Brodie said, “I’m sure we are.”
Klasky continued, “She was defiant, insisted she’d done nothing wrong. She wouldn’t tell me what she had sent or to whom. I radioed the MPs. I got no response on their channel, or any of the other channels, including yours, and then the Rangers rolled up. One of them told me they’d disarmed the MP doing room checks and then busted out.”
Right. That couldn’t have been too hard. And from there, all they had to do was get the jump on whatever other MPs were on duty, which could have been just the two at the armory, and one more guarding General Morgan’s house. Meanwhile, the Rangers were monitoring all comms channels using the walkies they seized along the way.
Klasky added, “I had them move Dixon to house arrest, and if I were you, I’d interview her to see what you can find out.”
Taylor asked, “Do you know what happened with Colonel Howe?”
“No. But I’d bet they’ve detained her too. Or are about to. And they are putting Morgan back in command. This is horrible.”
Brodie said, “Yes, it is, Major. I have a feeling that whatever semblance of order remained here is about to unravel.” He added, “We need access to a computer.”
The man’s eyes narrowed. “Why?”
“CID business.”
“You sound as cagey as Dixon.”
Brodie eyed the major, who had taken a small step back to place himself in the open doorway. Should Brodie deck his ass? Probably a bad idea.
Brodie said, “The details of our investigation are not your business, and aiding us in our investigation when needed is your responsibility. We need access to a computer. Right now.”
Klasky hesitated a moment, then nodded and stepped aside.
They entered the lab. The overhead lights were off, and the only illumination came from a few desk lamps scattered about.
The major led them to a closed laptop computer on a large metal desk with two office chairs.
Brodie was about to open the computer when he noticed that Taylor’s eyes were locked on something at the far end of the room. Brodie followed her look, to the small room at the rear of the lab with the glass window. Inside it on the metal table was a D-17 unit, lit from above by a hanging light.
Taylor asked, “What is that doing here?”
Klasky said, “Dixon wanted it brought here earlier for testing. I helped her move it from the Vault. It was never activated.”
Brodie and Taylor got up and approached the window. The bot was secured to the table with metal restraints around its wrists, across its torso, and on its left ankle. Its right leg had been removed and was sitting on a nearby table. A thick red cable attached to a port on the top of its head ran to a computer console in the corner of the room.
Brodie noticed that the slot for its hardware key was empty. He also noticed the numeral 4 etched on its chest. Lou Gehrig?
Taylor asked, “What kind of testing was she doing?”
Klasky shook his head. “She wouldn’t tell me, but I’m sure she wanted to look for that rogue software she said she found.”
Right. Or, as Brodie had already theorized, Dixon was the one who had installed the rogue software and was covering her ass with the illusion of due diligence.
Klasky stared at the bot through the window. “Ames used to complain to me about her. That she didn’t trust the rest of the team, he thought maybe it was an anti-military thing, pretentiousness or whatever. But maybe there’s something else going on. Some other reasons for her lack of candor.”
Brodie looked at Major Klasky. The man’s hazel eyes were bloodshot, and he had bags beneath them. He must not have been getting much sleep. Well, he had plenty to worry about.
Taylor asked, “Why did she remove its leg?”
“Lieutenant Lehner did that after Dixon called him in for some sort of mechanical repair. These units can get pretty banged up out in the desert.”
Brodie stared at Lou’s gleaming face beneath the overhead light. “Where’s the key?”
“We left it in the Vault.”
Taylor was eyeing the console in the corner of the room, and the red cable running to Lou’s head. She asked, “What is the chain of custody on the software running the D-17s? I mean, who installed it, and when?”
