The Alpha Choice

by M. D. Hall

  By now both LeClerc and Sabatino had stopped, and each turned their gaze from Hugo, to the stricken Beron.

  ‘Don’t worry unduly for our thuggish friend. He’s merely unconscious, not dead.’

  The two men returned their attention to Hugo, who decided it was time for a little white lie. ‘I suspect you’re both wondering whether I can disable both of you before one of you can shoot me? So let me help you out. This weapon,’ he waved the galet about, ‘just like the teleports, latches onto my thoughts,’ despite their stoic appearance he thought he saw a hint of uncertainty in their faces, and played on it. ‘The effect is that if I fire the weapon it will hit, not only you, but also your colleagues who have just stepped out of the door.’

  He wondered if this last bit was gilding the lily, but the two men gave no indication they disbelieved him. ‘My friend and I need to see the President. The man on the floor was trying to stop that, but not with a view to protecting the President.’ There was still no response from LeClerc or Sabatino, so he pressed home his advantage. ‘I’m not here to harm you, or the President. If I was, you would all be unconscious and we would have unrestricted access to that room, as well as the man inside.’

  Jon spoke for the first time, and his voice when it came was shaky. ‘That man,’ he pointed, with his good arm, to the unconscious Beron, ‘murdered the young woman who was with me earlier…’ his voice trailed off.

  Hugo was stunned. He looked at the battered man who had just uttered those terrible words from a tortured throat, the man who was Emily’s friend and protector, and was unable to say anything. When he looked at the two Special Agents they had lost some of their detachment, especially the younger man. Recovering his wits, Hugo continued. ‘We mean you no harm, but you must let us into that room. The future of our entire race depends upon it.’

  For the first time, since leaving their posts, LeClerc and Sabatino looked at each other. After a few moments the younger man nodded, but it was LeClerc who spoke. ‘We can't let you into that room…armed,’ he paused, before continuing. ‘If, however, you surrender your weapon, we will take you to the President.’

  Hugo tried to read the man, but it was impossible. Whatever emotions had played on his face when he heard of the death of Emily, were now buried deep. He looked at Jon, whose eyes were asking: are we prepared to fire on these men? What the Englishman did not know was that he had no idea how to fire the weapon, their only option was to place their trust in the Secret Service. He turned his right hand over, opening it so the palm faced upwards, then nodded for the senior agent, to approach. As LeClerc reached out to take the weapon, Hugo warned. ‘Be very careful with that.’

  The Special Agent, very gingerly took the pebble and placed inside his jacket pocket. He then looked to Jon, ‘and your weapon, sir?’

  Jon shook his head. ‘You have the only weapon.’

  LeClerc’s response was to take nothing for granted. ‘You will understand that I can't just take your word, when it comes to the President’s safety.’ He looked to Sabatino, who holstered his weapon and searched Jon. Unsurprisingly, the Artefact failed to register. The younger agent stepped back, shaking his head. Then, without a further word, LeClerc turned and walked back towards the doors and his waiting colleagues.

  Sabatino brought up the rear, in case the insensible Te’an regained consciousness.

  As LeClerc approached his colleagues Hugo wondered whether they attended special classes to look so emotionless and, for the briefest of moments, and despite the danger facing them all, the absurd image popped into his head of a candidate being told he had failed the ‘expressionless look’ exam.

  Jon turned to him and asked. ‘How did you know I would stand between these men and that monster?’

  I hoped you had remembered our conversation about misdirection. Provided the pain hadn't affected the way you think, you might wonder why I would give you such an obvious instruction.’

  Jon nodded. ‘Because if he’d fired at the Secret Service men first, he would have taken them out and only had to deal with the two of us, and I don’t mean any disrespect by that.’

  ‘Don’t worry, I'm not offended. To be frank, even if you had been fit I doubt whether all four of us could have subdued him. The only thing I could be sure of was that once he only had you to deal with - in your weakened condition - he wouldn’t have risked using an energy weapon, even on stun. I needed to goad him into firing on you.’

  ‘You took quite a risk that the Artefact would protect me,’ Jon replied.

  ‘It worked, didn’t it? Emily was right,’ he smiled sadly, thinking of the young woman he had met just a short time ago.

  Jon did not reply.

  LeClerc, true to his word, informed his colleagues he was escorting Jon and Hugo into the room. He also warned them to keep an eye on Beron, pointing out that he was a very dangerous individual. The agents outside the door never so much as raised an eyebrow as they parted, and allowed the four men to enter the room.

  Δ

  As Hugo and Jon entered the signing room, everyone turned to look at them, but no attempt was made to stop their approach to the President’s table, after all they were with Secret Service men, so where was the risk? By the same token, despite Jon’s distressed appearance, no one ventured forward to help him!

  The barely conscious history lecturer stood before the President, and took the Artefact from his pocket. Removing the soft cover, he placed the small object on the table before taking one step back.

  ‘What’s the meaning of this?’ The President’s question was addressed to no one, in particular.

  ‘Mr President, my name is Jonathon Tyler,’ he looked at the clock and saw the hands too close to the appointed hour. ‘Time is running out, so I can't give you all the details, but I can tell you that I've been given this item, an alien artefact, which contains secrets and power far in excess of that offered by the Te,’ the Artefact lay on the table, exhibiting no signs of life. ‘You are able, through me to utilise the power of the Artefact, on condition you don’t finalise the agreement with the Te.’

  A murmur ran through the watching crowd, whose attention was drawn to the innocuous, tiny object in front of the President.

  Jon pressed on as if unaware of the commotion. ‘Despite what you’ve been led to believe, the Te aren’t our friends. Their sole purpose is to enslave or destroy any races they encounter. If you sign this agreement, they will kill us all and take our planet.’

  The murmuring had grown in volume, and was now interspersed with concerned exclamations, but also some laughter.

  The President, also ignoring the crowd, took his eyes from the speaker and now looked at Hugo Black for some explanation.

  Hugo simply nodded.

  The man who was on the brink of the most momentous act in the turbulent history of mankind, one which would see them embark upon an incredible journey that no-one, a few short weeks ago would have thought possible, turned his attention back to Jon and responded in the only way he knew how.

  ‘Are you insane?’

  Hugo stepped forward in answer to the man he once considered his friend. ‘Mr President I, like you, saw no reason to doubt the sincerity of our new friends, but I have to tell you that I’ve learned things recently, that have made me review my thoughts. If you commit us to this agreement, then what this man has told you, will happen.’

  The President’s eyes remained on Hugo, but he did not answer immediately. He slowly moved his gaze to the small object lying before him. It was still inert.

  Jon took a step towards the Artefact, and it began to glow, softly.

  President Conway put both hands on the table, to either side of the object without touching it, apparently conflicted. Recalling an earlier conversation with Gerry Wye, he looked at the screens, then addressed the waiting crowd. ‘I need to confer with my colleagues.’

  In response to the implicit order, everyone not already on their feet, rose and moved towards the door through which, moments earli
er, Jon and Hugo had entered. The whole exercise was carried out in utter silence.

  With Secret Service personnel standing at either side of the opening, the entire room emptied into the corridor.

  The last to leave was Tala who appeared completely at ease, and not in the least discomforted by Jon’s allegation. She stood to one side, seemingly oblivious to the looks from the crowd, before finally departing the room.

  Δ

  As the crowd waited outside, leaving himself and his Chief of Staff alone within the signing room, Michael Conway looked at Gerry Wye, and recalled the events surrounding the time he was cold shouldered by Hugo Black. Of course, he was only privy to a small part of what was happening at that time. What decision would he have taken had he been able to observe it all? But then, life is never that simple…

  He remembered the meeting with Hugo and his PA after the destruction of the asteroid, when Tala had put the TeCorp CEO firmly in the driver’s seat…

  As he watched his, one time friend, leave the Oval Office, he beckoned Gerry Wye over. ‘You won't believe it Gerry, but Hugo has just cut us out. He won't regularly brief you, and will only pass on what he considers important, when he feels like it.’

  The stocky Chief of Staff shook his head. ‘I was afraid of this, Mr. President.’

  ‘What do you mean?’

  Wye looked briefly at the floor as if weighing up whether to tell his Commander in Chief what was on his mind.

  ‘Come on man, spit it out.’

  The Chief of Staff nodded. ‘It’s always been my fear, Mr. President, that to place such immense power and influence in the hands of one, unelected man has the potential for grave consequences. Would he, a few months ago, have rejected you out of hand?’

  He shook his head, Gerry’s right, he thought.

  ‘I think, Mr President, and it pains me to say it, Black is in danger of thinking himself beyond the reach of anyone, including you.’

  Michael Conway found this difficult to accept, he had known Hugo for years and had always trusted him.

  During the silence that followed, an expression he had always hated came unbidden to mind, that was then, and this is now. Who was to say what effect the pressures of unrivalled power might have on an otherwise sane, and stalwart friend? Who knows what that man might do, feel he has to do, in order to preserve that power?

  He made the decision. ‘Gerry, it wouldn’t do any harm for you to speak to our friend Tala, just to sound her out.

  Gerry went on to meet with Tala, on a number of occasions, and while the Te’an agent never damned Hugo outright - how could she, having just appointed him liaison? - neither did she confirm that he had her whole hearted support.

  Michael Conway’s mind shifted forward in time. By the time of the pre-unification briefing, and unbeknown to Hugo Black, it was Gerry who had taken on the mantle of Tala’s point of contact with the four leaders. Tala’s superiors had taken on board her misgivings, at least in part, and reduced Black’s direct involvement. While the man still thought he was in a position of influence, in reality he had been reduced to a mere cypher. ‘I’ve been thinking, Mr. President, about our…friend.’

  For all that he agreed with the isolation of Hugo Black, Michael Conway did not like the tone adopted by his Chief of Staff. ‘Gerry, our friend, as you call him has done a great deal for this country, and the world. Need I remind you, that despite our worst fears, he has yet to display the slightest inclination to unsettle the ceremony?’

  ‘I'm sorry, Mr. President, I didn’t mean to cause offence.’ Conway was not convinced of his Chief’s sincerity but let it pass, and listened as Gerry progressed to the part that Tala, in their several meetings together, had emphasised.

  He was reminded that, as part of Te’an commitment under the forthcoming agreement, all rights to the technology would vest in the people of Earth. How the technology was to be used would be determined by their leaders. Knowing of the President’s natural reticence - he would never countenance putting himself forward - Tala had suggested the leaders, jointly would appoint someone to liaise with the Te.

  ‘Mr. President,’ he continued, ‘once that happens, TeCorp would no longer own the rights to the technology, and it would lose its wealth and power. For TeCorp, read Hugo Black! I believe that Black, aware of this threat to his power base, might do something to prevent that scenario from arising in the first place. After all, the asteroid threat is over and our planet has a new lease on life. He is about to lose everything.’

  ‘Despite that,’ Conway replied, ‘Hugo will remain the richest man on the planet. Why should we assume he wants more?’

  ‘He will be just another rich man, but he will have lost power,’ Conway was not convinced, and perhaps Gerry saw that, as he then said: ‘Might I, Mr. President, make a suggestion that would resolve the matter?’

  He nodded. ‘Provided it doesn’t involve vilifying the man, or acting precipitously.’

  Of course not, Mr President. If, prior to the signing, Hugo Black makes no attempt to prevent it, this is the evidence he is on board. If, however, he does intervene there can be only one valid explanation, he’s looking to defend his own position, at the expense of everyone else on the planet.’

  ‘What’s your point?’

  ‘If he tries to intervene, it proves he can’t be trusted, and that’s something you’ll need to consider when it comes to the transfer of power.’

  Michael Conway had pondered this for a moment. It made some sense and as he could see no valid reason for Hugo resisting the agreement, he consented. That night, for the first time in weeks, he enjoyed an unbroken night’s sleep.

  Δ

  Now, standing in the signing room with Gerry, while the faces of the rest of the Cadre looked out at him, his worst fears were being realised. He picked up the strange little object the battered man had brought in, and turned it over in his hands, it was as lifeless as the table it sat on. Did he go ahead with the signing, or throw it all over for the promises of someone he had never met, and a man who had lost all sense of reason?

  Yet, Hugo had always been there when it mattered.

  The decision was not his alone, but in reality he knew the others would defer to the man on the spot, after all Hugo Black was his friend.

  He turned to the screens and took a deep breath, wondering whether he would sleep tonight?

  Δ

  Gerry Wye wondered what was going on in the mind of Michael Conway. He had seen the look on the face of the woman, and while she scared him - anyone he could not read, frightened him - he had good reason to be grateful to her. He remembered the first time he spoke to her, and the feeling of trepidation - an emotion totally alien to him - when he suggested the two of them meet. She agreed, on condition the meeting was away from TeCorp headquarters, and no one else was present. He suggested the White House.

  Later that day, they met. With no idea how Tala would react, he wondered how to broach the question of Black, but he had no need to worry because she raised the issue. ‘I have concerns regarding a mutual friend who might be losing his focus, perhaps even more than that!’

  Feigning surprise, he probed as far as he dared. ‘I’m not sure I know what you mean, Tala?’

  ‘I’m concerned that Hugo might try to retain his hold on the technology we have provided. As an honourable people, we simply used TeCorp as a device to establish the technology without causing alarm. We never meant for it to be for the benefit of one man, it was to be a gift to all the people of Earth.’

  When reporting back to the President, he was able to confirm that Tala had agreed to have one of her people make direct, daily reports to the Chief of Staff, no one else would know. As for their friend, Hugo Black, it had been agreed he was a prime mover in all that had happened, and all that was to happen, but it was also agreed it would do no harm to keep an eye on anything suggesting a change in his mental wellbeing, after all, they owed him that much!

  That meeting with Tala was to be the first of se
veral, but even now he still could not read her. He was just glad she was on their side.

  Ω

  Tala looked across to the injured Tellurian, and worried. She had no way of communicating with Beron - the implant would be too slow. How did Hugo get out of the chamber? What’s happened to Corcoran and the other female? With no answers, her mind went back to when she assured Garnoth her plan would work…

  The Agency head was looking out at her from the holo image. ‘On Telluria, everything proceeds as planned?’

  ‘Mostly…’

  ‘Explain?’ Garnoth’s look became stony.

  ‘I was loathe to raise this with you as there is no direct evidence, yet I have certain suspicions. In particular, I don’t think Black’s assistant trusts us.’

  ‘Has Mr. Black’s behaviour altered?

  ‘No, but other than a functional role in the asteroid event, he was left very much on the sidelines, and he may lay the cause at our door.’

  ‘You are right to be cautious. If she is suspicious, we cannot be sure of him. Even if she has merely communicated her thoughts to him, he is contaminated. We must fear the worst.’

  I agree,’ Tala replied. ‘The merest suggestion that he’s beginning to question our policies, if only in a small way, should be enough to precipitate preventative measures.’

  ‘Which you have already formulated?’

  She bowed her head. ‘Only with your leave, Garnoth.’

  ‘Proceed.’

  ‘We can’t take the risk of allowing him to remain a person of influence. We merely need to lay the groundwork to discredit him, and leave the rest to the Tellurians.’

  ‘And how do you propose we achieve that?’

  ‘I’ll call a meeting with the cadre, and at that meeting draw attention to Black, by suggesting that we favour him. For optimal effect, this should take place as soon as possible. It will cause them to feel the prickle of resentment. Their spokesman, President Conway will have his advisor seek a meeting with me, to better understand what is going on. That will be my second meeting. I’ll initially refuse his overtures, not wanting to seem too eager,’ Garnoth nodded, ‘but eventually I’ll accede to his request, and during our conversation raise some reservations concerning Black.’