“How can something like that stay secret?” Parkowski asked. “That seems insane. Rogue U.S. hit squads going after private citizens sounds like something out of a dystopian novel.”
“Let’s go through your example that you and your boyfriend are living in right now,” Chang said. “Yesterday, when you texted Dr. Pham and asked him for a meeting, that crossed a red line. Either you, he, or the two of you were under heavy surveillance because, shoot, I don’t know, the Bronze Knot information would put a U.S. agent in China at risk or something. Make up your own story, the why isn’t important, just the how.” He cleared his throat. “So, when he agreed to the meeting, that triggered a response. Somewhere in some classified document there exists a flowchart that probably says something along the lines of ‘if Bronze Knot information is to be exposed to non-BKT individuals do X, Y, and Z,’ which in your case is to terminate both the potential leaker as well as the person being leaked to.”
Parkowski’s mouth hung open. “You’re just making this up.”
Chang opened his mouth to speak but DePresti responded for him. “No, he’s not. I’ve heard of things too. Just rumors, sure, but I never believed them. Now, I think that some of them might be right.”
“You’re both crazy,” Parkowski said. “The government just doesn’t do that. It has to be someone else. The Russians or Chinese or some kind of mega-corporation, sure. But not the United States government.”
They both shook their heads. “It happens, Grace,” DePresti argued.
“Fine, whatever,” she said. Parkowski still wasn’t convinced.
Chang snickered. “That’s some of the least crazy shit I’ve heard. Some guy who used to work NRO launches out of the Cape told me that some of the Apollo unmanned missions were cover for the Illuminati launching people in cryosleep to the far reaches of the solar system.”
She shot him a look. DePresti laughed.
“It’s almost irrelevant who killed Pham and chased you here,” Chang said, trying to change the subject. “Hell, it’s almost irrelevant what’s behind the Bronze Knot curtain.”
Parkowski stared at him.
“What’s really important is how to fight back,” Chang finished.
“Oh, enlighten me, please,” DePresti said. “I want to know how to fight back against an assassination squad.”
Parkowski laughed, but deep down she agreed with her boyfriend.
Chang snorted. “Come on, you’re an Academy puke, you had to have read the Art of War, right?”
“Read it, and believe it, or not I enjoyed it,” DePresti responded. “Military strategic studies was one of the few classes I enjoyed outside of my engineering ones.”
“I’ve read it too,” Parkowski chimed in. “My dad recommended it to me when I started dealing with some Aering internal politics. I found it to be extremely helpful.”
“Well, I’m going to butcher this quote, sorry Sun Tzu,” Chang said, “but it goes something like the ultimate art of war is to subdue a superior enemy without fighting.”
Parkowski was confused. “How can we beat an enemy, especially one with superior forces, intelligence, and experience?”
“Ok,” Chang said, turning his chair around and sitting in it backwards facing them. “Let’s go through a thought exercise. What do our opponents — whoever they might be — fear the most?”
“I think that’s fairly obvious,” Parkowski said quickly, looking over at DePresti who nodded. “They want to protect Bronze Knot at all costs.”
“Precisely,” Chang said. He turned to DePresti. “Are there more like her out there?”
DePresti ignored him. “So, they want to keep Bronze Knot and whatever is behind it a secret,” he said. “I get that part. But how does that help us?”
“It’s simple in concept, but the execution is going to be much more difficult,” Chang said. “The two of you, with help from me now that you’ve dragged me into this, need to figure out what Bronze Knot is.”
DePresti laughed. “Oh sure, we couldn’t figure it out once Grace had physical access to the ILIAD networks and I was able to get on base to get into all of the SAP stuff, what makes you think we can do it now, on the run, with limited resources?”
“Well, before, you didn’t have me,” Chang said. “And Mike, you know me well enough by now, if there’s something out there I can get my hands on it. I wouldn’t say you have limited resources, just different.”
“So what do we do, just hang out here and try to put our brains together to solve the mystery?” Parkowski asked.
“Maybe some of that,” Chang said, “but we’re going to have to move too. You can’t be a fixed target.”
“Are you sure that you want in?” DePresti asked him. “I mean, we kind of forced ourselves on you here. If you want us to leave, we can. Grace’s shoulder isn’t going to kill her.”
“No, I’m in,” Chang said firmly.
“So what is our next step?” Parkowski asked, hopeful that they might be finally taking the initiative from their mysterious enemies.
Chang held up a finger and then stepped out into the hallway. “Be right back,” he said.
