COVERT WRITERS TAKEDOWN, Joe Bergeron [epub e ink reader .txt] 📗

the same
material, and he was getting the same results from his
translations. He also needed to contact someone.
It was a speed dial.
Robert Wirtham, sitting in his executive chair
with a translation of ‘acappella’ on his desk accepted the
call.
“David?”
“Robert - what’s this communication all about?”
“I don’t know - we’re getting the same thing
internally.”
“What is it?”
“It appears that, somehow, someone’s crossed
our radio signal. We can’t transmit until they get off.
We’ve never had a glitch like this before. The chance of
this happening are one in ten million.”
“What are you going to do?”
“Wait - I guess. It’s probably some kid fooling
around with a homemade transmitter.”
“Can you identify where it’s coming from.”
“No, - he could be in Hong Kong, Moscow, or
right down the street. We use an unconventional
transmitter. This is highly unusual. It’s a freak
accident. Give it a little time, I’m sure it’ll stop. We’re
going to change the transmission signal. As soon as
this one cuts out, our new one will kick in.”
A - CHNG A-Ch’eng
PN YN Pinyin
A - CHNG ACHENG
FRMLY Formerly
UTL 1909 ASHIHO Until 1909 ASHIHHO
CTY…… City……
413
Wednesday, July 7, 8:55 a.m.
Yankee Echo Managing Agents in the South,
West Coast, and East and West Central sections of the
USA had been besieged with phone calls for days.
What were the writers supposed to do with the
messages coming over their fax machines? Why was
the release of this information constant? Why didn’t
someone just shut it off? Some were running short on
fax paper. Others were just holding an endless stream
of coded material until they saw a sheet that made
sense. Seven machines had overheated and would need
to be sent to McKenzie Industries for repair.
Friday, July 9, 2:55 p.m.
McKenzie Industries - Old Saybrook, CT
David Eisenberg had called for the early
morning meeting which had now run into midafternoon.
The satellite blueprints all over McKenzie’s
executive conference room table had been explained by
the Information Protocol Director at JGM Exports to
him, Pat McKenzie and Robert Wirtham several times
from different perspectives.
The end result was always the same. There
was nothing in the satellite’s system that would allow
either it, or them, to trace the freak, broken radio signal
to its point of origination - and Yankee Echo could not
transmit until the signal was interrupted.
Eisenberg addressed the IP Director.
“Are we still on standby with a new signal?”
“Yes, we’re actually transmitting from JGM
right now. The instant the anomaly is broken, the
satellite will get the new signal, and the frequency will
be changed.”
“But we don’t have any idea how long that will
take?”
414
“That’s right. It’s totally up to whoever, or
whatever is sending the other signal.”
From the moment the freak signal had
appeared, Eisenberg hadn’t left it alone. It was the only
thing he’d thought about for a week.
He’d heard all the scientific theories, and he
was convinced that because this occurrence was such an
impossibility, it couldn’t possibly be what it appeared to
be.
He was thinking of Law Twenty. An intuitive
calmness had given him his answer.
He’d heard everything he needed to hear from
the scientists and engineers. Right now he was walking
toward the conference room door.
Looking backward over his shoulder, he
addressed Pat McKenzie.
“Is Courtney still at your place?”
McKenzie knew he’d be staying until mid
August.”
“Yes. David, Michael already told….”
He was out the door, and heading down the
hallway toward the exit.
Friday, July 9, 3:11 p.m.
The McKenzie Home - Old Saybrook, CT
It took him about fifteen minutes to get from
McKenzie’s corporate offices to the McKenzie residence.
Parking in the driveway - he reviewed his
thoughts.
During the short walk to the main entrance -
he affirmed his feelings.
The sound of the doorbell interrupted a
conversation Courtney had been having with Kay.
He offered to answer.
Walking through the foyer, he noticed
Eisenberg through the paneled glass windows on either
side of the door. 415
Calmly, he greeted the guest.
“David.”
“Michael…we need to talk.”
Courtney acted graciously.
“Come in, sit down.”
Entering the room, he noticed Kathleen
McKenzie sitting on one of the large, floral patterned
couches where his boss had recently sat next to the
President of The United States.
The furniture had been rearranged since the
last time he was in the room. Things looked more
relaxed - at ease - the chairs and couches were spread
apart more tastefully. A twelve foot bay window, seven
feet behind the couch she was sitting on looked out over
a manicured lawn sweeping down to the beach and the
Sound. The afternoon sun, hitting the room from a
position high in the Southwestern sky, randomly
bounced off reflecting objects in the room.
Courtney, taking a seat next to Kay, offered
Eisenberg the couch opposite them.
The CIA man consented to the offer.
Leaning forward, forearms resting on his
thighs, his fingers were interlocked.
This was his agenda.
“I want to bring the both of you up to date on
something. Your transmitter’s working fine. Yankee
Echo’s shut down until you get off our radio signal.”
No response came from either of them,
although Kay slightly wrinkled her brow as if showing
some interest.
Courtney remained in the same position.
The Deputy director continued.
“I’ve been told by the IP Director at JGM that
there’s no way to trace this transmitter’s signal to its
origin, so we can’t find it to stop it. People also told me
they believe this is just some type of freak occurrence -
that the chances of this happening are one in millions.
But I’ve had a hard time accepting their theory of an
aberration.” 416
He stood - pacing in front of his couch.
“We’ve got fax machines all over the country
running night and day. They’re starting to overload,
and break down. The Managing Agents can’t keep up
with the calls they’re getting.”
Again, no response from the analyst or his
former student.
“You know, Michael, periodically you and I are
going to have to deal with one another once you go to
work in the White House. I’ve come to the conclusion
that I’d rather have you as an alley than an adversary.
I just wanted you to know that you didn’t get away with
anything.”
He hoped Courtney would respond this time.
He did, from the couch.
“David, I wouldn’t mind working with you on
economic agendas as they’re set by the President - but
I’m done with Yankee Echo. You just made some strong
rationalizations, and I really think you believe
everything you just said. I’m not going to deny or
confirm anything for you, and I don’t think you really
want me to either…”
Eisenberg held up both palms indicating a
signal for him to halt.
“There’s more you need to know. When you
were doing your tenure with the organization as its
Laws Philosopher, I read every paper you wrote. I paid
special attention to the one you did for Robert where
you said the Leverage Effect would eventually catch up
to Yankee Echo - that we’d become an unbalanced
energy at some point in time, and therefore become very
unstable, and capable of being breached. I believed
that, and as part of a contingency plan of my own, I had
the Agency build another satellite for redundancy in
case we had a worst-case scenario. I can launch this
satellite in two months, but it’s going to take at least
twelve months to get new equipment to the writers, and
another six to twelve months before they’re comfortable
with the new system. 417
So, effectively, you’ve closed up our shop for a
while. I also know that even with the new satellite, you
could find a way to interrupt us if you wanted to - and I
don’t want that to happen. You asked for a release from
the organization, and you got it. But it’s conditional.
You keep out of its agenda, and the CIA will keep out of
your work, and your personal agenda, when you get to
the White House…I need a response to this, Michael.”
He had a few things he wanted to make clear
also. “OK, David - we have a deal. I won’t come near
you unless the President puts us together. I’ll also stay
away from Yankee Echo - but I have some conditions of
my own.” He stood and moved to within three feet of
Eisenberg. Their height differential was negated by the
calm sincerity in his voice.
“My life, and Kathleen McKenzie’s life, and any
future life of our jointly is beyond your reach….agreed”
That was acceptable.
“Yes.”
Courtney felt there was a possibility all of this
could work - but he wanted to be sure he and Kay would
be left alone. There was a final contingency, and never
told anyone about.
“David, if I wanted to make an impact on
Yankee Echo, I wouldn’t use interruption - I’d use
duplication. The system could easily be cloned by
Japanese interests - Israeli interests - East European
interests - think of Yankee Echo II, and Yankee Echo
III…we wouldn’t know what to believe coming out of
the media, would we?”
The possibilities in the message hit home.
“Michael, we don’t need…”
“David - don’t lose sleep over it. I have a lot to
do, and none of it has to do with Yankee Echo. I have to
trust you, and you have to trust me. Let’s leave this in
this room, and get on with our business.”
Eisenberg extended his right hand. “We both
understand one another. I’ll purge both your files as
soon as I get back to Washington.” 418
“Thanks - good bye, David.”
“Good bye, Michael - Kay.”
She felt less hostile toward him - he had been
her friend, and he had saved her life. Rising from the
couch, she approached him and gave him a hug. “Good
bye, David - thank you.”
Eisenberg picked up the cellular phone in his
car. “One - Leader.”
“Copy.”
“We’re going back to Washington.”
“Yes, Sir, - copy that.”
She held him around the waist looking into his
eyes.
“I have a question for you.”
“OK.”
“What did you mean when you said ‘our future
joint life’ to David?”
“Well…you know…I mean what if we..what if
we decided to…”
She gently placed two fingers on his lips.
“I love you, Michael - will you marry me?”
“Kay…I’m supposed to ask you that.”
“Who said?”
“I don’t know?”
“Then answer the question.”
“Of course - you know I’d do anything for you.”
“That’s your answer?”
“No…I mean - yes.”
“We’re in big trouble, Michael.”
“I know, we better work on it.”
“Yes - let’s practice right now.”
“Talking?”
“You can talk if you like.”
“Oh.”
“That’s good.”
THY EMBRCD, HLDNG ECH OTH TGTLY,
KSSNG, THY FL I LV ….AGN.
419
Murray Herold’s fax continued.
BLK MX Black, Max
BFB 241909 Born, February 24, 1909
BKURSSA Baku, Russia
AMR ANY PHL American Analytical
Philosopher
WO WS CONCR Who Was Concerned
W T NAT O With The Nature Of
CLRY A MNG Clarity And Meaning
I LNG….. In Language…..
…BLK ANALZD …Black Analyzed
MNG I LNG Meaning In language
I SV VLS In Several Volumes
O ESYS Of Essays
MST NOTBLY Most Notably
T IMPC O LNG… The Importance Of
language…
420