Busy Skies: The Council Dissolution Read online

  As he was holding out to a branch, from the parachute backpack, he took a knife and cut the rope. The backpack contained emergency supplies for situations like this. Hank looked around, looked at his bruises and cuts, and said, “well, fuck!”

  * * *

  “Mr. Cox”, said councilor Krueger's hologram earlier that morning, in the middle of Ryad’s room, as he was running on the treadmill. “You have a green light to proceed with our plan. At this point it almost seems as if we are haunted by our past, so this time, I hope you will clean the mess you’ve created. Enjoy your stay at Aquary. Further information will be sent after this call. Krueger, out”.

  Councilors Krueger's hologram went away, and Ryad was angry as it gets. He punched the wall so hard he made an indentation. He approached his screen to check out the information that the councilor has sent him. In no time he was fully dressed and undocking from the Council HQ. His har was equipped with hidden test weapons developed by commander Hewitt and his team, and as he was descending, his computer warned him of the speed and angle of atmosphere reentry. He was focused, angry and deadly, and for a moment there, he lost control. He slowed down and headed towards the underwater city.

  His descent was no longer than twenty minutes. Finally, as he arrived, he hid in a cloud and watched Hank starting his ascend. He started following him and finally when the time was right, he fired his weapon toward Hanks har, which was ripped apart. As the vehicle was smoking and falling down, he made a turn and went to land near the underwater city.

  Like a raging animal, he was running down the stairs to reach the underwater city. While he was furious inside, from the outside he kept his cool, and he looked frighteningly.

  * * *

  Jess couldn't sleep after all so she went to the kitchen. She felt wary and drowsy, and she opened a fridge to check if there was anything that could wake her up. A good smoothie can always do the trick, however, that works only after 8 in the morning. Now, almost 6:30, she just couldn't do it.

  Ah to hell with it, she said and punched in a recipe for some fried eggs, crispy fried crickets, orange juice, and coffee. While the auto kitchen warned her that this is not the best choice, she just went with it. Maybe today, I can go for a run, and actually enjoy this city a bit, she thought to herself. It's about time to get out a bit, and to exercise. She noticed a familiar man outside, talking to Mr. Holtzman, however, her brain was off-line and he just couldn't place him. She realized that she is not dressed decently and went to her room to change clothing. On her way there, she stumbled upon Sam who was sleeping on the floor.

  Sam woke up suddenly and went into a crawling position thinking he was in danger. |I'm sorry boy, I didn't see you there. Don't be scared”, she said. She keeled and pet him, then, both of them proceeded toward Jess's room. “Now, you stay here”, she said and went inside, while Sam sat down as if to keep guard.

  Jess took off all her clothes and stepped into the shower, hoping that it would wake her up a bit. Then, she was planning to put on some sporting clothes and go for a run. As she was showering, however, she heard a bit of strange noise and barking. She shut off the water to better hear what's happening. There were thumping noises, and barking coming from the outside. It almost sounded like Mr. Holtzman. She quickly got into a robe and walked outside, through the hallway into the living room.

  The man that was just talking to Mr. Holtzman was trying to strangle him, while Sam was biting his leg. The man let go of Mr. Holtzman briefly, who finally caught some air, and strongly kicked Sam away. Immediately he went for Mr. Holtzman again. Sam was a bit disoriented and discouraged by the kick, however, he wasn't letting anyone harm his master. Sam managed to gather courage and he charged the man, he jumped high and went for his hand. His teeth went deep into his hand so much so that the man let go an angry growl.

  Jess was a bit held back from this development, however, her brain was suddenly turned on. The adrenaline rush activated her primal instincts and memory, and she realized, this is the man accompanying councilor Krueger, he was the guy from the footage, he killed Dave and Miller. Without thinking she went for one of the biggest cast-iron kitchen pans and hit him on the head. Sam let go of his arm and the man was knocked unconscious. At that moment, Mrs. Potts came rushing in as well as Jess’s mother.

  “Quick, close the door”, said Jess. - Her mother rushed to close the door, then she noticed a broken coffee mug and flipped the chair. She quickly picked up several pieces of the mug and picked up the chair. She closed the door looking whether anyone was watching. “What's going on here?” - asked Mrs. Winson.

  Mr. Holtzman was trying to catch his breath and was coughing, so he couldn't say anything. Jess was down on her knees checking whether Sam is alright and said, “that's him, mom. This is the man who killed Dave and Miller. He found us and he came to kill us. I knocked him out with a frying pan, but we need to restrain him”.

  “I have a thing just for that”, said Mrs. Potts rushed off downstairs.

  Her adrenaline was wearing off and Jess began to shake, but managed to explain the situation. “I was showering and I heard some commotion coming from the living room. When I came here, he was trying to strangle Mr. Holtzman. Then, I realized that is the face I've seen before in the Antarctica research facility. He was accompanying councilor Krueger. In Dave's footage, he is the one exiting the har and he is the one that destroyed our home.”

  Mrs. Winson slowly approached and checked whether he was still alive. His head was bleeding and he was alive but unconscious.

  Through the cough, Mr. Holtzman said, “that bastard. He engaged in small talk with me, and then, all of a sudden punched me in the face. He has thrown me inside and started to strangle me without warning and reason.”

  Mrs. Potts came from downstairs carrying some restraints and a small med-pack. She said, “I picked up these old restraints as a conversation piece at a flea exchange market. It used back in 21st century for restraining senile and aggressive patients. This will keep him calm. Help me get them on him.”

  Once he was secured, Mrs. Potts cleaned his head wound and patched it up with some gauze.

  “What is that for?” Asked Jess as Mrs. Potts was unpacking a syringe. “This my dear”, she said, “will keep him nice and asleep for days. We will first make him slip, and if necessary he is going into a coma. I'm calling the geneticist to verify whether he really is bad-code.”

  The messaging system in the living room displayed a notification of an urgent encrypted message. Mrs. Potts said, “I wonder who could that be and played the message.”

  An image of bruised and battered Hank appeared, and he said, “Guys, if you are seeing this message, I would like to warn you of a possible danger.”

  “Too late”, said Jess, as the message continued playing.

  “My har was ripped apart by something and I crashed into a nearby forest. From the looks of the har, I think that that was a kind of experimental weapon, similar to the one we were attacked with at the Winson residence. Be on guard!”

  “Go after him Jess”, said Mr. Holtzman. “Take one of the hars, and go get him. It's not far away from here, and I think it's a good time that Hank calls up his buddies from the Academy and arranges his trip to the Moon and back.”

  “You're right”, said Jess. “I'm getting dressed and I'll be on my way.”

  “And I think I need to call my friend in the Council”, started Mrs. Potts, “It seems to me that councilor Krueger was on to us, and we need to raise caution. Now, let's get that bastard in the cellar.”

  * * *

  On the dock, right outside the forest that Hank crash-landed there he was sitting on a bench and waiting for his ride. Behind him, a har was just landing and he heard the door close.

  “Now, we are even, one for one”, said Jess behind him.

  He turned around smiling, and said, “Do I look like I need rescuing?”

  “Yes you do”, Jess replied. “We need to move forward with our goal. You should arrange a fligh
t to the Moon.”

  “It's already been done”, he responded. “I will be on the resupply ship for the Lunar observatory 4, which is the one closed 9. From there, a small detour shouldn't raise any suspicion. I can blame it on propulsion malfunctions, where they would be forced to accept me and perform an inspection.”

  “Good, I'm going with you.” - said Jess.

  “No, you aren't”, replied Hank. “You need to go to the Saharan military base, and fully brief commander Hewitt. He is a good man, and once he has all the facts he will help. Also, with Ryad Cox in custody, you have more than enough evidence to raise suspicions. Also, he can make him talk and get all the information he needs. On the other hand, from the Moon, I will stop by the closest communication station and send you guys an encrypted message.”

  “Hm, OK”, said Jess reluctantly. “However we need to move quickly, the closed session of the council is tomorrow evening, our time.”

  “My flight is this evening”, said Hank, “According to our time, and there is an eight hour trip to the moon. Once they unload the payload, and I will be on my way, it seems that we will run on a tight schedule.”

  Chapter 24

  For a couple of days now, Dr. Quill, Carlo, and Lee have been tirelessly working to analyze the data from the last experiment, at the Antarctic research facility. There have been many data points, however, some parts have been lost, some have been damaged so they were closely working with computer scientists on the Lunar observatory. There has been progress, but the final model is yet to be revealed.

  “Alright, I'm officially dead”, said Lee.

  “You and me both brother”, said Carlo. “I'm just glad that the final model is on the computer and I'm really looking forward to the results.”

  “I feel like I've been sleeping for a week”, said Lee.

  “Same, here”, said Carlo. “I'm completely unaware of the time since we got here. All days so far are blurred in a single long day of sitting next to a computer and trying to make use of the data we received. Also, I cannot get used to the toilets here, it's disgusting. I don't know how these people live like this.”

  “They usually have rotations, so very rarely do they actually live here on the moon”, said Lee. “My biggest issue is the gravity, and I'm feeling a bit dizzy from the gravity-absence pills we got. Agh, dead! I'm wasted, and my brain feels like it's not there. I need food!”

  “Now you're speaking my language”, said Carlo. “At least there is awesome food as if they know how to not keep you from going insane.”

  In the cafeteria, there was already Dr. Quill, eating breakfast and looking at a glass tablet and crunching some numbers.

  “Does this guy ever sleep?” - asked Lee quietly.

  “Apparently not, maybe he is a robot”, said Carlo.

  They both giggled and sat down next to Dr. Quill. “Good morning”, said Dr. Quill. “Are you excited, the data is almost processed.”

  “Already?” - asked Carlo. “How long were we sleeping?”

  Dr. Quill smirked and said, “let’s just say, that you're about to have dinner.”

  “Oh, that means for the most part of the day, we've been sleeping. So, we need to get breakfast, lunch, and dinner now.” - said Carlo, while Lee nodded and they went to the cafeteria buffet. By the time they were back, Dr. Quill was reading something very focused, while the two of them sat there and stuffed their faces with food.

  Dr. Quill’s computer made a noise of an incoming message. “Alright, the first results are coming in”, he said. He looked at the analysis with great care, attention and focus. But his facial expression changed almost as if he had a seizure. He went from excited, to puzzled to worried and finally to angry.

  “What is this?” - he said. “What is this?” - he repeated once again with a raised voice. “No, no, no! This is not possible, what the fuck is this?”

  At that point, Carlo and Lee were very surprised, and just a bit worried for Dr. Quill as they have never seen this side of him. Shouting, angry and using foul language. That was on the opposite spectrum of usual professorial etiquette that Dr. Quill was known for. Almost a minute passed, Lee and Carlo looked at each other in confusion, and then, Dr. Quill’s face went from anger and confusion, to realization.

  “Of course, of course, how could have I been so stupid. Damn it, I should have known it. I knew it, but I’m just stupid”, said Dr. Quill.

  He stood up with a bit of pride and self appreciation, “I was right from the beginning. For this whole time, they have been playing us as fools. Ha ha, impossible!” - he said as he slowly continued to walk across the room.

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

  “What's going on is that I’ve received preliminary results from our sensor array. The one that we made, you and Lee. Look here.”, said Dr. Quill, and started showing them charts on a tablet.

  “It's almost pure silicon with some specific bonds and molecules. For the whole time, we’ve been fed false data”, he said. “Damn it, I'm late for the meeting, I must leave. Here, keep looking. I’ll be in the old office of councilor Frost”, said Dr. Quill, and left them the results, as he was rushing off to a meeting.

  Carlo and Lee looked at the data for a while, and then, Lee said, “Hum, I’m happy that the sensor array works, at least, but I’m not sure whether I can follow the chemistry here. What’s this about?”

  Carlo was looking puzzled while watching the data, and he just said “well son of a bitch, this is very interesting. My friend? This means we did very well”

  * * *

  After almost five minutes of weirdly walking with the absence of gravity, Dr. Quill found a meeting room where he is supposed to present his data to commander Hewitt and councilor Krueger. From this, they would find out the final composition and they would know how to create a potential weapon for destroying the rock, and our visitors if they turn out to be hostile. He stepped into a room, which was completely empty. On the side, there were several closed cabinets, and right on the opposite side, there was a huge window overlooking the lunar surface. For a second there, Dr. Quill forgot what he was about to do, and took a moment to appreciate the Moon. It was dark and cold, toxic but impressive. In the distance, there was blue Earth and just under it was several telescopes.

  The moment of appreciation was interrupted by the hologram of commander Hewitt, and on the screen, instead of a projection, there was a silhouette of a person which Dr. Quill had a hard time placing.

  “Dr. Quill, I believe you have news for us”, said the shadow. Dr. Quill, then realized who was on the other side.

  “Aha, councilor, I almost didn't recognize you”, he said. “Good morning. I'm a bit surprised to see you, however, it's good that you both are here. We have things to discuss because it seems we have been lied to by someone, and we have the chemistry to prove it.”

  “Alright Dr. Quill, let's hear it.” - said commander Hewitt.

  Dr. Quill then placed his hands on the back, and started slowly walking across the room, as if he was holding a lecture. “You see, silicon-based life has been speculated for centuries now. There have been papers that disputed the idea, then ones that brought it back, and it's been an on and off the game for a long time in chemistry. In the 22nd century, in fact, one scientist found interesting rock formations that were briefly considered to be alive, however, later on, it was concluded that there were compromised samples that lead to that belief. I myself, am a proponent of the classical theory saying that on Earth, or any other Earth-like planet such life cannot exist.”

  He took a moment to look at his audience, and continued. “Despite the fact that Silicon is almost 135 times more abundant than carbon, on Earth, a life that evolved is carbon-based. Carbon is very special because its atomic structure is such that in its outermost shell it has four electrons, and these electrons are capable of bonding with other elements. For instance, if it bonds with Hydrogen, the simplest and most abundant atom in the universe, you get methane. More importan
tly, when it bonds with oxygen, you get carbon dioxide. Both of those are gasses in our atmosphere which is very important. Furthermore, carbon bonds very strongly with other carbon atoms and can thus form long chains of molecules required for life called polymers, which you might remember from your chemistry classes. And most importantly, carbon bonds are unaffected by water, which makes water a liquid medium for life. Carbon in that sense is very special, and many scientists argue still today, that complex, conscious, and intelligent life can be only possible with carbon.”

  The councilor, and commander Hewitt followed his monologue so far without any questions, however, the councilor seemed a bit nervous and seemed to be an ear.

  Dr. Quill continued, “however, in Group IV of the periodic table, silicon is right below carbon, which means that they share some properties, thus making it very, very interesting. Along with germanium, tin, lead, and flerovium. Silicon, like carbon, also has four elements in the most outer shell that are available for bonding. Thus, the assumption is that if you simply replace the carbon with silicon, it is reasonable to assume that silicon can form long chains of molecules and therefore have a basis to make life. This is where it gets complicated because there have been two competing schools of thought. One is arguing that with a special kind of bonding between silicon, carbon, and other atoms, we could get something in between silicon and carbon-based life, and such chemistry has been found in the Rock. However, the second group disputes that, saying that silicon-based life can only be possible in a very simple form in extreme environments. And rightly so, and this is why the Rock was very interesting to a lot of chemists.“