Never Again

by M. A. Rothman

  General Keane wiped his face and stared vacantly as his shoulders slumped ever so slightly.

  Kevin Baker’s eyes narrowed as the Director of the CIA drummed his fingers on the table. He suddenly leaned forward and asked, “Doctor Holmes, is the only issue power? If just one of the substations was able to generate enough power to offset the loss, would your plan still work?”

  Margaret frowned as she stared at the thirty-year veteran of the clandestine organization. Not sure what he was getting at, she glanced at Dave as the scientist pursed his lips, seeming to consider the question.

  There was a pregnant moment of silence as everyone’s attention veered to Dave.

  Finally he glanced at Bella and frowned. He turned his gaze back toward Kevin and nodded. “The connection would easily be sufficient to carry the burden, but what are you talking about? There simply isn’t enough generating capacity to do what you’re suggesting. We’re tapping it all as it is.”

  The CIA Director dropped a coin onto the conference room table. It clattered on the wooden surface and was about to roll away when he slapped his hand onto it and pressed down.

  Margaret, along with everyone else in the room, stared at the man, and she silently wondered if he’d finally cracked. She’d only met Kevin Baker six months earlier, and he was like many of the secret squirrel types. Silent, brooding, and usually not prone to joking.

  She was about to ask why he asked the question when Kevin suddenly lifted his hand and flicked what looked like molten metal in Dave Holmes’ direction.

  Margaret launched herself up from her chair when Dave held up his hand, “Wait!”

  The president yelled at the CIA Director, “What the hell are you doing?”

  “Wait,” Dave repeated, as he leaned forward and blew on the drips of metal lying only inches from his seat at the conference room table. Without hesitation, he lifted up the now-solidified metal and turned it over in his hand, a curious look replacing his previously grim expression. “I know this trick.” Dave squeezed the metal in his palm for a few seconds and then slowly unclenched his fist as he tilted his hand. The now-molten metal dripped onto the table. Dave glanced at the CIA Director. “It’s gallium, right?”

  Without the slightest change of expression, Kevin nodded. “Correct, Doctor Holmes. It seems as if you’re well-versed in things even beyond your specialty. I’d wager that most people wouldn’t have a clue how I did that. That gives me some hope. Maybe you can unravel a century-long mystery we’ve been hiding.”

  As Margaret settled back into her chair, she glanced back and forth between the two and growled, “What are you two talking about?”

  Dave turned to her as he hitched his thumb toward the Director of the CIA. “I have no idea what he’s talking about. As to that coin of his, though, it’s made of the only metal I know of that is solid at room temperature, but if you warm it even in the slightest it’ll melt. Body temperature is enough to do the job.”

  There was something about what the CIA Director had said that stirred some hope in Margaret. She was ready to grasp at any lifeline, and focused her gaze on Kevin. “Out with it. What are you talking about, and what’s this got to do with our situation?”

  For a fraction of a second, the CIA Director’s face carried a concerned expression that made her rising hope shudder with uncertainty. “Madam President, I’m sure you’re not surprised to hear that the CIA has long held some sensitive assets under compartmented restrictions. Only when I was appointed as Director did I become aware of certain assets that have been kept isolated from all access for over eighty years. I’ve read the old reports on this asset, and all I can say is that it’s extremely dangerous. It’s been kept locked away deep underground, and despite all the safeguards we’ve employed, it has a history of spontaneously sending bursts of energy sufficient to knock out the power to nearby towns. In 1981, nearly the entire state of Utah had their power knocked offline when this thing sent a devastating surge that wreaked havoc with the power grid. The Agency, of course, blamed a prison fire for the outage and the entire incident was swept under the rug. After the blackout, all testing ceased. We had no way of safely analyzing this thing without endangering everyone in the surrounding area, so it’s been sealed for over eighty years.”

  “What is it?” General Keane asked. “Where’d we get it from?”

  Kevin shrugged. “I’m not exactly sure on either count. We didn’t have the technology or the personnel to safely study it, so it’s been buried.” The longtime CIA agent pointed in Dave’s direction. “I was thinking that Doctor Holmes might be able to figure out what it is and somehow harness what might be a tremendous source of power.” He turned to the president with a helpless expression. “I’ll freely admit that I don’t know much more, but given that the situation seems dire, I had to mention what little I do know.”

  Dave stood and turned toward the president. “To be honest, there’s not much I can otherwise do given our current situation, so let me go take a look at this thing. I’ll be frank and say that we need some kind of miracle, and maybe Director Baker happens to have one hidden in his back pocket.”

  Margaret turned to Burt, who’d remained silent throughout the meeting. “Thoughts?”

  Burt shook his head and shrugged. “I have no idea what Director Baker’s got locked away in his secret hidey-hole, but if I were looking for someone to solve a problem that nobody had solved before, Doctor Holmes would be my first choice. And besides, he won’t be much help fixing what’s already been broken. While he’s off looking at whatever the CIA is hiding, I’ll work with others to see if there’s anything we can do to eke out some additional power. Maybe we missed something.”

  Margaret motioned toward the Secretary of Defense. “Walter, can you make arrangements for Doctor Holmes and his wife to go to....” She turned her gaze toward Kevin, and the CIA Director addressed the general with four words. “Homey Airport in Nevada.”

  The president stood and walked over to Dave, who got up from his chair as she approached. She gave him a hug and whispered in his ear. “Best of luck and Godspeed.” She turned to Bella, who cringed as Margaret leaned closer. Sensing the woman’s discomfort, the president nodded at her and pointed at Dave. “Keep him out of trouble.”

  Bella looked up at the president with a stunned expression, which suddenly melted as she smiled and returned Margaret’s nod.

  With a motion toward the rest of the room, Margaret announced in a firm voice, “I want Kevin and Burt to stay. Walter, you make the arrangements to get Doctor Holmes and his wife on site, then come right back. We’ve got additional pressing business. The rest of you, thanks for attending, but you’re dismissed.”

  The room cleared out in seconds and Margaret motioned for Kevin to sit closer. “Burt, since you’ve been disclosed on these matters previously, there’s no issue with you hearing this. Let’s just wait on Walter to arrive.”

  Kevin sat next to Margaret as she pressed a button on the table. A hidden speaker suddenly produced the disembodied voice of a White House operator.

  “Secure Operator 54391 is online.”

  “Margaret Laura Hager, 128-45-8934”

  “Margaret Laura Hager, confirmed. How may I help you, President Hager?”

  “I have an Omega priority request. An immediate audio meeting of the N35 is required. Please patch into this extension when everyone is connected.”

  “Omega priority audio patch to the N35, confirmed. Once all parties are in attendance, an operator will contact the Situation Room to confirm continued Presidential authorization before attempting to route the call. Disconnecting.”

  Burt turned to Margaret. “What’s N35?”

  Walter entered the Situation Room as Margaret replied, “Oh, that’s what we call the thirty-five nuclear weapon nations. The same folks that you met earlier.” She tossed him a wry grin. “I’m sure you remember them.”

  Burt’s eyes widened. “Oh, those folks. Yup—”
>
  Suddenly a ringing sound alerted everyone in the room to an incoming call, and Margaret remarked, “They can’t have gathered everyone so quickly.” She tapped the button on the table.

  “Secure Operator 54374 is online. We have an Omega priority call from a Head of State.”

  Margaret’s brows knitted together as she asked, “What state?”

  “The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea. Shall I patch them in?”

  Margaret tapped on the table’s mute button and glanced at Walter and Kevin. “Either of you expecting a call from North Korea? I’ve met that little....” She swallowed whatever she was going to say and restarted her sentence. “He’s as crazy as they come.”

  Both of the men shook their heads, but Burt’s voice suddenly chimed in. “I met him as well. Remember, I told you he knows Doctor Holmes from school and seemed desperate to talk to him.”

  With a frown, she motioned toward Kevin. “Can you run out there and bring Doctor Holmes back here really quick? I’m not about to blow this lunatic off, but I don’t have anything nice to say to him one on one.”

  The Director of the CIA bolted from his chair, and moments later, Dave rushed into the room with Bella right behind.

  “Doctor Holmes, are you okay with talking with the North Korean leader?”

  “You mean Frank?” Dave’s eyes widened, and a grin creased his confused expression. “The same Frank from Caltech? You’re kidding me.”

  The president shook her head and pointed at the speaker above the conference room table. “Doctor Holmes, he’s on hold and I cannot imagine he’s calling to talk to me. We don’t exactly get along. Are you okay talking with him?”

  “Sure, it’s been years, but I’ll talk to him.”

  As Dave sat in one of the chairs, Margaret toggled the mute button and said, “Operator, please patch the call in. We’re ready.”

  “Confirmed, patching call now....”

  “Hello?” An accented voice broadcast loudly from the speaker. “Hello?” A muffled noise sounding like someone covering a microphone broadcast through the connection, followed by the caller yelling something to someone in Korean.

  Dave craned his neck and yelled, “Hey, Frank? Is that you?”

  The muffled noise repeated loudly and Frank’s voice burst through the speaker. “Dave! You are there! I tried getting that asshole to get me your number, but he refused. We need to meet now.”

  Margaret was about to say something when Dave held his hand up and shook his head. “Frank, I’m swamped right now. Just tell me what you need. Maybe I can help.”

  “Oh, I’m sorry, I just need ... one second.” The sound of the microphone being covered once again was followed by muffled yelling in Korean, leaving everyone in the Situation Room shaking their heads.

  Margaret had met the weasel once before, and he was the most annoying ass she’d ever met in her life. If he weren’t who he was, she’d have stuffed her fist into that pudgy man’s face.

  “Remember how we talked about if we could control detonations? The concept of an engine that ran off weaponry to benefit the Earth … I’ve got a prototype, but … I’m not sure how practical it might be. You’ve got to take a look at this, you’re always so good at synthesizing practical applications for things. I know this is a big advancement, but I’m just not sure what to do with it yet. I need your help.”

  With both a puzzled and amused expression, Dave winced. “I can’t look right this second, but do you have a blueprint or some kind of schematic?”

  “Yes! I made all the drawings myself. Nobody helped. All myself.” Frank repeated himself as the tone of his voice indicated he was getting more agitated. “But how can I send it? Do you have e-mail? I can send it right now.”

  Dave leaned closer to Margaret and whispered, “I haven’t had an e-mail account in four years. Can I—”

  Burt scribbled something on a sheet of paper and handed it to Dave.

  “Frank,” Dave read from the paper, “send it to BR13829@isf.gov and I’ll look at it as soon as I get to my computer.”

  “Okay okay, I’ll send it now. We can meet and I can show it to you. We built one. Very very hard to build, but we did it. Yes, we’ll meet, right?”

  “Frank, give me a little time to look it over. I swear I’ll get back to you like I always have in the past. Okay?”

  “Oh ... yes, I’m sorry. I was pushing again. I’m sorry.” The previously hyper-excited voice had suddenly become much more somber. “The engine is ready when you are. Okay, I’m sending blueprints for the engine and a schematic for the coherency controller now. Bye.”

  A dial tone blurted through the speaker and Margaret slapped the disconnect button, ending the bizarre call.

  She grinned at Dave and shook her head. “That’s one strange friend of yours.”

  Dave stood and returned her amused expression. “Oh, he’s just excitable. You wouldn’t know it, but he’s not as crazy as he seems. Some of his ideas are just off-the-charts brilliant, and other times....” He shrugged and laughed. “If that’s it, I’m going to go see what Director Baker has got hidden up his sleeves in Nevada.”

  Margaret waved him away just as a ringing noise echoed through the speaker.

  As the president hit the button to pick up the call, Dave hesitated at the door to the Situation Room.

  “Secure Operator 54393 is online. We have an Omega priority call that requires presidential authorization.”

  Margaret tapped the mute button and motioned Dave away. “It’s okay. This is the call I was expecting. Thanks again, Doctor Holmes, and I’ll pray for your success.”

  As soon as Dave and Bella left, Margaret tapped at the mute button.

  “Margaret Laura Hager, 128-45-8934”

  “Margaret Laura Hager, confirmed. We have the conference call established for N35. 34 of the 35 members are on the line. The North Korean representative was unavailable. Shall I patch the call to your location, President Hager?”

  “Yes, go ahead.”

  The sound of a phone ringing replaced the operator’s voice, and a series of beeps occurred as voices appeared on the line.

  “All right, folks, as some of you already know, we’ve had another incident with the Brotherhood, this time a major one. Let me just tell you that we’re working on contingency plans, but while that’s happening, we need to ensure that crap doesn’t happen again.”

  “Margaret,” the voice of the British Prime Minister was easy to recognize, “we have some GPS locations for some of the terrorist cells, but this might require something a bit more drastic, don’t you think?”

  “Percy, it’s time to rain death on these clowns. Just like they coordinated their attacks, we have to do the same. Let’s wipe them all out.”

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Burt watched the Secretary of Defense and the Director of the CIA exit the Situation Room, leaving him sitting alone with the president.

  Margaret clacked her fingernails on the conference room table and stared at Burt with a thoughtful expression.

  He couldn’t tell what she was thinking, but she’d clearly asked him to stay for a reason, and her reasons usually meant something rather significant was going to be asked of him.

  “Burt, as you know,” she finally said, “we’re about to get bloody. The old Soviet KGB assassins used to call it wet affairs. It’s not something I enjoy, but these assholes are trying to get us all killed and they may very well have accomplished it. I’m not giving them a second chance. I hope you understand why I convened the N35 and we’ve started that ball rolling.”

  Burt hated the idea of killing people unnecessarily. It was something that kept him up at night, but he also understood that sometimes there was a greater good in such things. These lunatics were trying to bring about the end of the world as desperately as he was hoping to save it. “Madam ... uh, Margaret, I may never have fought in combat like you have, but I understand perfectly. Even though I can o
nly begin to imagine the bloodshed that’s about to occur, and despite knowing that there’s always collateral damage that occurs when chaos reigns, I know it has to be done. I’m sad that it has to come to this, but believe me, I understand.”

  Margaret pursed her lips as she stared intently at him. “I wanted to ask you before I did this. Having done some checking, I know that you’ve got some family in California. They aren’t in an evacuation zone, but if it makes you feel better, I can arrange for them to be taken with us to the Cheyenne Mountain Complex. It’s where most of our government will end up going.”

  Taken aback, Burt imagined the twins along with his brother and sister-in-law. Looking at the expression on Margaret’s face, he for a moment didn’t see a hard-nosed President or ex-soldier, instead he saw a warm, caring mother and friend. He blinked rapidly as the idea hit him that she’d gone out of her way to look after those he’d cared about.

  He took a deep, steadying breath and smiled. “Thank you for even thinking about them. If you don’t mind, I’ll talk to my brother and let you know. It should be whatever he feels is best for them.”

  Margaret nodded grimly and her gaze wandered for a moment. “Burt, I’m about to ask you to do something that I know you’ll find distasteful.” Her gaze locked onto his, and Burt felt the tension emanating from the president; she was deadly serious. “I’m going to initiate an evacuation of all of the Moon bases. I’m sending a company of Special Forces soldiers in full battle gear to sweep all of the miners, maintenance crews, and any living being up there, and ship them back down here. I want you to go up there with them.”

  Burt’s mouth fell open and his heartbeat quickened. His mind raced. “I’m not a soldier, and I’ve never even been to the Moon. Why in the world would you want me up there?”

  “I’m not sending you up there as a soldier, I’m sending you up as one of the preeminent computer scientists we have. I’ve read your file and have talked with Doctor Patel. It seems as if the Moon is operational and can be maneuvered under the same method as Doctor Holmes planned for the Earth. Burt, we can’t risk one of these lunatics gaining access to the Moon’s control systems. We can’t know they haven’t infiltrated the Moon, so that’s why I’m sweeping everyone off. In addition, I want you to go up there with two specific objectives.”