Do you know what I am risking if I get caught? Twenty years in prison, because of you, an ambitious little nothing!" Kramer was livid again.
This was not going well, especially considering how far into the testing field they were heading. Alex changed strategies again, hoping to buy some time.
"Why don't you cut me in? I'd be happy to start minding my own business, for even a little bit of the dough," Alex said. "After all, I had no idea I was doing any harm. It was not intentional," she continued in her apologetic tone. "We could become partners, you know, instead of having to hold a gun to my head."
"It's too late now," Kramer said. "You've asked too many questions and spoken to too many people. Now they're asking questions. You've created quite a movement. If you go away in a little accident, they'll know to forever keep their peace. I need to make an example out of you. You deserve what's coming to you, but don't worry, you won't even know what hit you. Pull over there," she said, pointing at one of the concrete bunkers with white letters on it. "Get out of the car," she said, pushing Alex with the gun barrel against her shoulder.
Alex realized her legs had turned to rubber. Her courage seemed to have left her. This was it, and no rescuers were in sight. They're too far away, she thought, they won't make it on time. Irvine to Alpine was an almost two-hour drive. She didn't have two hours.
"Move it," Kramer yelled. She leaned down, stacking a couple of rocks on top of each other, and setting a small object on the top rock.
"What's that?" Alex asked, in a trembling voice.
"Laser spot. It will paint a laser mark on the side of the concrete bunker you'll be occupying. All drones respond with fire on painted targets."
"Why not set the drone to go for this bunker, by giving it the bunker code? I learned that that's why they have letters on them," Alex said, desperately trying to buy some time.
"You're being a smartass again," Kramer said. "It would require me to log into the drone management system, and that would leave a trace of my access. But you already knew that, and that's what you're trying to achieve, aren't you?" She scoffed. "Unbelievable! I don't know what's more infuriating about you, the fact that you're such an arrogant bitch, or the fact that you think all of us are idiots."
Alex felt a wave of hopelessness hit her. Kramer's laser pointer projected a clearly visible spot on the side of the bunker, in glimmering red. There was no way a drone would miss that.
"I'm not an idiot," Kramer continued, grabbing Alex and pushing her toward the bunker door. "I'll leave you to contemplate your miserable, worthless existence, while I walk out of here and get into town, in a crowded restaurant that will provide the alibi I need. A drone is set to take off at precisely 6:30PM in a test flight, in preparation for the self-guidance software launch. The drone operator will be expecting the UAV to acquire targets on its own, and other laser spots are already in place, everywhere in the field. He won't even react to the drone's attack on this bunker. Meanwhile, I'll be enjoying my dinner, miles away from here."
"People will know I'm missing; they'll come looking for me," Alex said.
"Not much will be left of either you or your car. Have you ever witnessed a Hellfire missile hit a target? Not even a whiff will be left of you. You'll be listed as a missing person, maybe some random sex offender will be nailed for your disappearance. Who cares? But the idiots asking questions at the office will draw the right conclusions, and think twice before asking the tiniest question again." Kramer shoved Alex into the bunker. "Enjoy the rest of your life; you have about fifty minutes left of it. I suggest you spend this time reflecting on how you brought this all on yourself," Kramer said with a wicked smile, and slammed shut the heavy door, leaving darkness to take over the bunker.
Alex heard Kramer lock the door, using the reinforced deadbolts that made the door just as impenetrable as the walls. She paced the bunker floor. It was a ten-by-ten foot structure, completely empty — no windows. Faint light leaked through tiny vents, situated at the junction between the walls and the ceiling. She looked at her watch. It was 5:38PM. She took out her cell phone, with a glimmer of hope. No signal. No bars. She texted Tom's cell for help, just in case the signal gain a little strength and would allow a text message to make it through.