Chapter 34
“Special Agent Brian Steele, what an honor,” Candace Waller said, a very trim, very stylish blonde woman in her middle thirties as she greeted him in the reception area of Waller Relations. “You’ve been a busy man.”
“How do you know?” Agent Steele asked, curious as to her insight.
“All the headlines are hallmarks of your special group. Hell, the director and the president have both mentioned it. And then finding the daughter of America’s favorite movie stars? I should ask for your autograph.”
“Ha-ha. Still a comedian at heart , eh, Candace?”
“This business is either laugh or sob. Now, what in the world could you need from me with the string of huge wins the Bureau’s racking up?”
“It’s just exactly that. We have an ace card up our sleeve, but we think it’s about to be exposed to the world despite our best attempts at secrecy. Our best guess is a leak or three to social media with viral content. We want to get in front of that.”
“Oh my. I was going to tell you how tight my schedule is, but I sense something big here.”
“Yeah, you have no idea. None. I had to get presidential approval to take this step,” Steele said.
Candace sat up very straight, brows going up.
“We need a very private office for this conversation,” he added.
She led him down a hall and into a small conference room that featured white noise machines and not exterior windows. “I have this swept for surveillance devices daily,” she said. “It’s not a SCIF, but it’s tight.”
They settled into comfortable chairs across the small table from each other and she opened a pad of paper, pen poised to write.
“Okay. I’m listening. Are we talking AI?” she asked.
It was a solid guess, especially as her firm specialized in social media and algorithmic PR work.
“No. Our secret weapon is an eighteen-year-old girl,” he said.
She stared at him blankly. After a moment, she rolled one hand in a move it along motion. “I’m waiting for the punchline.”
“No punchline. Our asset has arguably the most unique combination of mental and experiential traits on the planet. She has off-the-charts pattern processing and memory skills that allow her to identify and predict with high certainty events and actions across a wide spectrum of social, economic, political, and intelligence environments.”
“You’re serious?” she asked. “You’re seriously asking me to believe a child, a female version of Rainman, is behind all the crime solving, missing child, and serial killer cases the Bureau has solved?”
“Ouch. Biased much? Rainman? Maybe you’re the wrong person for this,” he wondered, head tilted. “Remember, you have rock-solid NDAs already in place with the Department of Homeland Defense.” Then he started to stand up.
“Wait, wait, wait,” she said, palms out in a slow your roll motion. “I’m sorry; this is not what I expected. Tell me about her. Please.”
“Her name is Cassandra,” he said, watching as her brows went up. “It would seem ironic, but she was deliberately named because her parents understood what she was almost instantly. Her father is a war hero—was a war hero. Recently deceased. Mother has been missing her whole life.”
“What kind of social media presence does she have?”
“None. She has never had one.”
“Is she… awkward? Socially anxious?”
He laughed. “Not in the slightest. In some ways, she’s a handful, but she’s also one of the most highly competent individuals you will meet in your life. You know, I don’t think I can adequately describe her. Why don’t we just bring her up and you can form your own opinions?”
“You brought her?”
“She’s downstairs with a security team. Oh, and the team will need to go through this floor before we bring her in. Sorry in advance.”
“She’s that important?”
“Just wait,” he said, pulling out his phone. “Rose? Send the advance team up, then bring her up in five. Good,” he said, then hung up.
“Prep your people, Candace, so they don’t think it’s a raid,” he suggested.
Five minutes later, the elevator opened and an agent leaned out looked around, met Brian’s nod, and then waved the rest of the car’s occupants out.
Agent Carmine’s head was on a swivel, but she immediately dialed in on Candace as she led the way. After a second, she stepped sideways, revealing Cassie, who was wearing a black cap and an FBI windbreaker.
“Candace, this is Cassie. Cassie, this is Candace Waller.”
“Oooh, the girl boss of Waller Relations,” Cassie said with a big smile, holding out a hand. “I read that Post piece about the forty women under forty that you were in. I’m a fan.”
Candace’s eyebrows had climbed to the highest they could go as she took in the young woman in front of her who met her gaze with complete confidence. Candace shook her hand, then winced slightly.
“Oh, sorry. All the fed types always shake like they’re trying to outgrip a sasquatch,” Cassie said.
“Cassie, it’s nice to meet you. I have to say, you’re not what I was expecting,” Candace said. “Not sure what I expected, but you are not it. Come on in.”
Agents lined the hallway as Candace led them to a bigger conference room where two other people waited. One was a tall, thin man of mixed heritage with a goatee and black-framed eyeglasses, the other an attractive younger dark-skinned woman dressed very stylishly.
“This is Arjun and Peeta, two of my best,” Candace explained. “Agent Steele felt we might as well start big.”
“Sure. It will save time,” Cassie said. “Which I feel slipping away,” she said aside to Agent Steele.
“Best guess?” he asked.
“Today, or more maybe tonight after dinner when social media is occupying all of America,” Cassie said.
“Can you tell us what you mean, Cassie?” Candace asked. “Agent Steele didn’t give me a lot of detail about you, as he felt a meeting would be more informative.”
“Hmm. Okay. Did he tell you that I see patterns and events coming before they arrive… not in a psychic way but by processing available information?”
“He mentioned something to that effect. My team here only knows that you have something to do with the absolute flood of FBI victories in recent weeks.”
“Okay. CliffsNotes version. I have a true eidetic memory, and my brain is wired to process everything I observe. Kind of the same thing that everyone does, but more detailed and much faster.”
Agent Carmine snorted.
“Oh, you have observations for the class?” Cassie asked her.
“She’s grossly downplaying what she does. I wasn’t a believer at first, but I’m in the choir now,” Agent Carmine said.
“Okay, thanks for the props. Let’s see. I was raised by a tier-one military operator as my only parent, as well as by my grandparents. I either worked for my grandmother in her restaurant or trekked around the woods of Michigan with Dad for most of my childhood.”
“Were you socially isolated?” Peeta asked.
“I competed in judo from a young age and worked in a popular diner most of my life, so I knew a lot of people. In high school, I was less marginalized because the school’s queen bee knew I was a useful person to have on her side. Oh, and I’ve hung around military people a lot.”
“Define a lot and define military?” Arjun asked.
“My father was a member of the 75th Ranger regiment, Regimental Reconnaissance Company. We spent our vacations at Benning.”
Arjun whistled softly, earning a look from his boss. “She’s dead-on about that tier one business.”
“Why do you feel a social media threat coming?” Peeta asked.
“There have been numerous attempts at kidnapping me, starting right after my dad died three weeks ago. All have failed, as have numerous political ploys. Leaking my details and pushing it viral will have broad and far-ranging consequences. The people who want me would like an opportunity where I’m exposed to the public. ”
“I am so sorry for the loss of your father,” Candace said. “Can you tell me what you envision this campaign to look like?”
“Odd neurodivergent teen girl is FBI secret asset in solving crimes. Failed military father had to work as a blackjack dealer in a casino to make ends meet. Kid was found in a train fighting off domestic terrorists and now is held in a supersecret facility where she’s made to identify criminals for the government. Like that.”
“Shit,” Peeta said. “It will blow up worldwide in hours.”
“Then it will be the stuff of content creators, clip teams, and every influencer everywhere who wants clicks and followers,” Cassie said. “Huge misinformation will be spread everywhere.”
“Forcing interviews and public announcements, possible congressional hearings, and legal groups looking for an angle,” Agent Steele added.
Candace looked at Steele with a concerned expression, then back at Cassie. “At the risk of angering the Bureau, Cassie, I have to ask. Do you need legal help?”
Carmine and Steele both laughed. “I’m represented by Mr. Coors of Coors Bennington.”
“Wow, not expecting that,” Candace said.
“The first thing to know about Cassie is that her best defense is herself,” Agent Carmine interjected. “If Jason Bourne and the three women in Hidden Figures somehow had a love child, it would be Cassie.”
“Comparing me to those ladies is the nicest thing anyone has ever said about me,” Cassie said to Carmine with a huge smile. “And Dad loved the Bourne movies.”
“You’re right,” Candace said to Steele. “You could never have described her accurately. Team?”
“Cassie, could you take your coat off?” Peeta asked.
The teen slipped off the FBI windbreaker to reveal a plain green t-shirt over her flat dark earth tactical pants.
“Okay, you are very fit,” Peeta said, studying the girl who stood feet apart, hands clasped in front of her, eyes level.
“Yeah, great definition,” Candace agreed.
“Well, we have so much to work with, it’s a bit overwhelming,” Peeta said. “Confidence, poise, humor, looks, posture, wit, intelligence, and a completely blank social media slate.”
“How well do you know the soldiers at Benning?” Arjun asked, circling around her like a drill sergeant.
“The senior NCO of the 75th is my godfather,” Cassie said.
“She is extremely well-known in the highest military circles,” Agent Steele added.
“Your dad was a hero?” Candace asked gently.
“They all are, but yes. His history is buried in layers of secrecy , but he didn’t come home dying of cancer from his last deployment for nothing.”
“His record is top secret, but the president himself acknowledged that he achieved the highest honors possible, although the circumstances make it impossible to publicly acknowledge it,” Steele said.
Arjun snapped around to look at the agent, eyes a little wild. “Really?”
“Really,” Agent Carmine said. “I heard him.”
“Wait. You’ve met the president?” Candace asked Cassie.
“Yes, ma’am,” the girl confirmed.
“Hmm,” was all the PR maven said as she stared at Cassie, wheels clearly turning.
“Well? Ideas, thoughts, possible plans of action?” Steele asked.
“We generally either have lots of lead time or are responding to pandemonium,” Candace said. “It’s kind of nice to be in the middle.”
“Tell me about your queen bee friend,” Peeta asked.
“Amber Ahmeek, daughter of the local casino president who is also the tribal chief. Award-winning Native American smoke dancer, head cheerleader all four years of high school, 3.56 grade point average, good SAT scores, and accepted to U Michigan. She’s model beautiful, mildly sociopathic, very ambitious, and an excellent manipulator. ”
“How does she feel about you?” Candace asked.
“I’m extremely useful, so she likes me as much as she likes anyone. At least .50 of that GPA is due to my tutoring her.”
“Would she answer if I reached out?” Candace asked.
“Yes. Anything that smacks of potential status and notoriety and you have her complete attention.”
“Can you get me her contact info?” Candace asked.
Cassie reeled off a phone number, Instagram handle, and email.
“Team huddle,” Candace called and her two assistants closed ranks with her, talking quietly. After a few minutes, they stopped.
“Okay, I want to chat with Amber,” Candace said.
“Then we prepare a Bureau announcement, maybe by John Brown. We’ll have it locked and loaded for the first hint of a leak.
At that moment, we acknowledge Cassie’s contributions without giving away too much detail.
Release some photos, maybe of a younger judo competitor, some with her dad, and even working at her gram’s diner.
As the story builds, we host an interview with a solid, respected journalist. Depending on my read of Amber, we might pull her in. You find a photo yet, Peeta?”
The younger assistant held up a tablet, eyebrows raised.
“Wow, you weren’t kidding,” Candace said. “She’s gorgeous.”
“She is,” Cassie acknowledged. “She would eat up that attention. Let her in on what you want to achieve, show her what’s in it for her, and she’ll tear it up.”
“Would you ever do a joint thing with her?” Peeta asked.
“Absolutely, as long as she had a clear benefit from it. She’s not out for humanity awards, but given a solid boost to her ambitions, it’ll go well. She’s very social media savvy.”
“She’s got a lot of followers already,” Arjun noted.
Agent Steele’s phone rang and he answered it with, “Yes Red. I see. Thanks.”
He hung up and turned to the group. “We are out of time; it’s just been released on several platforms.”
“New plan,” Candace said. “I need to talk to this Amber now.”