The Waterhole

by Warren Chazan

  “Absolutely, they may even become stronger and larger if gravity continues to increase in magnitude,” said Steve.

  “But that means that the same thing could happen this side of the planet at high tide!” Drew said, his deep-set eyes widening.

  “Correct,” said Steve. “We’d better find out when the next high tide is due in on the eastern Australian seaboard. It’s likely that all the major cities could be threatened, given their geography.”

  Drew spoke to his PC. “Maddy, next high tide in Sydney, Australia please.”

  “Two-o-seven pm Eastern Standard Time.”

  They all checked their watches.

  “That gives us just over four hours to evacuate the entire eastern seaboard to six miles inland. That’s a massively big ask,” said Steve, shaking his head. “I don’t think it’s doable.”

  “I’ll get the warning out immediately,” said Drew. “I’m a local so I might be in a better position to convince the Australian authorities. I used to volunteer with the State Emergency Service, so I know some people who will sit up and take this seriously.”

  “Thanks, Drew,” said Steve.

  Drew darted out of the room and into the adjacent control area. He frantically began the arduous task of contacting highly ranked individuals in both federal and state governments.

  Silence and a sense of futility and despair engulfed the room. The cool air sent a shiver through Sheri’s slight body. “So, guys, I have to ask your thoughts about that megalomaniac. The man is completely insane. I can’t understand how Congress has just handed power over to him like that. Shooting at the public? Has he completely lost his mind?”

  The professor, who hadn’t uttered a single word since viewing the CNNA broadcast, broke his silence. “He’s always been crazy, only now he has the opportunity to take control as well, something I’ve always dreaded, ever since I met him in Iraq all those years ago.”

  “Never thought I’d see the day that Congress would hand power over to a dictator. It’s unprecedented. Surely they must know the man is a power-mad lunatic,” Steve said.

  “Not unless he’s already managed to win them over,” the professor said. “He could’ve been bribing members of Congress for years. The man’s an utter disgrace.”

  “The question I have is why?” asked Sheri. “Why is he doing this?”

  “Why?” said Steve. “Didn’t you just hear what the professor said? Power, greed, control. Isn’t that enough for you?”

  “No, she’s right,” said the professor. “Ever since he deserted my son in that Taliban camp ten years ago, he’s changed. Sure, he was always a control freak and a narcissistic pig, but something definitely changed after that.” He stood up and placed his hands in his baggy trouser pockets. “Shortly after his return, I met up with him, before I learned it was he who had made the decision to leave my son behind. He seemed vacant, even distant, and I just assumed being captured for three months in a Taliban camp would do that to you, but now that I think about it, there was something in his eyes that said there was more to it. It was more about what he didn’t say than what he said.”

  “What actually happened there, Prof?” asked Steve.

  “It’s complicated. You may recall that back in those days, the US had a rather liberal government in power, and the civil war in Afghanistan wasn’t going quite the way they had planned. There was a lot of pressure on the government by the military to step up attacks, despite the possibility of civilian fallout, but this was rejected by the Reese administration and instead they chose to infiltrate the camps covertly using sabotage rather than brutal force to gain control. The general, who in those days was a major, was chosen to lead a crack team into one of the Taliban camps, but unfortunately someone tipped them off and his unit was captured and held prisoner for three months. A lot of negotiation ensued with the then Reese administration, but to no avail.”

  “Sounds awful,” said Sheri.

  “Eventually my son, who was an ammunitions expert, was secretly dropped in one night. He set off a string of well-placed explosions to create a big enough diversion that allowed a chopper to rescue the unit. Rumor has it that the general was so desperate to escape the camp that he was prepared to leave his team behind, urging the chopper pilot to take off before half of them were on board. The coward ended up leaving my son there. I never heard from him again.”

  Sheri saw tears welling up in the professor’s eyes. She walked over to him. “So sorry, Prof,” she said, giving the portly man an impromptu hug.

  “You know, Sheri, I wouldn’t feel so sad if his death had actually meant something, but nothing has really changed in the Middle East. Nothing. It’s still full of radical Islamic extremists. In fact, right now things seem to be worse there than ever. Look at Europe, whole countries like Belgium and France now under Sharia law.”

  “Perhaps, Professor, but your son did save those people in the camp,” said Sheri, trying to find some comforting words.

  Steve shifted the subject back to the general. “Putting the pieces together, something really bad must’ve happened to Denny while inside.”

  “From what I can recall,” said the professor, “the general and that team arrived home amid a huge public backlash against the war, so the government caved in and a truce was declared. Our troops were withdrawn shortly after that.”

  “You mean a deal was done, and they agreed to release the other twenty-five marines they had captive in various other parts of the country?” asked Steve.

  The professor said, “Sounds like it, although there wasn’t much detail in the press. I don’t remember any interviews with the released soldiers. I can’t prove this, but my gut feeling is that part of the truce may have involved a gag order from high up not to reveal anything about what had happened in that camp.”

  “Makes more sense now, knowing what Denny might have gone through. That must’ve pissed him off big time!” said Steve.

  “Enough to go to these extremes?” asked Sheri.

  “It depends,” Steve said. “People react differently to stressful or horrific situations. Some try to forget them, some seek counseling and get over them, and some get even.”

  “Add in a psychopathic personality disorder,” said Sheri, “mix that in with opportunity and some bribery and corruption, and you have the perfect recipe for Adolf Hitler.”

  “But surely all of Congress can’t be prone to corruption,” Steve reasoned. “We’re supposedly a civilized, Western democracy.”

  “So was Germany,” said the professor.

  “But what about the President and Vice President? They’re honest, trustworthy people,” added Steve.

  “Hmmm, strange coincidence that the President is in a coma at such a vital time,” Sheri said.

  “At least the Vice President isn’t. What’s the bloke’s name again? Dempley?” asked Drew, who had by now returned to the room.

  Sheri laughed. “No, it’s Dempsey. Dallas Dempsey. He was a child actor many years ago but lost his way for a while, then he came back into politics in the thirties in a big way.”

  “Well he’d better get back to Congress and soon, in order to sort out this moron of a general,” Steve said.

  All four of them froze. They were all thinking the exact same thing.

  Sheri frowned and spoke cautiously. “Surely not …”

  “I hope not,” said Steve.

  “We have to warn him!” said the professor.

  CHAPTER FIFTY-NINE

  “How?” Sheri asked. “Who do we call? Who do we trust? How do we know the Vice President’s not involved? And we can’t just ask to be put through to his cell phone now, can we?”

  “He’s the only one standing in the general’s way to absolute power,” the professor argued. “He has to be clean, and no, you can’t just pick up the phone to him.” He paused. “But I can.”

  “What aren’t you telling us, Professor?” asked Steve.

  “It’s a long story, my lad, better I just make the call
,” he said calmly.

  Sheri looked over at Drew who was back in the room. “Sorry, we got caught up with all this stuff with the Vice President. I forgot to ask you if you managed to get anyone to take you seriously.”

  “Yeah. Took me ages to be put through to the head of the State Emergency Service and I had to call in a few favors, but they agreed to at least evacuate the immediate beaches and coastline. I doubt it’ll make a huge difference with only a few hours left, but we can hope it might not be as devastating as the American wave.”

  The professor walked over to Drew and tapped him on the shoulder. “Get me a secure line, Dundee, and while you’re at it, a Johnny Walker, too. Better make it a double. I’m going to need a stiff drink for this call.”

  “You got it, mate!”

  * * * *

  On the vidcast, Janine and Jack watched and listened to the general speak to a man they could not see but could clearly hear. The conversation between the two lasted about five minutes, before the general hung up. Janine looked at Jack, who stared with horror back into her eyes.

  “I don’t believe it,” he said. The two of them collapsed onto Jack’s sofa couch, both stunned by the terrifying revelation.

  Janine felt like she was about to burst into tears, and she instinctively sought comfort against Jack’s chest. He sensed it, and wrapped his powerful arms around her.

  “Christ Almighty, surely this can’t be happening,” said Jack, running his fingers through her hair. “What are we going to do?” he asked.

  “I don’t know, I just don’t know that there is anything we can do.”

  “Well we can’t just sit here and let it happen.”

  “I can’t see what we can do to stop it.”

  Jack thought for a moment. “What we’ve just witnessed is obviously not common knowledge. Perhaps if the scientists knew about it, they could do something?”

  “Perhaps, but you heard what he said, it’s pretty much a futile exercise.”

  Janine sat up shakily, looked into Jack’s eyes and said, “I’m not ready to die yet, Jack.”

  “Hey, enough of that. Where’s the Janine Fuller I know, the one that won’t stop at anything until the truth is set free?”

  “She’s defeated,” she said, tears flowing down her cheeks.

  “Come on, pull yourself together. What if you were to go live with that footage, blow the whole thing out into the open?”

  “Yeah right, like you think they’ll let me. Look what happened last time. They’ll pull the plug on me the moment I open my mouth. If this gets out, the general is history, and so am I.”

  “And if it doesn’t because of your fear, the entire world doesn’t stand a chance.” Jack stood up and clasped his hands together. “Now let’s just think logically about how we can tackle this delicate situation.”

  Janine thought for a while. Yes, the situation was indeed dismal, but what if there was just a minuscule chance the general didn’t have his facts right? For the sake of everyone she loved and cared about, she knew she had to at least try to do something.

  She frantically went to work scanning the web on her phone. “What’s that scientist’s name again?” she asked.

  “Which scientist?”

  “The one who’s in charge of EMB. You know, the pretty one with the kid. I interviewed her at the launch and had a good feeling about her.”

  “Are you sure you can trust her?” he said. “They could all be involved.”

  “I’m never wrong with my gut feel, Jack.” As soon as she said it, she realized that wasn’t completely true. She had trusted Adam, and where had that left her in the end. “My gut is telling me we can trust her to do the right thing. She’ll have a better idea of what’s going on and how to stop it.”

  Janine searched for EMB scientists, and her phone spat out the name she was after.

  “There she is. Sheri Johnson.” A picture of her appeared on Janine’s phone. She looked very business-like, dressed in a cream suit, her hair neatly tied up in a tight ponytail.

  “Quite a babe, but nothing on you,” said Jack.

  Janine shook her head. It was not a good time for light-hearted humor. “Now we just have to find out where she is. Is she still in the US, or has she also journeyed down to Canberra?”

  “Easy, petal,” said Jack. “I know how to find out. I still have a contact in immigration.”

  Jack made a quick call to a former colleague. “Ted, yes mate, it’s Jack here. How’re you doing?”

  A few pleasantries were exchanged before Jack sweet-talked his way to the information he needed and then hung up.

  “So did you get it?” asked Janine, her throat dry, her heart pounding away.

  “Sure did. Apparently a Miss Sheri Johnson passed through Sydney Immigration exactly seven hours and forty-five minutes ago, which means she must be at Stromlo.”

  Janine felt her heart slow. “Excellent, I was hoping she’d be here. It would’ve been impossible to get to her back in the States. I’m certain as hell all my phone calls are being monitored.” She quickly stood up and marched into the bedroom and began packing her bag.

  “Where the hell do you think you’re going in such a hurry?” asked Jack, following her and sitting down on the bed.

  “Where do you think?” she answered, grabbing her jeans and shoving them into her bag.

  “Oh no you don’t. You can’t just waltz up to Stromlo and march inside. You won’t make it as far as the main gate. The place is swarming with security, even more so now with all this shit that’s going on.”

  “What do you suppose I do, Jack?” She placed her hands on her hips and narrowed her eyes. “Stay here and drink coffee?”

  “Of course not, but we need to come up with a plan first.” She returned to her packing, but he reached for her arm and she was forced to stop. “I’ll help you get in, you’re not going alone.”

  “I’m a big girl, Jack. I just need a lift to Stromlo.”

  “Well you ain’t getting one unless I’m there with you. Your story is of no use to anyone if you end up dead.”

  Janine’s phone rang. It was a private number. She looked up at Jack, surprised by the call.

  “Answer it,” he barked.

  She cautiously held the phone up to her ear. “Hello?”

  “Ms. Fuller?”

  “Yes, who’s this?”

  “Let’s just say you’d better sit down to hear this.”

  CHAPTER SIXTY

  “You could say that I’m a good friend of General Smith’s.” The voice was masculine and deep. She didn’t recognize it.

  “Well you can tell the general that his days are numbered.”

  “I quite doubt that, but I’d be very careful with that vicious little tongue of yours if I were you. It might get you into more trouble than you know.” The voice was a tad husky but full of intimidation.

  “Is that a threat?”

  “Call it what you want, I’m hoping it’s just a friendly warning. Do yourself a favor, Ms. Fuller and go home. Forget about all this. In fact, the general has generously instructed me to deposit two million dollars into your account, should you take up his offer.”

  “Tell the general to shove his money where the sun doesn’t shine. I don’t take kindly to threats and blackmail. Exposing the truth is much more important than my own life right now.”

  “Please yourself, but consider this. Is the truth more important than your sister’s life?”

  Janine didn’t answer. She hadn’t considered the possibility that she might be putting anyone else’s life in danger. “If you harm just one hair on her head, I swear I’ll …”

  “What, kill me? Go ahead. First you have to find out who I am, and you’re dreaming if you think you’re going to get anywhere close to the general to hurt him, but be my guest. Why don’t you just drop it, Ms. Fuller? Is it really worth Kathleen, and what are the names of those two adorable boys of hers again, Lyle and Jack … no, Jake’s lives? Anyhow, I must go. Give it some thou
ght, and remember, we’ll be watching every step you make. Have a lovely day.”

  With a click, the anonymous caller was gone.

  A wave of nausea rose from the pit of her stomach. She raced to the bathroom, making it just in time. Jack was behind her, holding up her hair as she heaved and emptied the bitter contents of her stomach into the toilet.

  After she’d finished, she slumped onto the bathroom floor. Jack handed her a cup of water.

  “Drink this. You’ll feel better,” he said.

  She took a sip. “Oh, Jack, they’ve threatened my sister, Kath, and the kids. What am I going to do?” She was trembling. Jack took her in his arms and held her firmly.

  “Do what your heart tells you to do. That’s all I can say,” he said, gently stroking her hair.

  “How can I possibly just sit back and do nothing, waiting for the inevitable to happen, when there’s a chance I can help, even if it’s a tiny one?” she said softly, her eyes tearing up.

  “I just can’t understand why the general even cares anymore. You heard that guy, the Earth is probably doomed anyhow.”

  A lump formed in her throat. “Because, Jack, we aren’t dealing with a normal human being. The man is clearly deranged. You heard him, he still doesn’t believe what’s actually happening.”

  She once again found herself staring into his intense blue eyes, and she hated herself for what she knew was happening to her. On one hand, she had never felt so alive and so wanted. It was as if she had been living underground and had suddenly been exposed to sunlight for the first time in years. But she knew that the warmth and brightness would fade. It always did, and eventually dark clouds would arrive, just as they had in the past, bringing with them the spectre of failure and heartache, something which had almost destroyed her once before. She didn’t need a man; she didn’t need someone to look after her. She could do that herself. After all, she was Janine Fuller, unanswerable to anyone and fiercely independent, and of course … lonely.

  “Jack, would you mind giving me a few minutes, there’s something I need to do.”