by Peter Hoole
“I think we can call that a successful test then, Robert, don’t you?”
Robert was silent.
“So far, it looks fine.”
“What do you mean fine?” Saunders replied, irritation evident in his voice, “The second subject, the one we didn’t directly infect is dead, no doubt as a result of exposure to subject one.”
“Don’t be so foolish.” Robert snapped, taking Saunders by surprise, “For the plan to completely succeed, all outsiders must be taken out. And while that guy…”
Robert pointed to the blonde subject.
“… While he remains alive, your delivery method is questionable.”
Saunders, while angry that Robert had taken such a tone with him, could not help but agree.
He took some time to regain his composure, and then responded.
“Fine.” Saunders said curtly, “Just give me more time.”
“You have twelve hours. If he is not dead by then, we will consider your test a failure and resort to our initial plan.”
Robert turned away from the viewing area, and walked towards the door. He opened the door, but before he exited, he turned back to Saunders.
“If you fail, I will have no choice but to inform those who need to know.”
With that, Robert left the room.
Saunders knew precisely what that meant. If the first subject was still alive in twelve hours, then the real hierarchy of the Colonials would know of his failure.
And that was something that he could just not allow.
Chapter Twenty-Five
“Geez, these guys sure didn’t skimp on anything, did they?”
Despite the fact they had been driving for more than half an hour, the three occupants of the ‘Bat had not travelled far. They were all travelling in the same direction – to the west of Sydney – Caleb had positioned the ‘Bat so they were following Murphy, Casey and Dunleavy in the other SUV.
However, progress had been slow. A result of peak hour, morning traffic, the progress of the two vehicles was somewhat stunted.
In fact, they were yet to make it out of Sydney’s greater metropolitan area.
As they drove, Jace had been getting a better idea of the Colonials and the way they carried out their business.
From the displays in the dash to the smooth leather bound seats, the Colonials made sure that no expense was spared. Observations of this caused Jace to ask some questions.
“Just how the fuck do they pay for all of this stuff?” he asked.
Caleb and Darcy looked at each other. It was a question they did not fully understand, but they figured they needed to start working some things out.
“Not sure, Jace.” Darcy replied, allowing Caleb to focus on driving, “We haven’t given it too much thought.”
“Care to speculate?” Jace asked from the back seat.
Darcy pondered the question. While it was not uncommon for groups or companies to amass wealth out of the public eye, any large transactions or buyouts that usually fund such operations are usually noticed by someone.
“I guess the only theory that makes sense is that they were able to hoard and gain financial benefit over an extended period of time. Remember, Cook has been around for a couple of hundred years. And, from what I know, he was a relatively wealthy man even before all this started. He could simply have put the money away and let it grow. But I doubt that’s what happened.”
Darcy was silent as she further pondered the question.
“There was something I noticed when doing some research on the plane over. There was a name. A company name that I’d never heard before… or at least it sounded like a company name…”
“What was it?” asked Jace.
“Molyneux Industries. It came…”
Before Darcy could continue, Jace interrupted her, “Did you say Molyneux?”
Darcy’s interest was piqued by his tone.
“Yeah… why? Does that mean something?”
“Not sure.” Jace said in a quieter voice, “But it’s a name I have heard of.”
“How?”
“It came up once or twice. Never directly connected to anything, but it was on the periphery of an investigation or two.”
“So, how do you think its connected?”
“You probably know more than I do, Darcy. But I’m thinking we need to know more about them.”
Jace then turned his attention to Caleb, “Captain… it’s your show. Alright if I give a mate at the office a buzz?”
Caleb looked in the rear-view mirror. Just like Jace, Caleb needed to know more about what was happening, and the Australian seemed to have a lead.
“Yeah… just as long as you trust them. And make sure…”
Again, Jace cut off the sentence, “Yeah, yeah, yeah. Trust me. I won’t tell ‘em anything they don’t need to know.”
Jace pulled his phone out of his pocket, and dialled. After holding his phone up to his ear, it was apparently answered almost immediately.
“Johnno?” he asked down the phone, “Any chance you can get some info for me?”
Caleb could hear a voice on the other end of the phone, but could not make out what they were saying.
“Yeah… any details you can get me on a group called ‘Molyneux Industries’… that’s M O L Y N…. Yeah, that’s the one. Cheers mate. Get back to me ASAP. There’s a round in it for ya. Cheers Mate.”
Jace hung up the phone, and Caleb couldn’t help but smirk at the casual nature of the conversation.
“You guys are pretty friendly?” asked Caleb.
“Yeah, nah, mate… try to keep it pretty relaxed.” Jace replied, “We tend to deal with some pretty intense stuff, so it’s always good to keep it light.”
Caleb appreciated the sentiment. Jace’s attitude was almost in stark contrast to the relationships he had had throughout his career. His first CO was a gruff, intimidating man. And Dunleavy was much the same, the only point of difference being that he swore a little more.
The only real superior that Caleb felt he was on friendly terms with was the President Hawkins. Their interactions, while official, seemed to be of a much more collaborative nature. It was quite the contrast from Dunleavy’s ‘just do what I tell you to do’ approach.
For now, he was just content that Jace seemed to be working for them rather than against.
“How long until we get a reply?” asked Darcy, listening into the conversation.
“Shouldn’t be too long,” replied Jace, “The guys one of the best at gathering info that I know. If there’s something there… he’ll find it.”
“Good.” replied Caleb, as he drove slowly down the highway.
As he continued, the phone he had been given by the Australians beeped and vibrated.
“Can you answer that, babe?” Caleb asked.
Darcy picked up the phone that had been placed in the centre console.
“Hello?” she asked, despite the fact it could only have been the others in the lead black SUV.
After a few seconds, Caleb could vaguely hear the sound of Dunleavy’s newly youthful voice on the other end of the phone.
“Hold on, Mike… I’ll put you on speaker.” Darcy said.
She took the phone from her ear, and pressed the ‘speaker’ button.
“Say that again, Mike.” Darcy said.
“According to blondie,” Mike began, referring to the female Australian agent, “We’re about to veer off this road. You guys need to keep going.”
“How long until you’re at the airfield?” asked Caleb.
“Hold on.” Dunleavy said.
Over the phone Caleb could hear Dunleavy asked the agents their expected time of arrival at the airfield. Caleb could not hear the response.
“Did you get that?”
“No, Mike.”
“Ok… she says it’ll be an hour, but it depends on traffic.”
“Ok then. We’ll stay on the road. Call me when you get there.”
“Will do. Good luck,
Captain.”
“Good luck, Mike.”
With that, the familiar sound of a phone being hung up beeped through the handset, and Caleb continued on the highway.
“Darcy, have a look at the map on the tablet.
Darcy reached between her legs to the floor of the ‘Bat. As she retrieved the tablet, she turned it on.
“How far until Haven?” Caleb asked.
Darcy examined the screen. The same Icon was still present – apparently the system hadn’t updated to exclude the fallen colony.
“Looks like a couple of hours drive. But could be anything in this traffic.”
Caleb nodded in acceptance, and continued the drive.
“Reckon we could get something to eat?” asked Jace from the back, “I’m bloody starving.”
Caleb agreed, and began looking for a place to pull off. It would be good to resettle before they made their final push back to Haven.
Chapter Twenty-Six
It had been a long journey, and it was not yet done. Deanna had travelled most of the way to Minot, but still had several hours of her journey left. As she drove, she found her mind wandering.
She had pondered a variety of things – her family, friends and various memories that brought her both joy and sadness. After all, there was little else to do while driving along a highway alone.
She had only stopped briefly for a quick nap, ensuring that she was parked in a well populated area. She slept for only an hour or so, hoping it would be enough to rejuvenate her for the remainder of her journey.
Fortunately, the nap had done the trick, and she was not looking forward to the completion of her trek.
A soon as she woke, she had called a motel in Minot. It was with a view to spend her first few hours in the North Dakotan town asleep.
Once that was organised, Deanna had again started driving.
As she drifted down the road, she found herself thinking more and more about Matthew, trying to piece together how he was involved. But the task was fruitless, and with so little information, she doubted she would be able to predict what she may find.
So she planned her next move.
After a few hours of rest, Deanna decided she would walk through the town, showing people a picture of Matthew. She would start at the public phone she had traced the call to, and from there fan out in hopes of gathering further information.
Deanna realised she would need a lot of luck if she was to get anywhere.
As she drove though Jamestown, she left the I94 and joined the 52W. Looking at her GPS tracker, she realised she had less than three hours left of her long journey.
About ten miles outside of the North Dakota town, Deanna’s attention was drawn to her rear-view mirror.
The undeniable flashing of lights drew her attention – a highway patrol car was following right behind her. Deanna quickly looked at her speedometer, and saw she was doing the limit.
She figured it must just be a routine stop, or at worst a faulty tail-light.
As she didn’t want to waste too much time, Deanna pulled over. On her left, a large grey farmhouse filled the scenery. Combined with a few pine trees, the scene looked quite picturesque, and a great snap-shot of what Deanna always thought North Dakota would be like.
She momentarily appreciated the view as she brought her sedan to a complete stop. She watched as the silver patrol car slowed to a stop behind her. Deanna thought about what she had done wrong. As there was nothing she could think of, she relaxed as she watched the car.
A patrol officer, dressed in a light brown uniform, exited the patrol car and began making his way towards Deanna’s car. As the officer approached, Deanna saw another sitting in the passenger seat of the vehicle.
After a few seconds, the other officer stepped out of the vehicle. Deanna caught a quick glimpse of him, but was distracted by the first officer, who had now arrived at her window.
He tapped on the glass, motioning for her to wind down the window. Pressing the automatic window button, Deanna did as she was told; still relaxed in the knowledge she hadn’t done anything untoward.
“Licence please ma’am.” Said the officer.
Without delay, Deanna opened her purse and pulled out her licence.
“DC?” the officer asked after examining the card Deanna had handed to him, “You’re a long way from home.”
“Sure am,” replied Deanna, trying to keep it light, “Can I ask why I was pulled over?”
“Where you heading?” the officer asked, ignoring Deanna’s question.
“Heading to Minot.” She replied abruptly, not feeling the need to share any more information.
“Minot? What’s a pretty girl like you gonna do in Minot?”
It was then Deanna became concerned.
“Can you tell me why I was pulled over?” she asked, her voice betraying her disposition.
“Ma’am… step out of the car please.”
Deanna was reluctant to comply. There was something a little… off… about the officer. She couldn’t put her finger on it, but the situation felt wrong.
“Not until you tell me why you pulled me over.”
It was then that Deanna heard a knock on the passenger window.
The other man bent down, and Deanna saw his face.
“Dan??? What are you doing here?” Deanna exclaimed.
“Oh Deanna. You stuck your nose where it didn’t belong.”
After he spoke, Deanna felt a sharp blow across the back of her head. Her head was jolted forward, and slammed into the steering wheel. As the darkness overcame her, the last thing she saw was Dan grinning at her.
***
It had not taken long for the phone to ring. Within the first few tones, Jace picked up the call.
“Mate…” he said, obviously familiar with the phone number, “what have you got for me?”
Caleb could not distinguish what the person on the other end was saying, but it was clear by Jace’s expression that it was not good news.
“What do you mean you couldn’t find anything? There must be something...” Jace said with an exasperated tone, “What about the case from a few years back. The one we worked on...”
Jace paused while his contact spoke.
“You remember...” Jace replied, “the one out of Byron. You know... Chinese bloke?”
Jace was getting more visibly agitated.
“What do you mean you don’t remember? It’s the only case I can think of... Wait, are you saying there’s no such thing as Molyneux Industries?”
It was not what Caleb wanted to hear, but it is what was said. From what he could garner, the person on the other end could not find anything.
“Geez mate... you’re making it hard to get you a beer...” Jace said, “Yeah... righto.”
With those words, Jace hung up.
“You get that, Captain?” Jace asked Caleb in the front.
“Yeah... I heard.”
“Sorry guys... doesn’t look like we can find anything. If it was there, my mate would have found it.”
Caleb looked at Darcy, and could see she was thinking the same thing.
“Jace,” Darcy said as she turned so her entire body was facing the back seat, “How sure are you about your contact?”
“What do you mean? Can I trust him?”
“That’s exactly what I mean. From what we can tell... the Colonials have infiltrated pretty much every organisation we’ve heard of. It’s possible they have gotten to ASIO too...”
Jace seemed to shift nervously in the seat.
“How sure are you about the case you saw it on?”
“The Chinese bloke in Byron Bay. Pretty sure, Darcy.”
Caleb entered the conversation, “Tell us about the case. Is there any way it could be connected to what’s going on here?” he asked.
“Dunno mate. There was nothing really to it to be honest. We got some info that a guy was operating out of Byron Bay – place a few hours north of Sydney. We got word that he was sending dat
a from a local internet café there.”
“What kind of data?”
“Well after a week or so of observation and backpacking on his transmissions, we moved in. Turns out he was mainly sending building schematics and engineering specs.”
“Of where?”
“Couldn’t really tell. Didn’t match anything we’ve seen, and nothing relevant in Australia. So we let him go.”
“How does Molyneux fit in?
“When we had a quick look at his finances, and in one account he received a payment from them. Not much, only about ten grand, but it was enough for to notice.”
“Why didn’t you follow it up then?” asked Darcy.
“Like I said. We let him go. Once he was gone, we couldn’t dig any deeper. He wasn’t a priority for us, as the info he was sending seemed quite benign. I guess we just forgot about it and moved on.”
Caleb considered the response Jace had provided. It was not unreasonable that they had moved on, but there was one thing that concerned Caleb.
“Who determined that the files he was sending were irrelevant” he asked bluntly.
The question took Jace by surprise.
“Higher up than me, mate. I got the direct word from my supervisor... bloke called Damon.”
“And do you trust him?” asked Darcy.
“Yeah well at least I used to?”
“Why do you say that? What changed?”
Jace looked out the window, seeming to recall a bad memory.
“He was killed about a year ago.”
Chapter twenty-Seven
Jace looked forlorn in the backseat.
“How was he killed?” asked Darcy, trying to sound as sympathetic as she could.
“Car accident.” replied Jace, “Or that’s what the report said?”
“You don’t believe it?” asked Caleb.
“Not even a little bit. Damon was a perfectionist. In every aspect of his job, he always made sure that it was done perfectly. Then to have the report say that he lost control and drove into a wall??? Bullshit.”
“So, what do you think happened?”
“I’m not sure. I had a bit of a look into it, but couldn’t find anything to dispute it.”