“There are no other assets, Whitaker.”
Her lips followed her fingers, thinning so much they hurt.“There are thirteen active assets at the facility, sir.Any one of them would be a better choice than Sierra-9.”
“Noneof them would be a better choice than Sierra-9.Its scores are higher than any we’ve ever seen.It’s taken readily to every conditioning protocol and demonstrated an ability to process advanced instructions to an unprecedented degree.”
“Sure.When it’s not standing like an idiot in front of the target ignoring clear telecasted andspokencommands to—”
Chastain whipped his head toward her, and Whitaker paled slightly.“Spokencommands?”
She swallowed, kicking herself for letting her emotions get the better of her.“She refused to execute the telecasted command.I ordered her verbally to terminate the target, and she—”
“Fuck, Whitaker.”
His voice didn’t rise in pitch, but that didn’t make the oath any less terrifying.Whitaker’s fingers remained clenched but no longer out of anger.“I apologize, sir.I allowed my frustration to get the better of me.It won’t—”
“Who heard you?”
She swallowed.“Only the target, sir, and he wasn’t aware of what was going on.After I ordered Sierra-9 to attack him, he just blinked and asked me for money again.He then offered to paymeif I performed certain… services… for him.”
Immediately following that, Whitaker had knocked him unconscious with a single punch to the jaw, but she decided not to tell Chastain that.She hadn’t killed him, and the chances of him remembering what happened upon waking were slim to none.The chances of him telling anyone were nonexistent, and the chances of anyone believing him strayed into fantasy.She was fine.Theywere fine.
Chastain watched her for several minutes.She kept her eyes straight ahead, her back ramrod straight.Sweat beaded on her forehead and slid into her left eye, stinging it, but she kept it open, praying that the tremors running through her weren’t visible.
Finally, Chastain sighed.“Fuck, Whitaker.”
This time, the oath was delivered with a sort of relieved exasperation.Relief of her own washed through Whitaker, and she swallowed and said a silent prayer of thanks to a God she hadn’t believed in since her father invoked His name as a reason to beat her with a belt until she bled.
“Sierra-9 remains our best chance to accomplish our mission,” Chastain said in a patronizing tone that Whitaker usually hated but that indicated an end to his anger now.“We simply grew too eager and pressed too far.We’re making progress with it.Itwillbe the first unit to successfully execute a combat mission.”
Whitaker risked one more argument.“Perhaps we are putting too many eggs in Sierra-9’s basket.”
“Perhaps,” Chastain allowed.“In which case, we will move on and seek other assets.However, Sierra-9 remains useful.We’re not finished with it.”
That was the end of the discussion.Whitaker, now certain that she had escaped death this time, brought up her other primary concern.“The doctor is still investigating us.”
“Corporal Charles is dealing with that,” Chastain replied.“Dr.Friedman will either behave himself, or he will die before the end of the night.”
Whitaker’s eyebrows lifted in surprise.“Really?”
The corners of Chastain’s mouth curled upward.“Yes, Sergeant Whitaker.You and Charles are finally getting your wish.After discussing the situation with Director Karver, I have agreed to conditionally authorize Dr.Friedman’s termination.I still hope that he will choose to cease his interference, but if he doesn’t, then we will end it for him.”
Whitaker sometimes wondered how a man as intelligent as Randall Chastain could simultaneously be so stupid.Dr.Friedman wasn’t going to stop.He had decided to make Sierra-9 his crusade.People on righteous missions didn’t stop, not even when a SWAT team stood outside of their home pointing guns at them and threatening to kill them if they didn’t release the baby girl they were holding by the throat.
Whitaker’s fingers began to curl again, and she pushed the unpleasant memory from her mind.That situation had been dealt with decades ago, and this situation would be dealt with tonight.There was no more point in dwelling on it.She only wished she could be there to see the light fade from Dr.Friedman’s eyes the way she saw it fade from her father’s.
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
Faith paced back and forth across the hotel room, arms crossed, fingertips tapping her shoulders, lips pressed into a thin line.The sky outside was now completely dark, and at any moment, she expected a phone call telling her about another victim found murdered with an oath taped to their body.
It occurred to her that they probably wouldn’t find out about any other bodies until the morning.That did nothing to improve her attitude.
“Faith, you need to eat,” Jessica said.“I know you won’t sleep, and I probably won’t either, but if we need to chase this guy and it turns into a fight, you need your strength.”
Faith rolled her eyes, but Jessica was right.She picked up her sandwich and bit into it, continuing to pace across the room.
Turk sat in between the beds, following Faith with his head and wagging his tail.He didn’t seem particularly worried, maybe because he knew that they were on the cusp of breaking this open, and he could finally catch the bad guy.
Faith wished she could have his attitude, but every minute that passed was another minute that an innocent person could be dying.Damn it, how long did it take to clean up a damned video clip?Fort Worth understood that innocent lives were on the line, right?
