“We are going to need a headquarters.” he said at one point, “In fact, we are eventually going to need several around the world, but for now we will need a safe house in Washington. These written notes are all very well, but the kind of research we are going to need to do will need computers. We can isolate them from the net, in fact, that is something we have experts for all over the place.”

He stopped, and into the silence Madeline asked, “Should we think about recruiting one of them to the team?”

“Yes,” Barrett nodded, still deep in thought, “that is what I was thinking too. But who? I don’t know any personally.” He thought a moment more, “No, what we need is a counter-intelligence expert, and if, after we get her on board, she still thinks we need a super-geek, she should know who to ask.”

Neal looked at him, smiling mischievously in spite of the mood, “She, Colonel? Do you have someone in mind?”

“Yes, actually,” said the slightly blushing officer, “an old friend.”

“You dog, you!” said Neal.

Madeline laughed, and the colonel looked exasperatedly at the scientist, the tension showing on his face. Surprisingly, Neal became suddenly serious again as well.

“Colonel, you were right earlier. You said that we were foolish coming to you today without a plan. That if you’d reacted differently we could all be dead now. I guess I just want to make sure you have a plan too. In case ‘she’ doesn’t react as well to hearing about all this as you did.”

The colonel nodded; Neal was right. Barrett had extolled them on the need to be absolutely ruthless when recruiting. They must be willing to kill anyone that did not agree to secrecy, if not to protect themselves, then to protect their mission, to protect their very species.

The colonel would have to think whether he was willing to risk his friend’s life by inviting her into the circle. He would have to think very deeply, it was not a life he would gamble lightly.

Chapter 28: Enemy Within

“Good evening, Chris.” said Mrs. Hamilton, smiling graciously as her son came through the door, pecking her lightly on her cheek.

“Good evening, Mother.” he said in return, “May I introduce Lieutenant Lana Wilson, currently at Annapolis with me.”

“A pleasure, Mrs. Hamilton, thank you so much for having me.” said Lana, holding out her hand and smiling.

“Oh, the pleasure is all mine,” said Laura Hamilton, shaking the hand, her eyes subtly but thoroughly taking in the cut of her son’s new girlfriend. Good hand shake, confident, but not unpleasantly so, nice smile. Hmm.

“Let me take your jackets.” said Laura, prompting her forgetful son.