Chapter 32
David Sherman was the first to speak. “You believe CATMAP is providing predictions to members of the Senate so they can make gains.”
“I believe that CATMAP is being used to make these predictions,” Cassie said, “but Cramer is offering that information to all kinds of individuals as currency for privileged information, secret information, and political influence. I believe he has made inroads into all levels of government. I believe that as soon as any of you act on this knowledge in any number of ways, it will trigger a wide range of potential responses.”
She sat back and sipped her coffee while they thought about her bombshell.
“You think your mother was or is being used to connect to CATMAP?” Dr. Chen asked.
“Yes. And I’m next,” she said.
“Sir, do you have any thoughts?” Steele turned to Director Brown.
“I have been approached in the last twenty-four hours by three senators regarding access to our Triple T Task force. They have threatened to drag me into Congress. Now I understand why,” Brown said. “But why, Cassie, did the CATMAP warn Agent Steele’s team about your location?”
“Because CATMAP is coded from or was taught by or somehow impressed with my mother’s thoughts. Probably with neuroprosthetic devices. Emotions might not translate to computer code, but a strong maternal drive to seek survival of one’s offspring might just make the jump.”
“That’s disturbing,” Dr. Chen said.
“Disturbing that I believe that, or that you feel I might be right?”
“Disturbing that your mother would be so distressed and anxious that her need for your safety could make that translation.”
“Oh. Yeah, that. On the flip side, I like to think it shows that she loved me.”
“Maybe the best way to think about it,” Chen said with a nod. “Cassie, you absorbed all that information in mere minutes and formulated this theory.”
“Is that a question?”
“You have shown extraordinary mental acuity during our short time together, but what you demonstrated this morning was nothing short of incredible.”
“Thank you? Still doesn’t seem like a question.”
“She held back,” Rose Carmine said.
“Yes. I’ve been extremely open with you, but I’m not an idiot. Why would I expose more of myself?” Cassie asked.
“Why now?” Rose pressed.
“I let myself get distracted. Get sucked in by the whole camaraderie thing. You guys have all been very welcoming. Too welcoming. I fell for it. Rao straightened me out. So it’s time to get on with things.
Some of what I just spoke, I have been thinking about in the back of my mind, so to speak.
Some of it is new… pieces that suddenly have a place to fit.
Mostly what I just showed you was my processing speed. ”
“You have us all in this SCIF to tell us this revelation, but what happens when we leave?” Agent Steele asked.
Cassie grinned. “Nice catch, Agent Steele. During my scan of the Dropseer filings, I found Senator Meclan’s sister is listed as a board member.
I predict a greater than eighty percent chance she also placed trades for Hardscale.
This looks like insider trading or conflict of interest on the part of a sitting US senator.
Naturally, this is sensitive information and so we used the SCIF to talk about it.
It will alarm a few people but doesn’t indicate we know all the rest.”
“Meclan was one of the three that approached me,” Brown said.
“Senators Thomson and Sceti being the other two,” Cassie said.
The director just nodded, expression unsurprised. “What are the other responses if we didn’t follow that script?”
“There are numerous individuals within this complex who will report on any and all activity to Cramer, who will in turn take steps based on CATMAPs predictions.
He will want predictions that lead him to his desired outcomes.
These are: me in a lab, and then anyone with knowledge of this situation silenced or removed so that he can continue to gain power and influence.
From this simplified set of end goals, we can extrapolate possible actions.
“The first step would be to discredit the team, me in particular. Produce a CATMAP warning that we don’t know about because we’re focused on him.
If it is big enough, it could get Director Brown replaced and disband this team.
I could be left out in the wind for easy pickup.
He would likely also begin using his captive political capital to pressure release of information regarding this team, hold it up to the world.
From there, he could either seek another discredit campaign or go with the Congressional threats to demand more control over the task force. ”
“What possible large-scale warning are we missing?” Frayer asked.
“I would need time with Red, but my instinct tells me the president’s preoccupation with Mexican cartels would play right into another false flag event.
Or even a real event. I think there may also something going on with those autonomous US war drones being reverse engineered in the Middle East and sold to highest bidders. ”
“Jesus, you’re a little storm cloud today, aren’t you?” Frayer commented.
“Just a consultant, Agent Frayer, consulting,” Cassie answered as she took a blank piece of paper and sketched out a quick set of notes. She spun it around and slid it to the senior agents and the director to look at.
“Potential investigation leads for the crooked senator and his sister,” she said.
“So we dive into this while you work with Red?” Steele asked.
“You use that as an excuse to dig into the Hardscale trades and the Dropseer prediction payoffs. Red and I can track down the cartel thing and check on the drone issue.”
“This is you versus CATMAP, isn’t it?” Rose asked.
“A little. But I’m competitive and we don’t know if that’s even a thing for CATMAP.”
“All right, people. Let’s follow this trail of crumbs and see who or what’s been eating our lunch,” Director Brown said, standing and moving to the door of the SCIF.