The Seal of Solomon (Alfred Kropp #2)(63)

“Well, for one thing, it’s the only thing that’s keeping Al here from blowing my head off.”

Op Nine smiled grimly. “Tell us, Mike, or I will give the order.”

He held out his hand toward me. I got it immediately, and handed him his cell phone.

“Well, Padre, I love my mom, don’t get me wrong, but I always thought my life might have turned out just a wee bit different if it hadn’t been for her. You know how it is, Al—we got no choice when it comes to parents, and some of them are woefully underqualified.”

“This is Nine,” Op Nine said into the cell phone. “I am authorizing Execution Code Delta-Alpha-Tango. Repeat: authorizing Execution Code Delta-Alpha-Tango.”

“Lemme talk to her,” Mike said.

Op Nine was pretending to listen to the nonexistent person on the other end of the line.

“Yes. Advise her that the Hyena refuses to cooperate.”

“Tell her self-preservation trumps familial loyalty!” Mike shouted. Then he said, “ ‘Hyena’? That’s my target name?”

“Very good,” Op Nine said into the phone. “Yes. Execute Delta-Alpha-Tango immediately.”

“Wait!” Mike yelped. “Okay! Stay the code!”

“Stay,” Op Nine said. The hand holding the phone dropped to his side. “Where is the Vessel, Mike?”

Mike took a deep shuddering breath. “I’m lying on it.”

I groaned. We hadn’t moved him to search. I grabbed him by the shoulder and rolled him off the couch. He hit the floor with a “whoomf!” I yanked off the cushions and threw them across the room. There was a cavity right in the center covered by a hinged door. I pulled the door open and brought out the Vessel. A lot lighter than I thought it would be, it was very plain, no fancy designs or markings of any kind, made of brass or bronze, I guess, the metal hammered very thin.

Op Nine flipped the cell phone closed and slipped it into his pocket. Then he turned to me and held out his hand.

“I said it was hope that separated us from them,” he said to me gently. “But so does mercy, Alfred.”

“Okay,” I said. “But some things are unforgivable too.”

I handed him the 3XD.

“There,” Op Nine said in that same gentle voice. “You see, Alfred? He is here. You’ve just provided us with the evidence.”

50

“What now?” Mr. Needlemier asked.

“Now some answers,” Op Nine said. He pulled Mike from the floor and plopped him down on the sofa. “What is Operation Utopia?”

Mike started to smile, but the look in Op Nine’s eyes killed it.

“A very noble cause that a very stupid kid ruined,” he said after a pause.

“The Charter is explicit in regards to—”

“Oh, don’t quote the Charter to me, Padre,” Mike said. “This is bigger than the Charter.”

“Your termination was a hoax, wasn’t it?”

Mike looked away. Op Nine didn’t seem to care.

“What was the director’s intent, Michael?”

“In a word? World peace. Oops. That’s two words.”

“The director went outside the Charter, did he not? He arranged your phony termination, the extraction of the Great Seals from our Vaults . . . He wanted you to free the outcasts in order to—what?”

“You’re the SPA. Isn’t it as plain as the boils on Al’s face?”

“Blackmail? The director would use the fallen to enforce world peace?”

“It’s beautiful, doncha think?” Mike said. “Once we made our little demonstration in the desert, who’s gonna have the guts to challenge the Company’s new world order? No more petty dictators or rogue states mucking around with peace and security. Somebody breaks the rules, we break the Seal. Perfect. Or at least it was on paper. Of course, we never considered the Kropp factor.” He looked at me. “One day I’m gonna kill you, Al, swear to God.”

“OIPEP wants to take over the world?” I asked.

Op Nine shook his head. “Not OIPEP, Alfred. Merryweather. It seems our director has decided to throw the Charter out the window. We have been duped.”

“That’s okay,” I said. “I’m getting used to it.” I turned to Mike. “So that’s why you tried to kill me? Merryweather knew about my blood and he was afraid it might be used to fight the demons?”

“Of course he knew,” Op Nine said. “It was contained in your dossier. After Mike ‘stole’ the Seals, I gave the order for Ashley to extract you. I did not know for certain, but I hoped your . . . gift might be useful in the 3XD. Therefore Merryweather needed Mike to extract you first.”

“In an extreme way,” I said. I started for the door.

Op Nine said, “Wait, Alfred.”

“We’re almost out of time,” I said. “We have only two hours to get to Florida.”

“I’m not sure that is entirely wise,” Op Nine said.

“We don’t have a choice,” I shot back. “They’ll consume us if we don’t go.”

“But if we go, there is nothing to stop them from consuming us.”

“Well, that’s been the problem all along, hasn’t it?”