Nelson stares at his cup perplexed, the General just made me coffee, wow! The unexpected service has him stupefied. He takes a sip, relishing in its flavor, then sits down in a chair opposite the General’s. The strong coffee helps both men refocus.
Nelson takes another sip as he gathers his thoughts, “Thanks,” he says as he lifts his cup. “Okay, to the matter at hand.” He takes one more drink, then begins. “I mentioned yesterday that the suits have a mind-altering effect upon the wearers. Well, it’s even worse than we thought. We have known all along that the suits are operated by thought. Well, we now know that they also synchronize their output to that of the wearer, all the while increasing synaptic activity while stimulating the pleasure center of the brain.”
Nelson pauses, then, seeing he has the General’s undivided attention, continues. “What this means is that eventually only the one operator will be able to use the suit. Not only that, they will actually become dependent upon it. It’s like a narcotic, and we just made Bill give it up, cold turkey.”
Walker considers what he has heard, then adds his thoughts, “This makes little sense, unless the Gamin are able to reset the suits somehow. Hmm, that would do it.” Putting his military mind to work, he gives his instructions, “We will start rotating the crews through the suits. I want you to determine a safe level of use.”
Nelson sits nervously, unsure how to relay his team’s other assessment, so he just blurts it out, “Olaf and George have been gone a long time, and they both used the suits prior to their departure. We have no idea what effect such a long-term exposure has on the human brain.” He pauses in reflection then adds, “Should they ever return...” his words trail off, leaving the last few unspoken.
Walker raises his eyebrows, and thinks, smart, happy, and addicted suit wearers. Sounds like a controlled army, not a workforce. A cold shudder runs through his body as he imagines what would happen if entire cities were conscripted, indeed whole civilizations, all happily working. The ramifications of this begin to show on his face.
Nelson gulps, then with genuine fear creeping into his voice, “You can see the dilemma now. Our friendly Gamin enslave their workforce in a most insidious manner, and what choice do we have? How can anyone deny them their requests?”
Location:
KGB Headquarters
Minsk, Russia
Pavel slams his fist on the table, “No Igor!” He shouts the words across the room, “War is not an option. Quit presenting your first strike strategies. The Chinese have just demonstrated a powerful new weapon, and thanks to the Brits, we know they are secretly improving their infrastructure.”
Igor stands, shoves his chair back forcefully, and begins pacing the room. His inner fury threatening to overwhelm him. Finally, with his face still twitching in anger, he stops and turns to address Pavel. “We should at least put the navy out to sea, and rebase our strategic bombers.”
Pavel gazes around the room, his eyes falling upon other the committee members, who all remain silent, as of yet. “Do any of you have a voice?” Their silent watching disgusts him, can’t make a wrong decision if you don’t make any. Cowards! He thinks. Swinging his gaze to Igor once more, he nods in consent, “Very well, I agree. Get the fleet to sea and the bombers relocated, but we will keep our ground forces where they are.”
Igor stares at him blankly, momentarily stupefied by his sudden support. With no one to direct his anger toward, it fades quickly. Gazing around the room, he surprises all with his passive response, “Very well, I concur.”
Whereas it took America days of debate, the Russian military is activated after one brief meeting, and that was without their President even attending. The men slowly exit the room, all except for Pavel and Igor. They have unresolved business to attend to.
When they are finally alone, Pavel walks over to Igor, and with a sympathetic tone in his voice, inquires, “So, are you going to tell me what’s really bothering you, comrade?”
Igor scrutinizes Pavel, the man who has opposed him on numerous occasions, measuring his sincerity. He sighs deeply. While still staring at Pavel, his face becomes a stern mask, “Russia is doomed, comrade.” For a split second, his countenance threatens to show his bottled-up emotions, but he keeps them in check.
Pavel’s mouth drops open in surprise, “How can you say that?”
“The Chinese are planning something big. The amount of material they have been sending to that ghost city of theirs is beyond anything we ever imagined.” Igor states bluntly.
Pavel’s brow creases in a frown as Igor continues. “We have been successful in bribing a worker into taking pictures.” With a thin smile, he adds, “And they managed to do one better. Come and watch what I have seen, and then you tell me we have nothing to fear.”
Pavel follows Igor into a side room, and sits through a series of short video clips, intermixed with several photographs. By the end of the session, his arm pits are sweaty, and his eyes are wide in shock, “Why did you not tell the other committee members?” His voice comes out, nearly in a whisper.
Igor’s grimaces, then tilts his head toward the majestic room behind them. “I do not trust them all, I fear we have become compromised.”
Pavel gulps, “But how?”
Igor puts a hand onto Pavel’s shoulder, “My old friend, the usual way, wealth.”
Pavel shakes his head, then looks sternly at Igor, “We must warn our allies, but how do we do this without drawing China’s attention to us?”
Igor sighs, “Well, our allies know some of this already, but not all of it, not the military aspects” He begins to pace the room as he considers whether to share a long-held secret. Finally, he stops then turns to Pavel, “I have a man at the Australian facility already. Perhaps...” his voice trails off.
Pavel’s eyebrows raise at the revelation. I can’t believe he trusts me! “I take it the other committee members do not know of this, uh…” Pavel searches for the right word, then failing to, simply states what is on his mind, “hmm, spy?”
“They do not.” Igor replies. Noticing Pavel’s expression, he knows the man wants more information. Igor grimaces as he realizes that he has opened a proverbial can of worms. With a reluctant sigh, he continues, “He is my liaison to Peter. They have been very innovative and successful in their methods of communication.”
Pavel’s frown deepens as he asks in disbelief, “Peter... that retired sleeper agent, is our source of information?”
Igor looks down and begins to pace the room apprehensively. Finally, he shares yet another piece of information, “Peter never retired! He was tasked with monitoring Radclyf, which is ironically how they ended up working together on the Terran.”
Pavel sighs as understanding sinks in, “And this other secret agent is at the Australian facility, and it is he who relays information from Peter directly to you?”
“Correct,” says Igor flatly, “and since Peter has been gone, this other agent has proven quite resourceful.”
Pavel grins, “Then all we have to do is give your contact a copy of this,” he states pointing at the now blank screen.
It is Igor’s turn to frown, “But how do we explain giving him the data?”
Pavel smiles while his eyes sparkle with excitement, “We don’t!” His smile broadens cheekily, “Let General Walker find a disk on his desk one morning.” He shrugs his shoulders in feigned innocence, “If they share the information, the Chinese won’t be looking at us.”
Igor nods in agreement, “I know I can trust you. We have been adversaries for as long as I can remember, but your loyalty to the party has never been in doubt.”
Pavel smiles at Igor, “Comrade, you are correct. I would do anything for Mother Russia, as I believe you would too. Let’s go and make this happen.”
Location:
Parliament House
Canberra, Australia
The Australian Prime Minister gazes around the small room, an ante chamber, to the main meeting room of Parliament House. Seeing
the last of the invitees arriving, he walks over and closes the door. The dozen men and women in the room are a hand-picked group. As both political parties are present, they all wonder what is going on. Clandestine meetings such as these are a very rare event. Quiet whispers fill the room as curiosity mounts.
The Prime Minister speaks a single word, “Watch!” He activates a projector, and then switches off the lights.
For twenty minutes, the group silently watches as images and brief video clips are displayed. A few show a supertanker, the Seawise Giant II, lift out of the water. A short video displays an enormously long train hauling vast amounts of raw materials, the underside of the train glows lightly. Another video clip, its image blurred, stuns them all. A trackless tank lifts off the ground, maneuvers all around a massive courtyard, then floats off toward the hills where it settles to the ground. The last picture shocks them the most. It shows the inside of an enormous facility and focuses on an assembly line where hover-tanks are being built. This one picture alone shows almost a dozen in various stages of construction.
As the presentation comes to a close, the Prime Minister turns the lights back on, and the projector off. He raises his hand, fending off the sudden outbursts of questions. Once the room has fallen silent, he takes a deep breath, then speaks. “This disk appeared on General Walker’s desk at the Australian facility. Clearly, whoever obtained this data wants to remain anonymous.” Glancing around the room, he measures everyone’s demeanor before continuing. “We will keep this to ourselves, but that doesn’t mean we won’t be doing anything about it.
Debate about what action to take continues on throughout the night, and well into the next day. Finally, the group comes to a consensus, and with little ado, the tired politicians retire to get some much-needed rest.
Location:
Institute Pasteur
Paris, France
Outwardly, the French appear to have withdrawn from the technology race. This could not be further from the truth. Their efforts to replace their lost carrier, and the assistance given to the Chinese, pale in comparison to the resources directed at deciphering the vast amounts of medical data the Gamin provided them.
A security breach a few years ago by a team of assailants resulted in the Institute Pasteur receiving a complete remodeling. The latest defensive technologies have been employed at this research site. This has been in addition to a large contingent of commandos that now call this collection of buildings, home.
While virtually every other nation around the world is focusing on various pieces of alien hardware, the medical scientists here are focusing on human anatomy. Not only this, but through the use of various nefarious means, they have plenty of test subjects, Chinese test subjects.
When they receive word of the suit operator’s actions at the Australian facility, they are not surprised. The lead geneticist, an older imposing man, reviews the latest news with a smile. The Gamin have a very thorough understanding of our anatomy. Not bad for having just discovered us, or did they? This last thought is something that has been bothering him for quite some time. He fiddles with his pen for a few moments while pondering the ramifications of his radical theory. One that he has not made public yet, as there are still a number of inconsistencies that trouble him.
Chapter Two - Terran Returns
Location:
Starship Terran
Planetary Orbit
Earth
The starship Terran slows to a halt, the unanticipated space station hovers nearby. As instructed, John has the nose of the ship pointing away from Earth. His fingers are poised over the controls, ready to act at a moment’s notice.
Cindy takes a deep breath, then contacts the Australian facility once again. “Ground control, starship Terran here. We’re in orbit and await your response.”
Everyone glances at the speakers on the bridge, they don’t have to wait long. The familiar crackles resound throughout the bridge, the static clears, and is quickly followed by General Walker’s thick American accent. “Walker here, took you a while,” he says with a hint of surprise. He quickly continues on, “Admiral Cindy, I am to debrief you and some of your crew immediately.” He takes an audible breath, “Have John, George, and Olaf, come down with you. George and Olaf will not require their bodysuits.”
At the mention of Olaf’s name, Cindy feels a pang of sadness. Her voice falters briefly as she responds, “Olaf is not with us General. He was one of many that died during our arduous trek. Do you want my report?”
After a brief pause the General responds, “Understood, and no. We will debrief in person. It’s quite late here, when can we expect your arrival?”
Cindy frowns, “Soon General, um, we have a few last-minute tasks to perform.”
“Very well, signal when you depart, Walker out.”
With the Terran parked in high orbit, and the ship’s numerous capacitors charged, Cindy feels confident they are ready for whatever awaits them. She stands, stretches, and says, “Okay, let’s find out what’s going on.”
She gazes around the bridge, “John, George, Joe, you’re with me. Everyone else, stay alert.” She pauses for a few more seconds, “Let’s keep this visit under wraps for as long as we can.” She glances at Peter, and orders, “Assemble the crew in the mess area, and keep everyone away from the main hangar deck. You’re in charge until I get back.”
Joe frowns in confusion, my name was not mentioned by the General. I wonder why Cindy wants me to go?
The shuttle trip to the Gamin construction facility is a quiet one, everyone has a lot of questions. George shifts from side to side anxiously. With his bodysuit being left behind on the ship, he feels strangely naked.
Cindy smiles as she mistakes George’s apprehensiveness, “You should be able to see Lisa and Johnny soon.”
George tries to relax, but finds he is unable to. Something is very odd that Walker insisted that I be with the first group.
Joe stares at his laptop, the very last one to have survived the journey. He pulls it close to his body, its repository contains all of his research and findings, apart from his hand-written journals. John stares intently at his screens, “It’s night time at the Aussie site,” he informs the others as the shuttle enters the atmosphere.
Radclyf and Hayato remain on the Terran’s bridge, both have been instructed to watch Edwards. Though Cindy has learned to trust the man, she is unsure of his true loyalties, especially now that they are home.
Location:
Outback
Western Australia
The Terran’s landing craft approaches the facility unannounced, and under the added cover of darkness. John notices the entire site is bathed in a soft glow from numerous lights. He lands the shuttle near the construction cradle, well away from the main buildings. Alert soldiers rush in and aim their weapons at the unexpected intruder. Before they can raise the alarm, the soldiers get word to stand down.
Cindy leads the men down the shuttle’s ramp, and is surprised when the various weapons aimed at them are not lowered. Three soldiers roughly charge past them and quickly inspect the shuttle’s interior.
Cindy folds her arms and demands indignantly, “What’s this all about?”
One of the soldiers steps forward, he slings his rifle over his shoulder and simply states, “You will all come this way.”
Another soldier walks toward Joe, and silently reaches for his laptop. Joe pulls it closer to his chest, turns away and says with defiance, “This is mine, and I will carry it.”
The soldier quickly glances at another, then after receiving some unseen gesture, steps back. Joe nervously looks at Cindy, she is standing rebelliously, her arms still folded across her chest.
A convoy of lights approaches the group, the vehicles’ engines revving loudly. A dark van breaks from the approaching motorcade and parks near them.
A man wearing a white lab coat steps out, and shakes his head in annoyance. “I am Doctor Nelson,” his English accent is as much of a surprise
to them all as was General Walker’s thick American twang. He mentions his name as though it carries some weight, then after an indignant pause, continues, “You were supposed to notify us of your arrival, so that we could follow our quarantine procedures.”
Nelson sighs in disappointment as he shakes his head, “Every soldier here will now have to spend months in isolation as a precaution, thanks to your carelessness.”
Cindy raises her eyebrows, her history as head of the biological research facility in Germany comes to mind. A chill runs through her body as she suddenly realizes the doctor is correct. We could be bringing anything back with us. She lowers her head, slightly ashamed at her forgetfulness, “We will comply with your procedures Doctor.”
Not a moment later, a large white van pulls up in front of them, George, Joe, and John, silently follow Cindy’s lead as she steps inside.
The trip to an isolated building does not take them long. The long elevator ride downward reminds Cindy once again of her old facility in Germany. The group is then led through a series of massive blast doors, and is finally directed into a spacious and brightly lit room. The escorting soldiers close the door, leaving the four crew members alone.
George takes note of the central table with its ten chairs arranged around it. Joe, on the other hand, notices the computer screens embedded into the table’s surface, complete with data ports of all imaginable types. John frowns as he examines the white floor, walls, and ceiling.
A slight hissing sound adds to their uneasiness as air is drawn from the room, the change in air pressure causes their ears to pop. Cindy forces a yawn to alleviate the sensation.
Initiation Series: Series One Compilation (Terran Chronicles) Page 73