Storm Surge - Part 2 (46 page)

"I'd like to thank you all for everything you've done in the past week. We've done a hell of a job here, despite a lot of personal struggle and tragedy, and believe me when I tell you I personally appreciate that more than I can say."

Tentative smiles appeared. "It's been good having you here, sir,"one of the New York staff said. "We really appreciate all the support we've gotten. Everyone's been so wonderful."

"Thanks."Alastair smiled at them. "But right now, what I'd like you all to do is get your things, and pack everything up, and leave the office, quickly as you can."

Everyone stared at him in some surprise.

"Sir?" the man asked. "Is there something wrong?"

"Not a thing," Alastair assured him. "There are some folks coming down here to try and ask us for something I don't want to be around for. So let's get moving, please. Those of us who are visiting are about to head for the airport anyway."

Everyone stirred and started to leave the room, still obviously puzzled. "Paid time off, of course," Alastair added. "Chop chop."

Hamilton had his head tilted back to watch the CEO. "You're becoming an ornery old bastard, Al," he commented. "How's that going to look if the governor shows up here, and no one's home?"

"No one's here, he can't ask anyone, can he," Alastair retorted. "Get a move on, Ham. Get us a car ready and let's scoot. Move it."

Hamilton got up and bowed, then headed off toward the door, chuckling under his breath. Alastair turned to Dar, his brows hiking "You ready to go home, lady?"

"More than," Dar said. "Dad just got back with our bags, so we're ready to go soon as I wake Ker up." She glanced down at her partner. "You sure you want to piss this guy off again?"

"Bastards were threatening to have us all picked up as terrorists and held without counsel, Dar. You want to spend any more time here?"

"Would they have really done it though?" Dar started to gently scratch Kerry's stomach, to get her to wake up. "Or was it just a bluff?"

"I had federal agents on either side of me with handcuffs in that Exchange," he said. "They were all set to announce to the press that they'd uncovered a terrorist plot to overthrow the government by co opting its information technology."

Dar stared at him. "You're serious?"

"As a heart attack," Alastair said, with commendable calm. "So wake up your sleeping beauty, and let's get outta here. I only hope they don't give us a hassle at the airport." He turned and watched the room empty, except for Andrew who was perched nearby on a chair arm, the bags on the seat next to him. "Ready to move out, commander?"

"Surely, genr'l," Andrew responded. "Sooner we get out of this place, better for us."

"You got that right." Alastair headed for the door. "Move it people! Move it!"

"ALL RIGHT, LET'S GO." Alastair got into the limo and settled across from Dar. "Feeling any better, Kerry?"

"Eh." Kerry was wedged in the corner of her seat, her hands tucked inside the pocket of her hoodie. "My ribs are killing me, but my head feels a lot clearer. The nap helped."

The limo started moving with the bus right behind it where the rest the team was riding. Kerry and Dar were alone with Alastair and Hamilton, and Kerry almost wished she wasn't. She had a feeling she was going to be hearing things she wasn't going to like.

Dar was seated next to her stifling a yawn. She had her briefcase next to her and a bottle of water in one hand, and she looked both tired and distracted. "You think they'll--what do you think they'll do when they get here and the office is closed?" she asked.

"Beats me." Alastair put his hands behind his head. "I'm sure he'll call me, and I'm sure I'll think of some lie to tell him. Maybe I took the office out to Central Park for buggy rides."

"Al." Hamilton tsked.

"Sorry Ham, I just don't care. I'm not spending one more minute here getting beaten to hell by these bastards. I'll exit the contracts, all of them."

Even Dar blinked.

"I figured," Alastair cleared his throat, "I figured they'd pin me, when I told them we weren't doing the work for them. I figured we'd get bad press, and I'd be pretty embarrassed on television, but hell.How bad could it really be, right?"

"But that wasn't going to happen," Kerry spoke up, her voice still slightly husky. "Was it? I heard the technicians in the Exchange talking about the FBI."

"Found out when I got there that it was a lot worse," Alastair said. "They figured they'd out us as plotting against the government, the company, that is. Had it all laid out. The fact we snuck into the country, all the exceptions we asked for, the guard fracas down by the river, you name it. They had so much detail on so many things they could twist to make us look like the bad guys--hell."

"But none of it was true," Kerry said. "We did nothing but good for them."

"Truth didn't matter," Alastair said. "They wanted a big splash on CNN, big scandal, show they were on the ball, they'd uncovered a plot--"

"They didn't fall down on the job like they did last Tuesday?" Dar spoke up for the first time. She smiled grimly as Hamilton pointed both index fingers at her.

"But really," Kerry said. "They have to prove things like that."

"No they don't," Hamilton said. "That's what changed. They passed a law that gives them the right to hold anyone they think's a terrorist for however long they want, wherever they want, without no charges, or no lawyers."

Kerry stared at him. "What?"

"Ask your mother," Hamilton said. "They said it was necessary so they could find more terrorists planning other atrocities here."

"But we're not terrorists," Kerry said.

"It doesn't matter." Alastair exhaled. "That's what I finally understood, standing there on that damn platform with those damn smug jackasses all around me, telling me exactly what they were going to do because they knew I couldn't do anything about it."

"All that mattered was the spin," Hamilton said. "They told me that when I was looking to file those lawsuits. Told me to not even bother. The law didn't matter right now."

"So anyway," Alastair picked the ball back up, "there I am, standing in the middle of hell wondering how I'm at least going to warn my wife I won't be home when I spot Kerry standing there with a gaggle of senators, and I'm wondering what on earth's going on."

Kerry managed a smile. "I walked into the building with my mother," she said. "It's the only way I was going to get in. She ran interference with the guards, but she had no idea what was going on either. I just had time to get to the server room and put the optic in place before I got upstairs."

"So you knew they were up?" Hamilton asked.

Kerry shook her head. "I knew the link was up, and I knew the rest of it was up to Dar." She looked over at her partner. "She had about two minutes to do what I guess was about three hours work."

Dar shrugged modestly. "I type fast." She gazed over at Alastair."So you're telling me after we did what we did at the Pentagon, and after all we did for them up to the Exchange, they were going to railroad us?"

Alastair nodded. "Honestly, Dar, it wasn't personal." He saw both women make a face, and glance at each other. "The VP and I go way back. In their minds it was a case of what they thought was right for the country versus a bunch of nerds from some company giving them a hive."

"Scary," Dar murmured.

"It was," Alastair admitted. "I was standing there kicking myself for making a stupid decision and knowing we were all going to pay for it. I didn't want us to be a public failure. Instead, I almost walked us into the end of the company."

"Except we got lucky," Dar said.

"You really think that was luck?"Alastair asked with a smile. "I think it was just people who refuse to stop until they hit the end zone."

Dar shrugged again, lifting her hand in the air and letting it fall. "We made it happen," she acknowledged. "I'm very proud of our team."

"So am I," Alastair said.

"What are you going to tell the board, Al?" Hamilton asked.

Alastair gazed out the window for a few moments in thoughtful silence. "Haven't decided yet. They know I turned them down. I told them I'd take the fall and they were all right with that."

"Morons," Dar commented.

Hamilton snickered. "Al, you have to tell them the whole deal. Lay it out. They gotta know in case this comes back at us."

"Beh."

"Have Dar tell em," the lawyer persisted. "She can get on that call with her typical badass attitude and tell them 'Hey morons! Listen up!'"He gazed fondly at Dar. "You'd do that for Al, wouldn't you, Maestro?"

"Sure," Dar readily agreed. "But I think he's right. I think you should tell the board exactly what happened, Alastair. Everything,including the threats because I think we'll need to decide what the hell we're going to do with our being the government's IT Siamese twin."

Kerry nodded, but kept quiet.

"Half our business is U.S. Government," Alastair stated. "Might get tough."

"If we disband the company," Kerry spoke up at last. "I vote we open a clam shack down in Key Largo where the highest tech item is a wifi hotspot on the tiki roof."

"You ready to retire already?" Hamilton asked her with a smile.

"Right now, yes," Kerry answered. "In a heartbeat."

"I'm with you on that one," Alastair responded, surprising them. "I'm going to have a hell of a time going in to work behind that damn desk after what we all just went through."

Kerry felt that at a gut level. The experience had changed all of them, to a more or lesser degree. She glanced past Dar out the other window as she heard the faint rumble of an airplane taking off. "Almost there."

Dar turned to look too. The entrance to the airport was guarded,and the limo slowed as they reached the checkpoint. "Let's hope they don't have orders to throw us in a paddy wagon." She sat back as the driver opened the windows for the guards to peer inside.

"Hello there." Alastair remained in a relaxed pose his hands still behind his head. "Just catching a flight."

The guard studied them, then turned away dismissively and waved them on. The window closed and they pulled into the airport terminal. "Guess we didn't look dangerous." Hamilton commented. "Little do they know, the poor suckers."

"They're going to freak with the bus." Dar predicted. "We still have half a ton of gear in the back lockers."

"Let's hope they don't," Kerry said. "Dad's back there."

They got to the curb and eased out of the limo onto a sidewalk that was eerily quiet. There were guards stationed along the walk, but only a few cars were there discharging passengers. Alastair signed for the limo driver, and then they stepped back and stood together for a moment.

"Here comes the bus." Hamilton indicated the big vehicle now winding its way toward them. "We should go in as a group. I think our tickets are booked on one big itinerary.'

"They are," Alastair confirmed. "Bea took care of it."

Kerry stood with her hands tucked into her hoodie pocket, watching the bus unload itself of its human and luggage cargo. The techs were all in good moods, glad the work was over and even more glad to beheaded home.

She certainly was. She drew in a careful breath and let it out, wincing against the throbbing ache in her side. It felt raw and very painful,as though the bone was creaking in there and every movement almost made her bite her lip.

She felt Dar's hand settle on her shoulder. "Hey," she murmured.

"Doing okay?"

Kerry pulled the hand on her good side out and waggled it, then returned it to its nest. "I'm glad I don't feel like a zombie anymore but boy, this hurts."

"I've got some Advil. Dr. Steve said you could take that." Dar offered. "Let's go inside and get through security and I'll get you some."

That sounded great to Kerry. She followed Dar into the building with the rest of the group as they entered the terminal and started across the worn carpet toward the check in area. It wasn't that busy and they all went up to the counter at the same time.

Kerry stood quietly just behind Dar's shoulder as her partner handed over both of their identifications and declined the offer to check their luggage. It all sounded very normal, and Kerry wondered if it had been that normal for the hijackers as they had checked in not quite a week ago.

The gate agent asked Dar if she'd packed her own luggage. Dar answered that she had, and that no one had given them anything to take on. But that wasn't true, really, since Andrew had packed both their bags.

Should Dar have said that? In this case, of course, it didn't matter because it was her father. But what had the terrorists said in response?

Had they smiled?

Were there more of them right here in the terminal, just waiting for their chance? Waiting for everyone to relax again?

"Okay, c'mon, Ker." Dar handed her a folder. "Here's your boarding pass."

Kerry took it and stuck it in her hoodie pocket. She followed Dar through the winding lines around the corner and into another line, this time for security. "Hope they don't ask to frisk me," she said. "I can't hold my right arm out."

"Why in the hell would they want to f--no, let me rephrase that." Dar settled the straps of both their bags on her shoulder. "I totally understand the desire to frisk you. They better not think about it."

Kerry chuckled faintly. "You're so funny." She sighed, as the rest of their group caught up to them in line. "Hey Dad."

"Hey kumquat. You doing okay?" Andrew had his bag over his shoulder, and he eyed the ones Dar had but didn't grab for them.

"Eh." Kerry moved forward in line as they approached the security station."I'll be happy when the plane lands."

"You got that right, boss," Mark agreed. "Thanks for making a deal to get those trucks back, Dar. I really didn't feel like driving back tonight."

They got to the front and filed into the security line. Kerry was guiltily content to allow Dar to put all her stuff on the belt, as she waited her turn to go through the X-ray machine. She stepped through and heard no tell tale beeps, but she looked at the guard anyway in question.