CHAPTER 101
David turned just as the clerk’s hand came down.
Light flashed all around him. Above, a single light bulb swayed back and forth. The clerk held the string cord in his hand. “The phone is just there,” he said, motioning toward a table in the corner. The phone receiver was made of molded thick plastic, like the ones in phone booths in the 80s. The type that could bludgeon someone to death. The phone was just as old. A rotary dial.
David walked to the table and picked up the handset. He pivoted his body to face the clerk. The man had taken a step toward him.
The line sounded dead. “Central?” David said.
“Identify,” a voice said.
“Vale, David Patrick.”
“Station?”
“Jakarta,” David said. He couldn’t quite remember, but he knew it didn’t go this way.
“Standby.” The line went dead again. “Access code?”
Access code? There was no access code. This wasn’t a boy scout’s secret hideout. They should have voice-print identified him the second he said his name. Unless they were playing for time. Surrounding the building. David tried to get a read on the clerk as he held the phone. How long had he been inside? 10, maybe 15 minutes by now?
“I…don’t have an access code…”
“Hold the line.” The voice returned. More nervous? “Given name?”
David considered the request. What did he have to lose? “Reed. Andrew Michael.”
The response was quick. “Hold for the Director.”
Two seconds passed and then Howard Keegan’s grandfatherly voice was on the line. “David, my God, we’ve been looking everywhere for you. Are you alright? What’s your status?”
“Is the line secure?”
“No. But frankly my boy, we’ve bigger problems at the moment.”
“Clocktower?”
“Fallen. But not broken. I’m organizing a counterstrike. There’s another problem. A plague is sweeping the globe. We’re racing the clock here.”
“I think I have a piece of the puzzle.”
“What is it?”
“I’m not sure yet. I need transport.”
“Destination?”
“Gibraltar.”
“Gibraltar?” Keegan sounded confused.
“Is that a problem?”
“No. It’s the best news I’ve heard. I’m actually in Gibraltar now — the last of the agents and I are planning a counterstrike on the Immari Headquarters here. The clerk can arrange transport for you, but before you go, there’s… something else I need to tell you, David. Something I want you to know, just in case you don’t make it here or… if, I’m not here when you arrive. You weren’t the only one investigating Immari. Unraveling their conspiracy has been my life’s work, but when I ran out of time… I knew you were my best shot at stopping them. I was your source. I used all my contacts within Immari to help you, but it wasn’t enough. The tactical mistakes are mine alone—”
“Are in the past. We have new information, possibly something we can use. This is not over. I’ll see you in Gibraltar.”