The Merchant’s War

Quantum computing. Neurobiology. Quantum states in large protein molecules. Eric shook his head over the densely written papers Delaney had copied for him. Then Armstrong dropped off the map, and now James is taking me to see him. He grinned humorlessly. I wonder if this means what I think it means. The gyroball whirred down as he shifted it to his left hand, twisting his wrist continually, trying to drive out the stiffness and shooting pains by constant exercise.

Security at the sprawling laboratory complex-more like a huge university campus than anything else-was pervasive but not heavy-handed at first. His driver, Agent Simms, smoothed the way as he checked in his mobile phone, laptop, and the hand exerciser with the security guards. "You ready to visit JAUNT BLUE now, sir?"

"Take me there."

Back in the car, it was another five-minute drive past endless rows of windowless buildings. Eric sat back, watching the chain-link fence and the site road unfold around him. One DoD site looked much like any other, but there were signs here for those who knew what to look for. Inner fences. Curious, long berms humped up beneath a carpet of sunburned grass, like state secrets casually swept out of the view of passing spy satellites by a giant security-obsessed housekeeper. Driving past some clearly disused buildings, Simms turned into a side road (hen pulled over in front of a gate. "Okay, sir, we walk torn here. Building forty-seven."

"Right." Eric opened the door and got out, feeling the heat start to suck him dry. Late morning and it was already set to be a burning hot summer day. "Which way?"

"Over here." Simms walked over to one of the disused warehouse units. The walls were simple metal sidings ami the doors and windows were missing, the building itself just a hollow shell. I "Here? But it's abandoned-"

"It's meant to look that way. Building forty-seven. If you'd follow me? Sir?"

The secret service agent was clearly sure of himself. Someone's spent a lot on camouflage, Eric told to himself, clutching his briefcase and following behind. What's going on? The inside of the warehouse was no more promising than the exterior. Huge ceiling panels were missing, evidently the holes where air conditioning units had been stripped out. The concrete loading bay at the rear of the building was dusty and decrepit, the doors missing. Simms walked over to the near side, where a rusty trailer was propped up on blocks. Eric glanced past him, and for the first time noticed something out of place-a black dome, about the size of his fist, fastened to the wall somewhere above head height. Closed circuit cameras? In an abandoned shed?

Simms climbed a ramshackle flight of steps and opened the door of the trailer. "This way, sir."

Eric relaxed, everything clicking into place. The camera, the abandoned trailer, the shadows thick and black under the trailer-it was all intended to deal with visitors from the Clan. "Okay, I'm coming." He climbed the steps and found himself in a small lobby behind Simms, who was waiting in front of an inner door with a peephole set in it. The door was made of steel and opened from the inside.

"Agent Simms, Colonel Smith of FTO, visiting JAUNT BLUE," Simms announced.

A speaker crackled. "Close the outer door now."

Eric reached back and pulled the door shut. The inner door buzzed for a moment, then whined open sideways to reveal the bare metal walls of a freight elevator. "Neat," he said admiringly as they descended towards the tunnels under the laboratory complex. "If you can't go up without being obvious, go down."

"This all used to be part of the high-energy physics group, back in the sixties," Simms said laconically. "They repurposed it this year. There are several entrances. Dr. James told me to show you in through the back door." A back door disguised as a derelict building, complete with spy cameras and probably some kind of remotely con-I rolled defense system: whatever James had going on down here, he didn't welcome unexpected visitors.

The freight elevator ground to a halt and Eric did a double-take. Jesus, I've just fallen into The Man from U.N.C.L.E! He glanced around at the rough-finished concrete walls, fluorescent lights, innumerable pipes and conduits bolted overhead-and at the end of the passage, a vast, brightly lit space.

"Badges, please." The Marine guards waiting in an alcove off one side of the corridor were armed, and not for show. Smith extended the badge he'd been issued and waited while one of the guards checked him off a list. "You may proceed, sir."

"Where's Dr. James's group?" he asked Simms's receding back.

"Follow me, sir."