Groans and giggles came from his co-workers. ‘Nah, nothing worth commenting on,’ said Levon. ‘We barely noticed you were gone.’
‘Mm-hmm,’ added Holly Jo. ‘Dr Childs filled in for you really well.’
‘Some might say, almost too easily,’ said Morgan. Albion blinked up at him with an expression of total innocence. ‘Speaking of Dr Childs,’ he added, looking at his watch, ‘I’ve got a meeting to attend. In the meantime, the Persona Project will be officially placed on administrative suspension until further notice, so if anyone’s got any personal effects in the facility, make sure you’ve removed them by eighteen hundred hours. Otherwise, you won’t be able to get at them for some time.’
Levon glanced at the toys cluttering his workstation. ‘Any idea how long that’s likely to be, sir? Days, weeks?’
‘Months?’ Kyle said hopefully. ‘You know, since we’re on paid leave and all…’
‘I should have an answer shortly. Until then, carry on in here. Roger, are you coming?’
‘Let’s roll,’ Albion said with a chuckle. He and Morgan left the Bullpen and headed to one of the briefing rooms.
Waiting for them were Bianca, Tony… and Adam, his left arm in a sling and a bandage around his right bicep bulking out his shirt sleeve. More dressings covered the cuts on his forehead and cheek. Kiddrick was also present, sitting at the opposite end of the table from them and frowning in sullen silence. ‘Well, now,’ said Morgan, regarding the trio, ‘between you you’ve caused a very complicated situation. I don’t know what’s going to come of it.’
Adam stood. ‘Sir, I accepted all along that there would be consequences for my actions. I’m fully prepared to take them.’
Tony joined him. ‘So am I.’
Morgan’s gaze turned to the Englishwoman. ‘Dr Childs?’
‘Well, I… yeah, I’ve got to take responsibility for what I did,’ she said unhappily. ‘But I’d really rather not go to prison for the rest of my life.’
‘That’s not up to me.’ He gestured for the two men to sit back down, then took his place at the head of the table and made a phone call. ‘This is Martin Morgan at STS. Tell Mr Sternberg that we’re ready for him.’
There was a delay of a couple of minutes, which did nothing to ease the tension in the room, before the screen on the wall came to life. Alan Sternberg looked down owlishly at them. He didn’t bother with small talk. ‘I’ll get straight to the point — the Persona Project has caused the biggest political nightmare for any administration since Iran — Contra. Agent Gray, Agent Carpenter, Dr Childs: you deliberately engineered a major security breach… which in turn exposed a conspiracy to commit an act of outright treason at the highest levels of the US government. It’s a catastrophic intelligence failure and a diplomatic disaster, and if the truth got out to the world it would cause immeasurable damage to the United States.’ He was silent for a moment, staring down at his uncomfortable audience like Big Brother. ‘Which is why it never will get out.’
Morgan was first to speak. ‘What do you mean, sir?’
‘I mean, none of this ever happened.’
‘You’re going to cover it up?’ said Bianca.
‘Yes, Dr Childs, we’re going to cover it up,’ said Sternberg scathingly. ‘What, did you really think we’re going to proclaim to the world that the Director of National Intelligence personally subverted a black operation in order to supply classified information to al-Qaeda, so that they would assassinate his political rival to promulgate the War on Terror?’
‘Well, not when you put it that way,’ she mumbled, abashed.
‘Damn right. Harper committed a terrible crime that cost hundreds of lives, but exposing it would cost thousands more — terrorist groups around the world would be emboldened, and the United States’ credibility in fighting them would be shattered. And there’s no telling where the loss of confidence in America’s democratic institutions would lead. Harper was approved by Congress, remember. This isn’t something either side can make political capital out of; everyone’s in it together.’
‘How are you going to cover it up?’ asked Tony. ‘Harper killed himself one block from the White House in front of dozens of witnesses. There’s probably a video on YouTube already.’
‘NSA can take care of that,’ said Sternberg, the statement ambiguous enough to suggest that the intelligence agency might already have done so. ‘But we can handle it; it’s just a matter of presentation. Harper was divorced, in a high-pressure job, the assassination of the Secretary of State took place on his watch, et cetera. A storyline that ends in a self-inflicted gunshot wound practically writes itself.’
Bianca was appalled. ‘So the truth just gets buried?’
‘As the saying goes, Dr Childs, the truth hurts.’
‘So do lies,’ Adam said quietly. ‘Harper will get a eulogy that paints him as a patriot and a loyal servant of his country, won’t he?’ Though his tone was even, the bitterness behind it was unmistakable.
Sternberg at least had the courtesy to look uncomfortable before quickly changing the subject. ‘Anyway, that’s one side of the matter. The other is you. Only a few people know the full story. The President has made it very clear that he expects that to remain the case. In return for a promise of absolute silence on the subject, he’s willing to grant all three of you full pardons.’ Kiddrick made a flustered sound, but Morgan’s stare muted him before he said a word.
Bianca hesitated before asking: ‘And the alternative?’
The National Security Adviser laughed sarcastically. ‘I hear it gets very hot in Cuba. Especially at a certain US military facility on the southern coast. Lots of insects carrying tropical diseases.’
She sighed. ‘Yeah, I thought it would be something like that.’
‘What about the Persona Project?’ said Tony. ‘Is it being shut down permanently, or is this just a temporary suspension?’
‘A lot of that depends on Agent Gray,’ replied Sternberg. ‘If he’s fit to return to duty… and if he’s willing. I can understand that after what he discovered, he might have certain reservations.’
Everyone turned to Adam. ‘I haven’t made a decision,’ he said softly, not meeting anyone’s eyes.
‘As for the Persona Project itself, it’s definitely proven its worth — even if not in the way anyone expected,’ Sternberg continued. ‘You stopped the RTG plot — and the whole affair provided a kick in the pants to the Russians that they need to step up their nuclear security, thank God — but al-Rais is still out there somewhere. He won’t give up, so we can’t afford to either. An intelligence asset like Persona is too valuable to relinquish, so I’m sure it’ll be reactivated in one form or another. So, Dr Kiddrick, Dr Albion — good to see that you’re recovering, by the way — don’t send out any résumés to the private sector just yet.’
‘I wouldn’t dream of it,’ said Albion cheerily.
‘I’ll send over the paperwork regarding the President’s offer,’ Sternberg went on. ‘The option is open for Agents Gray and Carpenter and Dr Childs to go through it with a USIC-approved lawyer, but,’ steel entered his voice, ‘I would strongly advise that they just sign it, because the terms are not going to change.’
‘I’m sure they’ll do that,’ said Morgan, giving the three a warning look.
‘Good. I’ll be in touch.’ Sternberg’s image vanished from the screen.
Morgan leaned back in his chair. ‘Is all that acceptable?’ There was general, if in some cases begrudging, agreement from around the table. ‘I’m glad to hear it. Now, is there anything else?’