“You’re kidding?” Jack felt envious of anyone who got to see this happen.
“No, it’s true,” said Peter. “Mr. Donohue had guards stationed on the property, perhaps related to the gunman you and Jeremy encountered. They followed the truck as it turned onto Lelan’s Road, and before they made it back to their post, they saw the tool shed or whatever this structure really is sitting in its original spot. It’s still there today. Mr. Donohue decided to leave it where it is, covering it with a facade in the ‘Honey Bear’ children’s section of his amusement park.”
“That’s fucking amazing,” Jack whispered, shaking his head as he pictured this. “Actually, it’s damned near unbelievable!”
“Yeah, it is,” agreed Peter. “I thought you’d get a kick out of that.” He suddenly grew silent and frowned slightly, and eyed Jack seriously before speaking again. “Since the moment I found out you were here, I’ve debated whether or not to tell you what I have on my mind. It could potentially piss off some of my colleagues, I suppose. But it’s something you really should be aware of. Who knows? Perhaps the bureau will see it from my perspective, that letting you in on some events headed our way may actually help us figure out how to effectively deal with them.”
“What are you talking about?” asked Jack.
“Do you remember hearing about the luxury cruise ship, The Escapade, that went down near the West African coastline early last week?”
“Yeah, I do,” replied Jack, wondering what this had to do with their present discussion. “Only thirty-one people survived. I believe that was what the news report said.”
“Thirty-two, actually,” Peter confirmed, clearing his throat before continuing. “The official report stated that part of the ship’s structure came apart, and as a result, the vessel sunk within a minute. Six of the survivors, the only ones on deck at the time, reported to the Moroccan authorities who handled the original investigation that a massive structure which gleamed in the moonlight rammed through the middle of The Escapade, effectively cutting it into two pieces. As these terrified passengers frantically scurried for their lives, they watched this tower of gold clear the ship’s debris. It soon faded and vanished within seconds, perhaps disappearing down into the depths of the Atlantic Ocean, the sinking halves of the ship being the only other proof for its existence.”
“I take it this tower was like the one I told you about tonight,” observed Jack, fearing the obvious answer.
“Yes, but there’s much more,” the agent advised, smiling grimly. “Throughout the world there have been other sightings like this. The majority of these instances have taken place in rather remote areas with either poor news reporting facilities or minimal casualties, except for the cruise ship. All in all, at this time we feel we have accurately identified eight of these magnificent towers on the move around the globe.”
“There are eight of them??”
“Yes.” Peter sighed and picked up his other journal, paging to a section where several pages were paper-clipped together. He removed the clip and separated the pages, holding them loosely in his hand. “Perhaps the best way to explain all of this is to tell you a little about each individual tower. I just told you about the one that sliced through The Escapade, which was last sighted to the west of the Canary Islands off the coast of Morocco. We have reason to believe this one originated in Egypt near the Sphinx in the Sahara Desert. The other sightings of it have been described as a ‘towering golden windstorm in the sand’ as it crossed the African continent through Libya and Algeria before crossing Morocco on its way to the Atlantic Ocean.
“The next one’s also from Africa, although much further south. It apparently originated near the Congo River in Zaire, traveling to the west coast of the continent before adjusting its course toward the north. It reached the Atlantic Ocean along Africa’s western coastline, but re-entered the mainland as it cut a destructive path through the Ivory Coast and Guinea as a ‘shimmering golden hurricane’. It moved northwest from that point before disappearing into the Gulf of Guinea.
“We’ve confirmed there are two more of these things moving toward the west from the Middle East as well, although at first we thought there was only one from this region. The first originated in western Jordan near Jerusalem, crossing quickly through Israel and on into the Mediterranean Sea. We believe the second one originated in Iraq near the city of Karbala, which is southwest of Baghdad. It traveled through Syria as it also headed to the Mediterranean Sea. We have unconfirmed reports that this one’s travel path was witnessed by thousands of Iraqis, but the new Iraqi government quickly moved in to eliminate any evidence confirming its existence. With the tense religious climate throughout that area these days, I’m sure they feared something this amazing would cause a major uproar, both politically and culturally. In addition to this information, we’ve just confirmed another report that says this particular tower demolished a Turkish destroyer, killing nearly six hundred sailors before it disappeared into the Mediterranean.
“Both of these structures re-emerged side by side as they passed through the shallower waters of the Straits of Gibraltar on their way to the Atlantic Ocean. These things move quickly, then disappear completely once reaching the ocean. Because of this, proof is hard to come by.” Peter stopped for a moment, looking warily toward the wall to his left. When he turned back to Jack, he leaned in even closer. “I need to speed this up, I’m afraid,” he said. “We’ve identified four other towers as well. One is traveling north from Peru and had already moved through Columbia about a week ago before it submerged itself within the depths of the Atlantic. Despite briefly losing track of it, we received recent confirmation from our intelligence sources that its present location is now somewhere near the western coastline of Cuba, and it should reach the Gulf of Mexico in the next day or so.
“Two other towers are presently in the Pacific Ocean. The first originated from either India or Burma. Our intelligence reports haven’t been able to pinpoint the exact starting point for this one yet. Last week it was witnessed on several occasions from the water as it moved through the South China Sea on its way past the Philippine Islands.
“As far as the other structure is concerned, the seventh obelisk, we feel certain it’s presently moving through the Pacific Ocean toward Mexico after it first originated in China, with the most educated guess being central Mongolia. We almost missed out entirely on any information concerning this tower as the Chinese government managed to keep news of its existence a complete secret until it passed Peking on its way into Korea. Once it hit the water, it was spotted by a number of Shanghai fishermen in the East China Sea just south of Japan. Apparently, some of them followed it from a safe distance until it disappeared into the Pacific. Interestingly, this one’s path is slightly off course from the others. Unless it’s rendezvous point is intended to be with the others moving across the Atlantic”
Peter paused and helped himself to a hearty drink from his cup of coffee that had cooled substantially since he first poured it a short while ago. Again, he glanced warily at the wall and seemed reluctant to reveal anything further to Jack.
“That makes seven. Where’s the eighth one coming from?” Jack finally asked. When Peter didn’t immediately address his question, he pushed further. “The last one’s in Mississippi, isn’t it?”
“Yes,” said Peter, obviously pleased he didn’t have to spell it out for him.
“So, is it safe to assume all of them are headed, at some point, for the States, and that they’re likely going to meet up in Mississippi?”
“Not bad, Jack. Not bad, at all!” Peter congratulated him, smiling again, though still apprehensive. “You’re close. But there’s one other thing involved here. The tower in Mississippi, which is surely the same one we’ve discussed this evening, is also on the move.”
“Really? Where’s it headed?”
“Oh, I suppose it’s picked an old familiar place to meet up with the others.” Peter smiled wryly, as if Jack should be able to e
asily figure this out on his own. Once Jack realized this expectation, the answer became glaringly obvious.
“Alabama?” Jack blurted out suddenly. “They’re all headed there?”
“Yes,” Peter replied evenly. “That’s the apparent destination, as far as our best analysts can tell.”
Jack didn’t know how to respond to this news, shaking his head in disbelief as the agent continued.
“Obviously, we’ve got one hell of a problem on our hands,” said Peter. “We’re pretty goddamned nervous about the whole affair, and wondering who or what in the hell is directing these giant monoliths toward us. It’s tough to comprehend a phenomenon like this when there’s been nothing like it in modern times.
“To make matters worse, governments throughout the world—including the Middle Eastern powers we’re frequently at odds with and our tenuous allies—have been monitoring the path of the towers outside of the United States. Islamic extremists are already celebrating what they believe is Allah’s wrath and final judgment upon the United States, since they feel these structures have been sent by God to punish us for our imperialistic meddling in their business.”
Peter stood up and walked around the table to where Jack sat. He looked down at Jack, who in turn silently studied the agent. The smile on Peter’s face suddenly faded. Some unaddressed issue simmered just below the surface of his carefree facade, which now barely camouflaged the debate he had waged within himself since even before their interview began several hours ago.
“I’m going to cut to the chase and tell you why you and your brother were brought here in the first place,” Peter sighed softly. “ While it definitely has everything to do with Dr. Oscar Mensch, it has nothing to do with his death. We know you didn’t kill him, and we know Jeremy wasn’t involved with the professor’s death either.” He moved away from the table and leaned up against the wall, staring down at the floor while he gathered his thoughts.
“Roughly within the same time frame that these sightings began, we have proof Dr. Mensch received a package from one of his longtime acquaintances in Pakistan,” he said. “I know you and your brother were very close to this man, but I can tell you he’s got some stuff in his past that would shock you. I’ve already given you far more information than my superiors would’ve liked, so I’m going to honor their wishes and not detail any of the shit he has dabbled in over the years. Suffice it to say, he was on the lam internationally when he re-emerged as a professor at the University of Alabama—please, don’t ask me to explain any of this right now, Jack—.”
“I’m not, Peter,” Jack interrupted him. “I just want to know what was sent to him. I mean, was it some deadly virus or chemicals, or the ingredients to a bomb?”
Peter returned to his chair as he studied Jack, a deeply perplexed look upon his face. “You have no idea, do you?” he finally asked him. “Surely you know it wouldn’t have to be a weapon to get him in trouble with the law, being that anything coming into our country from Pakistan is considered suspicious in nature. We don’t believe it was a weapon, at least not in the conventional sense. But, a strong case can be made for a weapon if it turns out these towers are on a hostile mission to our country. After all, they did all suddenly appear and start moving toward us within days of Dr. Mensch receiving the mysterious package. If we only knew where to look for it, or better yet what to look for, we might finally get a handle on this.”
“I wish I could help you,” offered Jack, extremely puzzled by this information. “I honestly didn’t see any package when I found him bleeding in his living room, and he never mentioned anything like it to me in the hospital either. Do you know when he would’ve received it?”
“We’re fairly certain he got it two to three days prior to the beating he received in his home,” said Peter.
Jack didn’t have a single clue as to where the mysterious item or items could be. He was having a hard enough time picturing Dr. Mensch as a villain who may have intentionally set a terrible chain of events in motion. It would’ve been easier to believe the legendary Mother Theresa once lived her life as an international terrorist in disguise.
Aside from that, Genovene was on her way back to Alabama. Was she coming in response to Dr. Mensch’s invitation as well? The answer sat just outside the reach of his awareness, and he was far too distracted at the moment to retrieve it. In frustration he abruptly stood up. “This is all so fucked up!” he fumed, and began pacing back and forth behind his chair.
“I’m truly sorry to be the bearer of bad news in regard to your friend,” said Peter. “But hopefully you’ll thank me later, especially if you happen to think of anything that can help us. You will do that for me, won’t you, Jack?”
He stopped pacing long enough to nod he would.
“We believe the assassins responsible for Dr. Mensch’s torture and death were also looking for this package and its mysterious contents.”
Jack stopped and glared at Peter. “So, you know who killed him?” he asked accusingly.
“Yes,” the agent replied softly. “But, as it’s difficult to prove, I’m not at liberty to divulge the group’s identity. Let’s just say these folks have a vested religious and political interest in making sure whatever was taken from Pakistan is safely returned to that country. If we’d been able to capture and detain these individuals, we wouldn’t have bothered to bring you and Jeremy out here. Although, as I said earlier, I’m grateful for the information you’ve shared with me. Maybe I’ll have a real chance to heal and find the happiness I long for, Jack.”
Peter’s words rang true to Jack, and after considering all that had taken place since he came to his rescue earlier that evening, Jack returned to his seat, smiling wanly at the agent across from him.
“Why don’t we stop here and go get a bite to eat?”
“I’d say that’s an excellent idea.”
“All right then. I’ll get yours and Jeremy’s clearance taken care of,” Peter advised. He finished packing his duffel bag and attaché case, and then stood up, extending his hand for Jack to shake. This time, Jack readily grasped his hand, responding to the agent’s strong grip with his own. “It has been a pleasure to visit with you these past few hours, Jack,” said Peter. “I’m sure you’ll enjoy coming to Richmond with me if your brother consents.”
“I hope he does, Peter,’ said Jack. “I honestly mean that.”
The agent smiled warmly and Jack flashed his own handsome smile in return.
“It shouldn’t take us more than twenty minutes to get out of here, once the necessary paperwork is completed and signed,” Peter told him. He headed for the door with his duffel bag and attaché case. Just as he opened the door to leave, he turned to face Jack one last time. “The ride to Richmond takes a couple of hours, so you should get a good opportunity to look over the books on the way down there. If Jeremy is anxious to get home tonight instead, you’ll still have roughly an hour or so to view them on the way to the airport in Washington. Thanks again for your cooperation this evening.” Peter McNamee saluted him, and Jack nodded in return. A moment later, the heavy security door slammed shut with a resounding thud, and Jack Kenney had the entire interrogation room to himself.
PART VIII
The Aftermath
Jack wandered aimlessly around the room while waiting for Agent McNamee’s return. At one point he was tempted to get a better look at the wall Peter frequently glanced at, but then thought better of it. The mental image of being scrutinized by some unseen voyeur deterred him.
Once he figured twenty minutes had passed, he returned to the table and turned his chair toward the door. He sat down and absently drummed his fingers upon the tabletop. God, how he missed his watch! Irritated, he wondered what was taking the agent so long. Irritation gave way to worry until suddenly the door swung open. The screech from the door’s weight made him jump up out of his chair.
Agent Ben Casey strolled into the room carrying a pair of handcuffs by his side. The cuffs clanked together softly as h
e walked over to Jack, his face expressionless and his eyes as cold as they were earlier that day. Filled with unease by Agent Casey’s nonchalance and Peter’s absence, Jack stepped back from the approaching agent.
“You’re cleared to leave, Mr. Kenney,” Agent Casey informed him, the meanness of his look transferring easily into his acidic tone of voice. “You’ll need to put these on again until we’re safely removed from the premises. Standard protocol.”
Jack nodded warily and moved over to the agent, who motioned for him to stop where he was.
“Where’s Peter?” asked Jack.
“You’ll be joining him shortly,” advised the agent. “He’ll be waiting for you at our destination.”
“And, Jeremy?”
“He’s waiting in your car, now.”
Jack stuck his arms out in front of him, indicating he was ready to be cuffed.
“Uh-uh-uh,” chided Agent Casey. “Turn around with your arms outstretched behind your back.” Warily, Jack did as he was instructed. He felt the coldness of the steel around his wrists and then heard the click as they fastened. “Now, face me and we’ll be on our way.”
Jack turned to face him. The agent grabbed him roughly by his right arm and led him out of the interrogation room. From there, the two walked down a long corridor with armed guards posted at various points along the corridor’s length. As they passed these guards, each one exchanged nods with the agent, but stared straight ahead as Jack passed by. He wondered if the same silent communication took place when he first arrived at this building, since he was blindfolded without any sense of the guards’ presence.
At the end of the corridor was a flight of stairs that led up to the building’s main level. Even though the guards posted here seemed to know Agent Casey fairly well, they still verified his I.D. badge before stepping aside for him. The agent led Jack up the stairs and over to the building’s exit, where the last four guards awaited them. They stood solemnly at attention while Agent Casey placed his badge into the security slot next to the door.
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