Bailey’s gaze flicked over the group before landing on Sean, and he tried not to shift beneath her heavy attention.He shouldn’t have been surprised she’d picked him out as the man in question who’d had previous dealings with the Reborn IRA.Alpha Team had partnered with the Royal Legion several times before, and the UMG knew their identities, which meant certain officials within MI6 knew as well.
“The question at hand is how we go about handling the threat without losing our operatives’ cover identities.Closing down the gala after we’ve made contact will no doubt shine a spotlight on my people,” Nazari said.
“We’re not agreeable to putting innocent British lives at risk,” Bailey said.
“Technically, half the people who will show up are criminals, and the other half indulged in illegal acts that got them caught in Jansen’s power.Innocence is lacking in the group as a whole, but I will agree I don’t like putting lives in general at risk like that,” Liam said.
“We have options, but I don’t believe doing nothing will be beneficial to any of us,” Jamie respectfully pointed out.
“The infiltration plans you provided have merit, but implementing them on such short notice will be challenging,” Chapman agreed.“I’m of the opinion that we don’t lose this chance, despite the risk.We need to find those labs, and we need to know how many other decision-makers within this alliance of theirs are metahumans.Jansen can’t be the only one.”
“If that’s the case, then the only ones deployed should be metahumans.I won’t risk any of my people within the vicinity of a Splice chemical bomb,” Bailey stated flatly.
“Control of the perimeter can be attained by regular agents of both agencies.We can send in certain members of the Royal Legion and those on other teams.The police can be on standby if you think alerting them in advance won’t tip our hand,” Nazari replied.
“Initiating a quarantine zone in that area will require a lot of noticeable personnel.I think we’d all be better served if we’re able to locate the bombs beforehand and diffuse them.”
“Cillian Halloran preferred building and using bombs that were portable, which would take no more than two people to set up.That necessitated him using multiple bombs, which produced a wider area of infection and carnage.Considering the location of the gala and the many gallery rooms within the museum, I would think he’d stick to his preference over creating one large bomb.I doubt the bombs will show up before the gala starts,” Sean said, garnering everyone’s attention.
“And do you stand by that assessment?”Chapman asked.
Sean hesitated, eyes flicking toward the director, who only met his gaze with calmness, no hint of doubt on his face.Sean squared his shoulders.“I do.”
Bailey frowned, glancing down at the data in her personal terminal on her side of the uplink.“This will be a PR disaster if word gets out we anticipated the attack and let it go forward despite the danger it posed merely to entrench a foreign metahuman team into the inner circle of a criminal enterprise.”
“We Americans will take the blame and the glory,” Nazari replied in a mild voice.“That was the plan from the beginning, remember?”
“Going forward seems to be the only viable option,” Chapman said, smoothly steering the conversation away from an argument and back on track.“Chief Bailey, the chance for solid information about potential Splice labs outweighs the risk to the people attending the gala.The UMG and MDF will be moving forward on this mission.”
“The fallout will be your problem to handle,” Bailey said.
“It usually is.We’ll let MI6 dictate the search for Cillian Halloran and Emmet Doyle in the lead-up to the gala.Monitoring the Victoria and Albert Museum will be overseen by the UMG.The timetable will be tight for all of us, so let’s finish up this briefing and get on with the job at hand.”
Despite the clock counting down, the briefing lasted another two hours.Bureaucracy was full of red tape, more so when agencies anticipating blame were determined to minimize their own damage.Sean knew people would die tomorrow night because of decisions made today, but their deaths would be marked down as a necessary loss in the fight against terror.
Governments used to be far more conservative in their efforts to entrap the enemy on domestic soil.With the current political climate and blurry borders, leniency was paid for in blood and found acceptable through media spin.Sean didn’t doubt that the fallout would be bad, but neither did he doubt the American and British governments would find a way to justify it down to the last life lost.
When the uplink finally cut off, a tentative plan was in place, drawn from one of Jamie’s many models, to be finalized by the UMG.
“This is a complete mess,” Liam sighed when the brass was no longer breathing down their necks.
“Sean, would you know the bombs on sight if you saw them?”Madison asked.
“Depends on if Cillian hasn’t altered his standard design,” Sean said.
“Most bomb-makers don’t.They tend to stick with what’s comfortable for them.”
“If we’re talking multiple bombs, we’re going to need more than one demolitions specialist,” Donovan pointed out.
“I’m no specialist, but I can disarm them pretty easily.My power and electronics don’t really mix,” Sean said.
“How so?”Liam asked.
“Phase field.I can go intangible and short-circuit any electronics in the bomb.”
The invisible phase field his body exuded encompassed Sean within a two-inch radius.Sean could control his phase power so only all or part of his body became intangible.He could push the phase field outward into other people, changing their molecular density as he did with his own, but it took a lot of effort.
The alteration of his body’s status didn’t agree with electronics, which meant he was forever at risk of losing communication with headquarters if he phased his entire body.It was part of the reason why he rarely used his power in the field, relying on his training to get the job done.
