Busy Skies: The Council Dissolution Read online

  Councilor Frost was under the impression that she is playing him like a fiddle and that she will learn everything she wants to know. Now, the most important thing for her is to find a strategy to deal with councilor Krueger, and what would be the best move for her.

  “Commander Hewitt, you have the lead scientist from the Antarctica research facility, doctor...?” - asked councilor Frost.

  “Quill”, finished commander Hewitt. “Dr. Quill, he is scheduled to continue his research as soon as possible, and I was about to have a meeting with councilor Krueger so I can update him on the situation.”

  “Update about what exactly?” - asked councilor Frost.

  “We weren't aware of what happened with Dr. Quill, and we consider him a key asset for analyzing the experiment accident. He was considered missing and councilor Krueger noticed me find him. You were aware of this?” - asked commander provocatively Hewitt just to play a bit with councilor Frost.

  “Right”, said councilor Frost. “Yes, I thought you were speaking about something else. My apologies, never mind. So Dr. Quill is here, this is great news, where is he now?”

  “Along with his two assistants, he is currently here with us. We have provided temporary accommodation until he is transferred to his new post on the Moon.” - replied commander Hewitt.

  Councilor Frost was a bit thrown off by this information, and she wasn’t sure why would councilor Krueger order Dr. Quill and his teamwork from the Lunar observatory. The rabbit hole was getting deeper and deeper so at that point started to get worried whether she will be able to pull this off. She wasn’t sure who to trust and whether someone at the Council of Earth is aware of this.

  Commander Hewitt noticed that she wandered off for a moment and he asked, “Is everything alright councilor Frost? Something wrong?”

  “No, no, everything is OK”, she answered, “but I think that my time here is coming to an end.I think it would be a great time for a brief tour of the facility. I’m anxious to see how your projects are coming along.”

  “Of course councilor”, responded commander Hewitt.

  Councilor Frost managed to produce a smile and said, “But here is one thing commander. Dr. Quill and his team will be coming with me. I think that it would be a good idea for them to join me in the Council HQ. They can brief the Council about the situation at hand, and then we can ship them off to wherever they need to go.”

  “Alright councilor, from my part this is not a problem. I will arrange that they are ready for departure after your tour.” - said commander Hewitt.

  “Perfect”, replied councilor Frost.

  * * *

  The tour took the rest of the afternoon and appropriately ended at the entry to the Saharan military base.

  “Councilor Frost, thank you for your visit. I hope that you are satisfied with everything we have been doing here. Also, I hope that we will resolve the aftermath of the catastrophe that followed the accident at the Antarctica research facility.” - said commander Hewitt.

  “Yes, I hope so too”. - said councilor Frost. “Thank you for your briefing and for receiving me on such short notice”.

  Just around the corner came Dr. Quill along with Carlo and Lee.

  “Councilor Frost, it's an honor”, said Dr. Quill. “I am looking forward to the meeting with the Council. I have a lot to say”.

  “Dr. Quill, I am sure you do”. - said councilor Frost. She turned to commander Hewitt and said, “we will be on our way now. Thank you”.

  She turned away and went outside. Quill, Carlo, and Lee followed. They have settled in the councilors har and flew away.

  “Commander Hewitt” said one of his assistants. “You have an urgent call from councilor Krueger”.

  * * *

  Several minutes later, councilor Krueger and commander Hewitt were talking. As usual, Krueger's 3D image was in Hewitt's office, however, upon hearing what had been going on, he looked genuinely concerned.

  Councilor Krueger broke the silence that followed after commander Hewitt briefed him.

  “So, you've found Dr. Quill and briefed him fully on our operations on the Lunar observatory 9? Also, councilor Frost, who is in charge of handling the crisis at hand, is on her way back to the Council HQ?”

  “Precisely sir”, said commander Hewitt. “Is there a problem sir?”

  “No, no”, said councilor Krueger. “That would be all commander.”

  The councilor’s image went away, and commander Hewitt shrugged, sighed and stood up to his glass wall with his hands behind his back, and admired the military base after the long day.

  However, back at the Council HQ, councilor Krueger was not relaxed at all. In fact, after the conversation, he fell on a chair and turned it so that he could see Earth from his window. His pulse suddenly increased, he started sweating and rubbing his forehead nervously. That babbling idiot, he wants to destroy me, he thought to himself. Councilor Frost is bringing Dr. Quill here, why the fuck would she do that? The Lunar project must not fail, otherwise the aliens are going to destroy us. If she presents the entire project to The Council, this will not end well, they are too stupid and too soft to handle this issue. Councilor Krueger was falling deeper and deeper into paranoia and he started nervously walking back and forth, breathing heavier and heavier.

  What the fuck do I do now? - he shouted. He rushed into the bathroom and took all his clothes off. He shaved and took a long shower until his fingers became wrinkly from the water. He was imagining thousands of scenarios and finally, he found a path. He knew what to do. He told his computer to immediately summon Ryad Cox.

  * * *

  Just outside the Saharan desert, near the Mediterranean, there was a beautiful artificial palm tree forest, and councilor Frost ordered her driver to stop there.

  “What's going on?” - asked Dr. Quill.

  “We are stopping in this nice park to have a conversation Dr. Quill, and before we do that I would like to warn you that you are talking to the member of the Council of Earth. I want zero bullshit, and I want to know everything”, said councilor Frost.

  “Alright, mam”, said Dr. Quill, not quite sure what this was about.

  They exited the vehicle and sat in the small gazebo. The park appeared to be empty and there was no technology in sight. Their conversation was completely protected, and councilor Frost made everyone aware of this remark.

  “Dr. Quill”, she said, “as a representative of the Council, today I conducted an investigation that commander Hewitt wasn't aware of. It appears that there has been some foul play behind the curtains, and I want to know all about it. I want you to tell me everything that is going on. What does your research have to do with the Moon? And also, I would like to tell you that we have a common friend, a friend that informed me about the Research facility backups.”

  At that moment, Dr. Quill raised his eyebrows and realized that councilor Frost had somehow been in touch with Hank or Jess, which gave him more than enough reasons to trust her. “Alright, councilor Frost”, he said. “This is what I know”.

  Over the course of ten minutes, Dr. Quill talked about his work, the work of Jess, how councilor Krueger assured that he was removed from the project and the reason why he was visiting the Saharan military base. He also explained that he was going to be dispatched to the Lunar observatory 9 where he will work on the Council's project to intercept the alien spacecraft approaching the Earth.

  Lee and Carlo were hearing this for the first time, and, for once, they were completely speechless.

  Councilor Frost turned to her driver and said, "this stays here, understood?" - The driver just nodded, while simultaneously he looked pretty indifferent about the whole situation.

  “Dr. Quill, I don't know what this means. As far as I know, the council is not informed on any of the activities you mentioned”, said councilor Frost. “I don't know whether councilor Krueger is acting on his own, or whether he has helped within, but I can assure you that this has never been a subject on any of the meetin
gs we ever had. The situation at hand needs to be brought to the public.”

  Dr. Quill was also confused and said, “I was assured by commander Hewitt that this is the will of the council, however, that everything has been kept away from the public in order to prevent panic, and once we have the first contact, we should have enough time to prepare better. Of course, depending on whether the first contact turns out to be aggressive or friendly.”

  “Councilor Frost?” - said Lee. “Don’t you think that by this point, commander Hewitt must have been in contact with councilor Krueger?”

  “I think this is very likely”, she responded. “Considering everything that has been happening, and what councilor Krueger is capable of, The Council HQ is not the best place for you guys now. But, I know just the place where to hide you.”

  Dr. Quill was a bit confused by this, and asked, “Wait what? We aren’t going to the station?”

  “Dr. Quill, I have been informed by my old friend that the Winson family was actually murdered for knowing too much. I think it's time to visit an old friend.” - said the councilor and sighed, almost disappointed. She then faced her driver and continued, “Mr. York, please, remove the tracking devices from the har, and let's go for a dive.”

  Chapter 21

  “What the hell were the two of you thinking”, asked Camila Potts, after Hank and Jess had returned from their failed adventure. “You don't come here, asking for my help, and then get in danger and get yourself killed. Well?”

  “I apologize, Mrs. Potts”, responded Jess. “I thought that I brought already too much death my way and I didn't want to get you and anyone here in danger. We were on our way to the Antarctica research facility to talk with Dr. Quill. I know that he has some information that would be of value to us, however, we could not reach him. We used the secure channels, waited for his response but nothing.”

  Camila threw her hands in the air and stormed out of the room, while Mr. Holtzman was coming closer, and said, “for your information, Dr. Quill is on his way here now.”

  Jess's eyes widened as she asked, “really? Why?”

  “And also how?” - added Hank.

  “Our friend on the Council, Mrs. Frost found Dr. Quill and called here”, respond Mr. Holtzman. “She said that she is on her way with some urgent information and that she is also bringing two of Dr. Quill's assistants.”

  Then, Mr. Holtzman's face was overtaken by a worrying look and he said, “I wonder what could be so urgent that the councilor will be coming here. Usually, she would summon us at the Council HQ. I am suspecting that it has to do with councilor Krueger and that there is more to the story than we initially thought.”

  “More? How can it possibly get more convoluted than this?” - asked Hank.

  “Well, I don't know.” - responded Mr. Holtzman, “however, if we consider what happened to Dave, councilor Krueger's role in that and the fact that councilor Frost is coming here. All in all, it is a bit mind boggling.”

  “She might be worried about her safety”, replied Hank. “If councilor Krueger found out that he is a suspect in Dave’s murder, that might put councilor Frost in danger.”

  “But, she is also a councilor after all.” - said Mr. Holtzman.

  Good point replied Hank. “Hum, what if she is on his side? Maybe she is working together on covering something up with councilor Krueger.”

  “Yes”, said Mr. Holtzman.” That's why I said that this is a brain teaser and interesting development. Either way, we cannot be sure, and she is coming this way.”

  “Should we have any kind of contingency plan?” - asked Hank.

  “OK, you two talk, while I go check on my parents”, said Jess and left the room, while Hank and Mr. Holtzman continued their discussion.

  * * *

  One floor down, Jess was entering the room where her parents have been recovering. Finally, her father was awake from the medically induced coma, and next to him, was her mother. While he was weak and wasn't fully aware of his surroundings, he managed to recognize “Jess. I'm glad to see you”, he said.

  Jess smiled and said, “likewise dad”.

  Jess's mother said, “he has been awake for several hours now. The doctor said that the process could last up to a day until he becomes fully aware of what's going on. He will recover, however, given his age, it will be a long process.”

  “Finally, some good news”, said Jess. “In the past week, our lives have completely changed and one certainly gets a completely different perspective on what's actually important, what matters, and what doesn't.”

  Her mother smiled and said, “yes Jess, that's all part of life. Life throws wrinkles, how we deal with them is what matters.”

  * * *

  “So what have you two thought of?” - asked Mrs. Potts. Everyone was sitting in the living area and waited for a contingency plan that Hank and Mr. Holtzman had been discussing.

  “Alright, here is the thing”, started Hank, “there is not much we can do. Patricia Frost is a councilor, and if she is partnered with councilor Krueger we are good as dead. He is in charge of safety and as we have seen, he can make people disappear as if we are in the barbaric 20th century.”

  “However”, continued Mr. Holtzman, “even if we are good as dead, we can make their situation a bit more complicated. We have set up a system of cameras that will be recording her arrival and our talk here. This, along with all the information Dr. Quill provided will be simultaneously sent to every single person identifying as a reporter. I've quickly worked out a computer script that identifies people by their profession and also I've created a messaging program that will send all the footage and information we have directly to them. But, this is only if once per a 24-hour cycle I don't log in to that program.”

  “That means that whatever happens, or more precisely, if we get killed, the program will inform everyone” - said Hank.

  “That doesn't sound so suiting”, said Jess.

  “For you Jess, it should”, said Mrs. Potts. |First of all, I still think you are all overreacting and I trust Patricia Frost with my life, and second, only Mr. Holtzman and I have been in communication with her so she doesn't know about anyone else. Therefore, if you would feel safer, you can hide in the cellar. You will be perfectly safe there, and nobody can find it.”

  “I agree”, said Hank. “I think that the Winsons should hide, I will go outside where I can provide backup. We need to keep constant communication over an open channel.”

  “Alright, then let's do this”, said Mr. Holtzman. “They could be here any moment now.“

  Jess and her mother left with Mrs. Potts, so she could show them where the hidden cellar was, and also to help them get Mr. Winson in a wheelchair. Hank left and went to a nearby park from which he could be hidden away, but still, keep an eye on Mrs. Potts’s house. Mr. Holtzman and Sam stayed in the room. Sam came to Mr. Holtzman and placed his head on his knee, while Mr. Holtzman pats his head.

  “Now, what am I going to do with you if something happens?” - asked Mr. Holtzman. Sam just looked at him and barked, as if to say, “I don't know.”

  * * *

  From the outside, in the park, Hank covered his head and sat in the park pretending to be busy reading the news. “Test, 1, 2, 3? Do we have an open channel?” - he asked.

  “Yes, we can hear you in the cellar.” - said Jess.

  “We can hear you also”, said Mr. Holtzman.

  Hank took a moment to appreciate this underwater structure. Above his head, one could see a bright sunny day and several schools of fish that were being chased by several dolphins. On the sides, there was a beautiful coral reef that provided refuge for a variety of colorful fish, sharks, and algae. The park was a multilevel glass ball suspended in water several feet from the bottom and housed a variety of plants and bush. He noticed a big yellow flower and started wondering how the plants survive underwater without direct sunlight. The light gets refracted and the specter is not the same as on the surface. He stood up to inspect the f
lower, however, in the distance he noticed an interesting group of people. An elderly man, looking like a professor straight from the classroom, wearing a checkered shirt and a tie. Also, this group had a tall strong man that clearly had a military posture. There were two normally dressed weird-looking men accompanying them and a thin person wearing a tunic, belt, and a head-cover.

  “Guys”, Hank said. “I think that our guests have arrived.”

  Soon enough, the guest bell at Mrs. Potts’s house announced that the guests had arrived. Mrs. Potts stood up and went to open the door.

  “Hello old friend”, said councilor Frost greeting Mrs. Potts. They have hugged as old friends who missed way too many opportunities to catch up. “Look at you, councilor” said Mrs. Potts and smiled.

  Councilor Frost laughed and said, “this is Mr. York, he is my driver, and please let me introduce you to Dr. Quill, Dr. Xi and Dr. Fuccini.”

  After their introduction, they all met Mr. Holtzman and sat on a comfortable sofa in the living room. The auto-kitchen prepared some beverages and fresh pastry which Mrs. Potts brought and placed on the table. Carlo and Lee went directly and without shame to get those, while Dr. Quill's confusing look genuinely displayed his struggle to understand how these two brilliant guys can be such good scientists and such idiots in their personal lives.