Socrates and the Councillor

by Thomas Fay

  ‘Okay, so that wasn’t my finest moment.’

  ‘Not your finest moment? You caused a ten-car pile-up and about a million dollars’ worth of property damage.’

  ‘We caught the guy, didn’t we?’

  ‘Hmmm. Not exactly a successful outcome, though.’

  ‘No, that’s true.’

  ‘So what are you going to do?’

  John smiled.

  ‘Right now I’m going to wait until you get me another beer.’

  ****

  Despite the slight buzz from the two beers he’d consumed, the years of police training alerted John to the fact that someone was watching him. He reached inside his jacket and grasped his handgun. With his other hand, he reached for the biometrically coded remote to open the Sentinel cruiser parked in the back streets of Darlinghurst, behind the Zen bar.

  ‘It’s late, I’m tired and I’ve had one hell of a day. Whoever you are, show yourself. Slowly. Otherwise I may shoot you.’

  Nothing happened. John pressed the button on his key remote. It verified his fingerprint and the cruiser’s lights blinked once. He opened the door. Turning the car on, he felt the reassuring surge of power from the Flux Cell. The bulky vehicle drove silently down the laneway and turned onto Bourke Street.

  As the cruiser slowly receded into the distance a low altitude UAV hovered into view, its multipurpose lens zooming in on the retreating vehicle.

  Seventeen

  John drove the Sentinel cruiser into the underground parking garage of his apartment block. He stopped just long enough for the voice-recognition software to acknowledge him and open the door. A security camera zoomed in on his licence plate, recording it for future reference and as required by law. Since the Iona Corporation had taken over the city of Sydney, they had increased security surveillance tenfold. While the resulting camera network made John’s day job easier, it did have him occasionally questioning the need for such excessive surveillance in his off-duty hours. This was one of those times. He cast the building camera a suspicious glance, wondering who else besides the Sentinels and the Ruling Council had access to the footage. The investigative part of his mind, the part that had made him such a successful police officer and now Sentinel, wondered if the hacker was watching him right now.

  The garage door opened and he drove the cruiser down the ramp. Turning a corner in the underground parking garage, he reversed the car into one of two parking spaces allocated for his apartment. The other spot was empty. Lauren wasn’t home yet. He checked his phone: 9.30 pm. Resigning himself to another night that he and his wife wouldn’t see each other until morning, John locked the car and proceeded to the elevator. The apartment building was relatively new but only six storeys high, so it didn’t warrant the faster turbo-lift. A man in a charcoal suit was waiting for the lift. John walked up and stood beside him.

  ‘Good evening,’ the man said.

  ‘Evening,’ John replied, not really wanting to engage. Except that the investigator part of him couldn’t ignore the man completely.

  ‘I haven’t seen you around the building before,’ John said.

  ‘I just moved in this week,’ the man said. He held out his hand as he said, ‘Robert Osten.’

  John shook the man’s hand.

  ‘John Tesh.’

  ‘Please to meet you, John.’

  ‘Likewise.’

  They were interrupted by the lift doors opening. Robert stepped in, holding the door for John.

  ‘Thanks,’ John said.

  ‘Don’t mention it,’ Robert said. ‘Which floor?’

  ‘Six. You?’

  ‘Five.’

  John nodded as Robert pressed the two buttons. The doors slid shut and the lift ascended.

  ‘What do you do, John?’ Robert asked just as the lift stopped at level five. John considered not replying. Not that it was a big secret; most of his neighbours knew what he did for a living. Some of them even came to him for help from time to time. Instead, he waited until Robert had stepped out of the lift.

  ‘I’m a Sentinel,’ John said.

  The look on Robert’s face was priceless. Before Robert could say anything, the doors slid shut and the lift continued its upward journey to the top floor.

  John got out on level six. Approaching his door, he was reminded once more of the fact that without Lauren’s considerable income from her consulting work he wouldn’t be able to afford to live in a place like this. Fernali had been right. He was in an interesting mood tonight.

  ‘John Tesh, unlock front door,’ he said. The front-door lock opened. He pushed the door. He was about halfway through the door when a voice spoke to him from inside the apartment.

  ‘Close the door.’

  His old police instructor would have been proud of him then. John drew his handgun with one hand while flattening himself against the wall. All in less than the time it took for the door to close behind him.

  ‘You can put your weapon away.’

  Something about the voice seemed familiar to John. Inching forwards, he peaked into the living room. A familiar person sat on the designer chair facing the entrance.

  ‘Councillor. This is rather unorthodox,’ John said. He put his weapon away.

  ‘Given the situation in Iona, I felt it best we meet in private,’ Councillor Alara Green said. ‘Sit down.’

  John lowered himself into an identical chair on the opposite side of the room.

  ‘May I ask how you got in here?’

  ‘You forget who I am,’ Councillor Green replied.

  ‘I guess in theory I knew the Ruling Council could override any security system. I just didn’t think it would happen in my own home.’

  Councillor Green’s eyes narrowed slightly.

  ‘We are wasting time, John. You need to accept the fact that the Ruling Council not only knows everything that happens in Iona, we are able to go anywhere we choose. Which should lead you to a logical conclusion.’

  ‘You know who is behind the acts of sabotage plaguing the city.’

  The Councillor nodded.

  ‘I still don’t understand why you forced us to release the perpetrators. On two occasions, no less,’ John said.

  ‘In order to explain that, I need to give you some background on what’s happening in Iona at the moment.’

  ‘You mean the UN Security Council meeting?’

  ‘Yes. As you know, when the Iona Corporation first took control of the city of Sydney, a deal was struck between our chairman Qallan Frost and the UN. They acknowledged the sovereign city-state of Iona. In return, the Iona Corporation ensured the world had access to the Flux Cell.’

  ‘I read the news, Councillor. I understand the deal that was struck.’

  ‘Then you understand how important this meeting is. This is the first UN Security Council meeting being held here, in Iona. Its official purpose is to discuss the current political stability in the Asia-Pacific region. Its unofficial purpose, and the real reason it is being convened in Iona, is to vote on Iona becoming a permanent member of the Security Council.’

  John considered the Councillor’s words. He knew that Iona was already a member of the UN. Becoming a member of the Security Council, a permanent voting member, would consolidate the Iona Corporation’s standing in the world community. It would mean they could vote on matters of international security affecting all UN member states. The importance of the meeting was clear.

  ‘It still doesn’t explain why you continue to interfere in our investigation,’ John said.

  The Councillor leaned forwards, her grey eyes boring into John’s.

  ‘Because the two people you arrested had one thing in common. They are both employed by the UN.’

  Eighteen

  Abductive reasoning is the process of making assumptions based on available information in order to come up with possible explanations. These can then be further refined as additional information becomes available, accepted or rejected, depending on the evidence at hand. It was a proces
s John was particularly good at and one he had honed over the years while working as a police detective and now a Sentinel. While not always one hundred per cent correct, his initial conclusions were usually accurate, only requiring additional information gleaned through subsequent investigation to confirm the initial hypothesis. In this case, however, John was completely taken by surprise.

  ‘Are you sure?’ John asked.

  ‘Yes. We have confirmed they are both employed by the UN, more specifically, the UN security teams responsible for the safety of the UK and French delegates.’

  John leaned back in his chair, deep in thought.

  ‘I still don’t understand why we couldn’t hold them for questioning.’

  ‘I’ve explained to you the importance of the UN Security Council meeting here in Iona. We have to ensure things go smoothly. Arresting two of their security operatives could jeopardise the meeting.’

  ‘But they’re up to something.’

  The Councillor raised an eyebrow.

  ‘What exactly?’

  ‘I don’t know … something. Illegal. I’m sure of it.’

  ‘Do you have any evidence?’

  ‘Well, not exactly, but … one of them attacked me.’

  ‘Unprovoked? Just attacked you.’

  ‘Well, I was chasing him at the time.’

  ‘I see.’

  ‘He was pretending to be someone else.’

  ‘They’re security operatives. They do that.’

  John remembered the light plane that had started this investigation.

  ‘They are potentially implicated in smuggling a dangerous weapon into Iona. One that can be used against aerial targets.’

  Councillor Alara Green’s eyes narrowed.

  ‘Let me guess—you don’t have any proof of that either?’

  John was beginning to feel a bit sheepish.

  ‘Well, not exactly, but … ’

  ‘I see.’

  ‘What about the hacker? Surely that’s evidence enough. He had infiltrated all of your traffic management programs. I’m sure he caused that accident in North Ryde.’

  ‘And you can prove that?’

  ‘I … well … not exactly. The hacker wiped all of the information.’

  John fell silent as he realised the truth of the situation. Other than circumstantial evidence, he didn’t have anything that would hold up in court. He realised why the man pretending to be Greg Rawson had been so confident during his interrogation. There simply wasn’t sufficient evidence to arrest him or hold him for sentencing.

  ‘I can see that you’re beginning to understand the delicate situation we’re in,’ Councillor Green said. ‘Which is why I’m here. The Ruling Council needs your help, John.’

  ‘I thought you told me to stay away from this?’

  ‘Officially, yes.’

  ‘And unofficially?’

  The hint of a smile tugged at the corners of Councillor Green’s mouth. John found himself wondering if she ever actually smiled. If she knew how. Maybe it was something Councillors were forbidden from doing.

  ‘Unofficially, we want you to figure out exactly who is behind this and what their objective is.’

  ‘And once I do?’

  ‘We may need to stop them. Quietly. Off the record.’

  John considered the Councillor’s words. Everything she had told him made sense but his intuition was telling him there was something she was holding back. He realised the best way to find out what was really going on was to work with her.

  ‘Alright, I’m in. What about the Chief?’

  ‘I will speak to him. He will provide you with a plausible cover to continue your investigation into the incidents in Iona. The fewer people that know what you’re really doing, the better.’

  ‘I understand,’ John said.

  ‘Good. Call me if you have an update.’

  ‘How do I get in touch with you?’

  ‘Hand me your phone. I’m going to provide you with the security code to allow your phone to call mine.’

  John handed over his phone. The Councillor opened it and scrolled through the menus. Locating the one she was after, she proceeded to input a series of instructions into the phone via its keypad. The phone buzzed once. She closed it and handed it back to John.

  ‘Thanks,’ he said.

  The Councillor nodded.

  ‘Your phone will now be able to call mine directly. Don’t call me unless it’s important.’

  ‘Understood.’

  ‘Now, in the unlikely event that we need to meet in person we’ll need to be very careful that no one sees us together.’

  John smiled.

  ‘I agree. I am, after all, a married man, Councillor.’

  Councillor Green stared at him for a full sixty seconds before speaking.

  ‘Is that supposed to be funny?’

  Nineteen

  John fell asleep around 11.00 pm. Alone. His dreams were filled with images of shadowy UN operatives infiltrating every aspect of Iona. The faceless men and women working for some unknown foreign agency determined to bring down the sovereign city-state. John recognised places from his life: Sentinel HQ, Martin Place, Zen bar, his apartment. Everywhere his dream state shifted to, the operatives were there. He woke with a start when the front door opened.

  ‘Lauren, is that you?’ he asked, half asleep.

  He felt someone sit down on the edge of the bed. A slender arm went around his shoulders.

  ‘Shhh. Go back to sleep,’ Lauren whispered in his ear.

  John smiled.

  ‘What time is it?’ he asked.

  ‘It’s late. I’m going to take a shower. Go back to sleep.’

  ‘Okay.’

  Lauren got up and went into the bathroom. The sound of running water could be heard moments later. John was already drifting back to sleep, his mind incorporating the sound of the water into his dream. He was standing in the centre of Martin Place, near the fountain. The UN operatives surrounded him, their weapons drawn. John looked at his partner. In that moment, when his mind was completely freed from everyday distractions, John had a sudden realisation about Socrates. Just as suddenly it was gone, disappearing into the depths of his dream state, leaving him with only the faintest notion that it had ever been there.

  ****

  It was light outside when John woke up the next morning. The scent of Lauren’s perfume was on the bed. He turned around. She was still asleep. He admired her perfect Scandinavian features, her long blonde hair lying across the pillow. Reaching out, he stroked her face gently. Her eyes slowly opened.

  ‘Morning,’ she said, her voice husky with sleep.

  He leaned in and kissed her.

  ‘Morning to you too. Late night?’

  Lauren rolled onto her back and rubbed the sleep from her eyes.

  ‘This new engagement is taking up all of my time. I guess I should have expected that, given who the client is.’

  Despite his natural curiosity, John resisted the temptation to ask who her client was. They had agreed on that when they first started going out—no questions about what they were working on. Unless one of them volunteered something, the other wouldn’t ask. It had been a successful arrangement for nearly five years. Lately, John had started to feel like it was driving a wedge between them, particularly since his promotion to the Sentinels. Not only that but Lauren seemed to be working even longer hours than normal. She’d successfully branched out on her own twelve months ago. It seemed she was determined to succeed at all costs.

  ‘Do you have time to grab some breakfast?’ John asked.

  Lauren checked her watch. She was still wearing it, an expensive luxury brand.

  ‘Probably not. The next couple of days are going to be crazy for me,’ she said. Sitting up, she stretched and stood up.

  ‘Do you mind if I take first shower?’ she asked.

  ‘Go ahead. I’ll make some toast. Just in case you change your mind.’

  Lauren nodded as she headed for
the bathroom. John got up. Pulling on a pair of jeans, he headed for the kitchen. Opening the bread box, he was disappointed to find that they were, in fact, out of bread. Closing the bread box, he opened the fridge. He was about to reach for the milk when his phone rang. Grabbing it off the counter, he checked the caller ID: Socrates. He flicked it open.

  ‘Tesh here.’

  ‘The Chief wants us both at Sentinel HQ in thirty minutes.’

  ‘Alright, I’m on my way. Do you need me to pick you up on the way?’

  ‘No, John. I am already here.’

  ‘Okay. See you soon.’

  Closing his phone, John considered the milk bottle. They were probably out of cereal anyway. He closed the fridge. He went to the bathroom.

  Leaning inside, he asked, ‘Hey, are you almost done? I need to be in the city in thirty.’

  ‘What?’ Lauren asked from the shower.

  ‘Are you almost done?’ John repeated louder.

  ‘Yes. Hang on. I just need to rinse my hair.’

  John waited patiently while Lauren finished her shower. Stepping out, she held the door open for him.

  ‘All yours.’

  ‘Thanks,’ he said, taking his jeans off.

  ‘How’s your new partner?’ Lauren asked, suddenly.

  ‘Interesting.’

  ‘In what way?’

  ‘Well … he’s very effective in the field but … ’

  ‘You don’t trust him?’

  ‘No, not yet.’

  ‘I’m sure he’ll prove himself. How’s Fernali coping without you?’

  John laughed.

  ‘I think a part of him is relieved to be taking on board someone else.’

  ‘Can’t blame him. You are a handful.’

  John opened the door. Cupping his hands, he waited until they were filled with water. He then threw the water at Lauren, who was in the process of applying make-up.

  ‘Hey!’ she protested with a laugh.

  Twenty

  The Sentinel technicians appeared to have finished with the Hub, as attested to by the lack of computer components lining every corridor on the twenty-fifth floor. The grey corridors were empty once more save for the integrated security and surveillance systems built into the ceilings. John was about to ask one of them about it when the Chief’s voice cut through the morning chatter in the office.