The Aegis Solution Read Free Page B

I've
never known what it means."
    Matt Clements smiled, glad the conversation had assumed a more mundane course. "It's an Old
English phrase."
    "Yeah, I guessed that."
    Continuing, he explained, "The king would send out his men to delineate the boundary of the
kingdom…the outer edge of his domain and influence. They carried casks of water with them, and as
they used up the water, they broke down the wooden casks and used the stakes from each one to mark
the line. The stakes were also called pales. So if someone was venturing outside the boundary of what
was considered to be the civilized world, it was said that the person was going beyond the pale."
    "Cool!" she exclaimed. "That is awesome."
    As they were speaking, the four marshals passed them, and Matt could not help but notice the
meaningful stare from the lead man. Ignoring it, he said to Tillie, "So I guess this whole thing, checking
in at this place, feels like that to me."
    Her enjoyment from a moment ago was gone. Her face, as well as her entire body language,
reverted back to a mode he could only describe as resignation. Picking up a pebble, Tillie tossed it across
the concrete walkway and stared into the distance. He kept quiet, allowing her the time to think, hoping
she would come to the right decision for her, whatever that might be.
    As they sat in silence, Matt observed one of the men turn the key that actuated the hydraulic pump,
closing the massive steel entrance. The symbolism evoked of a vault or tomb being sealed, as the portal
thumped into its frame, did not escape him. He could only speculate about the psychological effect it
had on Tillie, as her face remained impassive.
    The officer he had spoken with earlier then opened the access to what would be the permanent
entrance, the one that would be used from today forward. Considering what went into the rest of the
facility, the entrance was amazingly low-tech. It was basically a series of modified subway turnstiles
which allowed entrance but not exit, altered only to strengthen and fortify the components to deter
tampering. One of those modifications was adding a redundant system to ensure that each turnstile
could only rotate in one direction. In addition to the usual clutch mechanism, a heavy-toothed rachet
module was attached to the bottom of the shaft, buried under the concrete of the floor. This served
to create a loud clack-clack-clack as the person walked through, adding, in Matt's opinion, an additional
sinister feel to the process.
    Tillie suddenly sighed, and Matt snapped his attention back to her, eager to hear her decision and
dreading it at the same time.
    She wiped her hands on her jeans and stood. He stood also and continued to wait for her to break
the silence.
    She stepped closer to him. It was too close, he thought, feeling a twinge of nervousness. It was the
kind of proximity between him and a female that would bring an instant reaction from Lisa, if she were
here. Despite his tenseness he did not take a step back, but continued to wait.
    Her aqua eyes stared intently into his and, in the bright sunlight, he could see an additional shimmer
on their surface. She blinked rapidly several times, and the shimmer went away.
    "I guess…. I guess I'd better get in there. I bet you want to get home."
    Matt did not know if he was relieved or saddened by her choice. He was startled when his voice
broke as he said, "Are you sure?"
    Not trusting her own voice, she simply nodded.
    Finally, drawing a ragged breath, Tillie asked, "Can I ask a favor?"
    Uncertain what to expect, he tentatively replied, "Sure."
    Her facial muscles tightened as if she was holding back a sob. "Before I step in, before I leave
this…world, I guess, I feel like I need to say good-bye. To somebody. You know, like I have someone
seeing me off."
    As she said this, her eyes widened, conveying the urgency of her request.
    "I…," he began.
    Before he could continue, she interrupted, the words rushing out of her. "My mother