Free True Conviction by James P. Sumner Page A

myself problems with the mob, but I also knew that I'd be protected by this deal, so I went along with it and kept my mouth shut.”
    I look at Clara, who I can see already knows some of what Jackson is saying, but is either confused or disinterested with the rest. I look back at him.
    “What do you mean when you said ‘the resources found on that land’?” I ask.
    He sighs, momentarily reluctant to continue, but knowing he has no choice. “That land sits on top of the only natural uranium deposit in the United States.”
    Huh…
    Well, I did not expect that.
    A private military contractor and a militia organization working together to mine Uranium on U.S. soil… what could possibly go wrong there?
    For the first time today, words fail me. All accept two...
    “Holy shit.”

9.
17:42
    SILENCE DESCENDS ON the room as I’m left reeling from the bombshell Jackson had just dropped.
    Perhaps bombshell isn’t the best choice of words, under the circumstances…
    I do my best to gather my sense again and I aim my gun at Clara who, if I’m honest, looks as shocked as I am.
    “Tell me about Dark Rain,” I demand.
    “I don’t know much about them,” she replies, somewhat absently. “They only recruited me a couple of years ago.”
    “What are they planning?”
    “I don’t know.”
    I put my gun an inch away from her forehead. “Don’t lie to me, Clara.”
    She remains calm, but her eyes betray her concern. “I honestly have no idea. My mission was to protect Jackson and keep him safe. That’s it.”
    She’s very matter-of-fact about it and my instinct is to believe her. I’ve already concluded she’s good at her job, but I get the impression she got the short straw assignment because she’s relatively new to this Dark Rain outfit. Plus, the look of shock on her face when Jackson mentioned the Uranium was genuine. I turn back to Jackson and put my gun against his forehead instead. He starts crying again.
    “Ted, you gotta start talking. Uranium? What’s the big picture here?”
    “W-we were going to mine it and then process it in one of our labs.”
    “Process it, how?”
    “We’d use gas centrifuges to enrich the material highly enough that it becomes weapons-grade.”
    “Weapons-grade? As in, the stuff that goes in nukes?”
    “You could use it in nuclear bombs, yeah. Having control of our own deposit meant we could sell it on for a hundred percent profit. GlobaTech approached Dark Rain after learning of the mine’s location and proposed the operation.”
    “So, you were going to sell the land to Dark Rain but do all the mining for them? That doesn’t make any sense. If they owned the land, wouldn’t they technically own the Uranium? Why would GlobaTech offer to sell something on someone else’s behalf?”
    “The United States and Russia set up a joint program back in ‘93 to convert all highly enriched Uranium into nuclear fuel. Ever since then, practically all weapons-grade material has been disposed of. We saw an opportunity to fill a massive gap in the market.”
    “That still doesn’t explain why you’d give it to Dark Rain?”
    “Having weapons-grade Uranium isn’t exactly legal. If they owned the mine, they would have liability.”
    Ah... I think I’ve figured it out now.
    “So you offered to do all the mining and processing and selling to make it look like you’re doing them a favor—but you were just setting them up to take the fall while you reaped the profits?”
    He shrugs. “That was the plan.”
    “Christ, is there anyone you won’t screw over?”
    Jackson shrugs again. “It was simply too much money and too good of an opportunity to overlook.”
    “But you essentially gave an underground militia control of a Uranium mine!” I say. “Is the almighty dollar so important you’d risk the lives of millions?”
    “Says the hired assassin?” he laughs with desperation.
    “Don’t try and lecture me on morals, Teddy, this really isn’t the time.”
    We fall silent