“Harry, increase your efforts to identify Peter. Add any trips to or connections with Chad or Libya he might have to your search. Also, bank linkage to Europa, Avantek, and Red Wolf. He’s likely German and, if he’s like me, his mother may have had problems with childbirth. Additionally, assume he’s an introvert like me and avoids crowds. See if this helps in your search.”
“I am searching even as we speak. Ah, I may have a candidate, Commander. A Peter J. Meier. Born in northern Germany, his mother died in childbirth. Educated in the former USSR and had ties with the KGB, but no longer. More searching shows ties to the companies we know of plus a shipping company named Maritime Freight in La Havre, France, and a chemical company called EOS Chemicals in Maracaibo, Venezuela. In addition, there are suggestions of arms dealerships around the globe, including Libya.”
“We have him!” shouted Van. “Do we know where he lives?”
“Well, he does move around, Commander. He has a yacht named the Valkyrie, which he uses mostly in the Aegean Sea and sometimes the Black Sea and the Mediterranean. He has a townhouse in Geneva and a facility and perhaps home in the Aegean Islands, specifically the Cyclades. Current location unknown, but I am searching. He does seem to have a good security system that makes tracking him difficult.”
“Great. Get this information and anything else you have to Dick and see what he can turn up.”
The next day, Van went back to San Diego to check on things locally, especially his house. He was starting to feel guilty for not spending more time enjoying it and his neighbors. The house had a lot of history and meaning to him. There was some cleanup to do, mostly just dusting, and he found time to sit in his favorite chair and watch a few football games. Kind of a twist, he thought. I wanted the cabin as a getaway place, and now I find myself here to get away from everything. Then it hit him. He remembered what Brice had said about his security and moving to the cabin. Will I really have to leave this place for good? Even the thought hurt.
It was getting colder this time of year. “Colder” was a relative term for San Diego weather. Generally, San Diego boasted a year-round nearly perfect climate (72 degrees and sunny). However, it did get a little chilly, all the way down to 45 degrees at night in the “winter.” And this time of year, there were a few more clouds and some rain extending through February. After the third day, Van noted that Stellar Projects was doing well under Al Craig and making a modest profit. The house was in good shape, so he reluctantly decided to return to Arizona.
However, realizing that Site S might be compromised after he had been followed, Van arranged a flight from Brown Field just south of Chula Vista. He used his air service provider and was pleased to see that they provided him again with the same Gulfstream he had used before. Once at the airport in Arizona, he picked up the jeep from long-term parking and drove to the cabin below Site R. Van actually liked the cabin and its large front porch. It didn’t have the history of the Chula Vista house, but it was homey inside and comfortable. He had already decided to use it as his main living quarters while at the site. This trip he brought a few pictures and knickknacks from home and placed them around the cabin to make it look like his. On the way from the airport, he stopped by a local Bed Bath & Beyond and loaded up on towels, sheets, pillows, and other things to make living in the cabin comfortable. He also stopped by a market and picked up groceries and some drinks—especially Snapple peach tea, his favorite.
Furniture had already been delivered when the cabin was deemed ready by the builder. As part of the deal, the builder unpacked the furniture, moved it inside, and disposed of all the packing material. All before Harry created and installed security and the elevator to Level 5 of the site. Nothing like a turnkey residence! Van thought.
After a good night’s sleep, a shower, and breakfast, Van took the elevator to Level 5 and then to Level 2. His old quarters were still there, but across from it was a new room. In conjunction with the Carson Operations Center, Harry had developed one for Site R as well—a much better one, to be sure. There were multiple view screens on the walls, though only one control console was necessary, and with a data screen, keyboards, and a mouse for manipulating and viewing data, Van could back up Harry’s own capabilities if he chose to. Mainly, however, Van just interfaced with the system by connecting with Harry. In the middle of the room stood something different. It looked like a large flat table with nothing on it.
“Harry,” Van said, staring at something big in the room, “what’s this thing in the middle of the room for?”
“That, Commander,” Harry said, perhaps with a small note of pride, if that was possible, “will be a holographic projection table. I anticipate that when we finish connecting it to my internal systems, we will be able to project a three-dimensional image of any target area for which we have an interest. It will also be able to test operational options before we execute them. It is like being on the scene without the travel. It will not eliminate the need for travel and surveillance, but it should make our efforts more efficient and free of errors. We can also integrate other sources of intelligence to augment our own sources, like the shuttles and the fireflies. By that I mean ‘borrowing’ imagery from other organizations’ cameras, satellites, and so forth. I think you like to think of it as Big Brother.”
“Oh yes,” Van said, “the God’s Eye system.”
“Exactly, Commander.”
“Knowing that we could do something like this will fit nicely into our future operations and the work we do with Dick. When will the table be ready?”
“I believe we can test it tomorrow, Commander,” Harry said.
“Great,” Van said, excited. “Meanwhile, I’ve been reviewing our operations so far. I believe that we can be more efficient. While I expect to fly the shuttles on missions, there may be times when it’s best that I don’t, especially when gathering intelligence. If this system works, that will give us added capability or, as we said in the military, a force multiplier. We can dispatch one or both shuttles remotely to various areas and perform much of our prep work in advance. There may even be occasions when we can execute a project remotely using this operations center. There will be plenty of needs and opportunities to put boots on the ground, but not in all cases.”
The next day, as Harry had predicted, the table and the whole Ops Center were up and running. Van decided to launch the Truman in its stealth mode and fly it over Las Vegas for lack of a better place for the test. They picked the Bellagio at random as a target and, through the Truman, released a number of fireflies to attach to the exterior and to take up positions on the interior. In addition, Harry was able to tap into the Bellagio security system and see through all the cameras and communications systems in the building. It was a private investigator’s dream. Van and Harry could watch any table from the security cameras and pick up the narrative of the security monitors, as well as see any area coverage by a camera or a firefly. By accessing the building blueprints from electronic storage in the city planning office, the holographic table was able to construct a complete scale model of the building with both interior and exterior views merged into real time. By moving the fireflies around, they could isolate views and action from any location in or outside the building.
“Success!” Van almost yelled. “We can play with it for a little while more, but my assessment is that it works just fine.”
“It appears so, Commander,” Harry said. “I will continue to run tests, but I believe you are right about it being a success. I am recalling the Truman for now.”
“You do that,” Van said. “Let’s keep this capability secret from the Carson Group for now, but we can still transfer some of the information to them as needed. I’m going back to the cabin to just kick back for a while. Maybe wander around the property some more. I haven’t seen the whole thing.”
That night sleep did not come easy. Van kept thinking about the new remote use of the shuttles he and Harry had discussed that day. As interesting as the thought was, and as concer
ned as he was about what Meier might do next, there was still something else. An annoying thought in the back of his head was struggling to surface. Something to do with surveillance and the shuttles. What was it? Just when he was about to give up, it hit him. Drones! We can make drones! Without waiting for the next day, Van called up Harry on his implant and started talking.
“I just had an idea, Harry. I remember learning in one of my chair sessions that we have in our design memory plans for several types of drones that we can use, correct?”
“Yes, Commander. There are three of them: the D1, D2, and D3. They range in size from a four-foot wingspan in the D1 to a wingspan of twenty feet in the D3. The D2 has a ten-foot wingspan.”
“Yes, I remember. I assume that all three could be carried and launched by one of the shuttles and, if necessary, they can be launched and recovered here at the site as well. Is that correct?”
“Yes, Commander,” replied Harry. “Each has similar basic capabilities like cameras, IR scanners, signal audio, and detection. All of that can be linked to me for interpretation and use. The larger the drone, the greater the range and endurance. The D1, for example has a range of about fifty miles and a duration of only a few hours. The D3 has a range of several thousand miles and can stay on station for up to a week. The D2 falls in the middle, as you might expect. A range of a little over a thousand miles and an endurance of two to three days, depending on winds, etcetera. They are all stealthy, and the D2 and D3 can carry a limited array of weapons. The D2 and D3 also have an inflight refueling capability from either of the shuttles.”
“Great, I want some!” Van said with excitement. “Initially I think we can start with ten of the D1s, five of the D2s, and three of the D3s. We’ll likely need more over time, but we can manufacture them as the need arises.”
“Very well, Commander,” Harry said. “We have one of each already in Level 5, and it will only be a few days to reach your target numbers.”
“Good,” Van said, now on a roll. “Also, from my chair time I seem to remember that we have the capability to create and launch our own stealthy communication-and-surveillance satellite system. Am I correct?”
“That is so, Commander,” Harry said. “In fact, I was wondering when you would ask that question. I was afraid that parts of the chair learning may not have been clear to you.”
“It’s there, Harry,” Van said, smiling again. “I’ve just not been able to bring it all together yet. I’m working on it, though. If I understand it correctly, a small number of these satellites can be used to set up secure data transfer, communications, and even a visual information link to us that no intercept system on Earth will likely detect. In addition, I understand that since they are essentially invisible, they can be moved in small increments on your command to avoid impacts from space junk or other vehicles.”
“Again you are correct, Commander,” Harry said. “We don’t need many of the satellites since we can draw data from all the other satellites in orbit and combine their information with ours for our own use. We have about a dozen of these satellites in Level 5. I must reprogram them for Earth’s environment and our needs, but again they can be launched within a week using one of the shuttles. I suggest that we use Truman since it is the larger of the two.”
“Good again,” Van said. “Let’s do it!” And he settled back into bed and slept soundly, now too tired to think about what Meier would do next.
The next day, Van again returned to San Diego and Rancho Bernardo. The main reason was to officially turn over his front office at Stellar to Al, saying that he did not need it because most of his work would be done in the SCIF. Previously he’d had Harry deliver a view screen like those in Site R, as well as some of the parts that linked with the communications device already in the room. These combined and were disguised as an old DVD player, and actually worked as one. With help from Harry, he soon had it set up on a wall facing a conference table. In this way, he could see Harry when they talked. Having a face to speak to made him feel better, if for no other reason than it made Harry seem more real and Van less alone in the grand endeavor.
When the screen was up and running, Van took a seat in one of the comfortable conference chairs and turned the screen on. Immediately Harry’s face appeared.
“Good afternoon, Harry,” Van said.
“And a good afternoon to you, Commander. What can I do for you?”
“Meier has been distracting us from our mission to help people, and I would like to do something about that right now. I recall that the Galactic Host had cured cancer and most other life-threatening diseases. Is that correct?”
“Yes, Commander.”
“Then I want you to do this: draft a credible white paper in English titled The True Nature of Cancer and How to Defeat It. Describe the sources and reasons for cancer development in terms that sound like a professional expert view. Be as descriptive and technical as possible while staying within our language limits and understanding of science. Propose possible paths for cures for a number of varieties of cancers. We want the experts to be put on a good and quick path of discovery without handing all the information to them at once. Make this paper from an anonymous source and send it to the director of MD Anderson in Houston along with, say, a twenty-five-million-dollar anonymous cash grant from one of our accounts. Can you do all that?”
“Yes and no, Commander.”
“What do you mean ‘yes and no’?” It was unusual for Harry to equivocate.
“I can and will draft and submit the paper with no problem. But I cannot provide the grant fund amount you want, Commander.”
“Why not?”
“It seems that all our immediate ‘cash resources,’ as you call them, have disappeared from our Stellar account and several others, Commander.”
“What?” Van said, standing in alarm. “All our Stellar funds are gone? That’s what, fifty million dollars?”
“Yes, Commander, as well as funds from our other shell accounts.”
“Where did it all go?”
“Unknown as of yet, Commander. For this to happen before I could catch it requires a very advanced computer.”
Van immediately understood what Harry was implying. “Like the Chad computer?”
“Yes, Commander.”
“Shit! It was Meier!” He paced the floor like a caged beast.
The fact that the directors of MD Anderson would be astounded and elated by the white paper made little difference to Van. They needed money to make it happen, and it wasn’t there.
Today, Peter Meier was happy and at his piano again, enjoying an obscure piece by Chopin. The music entranced him, and it only gave him more joy knowing that, with Arno Lom’s help, he had just nearly emptied the bank accounts of Stellar Projects and a few private ones as well. The $50 million taken from Stellar wasn’t of much importance to him, but he hoped it would lower the threshold of yielding on the part of Childs and Stellar Projects. Meier might even be able to swoop in and take over everything if it went to bankruptcy court. At the very least that might force Childs to reveal his technology sources. A little revenge for what had been done to his medical business, and a personal monetary win for himself. He had no family to share his good feelings, but perhaps he would visit one of his mistresses today. Maybe two.
CHAPTER 20
Still in Chula Vista, Van was upset about the loss of his funds. What’s more, the injunction on the medical scanner still had not been lifted. After giving Harry some time to investigate, he reopened their connection.
“Did we lose everything, Harry?”
“No, Commander, there are some funds left in one or two of the accounts amounting to two million. But fifty million has been extracted. I am tracking the money now to see if I can retrieve any of it, but it does not look promising. Given the timing and ease of this attack, I agree that Meier is likely behind this. I am certain that to do this he had to have advanced assistance, likely from the computer missing from the Chad site.”
; “Well, that’s good news and bad news. The bad is that Meier is escalating his attacks on us. The good news, if I can call it that, is we are confident he has access to the Chad computer. Is it possible to locate the computer based on this attack?”
“Yes, Commander, it is. In fact, I have already located it in the Avantek facility in Ostrava.”
“Good. I think I need to talk with Dick. Meanwhile, transfer half of our remaining funds to Stellar so they don’t have to lay off anyone yet.”
Dick Carson sat at his desk in new offices near Tyson’s Corner, Virginia. He had ample space covering nearly two thousand square feet on the top floor of a large glass-faced building on Westpark Drive next to Leesburg Pike. Many people recognized the area as the home of Ernst and Young. This had been a target business area of his for some time since it was close to several government facilities that specialized in various intelligence and antiterrorist operations. A private loan from Van Childs and some of the work he’d obtained by virtue of his new intelligence sources had finally made this step possible. Included in his new office spaces was his own SCIF. It was in the SCIF that he had installed the communications equipment provided by Van and Harry. Both the SCIF and the communications equipment were heavily protected and had, unknown to his neighbors, a self-destruct capability.
In addition to this facility, he had also purchased an old warehouse near Leesburg where he planned on starting a base location for field operatives. Currently, that capability was in its infant stages and being led by Brice Johnson and six of his old teammates. But building was moving fast.
Future Discovered: Host Saga Book 1 Page 12