The Helium-3 Conspiracy

by Colin Setterfield

  When he was sure that no one was on his tail, he found a phone booth and called Mitch Cunningham.

  **

  Plans for the Immediate Future

  Thursday, July 16, 2026

  5:50 p.m.

  It was already dark by the time Mitch picked Jake up outside the mall. Jake had taken money out of the ATM, eaten some dinner, and spent half-an-hour reading a newspaper in the food court. He had also taken time to think about the future and how he should proceed in maintaining a low profile. Telling Colleen was going to be the tricky part because Jake was now powerless to ensure her and Kenny's safety if Jackson discovered how deeply he had become involved.

  Finding out more about Valkyrie was high on the list. He had taken Mitch into his confidence, and they had agreed that Jake would use the basement of Mitch's house as a temporary office and hideaway. Mitch still needed to go about his own business but promised to help whenever he could. He also offered to make his van available to Jake. Its specialized tool kit and other built-in surveillance equipment would be an added advantage.

  Later that evening Jake had made a call to Colleen's cell phone from a public phone at a small deli near Mitch's home. He asked her to meet him at the parking lot at Kenny's school—he would explain everything to her.

  She was a little mystified at his request but realized that something important was happening and agreed to meet with him. It was the month of July which meant that the schools were on summer vacation until September. Kenny was spending the night with one of his school buddies so she would be free to meet with Jake.

  At 8:00 p.m. that evening, Colleen drove into the school grounds and parked. Jake had told her to wait for ten minutes so that he could ascertain whether anyone had followed her. If he saw anything out of the ordinary he would call her cell. Jake had come an hour earlier to park Mitch's van down by the swimming pool under a large oak tree. He watched and after ten minutes saw that no one appeared to have followed Colleen. The school grounds appeared void of any other signs of life.

  Jake walked to where she was parked, opened the passenger door of the BMW, and sat down next to his wife.

  Colleen immediately turned to him and asked, "So, Jake...what's this all about—why the secrecy?"

  Jake cautiously began his story. "Col, I have some bad news! Let me start from the beginning."

  Colleen's frown deepened as Jake started relating the events that had followed their first discussion in Colleen's kitchen; from the setting up of surveillance in Jackson's home, to Jackson's meeting with Mia Anderson, the surveillance of Kevin Dodd and the discovery by Jackson that Jake had become involved. He made no excuses for being discovered while doing surveillance on Kevin Dodd and Camilla Jackson.

  Colleen stared at him wide-eyed, remaining quiet for a few moments. Finally she found her voice and tore into him. "Do you remember what we spoke about in our kitchen? When I told you how dangerous Jackson could be and you said you would never make the same mistake twice?"

  Jake sat impassively and waited for her to finish venting. "I remember what I said and I did promise to take every precaution while following up on Jackson but I wasn't working on the Jackson case! It was just simply bad luck that Evelyn Dodd's husband was having an affair with the person Jackson was having tailed—his own wife!"

  Seeing his point, Colleen cooled off slightly, but her tone still had a bite in it, "I understand that you could not have known that. I just wish you had not gotten us involved at the start."

  Jake felt the dagger pierce his heart but was determined to convince her not to throw in the towel. He shifted uneasily in the BMW's leather seat and said, "I know this is very difficult for you but you must see the bigger picture here. Jackson is a criminal who must be brought to justice. He orchestrated my downfall with false evidence. He might have killed Tony Underwood and Jeremy Gibson! If we don't do something he will get away with all that and possibly even something much bigger—I told you about Valkyrie."

  Colleen warmed up slightly after listening to Jake and leaned back in her seat contemplatively.

  "We don't even know what Valkyrie is," she stressed finally.

  Jake remained silent for a while before continuing, "We can't give in now! It doesn't make any sense and there will be no escaping danger if we back off. Jackson already knows I'm involved. We have to find someone of influence to help us. I can't go to the CIA or the FBI because Jeremy's note made that clear."

  Colleen reluctantly agreed. "Okay, I get it! There just might be someone who can help us. What was that woman's name—the one you helped with the flat tire the night you took Kenny to the movies? She worked for the White House."

  For a moment Jake was stumped. He had to think back to that evening before his memory could drag it up and then it came to him.

  "Her name was Lucy Montrose. That's an excellent idea!" agreed Jake with a smile. "You see how much I need your input, Col."

  She smiled tentatively and leaned closer. "We're going to have to come up with a good plan. I'm going to send Kenny on a short vacation, to stay with his cousin, Jasper. Brian and Vera have been asking if Kenny can stay for a while during the summer break. The two boys get on so well together."

  Vera and Brian Van Buren, Colleen's sister and brother-in-law, lived in Houston, Texas, where Brian was a professor at the Clear Lake University.

  Jake breathed a sigh of relief, realizing that Colleen was not going to back away. He also had a contact that he could follow up on—Lucy Montrose. Perhaps she could recommend who he might approach. Hopefully, Valkyrie, whatever it represented, hadn't found its way into the White House.

  Colleen broke the stillness, "So, tomorrow I will make arrangements to get Kenny down to Houston. I can't take leave from my job right now-we're far too busy, so I'll just have to be extra vigilant."

  "I don't like having you exposed but I will ask Mitch to help keep an eye on you whenever possible. We also don't know what Jackson knows regarding my involvement."

  Perhaps I should ask Betty if I can stay with her for two weeks," Colleen suggested.

  Betty Worthington was Colleen's longtime friend and also worked at the Baltimore Daily Mail. She had lived alone since her divorce two years earlier.

  Jake agreed. "I think that would be an excellent idea—until Jackson shows his hand and we find out more about his business."

  Jake took her hand and kissed it tenderly. "You know that I have never stopped loving you. I just want things to be normal again...it's been far too long!"

  Colleen squeezed his hand gently and looked away, "I have to get back to the house. I forgot to lock the door."

  *

  After the meeting with Jake, Colleen immediately called her friend Betty, who was a little mystified at the request, but at the same time, happy to have the company. Within thirty minutes of arriving back home, Colleen had called Brian and Vera to arrange Kenny's visit, packed a suitcase, locked up the house, and left for Betty's apartment in the city.

  When she arrived at Betty's she called Kenny, but was told that her son had gone to the movies with his friend, so she left a message for him to call back as soon as he returned. At 10:30 p.m. Kenny called back. Colleen told him that she was arranging an airline ticket for him to visit his cousin, Jasper. When all was settled she spent an hour talking to Betty and then retired for the night.

  It was a restless night of tossing and turning, trying to accustom herself to Betty's guest room, a strange bed, and different surroundings. Her mind was too alive with fears and doubts regarding their current plight. One overriding thought she struggled to quell was "Valkyrie." She was determined to do some research the following day and shed some light on the infamous Senator's business.

  The Baltimore Daily Mail was all hustle and bustle when Colleen arrived for work. She had overslept and arrived ten minutes later than usual. That oversleeping plus the new routine created by the move to Betty's apartment on Toone Street, all contributed to her tardiness. The commute was shorter but the traffic part
icularly congested in getting to North Calvert Street, where the Daily Mail offices were located.

  During coffee break Colleen decide to forego the usual brew and do some quick research on Google. Although Jake had shared his ideas regarding Valkyrie, she wanted to read about it for herself. She had a feeling that there was more to Valkyrie than just an assassination attempt.

  Entering the word Valkyrie, Colleen began to read one of the several sites offering information on the subject. The first site had to do with the Norse mythological female figure who decided which soldiers died in battle. The following three sites were to do with the attempt to assassinate Adolf Hitler during the Second World War.

  She knew little of the historical event but soon realized there was much more to it than she remembered from her high school history classes. The assassination attempt was only a part of the plot's program. The reasoning behind the assassination attempt was the belief by some high-ranking officers that Hitler was leading Germany into a war they could not win.

  The original plot had been upgraded by Major General Henning von Tresckow to include an elaborate plan to gain control of the country. This would be done by offering a plausible reason to the German people: that the German SS had staged a coup d'état, which included the assassination of Germany's leader. That would have branded the SS as traitors to the Third Reich and placed the blame squarely on their shoulders. The plan was designed to bring the Reserve Territorial Army into control of the country in the wake of Hitler's death, quelling any uprising by those still loyal to his command. The country would be placed under martial law and thus end the war. The remaining war staff would then negotiate a peace settlement with the Allies.

  Colleen could hardly believe what she had read. It was as if scales were falling off her eyes. She began to compare Jackson's talk of Valkyrie with the Valkyrie of the Third Reich. Were Jackson and his consorts planning an assassination attempt? She knew full well that many of the oil-producing companies were not happy with the ten-year transition period set up by the Global Energy Participation Agreement signatories. She had edited many articles by the Daily Mail journalists regarding the uncertainty that the transition had caused.

  Could this be a real threat to the participating countries? Might President, Richard Baker be a target? She had not been convinced when Jake had shared his theory with her the previous evening but now things were falling into place. Maybe Jake was right. She had taken note that Valkyrie, or the attempt to put the plan into action, was July 20, 1944.

  Her thoughts were suddenly dispelled by a knocking on the glass door to her office. The news director was standing there, his eyes delivering a quizzical stare, clearly sending a message: "are you in there or somewhere else?"

  Colleen blushed, realizing that her eyes must have glazed over while she negotiated the twists and turns her mind was taking. She smiled in acknowledgment and waved to say that everything was alright. The director nodded and went on his way. She thought to herself, I really need to get Jake to think about this. It's a whole lot bigger than it first appeared! At that moment another knock rattled her door and a young intern stood there wanting to enter, obviously needing some advice on the publishing of an article.

  At lunch break Colleen called Jake on his cell and told him that they needed to meet again that evening but not at the house. They settled on what had been their favorite coffee joint during the years of courtship and planned to meet at 6:00 p.m. Jake knew that every passing day would increase the risk of their meeting together. There was no way of knowing what Jackson and Mia Anderson were doing to find him.

  If Anderson, as Deputy Director, used the powers of the Agency, there would be little he could do to avoid being discovered. He had to be watchful every minute he was away from Mitch's home. Mitch had removed everything from his office that could incriminate him, trusting that the Agency would stop their investigation once it was discovered Jake had been hired by Evelyn Dodd.

  Jake could only hope that this would be the case, however, his sudden disappearance from the scene might indicate there was something to hide. A hastily made sign on his office door read:

  ON VACATION. CLOSED FOR THIRTY DAYS.

  He didn't think it would fool anybody but he had to make up some reason for disappearing. They would break in and search both office and apartment but there was nothing that would lead them to Mitch's place. He needed a disguise and so began to grow a beard, thinking it would help in a small way to hide his identity. He was more concerned about Colleen. If they could not find him, she would be the next target and once they had her, they could flush him out.

  Mitch had promised to follow Colleen from the Daily Mail to the meeting place at the Rocky Mountain Coffee Shop on North Charles Street. It was not far from the offices of the Daily Mail and Colleen would walk since parking could be difficult to find near the coffee shop. Mitch dropped Jake around the corner from the coffee shop and then found parking for the van near the Daily Mail. He was waiting for Colleen when she exited the newspaper building and followed her at a distance. There appeared to be no one tailing her. The CIA was probably not that interested in her yet. He was sure they would be out trying to find Jake, though.

  Jake was waiting for Colleen when she finally made it to the coffee shop, having fought her way through the throngs of people all making their way to various destinations. She hardly recognized him, dressed in a leather jacket, with upturned collar, a peaked cap that was a shade too big, and a five-o-clock shadow. As Colleen sat down opposite him, she quickly suppressed a smile, remembering the seriousness of the business that was afoot. Jake knew what she must be thinking, and he said, "Can't take any chances you know."

  She sat with her hands folded in her lap and gazed at him for a moment before asking how he was doing. A waiter came and they both ordered lattes.

  Jake and Colleen had good memories of this place. It was in this very coffee shop that Jake had proposed marriage. When their lattes finally arrived Colleen leaned forward and said, "There was a lot more to Valkyrie than just an attempted assassination."

  She continued on, telling him what she had gleaned from the main article. "Valkyrie included a complete plan to stabilize the country after the assassination. It made provision for a way to change Germany's direction, to end the war, and make peace with the Allies."

  Colleen was warming to her theme. "As you said the previous evening, we have some dissention regarding the oil transition and phase-out period. There are definitely going to be companies, or people, dependent on oil for their living, who possibly may be hurt by the ten-year transition."

  Jake reminded her of the news broadcast. "If the mining of the new fuel was disrupted, it would certainly hinder the start of the transition."

  Colleen digested the reminder. "It all appears to tie in to an assassination attempt aimed at hijacking the political process, maybe force a change to the conditions of the Energy Accord."

  Jake responded with fervor, "President Baker is one of the main signatories to the Global Energy Accord. Without the support of the United States it will go nowhere!"

  Colleen looked pensively at her husband. "The date of the original Valkyrie was July 20, 1944! Today is July 17, so what do we do?"

  Jake thought for a moment, then said, "Hopefully, Lucy Montrose will be open to giving some advice as to someone we can trust, but we must act quickly. I will give her a call tomorrow."

  **

  Back at the BISS

  Friday, July 17, 2026

  0320 hours

  The Super Shuttle docked with the BISS in the early hours of the morning. Ken Masters was delighted to see his younger brother again, hosting the group, with the exception of Beth, to a meal in the entertainment center.

  Beth was allowed a bathroom break and then transferred to a makeshift brig in the BISS's sleeping quarters. Everyone was wide awake, having mostly slept away the twenty-six hours of the trip from the space platform.

  Ian Masters returned the weapons he and Darryl ha
d borrowed from the armory and after three hours of discussions with Ian's brother, Ken, they made ready for the final stage of the trip back to Earth. The descent would be less than three-and-half hours.

  Finally, the time came for their departure and Beth was transferred back into the shuttle, to be strapped into her seat again, as a precaution. The rest of the crew came aboard after saying their farewells to Ken Masters and the BISS staff.

  It was 15:30 hours when the Super Shuttle touched down at the Kennedy Space Center's landing site at Edwards Air Force base. The weary space travelers were extremely happy to be home again after their terrible ordeal. They understood that it was not yet over—there would be a debriefing, medical tests and physical conditioning before they would be able to step out into the public eye again.

  Beth was removed from the shuttle and taken to a separate area where she would also undergo the debriefing but from there it would be incarceration in a military prison. Eventually she would stand trial for the murder of the lunar miners.

  ∞∞

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Meeting with the FBI

  Friday, July 17, 2026

  2:00 p.m.

  Kevin Dodd finished up his business with the accountant and reached for his jacket hanging on the coat rack next to the office door. The dingy office above the liquor store on East Preston Street was built into the roof frames of the aging building, dormer style, and provided a small double window at one end.

  The windows and office door always remained open to dispel stale air since there was no air conditioner. Loose papers often wafted silently to the floor in the afternoon breeze, and no one seemed to worry about their importance. The company books were looking good and the year was shaping up well for all three of the businesses.

  Russ Foreman, the accountant, grinned and said, "It all looks good. The only comment I have is regarding Dodd's Real Estate. We need to eliminate some of the clients whose properties are at the ceiling of our range. There are three or four that haven't moved in six months."