Center—giving them a clear picture, except for the type of warhead of the incoming hostile missile’s capability.
Definitely grave news. Dangerous news. “Sit down, okay?” She motioned to the green visitor’s chair, and then waited.
“Sit down?” He leaned against her desk. “We need to move on this.”
“Seth,” she said more firmly. “Sit down.”
He stared at her as if she’d lost her mind, and then plopped down on the leather chair. Air gushed out of it. “We’re wasting time.”
“No we’re not.” She leaned toward him. “If we lock down the lab, odds double that we’ll never find out who
copied the codes.” Convinced she was right, she pressed on. “We need to keep this quiet.”
“Quiet?” Seth dragged a hand through his hair. It gleamed black in the fluorescent light. “Julia, would you think? Whoever took those codes—”
“Can’t do a damn thing with them until the project is developed and activated.”
“What if they get to whoever’s got the Rogue? Hostiles could develop the technology before we do. We’d have no damn defense.”
The thought chilled her to the marrow of her bones. “Not with only the codes. They’d need more. System designs, specs, schematics.” She spun through scenarios. “Look, I agree that we’ve got a serious problem, but we can’t react out of fear—not if we want to identify the thief.”
Seth visibly calmed down and some of the color returned to his face. “We’re compelled to notify Security and the OSI. How do you propose we do that and keep this quiet?”
“We don’t break protocol, we just slow it down a little.” Julia lifted a pen from the blotter. She always thought better with a pen in her hand. “You noted irregularities before the project was funded. Who assisted you in developing the prototype and is now on the team?”
“Dempsey Morse, Cracker, and Marcus. Everyone else is new.”
“Then it seems plausible that one of them copied the codes.”
“That’s a hell of an assumption.”
“Yes, it is.” She slumped back. “But irregularities manifested then and now. We’re too new into the project for someone unfamiliar with it to have gathered much info outside their own areas. Crossover seems far more probable.” She waited for that disclosure to sink in, and then went on. “Also, during the briefing this morning, I noticed your ID badge wasn’t yours.”
“What?” Startled, Seth looked down to the badge. “It’s mine.”
“Now it is. Then, it wasn’t,” Julia insisted. “The photo caught my eye.”
“Whose was it?”
“I couldn’t tell. The lights caused a glare.” she said. Now, of course, she wished she had immediately pursued finding out. But she had blown that opportunity.
Withholding a sigh, she looked over at Seth. “I intended to ask you about it, but you were talking with Linda and it sounded serious. I didn’t want to interrupt. Then, the truth is, I got involved and forgot about it.” Not an admirable or easy thing to admit, but honest.
“So someone switched the badge, and then switched it back? While I was in the inner lab?” Seth snorted. “Julia, that sounds absurd.”
“Nevertheless, it’s what I think happened. I know the photo wasn’t yours.” She reached over to her cup of tea, and took a sip. Fear dried out the throat in a hurry. “Did you deliberately remove your badge at any time before the briefing?”
“No, I didn’t.”
“Okay, then who had the opportunity to switch badges with you?”
“It could have been any of them. I met with all three separately before the briefing. And with Linda.”
Linda, who was frustrated and stressed out at again being a Saudi widow.
Seth frowned. “It’s hard to believe someone could have switched the badge and then switched it back without me noticing.”
“Not really.” Julia set her teacup down and missed its warmth against her fingers. Inside, she felt ice-cold. “They taught us how it’s done in counter
Definitely grave news. Dangerous news. “Sit down, okay?” She motioned to the green visitor’s chair, and then waited.
“Sit down?” He leaned against her desk. “We need to move on this.”
“Seth,” she said more firmly. “Sit down.”
He stared at her as if she’d lost her mind, and then plopped down on the leather chair. Air gushed out of it. “We’re wasting time.”
“No we’re not.” She leaned toward him. “If we lock down the lab, odds double that we’ll never find out who
copied the codes.” Convinced she was right, she pressed on. “We need to keep this quiet.”
“Quiet?” Seth dragged a hand through his hair. It gleamed black in the fluorescent light. “Julia, would you think? Whoever took those codes—”
“Can’t do a damn thing with them until the project is developed and activated.”
“What if they get to whoever’s got the Rogue? Hostiles could develop the technology before we do. We’d have no damn defense.”
The thought chilled her to the marrow of her bones. “Not with only the codes. They’d need more. System designs, specs, schematics.” She spun through scenarios. “Look, I agree that we’ve got a serious problem, but we can’t react out of fear—not if we want to identify the thief.”
Seth visibly calmed down and some of the color returned to his face. “We’re compelled to notify Security and the OSI. How do you propose we do that and keep this quiet?”
“We don’t break protocol, we just slow it down a little.” Julia lifted a pen from the blotter. She always thought better with a pen in her hand. “You noted irregularities before the project was funded. Who assisted you in developing the prototype and is now on the team?”
“Dempsey Morse, Cracker, and Marcus. Everyone else is new.”
“Then it seems plausible that one of them copied the codes.”
“That’s a hell of an assumption.”
“Yes, it is.” She slumped back. “But irregularities manifested then and now. We’re too new into the project for someone unfamiliar with it to have gathered much info outside their own areas. Crossover seems far more probable.” She waited for that disclosure to sink in, and then went on. “Also, during the briefing this morning, I noticed your ID badge wasn’t yours.”
“What?” Startled, Seth looked down to the badge. “It’s mine.”
“Now it is. Then, it wasn’t,” Julia insisted. “The photo caught my eye.”
“Whose was it?”
“I couldn’t tell. The lights caused a glare.” she said. Now, of course, she wished she had immediately pursued finding out. But she had blown that opportunity.
Withholding a sigh, she looked over at Seth. “I intended to ask you about it, but you were talking with Linda and it sounded serious. I didn’t want to interrupt. Then, the truth is, I got involved and forgot about it.” Not an admirable or easy thing to admit, but honest.
“So someone switched the badge, and then switched it back? While I was in the inner lab?” Seth snorted. “Julia, that sounds absurd.”
“Nevertheless, it’s what I think happened. I know the photo wasn’t yours.” She reached over to her cup of tea, and took a sip. Fear dried out the throat in a hurry. “Did you deliberately remove your badge at any time before the briefing?”
“No, I didn’t.”
“Okay, then who had the opportunity to switch badges with you?”
“It could have been any of them. I met with all three separately before the briefing. And with Linda.”
Linda, who was frustrated and stressed out at again being a Saudi widow.
Seth frowned. “It’s hard to believe someone could have switched the badge and then switched it back without me noticing.”
“Not really.” Julia set her teacup down and missed its warmth against her fingers. Inside, she felt ice-cold. “They taught us how it’s done in counter
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