The Waterhole

by Warren Chazan

  “It was … is. But she refused treatment. She was a very religious woman, and an animal rights activist. She didn’t wish to be a beneficiary of a treatment that had been derived from hideous experiments on animals. She began to question the age-old phrase, ‘Does the end justify the means?’ and she came to the realization that it didn’t. I tried everything I could to get her to accept treatment, but she was as stubborn as she was beautiful. She passed away in my arms at home six months, two weeks and three days ago.” A tear ran down his cheek.

  Janine recognized the pain and sadness in the doctor. She had felt that loss herself, and she reached for his hand and squeezed it. The doctor’s mouth was quivering strongly, and for a moment Janine thought he might burst into tears.

  “I’m so sorry, I guess knowing that something could’ve been done makes it all that much more difficult to accept.” Her sympathetic gesture was genuine as she thought of Kim, her best friend, who had succumbed to cancer twelve years ago. A few moments of silence ensued. In some unusual way the doctor evoked flashes of warm memories of her late father.

  A minute or so passed. The man grabbed a handkerchief from his coat pocket, wiped his face and blew his nose. “I’m really sorry,” he said.

  “It’s okay. I understand.”

  Then it happened. He pulled his mobile from his pocket and handed it to Janine. In a soft whisper, he said, “Be careful what you say. No doubt, Big Brother is listening. I have no proof, but I’m pretty certain all my outgoing calls from my phone are monitored, ever since a prisoner managed to grab hold of a guard’s phone and orchestrated an escape three years ago.”

  “Thanks,” replied Janine, taking the phone from him. She smiled at him and nodded gratefully.

  Without her electronic phone book, however, she had to ask the doctor if he could search the net for a number, then carefully thought about how she might phrase the words during the call. There would only be time for a brief conversation and she needed to get her point across within the first few seconds, before she undoubtedly would be disconnected. She dialed.

  “Senator Jackson. It’s Janine Fuller here.”

  There was a notable silence on the other end before she continued.

  “I don’t have much time so I’m going to say just a few words. The Cassandra affair … Sydney … Australia … Immi. You know what you need to do. I know I can rely on you,” she managed quickly, just as she heard the phone disconnect. She desperately hoped she was able to get the necessary information across in time.

  Janine handed the phone back to the doctor.

  “That was quick,” he said.

  “I don’t waste time. There’s too much procrastination in this world.”

  “What’s the Cassandra Affair?” he asked.

  “It’s a long story, but let’s just say I’m owed a big favor and I’m calling it in. Now, Doc, you better bandage my ankle, otherwise GI Joe out there will know something’s up.”

  CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE

  “So, Professor, once she’s all booted up, where to from here?” asked Steve.

  “Easy, if my theory is correct, then the laptop should be able to intercept the internet signal traversing the giant receiver, just as if it were connected to an ISP, only one from thirteen billion years ago.”

  “It just seems unbelievable. I mean there weren’t even any planets that far back. Perhaps we’re the victims of one horrible practical joke.”

  “Oh it’s no joke,” said the professor, removing his jacket and placing it around the back of the chair. He was forced to move his chair slightly back in order to make room for his protuberant belly. “I’m the first to smell a rat, if that were the case. I’ve dealt with everything from political scandals through to conspiracies that you’d never believe existed. This, lad, is the real thing, but I can’t quite discern what it will mean for us just yet.”

  “Mean for us?” asked Steve, pouting his lips.

  “Yes, well, everyone always gets excited by the concept of contact with another intelligent species. Comments such as ‘we could learn so much’ and ‘they could give us technology and medicine, etcetera,’ but very few look at the flipside.”

  “Such as?”

  “Such as providing these beings with our exact location in the cosmos. The universe is so enormous, and perhaps that’s not such an awful thing. There’s a lot to be said for anonymity. What if they’re a warlike race, or a species with a dying planet or sun looking for a new home?”

  “Mmm, never quite thought about it that way,” said Steve.

  “Anyhow, the genie is now well out of the box, so let’s see what we can unearth.”

  The professor booted up the old laptop, and the wireless LED light began to blink and he knew that the Wi-Fi connection was being activated by something. After a minute or two, seven strange-looking characters appeared on the screen.

  “Looks like we’re online,” said the professor.

  “But it’s so clear. How could it possibly be so clear?”

  “Numerous reasons, the simplest being we have, in effect, the biggest electromagnetic amplifier ever built, not to mention that this laptop is only a few dozen meters away from the ‘ISP,’ so to speak.”

  Steve frowned, then sat down next to the professor. “Any idea what those characters mean?”

  “If they’re anything like us, they’d want you to log on. Perhaps it’s asking us for a password?” The professor scratched his chin and gazed up at the ceiling.

  He appeared to be contemplating something.

  “Looks kind of Japanese to me,” said Steve.

  “Japanese it’s not, but perhaps your comment isn’t as stupid as you might suppose. You’ve got me thinking.” The professor was starting to get twitchy again. It was becoming obvious to Steve that this man needed his daily fix. The professor sat up and rubbed the accumulating beads of sweat away from his forehead with his handkerchief.

  “So how do we get started?” asked Steve.

  “How about you decant us a couple of decent whiskies and I’ll show you.”

  Steve grinned. He had grown to like the professor, who he thought was excellent entertainment value. So what if he liked the bottle, everyone had their vice. He rose from his chair and grabbed the professor’s duty-free bag and pulled out a bottle of Johnny Walker Blue, found a couple of glasses and started to pour.

  “Best make mine a double.” The professor winked. “This is going to be a long night.”

  * * * *

  “Miss, I don’t know how you did it or who you know, but for some unfathomable reason and against my better judgment, you’re free to go,” said the large federal policeman, who had earlier dragged her forcibly along by the arm to the medical center. He handed her bag and personal belongings back to her and then made her sign about a million documents.

  “Is this really necessary?” she asked, shutting her eyes.

  “Do you want to leave here?”

  “Of course I do.” She felt like adding, “you idiot,” but thought she best not push her luck.

  “Then sign!”

  Janine flashed the most insincere smile she could muster, pulled on her beret and extracted her mobile phone from within her bag. She quickly made a long, overdue call.

  “Kevin Clinger, is that you? This is Janine Fuller from the States.”

  “Yes, Janine. We were wondering what had happened to you! We were expecting your call hours ago.” He sounded puzzled and somewhat hesitant.

  “Yes, I know. Apologies for that. I had a small problem that I’ve just managed to sort out, but now I need to get to Canberra ASAP. Where’s the crew at the moment?”

  “Because we weren’t sure what had happened to you, we took it upon ourselves to make our own way to Canberra, as we figured you’d probably meet us there.”

  “I’m still at Sydney Airport. I guess I could catch a connecting flight to Canberra.”

  Kevin laughed. “You’d be lucky. In case you haven’t noticed, there’s a pilot strike goin
g on at the moment, something about Qantas trying to replace pilots with computers. What’s more, the few flights that are operating are packed to capacity, as everyone and their dog is trying to get there to see what’s going on, ever since you made that announcement yesterday.”

  “Surely you have contacts here that can get me on a flight?” asked Janine.

  “To be honest, you’d be better off going by car. It’s only a two-hour drive with the new freeway that’s just been built, and if you left now, you could still be here by midnight.”

  “Okay, sounds like a good enough plan. I just hope there are cars available for hire.”

  “Shouldn’t be a problem. Most people coming up to Canberra are Aussies, and pretty much all have their own vehicles.”

  She glanced at her watch. “Okay, see you about midnight, and be set up and ready for an interview.”

  “We’re still trying to get hold of one of the scientists in there, but at this stage they’re all being elusive.”

  “Keep working on it. I want the chief scientist outside the compound and ready for an interview as soon as I arrive.”

  “Will do our best, Janine, but it’s going to—”

  “No buts, Kevin. I need that interview!”

  There was a pause before he said, “Yes of course, and by the way, I just want to say that it’ll be an honor to finally work with you. I’m a big fan.”

  “Thanks, but let’s save the pleasantries until after the meeting. I’ll take you out for dinner and answer any questions you might have if you get me that interview. I have to get going, see you around midnight.” Her voice at last showed a trace of the ordeal she had just been through. Her nerves were shot.

  Irritated by the loss of crucial time, she slammed her phone shut, grabbed her regalia and stormed out of the office that had been her prison for the past eight hours.

  After locating the car-rental dealerships, she found the one with the shortest line and then pushed her way in front of a young couple in their early twenties. They looked like honeymooners, staring into each other’s eyes as if the world around them didn’t exist. She remembered a time when she’d once felt like that, but that was now a universe away. The man especially, was unimpressed.

  “Excuse me, Miss, you need to wait your turn,” he said, hands going to his hips, eyes narrowing.

  “Sorry, but this is an emergency. I have to get to Canberra immediately.”

  “Oh really, and we don’t,” he replied, shaking his head. “Unbelievable that—”

  “Well I’m guessing you don’t have a dying mother in hospital now, do you?” she said. It was a cheap and nasty trick, but a completely necessary one, and in the grand scheme of things was just a small white lie. Okay maybe not so “white,” but necessary nevertheless.

  The man’s face colored a rich scarlet, and he immediately backed off. “Sorry, I had no idea.”

  “That’s okay, forgiven. Please just let me through.”

  “Of course,” he said, moving to the side and allowing her to pass.

  “Say, don’t I know you from somewhere? You look kind of familiar,” he said.

  She looked him over and for a second felt her heart skip, wondering if she truly did know him, but the ginger hair and beard stirred no memories. “No, I just have one of those familiar-looking faces.”

  “No, I could’ve sworn I’ve seen you before.”

  Janine quickly donned her sunglasses, hoping that he wouldn’t recognize her. She approached the desk. An elderly woman with thin gray hair and a large mole on her left cheek greeted her.

  “I need a car urgently.”

  “For how long, Miss?” The woman asked.

  “Let’s say a week at this stage, although I may need to review that if I decide to stay on longer.”

  The woman turned her attention to the computer. “Hmm, we’re a bit tight this week as there’s a huge Star Trek convention going on in the Blue Mountains, but I’ll see what I can do.”

  Janine looked at her watch. Her heart was racing. She needed to get to Canberra.

  “Please make it quick, I’m in kind of a hurry.”

  The woman was not au fait with the latest technology and fumbled a bit before reaching for a key card for the vehicle she was to offer Janine.

  “I’m afraid this is all we have. It’s last year’s Nissan Pulsar, only a three-seater, but it’s reliable and has all the latest technology. It’s that car over there.” She pointed to a red sedan on the far side of the parking lot.

  “As long as it has an automated chauffeur.” She had heard rumors that Australia still had cars that were human driven. She had not driven a car in over fifteen years, and didn’t feel like testing her skills in a foreign country driving on the opposite side of the road.

  “But of course, all our cars have that as a standard feature.”

  “Excellent. I’ll take it.”

  The woman took her time capturing Janine’s details on her computer. It should have taken mere seconds, but a couple of minutes passed and Janine’s patience was rapidly diminishing. “Sorry, but I really need to get a move on. I have a mother dying in hospital as we speak.”

  “Okay, dear, so sorry to hear that. Here you go, key card, insurance card, USB stick with all your documentation, and—”

  Janine snatched the items from the woman’s hand and raced over to the car which had already been instructed to meet her at the park and ride sign.

  “Oh one thing I should tell you, Miss Fuller,” yelled the old woman. “The battery hasn’t been fully charged yet. It’s just been returned.”

  “Oh that’s no problem.” She knew she would just need to drive past a few miles of wireless pylons and the battery would charge fairly quickly. She turned around and continued on her mad dash to the car.

  * * * *

  The man Janine had been arguing with approached the desk.

  “Where did she say she was going to?” asked the woman with the mole.

  “I think she said Canberra.”

  “Oh dear, I hope she makes it there. She probably doesn’t realize that the wireless pylons aren’t completed yet on that new stretch of freeway and that model is only programmed to recharge once the battery capacity is down to reserve. By that stage she may already be halfway to Canberra. Poor dear, I hope she gets to see her mother before she passes on.”

  The man’s facial expression changed from one of concern to one of anger.

  “What is it, dear? You seem angry about something.”

  “No. It’s just that I’ve remembered where I know her from, and don’t you worry. I’m sure she’ll be just fine,” he said, winking at his new wife.

  “Now where were we?” asked the woman.

  CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX

  “You did what?” yelled Denny into the vidphone.

  “We had to, the order came from high up in your government.”

  “Who gave the order?”

  There was a pause while the Australian federal policeman scanned his desktop computer.

  “A Senator Jackson I believe it was.”

  “You goddamn idiots, how did he even know she was there? You’re not supposed to give your detainees access to phones. Who did she manage to bribe or blackmail this time?”

  “It seems she managed to talk one of our doctors into allowing her to use his phone. He’s being reprimanded as we speak.”

  “Too late, you idiots, the horse has bolted, and she’s a wild one. You’ve no idea of the animal you have set loose. She will wreak havoc over there. I want her arrested immediately, do you understand?”

  “I’m afraid we can’t do that, General. The order has to come through immi and it’s just been lifted by someone above your head. We’ll be happy, however, to keep a close eye on her for you and see what she gets up to, and if she breaks any laws, we can arrest her under Australian State Law.”

  “Whatever!” Denny hurled the vidphone across his office, smashing it in the process.

  “Can no one do their fucking
job properly anymore?” he asked. “Martha, get me Kennedy in here now!” he shouted through the open office door.

  “Yes, sir,” she replied.

  Denny slammed the door shut, and paced around his large office. A few minutes later there was a knock at the door.

  “Enter.”

  The major walked in and closed the door cautiously. He stood to attention and saluted.

  “Report, Major,” Denny barked, bits of his saliva catching the major in the face, even though he was standing a reasonable distance away from him.

  “Still working on it, sir, not much to report yet,” he said.

  “Major, I’m getting tired of hearing that. Your security breach has moved into new territory. It appears that Nancy Drew has now managed to squirm her way past security in Sydney and is about to create chaos over there.”

  The general slowly approached the major until he was no more than a hand’s breadth away and stared directly into Kennedy’s eyes. Denny couldn’t help but enjoy this display of power and intimidation. He circled him like a lion after a kill, deciding on which piece of flesh he should tear at first.

  “So, Major, I’m beginning to think that perhaps you might have had something to do with this breach.”

  The major swallowed hard. “Sir, we’re very close. I swear,” he said.

  “Relax, Major, just kidding. I’ve given up on that, the damage is done,” Denny relented, patting him gently on his shoulder. “However, I have other plans for you.”

  “What’s that, sir?” asked the major.

  The office door opened and in shuffled a woman in her late sixties, carrying a tray with a tea pot and two tea cups

  “Thank you, Martha.”

  Martha nodded and then quickly left.

  Denny poured a cup of the boiling tea. “Cream, sugar?”

  “Just one sugar,” responded the major. “Thank you.”

  Denny handed him the cup. The major held it with both hands to stop it from trembling.

  “So where was I? Oh yes. You are to take a small team of men and follow Miss Nancy Drew to wherever she ends up on her little expedition, most likely Canberra.”