The Independent Worlds (The Sixteen Galaxies Book 2) (13 page)

Kestil strode back to the center of the room. “Right. Now that we’re done with the introductions, let’s get down to the crux of the matter. As you are all doubtless aware, it is my intention to redirect this planet’s destiny. I wish to incorporate humanity into the Independent Worlds intergalactic society.” He gave a casual shrug. “The fact is; you people have the potential to get in my way. Oh, I’m sure many more people hold great sway over the puppets supposedly ‘In Power’ as well, but the reality is that you are the nine most powerful people in the world.” He looked at each of them carefully. “I see that none of you realized that. That’s not a surprise at all. If the population of this planet came to realize just how haphazard the control of their world really was, I have no doubt there would be anarchy across the globe.”

Camila Molina looked pointedly at her watch. “As fascinated as I am by all this, I am a busy woman. Please get to the point.”

Kestil gave the Colombian beauty a small bow. “Of course. How rude of me.” He held out a hand towards her. “Please, Ms. Molina, check your bank balance. Your main holding account, that is. The password is 827icD*A3E#92.” The woman paled and pulled out her cell-phone. She logged in and sat motionless for a full minute.

“So,” Kestil said, as he swept a hand around the room, “share your discovery with us all.”

She looked at Kestil and stammered, “It’s…it’s…empty.”

Kestil feigned surprise. “Good grief, is it?” He turned to Mathias Gersbach. “Mathias, please check your bank’s cash holdings with ZK Handelsgruppe, if you would be so kind.”

Gersbach called a number, and spoke quietly in German. Within minutes, the panic on the other end was palpable. His hand shook as he hung up.

Kestil smiled at him. “Let me guess. All 328 million Euros from your bank’s overseas currency account with ZK Handelsgruppe transferred out to who knows where, and with no footprint?” The banker nodded, but stayed silent.

Kestil ran his eyes over all of them. “You people must understand; I can do anything I want with your lives. I control
everything
. You cannot stop me, and you cannot fight me. Your world turns because I let it, and I could destroy it and you in a heartbeat whenever I choose. However, I have no wish to do that.” He let that sink in before he continued; “Unless you force my hand.”

Camila Molina laughed. “You’ve destroyed me already.”

Kestil stared at her, as if to make a decision. He smiled and waved a hand. “Alright, I’ve had my fun. Please, both of you look at your accounts again.” He waited while they did so. “Back to where they should be?” Both nodded at him.

Kestil held out both hands to them. “Is this lesson lost on anyone, anyone at all?”

Nobody moved an inch, or spoke a word. Kestil smiled. “Do you know the meaning of the word ‘fiat’? I’m sure you have all thrilled at the sensation of holding another’s life in your hands. Now, you can contemplate what it is to be subject to
my
arbitrary whim. I have no doubt you will find it instructive. Excellent! Now you understand the reality of the situation, I will return all of you to your disgusting little lives.” He looked hard at Damian Krede, “Even you. But I want you all to understand this. If any of you try to interfere with the restructure of the Earth’s governmental powers, I will not kill you, oh dear me no. I will leave you alive and unharmed. But I will make you penniless, and I will render you powerless. You will spend the rest of your lives in wretched poverty. Any attempt to rebuild would be crushed instantly. For creatures like you, that is a fate far worse than death.”

He held up one finger. “Oh, and one more thing.” He ran a stern gaze over them. “From here on in, Project Exodus is finished.” Everyone in the room paled. Kestil smiled. “I have fleets of warships that could decimate this planet a thousand times over. Rest assured, one primitive spacecraft would be child’s play.”

The room erupted in loud voices of protest, but Kestil waved a hand and all nine people vanished.

*****

Washington DC

Daniel Colby was about to lock up the store for the night when the bell above the front door rang. He groaned and made his way out to the cash register. “Hi there, how can I help y-” He did a double take when he saw the two men in suits on the other side of the counter.

“Mr. Daniel Colby?” One of them asked.

Colby’s eyes flicked from one to the other. “Yeah?”

The man pulled out an FBI badge. “We need you to come with us, sir.”

“What the hell for?” Daniel’s blood pounded in his head. It had been years since he’d got so much as a parking ticket, but he knew what they were here for, nonetheless.

“We need you to answer some questions,” the other man said, “in regard to certain terrorist associates of yours.”

“
WHAT?!
” he cried. He waved at the shelves behind him. “I work in a freaking drug store, I’m not a terrorist, for God’s sake. What the hell are you guys on?!”

One of the men pulled out a gun and held it steady on Daniel. Daniel threw his hands in the air. “Okay, okay, I’m coming, I’m coming.”

The two men led him out towards a sedan parked out front. They were nearly at the car when two more men appeared out of nowhere right in front of them. The FBI agent with the gun went to aim at one of the newcomers, but the weapon was slapped out of his hand at a seemingly impossible speed. Daniel heard the crack of a bone breaking, and the agent cried out in agony. Daniel turned to see the other agent already comatose on the pavement. The two men grabbed him and suddenly all three of them were somewhere else.

He looked around him, disoriented and scared out of his wits. “I…I know this place; the old sawmill. We used to play here as kids.” He turned to the two men. They stood there and returned his gaze impassively. He backed away; he could see they wore guns under their jackets. “Just who the hell are you two?”

One of them stepped forward and held out his hand. “I’m Jack, this is my partner Ron; we’re from the Sixteen Galaxies. Well, we’re not
from
there, but we work for them.”

Daniel held up both hands. “Hey, I’m trying to help you guys, I’m on your side.”

Jack nodded. “We’re aware of that, Daniel. That’s why we’re here. Unfortunately, that’s also why those two goons were at your store.”

Daniel frowned. “What does the FBI want with me?”

Jack shook his head. “They weren’t the FBI, Daniel. They work for the government, but in a black department. The second you got in that car, you were dead. You’ve been involved with a small group of people who believe that the Sixteen Galaxies meant well when they came here, and that the Independent Worlds is the threat to Earth, not us. You’ve been involved in the spread of counter-intelligence. The leader of the Independent Worlds doesn’t like that very much.”

Daniel shrugged. “Garth told us that his friend David is with you guys, and that we should spread the word that it’s the Independent Worlds that is the real danger to everyone. Then Garth disappeared two weeks ago; nobody’s been able to get hold of him. Then Wattsy went, no sign of him. Noddy’s gone, too. We figured the rest of us should just lay low, and that the feds got the others.” His face dropped. “Those two other guys killed them, didn’t they?”

The guy called Ron smiled. “No. The others are already safe, Daniel. We got them out in the same manner as you.”

Jack tapped Ron on the shoulder. “Gotta go, satellite found us. We wanted to get your permission to take you with us, Daniel. Sorry, but we’re out of time.” Ron pulled out a cell phone and hit a speed-dial button.

They were now somewhere else again, and a smile came to Daniel’s face. “Am I on your
spaceship
?!”

The two men exchanged a glance. “No,” Ron said, “not exactly, but you’re perfectly safe here.”

Garth emerged from across the room. “Hey Daniel! The boys got you out, then.”

Daniel gave the lanky young man a hug. “Good to see you, man. I thought I was toast back there.” He looked around the room. “Awesome place, this.”

Garth took his arm. “Right this way, my man, let me show you the computer room. Me and the boys call it Toyworld. The stuff we have here is just nutso; you’re gonna love it.”

Ron and Jack watched the pair walk away. Ron laughed quietly. “I always wanted kids.”

*****

Global News Update

“…The FBI released pictures today of 4 men wanted for questioning in relation to cyber-crime. The four men, all in their early twenties, are believed to be major players in the terrorist organization known as ‘Herald of the Truth’. Richard Watts, Graeme Nodrup, Garth Taylor and Daniel Colby have all gone underground since the FBI issued warrants for their arrest two weeks ago. They are not thought to be armed, but may have protection from other terrorists who are. The FBI advise extreme caution and warn against approaching any of these men. Any information regarding their whereabouts should be sent to the number displayed at the bottom of your screen.

“In a dramatic turn of events today, the head of the French
General Directorate for Internal Security confirmed that they had received evidence from the ‘Letterbox Sniper’ in relation to the assassination of
French Minister of Transport
Christophe Giroux. He also confirmed the evidence as ‘both genuine and damning’, and that an arrest warrant had been issued for Sebastien Giroux, CEO of weapons industry giant Giroux Précision Tactique, yesterday. Giroux is currently in custody and faces a raft of criminal charges related to bribes paid to purchase his son’s political office.”

Kestil’s base

Kestil’s fist crashed down on the table. “Again? They were there to intercept us
again?!
” He scowled at the table.

John Crabtree stood with his arms folded. “I have no idea how they manage to do it, Kestil. Your AI has made contact with the Earth’s internet impossible for their AI. It still reports no contact from them?”

Kestil shook his head. “Nothing at all.” He stood upright with a frown on his face. “They must have eyes on us somehow, but I can’t for the life of me see how. Go over this latest interception from the top; we must have missed something somewhere.”

John stood back as Kestil’s AI played all the available footage from the drug store. They watched their two agents come in, get Daniel and lead him outside. The scene changed to an outside street camera. The two Sixteen Galaxies men appeared, took out the agents and vanished along with Daniel. John leapt forward. “Stop! Go back a few seconds; just before they disappear. Hold it there!” He tapped the monitor. “What’s that?”

Kestil peered at the screen. “That’s the electrical shop next door; so what?”

John tapped the screen. “Right there, that little red light. Zoom in closer.” The camera zoomed in. “Can you clean it up a bit?” The picture brightened and the contrast improved. John pointed to a spot on the screen. “There, one of those cameras is on.”

John was right, Kestil saw. There was a shelf of video cameras in the window, behind the heavy steel grille that protected it. One camera’s recording light was on.

John laughed. “
That’s
how they knew. They were watching the front of the drug store the whole time.”

Kestil shook his head. “Impossible. My AI sees everything. If that camera was connected to the internet, we would know about it.”

John scratched his chin. “What if it wasn’t connected to the ‘net?”

“Then how would they see the footage in real time?” Kestil responded.

“Can I speak to your AI?” John asked.

Kestil shrugged. “Of course.” He fell silent for a minute, then a man’s voice come out of the nearest computer’s speakers. “What do you wish to know, John Crabtree?”

“Check all cell-phone calls within a one block radius of that location, between when our two agents arrive at the drugstore and when they are intercepted.”

“Done,” the voice immediately answered.

John blinked in surprise. “Okay. Any calls made in that time?”

“Twenty-seven calls in progress through that time period, and three initiated. Two got through, one received no answer.”

“The one that got no answer, did they leave a message?”

“No.”

“Precise location of that caller, please.”

“247 Westgate Avenue. Two doors up from the electrical shop.”

“Give me control of the security camera inside the electrical store,” John said.

In less than three seconds, a poor quality image of the inside of the store appeared on the screen. John used the computer’s mouse to pan the camera round to the shelf with the cameras on it. He carefully placed the camera, then stood back. “Zoom in on that, and clean the image up.”

The image zoomed in, and within ten seconds, it was high resolution. John tapped the screen again. “There’s a cable hooked into that camera. Bet you anything you like that cable goes into a junction box and up the road to number 247. There would have been a person there who manned a computer, and put the call out as soon as our guys arrived. The phone used to make that call, did you trace the owner?”

“It’s what you humans call a ‘Burner’ phone,” the AI answered. “Pre-paid and bought from upstate New York three days ago. Security camera footage from the store shows a young man in a hooded jacket walk in, buy the phone with currency notes and walk out. Street cameras lose him two blocks away. He must have changed attire somewhere after that.”

John shook his head in admiration. “They’re going old-school on us, Kestil. Someone is in charge of these guys; someone human, and very,
very
good.”

*****

Western Queensland

Jack Short took a bite from an apple and pointed to a spot on the road in the hologram display in front of him. “Right there is the best spot. Good cover from the trees, no houses nearby and elevated ground on both sides.” He wiped some juice off his chin with his sleeve.

Ron Baxter nodded. “Two guns, one on either side?”

Jack shook his head. “One gun, too much risk of collateral with two. Front left hub, with an armor piercing round. Wheel will lock up and put the car in this ditch, about here somewhere. Gun should be a .30-06 at least, although a .338 or even a .50 cal would be better.”

Ron raised his eyebrows. “A .50 cal would damn near take the wheel off, I would think.”

Jack shrugged. “The car will end up in that ditch either way.”

“So,” Ron said, “if you don’t want me on a second weapon, where do you want me?”

Jack pointed to a spot by the roadside. “In behind that bush by the fencepost. Soon as the car stops, you go in and get the target out. He will be alone, but he may be armed; we can’t be sure. No military experience, no jail time, no gun license, so he shouldn’t give you any bother. I’ll come straight down anyway; it should be easy.”

Ron tapped his teeth with a finger. It was an odd mannerism, but Jack noticed he did it a lot when he was uneasy.

“Problem?” Jack asked.

“Well,” Ron replied, “it seems mighty suspicious that Kestil doesn’t keep watch over this guy, to be honest.”

Jack shrugged. “Ryan Sanderson is a small-time contractor. He works for Kestil sometimes, but not much. He’s had no contact with Kestil since Mandy and I were trapped.”

Ron turned to Jack. “That you know about, that is. He came up clean last time, remember? And that was before Truly lost control down here. There’s no way we can be sure.”

“All I know,” Jack said, “is that David wants Ryan Sanderson brought here. What for, I have no idea. But, the boss says Sanderson is wanted, so we get him.”

*****

Nuthros’ ship

Mandy Somers and Brantok appeared on the viewport deck of Nuthros’ ship. Nuthros was there to greet them and embraced them both warmly. Brantok gave his apologies, but said he had to hurry back to Kareetha, as the council was still busy resettling all the evacuees from the exploration details who had established themselves in regions outside Sixteen Galaxies space. He bid them farewell and disappeared.

Nuthros turned to Mandy. “So, I see you are a little better than when you left us.”

She smiled at him. It was impossible not to like Nuthros. “I am as if it never happened, Nuthros.”

Nuthros sobered and took both her hands. “I hear that Tenseel’s light dance was a little rough on you and the other two humans. Are you okay with that now?”

She shrugged. “At the time, it was very unpleasant. But, Chris and I talked about it a few times. There are things we both need to resolve, I think.”

“Yes,” he replied, “I’m afraid Chris has only just begun to suffer.” He brightened. “You, though, have some matters to attend to, that is true, but I think things will get better for you henceforth.”

Mandy turned to the viewport. “I wish I could believe that, Nuthros. But, I am not looking forward to the next time I see Jack.”

“I know. However, I would urge you to keep an open mind, Mandy. We may believe we understand a situation, only to find our viewpoint is completely skewed. The Entity knows the truth of Jack’s past. It will not share that information, but wants you to resolve it with Jack for yourself. Both of you need that.”

Mandy looked up at the ceiling. She had no idea why she did that; it was instinctive. “Why can’t you tell me yourself? Surely, if the truth is that Jack didn’t kill my parents, then I am better off knowing; isn’t that so?”

“It may seem that way,” Truly replied. “But your relationship with Jack depends on your ability to communicate with one another, as any relationship does. Even though I may be a reliable source, the information is still second-hand, and from a third party. Such matters should stay private, Mandy.”

Mandy scowled out of the viewport. “I am not ‘in a relationship’ with Jack, and I never have been. We just work together, that’s it.”

There was a long pause before Truly spoke again. “Are you sure about that, Mandy?”

*****

Global News Update

“…Shares in the engineering giant Granfield & Porter skyrocketed today after it was announced that the company had successfully completed trials for their Quantum Transit Cube. The device uses quantum level technology to transport huge amounts of data at incredible speed. The company expects the device to be on sale by the end of next week, and presale orders have already been suspended after it was discovered production will take six months to fulfil existing orders. A company spokesman said priority will be given to installation of QTCs into the data network within the United States.

“There were frantic scenes in the Australian Federal Parliament today, as John Cranston, the incumbent member for Keetharra was arrested by Australian Federal Police during a speech to the press outside Parliament House in Canberra; Australia’s capital city. Cranston was arrested and charged with the taking of bribes. It is believed his arrest was a result of evidence supplied by the ‘Letterbox Sniper’, who has seemingly stopped his execution of politicians, and now simply anonymously supplies evidence of corruption to authorities around the world. This arrest brings the total of politicians incarcerated for corruption worldwide to over 150. Another 785 have stepped down from political office for various reasons.”

*****

Riverton Springs, Illinois

The old Dodge sedan looked for all the world like it was on its last legs. Rusted and dented, it appeared to be a miracle it was still in one piece. And that was just how Ryan Sanderson liked it. For a man whose hatred for the information age knew no bounds; old was gold. No engine management computers, no sophisticated emissions systems, no LED infested dashboard. The steady rumble of the 440 cubic-inch Hemi big-block betrayed the lies the body told. The engine was blueprinted, balanced and fuel injected. It was constructed with all forged components, and it sat on a seam-welded body shell with a full roll cage. Tuned racing suspension and a tough drive train meant he could use all 550 horsepower to its best advantage. He loved The Old Bucket, as he called it.

Meticulously maintained, the car could get him the hell out of a sticky situation in seconds. Which was good; because in his line of work, sticky situations came with the territory. Ryan was a deal-maker, a source for items that were hard to get hold of. That could be information, illegal goods of all sorts, or sometimes even people. He always got the goods, and always closed the deal. Over the course of his fifteen-year career, just five people had tried to rip him off. All five were dead. Nobody tried that stuff on him anymore.

He guided the Dodge into the next bend. Long and open, the left-hand curve just asked for more horsepower. He grinned from ear to ear as the Mopar monster roared in response to his pressure on the gas pedal. He held the wheel steady against the G-forces that wanted to straighten it, right up to the point where there was a deafening crack, and the wheel was ripped out of his hands as it spun viciously to the left.

Ryan briefly tried to regain his grip on the steering wheel, only to have his wrist broken by one of the wheel’s spokes. His scream of agony was drowned out by the screech of tires as the rear end slewed round. He knew he was just a passenger now, and braced for impact as he felt the left-hand side of the car lift. It rolled onto its roof and slid off the road to a stop in a ditch by the roadside. Ryan scrabbled at the seat belt with his good hand. He smelt fuel and forced himself to remain calm. He knew explosions were the stuff of Hollywood, but every instinct yelled at him to get out, now!

The belt finally let go and he crawled out of the smashed side window and onto the gasoline covered tarmac. Ryan retched from the fumes as he staggered to his feet, just in time to see a man with a 9mm pistol pointed at him.

*****

Jack heard the roar of the big V8 and the Dodge hurtled into view. He steadied the crosshairs on a point just in front of the front left tire. He timed the shot, squeezed the trigger and the Barrett .50 cal rifle gave him a swift kick in the shoulder. The mag wheel instantly collapsed and he felt a brief stab of satisfaction. A blink-of-the-eye shot on a fast-moving target carried out with total precision. He stood up, hefted the big rifle and slapped the bipod shut. He trotted down and across the road, where, by that time, Ron held the Sanderson guy at gunpoint. Jack stopped next to Ron and nodded at the dazed man in front of him. “Hey there Ryan, remember me?”

Ryan pulled himself together. “Hey Jack.” He nodded at the Barrett in Jack’s hands. “Compensating for something?”

Jack scowled. “Right now, I’m fighting the temptation to take your head off with it, to be honest.”

Ryan laughed. “Hey, no hard feelings, man. It’s just business, you know?” He looked at his car. “That’s one hell of a shot, Jack. How’d a dumbass journo like you pull off a trick like that?”

Jack took one step forward and Ron clamped a hand on his arm. “We’d best take this idiot and go, before-”