Socrates and the Sentinel

by Thomas Fay

  ‘What is that?’ John asked. He couldn’t tear his eyes away from the core of the Flux Cell. The moment the robotic arms had finished stripping the sheets of metallic casing away, an incredible sight had been revealed. At the core of the Flux Cell was a point of light so dense it appeared as a solid sphere of light. It remained perfectly stationary in the air, nothing holding it in place.

  ‘What you are seeing is a wormhole terminus, anchored to a fixed event horizon on this side. It is a singularity infinitely dense so as to appear as an unwavering light,’ Professor Holstein explained.

  ‘This side? Where does the other side lead to?’ John asked.

  ‘I do not know, but wherever it is must be the source of the energy. That is the secret to the Iona Corporation’s technology. It does not actually generate energy. It draws energy from another point in space–time through this singularity. That energy is then transferred into the conduits attached to the protective shielding and manifests itself as clean limitless energy.’

  ‘Incredible!’

  ‘No, not incredible. Impossible. As I once postulated in my research, the Flux Cell is not a limitless source of energy. Energy flows from one point to another. Never less, never more. No energy is created. It is drawn from another point in space–time. If all the Flux Cells are drawing their energy from the same point, then the technology has a very finite life.’

  ‘Wait—this, the Flux Cell, it’s a form of energy transference, isn’t it?’

  ‘Very good, John,’ Socrates said. ‘This is why the Iona Corporation wants Walter Menzies’s research. He’s figured out how the Flux Cell works and duplicated the technology.’

  ‘If that’s the case, then it’s a direct threat to them. It could end their monopoly on clean energy. It would also allow Karl Hobbs to challenge their dominance over this city if he got his hands on it, which is another reason the Iona Corporation wants it so badly.’

  John turned to the professor.

  ‘Is the technology safe?’

  ‘It depends.’

  ‘On what?’

  ‘Where the energy is coming from, how many Flux Cells are drawing energy from the same place and what the conversion method is.’

  ‘I see. So there’s no way of knowing for sure?’

  ‘No.’

  ‘Thank you again, Professor. You have helped us immensely,’ John said. Motioning to Socrates, he said, ‘C’mon, we’d better get moving. Simone will be in position soon.’

  ‘Simone?’ Professor Holstein asked. ‘Simone Greenberg?’

  ‘Yes. Do you know her?’

  ‘She is the daughter of a good friend of mine.’

  John was silently cursing Manson in his head, even as a tingle crept up his spine. He knew what the answer to his question was before he even asked it.

  ‘Who’s your friend?’

  ‘Qallan Frost.’

  Sixty-One

  The dark blue Celine sedan pulled up outside a low-rise residential development in Mascot. A number of people were walking around in front of the building. A few turned to look at the sedan, causing John to lean back in his seat. He could still hear Councillor Jonathan Gage’s voice as he declared them the most wanted fugitives in Iona. His face, Socrates’s, Fernali’s and Streeter’s would be known to everyone in the city. It would just take one person to recognise them, or even think they recognised them, to bring the full weight of the Ruling Council down on them. John switched the engine off.

  ‘Any ideas?’ he asked.

  ‘I have a number of ideas on countless topics available for discussion,’ Socrates said. ‘What in particular were you referring to?’

  ‘How to get into Gleason’s apartment and get him out without anyone seeing us.’

  Socrates scanned the building structure.

  ‘There is an underground parking garage accessible from the side alley. We could gain entry via the Sentinel override.’

  ‘Too risky. There are at least two security cameras covering the entrance, not to mention the fact that the override will flag an alert and the Ruling Council will be here within minutes.’

  Socrates watched the flow of traffic in and out of the building for a few seconds in silence. Two cars pulled out of the side street, a black sports coupé and a brown station wagon. Several people moved around on their balconies. A flock of birds flew overhead.

  ‘We’re running out of time,’ John said.

  ‘I believe there is no way we can enter the building without either being noticed or using the Sentinel override,’ Socrates said.

  ‘That’s helpful. I thought you said you had a lot of ideas?’

  ‘I do, John. As we are unable to gain entry into the building, our only option is to make the building’s occupants come to us.’

  John’s eyes opened wide as he regarded his partner.

  ‘That’s brilliant! Why didn’t I think of that?’

  ‘Because you’re human and humans always think along the path of least resistance, which ironically is the quality we should be looking to exploit in this situation.’

  John laughed.

  ‘You might be right there. Alright, so what do you think? Fire alarm would be the easiest way to get everyone out onto the street.’

  ‘Your reasoning is sound, as always, John.’

  ‘Right, thanks.’

  ‘What about Simone?’

  John took a deep breath. Expelling the air slowly he picked up his deactivated phone. He held it for a moment before putting it back down with a dejected shrug.

  ‘We’re going to have to deal with her later. I can’t even call Fernali and update him, since my phone is being monitored. This is getting ridiculous. No phone, no overrides, our faces plastered all over the news. I’m beginning to think the stories about the Iona Corporation are true.’

  Socrates stared at him but said nothing.

  ‘I’m guessing Fernali and Streeter can handle themselves and, to be honest, I still don’t know what to make of Simone,’ John said.

  ‘Do you believe she is working against us?’ Socrates asked.

  ‘No. At least, not directly. I believe she is acting out Qallan Frost’s agenda, which clearly involved flushing out the insurgent element within the Ruling Council, as well as the hidden backer of the M-theory energy transference research.’

  ‘It would appear that things have gone according to plan.’

  ‘Yes, they have. Which worries me.’

  ‘Why?’

  ‘Because this all started with a murder investigation. We still don’t know who killed Walter Menzies. On top of that, we’re now being pursued by the Ruling Council. I guess we need to take it one step at a time.’

  ‘What is our next move, John?’

  A slow smile spread across John’s face.

  ‘We go borrow some matches.’

  Sixty-Two

  The fire alarm had sounded sixty seconds after John lit the small fire in the garbage room. At first it was a sporadic warning tone. Once the smoke began to pass into the main hallway, the alarm became more urgent. Sirens began to scream throughout the building. Red lights flashed along the corridors and walkways. Commands to evacuate droned in a toneless voice over and over. At first, nothing happened. Then a few people appeared on their balconies. They craned their necks out. Seeing the smoke drifting up from the side alley they quickly disappeared inside. Then the first person appeared outside the fire doors. More followed. By the time the fire trucks had arrived, there was a swarm of people milling around outside the building.

  ‘There he is. Let’s go,’ John said. He switched the car on and glided slowly down the street. Pulling up alongside James Gleason, the young Sentinel tech, he rolled his window down halfway.

  ‘Don’t react, don’t make any sudden movements. I need you to come with us. Walk to the end of the street and we’ll pick you up there,’ John said. ‘Nod once if you understand.’

  James nodded. He kept his eyes firmly on the apartment building.

  ‘Good.
See you in two.’

  John closed the window and drove away. Casting a glance at the rear view mirror, he saw James slowly move down the street. John pulled over near an intersection and waited. Two minutes later James opened the back door and got in.

  ‘Good to see you two are okay,’ James said.

  ‘Thanks. Looks like you avoided the Sentinel lockdown.’

  ‘They sent the entire tech team, admin staff and support staff home. I guess they didn’t think we were important enough.’

  John nodded.

  ‘Lucky for us. We need your help.’

  ‘Sure. What do you need?’

  ‘I need you to trace a phone call the Chief received yesterday.’

  ‘Okay, that shouldn’t be too hard. I’ll just need to go back and get my laptop.’

  ‘There’s no time for that.’

  ‘Then how am I supposed to do this?’

  John pointed at Socrates.

  ‘He’s your laptop. Socrates is the most advanced portable computer on the planet. Instruct him the same way you would your computer.’

  ‘Okay…’ James said. His voice and his face clearly showed he wasn’t convinced it would work.

  ‘Are you able to establish a direct link to the telecommunications network?’ James asked.

  ‘No, I am prohibited from accessing any secure communication or surveillance network,’ Socrates replied.

  James looked at John.

  ‘Socrates, are you able to access the telecommunications network or is there something actually preventing you from doing so?’ John asked.

  ‘I am able to access it.’

  ‘Then do it.’

  Socrates’s eyes became a blur.

  ‘Link established.’

  John motioned for James to continue.

  ‘Okay, the telecommunications network is almost as secure as the surveillance camera network. You’ll need to use a work around that we developed at the Sentinels.’

  James proceeded to explain an increasingly complex series of algorithms and bypasses.

  Socrates stared straight ahead as his eyes blurred.

  ‘I have located the file. Scanning for the Chief’s number. Located. I have access to the call log from Thursday,’ Socrates said.

  ‘That was impressive. Remind me to give you a call next time I need to hack into a secure database,’ James said. ‘Okay, do we know when this call happened? The number? Duration?’

  ‘He received at least two, no three, calls from this number on Thursday. It would be a silent number so either it’s registering as a dummy number, rotating through different numbers, or not showing up at all,’ John said.

  James shook his head.

  ‘No, it would still show up. There is no way of using the telecommunications network without the call registering. Even if it’s showing as a different number via caller-ID, the network would still log it as the same number. Whose number is it?’

  ‘Qallan Frost’s.’

  James visibly paled.

  ‘The Chairman of the Iona Corporation? Wow, okay. That will make it a lot harder, if not impossible, to track the origin of the call. All the Ruling Council members’ phone numbers are restricted and divert automatically to dummy message banks. Without the proper authorisation code it would take months to hack the number.’

  John picked up his phone and handed it to James.

  ‘It’s a good thing my phone has the authorisation code.’

  Sixty-Three

  The dark blue Celine sedan was a comfortable car designed for family outings and highway driving. It had been designed with passenger and driver in mind, allowing for relatively soft suspension, wide cushioned seats and twenty airbags. It most definitely had not been designed with high-speed pursuits in mind. John was silently cursing Manson again as he took a sharp right-hand corner at over sixty kilometres per hour. The Celine’s tyres squealed in protest as the car’s soft suspension struggled to keep the body from rolling into the side of the road.

  ‘This thing is useless!’ John shouted. ‘Are they still behind us?’

  Socrates checked the side mirror.

  ‘Yes. There are two police cruisers directly behind us. I believe Detective Jastrzebski is in the lead vehicle.’

  ‘Great. Any sign of a Ruling Council transport ship?’

  ‘No.’

  John rolled right over a relatively flat roundabout. The Celine’s soft suspension bounced the car into the air. Sparks flew from its undercarriage as it landed on the other side. John put his foot to the floor.

  ‘Should we contact Simone?’ Socrates asked.

  ‘No. We’ve got to trust that she’ll be waiting for us,’ John replied. ‘We should never have dropped James back at his apartment but I really didn’t want to put him in any more danger that we already had.’

  ‘There was no way of knowing the police would have responded to a fire alarm. There is no requirement for them to do so unless there is suspicion of arson or risk of casualties.’

  ‘We should have known. We know the stakes we’re playing for and we’re making rookie mistakes. It’s the sort of thing that’s going to get us killed.’

  ‘Technically, I cannot die.’

  ‘You can be blown to pieces or deactivated though.’

  ‘Yes, correct.’

  ‘Then we’ve both got as much as each other to lose. Hang on.’

  The Celine sedan went sideways around another corner, narrowly missing an oncoming four-wheel drive. John furiously spun the wheel back the other way and the car righted itself. They passed underneath the M1 motorway and bounced along Botany Road, heading towards the port. The Celine sedan continued to gain momentum as John kept his foot planted firmly on the floor. He swerved from side to side to prevent the police cruisers from overtaking them. Each time he swerved back it took the car longer to right itself.

  ‘I believe we are approaching the maximum safe speed at which this vehicle was designed to operate and undertake such manoeuvres,’ Socrates said. His voice was perfectly level and he was completely unfazed by the erratic movements of the car. A human being would have been hanging on for dear life.

  ‘Tell me about it. This thing feels like a boat, not a car. Who designed this?’

  ‘The Iona Corporation.’

  ‘Figures. I guess they never imagined it would be used to get away from them. Or maybe they did and they deliberately made it this slow. They certainly seem to have a history of keeping the best of their technology for themselves. Hang on, we’re getting close. Get your phone ready.’

  Their car sailed around a wide right-hand turn, the two police cruisers right behind them. The tyres were now constantly screaming in protest and the steering was becoming rather loose. It was only a matter of time before the car succumbed to the laws of physics and slid off the road and into the bushes. John saw the narrow turn ahead. Placing his foot on the brake, he spun the wheel hard. The car slid sideways into the corner, the smell of burning rubber filling the air as the savaged tyres were reduced down to wires. Clipping the edge of a gutter, the car shook violently. John wrenched the wheel back and it stabilised. He planted his foot back on the accelerator. The police cruisers were directly behind them.

  ‘This is going to be very close,’ John said.

  ‘Now, John?’

  ‘Yes. Make the call.’

  Socrates activated his phone.

  ‘We’re on final approach. There are two police cruisers on our tail. Yes, I will let him know. Goodbye.’

  ‘Everything okay?’ John asked.

  ‘Yes. They’re in position.’

  ‘Great.’

  The waterfront appeared on their left, blue water stretching out beyond a low concrete barrier. Towers of multi-coloured storage containers dominated the right-hand side. Their destination was a kilometre ahead. At their present speed they would be there in less than forty seconds.

  ‘The police cruisers are moving to overtake us,’ Socrates said.

  ‘We’ll make it
. They can’t—damn it!’

  A Ruling Council transport ship lifted up from behind the storage containers and floated above the end of the road. Its arc cannons glinted with pent-up energy as the ship lined them up in its sights.

  Sixty-Four

  The arc cannons glowed brighter as their high-pitched sound filled the air. It penetrated the Celine’s windscreen, making John’s teeth vibrate. It felt like a dentist’s drill was boring into all of his teeth at once. He gritted his jaw together and continued to stare straight at the arc cannons. His hands gripped the wheel so tightly that his knuckles turned white.

  ‘John?’

  ‘Just tell me when.’

  Socrates’s unblinking artificial eyes watched as the azure energy built within the sophisticated weapons. Their car continued to drive towards the end of the road, the water shimmering on the left, the transport ship dead ahead. The two police cruisers had dropped back about two car lengths behind them.

  ‘Now!’

  John turned the wheel as hard and as fast as he could to the left. The Celine’s tyres had finally had enough. With a loud bang two of the tyres burst and the car spun out of control, heading directly for the concrete barrier. It collided with the barrier with tremendous force, the impact sending the car flying into the air.

  ‘Jump!’

  The passenger side door was damaged to the point where it was inoperable. Socrates twisted his body and pushed the damaged door out with his feet. He grabbed John by the arm. Twisting to the side, he leapt out of the plummeting car, pulling John after him.

  Turning his head, John watched as the transport ship unleashed the pent-up fury of its arc cannons. Twin azure beams accelerated towards them at frightening speed. They passed overhead and struck the now empty Celine sedan, punching straight through the driver’s side door. Emerging on the other side, the beams burned through the water, disappearing into its depths. John and Socrates landed in the water with a loud splash. John remained on the surface. Socrates disappeared beneath the waves.