Sympathy For the Devil Read Online Free Page B

anyone passing by, he looked like any other man checking his email on a smartphone. On the off chance the phone was lost or stolen, whoever found it would see a phone with a regular passcode screen. Even if they managed to crack the passcode, they’d find all of the usual apps and features one would expect to find on such a device.
    But in reality, Hicks’ phone was unlike almost any other device in the world. It had been issued to him by the University and didn’t operate on any cellular network available to the public. It only functioned on the University’s secure OMNI network.
    Hicks entered his four digit passcode that unlocked the common features of the phone, then tapped on an ambiguous-looking icon that activated the device’s camera. The camera scanned Hicks’ facial features to verify that he was, indeed, James Hicks.
    Another passcode screen automatically opened and asked for a longer twelve-digit password. He entered it and was allowed to access the University’s server.
    A text message appeared, formatted in the University’s usual spare style:
    STUDENT 1357 REQUESTS IMMEDIATE INTERVIEW. 20:00 HRS TONIGHT. LOCATION FORTHCOMING. PLESE ADVISE AS TO AVAILABILITY.
    Although the message was properly formatted and relatively short, Hicks still had to read it three more times to understand it. It didn’t make any sense.
    ‘Student 1357’ was the official University designation for one of his deep cover operatives: Colin Rousseau. He had assigned Colin an undercover role as a driver at a Somali cab outfit in Long Island City, Queens. The owner, a man named Omar Farhan, and several drivers were on the University’s terror Watch List, which had a lower threshold than most national watch lists. OMNI had been passively tracking their movements for over a year, and Colin had been working at the cabstand for just over five months. Since Colin’s family had originally come from Kenya, he knew enough of the language and customs to blend in without being an obvious plant.
    It had been a sleepy assignment and Hicks was thinking of pulling the plug on it. But now, Colin had hit the panic button. When an experienced agent requested an emergency meeting, there had to be a damned good reason.
    Hicks wasn’t surprised when his handheld showed his Department Chair was calling him. Other professions had the option of allowing unwanted phone calls to go to voicemail. Hicks didn’t have that luxury. He knew Jason would only keep calling until Hicks answered because, according to the University’s structure, Jason was technically Hicks’ boss.
    Hicks tapped the icon to allow the call through and brought the handheld up to his ear. “I just got Colin’s message.”
    Jason had never been one for pleasantries or ceremony. “According to your activity log, you had your weekly debriefing with him yesterday.”
    “I know. I wrote it, remember?”
    “And I read it. I didn’t see anything there that would suggest a sudden need to meet.”
    Jason’s tone grated on him, until Hicks remembered the Dean of the University had chosen Jason because he wasn’t field personnel. Jason was a planner and organizer. If it didn’t fall into a cell on a spreadsheet, it held little relevance in Jason’s world. Hicks remembered what the Dean had told him when he’d brought Jason on six months before: Jason is only your superior on paper, James. He’s merely your connection to us. Think of him as a link in the protective chain of command. That’s all.
    That didn’t make working with the son of a bitch any easier. “Field work isn’t always predictable. Things like this happen from time to time, but there’s no sense in wasting time guessing why he needs to meet. I won’t know anything until I actually talk to him.”
    “I find the sudden urgency of it disturbing. Will you require any assistance?” Jason asked. “Perhaps a Varsity team could be in the area to provide support.”
    “No thanks.” The Varsity was the University’s