The morning had offered some challenges along with some small but
welcome victories for John Weed. Raymond Jones' face was well known
so Ray had John memorize a list of responses if cornered by the press. The
same factors that made this hotel a good choice for Jacob were things near
and dear to the hearts of corespondents and news crews. John actually had
more then one chance to put Ray's spin lessons to good use. He also
acquired the other two rooms they wanted. He was told a group from a
fashion magazine doing some local photo shoots was pulling out early and
their rooms would be available in the late afternoon. All this and he rounded
up breakfast for the crew.
While they we eating breakfast in the "War Room" Agent Stewart brought by
United States Marshal Henry Paul who not only administered oaths put
issued them badges and ID.
The meeting was held at public school that was being used a temporary
headquarters. They had to pass through three levels of security to get into the
meeting. The meeting was an update and debriefing for all taskforce
members. Special Assistant to the President Henry Gordon was the Domino
Taskforce leader. Gordon had just been given the Special Assistant title.
When taskforce was first started Gordon was in an obscure position
in the Justice Department. The Taskforce had tripled in size in the last thirty
hours. The main reason for the meeting was to get everybody together.
After introductions Gordon presented a summery of events to date. After
that Doctor Martha Brown of the CDC presented information on the small
inorganic artifacts that Hunter had told them to look for. They had already
verified the objects in 23 domino victims. Tunneling electron microscope
analysis of the objets taken from the Philadelphia Victim showed a complex
and most likely artificial structure. Doctor Brown stated that the objects
appeared to be some sort of advanced nanotechnology. After formal
presentations were made a question and answer session started. Jones and
Gould handled most of the questions to the group from Philadelphia. Hunter
was a very hot topic.
After the meeting Doctor Brown had a physical planed for Jones, Weed,
O'Donald, and Register. When the four had agreed to the physical they had
not anticipated the spinal tap or the Gynecologist that Brown had arranged
for. All and all they came out fine except were Weed passed out at the sight
of the spinal needle. The other three teased him about unmercifully.
Register and Jones were tight lipped about their gynecological exam.
Jacob did not go to the meeting he manned the phone watch. Hunter called
he was worried about the Domino going to ground. He was at a loss to
explain the lack of a body by the last transfer. Hunter wondered if perhaps
even the killer was shocked at the sheer violence of the events in Savannah.
Not only were the goings on here alien to anything in Hunters culture but
also the Domino would probably feel upstaged. Hunter talked longer to
Jacob then he ever had before. Hunter talked about the way that his people
considered a mind as self-aware software. Their concept of law, good and
evil, and right and wrong was based on a set of that such software should be
guaranteed. Those rights were freedom from external edit, preservation of
uniqueness, and the right to run. Jacob had asked about what equipment and
capabilities the Domino had. Hunter said the Domino was probably better
equipped than him, but if he could get within ten meters of the Domino he
could shut all his hardware down.
After the Physical Weed came up with a hunch he had to check out. He spent
the next hour finding someone who could get him civil engineering
documents of the area under the last transfer. In the course of his search he
also found rumors of a missing sewer worker. He had Cash follow up on
the missing sewer worker. And went back with Knight to check out the
uptown site. Weed had developed an intense interest in a manhole cover.
Weed explained that it was a sewer main and over sixty feet deep. Weed and
the Mounty asked about in the shops around the area. They found out things
were slow yesterday the only item of interest was a bunch of photographers
and some models shooting pictures.
Cash and Gena were not finding much. The alleged missing worker had been
on the surface when he wondered off with a young woman. His colleges
believed he must have got lucky and lost track of time. He had not clocked
out last night or back in this morning. Cash found that the workers were
very cooperative and a little two friendly. Cash found it disconcerting to
question a witness that was trying to pick her up. It seemed to be a dead
end, However the woman's description sounded like victim S17 (Savannah
17). They called the missing man's home phone but he did not answer.
They were about to head out to his address when a body turned up at the
sewage treatment plant. It was the missing man.
