Guardian Program Ch. 24

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Guardian Program Ch. 24

A novel by R.C.PeterGabriel, all rights reserved.

Each Guardian Program member seemed lost in thought and no one at the table spoke a word for several minutes.

General Spooner, spoke up first. "Well, I for one think the guy is a total whack job. He's crazy if he thinks he can bring about world peace. He said it himself, it's easier to kill with his little computer than heal with it."

"That man may be insane," agreed SECDEF Lieber. "Which is something that I'm not ruling out, but he has over twice the IQ for the average human and has tech that we can only dream about. He has us over a barrel gentleman."

"No one is invulnerable!" Spooner stated. "As powerful as his tech is, it still needs power to run. If he sets off this global electrical interruption he mentioned, it will shut down his ability to keep it off. Not to mention that he's still human, and humans have accidents."

"I for one don't want him to have an accident," interjected Henderson. "I'm not ready to die yet. Then there's the fact that he may, or may not still be human. At least not in the strictest sense of the word."

"What is that supposed to mean?" demanded Lieber.

Henderson pondered his response for a moment, before beginning. "Sir, this is speculation, but while we were interviewing Ms. Thornton. I noticed several things about her appearance."

"Yes, Henderson, you made your opinion quite clear. I thought your comment was out of line by the way," replied the SECDEF.

"Yes Sir, it was, and I was embarrassed for blurting it out, but her improved appearance wasn't what I was talking about. I was referring to her demeanor, and especially her eyes."

"Colored contacts, Henderson."

"No sir. Those were her eyes. I assumed they were contacts at first also because turquoise isn't a natural possibility, it's a mutation. Anyway, I looked and wasn't able to see the line that all contacts make around the iris. So, last night I checked inside the white wall, and I found out several things. One, Smith has done... something to her. I'm guessing it happened sometime over the last week, but she no longer needs the green contacts that she had been wearing the week before last. I pulled her prescription receipts from almost two months ago, which seems to be the last time she bought any. According to an OD, the prescription was for someone with twenty/seventy vision. My eyes are both twenty-fifty, and I can't see well at all without my contacts. That means that over the last week, she either had Lasik surgery, or Smith fixed her eyes.

"Either way she's been hiding her true eye color all this time. Even falsifying her personnel file, assuming Smith didn't change her eye color when he fixed her vision.

"The next thing I noticed was her tan. It seemed just a bit too perfect, so I compared the melanin levels in the skin under her arm, and the skin at the tip of her nose, and the numbers were almost identical. That was no beach tan."

"Couldn't Smith have altered the numbers to mess with you Henderson?" asked Anderton.

"Honestly, yes. But, if that were true how would you explain this?" Henderson stood, then pulled his shirt tail out of his slacks, and exposed a portion of his stomach to the room. "A month ago, I was wearing size forty/thirty-six pants. A week ago, I bought all-new pants in size thirty-six/thirty-six, and I've already had to tighten my belt. I haven't done a single sit-up.

"When I finished reading my first file, I hurt all over. Majel told me the process was part of a program to combat muscle atrophy. After a week I had her increase the effect, and it's like every bit of time I've spent inside a file was spent at a gym instead of lying on my back hour after hour."

"So, what do you think this means?" Lieber asked.

"I think Smith, altered Thornton's physiology. I have no idea why, but that's not my point. My point is that he could have altered himself in unimaginable ways, making him no longer a true human."

Joe Varrientos, piped up, saying. "How do we know that he was ever human? I mean, he can alter any file we have on him. His tech could just as easily be alien. Why not assume he's prepping the planet for an invasion from little green men?"

Every head turned to look at Varrientos, half the faces giving him an expression indicating that he should stop acting like an idiot, and the other half contemplating the possibility.

"Because," replied Henderson. "We have Ms. Thornton's transcribed interviews from his parents and every teacher he's ever had, that's why. And before you point out that she could be in on it, you should consider that I have been her handler since she came on board. This would mean, that she knew Smith before she was recruited, and I just happened to assign her to him before any of us had heard of the Program. Oh, and I might also point out, that I was picked for this program by General Anderton.

"Now, can we focus, please? Smith is not an alien, and I'm sorry I brought it up."

"No," countered Lieber. I'm glad you pointed it out, but I'm not sure how the information will help us. You said you learned several things. What else?"

"Well, I was about to do a comparison, you know a before and after analysis, of Thornton's physiology when the files were purged. I tried to locate any file with her in it and none seem to exist, including our own. In other words, Thornton is being protected by Smith"

"So, do you think she's been compromised?" asked Deckard.

"I've known her for years, and have never had the slightest indication of deceit. However, yesterday, she carried herself differently. I saw the change in her after a few minutes of conversation. It probably would have been sooner if her appearance hadn't been so different, and if you didn't know her, you never would have noticed it at all. Anyway, I was scrutinizing her responses, her body language her head tilt, and even her pupillary responses, to see if I could spot any deceptions. I couldn't detect any direct lies, but I got the impression that she was holding back. I can tell you this, she definitely has a thing for Smith.

Her pupils dilated considerably every time his name was mentioned."

"Again, I ask, do you think that she's been compromised?"

Henderson sat quietly for several minutes, knowing his next words would decide her fate. Lieber finally cleared his throat, trying to elicit a response. "I have no proof or indication of compromise. I do, however, think we need to examine any future intel that she provides for the possibility."

The SECAF sighed, "Henderson, tell me if I'm wrong, but I'm assuming you married young, and all of your friends and office staff are married, right?"

"Yes, but what does that have to do with anything?"

"Because Thornton is a woman who hasn't had the time to date since college. She just spent a week with a very attractive, and very rich guy in the South of France, and I'm assuming they had sex. You're used to analysis from reports, not the observation of people, and you need someone to point out that almost anyone would carry themselves differently after ending a four-year dry spell.

"You said yourself that she answered your questions and you couldn't sense any duplicity. I think you're being paranoid. We need to focus on what we can do about Smith.

"I say he either lets us in on the tech needed to communicate while stealthed or we quit playing games. We locate this Hal of his and drop an EMP on it. Once we're inside and in control of Hal, we reprogram it."

"Slow down," demanded Lieber. "We haven't gotten to that point yet. Plus, Hal could be in the middle of New York City of all we know."

General Anderton interrupted. "We have zero chance to reprogram Hal. He isn't even programmed using a binary format. I doubt we could find all of him anyway. Didn't anyone else hear what Smith said about those sub-space transmissions of his? They allow him to connect components that aren't physically near each other. He also said that the transmissions dilate time.

'IF' that's true, the farther he spaces his components out, the faster Hal would be. If I were him, I'd put pieces all over the planet.

"Now Smith may not like me, but I certainly respect him. I for one would go the route he suggested, and start asking him questions. Maybe he'll let me... or someone, study with him. We need to figure out what Hal's limitations are, and whether or not the man is insane.

"On the surface, he gave us a great deal of information that he didn't need to give us. Every bit made sense, and some of it is being researched under my command as we speak. If he has accomplished what he claims, and if it has the range... he could possibly, force peace down the throats of the entire world.

"Crime is still going to happen, but if he solves every crime committed, even the dumbest of criminals will think twice. Honestly, would that be so bad, even if it is a bit Orwellian?"

"I say we get Thornton in here," suggested Deckard, "and pick her brain for Smith's Achilles Heel. She already suckered him once and managed to seduce him. Hell, maybe she is his Achilles Heel. Didn't she say he was devoted to his family? We arrange a situation that would make him vulnerable through them."

"No one," stated Lieber emphatically. "Did you all hear me? No one is to make a move on Smith! At least until we know what we're up against.

"Henderson, get Thornton in here first thing in the morning. We can all brainstorm with her until we come up with a plan."

"Sir, we can't do that. One, we would have to tell her things that would break our contracts. Two, I have no idea how she would react to being grilled by this large a group. But the main reason we can't is that she boarded a flight to California last night. She said she wanted to get started on the lead she discovered."

After sighing, Lieber responded. "Okay, the next time she checks in, tell her we need to speak to her as soon as she gets back. Don't have her return early, unless you think she's going to be longer than a week. If it turns out that she ends up with Smith before returning, imply... and I mean, only imply, that she might look into his tech. If she asked him random questions she may find out something, but do not say anything outright. Do you understand what I'm telling you Henderson?

"Yes, Sir. I understand. Would you like me to encourage her to seek him out if he hasn't planned on seeing her?"

After a moment's pondering Lieber nodded. "Only if after you feel her out and you think it would be a natural thing for her to do.

"In the meantime, I want the rest of you to put together a list of information you need and want. Or if not information, then a list of requests for allowing your commands use of the tech to its fullest. Portman mentioned being able to communicate while stealthed. That would be an example of things we want. Come up with as comprehensive a list as you can and have it on my desk by oh-nine-hundred.

"Does anyone have anything to add?"

"Not about the program Sir," stated SECNAV Martin. "I do need to inform you of a problem with a joint US-British exercise in the Indian Ocean."

"Okay, but first does anyone else have anything to say?... No? Then everyone is dismissed especially those of you not directly in the military. On second thought, Military Command stays. We've been so wound up with Smith that we're beginning to neglect normal operations."

Anderton, James, Deckard, McKinney, Varrientos, and Henderson gathered their things and exited the room. Henderson, being the last to leave noted the room seal engaged as soon as he closed the door. He shook his head and pulled out his phone. Calling his wife, he explained that he was going to have to spend another night at the office, then headed for his car.

He had a theory about following a person who had a redacted file. If he was correct, he could at least follow Thornton to her hotel. After that, he doubted he could find out anything. But he knew it would take all night one way or the other.

Once he was settled into the reading couch he pulled up the flight information for SFO. He already knew the flight that Thornton had taken, he just needed the arrival time. Then he looked up the GPS coordinates and requested a file, above ground only.

"Majel, can you identify Samantha Thornton?"

"The file does not contain any persons known as Samantha Thornton," replied the computer.

Henderson maneuvered himself above and in front of her gate and then fast-forwarded the file to the point that her plane began to disembark.

"Majel, I'm looking for any disturbance in the air that cannot be explained. It will seem as if a person is moving through the space. Perhaps bumping into others or carrying a bag. Please outline any such disturbance in red and follow.

Immediately, Jack found himself looking down from the ceiling of the plane, onto the head of a red ghost, being jostled, and pressed in upon, as all the passengers attempted to disembark at the same time.

This wasn't going to be nearly as difficult as he had suspected. Jack thought to himself, that if the world gets anything close to a clue about how this tech works, Smith's head is going to be worth a small country, maybe even a large one.

He watched as Thornton moved through the crowd and headed straight to the car rental counters, where a middle-aged man, who had seen far too many people during his seventeen years behind that same counter, took down seemingly no one's information, swiped a blank credit card, that appeared out of thin air, and handed the red ghost a set of keys, then pointed to his left while, looking at the next person in line.

As the ghost moved down towards the indicated exit, Henderson asked Majel if she could make the disturbance itself the target of a file and follow it no matter what. She responded in the positive, however, she indicated that the process required special permission from Mr. Smith, so he followed the ghost to the white wall.

After Majel provided the GPS location of the ghost and the time that it had reached the white wall Jack requested a new file, indicating that he needed a maximum ground-level radius.

He waited for the new file to load, but while waiting, he realized that he didn't need to follow the ghost file by file, and asked Majel if the car that the ghost had gotten into was equipped with a tracking device. Like most rental cars it was, so he asked Majel for a file with a fifty-yard radius, centered on the current location of that vehicle.

Once the requested file was loaded, a few moments of instructions had Henderson once again looking downward at the red ghost.

It was currently sitting on a chair in a very upscale hotel room. A hotel room he knew the government wasn't footing the bill for. As he watched, the ghost finished putting on a shoe and stood. It picked up a purse and proceeded to the room's exit.

After checking the door to ensure it was locked, the ghost moved down the hall towards the elevators. About two-thirds of the way there, the ghost stopped in the middle of the hall, turned, and moved back to its room. It unlocked the door and re-entered, moved to the phone in the seating area, and called room service.

Jack decided that he had been successful in his experiment, and shut down the program. He redressed and exited the facility. Only two hours and forty minutes after calling his wife the first time, he called her back and explained that he had finished faster than expected, and started for home.

End of chapter 24. I hope you enjoyed it and all of my work.

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