Brasco loved his custom cherry-red Lincoln Navigator with its tinted windows and chrome-plated wheels. The interior boasted custom mahogany panels and leather upholstery, Bluetooth and sync-voice activation with a fourteen-speaker surround-sound audio system. He'd heard theories on why men drove big, obnoxious cars - they were compensating. Well, they were certainly right on his account - he was compensating for something. For the past thirty-five years, he'd held a job that required him to remain invisible. His car generated a lot of lusty looks from jealous losers and great conversation from grease monkeys. He was definitely not invisible when he drove his car. Activating his stereo system, he told it to play Josef Suk's Symphony No. 2. There was a five-hour drive ahead of him and he could relax listening to the sweeping works of this Czech composer.
It was a quarter past two in the afternoon when Brasco pulled into his condo's garage in DC. He had paid extra for a unit with inside access. Most people wanted inside access because they didn't want exposure to the weather when they brought in their groceries or came home from work. Brasco wanted it for security. He'd seen more than his share of slit throats and stabbings in a breezeway or portico and was a fanatic about his own personal safety. He punched an intricate code into his sophisticated security system and entered his home. Rich earth tones of moss green and nut brown provided a warm background for his mixture of mission-style furniture, antique Hoosier cabinets and humidors. His place was inviting and comfortable.
The answering machine read "Message Center Full." It begged to be answered as it flashed out its SOS but Brasco ignored the plea and headed into his office to retrieve the folder containing information on the original Nano Project. Melinda Davenport's file rested at the front of the dossier. Hank specified he wanted her on this new project.
Brasco worked around her several times and knew her to be very smart and adaptable. She'd be a hard one to control, but if they also brought in Tillman - and in the shape he was in - Brasco was certain Melinda Davenport could be managed. She was easy to find. Still contracted to the military, she currently worked on a research expedition in the Arctic Circle. He noted that she'd attached an electronic "Do Not Disturb" warning to her and the project, and he smiled. He was pretty certain there was no such protocol. She was on the research vessel The Shackleton.
Brasco slogged through a maze of bureaucrats in an attempt to reach her, impressed that she had managed to intimidate most administrators attached to her project - they did not want to disturb her. However, Brasco could be even more intimidating and finally reached the captain of the research vessel where Davenport worked.
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Novo Cetus
Science FictionDeep in the Pacific Ocean, submarines wait like snipers for the go-ahead to destroy the threat they are targeting. Simultaneously, scientists scramble to determine the origins of the beast and one scientist in particular needs an answer to the deadl...
