“I know the Agora isn’t what she used to be, but we’re still a hotel.”

  “I’ll leave them in the sitting area. I need them back in an hour.”

  “Got a hot date?”

  Cassidy’s mind drifted back to his conversation with Dorne. Garrett was part of this. He wasn’t sure how, why or in what capacity, but every road seemed to point right to him. The meeting was set. The collision, inevitable. Would he make it through the experience alive?

  “Yeah,” he replied. “Something like that.”

  Chapter 27

  “You’d think you would have brought a change of clothes with you for a stakeout, or whatever this actually is,” Shell said as Cassidy opened the door to his suite wearing only a towel. “Or do you just enjoy being naked around me?” She held out his freshly washed clothes. “You certainly smell a lot better.”

  “I’m not naked,” Cassidy replied. It seemed to him that Shell had gotten a lot more comfortable around him since she had learned he was part of the UDF. He wasn’t sure if he liked her new ease or not. “And I didn’t have a chance to grab anything before I came over here. Did you forget I was covered in glass and tranq gel when I showed up here?”

  “Almost,” Shell admitted. “You seem to attract trouble.”

  “I never have before. Not like this.” He took the package from her and carried it over to the couch. “No word from my other contact?”

  “I would have told you if there was,” Shell replied. “Do you need anything else, Detective Hall?”

  “Not at the moment. Thank you, Shell.”

  “You know how to reach me,” she said before closing the door.

  Cassidy dressed quickly, grateful for the clean clothes. The combination of the shower and the stim cocktail had also done him a world of good, leaving him feeling ready for his meeting with Garrett. As ready as he could ever be, anyway. He wasn’t excited about the meeting, and at the same time he was eager for the chance to hopefully make sense of things. Brooding over Dorne’s words and Hall’s actions for the last hour hadn’t made anything clearer for him.

  He finished buttoning his shirt, smiling when he noticed Shell had added a red tie to the package, along with a silver monogrammed clip. WGT. He had a feeling the initials belonged to Shell’s late husband.

  The door tone sounded as he wrapped the tie around his neck. He instinctively reached for his needlegun, already holstered beneath his shoulder. Shell would have told him if Brie or Jazz were here. Keeping a grip on the weapon, he went to the door and activated the panel, relaxing when he saw who was there.

  “Brie,” he said, pulling the door open. “Come in.”

  “Detective,” she said, stepping past him into the room. She was dressed in regular street clothes, a heavy hooded jacket covering a sweatshirt and waterproof jeans, a large pack slung over her back and connected to her body with a security wire. Anyone trying to steal the pack would be met with a few thousand volts and almost instantly rendered incapacitated. “Nice digs.” She turned to him. “And you’re looking a lot better than you were the last time I saw you.”

  “Some sleep. A shower. Illegal meds. It helps. The clerk at the front desk was supposed to tell me you were on the way up.”

  “Yeah, I kind of bypassed her.”

  “There’s only one entrance.”

  “Not true. There’s a door in the alley that connects to the emergency stairs.”

  “Which is under video surveillance.”

  She smiled. “Come on, Detective. Are you just messing with me?”

  Cassidy wasn’t immediately sure what she meant. The comment triggered Hall’s memory and filled in the blanks after a short pause. “You hacked into the hotel’s network, killed the cameras, and figured out which room I was in based on…?”

  “Door sensor records,” Brie finished. “This suite is supposed to be down for maintenance, but the door keeps opening and closing.” She smiled. “You need to be careful. The Agora’s system is missing at least half a dozen security patches, and if I can get into it, so can others.”

  “Nobody else knows I’m here.”

  “Are you sure about that?”

  The Initiative knew, of course. As long as he carried Hall’s ClearPhone they could track him. But he wasn’t worried about that. If they wanted him dead or recalled, it would have happened already. “As sure as I can be.”

  “Well, I can’t be sure,” Brie said, unlocking her bag from the belt around her waist and dropping it onto the couch, even though it was still all wet. She unzipped it and pulled out a small drone of her own. Shaped like a golf ball, the outer shell bent to expose tiny spinners and fans which allowed it to hover in place.

  “What is that?” Cassidy asked.

  The drone began darting around the room. Brie turned on her phone, a projected map of the small suite being built as the small machine flew around it. “It’s scanning for unusual electronic activity. Evidence of bugs. I didn’t sneak in here so someone else could pin me.” She watched the projection for half a minute or so until the drone returned and hovered in front of her. “You’re clean.”

  Cassidy wasn’t surprised. He didn’t think Shell would be spying on him. “Did you find what I was looking for?” he asked. “Leonidas?”

  “I wouldn’t be here otherwise.” Brie pulled her laptop from the pack. She dropped onto the sofa and opened it. “Leonidas was harder to track down than I expected. I ran the query through every avenue I know.” She looked up at him. “And I know a lot more avenues than the average hacker. It’s part of the job description.”

  “And?”

  “And nothing. The only Leonidas I came back with was the king of Sparta in 490 B.C. An interesting historical figure, but definitely not who I was looking for.”

  “So you came over here to tell me you didn’t find anything?”

  “That would be a waste. I did find something. But what I found isn’t as interesting as where I found it.”

  “Let me guess. Unity.”

  Brie threw her hands up. “Seriously, Detective? You already knew that?”

  “I told you, it was a guess. Do you have more?”

  “Fine. Unity is the where. As for the what. Leonidas isn’t a person. It’s a process running inside the primary network.”

  “I don’t know what that means.”

  “You know the whole history of Unity though, right? World War Three? The near collapse of human civilization? The evolution of Unity as a solution to all of our problems?”

  “Not all of our problems.”

  “The most important ones. Like survival. You get my point. So Unity is an artificial intelligence. The artificial intelligence. Engineered to ensure the preservation of human civilization.”

  “Right. And?”

  “Leonidas is a sub-process. A worker.”

  “What is that?”

  Brie paused, thinking of an example. “Well, for instance, let’s say Unity decides it needs a way to monitor every broadcast to identify illegal content. It writes a new program to do it and then sends a work order out to the techs to upgrade its systems to handle it. That worker manages the process and only informs Unity when it decides the larger system needs to make a decision against the collected data.”

  “You’re this close to going over my head,” Cassidy said, tapping his forehead.

  “I’m trying to dumb it down for you, Detective. How low do I need to go?”

  Cassidy smiled. “Okay, so Leonidas is one of those workers?”

  “Yes and no. I found the reference to the software on your tiny drone inside a Unity technician interface. Normally, you need to be a certified UDF maintenance tech to access the system, but we’ve got an exploit for that. Anyway, the only way anything should be part of Unity is if Unity created it. But—”

  “Unity wouldn’t attach a name to the software,” Cassidy said. “It doesn’t need to name things, at least not in a human readable form.”

  “See, you do get it,” Brie said.

  Cassidy shrugged. Only because of Hall. “A little. Which means what? Someone hacked Unity?”

  “That’s what it seems like, as impossible as it sounds. What I don’t know yet is if Unity created the code for something else and someone managed to find it and extract it, or if someone actually has direct access to the network and inserted the code there.”

  “What does it do? What’s the process?”

  “It’s a package installer. The package enables secure, direct line communications between two devices through UnityComm. And since it’s a process of Unity, then Unity not only doesn’t monitor it, Unity can’t monitor it.”

  “Like an encrypted channel?”

  “Better than an encrypted channel. Unity can break encryption. But it’s written in Unity’s DNA that whatever it produces is accurate, so it doesn’t even look at the Leonidas code.”

  Cassidy stared at Brie. He wasn’t sure what to make of the information just yet, but he was sure of something else. What Brie had discovered made her a loose end. A big, frayed, loose end. At least, it would if he returned to the Underworld for scrubbing. They wouldn’t let her live with what she knew.

  “Are you okay, Detective?” Brie asked.

  “I’m not sure.”

  “Leonidas is an installer,” Brie repeated. “The drone was designed to deliver it. You said it was near your phone when you spotted it?”

  “That’s right.”

  “Can I see your phone? It must have tried to deliver the package. If that’s the case, it means someone wants to talk to you and doesn’t want anyone to know about it, including Unity.”

  “Someone already spoke to me,” Cassidy said.

  Brie’s mouth dropped open. “The UnityComm array that got fried last night. Is that why?”

  “Someone knows about Leonidas, even if Unity doesn’t. They were able to track the signal.”

  “Not necessarily.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “The process still uses a comm channel. So if a person were monitoring both ends of a contact—the source and destination device—and could sync active comms between them and a third point like the UnityComm array, they could identify the endpoints without being able to triangulate the signal itself. If the device in question was black market, without an identifier, then it would be completely untraceable.”

  Cassidy smiled. He would bet both arms Garrett had access to the Leonidas software. Did he have a hand in creating it? Was that why Nevis wanted him brought in alive, so they could shut the whole thing down? Had Garrett passed it to Dorne? If so, Why?

  Every bit of information he received led to a hundred new questions.

  “Why were they trying to contact you outside of normal channels?” Brie asked. “What are you involved in, Detective?”

  Cassidy stared at Brie. If she already knew too much, if Dorne was even half-right about the Initiative, if what he had said about the contract and his original body were true, he needed someone he could confide in. Normally, that would be his liaison, but Nevis hadn’t given him one. Not for this. At least not until the mission was completed and he needed someone to bring him back in.

  If he ever went back in.

  “Detective?” Brie repeated, responding to his pause.

  “Honestly, I don’t know. I’m meeting with someone who might be able to get me some answers soon.” He removed his phone from his pocket. “I wasn’t planning on bringing my phone with me. Especially in light of what you just said.” He tapped on the device, entering the Unity OS. “I need your help, Brie.” He tossed it to her.

  She caught it and looked at the interface. “What is this?”

  “It’s called Unity OS. It’s a separate system installed on the ClearPhones of every agent in the bureau. I received a message from my former commanding officer through Leonidas, and went up to the rooftop last night to talk to him. I think the UDF traced it the way you said, and they blew up the array to end the conversation.”

  “That’s some serious shit. Why would the UDF do that to their own guy?”

  “I told you, I don’t know. He warned me about the UDF. There’s something bad happening, and whatever it is, it goes deep. I don’t know if you can get anything useful out of this but I assume since it’s unlocked you can try?”

  “Oh, yeah,” Brie said, eyes beaming at the opportunity to dig around the classified system. “I’d owe you again for this.”

  “I’m putting a lot of trust in you,” Cassidy said. “That’s not an easy thing for me to do, but that’s how important this is.”

  “I understand. You know the Miners are sworn to confidentiality with anything we work on. We don’t have our brand if we betray that trust. My lips are sealed.”

  The comm tone sounded, alerting Cassidy to an incoming call from the front desk. “I’ve got someone else coming up. You can make yourself scarce in the bedroom on the left.”

  “I can bring this back to the Mines.”

  “No,” Cassidy said. “The phone doesn’t leave this suite unlocked. I’ll want to know what you found after I get back from my meeting.”

  “All right. Have it your way.” Brie stood and collected her things, gathering them in her arms and heading for the back bedroom. “Just don’t tell anyone I’m here.”

  “I won’t.”

  Brie vanished into the second bedroom and closed the door. Cassidy went to the front door of the suite, pulling it open just before Jazz could hit the panel to contact him. The dealer wasn’t the least bit phased by Cassidy answering before he could sound the door tone.

  “Brando, my friend!” Jazz exclaimed, eyes traveling the length of the suit. “Looking good.” He paused, lifting his head and exaggerating his sniff. “And smelling good. I like it.” He had a metal briefcase in his hand, which he held up. A wire ran from it to his waist, similar to the security lock Brie had on her pack. “I brought you some goodies. May I?”

  “Yeah, come in,” Cassidy said.

  Jazz entered the suite. Cassidy closed the door and followed him in. “I think the woman at the front desk downstairs is afraid of me,” Jazz said, turning back to him. “Do you think I’m intimidating?”

  “Yeah,” Cassidy replied. “It’s the teeth.”

  Jazz smiled widely. “Good.” He laid the briefcase flat on the sofa and used his thumbprint to unlock it before lifting it open. “What do you think?”

  “I’m not much for jewelry,” Cassidy said, looking down at the rings inside the case. They were all similar. Silver bands with laser-etched engravings along them and a small colored stone on top.

  “You are now,” Jazz replied. “You wanted class A; this is it. The UDF doesn’t even know stuff like this exists.” He reached into the case and picked out a ring with a blue stone on top. “Each ring contains a bio-engineered chemical mix of one kind or another.” He turned the ring, showing Cassidy the bottom. “A little bit of pressure, and…” He pressed his thumb down on it, just a little off-center. A small needle emerged from the base, barely a millimeter away from the surface. “The needle is doused in the chemical. This one will deliver a highly concentrated dose of tranquilizer. Enough to drop a guy your size, or slow down someone bigger. A couple of ways to use it, maybe a handshake, slap or even a grab. You just need to make sure you get it on the skin, it doesn’t extend deep enough to penetrate cloth. There should be enough chem inside for six or seven jabs.”

  “That could come in handy,” Cassidy agreed.

  Jazz held the ring out to him. “This one goes on your right index finger.”

  “That’s pretty specific,” Cassidy said, sliding it onto the indicated digit.

  “I sized them to your individual finger measurements.”

  “Which you got from where?”

  He tapped his cheek beneath the eye with the Sliver. “Great little gadget.”

  Cassidy turned his palm over and put pressure on the ring to get a feel for how much he needed to use to activate it. He smiled when the small needle slid out from its hiding place.

  “Be careful you don’t stick yourself with that one,” Jazz said. He picked up a second ring, with a black stone. “Do stick yourself with this one if you get into trouble. It’s loaded with an enhanced version of the Jarhead Piss I gave you. It’ll turn your entire system up to eleven. Left hand index finger.” He held out that ring.

  Cassidy took it and put it on. “What do the rest of them do?”

  Jazz smiled. “The rest are decoys. It would look suspicious if you were only wearing two rings instead of sporting them as a stylistic choice. Hopefully, you won’t need them. I’d hate to see you get on Garrett’s bad side.”

  “You told me you aren’t afraid of him.”

  “There’s a line between frightened and cautious, my friend. Stay cautious.”

  “I will.” Jazz handed him the rest of the rings, announcing which finger they went on. “You were looking good when I came in. Now you’re looking damn sweet.”

  Cassidy glanced down at his fingers, surprised to find he didn’t mind the look. “I appreciate your help with this.”

  “I’m sure you’ll make it up to me. That’s how it works.” He closed the empty briefcase and picked it up. “You’ve got thirty minutes to get to the rendezvous point. Better not chill here too much longer.”

  “I’ll be leaving right behind you.”

  “Be careful with Garrett,” Jazz warned. “I hear he’s like a cat. All cuddly and purring one second, clawing and scratching the next.”

  “Good to know.”

  “Take care of yourself, Brando.”

  “See you when I see you, Jazz.”

  The dealer nodded and saw himself out, leaving Cassidy alone in the sitting area. Only for a few seconds. The door to the bedroom opened and Brie joined him on the couch.

  “Did you find something already?” Cassidy asked.

  “No. But I overheard your conversation.”

  “Overheard, or spied on?”

  “What’s the difference? Is this Garrett the same guy you had me search the Dome for? The dude that doesn’t exist?”

  “Yeah. Same guy.”

  “Does he have anything to do with Leonidas?”