by Drew Avera
"That's something that I'm still trying to figure out myself, ’ I said. “Kara is caught in the cross hairs of the Agency and a hit was placed by Whelming," I looked at Kara urging her to let us know exactly what she was involved with. She lifted her hands to her face and massaged her temples as she exhaled.
"Alright, I’m ready," she said as she lowered her hands to her lap. "This is a long story," she motioned for Thom to take a seat. We both leaned forward, intent to hear what she was about to say. Something that was big enough for the Syndicate to want her dead.
Chapter 3
Thom and I glanced at each other just before Kara spoke, realizing that whatever she had to say would be the kind of sensitive information that could get both of us killed. I felt somewhat bad for leading Thom into a family affair like this, but Kara and I had no one else to turn to. I knew this would put me in Thom's debt and I was fine with that. Anything to protect my sister would be well worth it.
"As you know, Serus, I'm a scientist who does research and analysis on our planet's atmospheric conditions. Because we use an artificial electro-magnetic field, we need to constantly monitor it. The magnetic field allows us to maintain our atmospheric conditions, oxygen levels, and it protects us from most of the space debris that threatens us on a daily basis. Any changes in our atmospheric conditions can be very devastating.
"Anyways, I was monitoring the nuclear power source that powers the northern hemisphere’s electro-magnetic field when I realized that the uranium core was depleting at an abnormal rate. I put in some calls for a new uranium core and found out that all of the uranium discovered on Mars had not yet been enriched. I guess they felt that we had enough in our supply to last us another decade.
"By my calculations we have enough nuclear energy to power the magnetic field for another year to year and a half. We have enough uranium to last another several centuries, but we need to keep our power grid on line long enough to enrich what we have on hand. Given our current situation we will be pushing the envelope on the enrichment process being able to finish in time to create a new core. We are dealing with a process that hasn't been performed in at least twenty five hundred years when our ancestors left earth! It will be a challenge just to meet the deadline, but if word about this gets out it could cause mass hysteria.
"After double checking my figures I talked to some of the higher ups at the university to find a way to secure as much unnecessary power from being used in the metropolitan cities as possible, my thoughts were that we could reroute it to the magnetic field generators to buy us more time. Apparently that was a topic of interest because those power sources feed into the technology services that everyone uses and everyone is addicted to technology. I got into a heated discussion with Mr. Whelming about this a few days ago and I told him that some people may not be able to live without technology, but no one can live without the atmosphere. I guess he felt that I was too passionate about the situation to be trusted to keep quiet. He was talking about how a loss in technological services could affect how our society function, he also mentioned something about profits in his ramblings. Now that he tried to have me killed I feel like I should have let the proverbial cat out of the bag sooner."
“I don’t think it would be a good idea to do that, at least not yet.” I said.
Thom stood up and paced around the room while clasping his hands behind his back. He moved over to the window and looked out over the water. "What is wrong with the uranium already mined?" He asked.
"Without the enrichment process it will lack efficiency," she said. "Besides the fact that the magnetic field generator is depleting the core too rapidly for how it was designed. Without fixing the generator, the problem will just arise again at a later time. This planet isn't exactly rich on natural resources, much less uranium specifically so we would have to be careful not to waste what little we do have."
"What would we need to do in order to prevent the magnetic field from collapsing entirely?" I asked.
"I really don't know what can be done," she said. "Everyone at the university already knows about it, but the technology we have is different from what they used on Earth. It's a science we have to learn to use when time doesn't permit us to fail. Maybe if we can find a supply of enriched uranium that no one knows about then we can avoid this fiasco. To be honest though, things are looking bleak."
I looked up at the clock to see that it was just after midnight. In about seven hours Pontiff White would be in his office. Maybe I could go see him about pulling the Syndicate's interest off of Kara. Unfortunately for all I knew he could be behind the decision that called the hit. He may just be a puppet of the Syndicate, but he still held more power than most of the people on the planet. Still, if he wasn’t behind the decision to kill Kara, and he knew of another supply of enriched uranium then maybe he could put a stop on the hit and help us save the magnetic field at the same time.
I went to the window and stood next to Thom and gazed out over the water. I could hear him breathing in and out of his nose as he stood there contemplating what Kara had told us. "What do you think?" I asked.
"It's possible that this information is critical enough that the Syndicate felt they needed to silence any potential threats who may release that information. Kara most likely stood out as the biggest threat. Realistically at this point every scientist that works with her could have hits placed on them. Also, I find it unlikely that there is some magical uranium supply stocked away that people have forgotten about. Best case scenario is that the people working on those power generators can delay the inevitable."
I knew he was right. I had to play my cards close to my chest. If I approached White about the hit on my sister then he may shrug it off and word his answers accordingly, always preserving the image of the Syndicate. If I approached him about some scientists being targeted for hits then maybe he won't draw the connection between me and Kara being related and I can get more answers. I also doubted the chance of anyone finding a hidden supply of uranium. If it did exist then putting the hit on Kara was moot. Either way it was going to be tricky to get answers out of White given the circumstances we were in.
"Do you think Pontiff White knows anything?" Thom asked.
"I was just thinking about that myself," I replied. "Maybe I should pay him a visit."
"It's risky, Serus. Three policemen were killed by a fellow agent. If you go into his office trying to meddle in affairs of the state then he may connect the dots, provided he hasn't connected them already," Thom said.
"Yeah, you're right," I said.
"Of course I'm right," he smiled. "I had a good teacher."
I nudged Thom in the ribs with my right elbow and smiled, a small reprieve from the drama of the day. Sometimes it's good to have a friend. A looked over at Kara who was rubbing her eyes tiredly. I knew I had to do something to save her. She was all that I had left.
"Thom, I need you to look after my sister while I‘m out. Can you do that for me? This is something that could go south very easily and I don't want her to pay for any failure on my part with her life." He nodded in response and I walked back over to the couch and sat next to Kara, taking her hand in mine.
"Kara?" I whispered. She lifted her tired green eyes up to my own and a frown pouted her lips. "I'm going to fix this, I promise. I just need you to stay here with Thom. You can trust him as a friend, I promise," she nodded at me as I draped my arm around her shoulder. I could feel her heart beating under my arm, obviously the fear had not subsided from what had happened earlier. She was as fragile as a flower, and now this kind of political war was invading her life. I had to protect her at all cost.
I patted her back gently before standing. I straightened out my uniform and nodded at Thom before turning to leave his apartment. I looked back and smiled at Kara before walking out the door, she brushed her raven black hair away from her face and smiled back at me. Once upon a time we were almost twins in our appearance. Now it seemed that life had preserved her beauty, but left me
a shadowy version of myself. I stepped out of Thom's apartment and went on my way, my next stop would be the office of Pontiff White.
Chapter 4
One of the biggest downsides to leaving Earth was the lack of fossil fuels to allow everyone to have a vehicle. Even with electric motored vehicles, the right to own and operate a vehicle was restricted by the Syndicate. The lack of convenience irritated me as I walked into downtown Archea and approached the square that surrounded Pontiff White's palace. The palace served as a penthouse and doubled as his office, it was a gross example of the Syndicate’s waste of money. Why would their puppet need a twenty foot marble statue of himself centralized in a fountain? I imagined it was merely a show of power and authority to those brainwashed enough to believe that our governing body even gave a damn about us.
You would be hard pressed to find someone outspoken about their ill will towards the Syndicate though. Most of our society knelt at their feet and waited for the scraps of wealth to be tossed down to them like dogs. I may be a pawn myself, but I'm not ignorant to the fact that we are all expendable in the eyes of the Syndicate. Our worth is only in what they stand to gain from us.
I crossed the courtyard using the rust colored sidewalk leading up to the palace and opened the entrance door, its frosted glass was adorned with the Pontiff's name and title. It would be more appropriate if it read ‘puppet’ I thought to myself after entering the building. The vast lobby was decorated with expensive hand woven tapestries. A wide reciprocating waterfall followed up the four story wall in front of me. The building was an engineering marvel to say the least. Large windows scrolled up the outer walls of the building and cast generous colorful beams of lights emanating through the stained glass. Hues of blue and purple mixed with a soft red glow fell upon the ceramic floor and spread out in front of me. I walked into the tubular elevator to my left and and was surrounded by clear acrylic as it lifted me to White's office. The elevator was quiet and smooth as it lifted me up, almost like I was riding upon air.
When the elevator stopped I stepped out into a long hallway lit by recessed floor lighting. Each step I took caused the lights beneath my feet to shine brighter, casting an unusual glare in my eyes. I could see Pontiff White in his office at the far end of the hall seated at an enormous metal desk surrounded by holographic screens. Two businessmen who were likely members of the Syndicate sat on a couch opposite where he was sitting. I could see the discomfort in their faces as I approached the room.
The two businessmen readjusted themselves in their seats in order to watch me as I paced in front of White's desk. The stoic expression on his face conflicted with the rapid breathing I could hear coming from him. He wore a dark double breasted suit as did the other two men. I sensed an uneasiness about the men on the couch and could see one of their faces grow more pale by my presence. The members of the Syndicate may be powerful men, but they were cowards as well.
"Is there something I can do for you, Serus?" White asked me between heavy puffs of his cigar.
"You know my name? I wasn't aware that we had met previously," I said.
"No, we have not met before, but that stroll you took through that hallway with the floor lighting allowed me to take scans of your face and match them to my database. Now I likely have more information about you than you have of yourself." He said the words with a smug grin that bared his perfect teeth behind his thin lips. He released the cigar smoke in heavy funnel shaped plumes from his nostrils. The lines in his face were faint despite his age and I suspected surgery was a common practice of his.
"Very well. I have come to you concerning assignments against some scientists that were issued recently," I said.
"Oh, is that so? I wasn't aware of hits being placed against multiple scientists," he replied while looking at the businessmen on the couch. They avoided eye contact with me when I looked at them. White flicked ash from his cigar into a crystal ashtray on his desk and manipulated the holographic displays in front of him.
"I see. Well I have cause for concern regarding the reasons behind the assignments,"
"What reason would that be?" White asked.
"It's just that no reason has been filed. Usually we know why the hits are being carried out." I said.
"Fortunately for you, Serus, those reasons do not concern you," he said with a dismissal wave of his hand. He bit the cigar between his teeth and chuckled at the other men. They produced their own semi-confident smiles until I glared at them.
"I believe I am entitled to know why a hit is to be carried out," I said, perhaps a little too emotionally.
"And why is that? It wouldn’t have something to do with the three dead policemen at your sister's home last night would it?" I felt my face go pale after he asked that question. "Yes, Serus, not only do I know who you are, but I also know that your sister, Kara, was scheduled for assassination. It's funny how being Pontiff carries so much useful information isn't it?" He smiled as he puffed his chest heroically and winked at the men on the couch when he leaned back in his seat, confident in his dominion over me.
My hands began to sweat and my heart began to race. My ruse was falling apart, I should have planned better. Now my cards were laid out before my opponent while everything I held dear was on the line. My sister was slipping through my grasp and I wasn't sure what I could do to save her.
"Surely you understand my concern for my sister's life?" I asked.
"Yes I do, but I'm sorry to tell you that I cannot help you. The hit was not assigned by my offices or anyone working for me. It was apparently arranged at a much higher level and I am not in a position to release any other information regarding it. All I can do is offer my condolences for the impending loss of your sister." He rocked back in his chair and kicked his feet up. His facade was just that. I could see how quickly his heart was beating by the pulsing of the veins on his forehead. That small detail made me think that maybe he was just a sheep in wolves clothing after all.
Still my heart sank. I assumed that I would have been able to make him bend to my will, but he was a powerful, well connected man. He sat in his seat with a hard set jaw and titanium spine, I saw no remorse in his eyes when he looked back up at me. Only the tell-tale throbbing of the vein on his head showed any conflicting information that made him look weak. Maybe I was over thinking it I thought to myself as I swallowed a lump in my throat and recognized an emotion I had not felt in several years, fear.
When you are consumed with your work and your job involved taking the lives of other people, it was easy to become desensitized to death. It was a whole other sensation when the person scheduled to die was family. The programming in my head distorted my thoughts and I felt compelled to flee. I turned to dismiss myself from the office and realized that my eyes were welling up with tears at the thought of losing my sister, the sole surviving member of my family.
"It was nice speaking with you, Serus," White said as I walked out of the door. I was too consumed with fear and frustration to say anything back in retort. The other men stood to follow me to the door, but stopped as I stepped out into the illuminated hallway. I entered the elevator and turned to see the door to White's office close right after I made brief eye contact with the Pontiff. No remorse reflected back at me, but I could see a man trapped by his position. He may not be able to help me, but I was sure that he knew something more. It wasn't a wise decision to come here in the first place. I couldn't push the envelope more by going up against the men who held all of the power. I needed to gather more information first, have some ammunition to throw into the fire. Right now all I had was my sister’s testimony. I didn't know if that was enough, but maybe more could be found. I left the palace and began walking back to Thom's apartment.
My fear began to settle down and I figured it had to do with the fact that I was no longer in confrontation with the soulless men up in that office. I turned back and looked up at the office window where Pontiff White's office would be. I could see the man standing in the window and he was lookin
g down at me. If I could peer into that man’s soul I think I would only see darkness. Some men are soulless and others are devils. I wasn't sure which kind of man White was, but I was deathly afraid that I was soon to find out.
Chapter 5
I was walking through the city square on my way back to Thom's apartment when my communicator buzzed in my left breast pocket. I retrieved it half expecting a new assignment. It was Thom's number. It was very rare that anyone other than a dispatcher called a policeman on his communicator. I assumed that it was urgent so I answered quickly.
"Serus," I answered.
"Serus, it's Thom. I don't know why, but when I woke from a nap and went to check on Kara she was gone. I searched my apartment and the surrounding area. There was no sign of another person entering my apartment so I think that she must have left on her own accord."
I felt sick at his words. Kara had no business going out on her own. The potential of running into another policeman was too high for her to be that reckless. "I'm on my way. I'll swing by my apartment and will try to contact her communicator. Just keep an eye out," I said.
"Will do. I'll contact you if she comes back," he replied.
"Alright, Thom. Thank you," I said before closing the communicator and sliding it back into my breast pocket. My apartment was two miles in the opposite direction and I didn't have time for tracking down my sister. As scared as I was, I was also pissed by her decision to leave Thom's house unprotected. I swore under my breath and continued the walk to my apartment.
I arrived about thirty minutes later and performed a quick survey of the area. If Pontiff White knew the connection between Kara and I then I was sure the Agency would know as well. You never can be too careful. Satisfied that no threat was imminent I entered my apartment and shuffled through my contacts list to retrieve Kara's communicator information. I pulled out my communicator, dialed the link and waited for her to answer. Several buzzes later it was left unanswered. My nerves were beginning to get the best of me. I tried three more times before giving it a rest. I left a message on the last call hoping that she would get the hint.