The Centauri Conspiracy

by G Russell Peterman

Chapter Ten

  Leaks

  Later that morning at three minutes after four, Emmert’s face pops on a screen and the group is complete. Bakman is in Harry’s office with Zee but the others are view-screen faces on a wall of screens. Both Zee and Bakman still have bare feet in slippers and wear nightclothes. Wanting to get the meeting started Bakman asks a question.

  "Do we need anyone else?"

  No one speaks as Bakman looks at Breen, Emmert, and Zee. Each head shakes.

  Bakman starts the meeting. "This meeting is recorded."

  Waits a moment so everyone can understand that, and then Bakman takes charge. "We have two kinds of leaks Breen tells me. Several scientists are leaking information about the Bakman Report. There is a rumor going around that I paid for the report and dictated its results. Anyone see any problems with these leaks?"

  Again, Bakman looks around and every head shakes in the negative before he starts again.

  "The other leak is about where I'm at and maybe about what we are doing. This could get me and other people killed, and the rest of the people in this building arrested. We have to deal with this leak," Bakman states forcefully.

  All the faces on screens nod agreement.

  Emmert asks a question. "We could argue and make a good case for killing any and all assassins. Self-defense is a strong issue in court. But what argument can we make that would convince a court we have the right to kill someone leaking or selling information about us?"

  Their silence answers his question.

  "So, even if a leak might get one of us in prison or killed we can't kill those leaking information?" Breen repeats to make it clear.

  "No, we can’t, so. . . ," and Bakman stops speaking as Wray opens the door, and Harry floats into his office on his hover chair.

  "Sorry, I'm late," Harry apologizes. Still wears tan plaid pajamas Harry asks as he rocks his hover chair to a quick stop beside Zee's chair, “What did I miss.”

  "Glad to have you Harry. We think we have every right to kill any assassin. No one thinks we have any right to kill anyone who leaks information. We have scientists leaking information about the Bakman Report, and we are not worried about that. That helps us in the short run. We are worried about other leaks telling where I’m at and what we are doing! We are trying to figure out what we can do once we find out who the leaker is? Fire them and they just tell more.” A frowning Bakman informs Harry of the meeting so far and asks, “Any suggestions?"

  "Well, you can't kill them. The only thing I can think of is to grab them, hold them until this is over, and then release them. That would be kidnapping, a smaller charge than murder," Harry adds.

  Emmert asks, "You grab them and their families will raise a fuss. The story will be all over every screen on the continent in half a day."

  "I've a place, an old missile Silo from the days of armies that we can keep people inside of for years. Well, too be more correct, it is an old Command Bunker, but we have called it “the Silo” to disguise it. If we continue to do that, call it “the Silo,” we might buy some time as leaks develop. You could hold three or four hundred people down there. Supplies can be taken in when needed. I keep supplies for a hundred people for a year. The locals know that sometimes I have groups using the place for a project and are glad to get the extra business," Harry explains.

  Breen states, "The leaker may have talked to his wife or children. The entire family needs to go too."

  "It seems that our answer is then to grab the person leaking information, or is a threat to our operation. We snatch up their family at the same time and park all of them for the duration of this project in Harry's Silo." Laying out their conclusion Bakman makes the idea clear and each of them nods agreement.

  "Now, how do we reduce the damage from a kidnapping charge," Harry asks the group.

  With an angry look on his face Emmert speaks. "It rubs me the wrong way to pay someone for doing something wrong, but money might help. If each worker's pay deposit kept coming and upon release each family gets a book not to file charges. Could that help? The government will still file charges."

  Harry adds thoughtfully, “If we keep paying them the police will find it hard to believe that we spirited them away. It might reduce suspicion of us until afterward.”

  Breen offers, “If we start schools for the children, even advanced classes for adults, and provide it free along with medical services. Might that help?”

  Bakman scratches his head for a moment as the others nod, "I like both ideas: pay, school for the children, and self-improvement training for adults. We ask them not to file charges. If the government does file charges we ask them to be reluctant witness. We don't ask them to lie, but to tell the truth about everything except their million dollar tax-free money."

  “I agree and I might add one thing. Over the years I’ve released people with an excellent rating that did damage to my business. That type of release makes my blood boil. A normal person finds it hard to bad mouth a corporation that speaks well of him or her. It has minimized further damage in troubled times. I wonder what each of you think about giving each payroll worker an excellent recommendation upon release,” Harry asks.

  As Bakman looks around the room each head in the group nods agreement. "Now, I assume we don't have enough people to collect and move too many people. I'll send Traud out to make contact with Woll the Clone. Woll will do jobs we ask his group to do for a book a job, a million a job. His people can move a group for a book and for another book collect a family. If he needs more help, we supply it. See any problems with this . . . so far?" Bakman asks and glances around at the faces of the group for further comments.

  "Woll's an honest crook," Harry tells the others and that made Emmert and Breen smile.

  Looking at everyone’s face to see how they took the Woll the Clone idea and hearing no objections Bakman starts again. "Good, we're going to need him. There’s things we can’t do. Harry's people and Emmert's have located a woman on the 24th floor who tried twice for a promotion without any new training and a declining work record. Last month she made a large bank deposit in the middle of the month. And, a recently hired man on the seventh floor that asked for and received an advance on his first month’s salary bought in his third month a time-share vacation apartment in New Michigan on the lakeshore at a price beyond his normal means."

  "They both go and their families. Snatch them and move them away from here. Okay, Harry," Bakman asks.

  Harry nods his old white-haired almost bald head and adds, "Contact Woll the Clone for help. It could be a dozen or two dozen people. Tell him one book for collecting each family and one to transport each."

  Everyone nods and the business about leaks is over.

  As Bakman rises Breen quickly asks, “Can we take care of a nosey Informationalist too. Conrad Grue smelled a story in Bakman’s release from jail and suddenly having rumored money to buy work on the Bakman Report. I do not believe Grue has anything yet but the man’s digging and asking lots of questions.”

  Bakman looks around. He sees and hears no objection only nods of approval. “Okay we grab him and his family too.”

  No problem Grue lives alone. The man’s a divorced orphan.”

  “Might even be to our benefit, later, having one Informationalist at the Silo to tell about our treatment of detainees. Be sure to put him on salary, level nine as Corporation Historian, give him access to a recorder when he wants one, computer without any outside access, and give him the same treatment during and at release.” Bakman takes a last look around at their faces to see if there is anything else. Seeing nothing, he nods at Harry.

  Harry presses a small panel on his chair and Wray opens the door. "See that Bakman, Breen, and Emmert get all the information about that old missile Command center before noon. Paper copies only, destroy after reading, and no stray data in any computer mainframe. Bakman gets two copies. His man will give one to Woll. Talk again about this at our regular meeting at ten-thirty."

  Wray nods
his head and holds the door as Harry steers his chair out of the room. Zee and Bakman stand.

  Bakman tells Breen, “Put someone on each of our member’s individual accounts and Hall of Records to watch for property deeds newly filed or transferred. Monitor everyone in this building after this. Unless we’ve got a zealot that works for free, cash in a box under his bed, holds on to an unregistered deed, gets forgiveness for a debt, takes a promissory note, or a handshake agreement to help some relative there will be a computer trail. Someone will have deposited money or bought something, claimed they won something or inherited something, or talk about being given something. Just hope the money they take is not already in a secret numbered account in an Alps Banking system. If it, however, draws interest we can track it."

  “Might move to a better apartment,” Emmert offers.

  All head nod in agreement, but no one else offers a suggestion.

  "Good thought, M. Keep at it. Good Luck. See you at ten-thirty . . . Bakman out."

  "Thanks . . . Breen and Emmert out."

  "Good. Get everyone together in my office at ten-thirty," Harry orders. He nods to Wray to guide his hover chair toward the elevator. Zee and Bakman wait quietly until the door closes watching Breen’s face still on a screen beside the closed elevator door. The recorder light blinks out.

  "Ten-thirty it is then. Clean up complete. Disposal of the body was the same as last time . . . Breen out."

  As the view-screen blinks off Bakman steps forward and hugs Zee. They move toward the elevator and the door opens.

  Upstairs a sleepy Vee and Dee cluster around and Bakman gives both a short review of the meeting and hugs both of them. Bakman kisses Zee. As Zee heads off for her bedroom, Bakman kisses a yawning Dee good night warmly as she heads back to her bed. A smiling Bakman reaches out for Vee’s hand, pulls her to him, hugs and kissed her warmly as the others walked down the hallway. As their kiss ends, Vee giggles and both began moving down the wide hallway arm-in-arm toward his room.

  After Zee disappears into her room a yawning Dee stands for a moment in her bedroom doorway watching Bakman and Vee. With a shrug and a wave Dee says loudly to their computer, "Dim," and the lights dim.

  With a wave at Dee, Bakman allows a smiling Vee to lead him into his bedroom.