by Paul Byers
“Mr. Cain?” He called out as he stuck his head inside the office.
“Up here Gabriel.”
The office was dimly lit but he could see Cain silhouetted again the night sky on the observation deck. Waiting a moment for his eyes to adjust, Pike climbed the stairs and was soon standing next to Cain. The view was spectacular. With the sun beginning to set, it created a cascading hue of blues in the twilight skies. The iceberg glistened brightly in spots, reflecting the colorful lights of the casino while it almost glowed in others, soaking up the last light of the sun and reflecting it back.
Cain was standing with his back to Pike, his hands behind his back as he surveyed his creation before him. “This is my crowning glory Gabriel.” Cain said, still beholding his wonder.
“I’m surprised to see K.D., Tony and Marilyn here. Am I in trouble sir? Are you not satisfied with my work?
“That’s what I like about you Gabriel,” Cain said as he turned to face Pike, “always thinking like an engineer, straight and to the point. Like I said, this project is my crowning glory, probably the one thing in this life I will be remembered for and to answer your question directly, no I am not unhappy with your work.”
Pike felt himself grow two inches, the weight of uncertainty lifted off his shoulders. “However,” Cain continued, “having said that, I won’t let anything interfere with that dream either; that’s why I brought in your associates. The storm caused damaged I wasn’t anticipating and everything must continue on schedule. If we’re late entering New York harbor it creates a domino effect, one canceled meetings cancels another and so on, snowballing into a marketing and PR blizzard that can’t be stopped. You are still in charge, and K.D. and your intern Tony will report directly to you.”
“Okay,” Pike said, nodding his head in agreement, “but why bring in Marilyn? She’s not an engineer.”
“From here on out Mallory and I are going to become very busy and won’t have the luxury of talking to you as much as we have in the past. Ms. Talbot will be the liaison between us.” Cain’s expression suddenly turned serious as he looked Pike directly in the eye. “Up until now, I have given you pretty much free rein in how you conduct your inspection and that’s not going to change, but I do expect results Gabriel. Nothing must slow us down and we have to stay on schedule. Do I make myself clear?”
“Yes sir.” Cain’s statement was said with such authority and finality that there wasn’t room for any other answer.
“Thank you. The last few days have been trying and the upcoming ones are likely to be worse. I know you would probably like to see your friends but I would suggest you get some rest tonight instead.”
“Wise counsel sir.”
Cain smiled, lightening up the mood a bit. “You can still talk to me any time, Gabriel but I would appreciate it if the everyday dealings went through Ms. Talbot. Good night.” Cain said, turning back around and staring out the window.
Pike was wired by the time he got back to his room. Part of his brain was saying that Cain was right in bringing in K.D. and Tony but part of him was a little upset and disappointed that Cain thought he needed help. He turned on his laptop and started going over the damage reports that Centers had sent him earlier and started formulating an inspection schedule. But he was having trouble concentrating as his mind kept drifting off to what happened at the restaurant and what would later be called the face-off at the O.K. Corral. He was wrestling with his thoughts and emotions about Tabatha and K.D. and how he was feeling guilty; like he was cheating but logically he wasn’t since he had no commitment to either. But he also knew that logic and emotions seldom went hand in hand.
He sent K.D. and Tony a copy of his work files in an e-mail and set up a meeting at eight in the morning in the conference room in Mallory’s office. He knew his mind was too cluttered to think straight now and that he needed to decompress. He shut down the work file and decided it was time to relax and delve into his world of conspiracy theories.
Since they were in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean and on a giant iceberg, it seemed only fitting that he start his conspiracy quest to see what the world had to say about the sinking of the Titanic, especially after Cain’s revelation. While he believed Cain or at least believed that Cain thought it was the truth, he wanted to see if there was any supporting evidence to back up his story. He soon found out that it wasn’t a tragedy that just happened on its own; as with all good conspiracy theories, there were always unseen forces working on their own agendas.
After reading a few minutes, Pike was surprised to find out that the great ship did not sink because of icebergs or poor seamanship. The Titanic fell victim to the Curse of the Mummy! Pike smiled to himself as he read; he loved these urban legends.
The Egyptian, Princess of Amen-Ra lived around 1050 B.C. When she died, she was laid to rest in an ornate wooden coffin and buried deep in a vault at the city Luxor, on the banks of the Nile. She lay undisturbed for over 800 years until she was unearthed sometime in the 1880’s by four English explorers who drew lots to see who would buy the coffin; that’s when the trouble began. Of the original four men, one man wandered into the desert, never to be seen again, another had his arm amputated, the third lost his life, and the fourth suffered a severe illness and lost his job. And that was only the beginning.
Calamity and bad luck continued to follow the owners of the coffin until it was reportedly sold to an American investor who wanted to bring it back to the States but knew the coffin wouldn’t be loaded on board the Titanic because of its cursed reputation, so he smuggled it on the ship under a car chassis that he was transporting to America. He kept his mummy a secret right up until the day before the ship sank when he was overheard bragging about it to other passengers.
Wow, Pike thought, hell hath no fury like a woman scorned. He laughed, the whole story sounded like it would make a great Halloween movie, Jason verses the Mummy, or in this case, being it’s at the bottom of the Atlantic, Jaws verses the Mummy.
This one looks interesting he said as he opened another link and began reading. The Titanic had a sister ship, the Olympic, which seemed to draw bad luck, including running aground and colliding with the HMS Hawke. The owners of the ships, the White Star Line, couldn’t afford to pay for the costly repairs to the ship, so a scheme was hatched to switch the ships names and sink the Olympic, posing as the Titanic, to collect the insurance money.
Captain Smith was to scuttle the ship at a predetermined location where there would “happen” to be several other vessels in the area to pick up passengers from the sinking ship since the White Star Line wanted no loss of life. It was even proposed that the Titanic didn’t strike an iceberg at all but actually ran into one of the rescue ships drifting with its lights off. Unfortunately the Titanic was mortally wounded a day before the supposed rendezvous spot.
Pike paused for a moment while he considered that theory. It had a ring of truth that would tend to support Cain’s story; insurance fraud was nothing new, even a hundred years ago, he thought. Was Cain’s grandfather involved with the plot or merely an innocent bystander?
Interesting.
Pike scrolled down a few more screens and found a few more theories, one suggesting that there was a fire in the coal bunkers that inadvertently led to the sinking while another said the expansion joints failed and led the ship to sink quicker with great loss of life.
He yawned. It was getting late and he knew he had a long, difficult day ahead. He was just about to turn off computer and go to bed when another theory caught his eye.
As he began reading, the whole story began unfolding like a Dan Brown novel. The Jesuits were responsible for sinking the Titanic.
The Jesuits had been around since the late 1500s and were confessors to the European rich, and defended the Pope and Catholicism throughout the world. Theorists argued that the Jesuits were founded so the order could establish greater financial wealth and thus influence business and governments around the world. Furthermore, the sinking of th
e Titanic was a direct plot by the Jesuits as a means to an end: the creation of the Federal Reserve Board.
Pike stopped right there and grabbed a root beer out of the mini fridge and threw a bag of popcorn in the small microwave. This was going to be good.
According the article, in 1910 seven men met on Jekyll Island off the coast of Georgia to discuss plans to form the Federal Reserve Bank. At the meeting were representatives from the financial empires of the Rockefeller’s, JP Morgan, and the Rothschild’s, who were the banking agents for the Jesuits and held the key to the wealth of the Catholic Church.
Their goal in creating the Federal Reserve was to be able to not only influence the regulation of both private and governmental financial institutions in the United Stated but also to exercise that same control all over the world. But they knew there would be opposition in many forms but the most prominent three were Benjamin Guggenheim, Isador Strauss and probably the richest man in the world at the time, John Jacob Astor. All three had to be killed and in such a way as to not arouse any suspicion whatsoever; the sinking of the Titanic was the perfect solution.
Pike snacked on his popcorn and lost all track of time as he read through the supporting details. This is interesting, he thought. This theory had the captain of the Titanic, Edward Smith, as a major conspirator. Reportedly, Smith was a Jesuit and would do anything for the Order and for God’s will. His job was to sink the ship, insuring the plans of the Jesuits would succeed.
In December of 1913, about a year and eight months after the sinking, the Federal Reserve was put in place as part of the Federal Reserve Act. It is believed by some that the Federal Reserve and the Jesuits were responsible for funding the United States, Russia and Germany during the First World War.
Pike glanced at his watch. It was nearly midnight. He would have to spend some more time on this theory later. He enjoyed the political mystery and intrigue and there was just enough evidence to put this conspiracy within the realm of possibility. He smiled, but then again, that’s what a good conspiracy theory was all about.
Reluctantly, he turned off his computer. He was very tired, but the Curse of the Mummy story had been entertaining and the Jesuits’ conspiracy was intriguing, igniting his imagination and both had helped to clear his head and put things back into perspective. He fell asleep with figures hiding in the shadow, visions of the Titanic sailing through ice-filled waters and of mummies going bump in the night.
Pike was still sleepy from last night’s foray into the secret world of conspiracies but he was also a little nervous as he walked to his first meeting with K.D. and Marilyn after the showdown at the O.K. Corral last night. He decided the best course of action was to pretend it never happened and just conduct business as usual. Feeling the butterflies fluttering in his stomach he rounded the corner and entered the room. He was relieved to see that he was the first to arrive, which was the way he liked it. He poured himself a cup of coffee but passed on the donuts that Mallory had left for them. As he was getting set up, Tony was the first to arrive. Pike could tell by the expression on his face that he wanted to ask him about last night but he didn’t give him the opportunity.
Next, Marilyn came in, greeted them both, poured herself some coffee then sat down. Pike waited in anticipation for K.D.to show up and he didn’t have long to wait. As she entered, their eyes locked for a moment but he couldn’t get a read on what she was thinking. She smiled pleasantly and greeted everyone, grabbed a donut and some coffee, then sat down. Good, Pike said to himself, this might be easier than he thought.
“We’ve got a lot of work to do.” Pike said, opening up the meeting. “Have you all had a chance to look at the files I sent last night and familiarize yourselves with what we’re facing here?” He said, looking at K.D. and Tony. Both nodded their heads.
“Good. Our major concern is the towing towers, especially the starboard side tower. K.D., I’d like you and Tony to take an in-depth look at the stress points and the fractures in the base anchors for the towers and come up with a recommendation. I’ll check out the relays for the juice and test their integrity. We’ll meet back here at 1:00 for a working lunch, compare notes, and go from there. Marilyn, I’m afraid I won’t have much for you to do until then.”
“Not a problem.”
Just then they heard a knock on the door. “Everyone, this is Brian Centers. I’ve asked him to play tour guide for you two until you get your bearings. This place can be a little overwhelming at times.” Centers smiled and waved.
“Any questions?” When none were asked, he ended the meeting and everyone got up. “I’ll be right there,” K.D. said to Tony, then turned to Pike. Here it comes, he thought, the moment of truth. “Nate wanted me to give you this.” She said as she reached into her laptop case and pulled out a small package.
“What’s this?” He asked.
K.D. shrugged her shoulders. “I don’t know. All he would say is that you’ll need this.”
“Okay, thanks.”
“Tony or I will call you if we have any problems.” She said as she rounded the corner on her way out.
“Well now.” Pike said out loud to himself as she disappeared. “That was interesting.” He quickly gathered his things and headed back to his room to change and get to work; so much for making a mountain out of a mole hill he thought.
Half an hour later, Pike was in the Hoth cave and had formulated a plan with Miles to inspect the juice relay stations. Leaving the meeting, he decided to walk down the long tunnel instead of taking the cart. The air was cold and had a stale taste to it but he enjoyed the walk none the less. After a few minutes of walking, he was beginning to feel that he really was on the Planet Hoth on the far side of the galaxy. He hadn’t seen a soul since he left the office area. The solitude was a little unnerving but welcome just the same as it was a good chance to focus on his inspection and try to forget how much more complicated his life had become in the last 24 hours.
He came to the first of the main relay stations and opened up the control panel then took out the c-pad Miles had given him and tried to bring up the schematics. Come on hot shot, concentrate…Hot Shot…he sighed.
“Do you believe this place?” Tony Roberts said, standing on the deck of the number three ship. Like a six-year-old on their first visit to Disneyland, he was staring in wonder at the marvels of the huge cavern housing the support ships.
“Now I know what Jonah must have felt like.” K.D. replied.
“Who?”
“Didn’t you ever go to Sunday School? Never mind,” she said, shaking her head.
“If you will follow me,” Centers said, “the support towers Gabe wants you to look at are up here.” Tony and K.D. followed Centers toward the bow. As they were walking, Tony continued. “Boy what I wouldn’t give to be in Gabe’s shoes right now.”
“Why?”
“Come on, are you kidding?” He’s famous, a celebrity. He can get anything he wants.” Tony paused, “Well, you are too, kind of sort of, after last night.”
She stopped and grabbed Tony by the arm and swung him around. “What are you talking about?”
“Here, let me show you.” He pulled out his iPhone and began searching the web. “Yeah, you’re all over the internet. Some sights are calling you the mystery woman because no one knows who you are. But on YouTube, you’re GB3.”
“I’m what? GB3?”
Suddenly Tony looked embarrassed. “I didn’t call you that, the guys on the videos did.”
“What is a GB3?”
He hesitated for a moment, “Remember, I’m only the messenger here.”
“What does it mean Tony?” she asked sharply.
He hesitated for a moment but a stern look from K.D. made him continue. “Gabe’s Babes, you’re number 3”
“That happened less than twelve hours ago and it’s already all over the internet? How?” Why?”
“The how is simple, we’re on a boat full of reporters who are bored with nothing else to do. The why is because
you’re associated with Gabe, and right now he’s the hottest thing around, especially after he saved the ship, or iceberg or whatever you call this thing.” He showed her several different videos of what happened in the restaurant last night. K.D. started pacing back and forth as she watched the videos, shaking her head and mumbling. “Oh come on, they’re calling me fat, that I’m not as slender as GB 1 or 2.”
“You’re not fat,” Tony said sheepishly, “remember, they say the camera adds ten pounds,” he threw in, trying to make her feel better.
“Great! Just great!” She continued, “I’m plastered all over the web and what am I wearing? I’m wearing jeans and an old sweater, that’s what! And look at what the other two are wearing. I’m going to kill him,” K.D. ranted, “I’m just going to kill him.”
“Who? The guy who posted it on YouTube?
“No, Mr. Blast from the Past himself.”
“You’re right; after you kill him you can put him on ice,” Tony said, smiling and holding his hands up displaying the room.
She stopped and looked at Tony with a strange expression then burst out laughing. “Okay, maybe I was a little over the top there.”
“Just a little.” Tony said, holding up his thumb and forefinger.
They looked around and saw that Centers had discretely moved to the bow of the ship and was waiting for them to catch up. K.D. waved and the two of them started walking again. “So you think I can make some money from this celebrity thing, huh?” she asked.
“Oh yeah, I heard they’re going to have this reality show…”
“Shut up, Tony.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“Here are the supports that Gabe wanted me to show you. This is the starboard and that’s the port. There’s a catwalk over there to get to the other side.” Centers pointed to the right then reached into his coat and pulled out a small notebook computer and handed it to K.D. “I’ve downloaded all the schematics and pertinent information on here for you. The boss just called so I have to go, but here,” Centered pulled a walkie-talkie and handed it to Tony, “you can reach me on this anytime.”