Chapter 7

I went upstairs, showered and changed clothes then went back down to the kitchen and retrieved the vials of blood in their little lunch box cooler. I took the cooler and my coat, got into my car and drove to Langley.

As soon as I got into my office I picked up the phone and began dialing.

"FBI, Coburn." the light tenor voice announced.

"Number one, this is Doctor Blacktower ... do you recognize my voice?"

"Yes sir, of course. What can I do for you sir?"

"I'm sending you a package by bonded carrier. When you get it I want it taken to the lab and a full ... I repeat ... a full analysis done on the contents. Anything and everything that can be done, do it. If your lab can't do certain tests, send it to the CDC in Atlanta and have them do it, but I want as complete and exhaustive a testing program as possible. And the instant the results are available, I want them delivered to my hand. No one else's. Any questions?"

"No sir, I understand. I'll take care of it."

"Thank you."

I was clicking thru the computerized personnel files, having finally located the stripped down personnel file I was looking for, when my inter-office line rang.

"Yes Eric?"

"Doctor, I have a man on line seven demanding to speak with you. He refuses to identify himself. All he'll say is that he's a friend of your sister. Shall I put him thru?"

I sat back in my chair and cursed silently. This was what I'd been afraid would happen.

"Put him thru."

"Should I start a trace?"

"No, don't bother. He won't be on the line long enough. Just put him thru."

I heard a series of clicks, buzzes and humming sounds followed by a sterile silence.

"Good morning Doctor. My name is..."

"Carlos Alejandro Negron. What do you want Mr. Chorney?"

The absence of background noise at the other end allowed me to hear the faintly muffled snarl that escaped from his lips when I announced his name.

"Still quick and perceptive as ever I see."

"Don't tell me you're still pissed about my breaking your cover back in '91 Alex. I thought you were supposed to be a professional."

"Bravo, Doctor. Not only my name, but my face as well."

"Worse than that Alex ... I had you in my sights yesterday. You have no idea how close you came to dying. The next time I see your face I will kill you."

"Must you resort to empty threats?"

"Did you watch me interview the serial killer that day Alex? Did I strike you as someone given to making empty threats?"

"Hmmm ... I see what you mean. Well then, I suppose I'd best keep my distance. In the meantime ... I have some items you might be interested in; video and photographic items of a rather personal nature that might be ... detrimental ... to your sister's long term career plans."

"How much?" I asked wearily.

"One life."

"Excuse me?"

"You heard me. In exchange for the film, pictures and negatives, I want a life."

"Who?"

"Lucifer."

I was missing something. Unless of course he was stark raving mad.

"You'll have to explain that."

"Lucifer is the nom de guerre of the most active and vicious computer hacker in the country, possibly the world. For reasons that do not and should not concern you, I want this man erased. So the deal is simple. You eliminate Lucifer for me; I give you the compromising film, photos and negatives of your sister."

I closed my eyes and thought quickly.

"Where do I find this 'Lucifer'?"

"If I knew that I wouldn't need you."

Ah-ha!

"What guarantee do I have that you'll keep your end of the bargain?"

"None at all. Look at it this way Doctor; I have no personal reason or desire to injure your sister ... in fact I rather like her. But that having been said; I will not hesitate to destroy the woman if you refuse my request."

"Uh-huh ... what kind of proof do you want that this 'Lucifer' has been eliminated?"

"You've been researching me, obviously. I've done my homework on you as well. All I require from you is your promise. I'll know if you've kept your word and Lucifer has been removed from the scene. I'll also know if you lie to me."

"How much time do I have?"

"I'll give you until the end of February. Of course the sooner it's done the better for all of us."

"Very well. You have my word. I'll eliminate 'Lucifer'."

"Thank you Doctor. A pleasure doing business with you."

There were another series of electronic garbage sounds and then absolute silence on the line. I set the phone down and stared at it for a few seconds then shifted my gaze to my computer monitor.

I copied the files on the monitor, encrypted them and inserted them into an e-mail addressed to one person at the FBI and another at the NSA and sent it out. I then got on the phone and started dialing.

"Brewer."

"Good afternoon number four, this is Doctor Blacktower; do you recognize my voice?"

"Of course Doctor, what can I do for you?"

"Check your e-mail. You'll find one from me with an encrypted file attached. I want a complete background search done on this individual. Everything there is to know as deeply as you can get, and all the way back to his grandparents."

"I'll get right on it Doctor."

"Number four ... in this case, fast is nice, but thorough is better."

"Understood sir."

"Thank you."

I hung up and dialed a different number.

"Records, Posey here." The scratchy voice declared, not bothering to hide her irritation with the interruption.

"Hello Megan. Ike Blacktower, do you remember me?"

"Oh, hey Doc! Haven't heard from you in quite a while; how've you been?"

"I won't lie to you Megan; it's been a lousy couple of days. But you might be able to brighten things up for me."

"If I can do anything to help, just say the word, you know that."

"You're an angel. I've sent you an e-mail with an encrypted attachment. I'd like all the information the NSA has on this man. He's an ex-CIA field operative, used to run several strings of agents in Prague, Warsaw and Budapest."

"That's no problem. I'll send you whatever we have on the guy."

"Thanks doll. There is one other thing, which might turn out to be a problem. If it is a problem, I'd like to know how big and why. I need everything you guys have on a hacker that goes by the name of 'Lucifer'."

I heard Megan's fingers flying across her keyboard as she searched the NSA files.

"Holy batshit!" she rasped.

"Megan?"

"Doc, it looks like we, the NSA I mean, have been trying to locate this character for a couple of years now, without success. Apparently Lucifer is really, really good. He's hacked the FBI, the Pentagon and the DOD databases as well as several of the D.C. area's most influential law firms. He's even made a couple of tries at getting to us. We aren't interested in prosecuting him anymore. The Director wants to recruit him!"

"But they don't know who he is or where he's operating out of, right?"

"Not really. According to what it says here, the best guess is that he's somewhere in the general vicinity of San Francisco."

"Can you get me a copy of those files without getting anyone pissed off at you?"

"Sure thing Doc. The Director said that we should give you anything you asked for."

"I wish my own Director were as helpful as you folks. Sure would make my job a lot easier."

"Anytime, tall pale and beautiful." she rasped suggestively. Megan was one of those women who had 'offered', and whose offer I had briefly considered. If you judged by her voice alone you might think she was some kind of cubicle troll. And you'd have been terribly mistaken. Megan was very pretty; tall, shapely, dark haired, with an engaging smile, bright cat-like eyes, a brilliant mind, easy to talk to and, for some odd reason, she found me attractive.

"My father warned me about girls like you. He said you were only after one thing."

She chuckled with amusement. "He was mostly right."

"Well, don't let your boyfriends find out. The last thing I need right now is a pack of enraged, testosterone-driven young wolves howling after me."

Her laughter was low, controlled and inviting. "I swear you've kissed the Blarney Stone. And from what I've heard thru the beltway grapevine, any pack of wolves that came looking for you would end up with their pelts hanging on your office wall."

"If only that were true. Megan, I'm afraid I have to be going. There's a sub-committee presentation I have to finish before I can leave tonight. If you don't mind, I'll drop by tomorrow afternoon and pick up those files on Lucifer."

"Come on over anytime Doctor. You're always welcome."

I spent the next several hours going over my proposed budget for the second half of the year, which was an irritating waste of time since I already knew it wasn't going to be approved. Congress had been busy during the 90's slashing the Intelligence Community to the bone. They figured that with all the advances in technology we didn't need all the people in the field that we'd had during the Cold War. And I suppose they also figured that since the USSR had collapsed there was no longer a need to hunt for moles in the CIA. In the years since I'd made my debut in front of the combined House and Senate sub-committees I'd watched the department's budget grow smaller and smaller as the politicians used the only stick they had to try and influence us and our work. They couldn't shut the department down; it had been created by a Presidential Order, but they could and did use money as a constant threat and goad. We'd gone from having thirty five people on staff in 1991 to a paltry eight in 1998. I had a sinking feeling that after the upcoming meeting I was going to have to eliminate half of that number.

The longer I looked at the numbers the angrier I got. I reached out and, with a single finger tip, deleted the file. Fuck them and their socialist ideology. If they didn't want me doing this job, maybe it was time to dump the whole mess in their laps and step away. Maybe it was time to show them what they were up against, let them in on the game and see how they'd like playing it alone. I smiled coldly and began pulling up different columns of numbers.

I stopped the car and turned off the ignition. The clock on the radio read 9:31 PM. I opened the door and climbed out, shutting the door gently behind me. Most of the lights in the house were off, but the porch light was on. I unlocked the front door and went in, shutting the door and hanging my coat on the tree. I wandered into the kitchen, made myself a cup of instant coffee and went looking thru the refrigerator for something to eat. I ended up settling for half a chicken. Taking the chicken and coffee, I sat down at the kitchen table, turned off the overhead light and ate and stared out at the darkness beyond the window.

"I've made a deal with the devil." I muttered.

'You aren't the first, you won't be the last.'

"I can't trust him to keep his word."

'Nope.'

"Then I shouldn't have any problems with not keeping mine, right?"

'He's not you. You should know by now that you can't rely on other people to think about anything the way that you do. But you still have to live with yourself, no matter what. If you break your word, can you live with yourself?'

"I have no idea. I've never done it before."

'You don't have to lie. He left you wiggle room, so wiggle.'

"Is that what I'm reduced to, semantic hair-splitting?"

'Don't be so fuckin' anal!'

"Fine. Long as I've got you here, I have one more question."

'Ask away. After all, that's what I'm here for ... to be your personal fuckin' Dear Abby.'

"Should I let them off the hook?"

'Hell no!'

"Everyone makes mistakes. They have to have the chance to make it right, if they want to."

'Look, I know you can't help being soft hearted, but do you have to be soft headed as well? If you let them off now, what's to keep them from doing it to you again? They have to suffer at least a little bit or they'll never understand and accept that negative behavior has negative consequences. I'm not suggesting that you beat the shit out of them ... in your sister's case that might actually work against you ... but if you don't take a stand and insist on punishment of some sort, they'll never respect you. It's long past time you became the dominant member of this relationship. Someone has to be, and look what letting them dominate has gotten you.'

"I don't have a dominating type personality. I don't know if I could pull it off for long."

'Don't kid yourself, Sparky. You scare the shit out of damn near everyone who's ever come in contact with you, and that's without trying. The only reason you won't be yourself with these women is because of what happened with your sister. Let me give you one piece of advice ... get rid of that memory she's carrying from when she was twelve. It's her biggest problem and she's just not capable of moving past it on her own. Burn it out and do it soon. As for the rest; what is the one thing your little family has in common? You! The women are there because of you. The kids are there because of you. You are the hub. They're planets to your sun. Without you they're just stray pieces floating around with nowhere to go. Stop thinking of yourself as nothing more than a sperm donor. Demand the respect you're entitled to ... or else.'

"Or else... ?"

'You walk away and start over somewhere else. You're still young and there are plenty of women who find you interesting and attractive, in spite of your less appealing qualities. Time to let these three know that they no longer hold the leash. Did you ever consider that one of the reasons why they wandered off was because they knew you'd be waiting to let them back in? Safety nets tend to get ignored and taken for granted. It's time to take away the net and let them think about what'll happen if they hit the ground.'

Much as I hated to, I had to agree with him ... me. I'd been a doormat in my own home for far too long. I'd been trying to be fair to everyone ... everyone but myself. It was past time I received a little justice.

I finished up the chicken, dumped the remains of its carcass in the trash and washed my hands in the sink. I put the plate and my coffee cup in the dishwasher and walked out, thru the dining room into the hall, up the stairs and opened the door to my bedroom. I glanced down the hall. No light shone out from under any of the other doors. I stepped inside and closed the door behind me. Flipping on the light by the door I was only slightly surprised to see Lilly and Peggy in my bed.

I stood there briefly watching them then shrugged and started removing my suit. I hung the jacket on one hanger, removed my shirt and tie, hung the tie over the hanger bar and tossed the shirt onto the floor of the closet. Stripping out of the pants I emptied the pockets onto the dresser top and put them on a separate hanger.

I turned back to the bed and its two occupants.

"I'm not in the mood for company tonight." I told them.

"Ike, please..." Lilly began.

"Have the three of you made your decision yet?"

"Izzy's been asleep most of the day. There hasn't been time." Peggy explained.

"Then go back to your own beds and let me get some sleep. I've got a lot to do tomorrow."

"Why are you being like this?" Peggy cried.

I looked down at her. "That is, without a doubt, the dumbest thing I've ever heard you say. You're a smart woman Peggy. You know damn well why I'm being like this."

"You're not being fair. We're sorry for what we did and we want to make it up to you, whatever it takes." Lilly said.

"I'm not being fair? I think I've been more than fair. If I were being absolutely fair, I sure as hell wouldn't be here right now ... I'd be in bed with the first woman who'd agree to take me home with her. But I haven't done that, have I? No, I came home. And I've already told you that I know you're sorry. I've felt how sorry you are. I get it. You want to make it up to me? I've told you what I expect you to do. So do it, and then we'll talk. Until that happens I would appreciate it if you'd stay out of my bed. If you aren't willing to agree to my conditions, I guess I'll just have to find somewhere else to spend my nights."

I went to the dresser and took out a pair of jeans and a long sleeved sweat shirt and started pulling them on. I had just buttoned up the jeans when I heard the bedsprings creak and sheets being thrown back. I watched out of the corner of my eye as a mismatched set of adorable bare butts scurried past, flung open the door and dashed out of my room into the darkness of the hall. I stepped over and closed the door, turned off the light, removed my pants and climbed into bed, pulling the blanket and sheets up under my arms.

'Neatly done. There may be hope for you after all.'

I was fast asleep in a matter of minutes.

I woke up alone in my bed for only the second time in close to eight years. It's hard to describe the sensation, but I think it might be similar in some respects to losing an arm or leg. You can see it's not there, but the rest of your body is telling you it damn well is ... or that it should be.

I sat up slowly, propped a couple of pillows behind my back and head and leaned back against the headboard.

Sleeping alone hadn't been as bad as I thought it would be. Of course, it was nowhere near as nice as having three warm naked women snuggled up against me; but I somehow managed to get to sleep. So now what?

I put my hands behind my head, laced my fingers together and stared off into space for a bit, trying to decide what my next step should be, when I heard the bedroom door creak slightly.