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Back The Utopia Experiment Save as PDF
Chapters (84)
  1. Title Page
  2. Welcome
  3. Prologue
  4. 1
  5. 2
  6. 3
  7. 4
  8. 5
  9. 6
  10. 7
  11. 8
  12. 9
  13. 10
  14. 11
  15. 12
  16. 13
  17. 14
  18. 15
  19. 16
  20. 17
  21. 18
  22. 19
  23. 20
  24. 21
  25. 22
  26. 23
  27. 24
  28. 25
  29. 26
  30. 27
  31. 28
  32. 29
  33. 30
  34. 31
  35. 32
  36. 33
  37. 34
  38. 35
  39. 36
  40. 37
  41. 38
  42. 39
  43. 40
  44. 41
  45. 42
  46. 43
  47. 44
  48. 45
  49. 46
  50. 47
  51. 48
  52. 49
  53. 50
  54. 51
  55. 52
  56. 53
  57. 54
  58. 55
  59. 56
  60. 57
  61. 58
  62. 59
  63. 60
  64. 61
  65. 62
  66. 63
  67. 64
  68. 65
  69. 66
  70. 67
  71. 68
  72. 69
  73. 70
  74. 71
  75. 72
  76. 73
  77. 74
  78. 75
  79. 76
  80. Epilogue
  81. About the Authors
  82. The Covert-One Novels
  83. Newsletters
  84. Copyright

The truth was that it didn’t really matter. One was as ugly a mystery as a hundred.

“I knew these people, Jon. This village. They were tough sons of bitches and they’d been going at it for centuries with the Taliban who wiped them out. Why did the balance of power suddenly shift?”

Smith considered that for a moment. “Okay…Let’s accept for a moment that this Afghan village somehow got hold of Merges before anyone in the developed world and someone is going to great lengths to hide it. Even if they were commercial versions, it should have been to their advantage. You’ve seen how effective they are.”

Her expression turned skeptical. “I talked to one of the Taliban who attacked them. He said that the women and children fought but the men didn’t. And one who was looking down the barrel of the gun said there was no God.”

“Sounds far-fetched, Randi. Maybe your Taliban friend was just trying to insult them after the fact—saying they were cowards with no faith.”

Again, she shook her head. “It wasn’t bravado. He was shaken by what happened in that village.”

Smith moved the head out of sight and leaned back in the booth again. When he looked at her, there was more than just a hint of accusation in her eyes.

“Any ideas, Jon?”

“I know what you’re thinking. That the military knew about this before the announcement and we were doing some kind of secret testing on the Afghans that we want covered up.”

“The truth is, I’ve known you a long time and I don’t think you’d get involved in something like that. But do you know who originally sent me out to Sarabat?”

“No.”

“Fred Klein. And I haven’t known him for a long time.”

Her caution was understandable. She hadn’t been working with Covert-One for long, and he’d displayed similar caution himself at first. Since then, though, Klein had proved himself over and over again.

“Here’s what I can tell you for certain: I don’t know anything about this. And here’s what I can tell you almost for certain: Neither does Fred or Montel Pedersen.”

She shrugged noncommittally. “Then what happened out there? What would make a group of people who come out of the womb fighting, and who have a piece of gear that even I acknowledge is a massive tactical advantage, stand there and get slaughtered? And why did Fred send me out there, then call me off before I went looking for the heads?”