Chapter 29
The building is a three story, very non-descript brick structure, with windows that can be seen out of, but not in to. At ground level there is a large parking lot beneath the building that is gated and can only be opened by a code. What appears to be armed, private security guards stand inside of each entrance. Each one of them is very fit looking with Marine style haircuts. Their hair is cut that way because they actually are Marines.
Below the underground parking lot is another four stories to the building. The building is surrounded by an electrical fence. No signs identify what form of business takes place within the establishment, because this is the home of very secretive United States law enforcement agencies. One of the those agencies is the Special Branch, Anti-terrorism Task Force. In the deepest bowels of this building is a warehouse size basement, which holds some of the most top secret data in America. Only the top echelon of these very special agencies has access to this room and to the items inside of it. But, even for them there is protocol to follow, forms to sign before entering this sacred area.
Director Ted Warner is one of those very few top echelon people who is allowed in the area with minimal screening, though he does have to submit his purpose for going into the basement. The computers in the basement are blocked to all outside the rooms confines and can only be accessed by the top brass. To download information from that room, without anyone knowing about it, a person much do it within that room, using the immediate computers only. If caught, the person illegally downloading data would more than likely be identified as the mole. Ted was more than aware of this as he sat at his desk planning each step of the risky project he was about to embark upon. He had not informed the Director of Homeland Security or the Secretary of Defense of his intended move. It was too chancy. What he was about to do was against every thing he had ever been taught, the code that he lived by. Ted was going rogue.
He reached for the phone to let the gate keeper know he was coming down, but stopped short before touching it. It was a habit – protocol. 'Can't do that.” he thought. 'No inner agency electronics.' Slipping a blank memory stick into his pants pocket as he rose from his desk, he let out a sigh, then stood up straight, threw his shoulders back and walked out of his office with determination.
There were a few people moving hurriedly down the hall. He returned peoples nods and greetings as he passed them. In the direction he was walking he could be going to the cafeteria one floor below, or to the stairs to the parking garage. Also in that direction was the elevator to the bottom floors, and just down from that was a blank door with a code access handle, the stairwell to all the bottom floors. The possibility of seeing anyone on the stairwell was very slim, as the elevator was much more convenient. He stopped in front of the stairwell door as if he forgot something, feeling his pockets. He glanced down the hall then turned and looked the other way. What few people he saw were not even facing him at the moment. He quickly punched in the code and slipped through the door. So far, undetected.
Ted wasn't worried about cameras. Every inch of the outside and the entrances were under camera surveillance. Getting in was virtually impossible if you didn't belong there. The interior was constantly screened for listening and/or video devices. This was a secret facility, in which very secret movements were discussed and planned. Only those with a need to know could have knowledge of any specific operation.
Ted descended the stairs, listening for a door opening below him, or the sound of footsteps climbing towards him. As he passed the second floor going down he froze, listening carefully. In the tall stairwell cubicle sounds were magnified. He thought he heard a slight noise from the floor above. It was so subtle that he couldn't discern what it was. It could have been the swoosh of the door closing, or a shoe scuffing against a hard floor, or it could have been the building, like all buildings, having little noises that emanate from pipes cooling or heating in the walls, or the air ducts going off and on as they regulate the temperature.
Ted stood as still as a statue for a full minute. Nobody came down the stairs, the sound of silence was deafening. Cautiously satisfied that he was alone he continued on to the basement.
Using his access card he opened the stairwell door to the basement. It opened into a large entry room, on the far side another access door. Next to the door was a glassed office. Light poured from the office and splashed across the carpet. Inside Ted could see a Marine, his back to Ted as the man put some papers in a filing cabinet. He turned as if sensing him as Ted walked across the entryway. Recognizing the Director, the Marine came to attention.
“Sir! Excuse me for not hearing the elevator bell. My attention was on something else.”
“At ease, Marine. Don't worry about it.”
“Is there something that I can help you with, Sir?”
Ted slipped has access card through the reader on the door and then tapped in a number on the keyboard. As he opened the door he said, “No. I need to review some old data and wanted to do it in undisturbed privacy, and the data is in about a private a place as I can think of.”
The Marine laughed. “That's a fact, Sir. It's usually like a tomb down here.
Ted smiled back. “Okay, I'm going to get busy. As you were, Marine.” The Director said dismissively as he turned to the back room. The Marine sat down and started writing on a sheet on paper clipped to a board. Ted knew he was writing his name and the time that he entered the cage area of the basement. It would be turned in at the end of a 24 hour shift and then recorded in the daily data banks. He would deal with that later.
Before starting, Ted brought up information on failed operations, and the reports explaining why they failed. He minimized it and then brought up the material he really wanted. He was already familiar with a number of failed weapons systems that they had stored. He downloaded those first, then explored others. Some looked great on paper, but the matching histories and reports proved them to be total failures. He downloaded those also.
He had working at the computer for well over two hours when he heard the door behind him whisper open. He immediately pulled and palmed the memory stick and clicked on the minimized operations data.
“Ted!” a voice said behind him. “What are you doing down here?”
Ted turned to see Assistant Director, Samuel Levitt walking towards him, wearing a smile on a face filled with suspicion.
“I might ask you the same question, Sam.” Levitt gritted his teeth through his smile. He didn't like people being so informal and calling him Sam. He preferred Samuel, and above that, he would rather be called Assistant Director. Ted could see the quick, subtle change in the man's demeanor before he regained control. 'What an uptight son-of-a-bitch', The Director thought.
“When the Director goes missing for a few hours, people start looking for you.” Levitt replied. “This was the last place to look before putting out an all points bulletin.”
“Well, that's good detective work, Sam. I was down here reviewing some operations that went sideways to see how they might benefit another similar operation that's coming up.” He paused. “So, what's up?”
Levitt glanced at the screen behind Ted. “Oh, yes. I remember that one. Quite the disaster.”
“You know what they. We learn from our mistakes. At least we do if we review them.” Levitt nodded silently. The Director asked again. “So, what's up? Must be pretty important for you to come looking for me. You could have sent a clerk and the Marine out in front would have told me.”
“Well, yes.” Levitt said, showing a slight discomfort. “I suppose I could have done that, but I have easier access to this area.”
Ted thought about the noise he thought he had heard in the stairwell earlier. Somebody had followed him, and was discreetly good at it. He must have reported back to Levitt, who, after a couple of hours, couldn't stand it any longer and came down to see what he was doing. His reasoning was very weak.
Ted stood, and as he turned to shut down the computer, he slipped the memory stick into his pocket.
“I think I've taken in all that I can for the moment. Reviewing disasters is depressing.” He turned back and slapped Levitt on the should with a big meaty hand. With a smile and a friendly tone, he said, “Come on, Sammy boy, we can walk back upstairs together.”
“Samuel, sir.” Levitt mumbled.
“What's that?” the Director said, seemingly oblivious of Levitt's quirk about his name. “Oh! That's right. Sorry, Sam. I forgot.”
Veins pulsed from Levitt's neck as he moved quickly passed Ted and took the lead. 'The man is nothing but a Neanderthal barbarian.' Levitt thought as he pushed through the doors leading to the elevator. 'How do apes like this become in charge when they have brilliant minds like mind waiting in the sidelines. My day will come, and when it does I will destroy this man.' With that comforting thought in mind, Levitt went on to the subject he really wanted to discuss with the Director. It was time for diversions, and he was about the create one.
“Mr. Director, I have knowledge that Special Agent Martinez is secretly gathering information on the stolen weapons case. As you know, the stolen information was lost at sea, and there is a possibility that the perpetrators are once again attempting to steal the same information.”
“You're losing me. What's that got to do with Martinez?” the Director asked.
“I suspect that Martinez is the mole.”
“That's a pretty serious charge, Samuel. What do you have to back it up?”
"I'm not charging him, sir. I'm just saying that I have suspicions and that it might be wise to but him under observation.”
"I see. Okay, I want to see the details that gave you these suspicions before any actions towards him is taken at all. Put your information together and send it to my office. I also want to know the source of your information. Let me take a look at it and then you and I can sit down and discuss what kind of actions to take if necessary.”
The elevator door opened onto the main floor. "Yes, sir." Levitt said. A sinister smile crossed his face as he walked away.
Dear Readers,
I'm moving to the northwest U.S. tomorrow and will post another chapter when I settle in - a few days. What you are reading, Day at the Beach, is a rough draft. This was originally going to be a very short story, no more than 3 short chapters. But, readers encouraged me to make it a full length story. I have been able to gauge where to take this story by paying attention to the readership. You have been very helpful to me and will significantly influence my rewrite when the story is completed.
Thank you for following Day at the Beach. Writing it has been enjoyable and I'm looking forward to continuing it.
John Evans
All content - poems, posts & images - are ©2010 by John Evans. No permission is given to post, share, copy, print, e-mail, reproduce, distribute or link to. All Rights Reserved. Please contact John Evans at JohnEvansPoet.Com for licensing inquiries.
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