by Terry Mixon
His father steepled his fingers. “You might not be aware of it, but I purchased the ISS2 space station from the Russians and have begun converting it into a hotel. That’s actually a deep cover story. We’ve added a concealed propulsion section, beefed up the superstructure, and built it substantially larger than the original planners envisioned. Liberty Station will be the first ship to Mars. It’s also capable of making a trip to other portions of the solar system. Even the outer system.”
Harry’s eyes widened and he looked at Jess. “You knew this?”
She smiled. “It would be hard to design and direct the construction of a spaceship without knowing that part. I couldn’t tell you because the project is classified.
“We’re getting the last of the supplies loaded now. We also need to get the engines ready. We saved that part for the end, because if word gets out, there might be enough outcry to cause Mister Rogers some trouble.”
The older man grunted. “It’s nuclear, so every environmentalist crackpot on the planet will burst into flames. As if the universe doesn’t already have enormous amounts of radioactive material. Idiots.”
Jess poured herself some coffee. “I’m sure that any number of governments would disapprove, too. It doesn’t use weapons grade material, of course, but they might worry that it’s a weapon held over their heads. Once the reactor is loaded and the fuel secured, the project can’t be stopped short of using force.”
Harry could see how that might get people all excited. “Where’s the material coming from? The US? That might be difficult.”
“The source of the material is a closely guarded secret,” the elder Rodgers said, “but I’m willing to share it with you. The reactor core is an experimental prototype your mother has been developing in France. I plan to steal it. And, if we can come to an agreement, I’d like you to help my security forces make that happen. Your people are even better at that sort of thing than they are.”
“We might be able to work out a deal,” Harry said. “I owe Mother some payback. Isn’t that leaving things up to chance? What if you don’t get your hands on it?”
“They have a demonstration for her major investors scheduled for this week. The invitations are already out. We’ll hit them before they have a chance to realize anyone else even knows it exists. Obtaining the fuel is rather more straightforward.”
* * * * *
Clayton watched his son out of the corner of his eye as they ate and chatted. The woman was a moderating influence on him. Normally by this point, Harry would be snarling.
She was clever, too. She’d seen his reverse psychology for what it was and used herself as a lever to get Harry on board. He’d reward that behavior with a good final deal. If she were the tie he needed to bind his son to the plan, he’d use her and make certain she had no cause to complain.
Harry took a bite of his pancakes. “So, now I know what you want to do. Go to Mars. Why?”
Clayton sipped his coffee. “Actually, while the ship can go to Mars quite speedily, that isn’t its primary purpose. It’ll find a suitable asteroid, set up a mining outpost, and then beat everyone else to Mars.
“With the resources harvested in space, we should be able to fund additional construction and use the raw materials as a means to do so. Liberty Station is intended to be a self-sustaining home to explore the solar system.”
“The ship has a lot of room in the torus,” Jess said. “That’s what we call a habitat ring that generates artificial gravity via centrifugal force.
“We’ve designed and built multiple sets of mining and refining equipment, so we can leave teams on at least three asteroids. With the right kinds of raw material, it could be quite lucrative in a short period of time.”
His son mulled that for a moment. “What about that wandering asteroid? Any idea where in the solar system it is now?”
Clayton inclined his head. “A fairly good one, actually. The dates on the painting gave us a timeline to trace it. If they’re accurate, it’s between Earth and Mars on the outbound leg of its eternal journey. The experts concur that it’s most likely an extinct comet, by the way.”
He considered them as they took in his words. It wasn’t quite time to push for closing the deal, but he already knew he’d offer more than Jessica Cook expected. And he’d come through, too. The potential of this find could put his plans ahead by decades. He might even live to see them come to fruition. When it came to the potential of this deal, the sky was quite literally the limit.
Chapter Twelve
Kathleen Bennett stared at the trembling man on the other side of her desk. She eyed the distances and gestured for the guards to drag him back a few steps. Burmese Teak was naturally resistant to moisture, but she didn’t want to chance getting any blood on the golden wood. The desk was worth far more than the wretch in front of it.
The slight man quivered in barely restrained terror. Only the two guards gripping his arms kept him from falling to the floor and pleading for his life. Again.
She shook her head. “You disappoint me, Vincent. Exactly how did you expect this to play out? Did you think your other employer would whisk you away once you’d done his dirty work? That was foolish. Once he had what he wanted, you became a liability he could safely dispose of.
“I realize you information technology people are insulated from the real world, but this goes a few steps into blindly stupid. You stole from me. I certainly hope you enjoyed the extra money while you could, because it won’t do you any good now.”
Vincent Curtis, the former assistant director of her IT department, swallowed noisily. “There’s been some kind of horrible mistake, Mrs. Bennett. I would never betray you.”
She smiled like a shark. She knew so because she’d perfected that expression in a mirror. “Don’t insult my intelligence. You copied files from the classified database. You didn’t quite manage to erase the entire trail of evidence, though. Sloppy. You’d best be forthcoming, because your punishment will reflect your cooperation. Or lack thereof.”
He started in on another round of denials, but she stopped him with a raised hand. “If you don’t tell me, Donald will break something you value. Who were you working for and what programs did you access?”
“No one, Mrs. Bennett. I was just—”
“Donald, if you please.”
Her chief of security grabbed the man’s hand and bent one of his fingers back with an audible snap. Vincent screamed and thrashed in the guards’ arms.
The door opened and Nathan sauntered in. Her son raised an eyebrow at the scene and dropped into one of the comfortable chairs with more panache than grace. He winced a little at the landing. “What did this one do, Mother? Steal your parking space?”
She sighed. Her son’s timing was execrable, as usual. “Donald, please take Vincent back to your office and determine the particulars of the security breach. Vincent, I advise you to cooperate. If you satisfy Mister Reynolds before I arrive, I’ll let you live. You won’t enjoy it, but that beats an unmarked grave. And remember, the longer you take, the more broken bones you’ll have to suffer through.”
The security team dragged the blubbering fool out of her office. Kathleen focused her attention on her son. “It took you long enough to get back. This was supposed to be a simple kidnapping. Do you have any idea how much of a scene you’ve caused? You destroyed an entire Mayan pyramid and you allowed your idiot brother to capture your entire team. On reflection, Harry isn’t the stupidest of my children.”
His face reddened. “I had no idea he would be there and I didn’t blow up the pyramid. That was the moron I hired. He paid for it.”
She shook her head. “You still don’t get it. Take poor unfortunate Vincent as an example. He stole classified data from me, but I hired him. The ultimate responsibility for this situation falls on me. I don’t make the mistake of trusting the wrong people often, but when I do, I don’t blame them for their failures. I blame myself.”
“So that’s why you’re sparing hi
s life? I thought that was uncommonly generous of you.”
“Don’t be stupid. He condemned himself the moment he conspired against me. Donald will let him babble on until he’s certain that he’s gotten every bit of useful information and then take the poor bastard off to his private torture chamber. I’ll never see Vincent again and good riddance.”
“You hire some real winners, Mother. You’re living up to your nickname. Has anyone accidently called you Cruella to your face recently?”
She ignored his jab and walked over to her bar. She’d earned a drink. “Donald delivers everything I could ask for in a security chief. He keeps the riffraff out and the employees in line. His personal quirks are none of my business.
“You, on the other hand, disappoint me. You can’t even carry out the simplest of tasks without creating an international incident. The police have your team in custody.”
Nathan smirked. “They won’t talk. I have a very generous bonus for situations like these. They’ll keep their mouths shut and retire when they get out of prison.”
“They won’t be getting out,” she said flatly. “I’ve already made arrangements. There will be a riot. Your people will not survive it.”
Her son sat up abruptly. “You can’t do that! If word gets out that my word isn’t any good, then I won’t be able to—”
“To sweep your failures under the rug? No, I imagine not. Too bad. My security is worth more to me than your reputation is to you. Frankly, your performance has been so questionable recently that I’d liquidate you if you weren’t my son.”
His smirk returned. “I’d watch that kind of talk if you want those grandchildren you occasionally pine after. And there’s more to this situation than you’re aware of.”
She turned toward the wide windows and stared out over the company grounds. Modern buildings surrounded by exquisitely manicured lawns and parks lay before her. Hundreds of people in her employ walked around like little ants.
This was her kingdom. All she surveyed was hers. She controlled every aspect of anything that happened here. Her word was law. That always shot a thrill up her spine.
She sipped her gin and glanced over at her son. “What am I unaware of? The fact the woman I sent you after escaped with your brother? One of my spies saw them arrive at the Yucatan Spaceport early this morning in the company of your father. They’re all closeted in a secure hotel discussing God only knows what.”
“I know what.” Nathan pulled a data chip from his pocket and tossed it onto her desk. “You’ll never believe what they found.”
She loaded up the video and stared at it as it played, her drink stopped halfway to her mouth.
When it finished, she stared coldly at her son. “What kind of garbage is this? As excuses for your failures go, this is a whole new level of ridiculous.”
“That’s just it. It’s real. I tried to capture the woman again when she came out of the second area, but she proved to be more resourceful than I expected.” He shifted in his seat and winced again.
Kathleen considered her son for a long minute. “If I find out you’re lying to me, you’ll envy poor Vincent.”
“I’m not worried.”
“Then I need to call Donald. I think the files Vincent stole went to Clayton. If so, I want to be certain that we get the true and complete story as quickly as possible.”
She took another sip of her drink. “Don’t unpack your bags. Gather a competent group of associates and go down to Mexico. I want you to capture the woman when she reveals herself. She will eventually.”
Kathleen leaned forward. “Listen closely. You may detain your brother if circumstances allow, but you may not kill him or the woman. If one of your people makes another ‘mistake’, you’ll suffer for it.”
She gave him a cold look. “And as for grandchildren, you’d best remember how well some of my genetics projects are proceeding. I can take care of your progeny without you, if need be.”
* * * * *
Clayton considered Jessica Cook. He finally had her alone. His son had excused himself to check on his people.
“Harry has no doubt cautioned you to scrutinize every word I say and every angle of the deal we’re about to discuss. I urge you to do the same. What I’m about to propose is complicated by our already existing employment relationship. One I do not want to disrupt. Still, we need to discuss matters at a high level so that we can come to an understanding before we proceed. Agreed?”
She took a deep breath and nodded. “No offense, but I will have his attorney look over the papers and I’ll discuss the framework with someone I went to college with that does corporate work.”
“An excellent idea,” Clayton said. “One thing, though. Are you certain you can trust the second individual? I’ve had Harry’s attorney vetted quite thoroughly. We cannot allow this information to go public.”
“I’ve never shared a secret with my friend that would be a challenge to his morals, but I trust him implicitly.”
Clayton smiled. Her trust in her friends was adorable. “I can discreetly arrange a test through an intermediary, if you like. I’ll make him a very generous offer if he reveals something he shouldn’t. If he accepts, then no one will ever hear about it from me, but we will know. If he rebuffs my advances, then he’s reliable enough to go over the framework.”
“Forgive me, but what’s to keep you from making up a story that he’s unreliable to keep me from seeking his advice.”
His smile widened. “That’s a wise question to ask. My associates will record the conversations. While that still leaves me some methods that could taint the results, I think any failure on your friend’s part should be clear enough. We need to trust one another to some degree for this to work.”
She gave him a name that he jotted down. He slipped the piece of paper into his jacket. By dinner, he should have a comprehensive dossier on the man.
“What do you have in mind going forward?” she asked. “It may be months or years before we have even the most basic grasp of what this technology means.”
“Spoken like an engineer. There are no certainties in business, only opportunities. You risk money on the chance to make even more money. Sometimes you win. Sometimes you lose. Every venture is a roll of the dice. It’s my job to evaluate the possibilities and make an offer consummate with what I think the reward might be when counterbalanced with the risk of failure.”
She shook her head. “No. It’s your job to make the most profitable offer. That’s why people negotiate, to get the best deal they can. I’m not a negotiator like you. I have no idea how much something like this is worth.”
“In this case, circumstances dictate that the best deal isn’t the one that earns me the most money.”
Miss Cook turned a little in her chair and frowned. “You lost me.”
Clayton allowed himself a small laugh. “Contrary to what my son believes, money isn’t the altar at which I worship. It’s a means to an end. Some things are worth doing, even at a loss. Project Liberty for example. Though, to be fair, I eventually expect to see a return on that, too.”
She inclined her head, conceding the point. “Project Liberty is worthwhile even if it never makes back the investment.”
“And there lies the basis of an agreement between us,” he said. “I could make you a very generous financial offer, but I have a better idea. You’re an integral part of the project. One I don’t want to risk losing. What I propose is giving you a stake in Project Liberty.”
That made her sit bolt upright. “Are you joking?”
“Absolutely not. Think of everything you found as the tip of an iceberg. Where did this man come from? What kind of civilization would it take to make those devices? What examples of this technology still exist, where might they be, and what could they teach us?”
She shook her head. “We have no way of knowing. There might not be anything left of them.”
“Or there might be something incredible on that comet. Whoever they were, they didn�
��t show themselves lightly. There has been no contact, other than this one instance over the course of recorded history. We might never know why, but it seems to me that this man was somehow cut off from his fellows.”
“You make it sound like he didn’t come from Earth at all. He certainly seemed human.”
Clayton rose from his chair and stretched. “I suspect he was. That doesn’t mean that he came from Earth in the way you’re imagining. Someone, or something, trained him. Educated him. Whoever they were, they didn’t want humans in general to know about them.”
“Harry said something similar.” She scowled at him. “We have no proof to back that up. Those are just theories.”
“Ones I have every confidence that we can find more evidence to support, if we look in the right places. We have a trail of breadcrumbs that could lead us to the biggest discovery in human history.”
“Aliens?”
“Aliens. Someone took humans and raised them to a technological pinnacle in advance of our own achievements more than a thousand years ago. Something like that would leave signs. So, where are they? I say they came from the stars. Perhaps only to visit. Perhaps they stayed a longer time and some calamity took them down. I hope to find out.
“In any case, that’s the value I see behind this find. With luck, we might find examples of technology that would allow us to create ships capable of visiting other stars. That’s Project Liberty writ large. Are you ready to hear my offer?”
“Shouldn’t we wait for Harry to get back?”
“I’m not asking that you accept anything this very second. I just want you to understand how seriously I’m taking this. I’m offering you a thirty percent stake in Project Liberty.”
She blinked at him for a moment. “That’s ridiculous.”
He felt the corners of his mouth rise. “Very well. Make it forty percent and Harry can have the extra ten. That’s my limit, though. I insist on maintaining operational control of this project.”