The Great Deception by davidberko

her.

    Sofia put her fork down on her chilled
plate adorned with chocolate shavings and drizzle. She looked up at
Governor Castell with a half-smile. "What did you think of the
cake?" "What's not to like," he replied. "I'm a sucker for German
desserts."
    Keller nodded. Her eyes danced around the
room, absorbing every detail. "This hotel has always been a
favorite of mine. I wouldn't stay anywhere else
    in the city...."
    "There's a new chain investing in downtown.
Hotel Omm's management is a little worried I hear," Carlos almost
whispered while wiping his mouth with his napkin. "Carlos," Keller
looked ready to change topics to something more in line with the
real reason for the visit, "I wanted to personally thank you for
the work you and your people have done to go after groups and
militias that are enemies of the state."
    The governor did his best to look placid.
Keller was playing games. So he would play along. "We recently
conducted a sting operation on some radicals. Our intelligence
indicated they were conspiring to take over some weapon
depots."
    She didn't give anything away. "You don't
say...."
    "Yeah. Frankly, I'm a little concerned about
the number of hostiles out there that would like nothing more than
chaos and tyranny." Keller agreed. "That's why we must work
together as a team. And that's partly why I'm here."
    "I'm afraid I don't follow."
    "It goes something like this--" her hands
hovered over her dinner plate like it was an open playbook. "--we
need to share information. I'd like to see more transparency from
your intelligence officials with the BfV. Do you think you can do
that?" "I thought we were doing that," Carlos
complained.
    "Not according to these documents." She
held them up for everyone to see in a very confrontational manner.
"What's that?"
    "Phone records from people in your own
counter-terrorism agency, the
    Bureau of Internal Affairs, is it?"
    "Yes, that's us. But what's that got to do
with lack of transparency?" "We traced the calls. Several
businesses that were on the list have affiliations with known
antigovernment parties."
    Carlos blanched. How could this be
happening? "Why would my people be contacting those types?"
    "I was hoping you could tell me," her eyes
narrowed.
    "Are you saying I'm in cahoots with agents
from the BIA against my own government?" "We're checking into it,"
Keller said very firmly. "In the meantime, I've assigned a team to
work closely with your people over the next
    month or so. Consider that your parole, if
you will."
    The governor protested. Carlos shot glances
at his point man who looked equally shaken by the news. Keller was
good, too
    good. "This isn't over," Carlos threatened
her.
    "No, I'm afraid it isn't. We'll be in
touch." She got up from the table and excused herself. The rest of
her security detail went before her.
    Well that couldn't have gone any
worse , Carlos thought to himself.

    --

    Westover Ventures, LA

    "Don't you think it would be wise to call
ahead to the forward deployed teams?" "Warn them, you mean?"
    "You would want them to do the same for you
if that was your ass on the line."
    "You have a point."
    "I know I do! Now get on it!"
    "I hope you're right on this," he muttered
as he prepared to ask his commander what to do.
    The other security guard said nothing.
Instead, he walked a greater distance away from the guy who noisily
chattered with his superiors. If it were his call, he'd release a
swarm of drones to do reconnaissance since the scans of the
building didn't yield anything. He was almost certain they weren't
alone. But he needed something more concrete than a feeling. The
intelligence would have to come quick, too, before Scorpion got the
drop on unsuspecting Viper agents sent to do a job.

    "Yes sir, roger that."

    Those were the key words. He returned to
his partner, took off his helmet and straight up asked what the
news was. "They have agreed to send in our Wasp aerial
drones."
    "Those are the little insect