by RWK Clark
It was Whitaker’s turn to speak. “Let’s cover how the people are to arrive at their prospective facility, and what we are all to expect in terms of testing.”
“We will all go to the facility within closest proximity to our state of residence. We will all be required to pre-register in accordance to our census records, and anyone found missing is to be sought out, pursued, and taken to the correct facility by authorities. If they refuse or fight they are to be terminated.” Miles paused long enough to take a sip of water from a glass next to him. “Existing authorities on all levels are to be tested last, as they are needed to fulfill this portion of the demands.”
President Mason spoke up. “The test themselves, consist of individual strength tests. Some, such as the intellectual and scholastic testing, will be primarily written. Others, like strength and survival, will be physical in nature. Tests for bravery and fighting skill will actually consist of combat situations between testees.”
“The only thing truly unclear is what the Oppressors consider ‘passing’. We have attempted to clarify this point with them. Will the smartest and strongest be granted a spot on the new planet? Or will the weakest, or those who present less of a threat to the aliens and their agenda? These questions have gone ignored by the Oppressors to this point,” stated Miles James. These words sparked another stretch of silence as the men contemplated the facts yet again.
Finally, Henry Whitaker spoke up. “If they gave us an answer to that question it would cause even more pandemonium than we have already. Those who are even halfway intelligent, strong, or successful know it. What would that mean for the world in the next few weeks? The weak would run and hide, and mass suicide would likely be the result. It certainly seems like a no-win situation. Unless, of course, we attack.”
This observation had been voiced countless times, but the Oppressors’ ships were massive, and nothing on Earth compared when it came to deciding what would be used to combat these unseen enemies.
All four men simply nodded their heads and continued to consider the facts.
Finally, Andrew Mason spoke, breaking the silence. “Take it from the top, Miles.”
Chapter 7
Josh Nichols walked from the elevator to his office the morning after meeting (and feeding) Kamryn Reynolds. He never made it to the office yesterday afternoon as intended. Rather, he and Kamryn had sat up late into the night talking. He had put a huge amount of classified information on the table, including facility and testing specifics which the general public had no idea about. Kamryn had become extremely sober during the duration of their conversation, even presenting him with a theory he had not considered: what if the weak or stupid were the ones to pass?
The very idea of this was petrifying, and he had carried a sick, heavy feeling in the pit of his stomach ever since. What if that were so? He had just assumed that the best of them would be granted the right to exist, but her argument had been solid. The Oppressors would want to ensure their mission was a success, and what better way to do that than to kill off the strongest and smartest on the planet?
She had also asked him about any plans to fight back. Josh knew there were none, and not because they didn’t want to. They simply had no idea how to go about it. While the powers that be were constantly working on a solution to this issue they found that their limited knowledge of the Oppressors themselves, as well as their hovering ships, hindered them greatly. In the very beginning, when the ships first came, the military had indeed attempted to strike, but the puny aircraft being used could not administer the power needed to do more than reveal unseen force fields around each and every one of the Oppressors craft. This had led to the standstill they were all living with.
Kamryn had come up with a plan on a very small scale. She wanted to attempt to get into the ‘computers’ which were on the ships, if that was indeed what they even were. For all Josh knew those things were operated by mind control. They had no idea how advanced these beings were, or even what they looked like. Kamryn had been insistent that this was the next logical step. She asked, no, begged, Josh to continue to divulge any information, no matter how seemingly unimportant, to her. Anything he could get his ears and eyes on. He agreed. After all, it looked like it wasn’t going to matter in the end, anyway, and he didn’t want to take any of this lying down.
He entered his office and plopped down at his desk, booting up his system. He logged on so he could get to work, and opened the desk’s file drawer to take out the code he had been working on when he had gone home two days ago. There was a sharp knock on his door, and Gladys Emerson, one of numerous secretaries in their unit, entered.
“Good morning, Josh. Peter Wells wanted me to get this to you as soon as you got in. He said to put any work which you are focusing on the back burner. This takes priority.” Peter Wells was the head of the entire unit, but first and foremost he was involved in the country’s Internet security.
“What is it, Gladys? Any ideas?”
She just shook her head. “Of course not. I’m a peon around her, Josh. You know that.” She smiled grimly, nodded, and left the office.
She had handed him a large yellow envelope, marked ‘Classified’, of course. It was very heavy and very thick. He was just preparing to break the seal when the intercom on his phone buzzed loudly, making him nearly jump out of his chair.
“Josh, this is Pete Wells. Did Gladys bring you an envelope this morning?”
“Yes, she did. She just left. I was getting ready to give it a gander and get started.”
Peter replied, “Hold that thought. Bring it to my office and let’s have a meet. See you in five?” The intercom went dead immediately.
Josh loved the curtness exhibited by those in charge. His head was swimming. He had never had a ‘meet’, or even bumped into Peter Wells in the halls. This was serious indeed. Josh was just a lowly code writer, the youngest of all in the department. He felt as if he was just a step up from Gladys the Peon.
He grabbed a pen out of the cup on his desk, a fresh legal pad, and with the envelope in hand he made his way to the elevator. He felt butterflies in his stomach, as though his professional future depended on this meeting, but he knew that was silly. He was pretty sure he wouldn’t be getting a promotion any time soon. He may never even get a life.
He arrived at Wells’ office and told the boss’s secretary he was there.
“He’s expecting you. I wouldn’t even have a seat. Just follow me, Mr. Nichols.” She was cute and curvy, with long blonde hair and too much make-up, but her rear end swing could catch the eye of a blind man. He enjoyed the view, but she wasn’t his type. Leave all the plastic for Barbie and Ken.
“Mr. Wells, Mr. Nichols.” She held the door open and stood aside so Josh could enter. She smiled a tight smile and shut the door tightly as she left.
“Have a seat, Josh. We have a lot to cover and very little time. We need you to get started.” Josh took a chair directly across from Wells, and settled his things on a small table next to it.
“As you know, testing facilities are being worked on diligently, and testing is expected to begin in a few short weeks. You were off yesterday, so you may not be aware that President Mason and his group met extensively yesterday to pick each other’s brains regarding any course of action which may potentially save humanity. They have some ideas which require your expertise if they are to even be considered. I want you to know you are our top code writer, and we think your education and experience will be helpful. The first thing you should know is that the Oppressors will be setting foot on Earth sometime in the next couple of weeks to inspect the facilities. They have made us aware that they want them done before the deadline given prior. They seem to be getting a bit edgy. They have also made us aware that they will also be helping with what they are referring to as the ‘herding’ process.”
He stopped speaking to let that information sink in. It did, and it was horrifying. Now, all of this seemed much more real than ever before. Indeed, this was re
ally happening.
“Can’t we simply attack when they come off the ships?” To Josh this seemed like the obvious solution.
Wells shook his head. “It’s not that simple. For one thing we have no idea how many are aboard each craft. We do not know about their weapons, their physical make-up, nothing. We have no idea what they are capable of morally or technologically.
“What we need you to do is get familiar with the material in the packet. We need very specific code. What you are able to produce will make or break us when it comes to familiarizing ourselves as much as possible with who and what we are really dealing with, including their craft.” This was beginning to sound a lot like the ideas Kamryn had put on the table, minus the actual ‘hacking’, of course. But that is what it boiled down to.
“We have had innumerable men and women attempting what we are asking you to do, to no avail. We are hoping you can produce. We have only a couple of weeks, maybe less if they change their minds about the timeline again.” Then he finally said the word. “We even have top-of-the-line hackers, the best. They are making little to no progress.”
Josh’s eyes grew wide. “I’m not a hacker, Mr. Wells. I wouldn’t even know where to begin!” Nothing like failing before you even get started.
“No time like the present, Josh,” said Wells grimly.
He stared down at his hands, barely noting the severe tremor. He wouldn’t even know where to begin. He had Kamryn, of course, but he would never be able to get the classified documents home for her to study. He was at a loss.
Suddenly he spoke. “I know someone.”
“What do you mean, you ‘know’ someone?” Josh had Wells’ full attention.
He took a deep breath and mustered his courage. Did it really matter if he got himself into trouble? Maybe not, but he couldn’t get Kamryn into trouble. He would tread lightly. “I know a hacker. Someone who has been doing it professionally. For a number of years.”
“What kind of education and background does this individual have? How do you know they are any good?” Josh could detect a bit of desperation in his voice. He had likely not meant for that to be heard, but Josh ran with it anyway.
“I will tell you that this individual has extensive experience, and their abilities are impressive.” He really had no idea how impressive Kamryn’s abilities were, but this was the perfect opportunity for her to get her hands on the information she wanted, all while focusing on her personal plan, which seemed to fall directly into line with theirs.
Wells considered his words for a moment, then asked, “What are you doing working for the government and having associations with such an individual? Hell, it doesn’t even matter, now does it?”
Josh shook his head in response. “Not really.”
Peter Wells thought for a few more seconds, staring at a set of perpetual swinging silver balls on his desk. He looked into Josh’s eyes. “I’ll tell you what. Take the packet to your office and start to give it a good going over. I will call my people right away. At this point we are all ready to go to any extreme in hopes it will work. We need to come up with something.” He looked back at the silver balls, then back at Josh. “Don’t get too comfortable. I will likely be calling you back up here very shortly. I don’t know this person, or if they are any good, but the fact of the matter is, we have nothing to lose.”
“No problem. I’ll get right on this and get a feel for what you need me to do. I’ll be waiting on your call.” Josh rose from his chair and gathered the envelope, tablet, and pen. Wells stood also, coming around the desk to walk him out the door.
“Thanks, Nichols. Talk to you soon.” He guided Josh out of his office with a hand on his elbow, shutting the door gently behind him.
Back in his office he sat at his desk, staring in disbelief at the blank wall in front of him. He wanted to call Kamryn, but decided to wait until Wells called him back. After about ten minutes of uncontrolled thought, he picked up the envelope and broke the seal and began to read.
Forty-five minutes flew by before Josh looked up from the stack before him. He let out a long, ragged breath. They knew so much more than they were telling. Of course they did. Did anyone expect the full truth from the world’s governing parties? No, but the fact was that half the things they did reveal were lies. They had less than two weeks before the Oppressors set foot on the earth’s soil. Police and federal authorities were actually going to begin the ‘herding’ process, as it was being called by the aliens, in just over one week. Wells had lied to his face knowing he would soon know the truth. The only consolation to all of this was the fact that, as an employee of the government, he would be in with some of the last being herded.
He thought about Kamryn. So smart, so beautiful. Kamryn. Now it seemed more important than before to get her foot in the door here. He didn’t know her at all, but he certainly wanted to. That wouldn’t happen if…
The buzzer on his intercom startled him back to reality. “Nichols, Wells here. I need to see you in my office right away.”
He was not even done speaking and Josh was heading out his office door to see Wells.
Chapter 8
“Thanks for getting back up here so quickly. Have a seat, Nichols.” Wells gestured to the chair Josh had been sitting in less than an hour ago.
He sat quickly, his eyes glued to Peter Wells’ face. He was completely unreadable, and this made Josh feel edgy and unsettled. Certainly he wouldn’t have called him all the way back to his office with news that was negative.
Wells began. “Well, this is very out of the ordinary for the United States government, as you likely know well. But so are the circumstances the world finds itself in right now. Traditionally we would accept no one as an employee without a thorough background check and intensive training for the position which they are being considered. Have you begun reading through the classified information?”
Josh felt anger rise up into his throat, but he reined it in and nodded.
“Good. Then you are beginning to get a much firmer grasp on the dire nature of our situation. Sorry for the ‘untruths’ I spoke earlier. I had to tread lightly, and watching your responses and expressions is all a very serious part of that. Now, as for your ‘friend’. I spoke with my supervisor, and the two of us had a brief but to the point telephone conference with President Mason and his men. They feel pretty much the same way about giving this person a shot as I do: what have we got to lose?”
Josh continued to listen and watch his expressions. It didn’t matter what this guy ever said to him from here on out. He would never believe anything that came out of his mouth again. All he knew was if they were going to give Kamryn a shot at hacking the Oppressors’ ships he was all for it.
“So what do you want me to do?” Josh tried to give the appearance of calmness, but he knew that Kamryn would be more than ecstatic at this opportunity.
“Well, it’s obviously priority that you get this person in here yesterday. We will forego the formal procedures for hiring, and if your ‘friend’ is successful, we may consider keeping him or her after the crisis has passed. Is this a man or a woman?” Wells waited expectantly for the answer.
“She is a woman, and she has been doing this for a long time. She encountered a bit of trouble in Baltimore recently for her activities, but I really don’t know the details. What I do know is that we have spoken extensively about the Oppressors, and she has a very good base plan. She wants to hack directly into their ships, but she needs to get her hands on as much true information as possible. I can’t tell you the details. I don’t know them,” Josh replied.
Wells nodded. “Then we are her people. Can you call her and get her to come right away? We can meet, the three of us, along with my supervisor, and we can find out what she needs, after we get a rundown on her ideas, of course.”
“Well, she doesn’t drive right now, and she is very new to the area.” Like two days new, Josh thought to himself. “I would likely have to go fetch her in my car.”
&nbs
p; Wells nodded again. He was starting to remind Josh of a bobble head. “Go to it, then. As soon as the two of you get back bring the classified information I supplied you with and come directly up here. I will be waiting. Oh, and call me on your cell when you are on the way back so I can have Matt Johnson in here waiting when you arrive.” He fished around in his desk drawer, finally pulling a half-used pad of sticky notes out. He jotted something on one of them, peeled it back, and held it out for Josh to take.
“My cell number.” Now, hurry up. I will be waiting.”
Josh rose, sticky note in hand, and walked out the door. He took the elevator to his office and grabbed the envelope, putting it into his briefcase. He then made a beeline for the main entrance.
Twenty minutes later he was sitting in his apartment giving Kamryn a quick rundown on the situation as she tied her sneakers and put her laptop in her backpack. Her eyes were lit up with excitement.
“I just can’t believe you got me in the door, literally!” She was smiling from ear to ear.
Josh shook his head. “It only worked because they need someone to hack, and none of their people are having any success. He handed her the classified envelope, which he had pulled from his briefcase on his way in. “You will need to begin to go over this while we drive back. I hope you are as good as you say.”
“I never said I was good, Josh. I don’t have to. I know I am.”
He smiled at her. Her confidence was very sexy, and she looked more beautiful to him than ever. No time for that though. Time to think clearly.
“Ready? We need to get back ASAP.” She gave him a quick nod and followed him out the door.
During the drive back Josh phoned Wells and let him know they were on their way in, and within less than a half hour they were back at the Pentagon, seated in Wells office with him, Matt Johnson, and another man Josh had never seen before.