Anthony asked his secretary to arrange for Dimitrios to meet with him directly after finishing his speech at the Cosmology Summit, prior to the executive council meeting. He then directed her to call the switchboard in half an hour. He wanted an urgent message from her, sent to him at the summit saying he should return to the office post haste. After the prime minister completed the instructions, he gathered his things and left the building to attend the Cosmology Summit meeting. Anthony wanted to stay just long enough to make an appearance and contribute his part. He hurried to the summit, which was held in one of the outer sectors of the metropolis.
Once Anthony arrived, an usher directed him to his seat, which was amongst the most powerful and influential individuals in the universe. He was able to follow along with the dialogue without an interpreter. When it came his time to speak, Anthony was prepared. He stood from his seat and walked to the stage. The prime minister walked up a ramp and to the podium. Without using any notes, Anthony delivered his speech convincingly and flawlessly. When he finished the presentation, applause roared through the building. Anthony thanked the dignitaries and opened the floor for discussion. He waited through an awkward silence to make sure no one wanted to step forward to ask questions or add to his speech. When no one came forward, Anthony thanked his audience again and exited the stage. He returned to his seat. Like clockwork an attendant discreetly moved through the room and handed the prime minister a note. Anthony read the message and exited the auditorium.
As the prime minister walked through the building, he glanced around to see who might be watching his progress. There were dignitaries standing in the atrium of the auditorium but they were talking to one another. Anthony placed a call to his secretary. After confirming with her that he had received the message, he ended the call. He went immediately to the main office and explained to a member of the staff that there was an emergency he had to contend with. Anthony asked the staff member to give his regards to Ambassador Wregalsten, who was hosting the Cosmology Summit.
The prime minister exited the building and set out for his office. Anthony carefully chose his route back to his office. He wanted to avoid contact with any council members before the scheduled meeting.
When Anthony entered his outer office, he told the secretary that the meeting with his assistant was not to be disturbed. He walked into his office and greeted Dimitrios. The two men discussed the information Anjoleah told Anthony earlier. They made their decisions about addressing the council. After their meeting, both men met with Anjoleah in an antechamber for an update on information.
The council was concerned after hearing that the Xidorean followers were entering the metropolis. The majority of members were not even aware of the Xidoran Prophecy or what it meant to the entire Sojourner population. Anthony filled them in on the history and updated their knowledge on the entire legend having to do with Xidoran, the most powerful sorcerer who had ever lived, and his prophesizing in regard to the future of all Sojourners. Upon hearing him speak, the council moved to give the prime minister the authority to act on their behalf in order to initiate a plan of action. They arranged for executive meetings to be held every month to monitor the situation in a secret format. Everyone in the room agreed that the information presented in their executive meetings would be off the record for Sojourners.
Afterward, the prime minister returned to his office to speak to the commissioner privately. He drafted and signed papers for Anjoleah to activate the authorities necessary to round up any Xidorean follower who was caught within the borders of the Hub metropolis, and to detain them for indefinite questioning. He also gave orders for her to send out more drones to monitor the metropolis.
After the commissioner left his office, Anthony headed to the confiscation room in an unmarked high security building. He began going through the detailed inventory of armament that had been confiscated from previous arrests, and the secret weapons that had been developed by Hub scientists and stockpiled. As the prime minister perused the list, he marked which weapons should be packed into crates and delivered to the secret location in the mountains.
Chapter 101
At the beginning of Charles’ summer vacation, Dimitrios had planned an itinerary and made arrangements for Carson, Bev and Charles to journey to Europe for a tour of Brahmsley University. Given the recent sightings of the Xidorean followers, Dimitrios hated to leave the Hub on the chance that turmoil could erupt. He requested a meeting with the prime minister to discuss the issue.
During their meeting, Anthony encouraged Dimitrios to keep his prior plans. Since the trip was already scheduled on the calendar as a business meeting on Earth, the prime minister rationalized that any deviation from normalcy would cause suspicion among Sojourners and members of the media. Lately council members had been hearing talk around the Hub regarding the security changes taking place; more agents were visible on the streets and more authorities were being drafted. Anthony believed the government needed to maintain a sense of confidence for the Hub news agencies and the citizens of Bridgeiro. The Hub journalists already seemed to be suspicious, even though they were reassured that these changes were needed and were planned months in advance. The council even gave the media reasonable explanations for the changes, but journalistic intuition kept the news agencies prowling. Members of the press continued to watch the authorities and question council members.
In the end, Dimitrios relented and kept his agenda on the calendar exactly as it was written. He traveled with Carson, Bev and Charles to Europe as if nothing out of the ordinary was happening on Bridgeiro.
While Charles was in Europe with Bev, Carson and Dimitrios, he received a phone call from his mother. Molly asked Charles if he was enjoying his journey. During the conversation she mentioned that he had received an envelope from the high school. Molly told Charles that she would leave it on Nana and Paw Paw’s kitchen table along with their other mail. He asked her to open the envelope and tell him what grades he received. She opened the envelope and informed Charles he had received straight A’s on his report card. Molly continued the conversation saying that he had also received scholarship offers to several Ivy League colleges in the United States. Other prestigious universities from around the world also sent information. She left the correspondences from those universities and their final offers on the table as well.
It had already been decided that Charles would attend the private Brahmsley University. Brahmsley University was a prestigious school with a distinguished reputation. It had a relatively large college campus. One hundred percent of the enrollees were Sojourners. The graduates from Brahmsley came from the wealthiest of professional families. Their student population consisted exclusively of legacies. Charles was accepted as a student because Hayward Thomasen had attended and graduated from the university.
As soon as he stepped on university grounds, Charles could see the school was secluded, and was nestled within the confines of a picturesque landscape. Dimitrios informed Charles that Brahmsley was one of the oldest universities. The powerful families of the world considered it the most revered school of higher education. Of all the universities in the world, it was the most steeped in tradition, and the most secretive. The school was also considered to be recondite to ordinary society. Since Anthony and Dimitrios were alma mater of Brahmsley, Dimitrios gave them his personal guided tour. He introduced Charles to the professors that he had personally kept in contact. The instructors were permanently kept on staff to educate future generations. Most of the university’s staff lived in the Hub to sustain their longevity of life.
Charles took pictures of the university and the surrounding area to share with Caroline. The campus halls and classrooms intrigued him. The dormitories had the appearance of grand hotels rather than the college dorms that he had seen on ordinary collegiate campuses. His tour guide pointed out the dormitory where he’d be assigned. It was the same dorm where Anthony had been assigned when he attended the university.
In the days that f
ollowed, Dimitrios also gave them tours of the surrounding towns. Charles found it interesting that the towns were very busy day and night. The people were very friendly and curious about their small group being associated with Brahmsley. Charles observed how Dimitrios politely avoided their questions by making small talk and inquiring about the local events.
The family enjoyed their tour of the campus and its surroundings. While he was on campus Charles learned a lot of useful information for his collegiate life, but he was anxious to return to the farm. He missed Caroline and had so much to share with her. He was excited to be attending college the following year but at the same time he had mixed feelings. Charles was uneasy about living so far away from home. He’d never been away from the farm for any length of time, except when he interviewed for the apprentice position.
After his visit to the university, Charles was determined to make the most of his senior year. He’d set ambitious goals for himself that he was determined to see through to fruition. The most important one was to stay the course to be the valedictorian of his high school. He was aware he would have to study hard to remain in his ranking. Charles was in friendly competition with Caroline. They joked about the challenge but knew it was going to be close when the grades points were calculated and averaged right before graduation. They both wanted desperately to be number one.
Charles reflected over the changes in the last year, not only at school but on the farm as well. Todd had convinced the wild clonsayee creatures to reside on the old Miller farm. They made the journey through the Marble Track and were transferred to the Miller farm during the night hours. Now the creatures were thriving on the farm. Todd stopped working at the market and was training, exercising and caring for both herds full time as a stable manager. He currently had a whole staff working under him. The hired hands only worked the jobs that kept the stables in top condition. Todd was the only person who worked directly with the clonsayees. He continued to take both herds on nightly runs around the Jones and Miller’s farms by moonlight.
The most noticeable change was that Cynthia was attending college and was rarely around. She spent most her time with Peter and her friends. She had joined a sorority and had just recently become a member of several other organizations on campus. Charles missed her, even though he teased her that he didn’t. It was a lot quieter without his sister visiting the farm.
Over the summer Charles had grown closer to Sophie. She was changing so much right before everyone’s eyes. Charles wasn’t sure how it happened, but one day Sophie began riding Persuasion with Todd as her instructor. When Molly learned that Sophie was a natural rider, she was pleased. She told Sophie how glad she was that Persuasion was getting regular exercise. Molly allowed her youngest daughter to spend much of her free time at the stables helping out. Every once in a while Charles would hear about Sophie inviting her friends over to have a slumber party or to explore in the forest and hang out in the tree house, but she rarely ever went to any of her friends’ homes to visit. She always seemed to feel more comfortable in her own space and in familiar surroundings.
Charles also noticed that Abby found time to spend with Sophie as well. The two seemed to have a shared language all their own. During the weekends Sophie had a part time “job” at Abby’s bookstore, the Charmed Cove. Sophie was in charge of story time, which was a big draw in the community. His younger sister always put on an elaborate production with her own unique costumes and the handmade puppets that she and Abby made together. Charles would from time to time volunteer to help her out with the productions. When he watched Sophie and Abby work together, Charles developed his own suspicions about the two of them. He came to the conclusion that he had his own secrets, so why shouldn’t they have theirs?
Chapter 102
The next morning Joseph was in a hurry to reach the compound office. He hated leaving Nxy so abruptly but he didn’t have a choice. Joseph did not care that everyone—from Shadow Seekers to pawns, was talking about his relationship with Nxy. What did bother him was more the fact that it might in some way lessen his power over those beneath him, if he was co-mingling with one of their own.
Joseph pushed his thoughts aside and walked through the door of his office. He left the office door open. Non knocked and waited in the doorway.
Joseph looked up from the file he was reading. “Come in. Close the door.” Non walked in and closed the door. Joseph asked, “What can I do for you, Non?”
“I’ve been preparing for the auction tonight. We’ve run into a few snags and your father isn’t in yet.”
Joseph frowned. “My father isn’t in yet?”
“That’s right.”
Joseph stood. He thought: Surely my old man didn’t forget about this auction. He wouldn’t be golfing without me. Where is he?
He scoffed. “Well, we’ve got a job to do and this auction has to be flawless. It’s our job to see to it. So what’s the problem?”
Joseph started walking around the desk and froze midstride when Non said, “Half the inventory is missing.”
That caught Joseph’s attention. “Did you just say half the inventory is missing?”
Non stared at him without answering.
Joseph ran his hand through his hair. “Let’s check this out now. There has to be an explanation.”
Non followed him to the auction headquarters. When they arrived at the auction facility, the building was in total chaos. Everyone was scrambling around. Joseph searched for the manager in charge of inventory. When he spotted the man, Joseph didn’t let the guy out of his sight. Joseph stood motionless for a moment and observed. The man was sweating and nervous. He seemed genuinely rattled by what was happening.
Joseph looked at Non and asked, “When was it discovered that the inventory was missing?”
“Just before I showed up at your door. The manager informed me that he has diligently been going over all the transactions, checking to make sure every procedure had been followed.”
Joseph and Non walked over to the manager, who nearly fainted when he suddenly came face to face with the boss’ son. The man opened his mouth to speak, but Joseph interrupted, “Follow me.”
Joseph led the way to an empty inspection room used for the valuables that came in from the Hub. Once the three men were in the room, Joseph said to the man, “It is crucial for you to tell me everything you know, leading up to this morning’s discovery of the missing inventory. Starting from yesterday, I want to know the last time anyone logged in, looking over the collection for tonight’s auction.”
The manager was sweating profusely. His hands were shaking. He stumbled over his words as he began going over the events leading up to the morning’s disclosure.
Joseph looked him in the eye and said, “This is very important for me to get to the bottom of this. I want you to slow down and think about what you are trying to say.”
Joseph turned to Non and asked him to get the man a glass of water. When Non walked out the door, Joseph whispered to the man, “I think you know something that you’re not telling me. I’ve been watching you very closely. Something is going on here, and I want the truth or I’m going to shoot you where you stand. Do you understand me?”
The man’s eyes grew wide and he nodded. He whispered a name to Joseph.
Non walked in with a glass of water. He handed it to the man. The man gulped down the water and wiped the sweat from his eyes.
Joseph took the glass from the manager and said, “Once again, I want you to start from the beginning and tell me exactly what you know.”
The man glanced at Non and then looked back at Joseph. He opened his mouth to speak. Joseph held up a hand to stop him from speaking, with the other hand he whipped his gun from his shoulder holster and shot the man.
Joseph wiped the blood splatter from his forehead with his suit sleeve as he said, “Well, it looks like we aren’t going to get a straight answer from him.” Joseph walked toward the door. “The man was a liar. Clean this mess up, and let’s see w
hat the intelligence room has gathered at this point.” He walked out, leaving Non to handle the mess he just created.
Joseph returned to his office. He had learned his lesson well from Dolores; he always kept a clean change of clothes at both offices now. He gathered his clean clothes and headed for the lockers. He took a shower and dressed. Then he went back to his office to shine his shoes. He was in the process of buffing his shoes when his father walked in.
Donovan said, “I want to see you in my office, now.” He started to walk away and then came back. “Where’s Non?”
Joseph said, “In the intelligence room. Seems we’ve had a slight problem since you decided to sleep in this morning.” Donovan came back in the office and closed the door. Joseph said, “Half the inventory for tonight is missing.”
Donovan’s face grew dark. “What are you doing about it?”
Chapter 103
Dimitrios finished his lunch and walked out of the restaurant into the Hub. He decided to head back to the office. He intended to pass through the market in order to check on the sector authorities and to inspect how security was operating within their boundaries. Anthony expected him to write up a findings report for the next Sojourners’ Council meeting on what he would be observing.
As Dimitrios walked, he felt eyes locked on him. This wasn’t anything unusual because most Sojourners knew that he was an employee of the government. This experience was somewhat different than just the normal stare of the public because his neck prickled from the vibes he was receiving. Dimitrios glanced around the crowded Hub to see if he could detect who was causing the sensation. Since he didn’t see anyone in particular trying to get his attention, Dimitrios kept walking and turned the corner in the direction of the market.
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