“I’m not going anywhere until you tell me what is going on.”
“We are not here to harm you in anyway, however you do need to come with us, either voluntarily as a guest or unconscious. It’s your call. By the way, all your security cameras are being fed bogus images. They’ll figure it out in a few minutes so we need to get going. So, what do you say?”
Mike thought for a minute. He might as well go with this guy. No sense in getting hurt for nothing. He was definitely at a disadvantage here. “Alright, but I will be missed soon.”
“Not really, according to the memo you left for Mabel, you had to leave on a top-secret mission and will be back tomorrow afternoon. The deputy director got one also.”
Defeated, Mike got out of his car and got into the SUV as the man held the door open for him. When the door closed, Mike looked out the window and saw nothing. They were all blacked out. The vehicle soon accelerated and was out of the garage in a few seconds. After driving for about thirty minutes, they began to slow down. He heard a strange noise that sounded like a large door opening and then the SUV drove up what felt like a ramp and stopped.
A few seconds later, there was a small vibration and then all was quiet. A partition slid down and the same guy that abducted him turned and said, “We are going to be in here for a little while. There are drinks and other refreshments in the cabinet in front of you. There is also a pillow in the overhead compartment if you want to take a nap.”
Looking into the driver’s compartment, he stared through the front windshield.at a blank gray wall. Nothing to let him know where he was. Take a nap. Is this guy kidding?
“No hints as to where we are going?” Williams asked.
“All your questions will be answered soon. Just relax.”
After about two hours, he heard the same small vibration and the door began to open. This time he could see it because the windows were now clear. The door he heard earlier was actually a ramp. After it opened, the SUV backed out into a large garage like enclosure. As we backed up, He saw that they were in a large cylindrical object with protrusions on the bottom and the top tapered to a blunt nose. The whole thing was black as night. The car stopped and the door opened.
Another person came up to the vehicle. “Hi, my name is Mac and If you’ll follow me sir, we have dinner waiting and you can meet our executive team.”
They walked to the far side of the garage and got into a small vehicle that ran on tracks. After getting in, it accelerated quickly. After a few minutes, it slowed and stopped. Mac got out and motioned Williams to follow. They walked a short distance and then went through a door that led to a small private dining room. There was a buffet table at the far end and several people were already picking at the food. A small dog was sitting in front of the table hoping someone would drop something. “Grab a plate and then have a seat. We have a lot to discuss.” Williams made himself a turkey sandwich and piled on some chips. They had his favorite beer – Corona, so he grabbed one. As he sat down, Mac introduce the others.
“Director, may I introduce Charlie, our personnel director.” He pointed to a tall man. He looked like he had a tan and was fit like he worked out. “To Charlie’s right is Maggie, our lead scientist.” The woman looked fit also and although she was not beautiful, there was something alluring about her. “At the head of the table is Jake, our fearless leader,” he said with a smile on his face. Jake looked like a geek who spent lots of time in front of a screen. He did look healthy, though and like the rest seemed to get his exercise. The dog walked over to him and laid at his feet.
Jake began, “Please eat. As you do so, the four of us will let you know why you are here.” As he said that, there was a shimmering on the wall and a view of his office appeared. He was sitting at his desk and heard a knock. Richard walked in and the meeting he had with him two weeks ago, replayed on the wall.
“How in the hell did you get that? My office is swept for bugs twice a day. We haven’t found anything for over a year.”
The image changed and the oval office appeared. The president’s secretary was placing some papers on his desk and then she turned and walked out.
“That’s a live picture,” Mac said. “We have surveillance of all the major capitals in the world. Would you like to see a view of the Kremlin?”
“No that’s okay, I believe you. So, what brings me here.” Taking a bite of his sandwich and a sip of beer, He waited for a response.
Jake began; “Discovery of our stock market doings is what got you here. We are the ones who are reaping the profits. As you know, nothing we are doing is illegal. Your financial guru is good, but that is as far as he will get. Our parent company, PLUS, Inc. is the recipient entity of all our profits. We are approaching three trillion credits making us the fourth largest economy in the world, behind China, the US, and India. By the end of the year, we will be number one.”
“You still haven’t answered my question. Why am I here?”
“You are here because we want you to work for us,” answered Jake.
“What?” That was the last thing Williams expected. “What makes you think that I want to work for you?”
“We have intelligence coming in from all over the world and need someone to sort things out for us. You know who is full of hot air and who means what they say. You also know the connections of all the major players. We need your insight.”
“Are you crazy, why would I leave the great job I have now?”
“It’s not that great of a job,” Mac said. “You are under a lot of pressure and can’t do anything without political oversight and direction. Here you will be part of our team and will have as much say as any of the four of us. I can guarantee that the pay and benefits will be much better. As an added bonus, you will be able to spend more time with your family; you can get to all your son’s baseball games and have most of your weekends free to enjoy with family and friends.”
“Are you guys for real?” He exclaimed.
“You and I will be working closely together. I’m the head of security and you will be head of intelligence. Unlike your present position, you will be a decision maker not a doer for someone else’s decisions.”
Charlie perked up. “You are going to have to relocate here with your family. It’s actually pretty nice here. I’ll take you on a tour later.”
“We are taking a risk by even having you here. I know this is a big decision for you and we will give you several days to think about it. Also, if you feel that you would like to have us hire some of your other people, like Richard, for instance, we would be glad to vet them,” added Jake.
“Why are you doing all this? What’s in it for you. Obviously, it’s not money.”
“Our organization is set up to help mankind into the future without the bullshit associated with government. There are no restrictions on our researchers and they can work on whatever they want. For example, our monitoring bugs were developed by our engineers. We are also working on an anti-gravity engine. When we get it finished, the anti-gravity device alone could change the world almost immediately. But before we let these technologies out, the world needs to be ready for them. We are still in our infancy and we need to be in a position to guide the world with our discoveries so that ALL will benefit. Not just a few elite. Like I said, we are in our infancy and have a lot to figure out. You can be part of that.”
Maggie finally spoke up, “After Charlie finishes with you, I’d like you to take a tour of our research facilities. You will be impressed. We have made arrangements for you to stay here tonight and I can show you around tomorrow. Charlie will be giving you a general tour after this meeting and then show you to your accommodations. I know that this is a bit overwhelming and a lot to think about, so get comfortable and enjoy your stay with us.”
“Do you have any question for us?” asked Jake.
“Are you kidding, I don’t even know where to start. Maybe by tomorrow I’ll know what to ask.”
“Finish up your dinner and have
some dessert, the food here is amazing. When you’re done, we can get started on your first tour,” Charlie said as he got up and grabbed a piece of cherry pie and a cup of coffee. “
….
“Mabel, call Richard and have him come to my office as soon as he can.”
Mike sat back in his chair and pondered his visit to Earth Station. What they are doing there is just amazing. In a few years, the rest of the world will be in the stone age compared to them. He would be a fool not to get in on this from the ground floor. He already let Jake know that he will be on board. Hell, all he had to do is say it in his office and they will know it within minutes, but he called him anyway when he had made his decision. “I know you guys are listening. In a few minutes, Richard Greenleaf will be coming to my office. He is one of the people that I would like to have come with me, as well as a few other operatives. Mabel has been a great secretary and I would like to bring her along too.”
“Director, Richard is here.”
“Thanks Mabel, send him in.”
“What’s up boss?”
“Mabel, when was the last time my office was swept.”
“This morning, just before you got here.”
“Richard, could you please close the door. Thanks.”
Richard went over to the door and closed it while Mike surrounded his office with a security shield. Richard saw him do that and said, “I guess something really must be up, what gives with all this security stuff?”
“The stock market anomaly that I had you look into; well, I found out what is causing it. Watch, listen and learn.” Mike looked forward in no particular direction and said, “Could you please have Jake call me now.” Richard gave him a confused look. A few seconds later, his private line rang. “Go ahead and pick it up,” Mike told Richard.
Richard picked up the phone, “Hello?”
“Good morning Richard, my name is Jake and I would like to invite you to our little hideaway for a tour. I’ll see you soon.” Richard heard the click as Jake hung up.
Richard really looked confused now. “What?” is all that Richard could say.
“Jake is behind the stock market anomaly and you would be amazed at what else he has accomplished. I have decided to tender my resignation and work for him. I would like you to come along. I’ve arranged for you to be picked up after this meeting and taken to Earth Station. All your questions will be answered there. I’ll notify Linda that you are on a special assignment for me and won’t be home until tomorrow evening. It’s too much to tell you here and now, so I suggest you get your go bag and head for the parking garage. A black SUV will pick you up. A guy by the name of Mac will be driving. Just say the word ‘Plus’ if you are unsure whether it is the right SUV – I know DC is filled with them,” Mike said with a smile.
“Also, this conversation and everything you see between now and tomorrow when you get back is to be coded Top Secret Ultra. I’ll see you when you get back. No questions, just go.”
Mike released all the security measures and Richard walked out of the office in a daze.
January 4th, 2112
Mike and his family settled in nicely. Having the jobs he had for the government, his family was used to moving. This move was a little more taxing for Sarah and Nik but they were adapting and starting to get involved with Earth Station. Sarah is now an analyst for intel Mike’s team is gathering. Nik is making new friends and has started playing baseball for the Earth Station team. Baseball has been hijacked by the Latin communities around the world and Nik is finding that he is not the star he once thought he was. He is up for the challenge though, and is working hard in school and on the field.
I stood up and look around at my cohorts. “So, what’s new today?” Seems like almost every day our engineers and scientist come up with something spectacular.
“We’ve got something for Mac and Mike to play with. Using our anti-gravity drive we are set to send sixty-five satellites into orbit at 2000 km. They will cover the entire earth with surveillance. Now we will know what is going on inside and out. They will be coated with the cloaking material developed by our chemist, Marc Levi and his team. That makes them essentially invisible except for the small antennas protruding from the surface. We are using the same frequency that we use for our surveillance bugs. That will make our transmissions to and from the satellites undetectable by the current technologies that everyone else has.”
“That’s great Maggie. How many people do we have working in security and intelligence?”
Charlie answered, “We have seventy-three people who have passed the security level needed to catalog and analyze the data. Sarah has been placed in charge of all the analysis of our intelligence. She is doing a great job. The residential ring is almost done and personnel are starting to move in. We will probably be able to close our off-station housing in less than a month.”
Jake looked over at Mike.
“’All’s quiet on the Western Front’ as the saying goes,” Mike acknowledged. “There is not even a whisper out there that we exist. I don’t know how long we are going to be able to be under the radar. Our footprint is getting pretty big and someone is bound to notice soon. Richard is doing a great job with our finances. He is a quick study and has taken over. Our net worth is currently over five trillion credits.”
Mac turned toward the head of the table. “We may have some trouble brewing. It seems that this place is the talk of the town. Our bribes have kept us off the radar but more and more people are getting curious about this place. As Mike said, our anonymity won’t last long. On that note, we are training a para-military defense force. We have some ex special forces who are doing the training and the engineers have provided us with some cool new weaponry which is non-lethal but definitely incapacitating.”
“Anybody else have anything?” I looked around the room and they all looked like they were itching to get out of here and get started on their day. “Alright, seeya tomorrow.”
They all filed out and I sat there alone staring at the wall which had a schematic of Earth Station with its current structure and future expansion. It is going too fast, I thought to myself. I think we need to slow down and consolidate all that we have before it gets away from us and we lose control. We have so many new technologies that we haven’t fully explored yet. I’m not going to hinder our scientists because that would go against one of our primary tenets. I will suggest to the others that our engineers develop uses for the new tech that we have now and then slowly release new discoveries to them on a need basis. I know that is a bit controlling but we need to keep a handle on all this. I’m becoming more and more of a bureaucrat and I don’t really like it. I need to get my hands dirty. I think that I will head down to the research ring to see what’s going on and maybe participate. Those guys down there will not like to have me look over their shoulders but fuck it, I’m the boss. I need to try not to look like an idiot. I’ll remind myself not to put my two cents in unless I really see something worthwhile. I’ll probably need to remind myself several times, I said to myself with a smile.
….
I walked out of my office and down the hall to the exit. As I passed out into the main tunnel, I had to wait a few minutes for a car. Since I was at the 2000 m mark, it didn’t take me long to reach the end of the tunnel. There were several elevators, two for personnel and two freight elevators. The freight elevators were huge to accommodate just about anything we needed to move around. I got into the personnel elevator which went down. This section of Earth Station was already 1000 m below the surface and the elevator I was in went down another 500 m. As the elevator slowed and finally stopped, the doors opened and I was greeted by Maggie. “How did you know I was coming?”
“Not a whole lot goes on here that I don’t know about. Mac gave me a heads up that you were coming. This place is totally covered with surveillance and your movements are no exception. So, what brings you down here?”
“I haven’t been down here since this research ring was finishe
d so I thought I would come down here to see what new and exciting things are going on,” I said with a smile.
“Just don’t get in anybody’s way.”
“You know that I could walk through this place like a ghost.” I have the ability to predict where people will be looking and can avoid their view; although the surveillance system would see me as bright as day. “Don’t worry about it. Just go back to what you were doing – and what was that exactly?”
“I’m working with Marc to upgrade our cloaking system so we can cover an area with a projection system that will display whatever we want. We want to use that in our residential ring to cover our outdoor areas so that they look like the rough terrain of the surrounding mountains. From the inside, it will look like there is nothing there. That way you guys can sit outside and drink your beer and bbq your steaks without anyone ever seeing you,” she said with a smirk.
“Ha, Ha, very funny. There is something I do want to talk to you about. I think we are getting ahead of ourselves. I would like to slow down the technological development of the discoveries your scientist make. I don’t want to slow down the scientists but to feed the engineers a little bit at a time so they can fully utilize the discoveries already made. I haven’t thought it out completely but we should talk about this tomorrow morning at our daily meeting and see what we can come up with.”
“I was kind of thinking in a similar vein. We need to take full advantage of what we have before jumping into something new. We only have so many personnel and we are already stretched pretty thin.”
“I’m going to take my walk now. Left is scientists and right is engineers. I think I’ll start off going left.” I started off left and soon was engrossed in the weird and amazing things these guys were doing.
I eventually got to Vlad’s lab. “Good morning Dr. Skrimov. How’s your research coming?”
Earth Station (Station Series Book 1) Page 4
