Guardian Program Ch. 13

"How so?" asked Lieber.

"My job at the NSA is to handle some of our field agents. Since I became a reader, I have quietly passed off most of my charges, but one that I've kept stands out. She was recruited as a profiler and assigned to watch a businessman who seemed bent on buying up communications companies. She's been dissecting him for several years now and recently found a chink in his armor."

"Are you saying you have an asset close to Smith?" Lieber asked hopefully.

"Yes, that is exactly what I'm saying."

"How close?"

"Close enough that she manipulated him into exposing himself at a time and place of her choosing."

"Can she think for herself?" asked General Cook.

Henderson chuckled. "She somehow managed to get herself on his flight when he indoctrinated me and the other readers into the Guardian Program. She also indicated Smith had given up several aliases to her. But that isn't all. Apparently, Smith is into her and spent the flight pawing at her. He wants to make her his mistress or at least sleep with her."

"What did you tell her to do?" asked Lieber. "She doesn't know about Guardian, does she?"

"No," stated Henderson. "Her getting on the flight was a coincidence, she didn't even know I was there, and as far as I know, she doesn't even know my name. She thinks it's Iverhouse. When she was recruited I thought she was cute and traded Jim Iverhouse, two hackers for her. He got two people he thought would get him noticed and I got a profiler and some eye candy. We used to do that kind of thing all the time, but never changed anyone's status in the computer, to avoid getting in trouble for shuffling our workloads.

"As for what I told her to do, I said to play it slow and steady. To make him come to her. You know seduce him without being too eager."

"That was perfect," stated Lieber. "Get in contact right away, let her know her priority is to lock down Smith's intentions. Make sure she understands how important this is. Don't mention any of his tech, and don't imply she should look into it.

"I want everyone in this room to understand that until we know whose side Smith is on, and what he wants, he is to be treated with extreme caution. So far, he has done everything he said he could do, therefore I want him on our side.

"I don't want him pushed into a corner, but if he does turn out to be a threat, I want us ready for it.

"Are there any questions?..."

"It would seem not, let's eat. I would hate for all that food to go to waste."

End of chapter 13, I hope you enjoyed it and all of my work.

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