General Straub wasted no time in building a loyal leadership base for GAF. While theoretically the 10 major military powers had a say in who ran the military show, they gave considerable leeway to General Straub, given his remarkable coordination of strategy and command success in beating back the first alien invasion. Straub had no problem convincing General Douglas to take over GAF weapons development, given his results at Area 51. Another star as a promotion didn’t hurt. The other countries approved highly of this decision, given General Douglas’ record in advanced weapons development and partial success with understanding alien technology. Straub sealed the deal by making Douglas second -in-command. His other top choice was approved rapidly. Tech Sergeant Munger was placed in charge of communications and promoted to Master Technical Sergeant. Munger had come a long way from his initial U. S. air force experience.
The hard part for General Straub was finding a high-up military officer with budget acumen and a nose to weed out corruption and price gouging in weapons contracts. Wisely, General Straub knew he should give this post to a Peoples Republic of China military officer, as they were feeling bent out of shape with two Americans in charge. Since a Russian was currently serving as Earth First Council Chair, they were less needy. The Chinese government nominated several officers, but Straub also solicited nominations through his contacts in the Chinese military. One nomination from the latter group, a Military Doctor Liang Feng, highly recommended a Major General Cao Ji. General Straub dug deep into the background of Cao Ji. There were rumors of a “Tibetan Incident” where Ji supposedly worked against corruption above him. He selected Cao Ji as the fourth interview, the other three being gleaned from the government pile.
General Straub sat across from Cao Ji. He noted that Ji’s command of the English language was very good, a plus. “Major General Ji, please tell me about the vaccine incident in Tibet. Whatever you say will be held in strict confidence.” Ji recounted the entire incident about General Rong’s plan to divert vaccine from the Tibetans, thus enriching himself on the black market. Upon hearing the story, General Straub knew immediately that Ji was the man for the job. “Major General Ji, how would you like to come over to GAF with your Tibetan wife and assume command of weapons procurement? You will work directly with General Douglas who oversees weapons development.” “General Straub, I would like that very much. I am going no further in the Chinese military. As you can guess, there are rumors about me and General Rong. While no proof exists, suspicions about my role have brought my career to a dead end. I think the government and military would be happy to get rid of me.” “Consider it done. Did you bring your wife along as we asked in your interview invitation?” “Yes, Sir.” “Good, you stay here and report to HR. They’ll help you make the transition to base housing and get all the paperwork in order. The post comes with a promotion, General Ji. Welcome to GAF!”
While we won’t bore you with further details of personnel being added to GAF or the World Government, we would be remiss if we didn’t tell you about one other post. The Earth First Council members realized early on that PR and cyber intelligence were extremely important. As part of their outreach, they turned to General Straub for recommendations. General Straub immediately thought of Telltale Rose, a figure beloved by millions across the globe because of her taking on RGen and getting Draco and vaccines expedited for the masses. In his mind, Straub saw her as the ultimate figurehead for PR. So did the Council members.
Her interview went well. During the interview by two Council members and General Straub, an idea struck General Straub. “Ms. Gray, I mean Anita; I see you have a daughter, Jolene, and you are engaged to Henry Zisterwicz. Congratulations. If you are offered the job, you will all move to New York City and be well compensated and your daughter well-schooled. Bear with me now, as I have some thoughts and questions that are very important and not meant in a threatening way. Anita, it is obvious that you are good at PR, but it is apparent that you lack the computer savvy to have pulled off what you did. Without a doubt, you were aided by the Hackers Guild. We are very much in need of expertise in cyber intelligence and it is our guess that whoever helped you would be an ideal candidate for us. I am not asking you, now, for a name. I am asking you to contact your helper and relay our needs. I assure you that there will be no criminal charges against the unnamed person; he will be granted immunity for all past actions. What do you say?” “General Straub, I will get back to you as soon as possible. I would like the immunity and no criminal charges put in writing to take with me.”
That night in the hotel room, Anita wondered if the room had been bugged by the Earth First agents to gather intelligence about the Hackers Guild. Taking no chances, she turned up the television loud and gestured to Henry to come over. She explained General Straub’s request and showed Henry the signed document from General Straub and the two council members as well as witness signatures from two aides in attendance. Without a pause, Henry said, “I’ll do it, but under one condition. I want free rein to work through the Hackers Guild whenever I think it is necessary and that the Earth First government will agree to safeguard any member of the Guild and intervene on their behalf, should they get arrested.” To make a long story short, both Henry and Anita got the jobs and the Hackers Guild became unofficially protected. Their work contributions over the next few years helped in no small part to create a favorable image for the Earth First government. The cyber intelligence provided by Henry with the aid of the Hackers Guild helped GAF to dampen dangerous minor conflicts around the globe before they spiraled out of control.
Early on the Earth First Council members met and decided that another intense effort beyond weaponry development and the arming of GAF was needed. More scientists, engineers, and mathematicians were needed. These areas had declined, as their tough education requirements caused many students to steer toward other fields that required less effort and provided secure financial futures. Special emphasis was needed to identify the best students for the science, technology, engineering and mathematics pipeline. Resources were also steered toward the area such that students completing degrees in these fields would be well provided for during their education and receive good salaries. Toward that end a special program called STEMEO was created. A search was launched for the post of Director of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics Education Outreach.
When General Straub became aware of this search, he nominated Dr. Paul Laurent for the post. General Straub made it known that Laurent was his personal choice for the position. General Straub called in several favors, including endorsements by Generals Douglas and Ji. Laurent was therefore fast-tracked with very little due diligence. At that point General Straub decided to push his luck no further and left the filling of posts completely to the Earth First Council members.
Dr. Laurent was both pleased and conflicted when the offer came. He liked what he did, but knew in his heart that the successors to Drs. Miller and Gupta, now known as Drs. Hopkins and Rajani, could carry on without him now that the Blue Flu viral crisis had passed. Those two had already created a new vaccine for the Blue Flu that was highly successful. Paul also understood the importance of educating more scientists, engineers, and mathematicians to make the advances needed to successfully stand up against the next alien invasion wave. He agreed to take on the job and develop the strategic plan for STEMEO.
The voice-over narrator now cut in for the final time. Students, this concludes our video. While we won’t go into detail here, I’m sure your teacher will cover progress of the Earth First government and STEMEO recent history in class, given its extreme importance. Suffice it to say that Dr. Laurent built a very successful STEMEO program. General Straub has built an imposing GAF ready for whatever the aliens throw at us and the standard of living has risen throughout the globe. This video was one of his creations. I would be remiss if I did not mention one last thing. Because of time constraints, we were unable to cover the medal ceremony in the United States after the aliens were beaten back. M
edals were awarded by the President to all the military men and women mentioned by name in this video, as well as the civilians who helped cure the Blue Flu. For a video clip showing the ceremony, go to www.THEINCIDENT.Gov/medals/ ceremony. The tests you have taken before called the p-STEMEO panel and today’s test, the STEMEO Final were developed under Dr. Laurent’s guidance. You will now take your test as directed by your teacher.
Paul sat there bemused a bit and his thoughts returned to the present. It was hard to believe that five years had passed in reality and in the video. It was now the sixth year, PI, and no aliens had returned. We are damned lucky, he thought. While the teacher, Mr. Edward Rabideau, set up the tests at his desktop monitor, Paul’s thoughts ran on again. He still worried about the attempt on his life. While Paul’s CV was a complete fabrication, it did mirror that of his previous identity, Dr. John Cabrot. Still, it would take extreme digging to expose the CV as fraudulent, given the work done by General Straub’s intelligence group to protect him.
Paul snapped back to the classroom. He noted that Mr. Rabideau looked very serious and paid Paul no attention. Paul smiled. It might have something to do with some unmentioned details not in the video. The incentive to find the best STEMEO students was very powerful. For every student identified and accepted into the STEMEO program, there was a $5000 reward for the science or math teacher.
As such teachers took the identification of STEMEO students and their subsequent instruction very seriously. Paul was even more pleased with his method to prevent teachers from neglecting the non-sciences. The test about to be sent to each student’s built-in desk monitor via the Wi Fi was actually two tests. One was to determine STEMEO proficiency period. The other, while it had some science basis, was primarily an assessment of non-science skills such as history, English, writing and so on. Part of it was also an aptitude test. The catch was that the “bounty” was reduced or eliminated if the student scores in the non-sciences slipped below a nationally determined level. This aspect was true across the globe. Yes sir, thought Paul, a very efficient way to do things. The results of the aptitude part were used to help steer students in various directions. While none were forced to follow through on these recommendations, it was well known by now that financial incentives were more likely to be offered to those who did. Nothing like scholarship funds to seal a deal, thought Paul.
Early on, Paul had assembled teams to fan out across the globe when special students, as determined by the p-STEMEO tests, were about to take the final STEMEO test. They would eagerly await the scores and if the scores met the criteria, the students would be whisked away to special schools established for fast-tracking STEMEO professionals. Their families would come with them. Being selected was not only an honor to contribute to the defense against the aliens while also improving human technology, but it also had some perks for all involved. It wasn’t a hard sell. Paul no longer had to go to any STEMEO tests, but he did so several times a year in the United States. He enjoyed the trips and wished to not only keep active, but to monitor the pulse of the system.
For some reason, Paul suddenly thought of Reverend Cooper. While still highly suspected by MI, the bastard had still not been actually connected to the assassination attempt. However, his church was heavily infiltrated with moles secretly planted by General Straub’s intelligence group. In retrospect, that turned out to be a very important thing, but not for the obvious reason. The Reverend’s church, now called the Church of the Rapture, had moved into big time globally. It was attracting members in increasingly scary numbers. The Church believed that the next wave of aliens should not be resisted, but accepted as God’s plan to bring about the Rapture. This position placed it at complete odds with the Earth First government and GAF. Fortunately, it still constituted a minority, a very troublesome minority, one which it was important to watch closely. The moles supplied a steady stream of intelligence and were watchful for acts of violence. At present, none had been detected, but the potential for violence was certainly there.
Just then Paul’s thoughts were interrupted by a stir in the classroom. He heard Mr. Rabideau say, “No, Zack. You cannot bother Dr. Laurent. That is final!” Zack responded, almost wailing, “But I have to. It is very important.” For some reason the covert glances Zack gave him earlier popped into Paul’s mind. Paul made a quick decision. “Mr. Rabideau, please delay the test for a few minutes. I wish to talk briefly with Zack out in the hall. Let’s go, Zack.”
Out in the hall, Paul looked at Zack. “OK, get on with it. What’s going on?” Zack looked at him and said, “Please hear me out. Don’t think I’m weird like my classmates do. I sense things in my mind some times. Like, I can tell when someone is lying. Sometimes I get a bad feeling that something is about to happen, like when the bad guys killed my neighbor and his dog. Once in a while, I can even pick up a sentence like I hear it, but the person isn’t saying it. At other times I can sense emotions in people.”
Could it be, thought Paul? Is this kid an empath, possibly a telepath? For some years he had believed that humans would make another step forward in evolution, as happened in the past after extreme events rattled human survival. Zack’s conception could have been influenced by climatic change, especially extreme weather events and the march of tropical diseases northward, or maybe a random genetic mutation. Clearly, the alien attack was just such a stressor, but alterations from that stressor would not be seen for at least several years at the earliest. Still, he couldn’t be certain that Zack was another evolutionary step. He had to have some proof. “OK, Zack, let’s say that I don’t think you are weird, that I believe you, and I think this skill is extremely important. Can you convince me somehow that this skill is real and not an imagined one?”
“Your real name is not Dr. Paul Laurent. I sense you are lying when you use that name. While I don’t get a whole sentence being near you, I sensed you identifying closely with Dr. John Cabrot in the video. When he died in the blast, you showed very little emotion, not the sorrow and anger that most in the classroom showed. Drs. Miller and Gupta are not dead either. I sense that all of you were given new identities. I can tell that you want to believe me, but you aren’t totally convinced yet. One last thing, to date very little has been learned about the aliens. I sense that all the efforts have been for naught. Somehow I get the sense that a captured alien exists, but has not been cooperative.”
The last statement startled Paul, given his recently learned knowledge of the alien from General Straub and the top secret level associated with the alien’s existence as a prisoner. Still, Zack somehow knowing this secret gave Paul some hope. “OK, Zack, we’ll take you back with us and get you to Area 51 where you’ll undergo some psychological testing. You will have tests that determine whether you really have any paranormal powers or whether you are just good at reading people through minute facial changes or other body language or perhaps you have a well-developed sense of intuition. Should you truly be some kind of empath, you’ll have a shot at the alien. Maybe you can pick something up from him. Lord knows we have tried and have totally failed. Do you need to say your goodbyes to anyone?”
“No. No one in the orphanage cares whether I leave. I have no friends in the classroom either. They all think I am a weirdo. However, I do have two requests. I never found out what happened to my dad. Did he abandon me or was he killed? If so, how did he die? Was it alcohol and a car crash? Or was it the Blue Flu? Could it have been something else? Where is he buried? The second one is I want to visit his grave. That’s the only goodbye I want to do. Sorry, no, there is another goodbye I have to do. There are two graves that I dug myself for my kindly neighbor and his dog, Dr. Monroe and Chaser. They looked after me when my dad disappeared.” By now tears were visibly running down Zack’s face.
Paul was moved by this strange boy. “Zack, we’ll find out what happened to your dad and take you to those goodbyes. Now, let’s go back into the classroom so that you can take the test. I’m going to leave now for the day. I’ll have my staff
make the necessary arrangements to get you out of the orphanage. I’ll also have my people track down your dad’s fate. Do you still know the way to those graves you mentioned?” Zack smiled sadly. “Yes.” “OK, I’ll come back to the school tomorrow to see the test results. Then you will come with us. Now do your best on the test.” Zack and he returned to the classroom. “Everything is fine, Mr. Rabideau. I’ll see you tomorrow at 9:00 AM to see the test results.” With that Paul stepped out in the hall and indicated to Joe and Lisa that it was time to go. Once back at the motel, Paul contacted his staff via the P-Com, indicating his requests were high priority.
The next morning Paul walked into Ed Rabideau’s office. “So Ed, do we have any candidates?” “Yes, Paul, but we have only one. Her name is Amy Wang. She tested off the scale for engineering. Here are the results.” Paul whistled when he looked at the scores. “She’s the best one we ever seen to date. This one is a keeper! You will get the usual incentive with some extra thrown in, should she accept the offer to be part of the STEMEO program.”
Can I see Zack’s results?” Ed gave him a puzzled look as he handed over the folder. Paul spent several minutes studying the results. Zack was just a bit above average in science. However, the aptitude test showed he had excellent analytic skills and was clearly strong on people skills. The recommendation was that he should aim for management level jobs in technology fields. Interesting, thought Paul. Maybe he could be useful in the STEMEO program someday, especially if his empathic skill didn’t pan out as real. “Ed, start the paperwork to get Amy into our program. If she or her parents balk, let me know immediately.” “Paul, I know her and her parents. They’ll come running.” “Good. One last thing. I am taking Zack with me back to STEMEO. He has some talent we wish to investigate. All the arrangements have been made with the orphanage and the school. Please get him from the classroom now.” Ed wanted to ask about those other talents, but he could see the finality on Paul’s face and knew the questions would go unanswered.
The Manhattan Incident Page 30
