The Freezer (Genesis Endeavor Book 1)

by David Kersten

  IT IS NOT MY FAULT YOU ONLY SENT EIGHT SMALL FLYERS.

  DID MY PILOTS COMPLETE THE MISSION TO YOUR SATISFACTION? THE ONE SURVIVING PILOT BURIED FOUR MORE MISSILES IN THE DOWNED AIRCRAFT, THERE IS NOTHING LEFT LARGER THAN A DINNER PLATE.

  YES, I WATCHED THE WHOLE THING, IT WAS HIGHLY ENTERTAINING.

  GOOD, THEN WE HAVE A DEAL?

  YES. IT WILL TAKE TWO WEEKS FOR ME TO SECURE MY POSITION, THEN WE WILL OPEN UP OFFICIAL COMMUNICATIONS AND MERGE OUR COMMUNITIES. AT THAT TIME, I WILL BE ABLE TO DELIVER WEALTH THAT WILL GIVE US THE ABILITY TO TAKE OVER ALL REMAINING COMMUNITIES IN A MATTER OF YEARS.

  I LOOK FORWARD TO IT.

  BY THE WAY, YOUR BROTHER WAS ON THAT AIRCRAFT. I FIGURED YOU SHOULD HEAR IT FROM ME FIRST.

  There was a long hesitation.

  GOOD. THAT ELIMINATES THE NEED TO DEAL WITH HIM IN THE FUTURE.

  I WILL MAKE CONTACT IN TWO WEEKS.

  He signed off and closed the link. Whistling to himself, he headed to the council chambers. He was going to be early, but he wanted some more alone time to reflect on his good fortune before he called in the council.

  * * *

  The rail car was back four minutes after Theodore left. Tiny climbed aboard with Jack in tow, he still hadn’t said a word.

  When the rail car left the dock, Jack wiped the tears from his eyes. What he had seen on the monitors shook him up horribly, but he had to trust Marcus that it was all a ruse.

  Just a short week ago he had come to terms with his rebirth based on what he saw with his own eyes. Now he had to tell himself that what he saw with his own eyes was an illusion, and it wasn’t easy. The tears he had shed were very real, and it didn’t take any effort for him to appear distraught, angry, afraid, and finally devastated. If every detail of what had just happened had not been laid out in the file Marcus had left him, he would be on that rescue transport himself, praying for a miracle.

  Tiny and Chin didn’t know the truth yet, and were probably devastated. He felt bad about this, but it was necessary. At least he could let Tiny in on it now that they were alone. He cleared his throat to get the big man’s attention. “This may come as a shock, but Wendy and Marcus and the crew are all safe in S.C. What you saw there was very real, except for what you saw of Wendy. A computer was controlling the aircraft and created the illusion.”

  Tiny looked at him with tears in his eyes and said, “Jack, I think you’re in shock. I’m so sorry about what just happened, but now is not the time to lose it, this setback could cost us everything and we need you functional. I can only imagine how devastating this is to you, but I know you have it in you to pull through.”

  Jack understood, if the roles were reversed he would think Tiny was delusional too. In fact, what they saw was so real that he wouldn’t be completely at ease until he held Wendy in his arms again. “Tiny, I’m being serious; we planned this all in advance. Here.” He gestured toward his datapad, which Tiny had brought with them. Tiny held it out and Jack punched the screen a few times then gestured for him to read.

  Jack waited for him to finish before saying, “I need you to keep up the act, but after dropping me off in jail, I need you to go see Caleb immediately to plead my case. Don’t let him know that what you saw wasn’t real. Be sure to tell him that Theodore stood by and watched it happen without any action whatsoever. Relay the whole thing to him. Caleb should end up letting me out pending the election. When he gives the word, come get me and we will head back to the flight bay.”

  Tiny could only nod in acknowledgement. “Oh, and I need you to call Chin right away and tell him to check his messages, there are some instructions for him he needs to follow immediately. Make sure he doesn’t read them with anyone around.”

  Tiny sniffled once and said, “God I hope you’re right, Jack. I have never witnessed something that awful in my life. Is it safe to say Theodore is behind all this? He wouldn’t lift a finger to help.”

  “I am pretty sure, but until we have proof, I can’t make any kind of open accusation. Honestly, nothing he has done yet has shown anything other than a strong desire to become the next leader of New Hope. Perhaps some of Marcus’ tricks will lead us to a definitive answer.”

  * * *

  Chin got the call from Tiny three minutes after the man had left. “I need to tell you something, privately. Are you alone?”

  He simply nodded, still stunned. “You need to check your messages, and then do what it says. Keep it quiet.” Tiny signed off without another word. Chin looked around to make sure nobody was near. The various people in the flight bay had retreated to deal with the tragedy in their own way. Some of them were grouped up and others were alone dealing with their grief. Every man here lost someone they knew in that attack.

  He opened the message Jack had left, confused at what this was all about. He knew something was up, but figured that whatever Jack had been planning had gone horribly awry.

  The message detailed out how the attack they witnessed was a sham, and instructed him to execute another command on the central computer. Although he refused to believe what he had seen with his own eyes was all an illusion, his loyalty to Jack was still unwavering. Without hesitation, he fired off the command and waited in stunned silence. The rescue aircraft called in to say they were en route, but he didn’t notice. All he could think about was how they had watched helplessly as Wendy struggled to keep the aircraft from crashing. He hoped to God Jack was right about this. He watched the monitor, but unlike the program he ran earlier, nothing came up on his screen.

  An hour later the rescue team reported they had found the wreckage, and it was a complete loss. Chin sat back in his chair. Whatever the program was looking for, it hadn’t seemed to find anything.

  * * *

  An hour after arriving at the chambers, Theodore called in Caleb, William, and Teague. The news had already spread about Marcus’ death, and Theodore watched each man’s face as they entered. Teague looked like he had been mourning. That was no surprise, they had been close, closer than Theodore had ever been to Marcus.

  William looked irritated. Conventionally, he would have been handling the decision to send out forces against Cali during their attack on the large transport. Under normal circumstances, Theodore had stepped somewhat out of his boundaries, but he believed the results were worth it, and he knew how to handle William.

  Caleb showed no emotion whatsoever. Caleb was the wild card. Had Theodore’s plan this morning worked and they had called a vote right then and there to elect a new leader, William would have voted for him and Teague would have voted for Marcus, leaving Caleb. Caleb’s weakness, as Theodore saw it, was that he was extremely protective of the people of New Hope. He acted as if that was his own asset. He wanted nothing to do with communities outside New Hope, and the thought of someone threatening the safety of his people was unbearable. Theodore believed that by laying the blame for all the recent deaths and failures at Jack’s feet, Caleb would swing in his favor seeing Marcus as the bigger threat to New Hope. Marcus’ play to have the people decide their next leader was masterful, but as destiny would have it, futile as well.

  The men seated themselves around the circular table. Theodore was the first to speak, as he had called the meeting. “Gentlemen. As you are aware, a huge tragedy has befallen us this evening. Jack Taggart, showing poor judgment, sent another team to Saber Cusp in hopes of fixing the mess he had created last night. Somehow, he convinced Marcus to personally go in with the team, putting himself at risk. Unfortunately, there was a traitor in our population, and word got to Cali that Marcus was on that mission. They sent a large contingent of armed aircraft to intercept the large transport as it made its way back home. Aboard the transport were fourteen New Hope citizens, including Marcus. Wendy Roberts, one of our finest pilots, fought valiantly against the overwhelming odds. She managed to take out seven of the eight attackers before losing three of the four motors on the transport. She didn’t survive the crash, although she struggled heroically, despite being m
ortally injured, to prevent it.” He took a moment of silence, which each man in the room honored.

  “Before we get down to business, I want to let you all know that I intend to exact a heavy toll on Cali for this horrible act. They will not only replace our lost transport and provide us with fourteen suitable replacements, they will also be forced to pay extra for their crime. I will guarantee, before any kind of peace accord is reached with them, that they will make this right with New Hope. You all know my feelings on this subject. I want to live in harmony with our neighbors, and do not, under any circumstances, want a war.”

  Caleb snorted at this. Theodore expected him to react that way. He ignored it.

  William had held in his anger for too long, and took this opportunity to let it out. “Theodore, you have overstepped your position! Why wasn’t I notified at the first sign of trouble?”

  “William, I understand your anger, and apologize. I was asked by Jack to visit him in the flight bay moments before the attack. Jack contacted me because he believed the Cali were responsible for the loss of communications with our team. He expected me to contact Cali and plead with them to break off their attack. I determined that any sort of action, short of sending in a salvage team, was a waste of time and resources. If I had sent support aircraft, they would have been thirty minutes out when the transport went down. I never would have made contact with Cali in time to do anything, and even if I had, I couldn’t exactly accuse them of being behind the attack, I had not been presented with any kind of evidence supporting Jack’s theories. There was nothing to decide, William, or I surely would have contacted you.”

  William wasn’t ready to let it go. “You still should have contacted me and allowed me to make that decision. It was not your right to make that decision in my place, even under the circumstances.” The man was right, and Theodore acknowledged it. William had lost some of his steam, simply because his only course of action was to protest this to Marcus. Marcus wasn’t here, however, and William knew his place. Theodore considered the matter closed and continued.

  “The primary reason I gathered you all tonight was to discuss the grave matter of an interim replacement to Marcus, until the election in two weeks. I, having held the highest status next to Marcus, believe that I should act in that capacity. Is there any argument to the contrary?”

  Teague held his tongue. The man knew his place in this room, and Theodore was counting on that. As long as the council ruled, he was just a pawn. Once he was the elected leader, he would dissolve the council anyway, removing any threat from Teague or the others.

  Caleb leaned forward in his seat, looking grim. “Before we decide on an interim leader, I have information I need to bring to light. Shortly after Marcus and the team took off for Saber Cusp, I was sent evidence that implicated one of our own citizens of high treason. I reviewed the evidence, and determined that it was indeed authentic. The evidence consisted of a transcript of communication from a terminal in the records room, and a video feed from the security camera corresponding to the exact time of the transmission. The transcript clearly shows the traitor giving key tactical information to Cali, and also demanding they take all measures possible to destroy the transport upon its return. It also hints at a much larger conspiracy within New Hope. As head of internal security, I issued a warrant for the arrest of Red.”

  Theodore was taken off guard by the direction of his attack. Did this mean the evidence somehow linked him to the attack? Did Red talk already? Theodore suppressed the thread of fear winding its way through his gut. “I would like to see this man sentenced immediately, and put to death, as is the penalty for high treason. Shall we review the evidence right now?”

  Caleb looked in annoyance at Theodore for the interruption. “Not yet, although if you had asked when Jack informed you of Red’s arrest, I could have confirmed he was talking with Cali, and you could have made the attempt at a cease-fire.” William slammed his fist down on the table, but didn’t say anything.

  Caleb continued. “Ten minutes ago, just before being called in here, I received a message from the computer system. Apparently, Marcus suspected there was a traitor, and had the foresight to install a new program before leaving on this mission. This program was executed upon the destruction of the aircraft with Marcus aboard. It reported to me, as head of security, any communications through our satellite. There was only one.”

  The blood drained from Theodore’s face. This can’t be! How could Marcus foresee this and take action before he left? He had to do something. “Before you continue, Caleb, I want to make it clear that I have already been in contact with Cali about this incident. I let them know that we will not stand for this…”

  Caleb calmly punched a few buttons on the screen built into the table in front of him. Each display around the table lit up with the transcript of Theodore’s communication with Cali. When it popped up on his screen, Theodore stopped talking and read it. This looks bad, but maybe I can talk his way out of it. “That is not the transcript of my communication with Cali! Someone is trying to make me look like a traitor! Who sent this to you?”

  “I verified that the computer system sent it directly from the satellite down to my datapad, there was no interim party involved.” Caleb’s face went from grim to a look of amusement. “I was about to say that we don’t know who sent this, but it was the only communication since Marcus’ aircraft went down, and you just admitted that you were in contact with Cali.” He looked around the room at the other two council members. “Is there anyone in this room, who upon reviewing the evidence before them and hearing the confession of Theodore Bishop, does not believe this man to be guilty of high treason?” William and Teague both held their tongues. “Then I pronounce you, Theodore Bishop, guilty of high treason. You will be detained in lockup until after the public election, at which time the elected leader of New Hope will determine your sentence.”

  “This is absurd! I am no traitor to New Hope! I am its savior! This community is in grave danger, and I was just doing what was necessary to secure its future! I refuse to recognize your authority to arrest me, let alone to judge me!” He stood up and walked to the door. He had to act fast to gather his loyal followers. If he could get a few minutes to work, he would have a team of armed men detain and silence the other members of the council.

  The door opened and Theodore saw a ghost…

  Chapter 40

  Jack fidgeted as the aircraft landed in the flight bay. He held back long enough for the large propellers to stop turning, then sprinted to the cockpit door. Wendy climbed out and wrapped her arms around his neck. He held her close and sobbed. “Don’t ever put me through that again.”

  Wendy didn’t say anything, just held on tight.

  He wiped the tears from his eyes and with Wendy in tow, walked around to the back where they had already opened the cargo door. He wasn’t about to let go of her, at least not for a little while. Chuck, Thomas, and Marcus were standing there watching the rest of the crew prepare to remove the bulldozer from the cargo bay. Marcus looked at Jack and smiled. “How long has the council been in there?”

  Jack glared at the man for a long second then smiled, shaking his head. “They just went in a few minutes ago. I have to be honest with you, I thought your plan had failed. That was perhaps the worst thing I have ever witnessed in my life. How did you do it?”

  The engineers and other personnel who had been working in the flight bay had gathered, stunned at the miraculous appearance of both the aircraft and the crew they had just witnessed go down in flames. Seeing their friends, they flooded into the aircraft to greet them, and perhaps to check for themselves that they were all still alive and well.

  Marcus looked at Wendy then shot a sidelong glance at Chuck and Thomas. He shrugged and watched the activity as the soldiers took a break from unloading the bulldozer to reassure the crew that everyone was OK. “As you can probably tell, this isn’t the transport we left here with. There was some equipment I knew about in a storage fa
cility. I used some old tricks to gain access to it, and while everyone else loaded the other transport, I got this one ready. I figured we wouldn’t have time to get back here before the Cali arrived, so we sent the other transport without us.”

  Under any other circumstances, Jack would probably have been upset to learn that Marcus had held back information about Saber Cusp, but he was so elated to find everyone still alive he just couldn’t lose his temper. That didn’t mean he was going to let it go. “So… you had the equipment we needed all along?”

  Marcus shook his head. “Not exactly, it was only possible to access this equipment from inside the command center in Saber Cusp, and I am perhaps the only person on earth who could have accessed it. Frankly, I would have left it there for its intended purpose if we hadn’t needed a ride home. We easily located what we needed in the city, and if it weren’t for the Cali, that would have sufficed.” The offhand way in which Marcus explained it left him both curious and frustrated, but he sensed Marcus didn’t want to elaborate.

  He stepped closer to the man and said quietly, “I suppose you aren’t planning on telling me the ‘intended purpose’?”

  Marcus smiled at the crowd and replied just as quietly, “Not until you are the elected leader of New Hope, and then – I might.”

  It was Jack’s turn to shrug, he didn’t really care about Marcus’ secrets right now. “I know you used a computer to fly the aircraft and give us the illusion of Wendy in the cockpit, but how did you make it look so damn real? And how did you manage to shoot down seven of the eight attackers?!”

  “When you have the most powerful computer in the world helping you out, you can do just about anything. The computer flew the aircraft, and she also made it look like Wendy was there, in the cockpit, when in fact she was safe with us at the command center. You are correct, though, it was very difficult to watch her die like that. I apologize for having to put you through it.”