2041 Sanctuary (Genesis)

by Robert Storey

  The memory of their meeting reminded Joiner of his surprise when he’d learnt that Richard Goodwin and his Darklight mercenaries were alive and well, scratching out an existence in the hidden depths. He’d presumed, like many others, that the ousted director of Steadfast and his merry band had long since succumbed to the unforgiving landscape that was Sanctuary Proper. How they’d survived for so long was a mystery, but whatever the method, they continued to pose a threat to Joiner, the Committee and the USSB itself. They would, at some point, have to be dealt with. If nothing else, the Committee was keen to investigate the massive underground city that Goodwin now called home. And whatever Joiner might have been told, or not as the case may be, he knew that whatever had caused Sanctuary’s ceiling to activate most likely originated from that location. And if he was to determine the true source, as the Committee desired, he would at some point need to find out more, much more.

  Inevitably, Joiner’s thoughts returned to the most pressing matter that required his attention. If he was to regain control of his life he needed help, and that meant he needed someone he could rely on and trust. It had been some time before he’d even considered asking the question that needed to be asked, but when it had come and the answer had been yes, then he knew what he had to do. Most would have not even considered the course of action he was about to undertake. They would say when your bridges were burnt, that was it, there was no going back, but Joiner knew what it took to convince a person even when everything was stacked against him. And this time was no different … at least, that was his hope.

  A red light flashed on a communication headset that hung from the ceiling and Joiner powered off the computer and placed one of the headphones to his ear.

  ‘Sir, we’ve reached our destination,’ said the pilot.

  ‘And you’re telling me this, why?’ Joiner said, irritated. ‘Set us down.’

  ‘That’s the problem, sir, there seems to be a game in progress.’

  Joiner peered out of his window to see a crowded stadium below and forty thousand pairs of eyes staring up at the helicopters that now circled the skies above. Nationals Park baseball stadium was home to a Major League Baseball franchise, the Washington Nationals. Joiner hadn’t considered the facility might have been in use. Why would he? He went where he wanted and did what he liked.

  The pitcher and the rest of the players stared up at the intrusion; many had the audacity to wave them away and a couple produced obscene gestures, one of them being the coach.

  Joiner gave a sniff of disinterest and put the microphone back to his mouth. ‘They’ll move.’

  ‘Sir?’

  ‘You heard me, pilot.’ Joiner hung the headset back on its hook and turned to his subordinate. ‘Lock it down.’

  The man nodded and gave the order to jam all communications. A second later all local transmissions failed and worldwide TV audiences suddenly experienced a ubiquitous on-screen message that read: ‘No signal.’

  The roar of the helicopter’s jet engines increased and the baseball players scattered for cover, much to Joiner’s satisfaction.

  His helicopter landed on the field soon after, with five more craft landing in quick succession.

  Joiner’s door slid open and he stepped out of his GMRC transport and down onto the specially cultivated grass of the pitch.

  Armed GMRC soldiers fanned out before him while the U.S. Army gunships continued to patrol the airspace above.

  As the noise from his landed aircraft died down, Joiner could hear catcalls and boos ringing out around the stadium. Like I care, he thought and flipped down his sunshades, these idiots will all be ash and bone within the year. He strode forward with his armed escort as protection and made his way up to the stands, where his men cleared a way through those gathered with brutal efficiency. The crowd turned ugly, bottles were thrown, and Joiner ducked as one whistled past his head.

  Joiner gestured to his closest agent. ‘Show these peasants some manners.’

  The operative gave a nod, cocked his weapon and fired a shot into the air. More gunshots rang out as Joiner’s soldiers sent people scrambling back in panic.

  Joiner surveyed the scene and saw that his heavy-handed tactics had also served to isolate the man he sought. He moved towards the lone person sitting still in a sea of rapidly emptying seats.

  A moment later Joiner eased himself down onto one of the chairs and sat staring out at his helicopters, which adorned the field of play.

  The man next to him stayed silent and Joiner decided to speak first.

  ‘You’re probably asking yourself why I’m here.’

  There was no response.

  ‘I’m putting together a special taskforce,’ Joiner said, undeterred. ‘I need you to lead it. It’ll mean longer hours; triple your previous pay and a slew of benefits you wouldn’t believe.’

  Silence ensued and both men remained looking straight ahead as the uncomfortable atmosphere increased.

  ‘We both know retirement isn’t for men like us,’ Joiner said, ‘we live to work, to make things happen, to make a difference.’ He gestured at the milling baseball fans. ‘We aren’t built to live amongst the herd, to play by the rules. Come back into the fold and your life will mean something again.’ Joiner glanced left. ‘Accept my offer and I guarantee you’ll be shaping not just the future of our country, but of the whole world.’

  The man crossed his arms and sat stony-faced.

  ‘What do you say?’ Joiner said.

  ‘I asked for one thing,’ Agent Myers said, ‘that I be allowed to live on the surface in peace before relocating to New York.’ He turned to face Joiner. ‘And you couldn’t even give me that, could you?’

  ‘You’re bitter,’ Joiner said. ‘I understand.’

  ‘Do you? I give you the best years of my career and unflinching loyalty and you repay me with what? A bullet to the gut.’

  ‘I won’t apologise for my actions,’ Joiner said.

  Myers gave a snort of disbelief.

  ‘But – BUT,’ Joiner said, ‘I will admit to misreading the situation. Debden was the leak.’ Joiner removed his glasses. ‘I should have seen it, the man was always too keen. Did you notice?’

  Unimpressed, Myers didn’t answer and Joiner allowed the agent his moment of control.

  ‘And that’s it?’ Myers said, when Joiner failed to continue. ‘That’s your pitch? That’s what I get, no apology and a pay rise?’ He gave a shake of his head. ‘You’ve got some nerve.’

  Joiner motioned to one of his armoured agents. ‘Nerve has nothing to do it with it,’ he said, accepting a steel briefcase. ‘I need you; it’s as simple as that.’

  ‘And you thought I’d just come running?’ Myers said. ‘When I got your message that you wanted me back on duty, I had to know, what could possess a man to ask such a question of someone he’d tried to kill?’

  ‘I didn’t try to kill you, I meant to wound. My aim was off. But I had to know if you were the leak and I had to force Stevens into fessing up. It was my only option.’

  ‘Your only option?’

  ‘Look,’ Joiner said, keeping up the pretence, ‘I realise I was wrong, but you know as well as I there are more pressing matters than your grudge. But if you need me to apologise, I do so, unreservedly.’

  Myers expression remained fixed in a glowering mask of distrust.

  Joiner gestured at the grey-clad intelligence operatives that patrolled the area. ‘Look around you,’ he said, ‘armoured agents inside our own borders. I take it you noticed?’

  Myers glanced at the menacing figures. ‘How could I not?’

  ‘Then you should know that even back at Sanctuary, the securest facility on the planet, we have factions arrayed against us, factions that should not exist.’

  ‘I heard about the abduction.’

  ‘Then you will know that the game has changed. All bets are off. The world is changing, old alliances are collapsing and new ones rise. If the GMRC and our country is to survive we must adapt, we mu
st react. The information you uncovered about the secret organisations operating inside the GMRC was invaluable, but what I didn’t tell you at the time was that I’ve been trying to infiltrate one of these organisations for decades.’

  Myers looked at him and Joiner refrained from smiling. I’m getting to him. He popped open the catches on his briefcase and withdrew a printed image of an X-ray and held it out to Myers.

  ‘Look at it,’ Joiner said.

  Myers flicked his eyes in its direction.

  ‘Do you see the device,’ – Joiner pointed to a spot on the photo – ‘next to the brainstem?’

  ‘Who is it, another mark for termination?’

  ‘The X-ray is mine.’

  Myers face registered a look of shock and he couldn’t stop himself from taking the image to inspect further.

  ‘Do you see now why I’m here? I’ve been compromised. My position at the GMRC is under threat, and without me our government will have even less influence over global affairs than it already does.’

  Myers continued to study the X-ray. ‘Can it be removed?’

  ‘Without damage? Unlikely; Sørensen was behind the procedure.’

  ‘Then it’s not just your tenure at the GMRC that’s at stake,’ – Myers passed the image back to him – ‘but your position as U.S. Intelligence Director as well.’

  ‘And that’s why I’m here. I can’t do this alone. I need someone to mask my movements, to outthink those that seek to control me, to second-guess my decisions and to create a wall behind which I can function.’ Joiner put the photo back into the case. ‘I need to get this thing out of me, or at the very least disable or disrupt its activation, and I can’t do that when everything is in upheaval, nor while the division is haemorrhaging information like a sieve. I need to clean house, and clean it good.’

  ‘Then I wish you luck,’ – Myers got to his feet – ‘because you’re going to need it.’

  ‘You still need convincing,’ Joiner said, also standing, ‘after everything I’ve told you?’

  ‘That you’re surprised by that shows how little you know me.’

  Myers walked away and Joiner saw his chance disappearing.

  ‘Wait!’ Joiner felt himself rooted to the spot. I never follow, I always lead! All his experience told him to stand his ground, to uphold his position of authority, but he knew if he did so now, Myers was lost and therefore so was he.

  Myers stopped and looked back, his expression as guarded as ever.

  Joiner continued to feel the tension of resistance before a glimpse of a disparate future made the decision for him. With his ego diverted, Joiner closed the gap between them. ‘What if I tell you without your help I’ll be unable to continue my duties? My next independent review is overdue, and if I’m removed from office no one will be able to stop what’s to come.’

  ‘And what’s that?’

  ‘A subversion of everything we hold dear.’

  Myers’ brow furrowed. ‘By who?’

  ‘They call themselves The Committee.’

  ‘And they’re responsible for sabotaging the Space Programme?’

  Joiner hesitated before nodding his head.

  ‘Who are they?’ Myers said.

  ‘A large collective of power elites operating above the law and backed by limitless funds.’

  ‘You know their identities?’

  ‘Some,’ Joiner said, ‘and you helped locate others, but most are faces without names, or names without faces or pasts. Even the ones who operate in plain sight have an untraceable history – digital and paperless dead ends. It’s like they never existed. They are the ghost in the machine.’

  ‘And you thought I was leaking information to this Committee?’ Myers said.

  ‘I did, and if you had the full picture you might understand why I reacted with such violence.’

  Myers stayed silent and Joiner took it as his cue to continue. ‘Do you remember why we had to remove Steiner from office?’

  ‘You said he wanted to evacuate Steadfast against the Directorate’s wishes.’

  ‘I did. He’d become a liability and a security risk. However, it has since come to my attention that the professor may well have been working with this Committee and I believe it was they who were responsible for the Steadfast explosion.’

  ‘You think they sabotaged the nuclear reactors?’

  ‘It makes sense,’ Joiner said, ‘especially as they’ve also infiltrated the Directorate itself, and if Steiner hadn’t escaped—’

  ‘They would have covered their tracks,’ Myers said. He shook his head. ‘Jesus, can’t you call an emergency summit?’

  Pleased Myers continued to buy into his carefully fabricated tale, Joiner remained grave. ‘I don’t have the proof, which is another reason why I need your help.’

  ‘And it’s this same Committee who possess the Anakim technology, this so-called God Device?’

  ‘It’s as we thought,’ Joiner said, ‘they’re working with Sørensen and using the GMRC’s R&D Division for their own ends.’

  ‘Which is what?’

  ‘I have no idea. All I know is Project Ares needs to be stopped and this God Device destroyed.’

  ‘And that’s the purpose of this special taskforce you’re assembling?’

  ‘It is, amongst other things.’ Joiner could see Myers’ resolve wavering. And that was always going to be his trump card. Whatever Myers thought of Joiner, whatever grudge he held against him, he knew as well he what Ares represented; not just a threat to the United States and the GMRC, but to the whole of humanity.

  ‘Tell me,’ Myers said.

  And there it is, Joiner thought, I know him better than he cares to believe. ‘There’s another faction that knows of the Committee; it was they who were responsible for my abduction. Your mission will be to seek them out, along with the hacker, Da Muss Ich, and Professor Steiner. You’ll operate with total autonomy, zero oversight, no borders and no sanctions.’

  ‘Budget?’

  ‘Open book.’

  Myers’ pupils dilated at the thought and he held Joiner’s gaze as he considered his options.

  ‘I have three conditions,’ Myers said.

  ‘Name them.’

  ‘One, don’t expect me to respect or trust you.’

  Joiner had never cared what his agents thought of him before so the concession was a given. ‘Agreed.’

  ‘Two, I want full disclosure. Everything you know, I know.’

  Joiner knew that was never going to happen, but he nodded anyway. ‘And three?’

  ‘You submit to a physical exam—’

  ‘Done.’

  ‘And,’ Myers said, ‘a full psych test conducted by myself … once a week.’

  Joiner paused. Intelligence Division psychological assessments were a gruelling twelve hour slog where an agent was systematically worn down with targeted questions, sensory deprivation and enforced stress positions, all of which were sandwiched between a battery of scans and other neurological tests. They were gruelling, energy sapping affairs, as Joiner well knew – he’d helped design them. ‘Monthly,’ he said, ‘excluding modules seven through nine.’

  Myers shook his head. ‘Fortnightly, excluding module seven, that’s my final offer.’

  Joiner waited ten seconds to make it appear he was mulling it over before holding out his hand, which Myers shook to seal the deal.

  ‘You won’t regret this,’ Joiner said, as the noise from the surrounding crowd swelled louder. He reached into a pocket and handed Myers his agency I.D. and service issue sidearm.

  ‘I already am,’ Myers said. He checked the weapon, tucked it into his belt and attached the badge to his shirt. ‘Just know that I’ll protect you with my life, but I don’t do it for you, I do it for the people we protect.’

  Joiner didn’t respond; he didn’t care what Myers’ motivation was, just that he had it. He put his glasses back on and surveyed the scene with a critical eye. A mass of sports fans remained in arm’s reach of Joiner�
��s ring of armed operatives, and many more hung further back as they waited for their pointless game to resume. These people, he thought, what a waste of a life they lead, inconsequential in every way. He didn’t know how they could stand it, to be so oblivious to everything around them. They are like sheep, he thought, blind, dumb, directionless sheep. But Joiner knew there was one life that was worth living – his own – and it was long past time to reclaim it. With Myers onside and leading his new taskforce, it would surely be only a matter of time before his current predicament was turned in his favour. In fact, he couldn’t envisage how it could not. He flipped down his sunshades and looked at Myers. ‘Don’t just stand there, Agent,’ Joiner said, ‘get this show back in the air.’

  Myers expression switched alert and he stalked away to give out the necessary orders as if he’d never been away. Joiner watched him go with a sense of satisfaction, before his computer alerted him to an incoming call.

  Joiner withdrew the device and put it to his ear. ‘Yes?’

  ‘Intelligence Director,’ said a voice, its tone distorted deep, ‘do you remember our last conversation?’

  Joiner froze. ‘How did you get this number?’

  ‘That is the wrong question, Director,’ the voice said.

  ‘And what is the right question?’

  ‘How am I making this call when you’re jamming every signal for a half mile?’

  Joiner searched his mind for an answer. ‘Because you’re overriding our system.’

  ‘That’s half the answer; keep going.’

  Joiner suddenly realised what they were getting at. ‘Because you’re inside the stadium.’ He whirled round to search the crowd.

  The voice laughed. ‘You won’t find me, Director, and if you’re thinking about locking everything down I’ll be long gone, as will half the people in here.’