Ancient Origins: Books 4 - 6 (Ancient Origins Boxset Book 2)

by Robert Storey

  The man who’d spoken sat back down and flicked through a paper document. ‘Tell us, Intelligence Director,’ he said, glancing up at Joiner, ‘in your own words, how is it that Professor Steiner still lives?’

  Joiner suppressed the temptation to remove his glasses and rub his eyes; instead he sat up straighter and focused his attention on the speaker. ‘My—’ his voice broke and he cleared his throat. ‘My team had the matter well in hand before an outside intervention derailed its efforts.’

  ‘You refer to the cyber terrorist?’ a woman said. ‘The one known as “Because I Can”?’

  Joiner nodded. ‘Yes, the hacker B.I.C., Da Muss Ich.’

  ‘So,’ the man continued, ‘one man derailed the efforts of the GMRC’s entire Intelligence Division, a multi-trillion dollar organisation with near limitless resources?’

  Joiner could see how this was going to play out. He’d long since mastered the art of dragging subordinates over hot coals and more often than not he’d left them there to burn. Such a review could go one of three ways. One, an admission of responsibility and full capitulation, also known as falling on your own sword. Two, a robust and unending defence resulting in humiliation and a loss of control; or three, the high risk strategy of an uncompromising, full blooded attack.

  Of course, Joiner thought, there is always a fourth option, an amalgamation of all of the above. ‘Regardless of the size of an organisation and its relative resources,’ he said, ‘unexpected events will always occur. I react as required. If you’d have given me more time—’

  ‘More time?’ The woman shook her head in disbelief. ‘Time was something you had plenty of, Director, along with ample opportunity.’

  ‘Forgive me,’ Joiner said, ‘I don’t know your name …’

  The woman frowned at his tone and stared at him over the tops of her glasses.

  ‘You must have been well aware of the situation,’ Joiner said, unfazed. ‘Steiner was the Director General of the GMRC’s most powerful division and a singular force on the Directorate.’

  ‘Your point being?’ the woman said.

  ‘My point being he was also secured in a maximum security prison awaiting the death penalty. If you wanted him out of the way so badly, perhaps you should have utilised your own resources to hasten the process.’

  ‘If you refer to S.I.L.V.E.R.,’ she said, ‘they were engaged in other tasks. If we’d have known you intended to wait for the Director General to succumb to the natural course we would have intervened. But you forget yourself, Director; it is not our performance that is under review.’

  Joiner felt his mind clearing as Selene Dubois raised her hand to beckon someone forward.

  A man dressed in a plain grey suit approached her position. He passed her a portable screen and they exchanged a few words before he left her side and walked over to where Joiner sat.

  ‘Could you hold out your left arm, please, Director.’

  Joiner studied the man before looking at Selene Dubois with suspicion.

  ‘Dr. Laurent is here to facilitate your evaluation,’ she said. ‘He was also responsible for your care during your … incapacity.’

  ‘You are in good physical health,’ the doctor said. ‘Now we need to know if you’re of sound mind.’

  Joiner knew he had little option, so he raised his arm to enable the doctor to carry out his work.

  Dr. Laurent tugged the sleeve of Joiner’s jacket up his arm, undid the cuff, and rolled back his shirtsleeve, before attaching a long flexible metal collar around his forearm. He then withdrew a wire from the instrument and secured it to a round patch, which he placed on Joiner’s left temple, a patch similar to the one Joiner had removed back in his place of enforced convalescence.

  When he’d finished, the doctor fixed the apparatus to the arm of Joiner’s chair and activated a small screen on the metal device before retreating to one side.

  Joiner looked down at the display to see a number of oscillating figures and a set of bars that rose and fell, much like a graphic equaliser on an audio system.

  ‘Don’t be alarmed, Director,’ the man on the Committee said, ‘we just need to be sure of your continued mental health, and that also means we need to know where your allegiance lies if you are to continue to be of use to us.’

  Joiner’s pulse quickened. ‘I thought you said it was to determine mental acuity?’

  ‘That as well,’ Selene said, ‘that as well.’

  Joiner thought he glimpsed a glimmer of satisfaction on her face and he recalled what the nurse had told him about the pill. It will help keep your mind your own.

  Perhaps this device does more than find the truth in my words, he thought, perhaps it’s designed to make the Committee’s desires my own.

  The notion that they might be trying to rewrite his mind, to control his very being and sense of self, made him want to wrench the contraption from his wrist, but he fought down the desire with an iron will. You have contingencies for this, he told himself, relax. If they do manage to insert something into your subconscious, Debden and Myers are trained to notice the signs. Except Debden is dead and Myers is … I don’t even know if he lives, he realised. In any case, I can never rely on him again. Who else could conclude I’d become a security breach? He wasn’t due another psychological review for months; Debden had rearranged his schedule and asked if the mandatory tests could be pushed back due to his heavy workload. Something connected in his mind. Two and two became four and Joiner realised why Debden was dead. He was my leak! And they killed him for it. He’d served his purpose and that was his reward. Joiner had seen it happen before, and on occasion he’d even been the one to implement it on the Committee’s behalf.

  ‘So,’ Selene said, ‘let’s start again, shall we? Tell us, Intelligence Director,’ – she pressed a button on her screen – ‘in your own words, how is it that Professor Steiner still lives?’

  Joiner glanced down at the readout on his wrist and realised the first question was a control to test his baselines. Now came the real test.

  ‘As I said before, my team had the matter in hand before the hacker intervened.’

  ‘So the failure was not due to any desire on your part to see the professor live?’

  ‘No.’

  ‘And you are not working with Professor Steiner?’ the man said.

  ‘No, of course not.’

  ‘And your goals are aligned with the Committee’s?’

  ‘Of course.’

  The graphics on the device inched higher, turning from blue to red.

  ‘Answer yes or no, Director,’ Selene said.

  ‘Yes.’ Joiner felt the device on his arm tighten and a tingle of pain bit into his temple.

  Selene exchanged hushed words with the member next to her, while Joiner began to fear the worst. Even if the pill ensured his will was his own, it didn’t seem to be able to trick the device into believing he was telling the truth.

  The device on his arm eased and the fluctuating bars on its display dropped back down to their previous levels.

  ‘On a scale of one to ten,’ Selene said, ‘where ten is very high and one is very low, how optimistic are you that the expeditions will locate Ms. Morgan and retrieve the stolen Anakim artefacts?’

  Joiner tensed as the graphics on the device crept higher.

  ‘Answer the question, please, Director,’ one of the men said.

  Joiner switched his gaze back to the Committee. ‘The communication link with Colonel Samson’s force was lost; we have no way of knowing the outcome of their efforts until the second expedition reinitiate contact.’

  ‘If you seek to evade every question, Director,’ Selene said, ‘we are all going to be here for a very long time. We require a one word answer, is that so difficult to understand? I repeat, on a scale of one to ten, where ten is very high and one is very low, how optimistic are you that the expeditions will locate Sarah Morgan and retrieve the stolen Anakim artefacts?’

  ‘On a scale of one to ten? I would sa
y … seven.’

  Miniature motors whirred to life. The device on his arm squeezed tight and another tingle of pain lanced into his temple.

  ‘Would you care to answer again?’ Selene said.

  ‘If S.I.L.V.E.R. were in charge, then I’d downgrade that to four.’

  The metal band constricted further and Joiner suppressed a gasp of pain.

  Selene raised an eyebrow. ‘Director?’

  Joiner gritted his teeth. ‘Three if Samson leads, two if Nexus does.’

  The pressure reduced and Selene noted something down on her screen.

  ‘I’d point out,’ Joiner said, ‘that I voiced my concerns over the success of the mission at the outset, and installing Samson ahead of Nexus was only done to ensure the best possible outcome for all involved.’

  No one on the Committee responded and Joiner felt his anger swell.

  ‘Malcolm Joiner,’ said one of the men who’d not previously spoken, ‘can you tell us why you saw fit to shoot one of your intelligence agents at near point-blank range?’

  Joiner pondered the question, desperately seeking a way to answer truthfully, while at the same time not revealing the real reason for his actions. ‘Agent Myers was a potential threat to GMRC security; when I disarmed him I was forced to act in order to prevent further conflict.’

  Joiner waited for the device to react, but it stayed as it was with the display showing blue across the board.

  The man who’d spoken looked to Selene, who gave a shake of her head.

  ‘And there was no other reason?’ the man said, facing him again.

  ‘No.’

  The device clamped tight.

  ‘Are you sure?’

  ‘Yes.’ The pain increased and Joiner clenched his fist as he fought to maintain an impression of calm.

  ‘The machine doesn’t appear to agree with you, Director.’ Selene pressed a button on her portable screen. ‘Would you care to reconsider your position?’

  The metal sheath twisted tighter still and Joiner gasped in agony and clutched at his arm.

  ‘The pain will only get worse,’ she said. ‘I’ve been told it has the power to break a man’s arm clean in two.’

  ‘Turn it off,’ Joiner said, ‘TURN IT OFF!’

  The agony decreased and Joiner’s eyes blazed with fury as he met Selene’s unyielding gaze.

  ‘The reason for the shooting, Director,’ said the man, ‘if you please.’

  Joiner’s chest rose and fell with the rapid breath of duress. He wiped the back of his hand across his mouth and switched his hate-filled eyes onto the man who’d spoken. Thoughts, desperate thoughts, rushed through his mind, like a rabid dog seeking a way out from an inescapable maze. Every route was met with a dead end and he finally realised as the silence dragged on, that the truth or a broken arm were the only options. And he knew they wouldn’t stop at his arm. They’d keep going until they had what they wanted.

  ‘Stevens needed to be persuaded,’ Joiner said. ‘He had information I required and shooting Myers provided a powerful motive for him to comply with my demands.’

  ‘What else?’ Selene said.

  Joiner gave a shake of his head in defeat. ‘I also believed Myers might have been responsible for an internal breach within the Intelligence Division. Leaving him mortally wounded ensured he would give me the truth in order to live.’

  ‘And if he died?’

  ‘Then it would have been one less person under suspicion.’

  ‘A ruthless decision,’ Selene said. ‘How did that work out for you?’

  Joiner glared at her with unconcealed loathing.

  The woman with the glasses leaned forward. ‘And who did you think this leak was reporting to?’

  Joiner ran his gaze over the nine people before him. ‘The Committee.’

  ‘And why would this disturb you, Director,’ the woman said, ‘if our objectives are aligned?’

  And there it is, Joiner thought, the answer they crave, my duplicity laid bare. Is it what they’d been after all along, a confirmation of guilt?

  The woman removed her glasses. ‘Let me rephrase the question. How do your objectives differ from those of the Committee?’

  Joiner remained silent and he glanced at the device on his arm.

  ‘You will learn to obey,’ – Selene’s finger hovered over the control panel – ‘and you will answer. One way or another, you will give up your secrets.’

  Joiner considered the people arrayed before him, his mind racing and hands clenched. Now more than ever he wanted to bring the Committee low, to expose their hidden workings and to wring the life from their self-righteous necks. He knew they plotted with Dagmar Sørensen on Project Ares and toyed with things that endangered the entire species of man. The God Device has to be destroyed. It’s an abomination; something that can predict the future? The mere thought terrified him. And then there was the issue of the Committee’s role in sabotaging the GMRC Space Programme, effectively condemning the surface and every living thing on it to an eternal death. Joiner came to a sudden conclusion. They have to be stopped and be damned with my ambition. If I’m to rule it will be at the head of the GMRC, not of the Committee. And if anyone deserves to lead, to govern, it’s me.

  A tingle of discomfort at his temple interrupted his thoughts.

  The woman who’d asked the question replaced her glasses, her expression hardening. ‘How do your objectives differ from those of the Committee?’

  The metal shroud on his arm constricted once more.

  I can’t tell them the truth! Joiner felt panic rising as the pain increased.

  One of the men leaned forward. ‘How do they differ, Director?’

  Metal bit into flesh and Joiner grasped the arm of the chair.

  ‘Tell us, Director,’ Selene said, ‘tell us and the pain will stop.’

  ‘They don’t differ! Our objectives are the same!’

  ‘A lie!’

  The pressure increased again and Joiner cried out in agony.

  ‘This is your last chance, Malcolm Joiner,’ Selene said. ‘Listen to my voice, you will obey me, how do your objectives differ from the Committee’s?’

  Through a sea of pain Joiner looked down at his arm. The device inched into a curl, blood dripped to the floor and he knew what he had to do. I have to make it real.

  Selene stood up. ‘How do they differ?!’

  He shut his eyes. ‘THEY DON’T!’

  The graphics on the device peaked, its motors whined. Joiner screamed and his forearm snapped.

  Chapter Sixty-Eight

  Malcolm Joiner, the director of one of the most feared and powerful organisations in the world, sat slumped, alone and semi-conscious in his chair. His broken arm lay limp and motionless while his lifeblood pooled on the floor at his feet, the steady drip drip of blood feeding its spreading mass.

  ‘Can you hear me, Director? Say something if you can hear me.’

  Joiner opened his eyes and looked up into the face of a man.

  ‘I’m going to remove the device now, hold still.’ Dr. Laurent unclipped the restraints and Joiner felt the weight lifted away before a shadow fell over him.

  ‘Attach it to his right arm,’ Selene said.

  ‘Ms. Dubois, with respect, I’m not sure he can take any more.’

  ‘He can and he will.’

  Dr. Laurent reached out to probe the wound. ‘At least let me stop the bleeding.’

  Selene grasped his wrist. ‘Dagmar said the device can be used multiple times and on all different body parts. Was he lying?’

  Dr. Laurent shook his head.

  ‘Then do as I say, Doctor, or you’ll find yourself testing your device,’ – she gauged the size of his neck with her hand – ‘on somewhere entirely more vital.’

  Dr. Laurent paled and went about securing the machine to Joiner’s other arm.

  Moments later Selene leaned down to peer into Joiner’s eyes. ‘We can do this all day, Director. And don’t think a lack of blood or the goo
d doctor here will save you. If you pass out we’ll have you patched up and brought back again, and again,’ – she grasped his chin – ‘and again.’

  Joiner shook off her hold and, despite the pain, managed to sit up straighter.

  ‘Good,’ she said. ‘I feared you’d lost your resolve.’ She gave a nod to Dr. Laurent. ‘Fire it up.’

  Joiner heard a faint whir of motors and the metallic sheath resumed its vice-like grip.

  Selene walked back to her seat and the evaluation resumed.

  ‘We’ll start again with the same question, Director,’ said one of men, ‘how do your objectives differ from the Committee’s?’

  Joiner cleared his throat. ‘They don’t.’

  Red bars elevated, motors whined and the pain came again.

  Joiner clenched his teeth as the agony increased. ‘Enough!’ he said. ‘Enough.’

  The pressure subsided.

  ‘You have something to say?’ Selene said.

  Joiner breathed deeply against the pain and nodded. ‘I know why S.I.L.V.E.R. are here; it’s not just for the pendant, it’s for the thing, the light in the deep.’

  ‘The Pharos?’ Selene said.

  Joiner gave another nod. ‘Yes. I know you want it brought back for analysis. I can’t—’ He winced as he moved his broken arm.

  ‘Can’t what, Director?’ Selene said, her finger hovering over the device’s control panel.

  ‘I can’t let that happen. It’s too dangerous.’

  ‘How did you plan to stop us?’ said the woman with the glasses.

  ‘I would have found a way.’

  Selene tilted her head to one side as her colleague whispered into her ear. She nodded and returned her attention to Joiner. ‘What else?’ she said. ‘What else are you hiding from us?’

  Joiner glanced at the horror of his crippled arm. ‘I’ve seen what General Stevens retrieved from Sanctuary, the giant monolith, the one Morgan activated with her pendant.’