Traitor's Pass
While transporting an update for the Conway Tapes software to Riga, G-Force is attacked over a range called Traitor's Pass. Surrounded in his car by Spectra, Jason is captured. Anderson fears that the attack was staged, and Jason has defected...
Chapter 1
Anderson put down the folder he was holding and looked up at the team, spread around the room in their usual places, Jason leaning as usual against the wall.
“Next assignment. You will be transporting a copy of the Conway Tapes update to the ISO representation on Riga, for their defence software. Colonel Cronus will fly with you, but the tapes will be on board the Phoenix. Until your departure, the tapes will be kept in my safe. I have to go on a mission tomorrow. Mark, you will be in charge of retrieving the tapes when you are ready to leave”.
“Why doesn't Colonel Cronus do this himself? G-Force is a bit above running escort for a package of software updates. Come on Chief, I'm sure we could be doing more useful things with our time”, griped Jason, angry at the prospect of another babysitting run, their third in as many weeks.
“Do you know something I don't, Jason? For example, what's better for our defence? Please enlighten me”, said Anderson softly but with a look that warned Jason not to push his luck. But Jason was never one for taking hints.
“Chief, we're stagnating here! A couple of patrols, a couple of runs carrying equipment...Is this what we're trained for?”
“You're trained to follow orders!” Anderson banged his hand on the table.
“Chief, it's ok”, Mark intervened. “We will leave as soon as possible. Come on, guys”.
The team saluted – although Mark noticed that Jason's hand went up only for a millisecond – and left. Anderson put his head in his hands and let himself slump on the table. He was tired, very tired...Two weeks of non-stop briefings for visiting ISO dignitaries...tours of the installations...daily threat assessments...personnel disputes...very little sleep and a lot of stress...and now Jason winding him up over such a trivial matter.
He opened a drawer, took out a couple of antacids, swallowed them dry, then turned to his next briefing.
To be continued