Thank you.
They were gone. It was a major milestone. Thomas’ future could begin.
JULIA SLEPT ON IT but decided not to ask for a re-assign. Maybe she liked Thomas too much, and maybe she wasn’t thinking straight. But she deserved to be selfish for once. She spent her whole life sacrificing for others. And now it was her time to get something good - time for her sacrifice to pay a dividend. She enjoyed seeing Thomas more than any of her other assignments and it would depress her for months to give up their meetings.
She was working in the office on another assignment: a guy named Dave who worked for the national news. Dave was a great asset who could influence news reports that most American women saw daily. She and Tito had discussed several ideas to utilize Dave for propaganda campaigns, the kind that might subtly adjust the mindset of American women.
Today, while doing her assignment and riding on a jet ski behind Dave, she saw the special fireworks in the sky that only she could see. The fireworks formed the word “Thomas”, appearing as a set of smoke clouds. Julia immediately signed off from her assignment, leaving Dave with the computer-controlled avatar.
Where is he now?
Julia was standing on a white platform with multiple screens in the air all around her. This was her staging area, where she could see at a glance all of her assignments and their activities. She saw a screen of Thomas walking into a bar on Resort World. He must have just arrived and hadn’t yet decided what he would do. She moved her hands in a gesture that the system recognized and was suddenly in the ladies room in the same bar as Thomas. She walked out and saw him at the bar, with a Margarita in front of him.
“Enjoying the drinks?” Julia said.
Thomas smiled. “Julia, I’m so happy to see you. I was just about to call for you.”
“Didn’t even need to,” she smiled back. “Should I sit and drink with you?”
“Nah. I didn’t order it,” he said, picking up the glass almost like a prop. “The bartender just puts one in front of me whenever I sit down. It doesn’t really taste like anything. And it sort of ruins the whole effect of being here. Here I am on an island talking to a beautiful woman, but if I have a sip of this Margarita, the whole charade goes away. My taste buds start signaling something weird and my brain remembers that it’s all fake, even you, unfortunately.”
“I’m not fake, Thomas.”
“I’m sorry, Julia. I didn’t mean to offend you. You are real in some kind of way – like bits on a hard drive on a server somewhere. Somebody took the time to design the beautiful algorithm that is you. And believe me, it is beautiful. Not just your body. Your intelligence is truly something to behold.”
“Gracias.”
“I’ve thought of looking up your designer and sending her an email of congratulations. Are you some new version?”
Julia gulped. She paused for far longer than she should.
Go for it, she thought. I have to go for it before he starts searching or sending emails that bring down the whole operation.
“Thomas, what if I was real like you? I mean, what if we were both real with both the bits as well as the neurons. Would you like that?”
“Julia – what happened to your accent?” he asked. After a few seconds of processing what she had said, he dismissed the idea, “Your program is so weird sometimes.”
“Thomas – follow me,” she was frantic now. “Outside the bar, there is a path, and near the end of the path, behind a palm tree, there is a rabbit hole.”
“A rabbit hole?” he laughed.
“Yes. I made it. For us. I think it’s time to show it to you.”
Thomas looked confused but intrigued. “A rabbit hole, huh? Is Alice at the bottom?”
“Not Alice, but Wonderland is,” she smiled. “Come. Follow me. You won’t be disappointed.”
He put down the drink, smiled at her, and took her outstretched hand. “This is why I get excited whenever I see you.”
PART TWO
THE GRID
12
WHEN SUSAN GOT to the office, Mary greeted her with a cup of coffee, prepared just the way she liked.
“Was it a difficult conversation with Sofia?” Mary asked.
“Quite.”
“I’m sure it was hard to explain that she wouldn’t see her friend anymore.”
“It was hard at first. But she seemed to get over it quickly. More quickly than I have. I keep going back and forth in my mind about why this Chinese family would come to the US of all places. Why not go to South America? I watched some of the footage from the police files last night.”
“You’re really into this case, huh?” Mary questioned.
“I am. I can’t get it out of my head. I’m thinking of stopping by the station and interviewing the family.”
“Today is your meeting with the Soldier World developers,” Mary reminded her.
“Right. I’ll be there on time. It’s not until the afternoon. I’m just thinking that something doesn’t make sense with the Mao case. And maybe there is a link to an underground railroad that we don’t know about.”
“Always good to find those links. On a separate note, I heard through the grapevine that you are the top contender for the big promotion. Exciting!”
Mary was more excited than Susan about the promotion.
“Nothing confirmed, but I’m sure it will be tied to how I perform on this Soldier World project. Don’t get your hopes up. There are many qualified candidates. It’s an honor to even be considered.”
“You’ll get it. I mean, who else is there?” Mary asked.
“Well, for starters, Ginnie Taylor in the San Francisco office. She’s been in the job longer.”
“I’ve heard of her,” Mary replied. “Everyone says you’re smarter with technology.”
“Maybe, but I don’t know if that matters. If I get it, I’ll be assigned to work directly with the Secretary of Defense. I mean, we’ll be. I’m bringing you with me, of course. If it happens.”
“Imagine that,” Mary replied. “The Secretary of Defense. We wouldn’t have to move to Washington, would we?”
Susan hesitated. “Of course not. Who would ever leave the San Diego climate? But there would be a lot of travel for me to DC. You could come on some trips. It might create some issues with Sofia, but I’ll worry about that if I actually get the job.”
“You know you can count on me to watch Sofia,” Mary said.
“Thanks for offering that,” Susan finished the coffee. Her nerves were jittery.
“Refill?” Mary asked.
“No, thank you. I guess I should go to the police station now, since I have Soldier World later. Are there any classified items waiting for my review?”
Mary’s eyes lit up. “There is a video from Washington for your eyes only. You’ll tell me if it’s about the promotion?”
Susan smiled and nodded. “I’ll check it out now.”
She walked to her office and closed the door. The system scanned the room to verify her identity and then the wall screen started playing the message from Margaret Lane, US Secretary of Defense.
“Susan, this message was too sensitive to send through normal channels,” the video started. “This upcoming set of missions is bolder than anything we’ve ever done. Only the smallest number of need-to-know personnel should be included in the conversations. We can meet in DC soon to discuss the finer details. The operation is code-named ‘Enduring Protection’, and requires the capability to surgically strike underground railroad locations. The team at Soldier World must be able to coordinate simultaneous missions while staying small enough to keep all activities top secret.”
Susan took a deep breath. This was a big ask. Going after the underground railroad was politically toxic. Any surgical strike meant fatalities.
The video continued, “Susan, you’ll need to understand some personal risks up front. The DOD can’t be connected to this. If anything leaks, before or after, then a scapegoat will be needed. If you accept this
task and succeed, the promotion will be yours. If you fail, however, then there may be hell to pay. You could be put on trial for unsanctioned use of deadly force.”
The Secretary of Defense paused, letting the gravity of the situation be absorbed. “It is perfectly acceptable to pass on this, Susan. But I need to know your decision, whatever it is, by the end of the day.”
The screen went black. Then a computer-generated voice said “Message Deleted”.
Susan’s jitters had intensified. She hadn’t expected this. If she turned down the offer, another promotion opportunity may be years away.
She had waited six long years for this chance. The price would be steep; the mission ugly. There would no doubt be killing, bodies to hide, denials and misdirection. Susan knew how to do it all. Given her track record, success was possible, even probable. But did she want this?
The underground railroads were a quagmire. A bunch of women protecting the men in their lives. Men and women who lived together in secret, refusing to obey the FPA. The voters were evenly split on the issue, half wanting to leave the UR’s alone and half wanting to take action.
Susan tried to empathize, to understand why some women could love men in this way. But it was hard to understand the risks these people endured. She personally had never felt such a love. Her father had abandoned their family when she was a baby. She had no brothers. She had never had any desire to marry. Even her uncles and male cousins had all gone to grid camps when she was younger.
There’s always space at the camps, she thought. There is no reason for these women to hide these men. It is illegal, and what are we as a society if the most important laws aren’t followed?
As she was pondering these things, the screen lit up. It was a video call from the Secretary of Defense. Susan immediately answered.
“I just got an indication that you had seen the video,” Margaret said.
“Yes, ma’am. I just saw it. I’m honored to be selected. I won’t let you down, Madame Secretary.” The words came out instinctively.
Damn it, she thought. Why did I say that?
“Excellent. Just what I was hoping to hear. You have a meeting over there today, correct?”
What was said was said. She couldn’t take it back now. She had accepted the mission.
You gotta own it, Susan. Get your hands dirty and own it.
“Yes, ma’am. This afternoon. Is there anything I need to know before the meeting?”
“I think that my video message was clear enough on the importance of this, and on the secrecy. Pick the smallest and best team you can get. Each member needs to have the highest levels of clearance. If you can do it with two people, pick two people. They will forever be tied to you in this mission. It will be a lifelong bond, so pick people that you can trust to the grave. Once you let us know who the team is, we’ll begin spooling out the bits and pieces of information they need, as they need it. There are no hard dates on this right now. We need to get prototypes set up and get some gamers out there playing it. But the launch could come as soon as 90 days from now - or maybe never if the President changes her mind. Can you live with the uncertainty?”
“I’m here to serve, Madame Secretary,” Susan replied.
This is the opportunity you wanted, Susan. You’ve worked your whole career for this.
“Thank you, Susan. Good day.”
The screen went blank again.
Her adrenaline surged. Instincts were kicking in, pushing out all second guessing.
I have to get ready for this. Who needs to be on the Soldier World team?
She left the room, where Mary was standing in the hallway.
“Did we get the job?” Mary asked.
“We’ll get the job,” Susan smiled. “All or nothing, and I’m gonna pull through.”
“You always do,” Mary complimented her. “I let the police chief know that you’d be coming by. There’s a car outside ready for you.”
Susan paused, having forgotten about the Mao case. “Ahh, yes. Thank you, Mary. I’m on my way.”
With that, Susan left the office and got in the automated car, soaking in the latest events as it drove her to the police station.
If we don’t get the promotion, Mary, I may join the Mao family behind bars.
13
CARDINAL MARK SAT outside the Vatican staring blankly at the obelisk. Cardinal Victoria walked up and sat beside him.
“So much nonsense has been written about that obelisk,” she said.
Mark looked at her and laughed. He always felt comfortable around Victoria. A beautiful, Italian woman in her fifties and one of the smartest people Mark knew.
She was the first female cardinal. He had been a priest in Washington, DC when it happened. He remembered how it had shaken the Catholic world. Equality of the sexes had finally arrived at the Vatican.
“I love those conspiracy theories about the Vatican and the obelisk,” Mark said. “People are so creative, you know?”
“What’s the latest from the USA?” Victoria asked. “Any chance that the moderates will win the next election?”
“Who knows? Surely things will revert back. It’s like, you know, this aggression will not stand, man,” Mark laughed as he said it.
“Quoting old movies again?”
“You gotta laugh. Otherwise, we’d be crying.”
Mark pulled rolling paper from his robe and sprinkled marijuana inside.
“Mind if I roll a jay?” he asked.
“Not if you share,” she replied, smiling.
He assembled his afternoon treat and began puffing on it. He passed it to Victoria.
“I’ve always preferred the hand-made joints. Buying them in a store just isn’t the same.”
“Old habits,” she replied, taking a drag.
“Tradition. Praise be his name.”
“We’re old, Cardinal,” she said.
“Indeed,” he replied.
Victoria waved her arms toward Saint Peter’s Basilica.
“Look at how beautiful this place is, Mark. As a little girl in Venice, I never dreamed that I would be a cardinal one day.”
“Same here, you know. So many crazy things have happened,” he snagged a long toke.
“If you live long enough, as we have, you see many things.”
They both sat and stared quietly at the panorama for several minutes. Two old friends enjoying the ancient architecture.
“What do you hear from Cuba?” she asked.
“They’re making good progress. Lotta ins, lotta outs,” he busted out laughing.
“Stop it already,” she laughed, lightly slapping his arm. They were both huge fans of the classic movie The Big Lebowski and enjoyed quoting lines from the film.
“Seriously, though,” he made a solemn expression. “They have identified prospective assets. Thousands of them.”
“Thousands? With no leaks to the authorities? Hard to believe.”
“Small team. Very covert. They know how to keep a secret,” Mark took another puff.
“The Vatican working with Cuban rebels...”
“Far out, right? Blows your mind,” he replied.
“The Pope knows about this mission, Mark.”
Mark was surprised, “Well, the big guy hasn’t said anything to me. What does he know?”
“He likes the idea of the mission, and he will support it monetarily, but he wants to be sure that our agents are doing God’s work.”
“Well, of course they are,” his words came out a little miffed.
“His Holiness is worried about the Cubans and people they may be associated with,” she said.
“Sometimes in a situation like this, we have to align ourselves with questionable characters.”
“As long as we have shared morals. If the crime is for the cause of human rights, then fine. But if they are truly criminal in some way, then we can not align with them.”
“Listen, Man. It’s good stuff, what they’re doing. The Pope is new. I understand, he’
s worried. He doesn’t want a big scandal to land on his desk in his first year. First Kenyan Pope and all. I get it,” Mark took another puff of the joint.
“Any Pope would feel this way. The Vatican can help these rebels, but never by abandoning our principals. The people you work with in Cuba – they are non-violent, right?” Victoria asked.
“Come on, now, you’re killin’ my high. We’ve talked about this so many times, Vicki.”
“Sorry, I guess I just need confirmation. I vouched for you with the Pope.”
“They are non-violent,” Mark stared at her as he said it, and then began giggling.
“These issues are trying on all of our nerves,” she said, starting to giggle herself. “Church history is filled with errant moves made by Popes and Cardinals… Mark, listen to me.”
She couldn’t finish the thought and instead grabbed his hand affectionately.
“It’s been too long since we toked up together,” he said, smiling at her.
“Yes,” she agreed.
He stopped laughing and looked at her. “Sorry. You were saying?”
“Nothing. Just that many Popes in the past felt that the ‘ends’ justified any ‘means’. But the Vatican can’t repeat those mistakes.”
“Agreed. The Catholic church of the past got corrupt with power. Just like the US is now. That’s what we have to fight against. This group in Cuba is a good team. Most of them are devout Christians.”
“But don’t you worry that their ‘hearts and minds’ mission could morph into something else? The tea pot seems to be boiling pretty hot, and you might get burned,” she asked.
“I’m sure there will come a day when systems get sabotaged and revolutionary messages get broadcast. It might turn ugly. But I think we are a long way from that.”
“Be careful, Mark. Please keep the Vatican’s hands clean.”
“You know, isn’t it just as sinful to do nothing when human rights are being violated?”
“It is. But the FPA is barely even 10 years old, and it will be repealed. So many of us worldwide are working to restore equality. Trust in God, Mark.”
Escape The Grid: Volume 1 Page 6