Zach stood in anticipation at the doors of the elevator. It was damp and dark. Slivers of light emitting from the recessed circles along the wall were the only way he could see anything . He disliked having to come here, preferring instead to communicate through his phone. Being summoned meant the auburn-haired woman was indeed a threat. The reasons for the meeting were merely guesswork though, in Zach's mind.

In this area of the building, no one except Zach would venture. The rest of the airport staff didn't even know that it existed. When the airport was built, separate contractors were hired to go deeper, far deeper, into the earth. No one had noticed either. The original construction was so massive, it took center stage. What were more noises or more trucks to anyone? Of all the conspiracy theories floating around about the Denver International Airport, the irony of this one wasn't lost on Zach.

Deep into the bowels he descended. There were no floor numbers to flash, no buttons to push or emergency handles to trigger. Only smooth muted metal with a swath of dark carpet to stand upon. He rubbed his temples. A headache was coming on. He hoped his trustworthiness wouldn't be called into question. They could see everything he had done, and everything that he was currently doing.

One thing he couldn't place though, that he had been trying to figure out, was her motive. If Charlotte was onto what they were doing here in DIA, what was she planning to do with the information beyond broadcasting it? Did she have ties to anyone of importance? He had run into the few conspiracy theorists before. What made her any different?

Shaking it off, he smoothed out his shirt and slacks.

The doors opened and he stepped out into the darkness. Footsteps reverberated onto the cement. They were coming to meet him. Circular lights flickered on with each movement he took.

"Zach."

He turned to look at his colleague, a scruffy man with black fatigues on.

"Liam."

The doors opened automatically to a bigger inner room. Air vents in the ceiling whooshed on. The disadvantage to holing up so far underground was the lack of fresh air, or windows. It could make someone feel claustrophobic, easily.

"Is he coming?" Zach asked.

Liam sat on the edge of the table, his boots gleaming in the dim light.

"No. He sent me instead. They are working on another mission right now. The cross-X is their priority."

"I get it, but this is serious, or they wouldn't have texted me."

"You know how it goes. . they have their reasons. Have to get to the next civilization."

The two men stared at each other before both sitting at the table. Liam took out his phone and opened the notes he had.

"Charlotte Locke. Born in Los Angeles, California. She is as you know, a former film researcher."

"What's she gotten all the attention for?"

Liam cleared his throat. He genuinely hated having to work with Zach and having to explain things to him. His specialty was not human relations, but field work.

"Temple of Seti in Abydos, Egypt. She discovered the presence of the ancient stones."

Zach sat up. He was more than intrigued. There was simply no way Charlotte had done that, he couldn't see how it was possible.

"The stones wouldn't be left out. How in the hell did she find them?"

"Her group was somehow given unfettered access. Charlotte wasn't tracked while there and she must have wandered lower in the temple. It seems outrageous to me, but the Egyptians are to blame. Piece of shit guards."

"So, what did she do? Did she see them?"

Liam cracked his neck and set the phone down on the table.

"Oh no. Not 'see'. You know what would have happened then. She's not of a higher conscious. She sensed."

"And then it triggered the consciousness. ."

"Yep."

Zach thought of what was just said. Charlotte was being tracked all right. Not by their subgroup specifically, but by those in the Middle East. Either way, it was the same thing. They were all connected. She was now and had been for some time, a target like so many others were.

"Have they initiated the protocol on her yet?"

Liam shook his head.

"No. I think we can prevent it, if we divert her attentions. I saw you offered her an underground tour tomorrow. Take her on the standard one but add in the second story down, where the abandoned chambers are. She will feel like you're giving her something 'extra' all the while diverting her from our entrances."

Zach wasn't so sure. Now that he knew she'd sensed the stones, he thought far differently about her intentions and more importantly, her abilities. It could've been a fluke, her discovering them. Or it might be she is open. People who are open will stumble upon half-truths almost daily. Very few follow up on their intuitions though. Was Charlotte one of them? He had to be very careful.

"What's our game plan? We tail her, they texted me as much. But how far do we go with it?"

"Well. ." Liam said, picking his phone back up. "It depends on how far she takes this."

"The professor for instance, he was really into the Illuminati themes. He was convinced the headquarters was here and snuck past our security a few times. We scared him off. ."

"Not the same thing. Not this time. The guy was going to dig until he found out something to collaborate his hunches. He wasn't open though. He wasn't sensitive like Charlotte is. That's the danger here."

"So, we'd kill her if we had to?"

Liam sighed, standing up and pushing back from the table. Here we go again, back to the same argument, he thought. He detested weakness. Especially in someone selected to be the civilian liaison like Zach was. How many times could he explain it?

"We didn't have a choice with the professor. He died in a car wreck. No one is the wiser. No one questioned it. It's done."

He stopped to study the older man's face. Zach stared back. They each sized the other up. Their jobs were set in stone. If either one strayed from the expectations, they knew disappearing was the tip of the ice burg. It was better if they got along.

"Are you developing a thing for this girl?" Liam finally asked.

"A thing?" Zach scoffed. "Seriously? No. I just don't want her to be killed. Seems a small thing to ask. We would have to find another way."

"Alright, let me put it this way. .if she goes too far, and they insist, we won't kill her."

Zach nodded. Liam was good for his word. He would just need to ensure she got enough stuff to fill her podcast with then she'd move on to the next conspiracy, in another location. It should be fairly easy.

"Give her a few nuggets. . then she'll go away. She left Egypt easy enough. Even after sensing the stones." Liam said, walking to the door. "We're giving her too much credit, I think. Being open is one thing, acting is another. So far, she's failed to act."

He understood what Liam was saying, but he still didn't trust what his motives were. As a former operator, Liam was used to handling  and orchestrating the clean-up of situations. Zach was the human relations liaison. He stopped conflicts in a much different manner.

"Are you able to do this?" Liam asked, the door to the room opening in front of him.

"Of course, I am."

The two men parted. Zach watched the black fatigues disappear into the shadowed confines of the long hallway. Who knows where he was going now. Most likely back to him. It irked Zach that he wasn't granted a face to face. He was doing just as much for the group as Liam was. He thought he should have greater access to the higher ups.

Instead of stewing, he took out his phone. He would just get a bit of research done and maybe, just maybe, he could charm Charlotte. It was worth a shot. His phone vibrated and he opened the message.

Let's meet soon to discuss her. I'll be back tomorrow evening.

Zach got into the elevator. The boss wants to meet now. . good, he thought. Something told him that the appearance of this podcaster wasn't a coincidence . 

He had work to do.