Fractured Zero--All Devices by Jack Mars

Author:Jack Mars [Mars, Jack]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2025-10-01T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

“Hold on,” Todd said. “Before you two do anything stupid, let me see if I can get you guys some help.”

“What kind of help are you going to send us that’s going to get here in the next few minutes?” Zero asked. “You know that code as well as I do. That’s Agency shorthand.”

It wasn’t exactly official Agency code, but that was pedantic. Zero was almost certainly right. Somehow, he and Maya had been made, and—

No, not somehow. He and Maya had been betrayed, and the son and/or daughter of a bitch who was feeding their enemies information was still feeding them information.

Todd’s hands tightened around the arms of his chair. He got up and started to pace. Penny gave him a wan smile that he couldn’t find the energy to return.

“I know,” he told Zero, “but you two aren’t invincible. You’re as close to invincible as you can be and still be human, but you’re not invincible, and you’re too valuable for me to risk you acting like cowboys.”

“Really, Todd?” Zero replied. “Come on. It’s me. I know you too well to think that you’re that much of a coward.”

"Then you should know me well enough to know that little petty jabs like that won't affect my decision. I would rather send you and a couple dozen SOG agents after the terrorists wherever they take that 'egg' than send you and Maya alone right now. In fact, that's what we'll do. I want you two to figure out where that egg is going to go. If we can, we send a team to stop it en route. If we can't, then we have the cavalry waiting when they arrive."

He returned to his chair, more relaxed now that he had come up with a solution that made sense. “Okay. Now tell me why that won’t work.”

With a touch of reluctance and some grudging admiration, Zero said, “Yeah, that sounds like a good plan.”

“Perfect. Emphasis on sneaking into that base. Please remember your daughter is with you. If you won’t be careful to save your own life, be careful to save hers.”

Penny gasped and slapped him on the shoulder. “Don’t say that,” she scolded.

“That was a low blow, Todd,” Zero said. “Believe it or not, I don’t just do things without thinking.”

Todd sighed. “Penny agrees with you. I trust her judgment, so I apologize. But please—”

“I’ll be careful,” Zero said. “I was more than jumps and guns and explosions, Todd. I can do the undercover stuff too.”

"Great. So do that, and I'll put some work in on the home front. Good work, you two. I'm actually feeling pretty confident right now."

“It’s me, Todd. You don’t have to lie.”

Todd smiled. “Well, in that case, I’m concerned as hell and worried that this is going to turn into something approaching catastrophic. But I have Zero and Specter on the job, and I’m pretty good at annoying leadership until they give me what I want just to make me go away. So yeah, I’m confident.

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