The door slid open, and Dan Kurok came in. He gave them all a cursory glance, then took a seat near on the opposite side of the table from Jess. "Your central records store is a mess." He told Bain. "I have a query running but likely it wont' turn up much more than a recipe for chocolate cupcakes."
Jess's eyebrows jerked up at his casual address. She was beginning to wonder who this man was, aside from some gene doctor from topside.
"And what do you think, Drake?" Bain turned to her. "Do you still disagree with this experiment of ours having met it's subject?"
Jess felt all the eyes on her and she hunched her shoulders a bit in reaction. "Why don't we talk about what the plan is before we go into that" She said. "We've got four people out there pinned down and in terminal danger - I think that's more important than how I feel about bio alts."
"And yet." Bain watched her. a faint smile on his lips. "You had her put in agents quarters adjoining yours. Interesting?"
"Statement stands." Jess responded dryly.
"Very well." Bain left off prodding her. "As I was discussing with Bock here, it seems the issue was that your colleagues were attempting an insertion here." He pointed at a mapping coordinate. "Where they were expecting to find an exhaust station." He stood and juggled the laser guide in his hand. "What they found was a half dozen armored carriers."
"Trap?" Jason asked.
"Or did they get skunked?" Jess quietly disagreed. "Someone tipped them."
Bain pursed his lips. "I think their plans were known." He said. "As there is indeed an exhaust station at that locale" He brought up another overlay. "Just as the last mission was compromised - but we thought we knew the information vector there."
"They were waiting for us.." Jess agreed. "I heard the hatches clamp just before Joshua turned on me." She studied her hands. "He hadn't had a chance to send comms before we got there. I would have heard it."
Bain nodded. "So. it was my conclusion that someone else within Interforce was compromised."
"Is that why you shot him?" Elaine spoke up.
"No." Bain regarded her. "I shot him because he was a blithering idiot." He said, then paused. "Although." He went on. "That could possibly have been the reason for the compromise." He cleared his throat. "The problem is, he was put in place by someone at a high level, who was put in place by someone else at a high level, who was put in place by me."
"Ah." Jess nodded.
"You run out of magnesium slugs after awhile of that." Bain said. "So the truth is, people, we don't know where the hole is."
Kurok snorted softly, and shook his head.
Jess looked at her two fellow agents. "So someone is leaking our ops to the other side." She said. "And it could be all the way up."
"Yes."
"So.. Josh was probably turned from this side. From the inside." Jason said, slowly. "We've been trying to figure out when he was nicked, and no one could." He looked at Jess. "Maybe he never was. Maybe someone was just talking him into it over dinner, here."
"Huh." Jess grunted.
"So we have a another quandary." Bain said. "Obviously we need to go and assist the two teams who are now trapped under fire. However, outside this room I cannot tell you that the very plans we make might not be sent ahead."
"Outside this room?" Stephen queried. "So you consider this group secure."
"Yes." Bain said. "Congratulations. No one else is going to die here today."
Everyone flinched a little, except Kurok. He cleared his throat. "So the issue is, you can't trust the outsiders. That includes your techs, and most of the staff inside this facility." He looked at Jess. "That was why Bricker came and asked us to design a set that could be programmed for the job. We know what's in their minds. You can't say that about anyone else."
Jess returned his look. "Doesn't do me any good if they can't do the job."
"How do you know they can't?" Kurok countered. "Listen, I know you people think what we do is just create amiable rag dolls for slave labor, but I wouldn't be here with Dev if i didn't think she could be of value to you. Regardless of what Doss promised. He doesn't own me."
Bain chuckled softly. "No one ever did."
Kurok glanced sideways at him, then returned his attention to Jess. "You've met her. You tell me. Mindless?"
Jess was aware of the silence in the room, and very aware of the intent looks focused on her. She thought about her few minutes with the bio alt, running back in her mind their conversations. "No" She answered, in a somewhat surprised tone. "More complex than I expected." She admitted. "But that doesn't mean she can be a tech."
"Drake." Bain leaned on the table again. "This is the bottom line. For this plan here.. " He pointed at the screen. "We will send your colleagues there to stand by, to cover for the two trapped teams. But to get them out, we need to distract, and for that we need you,and you need someone with you that you have to trust since you will be putting yourself in the wolves mouth."
"Why me?" Jess asked. 'Send someone else. "
"Because they want you." Bain answered, with a thin smile. "You were stabbed, and we lost four good agents, all because they were intent on keeping you - and they would have if you hadn't been just that much better than they had anticipated."
Jess felt cold. "Me?"
"Crap." Jason uttered.
"You." Bain said. "And before you ask, no, I don't know why. Likely you made some enemy on the other side who has now gained high level there."
"So you're going to throw Jess into the fire?" Elaine asked. "Since you know they want her?"
Bain straightened up and paced around at the head of the table. "Yes." He said. "Because we know they want her. It will provide the distraction we need, as they send all their assets after her, to set the other teams free."
"Wait a minute.." Stephen stood up. "Sir.."
"Stephen, sit." Jess waved him down. "I'll do it." She said. "We'll give this experiment a try. Worst I can end up is dead." She pointed at the displays. "Send a burst to my account. I want to study the layout. I'll do the setup."
"Jess, c'mon." Stephen said. "I thought you said this was asinine! Isn't this the very same thing you were quitting about this damn morning????"
Jess nodded. "It was." She said. "But I didn't have all the intel I needed to make that choice. All I had was your pitch of what Bricker said. Bricker's dead. The story's changed."
Bain gazed at her with surprising fondness. "You are a throwback, aren't you?" He said. "So you will accept Kurok's little project, hmm?"
Jess found herself nodding.
"Jess!"
Was she crazy? Maybe. Jess felt a sudden and surprising shame over walking out and figured maybe this was just her ego's way of erasing that. Right? Wrong? Who the hell knew. She looked up at Kurok, who was studying her with quiet, intent eyes. "Can she drive a carrier?"
"Yes." He answered, in a quiet tone. "She's been programmed to."
Jess stood. "Give me the dump." She said. "Stephen can you plot the weather? I thought I heard a storm coming in." She glanced around the table. "Are we done here? I've got gear to settle."
"So you don't wish us to go over the plan, Drake?" Bain asked. "All of us together?"
"No." Jess said. "It just became not your plan." She gestured to Jason and Elaine. "We'll meet later. Prep to go less 24."
Silently, the other two agents rose and followed her and she left the conferencing center, the door sliding shut behind them with a soft metallic thump.
"Hm." Bain grunted.
'You wanted her to participate." Kurok leaned back, a faint grin on his face. "Someone used to tell me to be careful what I asked for, as I recall."
Bain gave him a dour look.
"Would you excuse me, Sir?" Stephen got up. "I've got things to do." He waited until Bain nodded, then he turned and left the room from a different door, heading back up the secure hallway to central comms.