* * * * *
Gil looked down from the mezzanine into the gate paddock through which Buck and the “mule” would enter. Gil had learned the identity of the UNIS agent, Buck Lemkey.
He knew that Buck would stand out, but the photo he had of Trask was not distinct enough. He hoped that Buck would give away Trask’s identity by his focus; he would be tailing him with a vengeance. And if he missed Trask then he would have to trust that the Viro-Scan would get a clear shot.
The Viro-Scan covered a section of the South wall and the disembarking passengers would have to pass within six feet of it. It would identify Buck, and Trask would be flagged by it as an unidentified individual.
The shuttle had arrived and Gil could see the ground crew positioning it for the passenger debarkation. Within moments the first passenger quickly moved up the ramp, followed by the others, beginning as just a trickle and then becoming a steady flow. Gil easily picked out Buck; he was the one dodging from side to side straining like a curious chicken to see over the people ahead of him. He apparently hadn’t spotted Trask yet and was busy trying to account for everyone ahead of him. Buck walked quickly past the Viro-Scan, giving it no notice. Just as he was about to clear the panel completely, he stumbled and reached for his chest as though he might have over done it; he shook his head as though to clear it and then continued on. He stationed himself near a support column as if he hadn’t yet recovered from whatever had afflicted him. From there he glanced into the group of passengers that preceded him in order to reassure himself that he had overlooked no one. Carefully he panned back to the passengers that were behind him. One by one they departed, and, one by one, he dismissed them from his consideration.
At that moment Gil’s cell phone vibrated against his chest. “Yes?” he inquired.
“Did you make Buck yet? He’s standing by the concourse column. We’ve tagged him but you’ll have to tail him up from there.”
“Yeah, I’ve got him. He doesn’t seem to have ID’d Trask yet and I haven’t seen him either.”
“Don’t worry about Trask, he wound up on the next flight and should be landing in Brugge in a few hours. He’s safe for the time being; keep your eye on the fat guy.”
“He shouldn’t be hard to follow; he’s looking like a heart attack waiting for a place to happen.”
“He’ll be okay for the present. We just gave him a little handicap; he should remain on his feet for a few more days.”
“What are you talking about? Have you done something to our Bucky?”
“Sorry, that was a slip. Forget you heard that or I’ll have to shoot you when you get back.”
“Copy” Gil conceded. He couldn’t help but wonder what they had done to Buck and how they did it.