《Cerberus Wakes》Book 1 - Chapter 12
Advertisement
"International authorities are clamoring to locate the trio," a CNN reporter said on the wide TV mounted high on the wall. "Two men and one woman, actors in the snuff video. Amnesty International, the World Criminal Court, along with several European paramountcies have condemned their murderous actions and demand they be produced for questioning. Other prominent Regents have clamored for criminal prosecution, a request that has fallen on deaf ears . . . These are the service photos of the individuals. Independent sources have confirmed Alexis Marlboro is a covert military operative employed by the North American Federal Government, her whereabouts unknown. The two males are Kenneth Mars and Joseph Corona. Investigators believed they are part of an elite kill squad responsible for the Caracas massacre.
"The Oval Office has continued to deny any knowledge of these individuals whom Secretary Balkan first revealed. The PIP and the administration are recalcitrant to cooperate; thus, it is unclear if the trio and their compatriots took orders from Dallas-Austin . . . or the White House. Even now, officials are silent, no doubt planning a response to this new allegation. This is Maria Espinoza Núñez Gonzales of CNN-MegOne . . ."
"There you have it," Balkan mumbled, his headache worsening with a ringing in his ears.
Oliver shook his head. "There'll be a grand jury subpoena, I imagine."
"Circle the wagons."
"You don't plan on coming clean?" Lisbeth asked, lowering her brows. "You gave them Marlboro already. Too late to take it back now."
"I hope you're kidding," Balkan said, circling his temples with his fingers. "I told the world with no uncertainty we had nothing to do with it. We stick with the narrative."
"Which is?"
"Marlboro was an embedded adviser. Nothing more."
"You can't suggest keeping up this charade . . . the game's over, Victor," Oliver said. "You've let the cats out. That was a big mistake to start."
Advertisement
"It seemed smart at the time to deflect the heat. But what's done is done."
"Will you resign? Has the President asked for it?"
"He won't."
"That's an arrogant presumption."
"Why would he sack me? As long as I burn bright under scrutiny, the President stays clean," Balkan said. "I'm staying in the fight, Charles. They'd have to pry my dead fingers from this chair."
"I would cut my loss."
"The light is at the end of the tunnel."
"I don't understand, what light? It's over."
Balkan stopped short of telling Oliver the conversation he'd had with Drexel. Only Lisbeth was privy, and she looked away, not meeting Oliver's gaze.
"What is it you both are not telling me?" Oliver said with wariness.
"Remember your roots, Charles. And your loyalty. Never shit in the sandbox where you play."
The room got quiet.
The service photos of Mars, Corona, and Marlboro remained on the monitors while red pulsating captions ran underneath: The Caracas Trio wanted for questioning.
"Once the wolves get to them," Oliver pressed. "They can retrace the breadcrumbs right back to us and turn everything inside out."
"Then don't let that happen," Balkan said. His words, heavy with portends, took a moment to digest.
Oliver gave him an unsavory look.
The Secretary explained, "The magic trick won't work if they see the rabbit."
Lisbeth shook her head with a disagreeable scowl. "Complete sanitation, is that what you mean, Victor?"
"Define complete," Oliver said.
Annoyed at her overstepping her bounds, Balkan said, "You know what I mean."
Oliver looked stunned, grasping the truth.
"Now hold on, have you fathomed the loss?" Oliver said. "Carnivora 8, and all the beta programs?"
"They will hurt like hell."
"More likely your bonfire will set us back years," Oliver said. "We're currently beta testing four derivative programs; Phase 2 successes are far better than Cerberus. If we stop now, we may never get to implementation. We'd forfeit our lead, and I have on good terms the Chinese are near Phase 4 completion."
Advertisement
"We mothball the science and the data. Pick it back up when things quiet down," Balkan said, his jaw set with grim resolve.
"You forget something?" Lisbeth said as she flicked her head toward the monitor. "What about the people behind the program?"
"Technicians, we can reassign elsewhere." Balkan's tone was somber as a plague death toll. "But Cerberus . . . we can't allow tigers loose in the backyard."
"Yes, they're our tigers. May I remind you we're under contract to develop these programs," Lisbeth added. "Cerberus is slotted to go to Houston. They're expecting delivery -- "
"Not anymore."
"Moreau would have a fit, he's TexPax's senior technologist."
"That prima-donna will do as he's told." Balkan snapped. "Real power doesn't reside here; even the President knows that. For the time being, Dallas-Austin is the furnace that drives this country. DC is just a branch office." He turned to a doubtful Oliver. "You, too, Charles. It's simple -- ask yourself where your loyalty is? Then ask -- what would happen if you violate that?"
"Paramountcy before all else," Oliver answered almost by rote.
"That's right, they appointed you and me both, and the President, and the whole goddamn cabinet. Don't kid yourself. They own us." Balkan paused. "And they were very explicit."
Oliver said nothing.
"We all on the same page now?" Balkan reiterated.
Oliver acquiesced. Lisbeth pursed her lips, and gave a slight nod, her cheeks ruddy.
"Good, because that's where you come in, Charles. I need hard-men with no qualms about blue-on-blue. Preferably outsourced."
Oliver pondered at length, then said, "I have somebody in mind. We burned him a few years back. I can bring him in."
"Why was he burned?"
"He had excellent operational records in Kiev. Then he went a little overboard."
"Clarify."
"Our man was overzealous with his methods, caused a few raised eyebrows," Oliver said, not wanting to say more. "I'll send you his dossier."
"I will want to meet him," Balkan said. "Look him in the eyes."
"I'll send the word to retrieve him. Last I heard, he's doing shit work for the frogs in Marseilles."
"All right, get it done but be quiet about this, Charles," Balkan emphasized with glaring eyes.
"I'll take care of it," Oliver said.
"Victor, I get shutting down the Program, but Cerberus? Do you understand their value? And the difficulty in finding the right DNA match? One out of ten thousand, maybe?"
"I'm very aware of the loss."
Lisbeth uttered, "Eighteen men and one woman."
"I'm also dealing with numbers, and mine are considerably larger."
"And that doesn't bother you?" She turned pale.
Balkan shook his head and snapped. "You prefer to be right up there on TV next to them?" He gestured at the rolling news. "Is that what you're saying, Beth?"
"This is difficult -- and immoral," Lisbeth said, pulling at her ear.
The Secretary faced her with a ghastly resolve. "I don't need your moral consent, but your obedience. Work with Charles to get this resolved. At this moment, we have the will to do the hard thing. In a few days, that may all change."
Lisbeth caved under Balkan's dreadful gaze. He eased off with a deep sigh. "You need to decide who you want to play, soldier or martyr. Can't be both."
Advertisement
- In Serial269 Chapters
Wake of the Ravager
On the world of Marconen, your first Break determines the trajectory of your life. Calvin chose magic. Without proper schooling or a mentor, the boy is dragged by the whims of fate across the face of the planet, blending together different schools of magic and powerful abilities to create something new. But there's a deeper secret behind his success. Why was he born an exile from his country? Why is his System so strange, and why does it keep talking to him? And as the march of time continues, something evil grows in power across the ocean. Updates Tuesday through Thursday.
8 308 - In Serial15 Chapters
The Solipsist
Every novel needs a main character, and in this case, it's a young man named Jacob Bates. Jacob is your average guy who likes books, television, and long walks on the beach. One day, Jacob was diagnosed with a condition that made his body frail and weak. This drove Jacob to focus solely on his studies, ending up becoming a fairly capable guy, despite his condition. The road ahead was looking great! That's when a little scene occurred between Jacob's girlfriend and one of his male classmates. Jacob's mood was a little lower than dirt from thereon. His motivation to pursue his studies, gone. This event caused Jacob to fall into the death grip that is a job in retail. One day, while Jacob was mopping the cold floors of the grocery store he worked in, a strange blue screen appeared in front of him, notifying him that the world was going through a change. Now if this change was a good or bad thing, he didn't know. But there was one thing Jacob knew for certain. He didn't have to mop the floors anymore. Author's Note: (This is my first story, and I would be very thankful if grammatical errors were pointed out. I could also take a few suggestions in the comments if you would. This is less a planned production, and more a little project that I'm winging as it goes. I will try and be consistent with at least 2 chapters a week. Also, as I am a completely new author, the number of words per chapter may fluctuate. The minimum will be around 1000 words, while other chapters may be 2000-3000. It will hopefully only get better with time.)
8 113 - In Serial6 Chapters
Chimera
The arena! A place where mutants are created to fight for status, money and most importantly sponsorship!
8 117 - In Serial34 Chapters
The Protection Details Choice - Protection Detail Series Book #1
Life without choice is not a life!! The mantra Breanna kept chanting over and over in her head as she worked toward the safety of those able to escape the insanity of her twin sisters genetics facility. Life was going to plan until her mantra was put to the test by a wounded early morning intruder dropping through her window. Plans to live an uncomplicated, non manipulated life go south as the small group of refugees race against the clock to stop her sister's plans to rule the world.
8 126 - In Serial23 Chapters
The Magic Ork
This is the story of a man sent to a different world, trying to adapt, to grow, and to stake his claim in his new surroundings. This man reincarnates into a forest in completely different world. And he doesn't just reincarnate as himself, boy no, he reincarnates as an ork. A green, tusked, hard-skinned, strong, ork. Watch as he rises from his lowly begginings to heights he'd never have dreamed of before (link to great artist Dyemelikeasunset)
8 175 - In Serial14 Chapters
The Blue Beyond
When an strange new organism crash lands on the small research planet Kazi, Head of Security Nickolas Johns is tasked with destroying it. But that isn’t easy when your past keeps coming back to bite you. Will they be able to stop the spread?
8 58