by Lance Powers
The message ended abruptly, and he found himself staring at the screen in silence for a while.
“Does she really mean that?” Regina’s whisper filled his hearing like an overhead storm. “We could ally with her…”
“She’s not going to agree, not after what happened.” He told her softly. “And yeah, she did mean every word she said. I have known Jill for almost twenty years. She’s her father’s daughter without a doubt.”
“But what are we going to do then?” Regina dug her nails into the coat sleeve over his muscular upper arm.
“Nothing. I’ll have this message archived and let Roberson know that the rebels are still around and kicking. More than a thousand on the last count at least. Everything is going to be the way it was… except that the planet isn’t going to be a threat for the next generations of human life on it.”
“You’re right, Garth.” Her voice held a hint of resignation. “But if only we humans could stop being a threat to ourselves first.”
Chapter Eleven
‘NAR-SD-1013 Regina Lauren Scott. Class: Scientist. Level: Director. Age: 24 Terran years. Height: 5Ft 9In. Weight: 127lbs Terran. Retina: Blue with green flecks. Blood Pressure: 125. Heart Rate: 62. Access Sectors: All. Clearance: Granted.’
“Thank you.” Regina whispered softly, looking away from the wide display screen before her. That was the first and only scan that was required for her, now that she was the Director of the Science Division. The sliding panels efficiently parted to let her in. She headed straight for her new office, on the highest floor of the tall structure.
As she walked down the pristine white corridor in silence, she knew that her every step was being watched and recorded here in the highest protected section of the Earth Gov Science Division facility. This job here she had been assigned right after her graduation in 2320 from the New Earth One Academy of Advanced Sciences and Research with record scores. Never could she have dreamed then that in less than five years she would be heading the entire division.
She stepped up to the code-locked door of the most protected lab in the entire Division, the Director’s office. Security cameras and scanners picked up her statistics beforehand and already opened the door for her to enter. The lab was as anti-septic and sterilized as the rest of the building, if not more. Inside, she made her way to the workstation of the Director. Her workstation now.
Regina eased into the comfortable set up of her computer unit. The reclining chair allowed her to lean back as several display monitors and holographic screens closed in around her. She keyed in her secure access into the control console, sent in messages to summon members of her team and picked up where she had left off the night before.
Familiar images scrolled across the screens, with corresponding data streaming in. The skies were the same strange greenish yellow with streaks of gray clouds in the images of the areas under the scanner, It never rained in those parts anymore, or anywhere else on the planet now. The last time it did, Regina was too little to remember. The landscape in the images on screen was a murky grey, with the ground rather rocky and cracked. Where ever there were grass and trees, the ground was a pale gray, and the vegetation was dreary and lacked luster. Of the local living, only select forms of simple celled sentient beings thrived.
“Readings show high levels of toxicity in sectors E-23 through G-05 with a 3.07 percent spike since the last mapping. The rest of the sectors are relatively stable at the usual toxic level.” She spoke into the recorder sedately. “Initiating phase three of the bio-tracker program.”
“Director Scott.” A familiar voice to her left called. “We’ve completed decoding the encrypted files you requested.”
“Thank you, Doctor Bryson.” Regina smiled at the blond man and nodded at the slender woman standing beside him. “Good morning, Nola.”
“Regina.” Her assistant Nola Preston smiled back. “We’ve also got a definitive report on the DNA tests you wanted done.”
“And?” She raised an eyebrow at the former Chief Engineer of Environmental Studies.
“What you suspected is uncannily accurate.” Nola Preston replied, trembling with excitement. “It is exactly sixteen point three percent non-human in composition.”
“Who’s is it?” Niall Bryson asked, open mouthed.
“A very public figure.” Regina replied calmly. “Let’s keep it under warps, team. For now.”
“Not a problem.” Preston nodded her russet brown head. “And Ron said he’s found something in the archived data from 2495 that you had him analyze.”
“Really?” She sat upright and spoke into the comm. “Let’s hear it, Doctor Farley.”
“You won’t believe it, Director.” The large bald man filled the screen before her. “There’s some info here about the other ships that escaped the old Earth in 2325. A couple of them were in contact with NAR here as late as 2499.”
“Hm, so why was that information hidden then?” She wondered aloud.
“Probably someone had something to gain by doing that.” Bryson said thoughtfully.
“Yeah, and I have a fair idea who.” Regina smiled coyly. “Thank you team, carry on the good work. I’ll let you know if I need anything else.”
“You betcha, kid.” Farley’s laugh resonated before he went offline.
Her selected core team of Bryson, Farley, Preston and Elkins were the best in their respective fields at the Science Division. And she could trust all of them, except maybe Mandy Elkins, but that woman was an asset without par in her line of work.
Regina waited for Preston and Bryson to leave her office and then keyed in the codes to lock all doors. Then she fished out a little cube and activated the transmission disruptor field it generated. On her handheld she logged into a very private and secure channel, keying in a very tightly encrypted code.
“Evans.” Her recipient responded.
“I’ve got it all, Garth.” She almost whispered. “Everything we need to nail Roberson for good. It’ll take some time to build the case, but we can really take him on… and win.”
“That’ll be a day to celebrate.” The Chief of Staff told her in a calm collected tone of voice. “For you and me, and everyone else, whether they know it or not.”
“Oh, I can’t wait for that day.” She told him, blowing a kiss. “Love you, babe.”
“And I love you too.” Her man said before she disconnected.
~The End?~
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