by Thomas Fay
‘Everything okay, Chief? You’re starting to freak me out here.’
‘I’m probably going to regret this but I’m going to give you my direct number. That way, next time you hatch one of your brilliant schemes, you can fill me in.’
‘Why, Chief. Does this mean you’re giving me the green light to hatch further schemes?’
‘Don’t push it, Tesh.’
‘Yes, Chief.’
‘Now give me your phone before I change my mind about this.’
John reached into his pocket and withdrew his phone. He was about to hand it to the Chief when it started ringing. He checked the caller ID: Private number.
‘Give me a moment, Chief. I need to take this.’
Sixty-Six
The Sentinel cruiser drove past the port in Botany Bay and down towards the waterfront. Pulling over by the side of the road, John switched the engine off. He reached for his phone and hit redial. His call was answered on the first ring.
‘I’m here,’ he said.
A moment later, Councillor Alara Green appeared beside the passenger-side door. John could have sworn she’d materialised out of thin air. She opened the door and sat down, closing the door behind her.
‘Councillor, that’s quite an entrance,’ John said.
‘I thought it best to keep our arrangement a secret.’
John nodded.
‘I agree. Thank you for your help in arranging that trap in Martin Place,’ he said.
‘It was a good plan although I’m still not sure how you knew they would all be there?’
‘Let’s just say I had a hunch.’
‘Releasing Vanessa Koelmeyer was a risky gamble.’
‘I was almost certain of my deduction as to who was behind those operatives. Which made releasing her a safe bet.’
The Councillor’s grey eyes narrowed.
‘Well?’
‘Well what?’
‘Who?’
‘It was all of them.’
‘Care to elaborate?’
‘None of them wanted you to be part of the UN Security Council. That’s why they staged the attacks.’
‘I’m supposed to believe that all of the UN member states got together and hired a black-ops team to sabotage the UN Security Council summit?’
‘Well … maybe not all of them. Definitely the permanent members and I suspect those that are next in line. About the only friend you had was the Swedish ambassador, Elsa Pettersson. She was working with you, wasn’t she?’
The Councillor nodded.
‘Yes, she was. I guess what you’re saying makes sense. And the Flux Cell?’
‘Oh, they wanted that. Badly. They tried so many times I almost felt sorry for them. Your technology is safe. For now.’
‘Thank you, John. You have proven yourself worthy of the Sentinel badge.’
‘What will you do?’
‘What we intended to all along. Become permanent voting members of the UN Security Council.’
‘How?’
‘Don’t forget, we still have the Flux Cell. Without it … ’
She let the words hang in the air as the full implications of the technology and why the other countries had gone to such desperate lengths to acquire it dawned on John. The Iona Corporation effectively controlled the world’s energy supply. It was a chilling thought; how much power and influence one corporation had gained through the creation of a technology that the world so desperately needed.
‘So, you just return to the summit as if nothing happened?’ John asked.
‘What would you have us do?’
‘I don’t know … something. Their actions caused a lot of property damage and injured a lot of people. They also killed your operatives when they shot down that transport ship.’
The Councillor looked about to say something. Instead, she said, ‘The Rainmaker and his team will pay for their crimes against Iona. You can be certain of that.’
‘What about the ambassadors? How can you just walk back into a room with them as if nothing ever happened?’
The Councillor laughed. It took John by complete surprise.
‘What’s so funny?’ he asked.
‘Why, John. That’s diplomacy. Haven’t you learned anything?’
It was his turn to laugh.
‘Apparently not.’
The Councillor opened the door to the cruiser and stepped out. She turned to look at John.
‘Be well, Sentinel.’
‘You too, Councillor.’
The Councillor closed the door to the cruiser and walked towards the waterfront. John switched the engine on. The powerful vehicle sprang to life with a reassuring surge of power from its Flux Cell. John cast a glance into the rear-view mirror. There was no sign of Councillor Green. For a moment he wondered where she’d gone. Then he saw the ripples on the surface of the water. Smiling, he put the cruiser into gear and drove away.
Sixty-Seven
It was midday when John pulled up outside his uncle’s house in Vaucluse. Opening the rusted old gate, he proceeded down the well-worn path he’d walked hundreds of times before. Except this time things were different. He knew the truth about his uncle now—something he had always suspected, had always known to be true on a subconscious level, but now knew beyond a shadow of a doubt. Reaching the door, he knocked once. Nothing. He knocked again, louder. Nothing. The house appeared deserted.
Reaching into his pocket, John withdrew an old-fashioned key. In light of the recent cyberattacks on Iona, John realised the full implications of his uncle’s preference for the ancient method of securing ones household. He inserted the key into the lock and turned it. The door opened with a loud click. He pushed the door open and stepped into the kitchen. The lights were off. He reached for the wall switch, flooding the kitchen with light. Everything looked the same as it had the countless times he’d been there before.
Then he spotted the note. It was handwritten on paper. Not uncommon these days but certainly not the norm with the prevalence of electronic communication. Clearly, his uncle didn’t want to risk anyone else but him reading it. John picked up the note.
It read:
Dear John,
You cannot imagine how proud I am of the man you have become. You had always showed incredible promise and I hope in some small way I helped to guide you to where you are today.
I’m afraid you’ll have to do without me for a while. By revealing myself to the Rainmaker and his kind, I have inadvertently put myself back on the radar of certain people who had given up on finding me. Now I must ensure they never do.
The road ahead of me is uncertain and I cannot risk anyone ever connecting me to you. I will need to travel light and move quickly to stay ahead of these people. While Iona will always be my home, I cannot remain here. It’s too dangerous. For me, for you and those around you.
Feel free to use my house anytime you need somewhere safe and rest assured that you are completely off the grid here.
Take care,
Nathan Tesh
John finished reading the note. He stood there, in his uncle’s house, for a long time. He began to wonder if his uncle was truly retired. For the briefest of moments he even considered the possibility that his uncle was really the legendary Rainmaker. Wallman’s arrest had been too easy, which meant one of two things: either he expected to be released or he wasn’t really the Rainmaker. Which implied the Rainmaker could still be out there. Or perhaps there really was no Rainmaker. Shaking his head, John realised that sort of thinking could drive you crazy as you continuously second guessed yourself. The case had been solved and the threat neutralised.
He turned the stove on. Placing the edge of the note near the open flame, he waited until it caught fire. He watched it burn in his hand, the flames erasing the message line by line. When the note was little more than a flaming cinder, he dropped it into the sink. Turning the water on, he washed the remains down the drain. Turning the lights off in the kitchen, he left the house, locking it
behind him.
‘Goodbye, Uncle,’ he whispered under his breath as he closed the gate.
****
Lauren was waiting for him when he got home. She was seated on the couch, her legs curled up beneath her. She waited until he closed the door before speaking.
‘We need to talk,’ she said.
John took a deep breath. Taking off his suit jacket, he draped it over a chair and sat down facing Lauren.
‘I know,’ he said.
‘I’ve been thinking about what happened, about your job, us, this, our life. I don’t know how we can keep doing this. How could we ever have a normal life, raise a family … ’
‘Lauren, I am truly sorry for what happened to you. I never should have put you in that sort of position. I promise it will never happen again.’
‘Don’t make a promise you can’t keep, John. Your job is dangerous. You almost died too. It … it’s worse than when you were with the police.’
‘Socrates will keep me safe on the job.’
‘Who’ll keep me safe?’
They fell silent for a moment, neither of them speaking.
‘What can I do, Lauren?’
She sat up and looked at him intently.
‘Would you ever consider leaving the Sentinels? Maybe take a job as a security consultant; we could work together—there’s definitely no shortage of work and with your experience you’d be in high demand.’
John considered her words. He recalled his conversation with Fernali. His former partner had been right, both about Lauren’s ultimatum and his response.
‘Lauren, I can’t quit my job. What I do, what the Sentinels do, is too important. The events of the past couple of days prove that. The people need us. Iona needs us. I can’t walk away from that.’
‘I know,’ Lauren said, quietly.
‘So, where does that leave us?’
‘I don’t know.’
John stood up. Walking over, he sat down on the couch next to Lauren. Reaching out with his hand, he cupped the side of her face. She leaned into his hand. He pulled her close and kissed her. Lauren’s arms went around his neck and she rested her head on his shoulder.
‘I love you,’ John whispered into her ear.
‘I love you too. I always will.’
Sixty-Eight
The morning light was streaming through the bedroom window, creating a kaleidoscope of flickering shapes on the wall. John blinked against the bright light. He reached across the bed with his left arm. Empty. Lauren was gone. Looking around the bedroom, he saw the note lying on his bedside table. Picking it up, he unfolded it. He recognised Lauren’s handwriting.
John,
I’m sorry but I can’t do this anymore. My lawyer will be in touch next week.
Love always,
Lauren.
John stared at the note. He knew it had been coming, had been expecting it for weeks, if not months. This case had been the final nail in the coffin. Yet again he had prioritised his work over their relationship. Even worse, he’d placed his wife in harm’s way during the investigation. Lauren wanted a career but she wanted a family, something to come home to at the end of a long day. For him Iona was the priority. Always would be. The investigation into the Rainmaker and his black-ops team had confirmed one thing for him—when things went south, there was only one place he needed to be and that was right in the centre of it all.
He reached for his phone, scrolling through the recent call list until he found Lauren’s number. His finger hovered over the dial button. Shaking his head, he closed his phone and placed it back on the bedside table. There was nothing left to say.
He sat up on the side of the bed. A bed that wasn’t his, he realised, located inside an apartment that he could no longer live in. He would have to find a place to live. Which probably meant it was a good time to speak to the Chief about a raise, if he had any chance of affording anything in the current property market.
Standing up, he made his way into the bathroom. He turned the tap on. Cupping his hands underneath the stream of cold water, he splashed it across his face. He looked at his reflection in the mirror. The face that stared back at him was at once familiar and strange. The events of the past couple of days had certainly changed him. Not for better or for worse. Just changed.
He walked back into the bedroom. His phone rang, low and urgent. He checked the caller ID: Socrates. John found himself envying Socrates—the android would never feel pain, disappointment, anger, fear. Love. John let out an explosive breath. Yes, it would be something not to feel anything.
He flipped his phone open.
‘Tesh here.’
‘John, we’ve been assigned a new case.’
‘Where are you?’
‘Tech lab at Sentinel HQ.’
John took a deep breath. He picked up Lauren’s note and looked at it. His gaze shifted to his grey suit hanging in the open closet. His Sentinel-issue rapid-fire handgun rested on the bedside table. His Sentinel badge, concentric rings around a silver shield with a single eye in the middle, reflected the dawn light filtering through the window. In the distance, he could see the silhouette of the Iona CBD. Above it, the faint glow of a Ruling Council transport ship. He stood up.
‘I’m on my way.’
The End
Timeline of Events
2020 AD – Governments begin to increase the price of oil exponentially in order to reduce demand and usage. Oil production drops off dramatically as existing supplies dwindle. Minority groups call for new energy sources. A large number of car manufacturers declare bankruptcy as demand for their product evaporates. Unemployment rises in the automotive manufacturing, sales and service industries.
2025 AD – The price of petrol is now over one hundred dollars per litre in Australia. Corporations rush to develop viable sources of alternative fuel as oil production grinds to a halt. Only the wealthiest of citizens are able to afford to use private transport. House prices near major CBDs and work hubs skyrocket as people seek to move closer to work. Riots break out in major cities and urban areas across the world. The Global Energy Crisis begins.
2028 AD – A new player emerges in the race for alternative fuel sources, a private company called Iona Corporation, based in Sydney, Australia. Little is known about its origins or its backers but the company makes its first public announcement, declaring that it is close to developing an alternative fuel source. Meanwhile, organised protests sweep the globe. Cities become parking lots as cars, trucks and buses are abandoned. Riots continue unabated in all major cities. Damage to urban areas reaches into the billions of dollars.
2029 AD – Iona Corporation releases the results of its prototype Flux Cell tests. Initial trials demonstrate the technology’s viability. A single cell is able to power a passenger vehicle for a year without any noticeable decrease in performance and no noticeable pollution. Global riots reach a fever pitch as the world demands an alternative fuel source.
2032 AD – Iona Corporation moves quickly to distribute its products across Australia, North America and Europe. Demand is sky-high. Iona Corporation uses the proceeds from its first three years of sales to acquire distribution networks, car manufacturers and more plant. Global riots subside. Vehicles are retrofitted with Flux Cells and life slowly returns to normal. The process of rebuilding begins. The Global Energy Crisis ends.
2034 AD – All private and public vehicles within Australia are now run on Flux Cells with contracts underway for military vehicles. The technology is sold across Asia, South America and Africa. Iona Corporation is now the wealthiest private entity on the planet. Its continued acquisitions mean that it now controls all aspects of transportation, vehicle manufacturing, parts production, vehicle maintenance and warehousing across Australia. Individuals begin to voice their concerns about the company’s influence and its monopoly over the renewable energy market.
2036 AD – The first protest breaks out as Iona Corporation restricts access to its supply of Flux Cells as it meets overw
helming demand from the Australian military and its allies. The police are called in to suppress the protests using Flux-Cell-powered vehicles.
2037 AD – Iona Corporation acquires the rights to run all civic utilities, all military maintenance contracts, public transport, telecommunications and city power requirements in Australia. Protests become more frequent as people begin to fear that Iona Corporation is taking over the country.
2039 AD – In a demonstration of its full power, Iona Corporation takes control of the city of Sydney and declares it the new sovereign nation of Iona. Local councils are dissolved and the Ruling Council is created. All opposition is swept aside thanks to Iona’s complete control over military, law enforcement and private vehicles in Australia. The United Nations convenes an emergency session behind closed doors. The Chairman of the Iona Corporation, Qallan Frost, attends. Two days later the UN formally recognises the sovereign city-state of Iona.
2040 AD – The majority of former Sydney residents accept Iona control as they are granted access to its revolutionary technology. Iona continues to push the boundaries of its new technology by creating advanced vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) flying vehicles. It restricts the availability of Flux-Cell-powered VTOL flying craft to the Ruling Council.
2041 AD – In addition to the Ruling Council and regular police force, a new elite crime-fighting unit is created. Its operatives, dubbed Sentinels, are charged with oversight over Iona and granted full authority over the police and all other law enforcement and emergency agencies, with the exception of the Ruling Council, which is the supreme authority within Iona.
2042 AD – Professor Daniel Holstein publishes a research paper that questions the very nature of the Iona Flux Cell and challenges how it can be pollution-free and generate seemingly limitless energy without any dangerous side effects. His questions are quickly dismissed and Professor Holstein disappears from the public eye.
