PROJECT SPARTA

CHAPTER 17

"So what can I do you f....f...for?"

"I was running an Intel op in the Korengal Valley on a terrorist named Agent Zero. There was a scheduled meet to exchange the target for an impending attack here in DC. Turns out Agent Zero knew I was coming and intentionally left this for me to intercept."

Xander handed him the cloth with the stone wrapped in it. Tobias unwound the stone and held it in hand. Tobias's initial reaction was much different than Xander's and Axle's. His face didn't even twitch when his eyes landed on it. He wasn't looking at it, he was studying it. He was able to separate himself from it and view it scientifically, like a surgeon performing an operation. The first thing he noticed was the smooth cut of the brick itself and the detailed precision of the inscription. Only after inspecting all sides of the stone, he turned it back to its front side and read the inscription. He was like a musical genius that listened to every aspect of the music before he listened to the lyrics. After reading the inscription, he appeared saddened, immediately computing its implications.

Xander seized the moment of inspection to analyze Tobias's reaction – applying his watchful eye for any sign of Agent Zero.

Subtle expressions are aligned with genuine sorrow. His brain is still actively thinking, he is not stalling for effect. He is reacting as his same fastidious self. Tobias's personality and strengths do not match what would be needed to form and lead a terrorist cell.

After completing his preliminary assessment, Xander added commentary to Tobias's inspection of the stone.

"We have a defector, Tobias. I need you to do what you do best and find me a lead." Xander's tone grew grave. Tobias exhaled a disappointment.

"Well first off this is sandstone, which is a pretty common stone in the Middle East. Used as a building material throughout many ancient civilizations. There is also some in the mid-west but that sandstone tends to be more of a reddish tint than this. I can tell this was manufactured in a specialized way. You can see how straight its cut." Tobias's stutter left him as he reported his observational analysis.

"Someone manufactured this stone? It's not just some random stone someone inscribed?" Xander asked.

"Exactly b...b...b...but we must tes...t.... our ....hypothesissss... I can think of at least a dozen tests to run, I could use a ha...ha...hand..." His eyes lifted over the rims of his glasses. Xander smiled knowing Tobias had accepted the job.

"Let's get to work then."

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Project Sparta had trained them into indefatigable operatives – late nights were no problem and often required, this night was no exception. Xander and Tobias worked through the moon's arc. The hours blurred as their extreme focus remained on the stone.

Xander played the role of Tobias's lab assistant, as they performed their first general tests. He was the sous chef to Tobias's creative genius as he cooked up a finger print analysis and carbon dating profile. For the night they were archaeologists, studying the fossil before them. Occasionally Xander would hear Tobias speak an instruction to himself or murmur an observation aloud. Tobias was consumed in his work and had no idea he was speaking aloud. He also continued to answer each question from his large collection of Jeopardy episodes without fail.

"Who is Honus Wagner?" he answered under his breath toward the TV.

Xander knew that they shared a healthy amount of insomnia – their brains could not turn off. Xander had to train himself to sleep by pausing his constantly chugging train of thought.

A computer dinged, indicating its calculation was complete. Xander dismounted the sandstone from a small disk platform used to elevate the stone.

"Okay, what I have done now is measure the nuclear decay of the rock's radioactive isotopes, this should tell us the rock's age." His feverish eyes scrolled down a long page of results until it found the one lone number in the crowded output he was looking for.