Chapter 34
Georgetown University School of Medicine, 37th and O Street NW, Washington, DC
October 13, 2010
NID Special Agent Mark Devlin, shadowed by agents Brendan Weaver and Peter Devon, emerged from the admissions department of the Georgetown University School of Medicine to meet the other eight NID agents waiting for them. It had taken, in Devlin’s point of view, an incredible and unnecessary long time for the university employee to peruse their credentials and then reluctantly proved the class schedule for honour student Cassandra Klerk, formerly Frasier.
“Our target should be emerging from the campus’s ICC Auditorium shortly heading for an unknown destination as her schedule indicates an hour before her next class.” Devlin pointed to two agents of the eight. “I want you two to monitor the public transport centre. The rest will come with me. Once we get to the auditorium we will separate into groups of three. We are to keep in contact at all times. Any questions?”
“No Sir,” the agents are responded crisply.
“Good. Remember our target is to be approached with prudence as she is of alien origins and use of the Aschen pacifying rods is authorised if necessary. Move out.” Two agents separated from the group, returning to the Aschen transport centre that they had arrived at, and the rest began briskly walking towards the ICC Auditorium.
As they headed towards their targets predicted location Devlin ran over what he knew about their target in their head. Statistics were: red haired, brown eyes, five feet six inches and one hundred twenty pounds. Alien of P8X-987 adopted by former SGC CMO Major Doctor Janet Fraiser in 1997. Enrolled in the Georgetown University School of Medicine in 2005. Married Dominic Klerk in 2007. Klerk was employed by The Washington Post who during his questioning of the President during his public press conference had revealed that his wife had accessed the Aschen medical sub-core and located the sterilisation statistics.
Making securing Cassandra Klerk a top propriety.
Especially given the fact that Dr Jackson and Dr Fraiser’s locations were unknown and examination of communication between Frasier, Jackson, and the Klerk households had revealed a sudden increase in activity almost a month prior to the initiation of the resistance dubbed Operation Quarantine Phase II on Earth.
“Weaver, Devon, you’re with me,” Devlin spoke up as the doors of the ICC Auditorium were in sight and then divided up the remained six agents. “You three are together, and you three are together and will cover the flanks.”
“Yes Sir,” the agents affirmed and at his nod split into three smaller groups of three with Devlin taking the lead and heading to the doors as the other two groups began sweeping the grounds around the auditorium building.
Before they had drawn much closer the auditorium doors opened and a significant crowd of students emerged from the building and began dispensing. The NID agents all searched the students for the face of their target from the profile picture they had studied during the debriefing.
“Sir, there are multiple accesses to the auditorium,” Weaver spoke up, “should a team check the lecture room while another circles the building?”
“You heard him,” Devlin said loudly enough for his earpiece to transmit his words to the other agents. “Kaufmen your group circle the building, Bishop’s group you remain out front, and we’ll proceed inside.”
The mass of students departing the building had thinned allowing Devlin, Weaver, and Devon easier access to the auditorium doors as they entered their eyes still scanning for sight of their target.
As they were nearing the lecture hall where the target’s class had been held the double doors opened and a slender redheaded woman emerged slinging a pack over her shoulder and began heading in the opposite direction down the hall.
Devlin had not gotten a full and good look at the woman’s face but what he had seen in profile as she had exited and turned away had him suspicious that this was their target. “Devon, check the room,” Devlin said lowly. “Weaver with me. Target may be in sight.”
Devon entered the room as they passed through and Devlin and Weaver continued down the hall following the redhead woman.
Devlin glanced around and assuring that there was no others around called out as if he was a student trying to attract a friend’s attention, “Cassandra.”
The sound of her name being called drew Cassie from her thoughts about the lecture she had just attended as she walked through the hallway. Wondering who was calling for her, as she didn’t recognise the voice and her friends knew to call her by ‘Cassie’ she turned around.
And wished she had not.
While men in suits were not unusual on the campus—heck, she was use to seeing young men wearing suits and skateboarding on the paths—men that walked like Uncle Jack and were wired were not.
Her heartbeat rising, Cassie firmed her grip on her shoulder bag and asked, “Can I help you sirs?”
The more attractive man with brown hair and grey eyes man attempted to smile reassuringly as he and his companion drew close. The sound of a door closing down the hall had Cassie’s gaze flicking from the two men to see another suited man emerge from the room she had just been in.
Something about the third man’s expression had her heartbeat rising faster. At that further rise the Aschen security system flagged the occupants of the hallway and began comparing the biometric data of the individuals against its database.
“Look, if there isn’t something I can help you with, I’ve got someone I’m meeting in the café in ten.” Cassie said edgily as she shifted back some more trying to keep distance between her and the suits.
“Mrs Klerk, I am sorry but you have to come with us.”
“What for?” Cassie said sharply just as the security system identified her as a registrant confronted with three unregistered individuals carrying unlicensed weaponry. With the weapons registered the system began scanning the campus grounds for other illegal ordinance. Within a short time eight more unregistered individuals were located.
“I am sorry Mrs Klerk, but we can’t tell you that until you come with us.”
Cassie shifted back some more as her adrenaline began spiking and looked pointedly at the rounder faced man and took a chance. “Sloppy wiring for NID.”
The man with the exposed wiring’s face reacted slightly as his hand rose to touch the poorly hid wire leading to his earpiece. That facial reaction was all Cassie need for confirmation that these were NID—Kinsey’s henchmen.
Adrenaline surging Cassie slung her bag off her shoulder and threw it full into the face of the man that had called her name. She did not wait to see if it contacted as she spun around and raced away.
Three things happened simultaneously.
First: more than eight pounds of textbooks in Cassie’s bag slamming full into the man’s nose breaking it with a spray of blood.
Second: one of the other men yelled for backup to secure the hostile target into his earpiece.
Third: the Aschen security system registered Student Klerk’s flight from the unregistered and armed attackers.