I know that it has been forever and I am sure some of you had thought that I had abandoned this story. I am sorry about that. It has just been crazy since I started a new job with a pretty crazy commute. I always planned on finishing this story. This is a shorter chapter for which I apologize, but hopefully this moves the story forward.
Mac's comments about Cory being the intended target were met with a moment of stunned silence. Once again the world had shifted under their feet and they needed to adjust their perspective.
Mac's cell phone range into the silence. "Riley?" He said. "Were you able to find Cory's computer?" Mac listened intently and then nodded. "So she was on to something?" He again paused to listen. "Any idea what it may be?" His face grew grim. "Ok. Thanks, Riles." He hung up the phone.
"Looks like Cory was working on a predictive model," he said. "The problem is, we have no idea what the model is predicting. All we know is that Cory thinks that people – lots of people could die."
"Sarah," Jack said, "any idea..."
"No. No idea," the other agent answered. "I knew that she had some thoughts about the work that she'd been assigned and that she did believe that building the profile of...of what we now know as The Organization was not going to paint the whole picture." Sarah stopped thinking. "This other model may be a piece of the picture, but I have no clue how to put the pieces together."
Nikki was looking from face to face. The inaction was driving him crazy. "The hell with this," he growled. He approached Nikki again, his height and bulk looming over the slight blond. "You know something about all of this...I know you do...You'd better start talking and damn fast or I swear I will take you to Phoenix right now and find the deepest, darkest jail cell they have. I swear to God," he continued, glowering at the woman, "that they will never find you again."
"Jack...," Mac started, but the larger man cut him off.
"Don't any of you find it funny that somehow she is involved in all this. Somehow she is connected to Murdoc and to this Organization and...," he paused with a pained look at Mac, "...with Cory being shot. That's all a hell of a coincidence, don't you think?" He glared at the young woman who stared at him defiantly.
"Nikki, please." Mac said quietly. "If you can think of anything...anything at all that ties this all together...", he trailed off.
"Why?" Nikki was still rebellious, throwing dirty looks at Jack. "You won't believe me anyway."
Mac took a deep breath. "The cabin is only a couple of miles up the road. Let's assume we find the proof there. Now tell me...please...do you anything about any of this?"
As the team walked out of the church, Jack and Sarah scanned the area and lead the other two to the car.
Nikki was frowning. "I am so far from any of the leadership, but things still filter down...," she started. "Hints and rumors...nothing concrete...nothing to even investigate, but..."
"But what," Jack barked. "Come on. Spit it out."
Nikki sighed and then took a deep breath. "The Organization is all about power. Gathering power, trading power, selling power...These are highly connected people already. The question we need to ask is how do they get more power?"
Sarah and Jack got into the front seat and Mac stepped aside to let Nikki get in the back and then followed her in. Jack got behind the wheel, started the SUV and drove out of the parking lot; he's been to the cabin many times with Mac and could get their blindfolded. As they drove, he responded to Nikki's question.
"That's easy," Jack said. "They take it."
"Sure," Mac said, thinking out loud. "But this is the United States. Nobody can just seize power. The laws prevent that from happening."
"Unless...," Sarah started to say, "How did Lenin come to power in Russia? How did Hilter get power in Germany?"
"The people gave them ever-increasing authority," Mac replied. "The citizens voluntarily handed over their rights to these dictators...," his words trailed off as a realization hit. "In all cases, there was a crisis; war, famine...some type of upheaval. The governments would take advantage to consolidate their power."
Mac looked outside at the passing countryside. How many times had it been? How often had he and Nikki driven this road to the cabin? And now, here she was sitting next to him again. He sat quietly mulling over what he knew and what he didn't. Slowly a cold certainty settled in the pit of his stomach.
"The model," he muttered. Then louder. "Cory's model is predicting the upheaval that The Organization is going to use to consolidate their power. Somehow it will over throw the US government and take power while killing a lot of people."\
"That's information somebody would kill for," Jack said. He looked over at Mac. "Don't worry, buddy. Triad won't let anything happen to her. Nobody is going to get through them." Mac nodded, hoping that Jack was right.
"I gotta say, though," Jack continued, "that sounds like some type of tin foil hat conspiracy. 'New World Order' type of stuff. That's usually my job, Mac. Do you know how you're sounding right now, Brother?" Jack saw Mac nodding.
"Yeah. I know," Mac said hollowly. "I really wish I was wrong, but I don't think so. I don't know what, when or where, but I am positive there will be some kind of event that will destroy the US government and let The Organization take over."
"We need to tell Thornton," Jack said, but Nikki shook her head.
"We don't know where The Organization had operatives. We can't trust anybody."
"See," Jack said. "That's what I've been saying..." He cast a hard glance at Nikki again.
Nikki ignored him. "Then its even more important that I get close to Chrysalis. Maybe he knows something."
Jack had pulled into a small side road and had stopped in front of a rustic cabin. "First prove to me that I can trust you," he said and motioned Nikki out of the car.
"I'll go with you," said Mac.
As the two agents approached the cabin, something seemed wrong to Mac. He reached out to touch Nikki's shoulder causing her to slow down. He listened carefully. It was quiet...almost too quiet. He didn't hear any of the usual sounds of small animals and birds in the bushes and trees...it was as if something...or someone had scared them away. Mac scanned the ground...then he saw it...a small wire that should not have been there. He knew immediately what he was seeing.
"Nikki," he yelled. "Stop!"
The woman stopped and turned toward his voice just as the cabin exploded.
Sort of like the story, but also different. I hope you like where this is going. Now that the team is starting to figure out what is happening, the question is what are they going to do about it. Please let me know what you think and leave a review.