(ATSSC) The First Rule Of Conspiracy

The First Rule Of Conspiracy

by Justin Oldham

Inside the small operations room, Joe Gephard watched his prey through the closed-circuit video camera. Avery Decker’s meeting with the committee wasn’t going well.

The captive agent spoke to the committee as if he were a free man. “I’m just going to come out and say it. Somebody in this room has something to hide, and its not me. I’ve probably gotten too close to some truth that’s inconvenient. Who knows? I may have even stumbled on to a plot to do away with this committee.”

Gephard could see the looks on their faces through more than dozen small liquid crystal displays. The committee was not impressed. They’d already made up their minds.

Jessica Knight slipped in to the room and lowered herself in to the only other chair. She offered him a hot cup. “What do you think?”

Joe sipped at the gourmet coffee without taking his eyes off the screens. “He will run.”

The woman listened to the interrogation. “Have you seen Decker’s file? He doesn’t back down from anything. Listen to him right now. He’s not trying to bargain for his life. He’s dictating terms…to them. That’s hardly the profile of a runner.”

Gephard tapped the nearest screen. “They’re making a mistake with this one.”

Jessica put her cup down. “You might want to be careful about what you say in here. This entire facility is bugged, and the committee doesn’t like it when we talk about them.”

Joe kept his eyes on the camera’s eye view of Decker. “The committee doesn’t tolerate failure. That’s their problem. Nobody is allowed the luxury of a mistake. They’ve been in seclusion for so long that they’ve forgotten what it’s like to be human.”

Knight slid back in her chair. “I’m not taking your side in this. I want to make that perfectly clear right now. Can we get back to the task at hand? You say Decker will run. I say he won’t. He’ll never get the chance. Our security is too tight.”

The cynical man snickered under his breath.

In the next room, Decker was defiant as ever with his final remarks. “If I was guilty, you’d be talking to an empty chair. So? What’s it going to be? Are we going to get to the bottom of this? Or, will we eat one of our own?”

Joe drank deeply as the cameras went dark. Tossing his half full cup in to a trash can, he got to his feet.

Jessica remained in her seat as he checked his tie and put on his coat.

“He won’t run.” She insisted.

“Yeah.” Joe smiled at her as he left the room.

He went to the security checkpoint and asked the guard to call the elevator. Without asking, he reached for the wireless phone on the small desk.

His call went through to the prisoner detention unit on the first ring.
“This is Gephard. Double the number of men you send to get Decker. Sedate him before transport. When you have him in a maximum safe cell, jack him up on neural blockers and use the metal restraints. Catheterize him and feed him with an i.v. drip.”

He made a second call to the armory. “On my authorization, I want you to round up three tactical teams and load ‘em up for immediate fast response. They’ll need armored transpo, and see if you can get one those teams in to a helicopter. Something with a civilian skin.”

Hanging up, he dropped the phone on the desk and took the elevator that had been held for him. Jessica Knight hurried to join him. They rode down two floors in silence. Getting out on the administrative level, Joe made his way to the restricted section.

Inside the conference room, Decker sat chained to a chair. His civilian clothes were wrinkled and spattered with tiny flecks of his own blood.

Joe breezed in and took a seat near his prey. “Hello Avery. How’s it hanging?”

Decker looked over his shoulder at the trio of guards who watched him intently. “I have no complaints. These guys are pretty fun, once you get to know them.”

Gephard smiled. “You know what? I think you and I are the only ones who joined this chicken-spit outfit on our own. Voluntary conspirators and all that. Let’s be men about this. I know what comes next, and so do you. Let me be your friend. Tell me where I can find those hard drive backups, and I swear you won’t feel a thing. I’ll do it myself.”

Decker looked at the woman hovering in the background. “Why is she here?”

Joe shrugged and slid in closer. “You know how it is with the committee. Look, Avery. This is me you’re talking to. I know you didn’t walk back in to this hornet’s nest just to be put out of your misery. Whatever your plan is, it won’t work.”

The captive licked his lips. “As a voluntary conspirator, you know better than that. I came back because I still believe in what we do here. Yeah, sure. I found something while I was in the field. But you know what? I was supposed to find it and bring it back here. I’m not bringing it back here unless I have to because it’ll destroy everything we’ve worked for.”

Jessica shook her head. “You’re not making any sense.”

“Be quiet!” Joe snapped.

Decker approved. “Gep and I go way back. If it wasn’t for us, there would be no committee. Isn’t that right?”

Knight sat and crossed her legs while the guards became edgy.

Gephard checked his watch. “Where’s the transfer detail?”

The prisoner shrugged. “You know how it is with kids these days. Always distracted by something. Who knows? Could be the committee changed their collective minds?”

Joe got to his feet. He pointed at the guards, and then to Decker. “Draw your weapons and shoot this man right now!”

Four men and two women posing as installation security burst in to the room. Silenced autofire from submachineguns took out the guards.

Jessica moved to strike the nearest attacker and was laid out by a shock from two simultaneous tazer attacks.

Gephard raised both hands over his head. Closing the door behind them, the attackers fanned out around the room.

Decker beamed at his jailer. “Do me a favor and get the keys for these restraints.”

Joe was incredulous. “You can’t be serious.”

Avery jingled his chains. “Spare me the outrage. There’s no room for compassion in our line of work. Get the keys and unlock me or I’ll tell these nice people to paint the walls with your blood.”

Gephard got out of his chair and searched the trio of dead men until he found the keys to Decker’s manicles and shackles. “You know the silent alarm has been tripped. Lots of people are watching you through lots of cameras. What happens next?”

Decker talked while he was being released. “Standard operating procedure. That’s what happens next. Everybody with a gun comes running to this end of the complex. The committee retreats to its bunker on level nine. Except for the traitor, who will make some excuse to separate from the others to make a run for his-or-her private jet.”

Joe dropped the last of the chains and stepped back. “Jessica was right. You’re not making any sense.”

Decker checked his watch and massaged his wrists. “You saw my interview. I know you did. I wasn’t kidding when I said I found something that wasn’t good for somebody on the committee.”

Gephard leaned on a chair. “Okay, smart guy. Where’s your proof and what is it?”

Decker got to his feet. “During our last op, we found audio and video on a hard drive that documents a series of meetings with persons unknown and a member of the committee. That person has been compromising our operations for at least a year. Remember all that stuff we found on above top secret dot-com? They put it there. That's just one example of the treachery I can prove.”

Joe remained skeptical. “How do you fit in to all this?”

Decker laughed and kicked his chair. “I was supposed to come rushing back here to unmask the traitor. Turns out the hard drives we snatched had auto-destruct systems in them. They would’ve melted hours ago, if my people hadn’t found and deactivated them. It was a pretty slick plan. Nothing but my word left to go on, and I would’ve been telling the truth right ‘til the bitter end. Somebody wants to discredit me.”

Gephard eyed the door to the conference room. “Man, you’re being too clever for your own good. You’ve got nothing if you can’t identify the traitor. Where are those drives?”

Decker began to stroll around the room. He took a pistol from one of his silent protectors and worked the slide to make the gun ready to fire. “Right about now, somebody has just arrived at the hangar. He or she called ahead, and their jet is just about ready for takeoff. I’m thinking that they might’ve had to use violence to clear the area before startup.”

Joe felt naked without a gun. “You’re full of it.”

Avery stopped his wandering. “I am. You know why? Because I lied about what I found. The picture and sound quality in those files is flawless. Digitally perfect. There’s no mistaking who the committee member is. That’s why they’re trying to get away. There's also no mistaking who the collaborator is.”

Exasperated, Gephard flew in to a rage. “You’re grasping at straws! If you really had anything, you’d show it to the committee and they’d exonerate you.”

Decker checked his watch again. “If I’m right, the committee is looking at my evidence right now.”

“What? How?” Joe spluttered.

The swaggering man raised his pistol. “Some of my people are really good at the breaking-and-entering thing I had them put the data we recovered in the executive bunker on level nine. They did it earlier this morning, just after the patrol shifts changed.”

Gephard was speechless for a moment. “That’s good, isn’t it?”

“Not for you.” Decker admonished with a wave of his gun.

Joe rested both hands on the back of a chair. “Hold on a sec. You’re not—“

The angry man tried not to shout. “I am! Let me tell you exactly how it breaks down. I found out who the traitor is, and I found out who’s been doing their dirty work. It's you! You lousy rat.”

Gephard reminded himself to stay cool and play for the cameras. “I have no idea what you’re talking about. If what you say is true, the person you really want is already on the run. You know how it is with traitors, they always run.”

Decker shifted to a more comfortable stance. “They do if you give them the chance.”

Joe began to sweat. “They’re going to kick down that door any second now. You’d better come to your senses. I can help you.”

Avery glanced at his watch and adjusted his aim. “The first rule of conspiracy is that nothing is ever what it looks like. Every time I forget that rule, I get burned. We had a textbook perfect op, and everything that could go wrong did go wrong. I got played, and some of my best people died. None of this would’ve been possible without your help…Joe.”

Gephard took one step forward. “Now, wait just a minute!”

Decker raised his gun. “Sit or die. You’ve served your purpose.”

“What are you waiting for?” Joe demanded as he sank in to the nearest seat.

Every monitor in the large room came to life at the same time. Several cameras provided a stunning sunset view of a private airport. A gleaming executive jet moved slowly down the taxi way. The images came in silence as the jet made its takeoff roll.

Gephard used a handkerchief to mop sweat from his brow as the plane lifted in to the copper sky.

Camera angles changed as the view shifted to the fantail of a large sailboat. The rising jet could be see nearing the horizon as a hooded man stepped up to the handrail. He raised a long plastic tube to his bronze shoulder. Joe looked on in fear as the soundless picture fogged for just a moment due to backwash from the anti-aircraft rocket is it launched. Chaff and flares fell away from the ascending jet as its pilot struggled for altitude. The missile tracked on to one of the falling flares and exploded as the video feed was cut.

“That’s too bad.” Decker mumbled.

Joe put away his handkerchief. “I think there’s been some kind of misunderstanding.”

Avery took a deep breath. “You’d think so, wouldn’t you? No. I’ve got it all figured out. I know who you were working for. So does the rest of the committee. They’ve had enough time to see what I left for them. I’ve only got one question. Why did you involve me in your schemes at all? I never suspected them, or you. Why’d you do it?”

Gephard looked at some of the more visible cameras around the room. “Like you said. First rule of conspiracy. It was only a matter of time ‘til I messed up and gave you a chance to find me out. You know who I worked for. You know what kind of person they are. At first, I did it because I wanted a chance to be on the committee. Then, I did it just to stay alive. None of my…betrayals…were very significant. Little stuff, you know?”

Decker shook his head. “I would’ve never caught you.”

Joe let his chin sink to his chest. “I've messed up a few disinformation ops. If I know what I did wrong, I knew you’d eventually find my mistakes. I really wanted to be on the committee. It seemed like a sure thing. I thought you’d run. I never thought you’d come back here to clear your name. I was wrong.”

Avery put his gun on safety. “I’m sorry about what has to come next. I hope you won’t take it personally.”

Gephard got to his feet as a the door to the conference room opened. “Will you put in a good word for me?”

Decker told his protectors to stand down. He waited for a trio of men in dark suits to enter the room before approaching Joe. “Nobody on the outside understands what we do. They think they know, but it’s all guesses and gossip. It’s like you said. You and me. We’re voluntary conspirators. If the committee gives you the chance, you can speak for yourself.”

Joe shook his head as he was taken in to custody. “I really wish you had run.”

Avery looked at the unconscious woman on the floor. "Is she going to wish I had run?"

Gephard looked away. "You...you'll get a lot of good stuff out of her."

[edit on 21-3-2007 by Justin Oldham]

Just in case anyone would like to talk, I am willing to rap about what you think about this story. What becomes of poor Jessica? Is there a sequel just waiting to happen?

Originally posted by Justin Oldham
Just in case anyone would like to talk, I am willing to rap about what you think about this story. What becomes of poor Jessica? Is there a sequel just waiting to happen?

I liked it Justin, i was maybe waiting for some outside stimulation, but thats just me.
I'd rather know what happens to Joe and maybe Avery, theres always another Jessica (onk)

It's not looking good for Joe. Avery might have saved his carerr, but that too is in doubt. Your point is grim, but true. Inside any conspiracy, there are going to be...casualties.

I get the feeling that these guys don't fly your standard civilian jet. So along with explaining what happens to Jessica you could reveal where the plane is going and what it is carrying.
There are many possibility's.

What do you think about the movie Fight Club that was released in 1999 and the attack on the world trade towers. Some of the similarities I'm speaking of are.

#1 - The first rule of Fight Club is, you do not talk about Fight Club.
#2 - The second rule of Fight Club is, you DO NOT talk about Fight Club.
At the end, Building's are falling via Controlled Demolition, and you watch them fall, that is the final scene.

Skull & Bones
Bush: I cant talk about it thats why its a secret! lol
Clinton: I can not talk about it
Kerry: Its so secret I can not talk about it
Buildings falling via Controlled Demolition

Do you think that the movie hinted at what was to come, or was it foreshadowed by God indirectly through the movie of some author of a book.

What are your thoughts?

I'm not quite sure how Fight Club relates to my story, but I'll take a shot at the question anyway. No, I don't think that FC was presaging 9/11. I think the point was being made that all traces were being obliterated of something that was abberant, and so scary that we shouldn't know about it. Conspiracy at its finest, but no 9/11 warnings.

As for poor Jessica, I can't help the feeling that there's more to her than meets the eye. Providing that he cap keep his position inside "the organization," me thinks that Avery might have some rather unpleasant questions for her.

True conspiracy fiction presents the reader with what they know and what they think they know. All normal assumptions are open to challenge. Joe starts out large and in charge, and he ends up being the prey. You'll notice that both men experience a sudden role reversal. This too is common to old school conspiracy fiction.

Ok Jess was a double player, she was the informant to both Joe and Decker, although her connection to Decker was how do I say...much deeper. The problem arises now because although she and Decker were as close to being in love as their perilous lives could allow, she never could bring herself to reveal to him the truth. She knew it all along, because she herself in fact was the head of the Commity. Joe was actually using this against her toward the end but she knew that his time was limited and his idol threats held no real significance for her. Had she not been unfortunated tazered in the last moments of the plan, she could have warned them that level 9 had been cleared and that the other members of the commity were taxiing down the runway with the chip that would expose everything. She would also tell him about the device that had been activated as the last commity member left the building. Yes there were going to be casualties, and the consequences were such that noone would and nothing could ever be the same. It was at this point Decker turned off the lights and closed the door to the office where he had spent countless hours in the company of his closest friend, his partner and he knew at that point he would never see him again. As he shut the door an enormous explosion shook the entire building with a blinding flash, and he walked away smiling to him self. He could hear the sirens in the distance as they raced along the landing strip towards the end of the runway. Feeling rather dry he decided to head to the lounge to grab a hot cup of one of those double espressos that Jess liked so well, after all he only intended to keep her from leaving on that plane and she would be needing it when she awoke.

An interesting speculation. Just what role does Jessica Knight play in all this? Is she a member of the committee? Decker didn't seem to be too concerned with her presence, not even while he was in chains. Was she a minor flunky who had no pull under those conditions, or, was she too powerful to be appealed to?

As a conspirator, Decker clearly serves the interests of the organization he works for. Whoever they are, whatever their real purpose is, he seems to be in the know. He was clearly one step ahead of his adversaries, even though he wasn't sure who they were. Based on Decker's testimony to the committee in the previous story, "Sometimes We Eat Our Own," the organizaiton may actually have 'good' motives.

Gephard was clearly out of his league. He walked in to a situation believing that he was in total control, when if fact he was not. Did Jessica know this? Could she have allowed Joe to play his hand, knowing what was in store for him? If she is a minor player, it's possible that Decker may find some creative way to have her punished for that show of disloyalty. If she is in fact a more powerful member of the organization, one might surmise that he (Decker) has planned accordingly...

Hahah what a intricate story you weave! I am ordering your book today from amazon and will get to know how your mind works a little better. You and I would get along just fine Justin. Your writting style also reminds me of my long lost friend. And he also was a part of the system at one point. I just about drove him crazy trying to tutor me in math, once he said ok meet me at a cocktail lounge. He proceeded to get me drunk and I probably learned more that day than in all the years of high school. I generally drink just good coffees nowadays but I love a nice botttle of wine occassionally. I am an organic farmer and have a little 5 acre farm. My past is different, sometimes seems like other life times to me now. I like the bloggs you do btw.

One more thing, I almost made my user name on ats Knightsky...sky not ski

Shucks, man. Shucks. I'm harmless, really I am. Hey, those of you who think you can't write need to give it a try. The only real difference between ME and YOU is that I have already done what you could be doing.

This is a great example of how sharp dialogue contrasted against stark imagery can make for a compelling story. I have enjoyed reading both parts of this storyline. It is simply admirable.

Originally posted by maria_stardust
This is a great example of how sharp dialogue contrasted against stark imagery can make for a compelling story. I have enjoyed reading both parts of this storyline. It is simply admirable.

Your literary accumin is superb.

I've had a dozen requests now to keep this going. I was thinking of starting a thread in my CM forum so that I could add new installments as I had time. What do you all think? I would continue with the 10,000 character format, and see where it goes. I have some ideas about reader interaction, but I'll keep them to myself for the moment.

I can only say one thing and that is go for it !
Cheers xpert11.