“Not to change the subject, but do you know how you are going to approach the Bhakktah,” Kelly Rolf asked.
“There is not much to do really. We will just present the proposal and see what they think. Doctor Ferris believes that they understand more than they are letting on. We have agreed that he should do most of the talking. If they don’t like what we have to say, we will try to determine what terms they will accept. The President has given us some leeway to negotiate without bringing it back to all the delegates. If we are unsure, we will talk it over with the representatives we are taking along. They represent the real power brokers anyway. The rest will go along because they won’t have a choice,” Marcus said.
“What if they want other concessions as well? I mean after all they are in the driver’s seat so to speak and can demand even more from us,” Whittaker asked.
“First of all, I don’t think they will or they would have already informed us. It isn’t like we have much bargaining power. If they had another agenda we would know about it, of that I am sure. The programming in our brains seems to be a form of communication and they would be able to know if we are trying to deceive them,” Marcus responded.
“Yes but what if? Please. For the sake of argument let’s say they do want something else. What then?” Whittaker insisted.
“Then we will listen to what they want and then bring it back to the President or whomever they tell us to. We won’t bargain in areas we are not authorized to if that is the question,” Marcus said.
“Precisely. That is all I wanted to hear. Thank you for your candor Admiral.”
“I have briefed them on the second option of relocating to another planet. I’m sure that was on the Secretary’s mind.”
“I understand perfectly. I would have wanted those assurances if I were in his place,” Marcus said.
“I hope we don’t get backed into that corner. The whole concept of relocating an entire civilization to another planet just seems too unrealistic. I don’t think that it is really an option. My gut feeling is that it was meant to be a motivator to keep us doing our best to stop the ventures to their world,” Susan replied.
After they had finished eating and going over the plans once more, the President wished them luck and started off for his morning round of meetings.
Peter and the rest went to pack their things. At 9:30 a.m. sharp their luggage was picked up and they were taken to the waiting car. An armed escort rode with them to the airfield where they were immediately ushered aboard the waiting modified B-1C bomber. A few minutes later the delegates were brought aboard and at precisely 10:15 the wheels were up and they were on the first leg of the long trip back to Pearl Harbor. The group had a long flight during which to become acquainted.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
“Is everything ready?”
“Almost. They have a great deal of security but we are prepared. They left just over an hour ago. The foreign representatives were onboard as well.”
“You are certain that your men will do as ordered?”
“You just worry about your part. I’ll be on board the Key West myself. I can guarantee that my men will do as instructed.”
“Good. My people are ready. We will start our mission as soon as you signal.”
“Do you think the President suspects anything?”
“Oh, I'm sure he knows something is up and he probably thinks we are somehow involved but he will need a lot more than suspicion to take action. By then it will be too late. He never could play hardball. He will just stand there with his mouth open when we come in and take over.”
“Then I’m off. I’ll signal you as soon as we have completed our mission.”
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
- THE WHITE HOUSE -
The President entered the room and sat down. The others followed. In attendance was the Secretary of State, Chief of Staff, Secretary of Defense, Lester Whittaker, the Director of the CIA, Abraham Jackson, Lawrence Fisher, head of the FBI, and Kelly Rolf the National Security Advisor. The President had briefed the Vice President earlier and had him keeping the press stirred up and away from this meeting.
“Let’s start with you Mr. Jackson,” the President said.
“Sir, all of our reports indicate that this was strictly an in house affair. No foreign country appears to be involved. We have been putting tremendous pressure on people just to make sure. We have called in a lot of markers on this one. We are convinced that this is a US Military, internally generated action.”
“How sure? On a scale of one to ten?”
“Nine and a half. Nothing is ever certain.”
“All right Abe. I’ll take your word for it unless someone else has other information. Anyone?” the President waited before going on, “Fine. Lawrence. What have you got for us?”
“We know that the two men who attempted to abduct the Admiral and the scientists were sent by General Durance. We have an agent inside the office of the doctor they use. The man who was injured by Lieutenant Okeefer was Torrance Blair. Durance uses him to take care of interference.”
“You mean he has done this kind of thing before?”
“Not quite so brazenly but yes, he does send in goons occasionally to have things his way. He sent the men to Billings. He has a ranch out there.”
“Where is he now?”
“Over at the Pentagon. He is one cool customer, our General,” Lawrence said.
“I suppose you have him covered,” the President stated.
“Like a blanket. He is going no place without us knowing about it,” he assured the President.
“What about Zoren. Did he have anything to do with this?”
“We are certain that they are in bed together, so to speak. Zoren may not have been directly involved with the abduction but you can be sure he knew about it and gave Durance his blessing.”
“Where is he now?”
“He left early today for a NATO exercise. We tracked his plane to the Pacific. The NATO exercise appears to be for real. It has been on the board for some time.”
“That doesn’t mean a thing. He may be a red herring to draw us away from Durance,” the President said.
“He is involved up to his eyeballs.”
“They need foot soldiers too. I suppose you’re going to tell me that General Peterson is involved as well.”
“Undoubtedly. He is the third member of this little coup d'état. We have him under surveillance as well. He is scheduled to take part in maneuvers this weekend in Hicksville, Georgia. Operation Cold Wave. We don’t have anyone inside his organization so just exactly what he is up to is harder to detect.”
“Good job Lawrence. Bill, I want you to have maximum security in Washington this weekend. Make a show of it. I don’t want you to be inconspicuous in any way. I want it to be noticed.”
“Yes sir. And the press?”
“I don’t care what you tell them. A terrorist threat maybe, make up something.”
“What about the first lady? Would you like to have her moved to a safer spot?”
“No. That would just be one more place to try and protect. She would be better off here. Besides you know her. It would take a team of wild horses to get her away from here.”
“Sir. You sound like you are absolutely convinced that they intend a military takeover of the government.”
“I am Kelly. Zoren, Durance, and Peterson have become so contemptuous that it isn’t hard to see what they are up to. I firmly believe that they intend to attack the Bhakktah somehow and use that as a means to preempt the Government.”
“Sir, with all due respect, I think you need to do more than just have this meeting. Talking about it and speculating is one thing, but frankly sir, I think we need to act.”
“What do you suggest Lawrence?”
“Arrest them right now. Relieve them of command. Don’t wait.”
“I appreciate that but it is still just supposition. I don’t have any real proof. I’m not backing down on what I said earlier
. I firmly believe they intend to take over but I don’t have actual intelligence to go on.”
“Sir, why not let Jackson’s people pick them up and question them. He has ways of getting to the bottom of anything. The FBI can’t do it nearly as effectively as they can. The CIA has special agencies that handle this sort of situation. Your OPS3 unit could pull it off,” Fisher of the FBI suggested.
“That would be a violation of their rights, I would suspect,” Kelly Rolf said.
“I don’t give a damn about their rights at the moment. We’re talking about the sovereignty of this country. As far as I am concerned the nation’s rights supersede those of Zoren, Durance, and Peterson,” Fisher said.
“Why not let my men pick them up and hold them until you get word from the submarine that they have completed their mission. That would put them on ice during this critical period. Later you can do what you want with them.”
“What if they are just the tip of the iceberg?” Lester Whittaker asked.
“They are the key figures, no matter what. You take them out and the rest will just crawl back into a hole and wait to see what happens. If it looks like there are more involved we will get them one at a time,” Jackson said.
“I don’t want this to turn into a witch hunt. I will want proof that others were involved,” the President warned.
“You give us the guidelines and I will see to it that we stay within them,” Jackson said.
“We will assist them in any way we can, staying within your parameters,” Fisher added.
“Sir, I hate to bring this up but what if you’re all wrong? What if they are just doing their jobs and making sure we are prepared in case we have to fight the aliens? What if their intentions are purely honorable?” the Chief of Staff asked.
“I think threats and abduction goes beyond the normal preparation,” the President said.
“Yes I agree, but that doesn’t point the finger to a military take over,” he said.
“You may be right, Bill. It doesn’t prove it. I appreciate your thinking on this but I simply cannot overlook the armed and forced abduction as a prerequisite for doing their jobs no matter how I look at it,” the President said placing his face in the palm of his hands.
“Mr. President, let us at least bring them in and question them. If they are planning something it will shake them up and maybe force their hand. If they aren’t up to anything they will just be mad as hell. They have been mad at you before so what do you have to lose?” Jackson insisted.
The President finally said, “If they are up to no good they are doing so because they think I am too weak willed to do anything about it. In fact I would go so far as to say they are counting on it. They are convinced that I will just stand by and let it happen. Gentlemen they are dead wrong. Mr. Jackson, use whatever group you want but bring in Durance, Peterson, and Zoren. I what them held until this is all over. We can figure out what to do later if we are wrong. For now the security of the nation is the important thing. We stand a chance of losing our world if we are not prudent. No rogue military power is going to force our hand.”
“Harry, track down General Burr. I want additional air support for Marcus and his people. After he has made those arrangements, I want to see him over here for a strategy session.”
“Yes sir.”
“And check on our security status here and at Capitol Hill.”
“I’ll take care of it.”
CHAPTER NINETEEN
- PENTAGON -
“General Durance.”
“Abe. I haven’t seen you in quite some time. How are you doing?”
“Just fine General. Sir, these are agents Timmins and Winters. General, we would like for you come with us. We need to talk to you about a matter of national security.”
“This is most unusual. If its national security, do you want to tell me why didn’t the President call and let me know?”
“Sir, please come with us. It’s a long and complicated story.”
“Go ahead boys. I have time for a long story.”
“Sorry sir. We do not. I’m afraid we must insist,” Fisher said.
“I’ll need to let my staff know.”
“That will be fine sir, but bring whomever you need to speak in to this office, one at a time.”
“Interesting,” he said.
Ten minutes later they were headed to Langley.
***
- HICKSVILLE, GEORGIA -
“General Peterson, I am Bob Craig from OPS3. Sir, I have orders from Brigadier General Abraham Jackson to escort you to Washington on a matter of national security.”
“Escorted to Washington? Jackson doesn’t have the authority to have me escorted any place. have combined Air Force and Army maneuvers scheduled to start tomorrow. I sure don’t intend to go traipsing off to Washington. Sorry boys but you just tell your boss I ain’t coming.”
“Sir. This is more than a request. General, we are here to see that you do come to Washington,” Craig said.
The General came out of his chair and around the desk. He stopped inches from the agent's face, “Don’t you come on to my turf and tell me what I have to do. This is my base. I give the orders here. Now you get out of my office and off my base before I have you shot. Do I make myself clear?”
“Perfectly, sir,” Craig said.
He reached into his coat and produced a .45 Colt. He stuck the barrel on the General’s forehead.
“Sir, you are going to accompany me to Washington one way or another.”
“You puke. Don’t you ever pull a gun on me unless you intend to use it,” the General spit out.
“Sir, I’m with OPS3. I can, I have, and I will use it. Now sir, if you so much as open your mouth again I will drop you where you stand,” Craig said and smiled.
The General wisely kept his mouth closed. Craig cuffed him and led him to a waiting car while his staff starred in amazement.
***
- WHITE HOUSE -
“Sir, they have Durance and Peterson. Zoren is aboard a submarine doing NATO exercises and can’t be reached.”
“I really don't like the sound of that. I want him found.”
“Sir, they are working on it.”
“Please just don’t tell me he is on an FBM.”
“No sir. Fast-attack.”
“Some consolation. This could be very, very bad.”
“We are doing everything we can to try to recall the sub but as you might expect, to no avail.”
CHAPTER TWENTY
- PEARL HARBOR, HAWAII -
“Cast off all lines,” Marcus ordered. The sailors on the dock removed the last of the lines holding the Chameleon to the pier.
“Forward, aft, and port thrusters 15 percent.”
The Chameleon moved slowly away from the dock.
They had arrived without incident in Pearl Harbor. They were all tired and were grateful for a good night’s sleep on the base before heading out to sea.
During the long flight they had talked to the various emissaries and found out that with the exception of the French and Russian representatives, they were all excited to be coming along and were looking forward to working with the Americans. Several were apprehensive about going aboard the submarine.
During the flight they had also learned that Lieutenant Okeefer had been instructed to follow along after them while they were in Washington and to protect them if any attempt was made to harm them. Those instructions had been implanted in his brain by the Bhakktah.
He had realized that they were being watched almost immediately. He stayed out of sight to find out what was going on. He had almost reacted too late because he was using the restroom when they came out of the Hotel. He arrived just as the confrontation was taking place. His leg was still bruised and sore but he felt all right for the most part. He thanked Peter several times for jumping in when he did.
***
“Take her down to periscope depth,” Marcus ordered.
“Aye, Aye, Skipper,
” Peter said, using the Navy jargon more and more.
The crew was the same as when they had departed for Washington. They would follow orders and do the routine work but were operating at a reduced or altered mental capacity. It was apparent that they were still under the Bhakktah’s influence. Peter wondered how that could be since they didn’t have the same head attachments that he had.
“What’s the plan for getting us back to the Mariana Trench?” Peter asked.
“We are in fairly shallow water at the moment and we will have a mostly sandy bottom for some ways before we reach deep water. We will cruise north to get to deep water as quickly as we can then set a course directly for the last trench. I intend to go to 90 percent power at that time and get as deep as we can.”
“Marcus, I know you are tired and we don’t have a real XO to relieve you on this trip but I can relieve you from time to time, if you feel safe enough turning the boat over to me.”
“I appreciate that Peter. You’re right. There is no way I can do this alone. Why don’t you, Lieutenant Okeefer, and I take three hour shifts? If you run into any problems at all just send for one or both of us,” Marcus suggested.
“That sounds great. Why don’t you go get some sleep for now? We are in shallow water and should be for some time,” Peter said glancing at the charts.
“All right. I’ll get some shut eye. You call me if anything unusual happens. Don’t try to be a hero. Remember I’ve seen you in action,” Marcus kidded.
“Oh, really nice talk. Just get some sleep. It might help your disposition,” Peter quipped.
“Doctor Ferris has the con,” Marcus announced and headed off to get some rest. He wasn’t worried about Peter but he still doubted that he would get any real sleep.
It was about halfway through his shift when Lieutenant Okeefer came forward with a cold Diet Coke and a ham sandwich and handed it to Peter.
“I thought you could us one right about now,” the Lieutenant told him.
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