The President's Brain Is Missing Read Free Page B

holes they come out as disorganized chunks of meat.”
    â€œLike in The Fly ,” Alex said. “The scientist teleported a baboon and it wound up inside-out.”
    Stein smiled at this. “Someone’s been in touch with his geek side today,” he said.
    â€œIt’s why we haven’t made this technology known,” White said. “It’s not ready or safe.”
    â€œBut that’s not happening with the President,” Boehm said. “He’s still walking and talking, so his brain hasn’t been turned to mush.”
    There was a small pause which Alex recognized as General White making sure what came out of his mouth next was diplomatic. “It is still functioning as well as it ever did, as you say,” he said. “And this is where I’m no longer any help to you. One, because I know the whereabouts of every scientist the Air Force has working on teleportation and none of them have gone rogue. Two, because whoever is doing this knows more about it than we do.”
    â€œMaybe one of the Russians,” Alex said.
    White shook his head. “It’s like I told you,” he said. “The Russians hadn’t the slightest idea what they had. It took us years to figure it out ourselves. The only people who’ve worked on this stuff are Americans, and we know about every one of them.”
    â€œThen one of your scientists has sprung a leak, General,” Boehm said.
    â€œDave, with all due respect, you have no idea what you’re talking about,” White said. “Even if one of them wanted to leak, we’ve got them under such tight surveillance that they don’t take a dump without us knowing what they had to eat twelve hours before.”
    â€œYou can’t keep track of them every minute of the day,” Boehm said.
    â€œSure I can,” White said. “Implanted GPS tags never sleep. Trust me, Dave. If I’m not watching one of my people, it’s because I know he’s already dead.”
    â€œWould you give us a list of your scientists?” Boehm said.
    â€œI’d rather not,” White said.
    â€œI’m Chief of Staff for the President of the United States, General,” Boehm said. “I’ve got the security clearance.”
    â€œIf you get the President to ask for a list, I’ll give it to him,” White said. “You’ve told him about his situation yet?”
    â€œWe’re hoping not to trouble him with it,” Boehm said.
    â€œI’ll bet,” White said, smirking.
    â€œHow about a list of your dead scientists?” Alex said.
    White turned his attention to Alex, brows arched. “What good is that going to do you?”
    â€œYou just said they’re the only ones you’re not watching,” Alex said.
    â€œWe’ve been talking aliens, not zombies, son,” White said.
    â€œIt can’t hurt,” Alex said. “Even if one of them ever brought some work home on a flash drive, it might have been enough to slip out. We should check it out just to make sure we’re completely zipped up.”
    â€œFine. The dead scientists I’m willing to part with,” White said, and motioned to Jefferson. “I’ll have the Major here bring it over in the next couple of hours. As for the live scientists, I’ll have my own people retrace their steps. If any of them have leaked, you’ll know, about a minute before I have them shoved through one of our transporter holes and turned into a puddle of meat.”

    There was a knock on Alex’s door. It was Stein.
    â€œI can’t believe it,” Alex said, and rubbed his eyes. “You knocked.”
    â€œSun’s up,” Stein said. “You were here all night?”
    Alex motioned to the thick stacks of paper on his desk. “You see what I had to go through last night. And this is just the dead guys. I hate to think what would have happened if Dave got General White to give