A man had called him not more than an hour ago and declared the mission. But it suited him nicely, he liked to study people. It had always been one of his strengths. Anyway, he thought that himself at least. Ib was a thin, patient man and he continued to routinely study the sea of people who moved through the doors where the passages left the luggage area and were met by family, friends or colleagues.
But the actual amount of people made him, after all, in need to get some assistance. He pulled up a couple of special glasses from his inner pocket and put them on. The automatic scanning feature in the system began scanning all the faces that came out through the doors.
Many walked while gazing down in their mobiles. A constant stream of messages pronounced by the female voice through the speaker system contributed to an atmosphere of low-frequency chaos. Ib chuckled. In many ways, his work had become easier over the years with all the electronics that people surrounded themselves with and for that he was thankful. Ib had learned to deal with the technology and could use them against the villains he had the task of capturing.
He was able, with the help of special programs that were only available to the police, and on the black market, to gain access to a mobile phone without his victim knowing it had been hacked. Sheep. That was what they were. Sheep. And he was the shepherd.
The crowd continued to gush from the doors where the passengers left the baggage hall. A couple of female sellers of something came up to him and started speaking quickly. One of the women was blond and relatively good-looking. But, work first, he looked away from her and continued watching the crowd. However, the woman seemed to unconcerned that he looked away and continued her stream of words. Ib began to get annoyed over the woman's voice, turned against her.
"Disappear."
The woman's mouth froze, and she abruptly stopped talking. The woman’s friend who stood a few meters back came up and grabbed the woman’s arm and pulled her away. Ib followed her with stern gaze until the women disappeared. He sighed to himself. Work first.
After barely ten minutes his glasses pinged, and he saw how a thin electronic frame was moving in sync with a woman's face when she came out through large doors. A green figure shone beside the frame; 88% probability.
"Confirm."
The electronic glasses he wore were a wonder of efficiency. In less than half a second, they had linked themselves to four international archives of known criminals and conducted a search. Another half second later, confirmation of what he needed, came. The green figure changed; 97,89% probability.
That had to do. Ib took a deep breath and began to move towards the woman. She was beautiful with high cheekbones and marked eyebrows. Her dark hair tossing in sync with her when she walked, and her figure got several men to turn around when they passed her. As he approached, he saw that she had green eyes. He stayed a few meters in front of her and her gaze met his.
"I'm a spider."
A faint smile spread over her lips.
"With a large network."
Ib breathed out and his pulse returned to normal. He signed to the woman to follow him.
"This way."
The woman nodded and followed him. Ib led them down to a waiting unmarked police car and he pointed to the woman to take place the passenger seat. They got in. Umbra smiled at him when he put his hand on a black control panel on the center console. The instrument panel blinked faintly green.
"Bredgade."
The built-in artificial intelligence immediately sought out the destination and planned the most effective way to get there. The car swung smoothly up from the garage and drove over a deep puddle that sprinkled up when Ib gave a holo-plate to Umbra.
“Here. The target is located at this address. "
Umbra nodded imperceptibly when she received it and began reading.
1944. World War II. James Buch is a soldier in the Allied army and during a mission, he and two comrades find a hidden metal box. In the metal box, there are three of the lost Fabergé-eggs. Hidden in the three eggs were also parts of what appeared to be an extraterrestrial key. One of the eggs is stolen when the three travels home from the war. James and his two comrades share the treasure and build their fortunes after the war and together they look for the third egg and the key part, but never manage to find it.
The Rete Group tried during the nineties to persuade one or all the holders of the eggs but failed. James survives his comrades and gets a son Arne. Arne grows up to a successful businessman and takes over his father's quest for the last egg and, in turn, gets a daughter, Maja, along with Dagmar Buch, now 78 years, who recently became a widow. Arne was as stubborn as his father and opposed any pressure for help in finding the last egg with the last part of the key.
Umbra looked up and saw how Ib stared at her. She said nothing but turned her eyes down to the plate and continued reading. The car swung in an alley and stopped. She lifted her eyes from the holo-plate and looked out. A couple of large bins were placed farther in the alley. A cat lingered past the car in search of something edible. She turned to Ib.
"Why do we stop here?"
Ib did not respond, instead, he pressed a button on the control panel. A moment later, all the windows became frosted and opaque of all outside transparency. He put his hand on the Umbra's thigh and squeezed.
"I thought we would take and familiarize ourselves a little bit first." His greedy eyes ogled her legs.
Umbra stared at him before she burst out laughing. Ib froze but did not move his hand. She put her hand over his and Ib’s facial expressions changed from surprise to anticipation. She held her hand on his while she wiped off a tear from her eye.
"You're a funny man." She chuckled, "Do you think we should have sex in your lousy police car when I'm on assignment. "
Ib looked at Umbra with astonishment as she gripped Ib’s hand, lifted it up from her thigh and squeezed it hard. Ib moaned.
"Stop, stop, you’re breaking my hand."
Umbra's smile became even wider when her grip on the Ib’s hand tightened. Ib screamed when the bones in his thumb shattered. Small drops of blood dripped down the center console when bone penetrated the skin. Ib's eyes looked to bulge out of their sockets when she released the grip on his hand. Sobbing, Ib pulled the wounded hand up to the chest. She looked at him and sighed.
"Goodnight."
She hit Ib’s throat hard. Ib froze and started jerking uncontrollably when he struggled to get air. He drowned in his own blood while Umbra studied him. When he sank down and finally stopped twitching, Umbra lifted the holo-plate once more and continued reading.
ESA, Paris, France
March 17, 2049
He held his breath. He dared not breathe but finally, he was forced to, and he breathed violently out and took a new breath. His, and the over twenty other people who were in the room, gaze was fixed on the central, oval screen in the great control room.
Louis Timmo felt his pulse throb in his ears as he saw the big rocket approach the lunar surface. Twenty meters, fifteen meters. Large dust swirled up on the hologram-screen when the powerful rockets adjusted the angle. Eight meters, five meters. Touchdown. In the same moment as the rocket landed, the room exploded with cheers. People jumped to their feet, hugged each other and gave each other high-fives. The dust cloud slipped across the screen and concealed the visibility of the cameras. There was nothing to do than to wait. Louis saw his bosses’ boss, the executive officer Robert H. Spiff, jump both feet in the air when the rocket landed.
Now Robert stood straight and stared proudly on the screen with a big smile on his face. Someone pounded Louis on the back and said something that he did not hear, he was busy seeing how Robert went up to Louis's boss, Magdalena, and said something. Magdalena listened but did not seem to say anything, she looked thoughtfully at Robert when he spoke. Robert continued talking and finally, Magdalena nodded. Robert turned spun around and disappeared from the control room. Louis saw Robert’s back vanished out through the steel doors that slipped sideway
s with a hissing noise as he approached.
There had always been something with Robert who made the hairs on Louis' arms to stand up but the last month something had made them to rise more than usual. Something was going on. Louis glanced up towards the holo-screen that stretched almost all the way around the room. The dust clouds on the lunar surface still slowly glided past the camera. The visibility started to improve but it would still take a few minutes before they could activate the next step. Louis felt something on his shoulder. It was Magdalena's hand.
"What does it look like?"
Louis checked his screen.
"It looks good. All systems are green across the board. Now let's just wait a few minutes before we activate the probe. "
Magdalena studied the screens. Louis waited for her to say something. He was a bit surprised over her reaction to the landing. This was a great success that they succeeded in landing without any mishaps, but Magdalena did not seem particularly impressed. She leaned towards him and Louis could see that something was up.
"Can I talk to you, privately?"
Louis raised an eyebrow.
"Yes?"
She nodded towards the door that Roberts had gone through when Louis did not make any attempt to rise.
"Outside." She spun around and walked out.
When he finally understood what she meant he got up and hurried after her while he spoke quickly to Vedor, another liaison officer behind him.
"I'll be right back."
Before Vedor had a chance to respond, Louis hurried after Magdalena who had already gone out. The metal doors slid to the side with a hissing sound and Magdalena stood alone a few meters down in the long corridor. Thin strips of light in the roof and floor made the hall resembled a transport passage in a spaceship. Magdalena seemed tense as he approached.
"What's up?"
She looked over her shoulder before she replied.
"You are not allowed to tell anyone, clear?" She paused theatrically, "This is top secret. Do you understand? "
He nodded.
"Well, sure."
She took a step closer.
"We might have a mole in the organization"
He first did not register what she said.
"What?”
She continued.
"I found out last week. Management has apparently had suspicions of a mole for a long time and now an operation has been set in motion to find whoever it is. "
Louis took a deep breath and tried to put his whirling thoughts in order.
"Do we have a mole within ESA? It seems incredible, quite improbable. Why? "
"You can't be this naive, Louis. Not now. Not with this much at stake. You know how much is at stake here. The space authority dealing with the exploration of the hole on the lunar surface also has a great advantage against the other space authorities. Surely you must understand that? "Her tone was like when a teacher talked to a pupil.
Louis swallowed hard and his face turned a deeper shade of red.
"Yes, of course. I am fully aware of that. "
Magdalena nodded.
"Well, you will also understand that when we are conducting one of the largest surveys in modern times, we’re extremely vulnerable to intrusion attempts and attacks. Daily, we repel countless intrusion attempts and we are constantly under attack from several hundred different cyber organizations. But we also have a cyber defense that is world class."
She paused.
"And since we have such a good cyber defense, our enemies have not so many ways in. "She paused," except the most obvious. "
Louis mind raced.
"What’s that?"
"The physical, of course. That they gain access to our systems by accessing one of our employees. "
Louis nodded thoughtfully.
"But that sounds completely preposterous. Everyone who works here is totally focused on their work. There are no traitors among them. " He was now even redder in the face as what Magdalena implied was a personal insult. Magdalena glared at Louis and he fell silent.
"It's not about wanting to become a traitor. It is about someone forcing or blackmailing someone and thus obtaining access to our information. "
His legs felt wobbly he took a few steps on the spot where he stood to get the blood circulation up and running again.
"Ok, and what does all this mean?"
Magdalena shrugged.
"This means that the management has been under surveillance for a long time and now they have set up a secret operation to drive the traitor into the light. "
Louis' mouth was dry.
"Why do you tell me all this? What does it have to do with me? "
Magdalena placed a hand on Louis' shoulder.
"Because you're the one I trust the most and I need someone I can trust the next few days. It will probably be turbulent. Robert told me yesterday and now you are the only one in the team who knows what's going on. "
Louis mind raced.
"So, what if I am the traitor?"
Magdalena laughed and squeezed his shoulder once more.
"You are the most loyal of all of us."
***
In calmest of waters, the most dangerous fish swim. Louis went back to the control room when Magdalena left him. He watched her leave and tried to process what she said. His shoes echoed weakly against the metal floor as he walked. A mole? It sounded completely preposterous, everyone who worked at ESA was dedicated to the project. There were some that he might not always liked, but no alarm bells had rung so he could not understand that there might be a mole.
He was almost in front of the metal doors that slipped up in front of him. He glanced over towards a holo-screen on the wall. He saw Arik Zimki standing in front of a sea of reporters. Arik looked that part of a teacher and Louis instantly recognized the man’s lisp.
"I have just been informed that we have succeeded with the landing of explorer 7 on the lunar surface. I repeat. We have succeeded with the landing of explorer 7 on the lunar surface. "
Chaos erupted among the reports and a forest of hands flew up. A female voice was heard through the cacophony of voices.
"Mr. Zimki, you can talk more about the next step for Explorer 7."
Arik listened to the question and hesitated before he replied.
"As you all know, this is an outstanding opportunity to get closer to what now seems to be hidden beneath the surface. We know after thorough analysis that what is happening on the moon and other celestial bodies are not caused by natural reasons. According to a couple of the theories we work for is that there is a machine under the surface. What purpose or function this hypothetical machine has is currently unknown. "
Another sea of hands flew up. This time it was an Asian man who managed to get the floor.
"How can it be that this mission is overseen by ESA and not some of the other space authorities? Does ESA try to get a head start? "
Arik chuckled.
"Not at all. ESA has a good working relationship with all the space agencies involved, including NASA and Roscosmos, as well as Chinese CNSA and Japanese JAXA. Cross-border cooperation is always a complicated story, but given what the effort is, I think it is all going above expectations. This part is under ESA's responsibility, but the entire mission rests on all those involved. "
Another forest of hands flew up in front of Arik but this time he nodded curtly and left reporters behind him.
* * *
He hesitated. He was torn, he knew he should not do it, but he had to. The damn man in the bright costume had come to his apartment a little more than a month ago and ever since that day, Robert had been under extreme pressure. He worked as one of the top managers within ESA and reported directly to the chief executive.
He had been within ESA for more than fifteen years and had his aim set to reach the absolute top. But all that had come to a grinding halt as the well-dressed man had visited him on that fateful day. Robert's wife had been on her way after their son who was on his way home a
fter football training and Robert had been hurrying to prepare dinner so that it would be ready when his wife and son came home. Just as he placed the pasta in the boiling water his mobile had indicated that someone was at the door. He had opened, and a well-dressed man had presented himself. The man had smiled, and his receding hairline coupled with a pair of round steel glasses had given him an air of a professor. But when the man had taken a step into the hall and uttered his first words, Roberts ' whole world had collapsed. The well-dressed man had taken off his glasses and pretended to polish them while he stared at Robert as an insect collector studying a new, interesting specimen.
"We know where you do every Tuesday when you get your so-called physiotherapy after work."
Robert swallowed hard and rubbed unwittingly his bad knee. The knee was sometimes still hurt as he had problems with it ever since that unfortunate tackle when he was playing American football in his glory days.
He chuckled bitterly. The knees are a vital part of supporting a man, and a weak knee can make him fall. His old physiotherapist who had helped him for many years retired and he was referred to a new physiotherapist, which turned out to be a woman. The relationship with the physiotherapist had soon developed into something more. After a couple of treatments when the female therapist helped his damaged ligaments, she had insinuated that she could also perform some sexual stimulation against financial compensation. He cursed himself that he has accepted her offer.
Now in hindsight, it was so obvious. The fact that a physiotherapist would do something like that was so far from reality that it was only going to come. Robert and his wife had not been intimate for several years. It had not always been like that, but time and his working hours had driven a wedge between them. So, when he lay on the treatment mattress and felt the woman's hands touching his body something had happened within him. A yearning for human contact had been brought to life within him and he had given the woman money. He had just done it a couple of times but then his bad conscience had made him stop.
Genesis Page 21
