smiled down at one of his closest friends and the woman who had trained him in the art of running a federal facility unlike any in the world. Niles held out his hand and Alice nodded as if in resignation, and then allowed Niles to help her slowly to her feet. He placed an arm around her and turned her away from the other shocked occupants of the small vault.
“You’re angry, Niles,” Alice said. “You and Garrison have that same I’ll disarm them with kindness approach.”
Niles squeezed her closer to him as they walked to the vault door. “Angry? Not at all, and I know better than anyone here that I would never try to psych you into submission. Hell, Garrison knew that also.” He glanced up at Jack as they slowly walked by him. Collins’s look softened and at the same moment he reached out and also squeezed Alice’s shoulder as they passed by.
“Jack’s pretty hot too, I can tell,” Alice said quietly as she stepped over the threshold of the vault and into the curving corridor.
“Not mad, Alice. He’s just concerned with certain activities you’ve been up to lately.”
As the soothing voice of Niles Compton slowly faded away in the hallway outside, Collins turned to Everett.
“Carl, get that file up to the conference room. Also get three security men dispatched to Alice’s house. I want her Europa link to the complex severed. Her off-base security clearance is hereby suspended until further notice.”
“What in the hell is—”
Jack held up his hand while not looking at Sarah as he cut her off. “Look, Alice and a few others may have compromised security. They also may have placed an agent in jeopardy. This is just temporary until we find out what she’s up to.”
The look on Sarah’s face and also that of Virginia made Jack cringe.
“Short stuff, she’s not under arrest, she’s in protective custody.”
“Yeah, a nice euphemism, Jack … I fail to see the difference.”
“Damn it, Lieutenant, Alice just may have compromised the most important deep cover agent the Group has ever placed, and to tell you the truth that operative is in a rather unforgiving place to be caught and accused of being a spy.”
“Jack, it’s Alice Hamilton for crying out loud.”
Collins lowered his head and didn’t wait for Sarah to catch up as he headed for the vault door.
2
SOUTHEAST ROMANIA, DACIAN HOT SPRINGS QUADRANGLE
The medieval castle was nearing completion. The magnificent one-half-scale stone structure was built right into the solid but craggy face of the mountain. The stone had been aged by the artisans at a cement and stone plant in Bucharest, making the facing look as if the ancient defenders of Walachia would rise to the parapets to do the bidding of their prince, Vlad Dracul, or as he was known to history: The Impaler . One of the many items that immediately smashed the illusion was the eight cable car lines running from giant tower to giant tower as it snaked its way a mere three miles to the art deco nightclub and restaurant that would entertain guests the year-round, snow or sunshine. The new cable car system was one of the more expensive developments of the massive main project far below in the small valley—The Edge of the World Hotel Resort and Casino.
The castle-nightclub was the only element of the project that was behind schedule. With the opening a mere three weeks away electricians were still fighting to get the power on and stable. Running the thick electrical lines up the side of the mountain had cost money and, much more importantly, time. With the lines placed dangerously close to the cable cars the safety factor had been ignored due to those very same time pressures. Presently there were sixty-two workers housed directly inside the castle to save the time of moving them about at the end of every work shift by cable car. The makeshift plan for the electricians had worked and it looked as if Dracula’s Castle would be online and on time.
As over fifty of the workers
“You’re angry, Niles,” Alice said. “You and Garrison have that same I’ll disarm them with kindness approach.”
Niles squeezed her closer to him as they walked to the vault door. “Angry? Not at all, and I know better than anyone here that I would never try to psych you into submission. Hell, Garrison knew that also.” He glanced up at Jack as they slowly walked by him. Collins’s look softened and at the same moment he reached out and also squeezed Alice’s shoulder as they passed by.
“Jack’s pretty hot too, I can tell,” Alice said quietly as she stepped over the threshold of the vault and into the curving corridor.
“Not mad, Alice. He’s just concerned with certain activities you’ve been up to lately.”
As the soothing voice of Niles Compton slowly faded away in the hallway outside, Collins turned to Everett.
“Carl, get that file up to the conference room. Also get three security men dispatched to Alice’s house. I want her Europa link to the complex severed. Her off-base security clearance is hereby suspended until further notice.”
“What in the hell is—”
Jack held up his hand while not looking at Sarah as he cut her off. “Look, Alice and a few others may have compromised security. They also may have placed an agent in jeopardy. This is just temporary until we find out what she’s up to.”
The look on Sarah’s face and also that of Virginia made Jack cringe.
“Short stuff, she’s not under arrest, she’s in protective custody.”
“Yeah, a nice euphemism, Jack … I fail to see the difference.”
“Damn it, Lieutenant, Alice just may have compromised the most important deep cover agent the Group has ever placed, and to tell you the truth that operative is in a rather unforgiving place to be caught and accused of being a spy.”
“Jack, it’s Alice Hamilton for crying out loud.”
Collins lowered his head and didn’t wait for Sarah to catch up as he headed for the vault door.
2
SOUTHEAST ROMANIA, DACIAN HOT SPRINGS QUADRANGLE
The medieval castle was nearing completion. The magnificent one-half-scale stone structure was built right into the solid but craggy face of the mountain. The stone had been aged by the artisans at a cement and stone plant in Bucharest, making the facing look as if the ancient defenders of Walachia would rise to the parapets to do the bidding of their prince, Vlad Dracul, or as he was known to history: The Impaler . One of the many items that immediately smashed the illusion was the eight cable car lines running from giant tower to giant tower as it snaked its way a mere three miles to the art deco nightclub and restaurant that would entertain guests the year-round, snow or sunshine. The new cable car system was one of the more expensive developments of the massive main project far below in the small valley—The Edge of the World Hotel Resort and Casino.
The castle-nightclub was the only element of the project that was behind schedule. With the opening a mere three weeks away electricians were still fighting to get the power on and stable. Running the thick electrical lines up the side of the mountain had cost money and, much more importantly, time. With the lines placed dangerously close to the cable cars the safety factor had been ignored due to those very same time pressures. Presently there were sixty-two workers housed directly inside the castle to save the time of moving them about at the end of every work shift by cable car. The makeshift plan for the electricians had worked and it looked as if Dracula’s Castle would be online and on time.
As over fifty of the workers
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