♦
It took Professor Steiner a few hours to track down Colonel Ellwood, now another rung up the ladder and Brigadier General Ellwood. He’d been stationed at U.S.S.B. Sanctuary, which was convenient yet at the same time extremely unfortunate. Ellwood would know why Steiner suddenly found himself on the outside regarding the U.S. military, and seemingly U.S.S.B. Sanctuary in particular; however, he might be complicit in preventing his progress in the first place. Steiner had nothing to lose at this point so he picked up the phone, executed his previous protocol and code process to ensure a secure line, and waited for an answer.
‘General Ellwood,’ a gravelly voice said.
‘General, this is Professor Steiner, GMRC Subterranean Director General Steiner. I need your assistance.’
The General’s tone became guarded. ‘How can I help you, Professor?’
‘General, I’m having some issues with some equipment I procured which was bound for Steadfast; however, it appears to have found its way to Sanctuary instead. I need it to be shipped back here urgently, please.’
‘I’m sorry, Professor, I can’t help you with that. I don’t deal with that side of things.’
‘General, let’s cut the crap, shall we? I’ve been getting the runaround all day and I need your help.’
‘I’m sorry to hear that but, as I said, I can’t help you.’
It sounded like he was going to put down the phone so Steiner crossed his fingers and prayed Ellwood owed Selena big time. ‘Amy Adams,’ he said.
There was a long pause. ‘I’m sorry?’ An edge of fear crept into Ellwood’s voice. ‘What did you just say?’
‘I’m a very close friend of Selena Adams, Ex Vice President Selena Adams.’
‘Yes, I am well aware who she is.’
‘You owe her big time,’ Steiner said confidently, although feeling anything but, ‘and I’m here on her behalf to collect.’
Silence. Had he hung up? No, he could hear breathing and background noise.
‘Look, General, I know everything there is to know about Amy and what went on between you and Selena. I’m not interested in that, what I am interested in is why I am being undermined by the military at such a crucial time and in connection with such an important piece of equipment.’
Still silence.
‘Are you there, General?’
‘Is this line secure?’
Steiner could have jumped with joy. ‘It is,’ he said, remaining calm.
‘It better be. Have you checked your deep space imagery recently, Professor?’
‘Of course. I am constantly updated on the progress of all deep space analysis.’
‘Check it again. Clearance code H J K dash zero zero niner dash SANCTUARY dash I D star eight two five. All letters are uppercase.’
‘And this is why the Joint Chiefs are blocking me?’
‘The Joint Chiefs are involved, yes. But Joiner pulls all the strings.’
‘Joiner, Director of Intelligence, Malcolm Joiner?’
‘Yes,’ Ellwood said, and hung up.
Steiner put down the phone. Well, it looked like the gamble had paid off, but now he felt even more worried than before. What could be going on that he wasn’t aware of? He had top level clearance. He knew things that very few knew; for instance, no one else in Steadfast knew what he knew. So how did a lowly Brigadier General at U.S.S.B. Sanctuary know more than he? He took his personal computer phone from its induction dock and the screen went blank. It was probably wiser to find another station to work on rather than use his own again. Exiting his office, he walked down the hall, took an elevator down three floors and found a disaster recovery console. He hacked into the telemetry array and entered the security access code Ellwood had given him.
The data streams that came up on a monitor he had seen many times. He flicked the information onto a large screen display on the right wall of the room and brought up charts and graphs showing current and historical feeds. Entering a standard code, he was able to compare the two data sets against each other. He didn’t know what he was looking for, so he studied the screen for some time until suddenly he spotted it. The data he normally had access to had been tampered with. This new feed was apparently the real stream. Now that he knew there was a problem, he quickly found the algorithm utilised in the deception. The discrepancies appeared tiny, but Steiner knew that when dealing with massive objects and trajectories, the resulting repercussions could be massive.
He extrapolated the numbers he needed and plugged them into a simulation programme. That can’t be right, he thought, and he put them in again. The same result displayed. He did it again. Switched terminals and tried again. Went back to his office and tried again and again. There was no mistake; he’d been badly deceived and many people’s lives were in mortal danger because of it. He needed to act, but how? He still had civilian support; he reached out and met little resistance as he probed people with searching yet subtle questions. The duplicity was seemingly a military affair, although what with the involvement of the UN Secretary General and Joiner he wasn’t totally convinced of this assumption. He decided to mull over his options and discuss them with Nathan when he arrived. Sitting at his desk, Steiner absent-mindedly rotated the single gold band that adorned his ring finger, staring off into space, his mind racing and his mood dark.
♦
Goodwin approached the professor’s office, one of his many offices located in bases around the world. He knocked; Steiner called him inside.
‘Professor, I need to talk to you about a problem that’s arisen.’ He stopped as he caught sight of Steiner; he looked exhausted. ‘Are you all right, Professor? You look tired.’
‘I’m fine, Richard,’ he said wearily, ‘please sit down.’
Goodwin took a seat and noticed for the first time that Steiner looked his age.
‘What’s troubling you?’ the professor said.
Goodwin felt reluctant to pile any more pressure on the man, but Steiner noticed his reticence and waved him on with a hand.
‘I had a very uncomfortable encounter with the colonel after our … tour,’ Goodwin said.
‘Samson?’
Goodwin nodded. He was wondering how to put it to Steiner, but there was no easy way so he went down the direct route. ‘He threatened to kill me.’
Steiner’s eyes widened in shock.
‘Well, he actually said he’d “Gut me like a pig” which amounts to the same thing, really.’
‘Why on God’s green Earth would he say such a thing?’ Steiner said, incensed.
‘Perhaps due to the altercation I broke up the other day. I undermined his authority in front of his men, so he might be holding a grudge. I think he also thought I was intentionally humiliating him during the tour of the facility, when he got the wrong room for the missiles. I suppose I could have said something, as I did know he’d gone to the wrong door, but then he’d probably have got equally as angry if I’d done that. I was just keeping my head down, really. Apparently he’s a little sensitive when getting things wrong publicly.’
‘That seems like an understatement in the circumstances,’ Steiner said, wiping his brow with a handkerchief. ‘To be frank, Richard, this couldn’t have come at a worse time. I’m having some difficulties with the military myself at the moment.’
‘I’m sorry, Professor, I didn’t realise. I can take this to the colonel’s superiors.’
‘I doubt that would have the desired effect. In fact, it might make things worse. I think you may have guessed that already, hence you’re here now.’
Goodwin nodded.
The professor appeared to be in thought for a moment. ‘Leave it with me,’ he said eventually, ‘and I’ll sort it out for you. I would steer clear of him for the time being, I will assign you two of my bodyguards. They will be discreet, so not to draw comment.’
‘I don’t think that will be necessary,’ – Goodwin shifted in his seat, unnerved at the prospect – ‘in truth, I’m actually more worried about
others on the base. I’ll be fine.’
‘I’d rather not take that chance at the moment,’ Steiner told him.
Goodwin wondered why that would be, but since Steiner didn’t appear to be in the mood to elaborate, he didn’t question it. ‘Thank you, Professor, I can’t tell you how much I appreciate this. If there’s anything I can do for you just let me know.’
‘No need, but thank you for the offer all the same. I have great admiration for you, Richard; I think of you as a friend rather than a colleague and friends help each other out and require nothing in return.’
Goodwin thanked him again and got up to leave, just as there was a knock on the door.
Nathan Bryant entered at the professor’s behest.
‘Richard, it’s been a while,’ Nathan said, briefly shaking his hand as they passed each other. Goodwin smiled and continued on his way; Nathan, seemingly too busy to chat, had already taken the chair recently vacated by Goodwin. That was fine by him as he felt exhausted himself now; he planned to have a long bath and good night’s sleep to ease his tired muscles. A short while later he reached his apartment to find two suited men standing guard outside his door, their chiselled physiques and holstered sidearms out of place in the residential neighbourhood. Steiner had been as good as his word. Goodwin spoke to them briefly and then retired to recuperate for the following day.
♦
Steiner sat at his desk across from Nathan as they discussed his options and the new information he had gained from his source. He didn’t disclose Ellwood’s name as he didn’t want to put Nathan’s position in jeopardy, even though the younger man pushed for it, saying he didn’t mind taking the risk. Steiner also didn’t want to betray Selena’s trust in him; it was bad enough that he was using her secret for leverage, he wouldn’t tell another and lower himself further. Of course his actions weren’t completely altruistic as, while he hadn’t wanted to blackmail Ellwood, he had and he knew he’d prefer not to publicise such a shameful act, even though in actuality he hadn’t a clue what had occurred with Amy Adams and nor did he want to know.
‘So there is only one route to take,’ Steiner said, after they had weighed up all the options in their entirety.
‘It’s going to be hard to swing it,’ Nathan said, ‘especially if the Joint Chiefs are behind this for whatever reason.’
Steiner knew he was right, but it was beside the point. ‘What can they do? If we mobilise and turn up on their doorstep they won’t be able to turn us away as it may expose us all. They’d have no choice but to comply.’
‘It’s high risk; what if word got out?’
‘It won’t make any difference in the longer term,’ Steiner said, his expression grim, ‘it will merely make their life a lot harder overnight and we could just take our chances later on.’
‘I would advise against it, Professor.’
‘Duly noted,’ Steiner said, indicating an end to the matter. Steiner had hoped for Nathan’s full support, but it seemed he was to be disappointed. He’d have to go it alone on this one. On my head be it, he thought. It was the right thing to do, he knew it; he wasn’t sure of Nathan’s reasons to decide otherwise, but that was his prerogative. Now he must begin preparations, plus he would sort out Samson for Goodwin. His anger swelled again at the thought of someone threatening his friend’s life.
♦
The next day Steiner made his way to Steadfast’s military quarter. Once at the appropriate barracks, a guard informed him Samson conducted exercises for his men in a nearby training ground. Steiner had brought his last remaining bodyguard along with his aides as a matter of course. Hopefully this would deter Samson, who sounded like he could be borderline insane, from chopping Steiner down in front of witnesses. I can’t afford to die at the moment, he thought to himself with more than a little sardonic humour.
‘I’d like to speak with the colonel, please,’ Steiner told one of Samson’s troops, who lounged at the entrance to the compound.
‘He’s exercising with the men,’ the soldier said, looking at his watch. ‘He’ll be finished in five, wait here and I’ll let him know as soon as he’s finished.’
‘Thank you, Sergeant,’ Steiner said, and moved away from his retinue to wait, which wasn’t long as soon after Samson stalked out to meet him.
‘You wanted to see me?’ the colonel said, irritation written all over his face.
‘I did.’ Steiner moved further away from prying ears. ‘I’m not going to beat about the proverbial bush, Colonel. You have threatened one of my personnel with physical violence; they also happen to be a friend of mine, so I shall put this very clearly. You will request a transfer to U.S.S.B. Haven immediately or I will have you forcibly removed and detained until I decide what to have done with you. Do you understand me, Colonel?’
Towering over him, Samson’s face darkened and he leaned down menacingly. Steiner’s bodyguard moved forwards, but Steiner held up his hand to stop him.
Samson looked round and laughed. ‘Your bodyguard doesn’t scare me and neither do your empty threats. I’m going nowhere.’
‘That would be unwise,’ Steiner said, holding his ground. ‘You do not want to try me.’
The colonel smiled and walked off without another word, eyeballing Steiner’s bodyguard as he went.
That went badly, Steiner thought. His threat of moving Samson by force was a weak one considering his current relations with the Joint Chiefs and the military fraternity. Apparently Samson knew that too, or else he just didn’t give a crap. At least Richard has my bodyguards for protection, he reflected.
Looking at the bigger picture, Steiner decided he needed to call in some contractors as soon as possible. Now that the U.S. military essentially danced to their own tune, the GMRC itself had been compromised; his hand had been forced and he had to return the status quo. If the Joint Chiefs and Joiner wanted to play games, then he still had some final cards to play.
Chapter Seven
A private plane touched down on a military airstrip five miles outside of the town of Dulce, New Mexico. A group of black SUVs made their way out from one of the hangars as the aircraft came to rest half a mile away. No sooner had the engines shut down than a ladder was manoeuvred into place as a door opened above. Men in dark suits exited, many donning shades to fend off the dazzling rays as the sun beat down overhead. As the SUVs came to a stop nearby, a final group of people emerged from the opening.
Malcolm Joiner, Director of National and GMRC Intelligence, stepped down onto the baking hot tarmac and moved to his waiting vehicle. He was glad to get inside the air-conditioned cabin as his men climbed in around him. The small convoy begun to move and a short while later they were passing the checkpoint to the military compound guarding the primary surface entrance to U.S.S.B. Steadfast. The vehicles cleared a final security sweep and were then driven onto one of the enormous elevator mechanisms; an engineering marvel that had been utilised the world over in subterranean complexes as the principal surface-to-interior transportation system. Thick, super-hardened doors encapsulated the convoy on a wide, expansive oval platform, while teams of workers prepped the structure for departure. Ten, twenty and then thirty minutes ticked by as they waited for the other levels of the elevator to be loaded up, the system being too large an operation to warrant deployment for small parties and Joiner’s arrival having been timed so that it coincided with that day’s descent schedule.
Soon enough sirens sounded and beacons flashed as speakers announced magnetic coil locks had disengaged and surface departure was imminent. Grinding noises sent vibrations through the platform and a loud whining assaulted the senses, indicating the turbine engines had powered up. The super elevator gave a lurch and then descended steadily toward its destination, the huge engines ensuring the whole load didn’t plummet in freefall towards the distant shaft floor thousands of feet below.
The small convoy arrived at the central chamber of the base two hours later. Joiner looked up as they passed underneath a large arch to see
the Command Centre’s building rise up to the ceiling and on into the chamber above. Huge letters ran vertically down the imposing structure spelling out the name U.S.S.B. STEADFAST.
Joiner was displeased at having to move his operational offices at such a late hour in the impact countdown calendar. Steiner was proving to be an annoyance; power had gone to the man’s head. Still, he thought to himself with some satisfaction, that will become less of a problem in the near future. The winds of change above and below the surface grew in strength, a shift of power an inevitability. Steiner might think he had him under his command, but Joiner knew differently; many things were far from what they seemed. Even before Steiner had been brought onboard all those years ago at the White House, Joiner had been laying down plans which were only now reaching fruition some twenty-three years later.
Exiting the car and accompanied by his entourage of intelligence agents, Joiner entered the Command Centre. A few hours on, after he’d settled into his new surroundings, he summoned Nathan Bryant, the political aide who’d become an integral part of the U.S. and GMRC’s management of the upcoming global event. Joiner had been surprised and momentarily vexed by Bryant’s presence at Steadfast; he had placed him in South Korea for a reason, but ever the adept at manipulating the unexpected to align with his own agenda, Joiner saw it as an advantageous opportunity.
His office door opened a while later and one of Joiner’s agents ducked their head inside. ‘Director?’
Joiner looked up from his desk.
‘Nathan Bryant, sir,’ the man informed him.
‘Send him in,’ Joiner said, turning off his screen with a flick of his infrared finger circlet.
Bryant entered the room looking relaxed and confident, as he usually did. ‘Ah, Director, you wanted to see me?’ he said, lacking his usual aggravating grin and sitting down before being invited to do so.
Joiner disliked Bryant immensely; cockiness and eternal happiness exuded from him like pus from a boil. No one should be happy all the time; it wasn’t right. Joiner himself rarely felt happy and when he did it wasn’t normally because he’d achieved something, it was because others had failed in their endeavours. He reasoned Bryant must always be gloating at others’ failures, which infuriated Joiner more than he could say; he wondered what his secret was.
Revelations Page 8
