Max looked at the file and then looked up at his visitor after viewing the second photo. “This another war casualty?”
“No, Max, she wasn’t. She went on to serve the navy well throughout her deployments the rest of the war. We even sold her later to a foreign government. No, she had a very distinguished career.”
“Scooter, this is boring me to death. You bring me a partial file and then claim the rest has been lost. What in the hell is going on here?”
“General, that’s the ship that was the centerpiece of a little-known theoretic application undertaken by scientists from Chicago University and Harvard, jointly with the Department of the Navy. All this took place in 1943, and that experimental application turned disastrous for the navy.”
“What application, Scooter?” Caulfield said with resignation lacing his voice.
“That theoretic application was thought to produce what we would come to know as stealth technology. That theory and later action would be tagged by every conspiracy nut in the free world as the Philadelphia Experiment.”
* * *
Twenty minutes later, after his assistants had told him that the president was waiting on his morning security briefing, General Maxwell Caulfield asked for and received a private meeting with the leader of the free world that lasted just thirty-five minutes. In the three minutes after, the United States Armed Forces quietly went to a higher alert status.
The partial file on the Philadelphia Experiment had been read by a sitting president of the United States for only the second time in history.
EVENT GROUP COMPLEX
NELLIS AIR FORCE BASE, NEVADA
The conference room was full. All sixteen departmental heads were present. Alice Hamilton was even there, popping in for meetings on a regular basis. Alice had been a part of the Group since 1947. She read the report filed by Jack and his excursion into Egypt. He reported the sting operation in cooperation with Egyptian Homeland Security had gone off without a hitch. Alice looked up and smiled as she saw the visible relief in the faces of Jack and Carl’s two replacements, Jason Ryan and Will Mendenhall. They were both still put out that the colonel had not included them on the mission, anything to get them out of the complex and into the field where they thought they belonged. Alice then flipped pages of her notes and then faced Sarah McIntire, who was sitting next to Master Chief Jenks.
“We have a report from Captain McIntire and Ms. Korvesky on their investigation into the expansion of the level forty-seven vaults.”
Sarah wanted to roll her eyes as she stood and reported on the granite strata she knew would not support further expansion in that area of cave system. Before she could finish, the double doors of the conference room opened, and an air force security officer allowed the new head of Computer Sciences into the room. Dr. Xavier Morales used his powerful arms to propel his old-fashioned wheelchair inside. He rolled directly to the head of the long table and Director Niles Compton. Sarah gratefully gave the twenty-four-year-old computer genius the floor. She was happy not to be spouting geological formations that no one but herself fully understood. Anya, for her part, winked at Sarah, being grateful herself for the respite.
Just as Morales stopped, another man was allowed into the room—Professor Charles Hindershot Ellenshaw III came in and held up a file so Xavier could see. Charlie nodded and then took his place at the table, excusing the young lady who had been substituting for crazy Charlie and the Cryptozoology Department. Morales waited until the doors were once more secure. He handed his own file to the director.
“Doctor, you have something more important to share with us than Captain McIntire and Ms. Korvesky’s report on the unstable rock strata of our complex?” Niles smiled and then opened the file folder. Morales had it marked as Director’s Eyes Only. Compton read. The straight line on his mouth told Alice Hamilton and the others in the meeting that he didn’t like what it was that the Computer Sciences director had brought him. Ryan and Mendenhall exchanged looks, as they had yet to see the young Mexican American excited about anything other than his new love affair with the world’s most powerful computing system, Europa.
“How did you come across this information, Doctor?” Niles asked as he handed the folder over to Alice, who perused it very quickly. The other department heads were left wondering.
Morales looked around, somewhat apprehensive about his answer.
Niles took a deep breath and then patted the closed file with his fingertips.
“Okay, I’m going to have to place this meeting on hold until the same time tomorrow. Sarah will enter her strata report into Europa and copy all departments on its content. Thank you. Drs. Morales, Ellenshaw, and Pollock and Alice, I need a moment, please.”
The room slowly emptied, and Niles stood and made his way over to his desk and then sat. Alice took her customary place to his left with her electronic notepad ready. The others took seats in front of the large desk once used by Garrison Lee, and General George C. Marshall before that.
“First, Dr. Morales, when you insert Europa’s influence into another Blue Ice system inside government circles, it has to be cleared with either myself or Virginia first.”
“I understand that, sir. The computer break-in was not initiated by me or anyone in the complex. Europa herself initiated it after receiving several keywords from flagged communications that she routinely monitors with your endorsement, sir.”
“I’m not following,” Virginia said.
“It seems someone with A-1 security clearance programmed Europa to seek out certain keywords from government communications. The keywords in this case were Eldridge, Simbirsk, phase shift, and a few others. In this particular case, she hit on all the words coming from the White House and the Pentagon.”
“Two are the names of ships. The other is an advanced theory on the implementation of redacted covert cover—stealth technology, or in this case, phase shift. It’s the ability to hide the radar signature from prying eyes. The other keywords mentioned in the order to Europa were Operation Necromancer and Schoenfeld. I know because I was there when then director Garrison Lee, myself, and Pete Golding placed them there in 1997.”
Xavier looked shocked, as did Charlie Ellenshaw. As for Alice and Virginia, they were both confused. Then it was Alice who closed her eyes and remembered something from the past about Garrison Lee and the one event he could not get out of his thoughts, an event rarely spoken of by the former director of Department 5656. Whatever it was buried in that memory, Alice knew it had scared the hell out of Garrison, a man who feared almost nothing in life.
“Does this have to do with what happened in Philadelphia in ’43?” she asked Niles.
“Yes,” Niles said. “It seems our friend and mentor was an eyewitness to the event.”
“May I ask what in the hell you are referring to?” Virginia asked.
“The Philadelphia Experiment. And yes, it really did happen, much to the regret of many a young sailor.”
“Why would Senator Lee be interested in the so-called Philadelphia Experiment after the fact?” Virginia asked, trying to grasp what was being implied.
“He was a witness to the results of that failed experiment. It scared him enough that he and Pete Golding made sure Europa kept an eye out for any hint of the government starting up that program again.” Niles pursed his lips as he thought about his earlier call from Lord Durnsford.
Without another word, the director hit a small switch on his desktop, and a monitor rose from the wood. The screen was a solid blue in color until a flash and the seal of the president came on. Niles waited.
“Can you excuse me for a moment, please?”
The four people got up and left the conference room.
Niles sat and listened to the president, his friend of many years, explain his side of what was developing in the North Atlantic. Then Niles explained his earlier conversation with his asset inside Great Britain, whom the president never asked about but could have guessed as to the asset’s identity. Nile
s went into detail about their concerns over an operative inside the Russian authority who was even now making his way to the area in the North Atlantic in question. A decision was made, and the presidential meeting was over. Niles closed the screen and then moved back to the conference table and waited as the others came in. They quickly settled. Charlie still held his file folder and was awaiting his turn to put in his two cents.
“I just finished with the president, and he has confirmed that we have something brewing in the North Atlantic. I will explain later. For now, let’s start with Virginia. Place your nuclear sciences division on the highest alert.”
“The entire department?” she asked.
“Xavier, get with communications and liaise with the air force. We need Colonel Collins and Captain Everett rerouted. Stop them in London and get them to report to RAF Station Ramsfield for possible transport and sea drop. As I said, we don’t know much, but I want us ahead on whatever the president decides to do. I also have a friend of our government who needs a word with not only Jack but Colonel Farbeaux also.”
“What are we speaking of here, Niles?” Alice asked.
“The president was informed that the navy has come in contact with a derelict vessel inside the hurricane zone where a resupply war game was scheduled. It seems one of those keywords Dr. Morales spoke of and Garrison Lee warned us to look for has shown its face. The president has ordered that this ship be taken in tow and claimed as salvage. The US Navy brass wants that ship, and now, so does the president. Unfortunately, the Russians have an eye toward their property and want it back. CIA and MI6 in London have reported a very unsavory character is heading out there now. This department is currently liaising with our friends in Great Britain on this Russian character who is someone of high interest. That’s all I have on that. But our friend Henri Farbeaux is a key to a point the British have made, and our French asset will be needed on this little excursion.”
“I hope there is a sea lawyer available to the president, because the Russians will take exception to us boarding their ship,” Virginia said, knowing something about sea law.
“And it seems they are heading full steam back into the area. I imagine they may want that ship badly enough that they are willing to risk the lives of close to a thousand sailors to get it. Our naval assets in the area have three warships bearing down on them at high speed while battling a hurricane. They are taking this seriously. And”—everyone looked up at the and—“when the president spoke to our friend Vladimir Putin, he says he knows nothing about this. NSA and CIA concur that he isn’t lying. It looks like we have something going on here that doesn’t include the official Russian government. We and the Brits are very anxious to learn more about this specialist the Russians are sending out there.”
“Do you think we are dealing with a rogue element inside that government?” Alice asked with concern.
Niles smiled, as he knew Alice would be the first one to see the link. “We just don’t know enough yet. Now, Professor Ellenshaw, I have something for your department also.”
The crazed white hair of Charles Hindershot Ellenshaw III perked up.
“Get with Dr. Morales and file everything we have on the phase shift experiments of the ’30s and ’40s, also all we have on the ships involved. I want this information coded and placed into the new laptop system Xavier here just developed. Virginia, give them a hand on the physics aspect of converting light to energy; it may come in handy.”
A confused Virginia nodded.
“Okay, Charlie. What have you got there in that file?”
Ellenshaw slowly handed the file over, and Niles opened it. He pulled a wrinkled, weatherworn page that looked as if it were torn from a book. It depicted a pirate with a long, curly and flowing beard with sword held high as he and his band of pirates attacked some unsuspecting ship. The second item he pulled out was a black-and-white photo. Niles pursed his lips and let out his breath as he handed the photo and the picture over to Virginia and the others.
“Those were the only items filed under the Philadelphia Event in ’43. I suspect they were placed there by Director Lee sometime after he took command in 1947.”
Virginia and Alice were both stunned by the photo and even more perplexed by the colorful picture of pirates.
“The photo is what came back with the Eldridge after the phase shift accident. According to Garrison, there were more than fifty of these creatures on board, protected from the effects that killed all the exposed crewmen by being inside when the ship returned from wherever it had been. That picture of pirates was found in the pouch of one of the attackers.”
“Attackers?” Charlie asked, pushing his glasses back onto his nose.
“Yes, it seems while the Eldridge was away, she had been boarded by whatever those creatures are. The color picture is from a licensed Russian reprint of Treasure Island, published in Moscow in 1934. How and why this creature had this on its person is not known.”
“Amazing,” Charlie said.
“I’m glad you find it fascinating, Doctor, because you’re on the makeshift field team.” Niles turned away from the stunned Ellenshaw and faced Virginia. “Inform Master Chief Jenks that his engineering skills will also be needed.” He held up a hand to Virginia before she could voice her complaint. “No, you can’t go. The master chief is far more versed in naval applications than you, and his engineering is off the scale. Get him all the information you have on the theory of phase shift so he has it available. Also get Commander Ryan. He’s going also. And tell Will Mendenhall no also. He has duties here.”
“Do you want to inform Sarah and Anya their homecomings with Jack and Carl will be delayed?” Alice asked as she closed her electronic notepad.
“No, this is now a closed event. Only the people mentioned as team members and those in this room are to have operational knowledge of this. Thank you.” Niles closed the meeting, as he needed the time to think about just what he was sending Jack and Carl into. He looked up as Xavier was close to being through the door.
“Doctor, make sure that Europa terminal is functioning correctly. They’ll need her out there.”
“It’s working, sir. I’ll double-check it.”
“Thank you.”
The director was left alone. He stood and made his way to the large credenza in the corner and poured himself coffee and then returned to his chair and sat heavily into it. He picked up his phone and then hit one number. Through a series of screeches and bleeps, his call was finally connected. The face was the familiar one with the exception of his dress and his missing bow tie. Lord James Durnsford looked sleepy as he came fully awake.
“Niles, old man. Unlike you, us old sots like our sleep.”
“It’s officially on, James. The president has approved your request and my mission. I’ll leave it to you to deliver the bad news to Colonel Collins and our French friend.”
“Oh, delightful.”
HER MAJESTY’S NAVAL BASE (HMNB)
PORTSMOUTH, ENGLAND
Henri was looking at both Collins and Everett as if they had set him up for another fall as the trio was directed from the airstrip toward the command center of Her Majesty’s Naval Base in Portsmouth. They had been led into a very comfortable room and told to wait. When asked for what and for how long they had to do so, the Royal Navy marine guard just raised his brows in a your guess is as good as mine look.
“Maybe a little reward money for old, bad man Farbeaux?” Henri said sarcastically, not looking at either American.
“Relax, Henri. We already tried to ransom you off to any of them—MI6, Scotland Yard, the Rolling Stones—but alas, none were interested, so take it easy,” Carl said with his ever-present smile.
“If it’s any consolation, Henri, this was for you,” Jack said as he slapped a folded ticket onto Farbeaux’s arm.
The Frenchman looked at the ticket and then took it and opened it. It was a first-class British Airways ticket to his home in Tuscany. He looked from Jack to a grinning Everet
t.
“So, at least for that part of your little Egyptian sting, you were telling the truth,” Henri said, shaking his head. “May I use this now?” he asked with hope of excusing himself from the company of two men he admired but disliked very much.
Jack looked at his watch. “I don’t think that’s up to us any longer. It seems we have been diverted.”
Farbeaux let out an exasperated breath, and Jack decided to explain something the man needed to know.
“Henri, imagine that if Dr. Morales and Europa can find out just what it was you were up to in Egypt, how long would it be before the police in Alexandria, or even”—here, Jack looked around the room with its British Union Jack staring them down—“if MI6 caught on? You were there to steal something that wasn’t yours, and we just happened to need the cover of your enterprise in our recovery of American property.”
“The Egyptians hadn’t caught on because they don’t have the computing power that little maniac does at your little prairie dog burrow in Nevada.”
“Objection! Argumentative,” Carl said as he stretched his long legs out before him. “We like to think of it as our underground insane asylum.”
“For once, I agree,” Henri mumbled. “So, may I assume your little operation has hit somewhat of a snag, since we find ourselves virtually under arrest?”
Before Jack could tell Henri to relax once more, the door opened, and a familiar face poked in. Henri’s brows rose in worry as he saw it was Lord James Durnsford, the head of MI6. He stood and greeted the man they had met during the Overlord operation.
Beyond the Sea--An Event Group Thriller Page 9
