Socrates and the Councillor Read online

‘That’s quite a set-up,’ she said.

  ‘Looks like we’ve found another one of the hacker’s nests. I’m going to put a call in to HQ to get a tech team down here before he can disable it remotely.’

  John dialled the number for Sentinel HQ. Authenticating himself, he requested a full tech team with Sentinel support at the apartment. He motioned to Socrates and Vanessa.

  ‘Come on, let’s go wait outside. I don’t want to risk losing this set-up.’

  They left the apartment and got back into the lift. It travelled the ten floors to ground level. The doors opened. John stepped out first, followed by Socrates and Vanessa. John opened the front door and stepped through. The Sentinel cruiser was parked on the street where they had left it. Vanessa’s phone rang. She pulled it out of her suit pocket.

  ‘This is Agent Koelmeyer. Yes, sir. I understand. Give me a moment.’

  She covered the phone with her hand as she turned to John.

  ‘It’s my boss. I have to take this. Can you wait for me?’

  ‘Sure.’

  ‘Thanks,’ Vanessa said. Putting the phone back to her ear, she said, ‘Go ahead, sir.’

  John motioned to Socrates. They walked over to the cruiser. John reached for the remote control to open the car. A flicker of movement across the road caught his attention.

  ‘John, wait—’ Socrates said.

  The next second was a blur. John pressed the button to open the car. The car’s lights blinked.

  Then it exploded.

  Twenty-Three

  An explosion involves the sudden transfer of energy from a focal point to its surroundings. This manifests itself as a shockwave, travelling outwards. The magnitude of the shockwave depends on the type of explosion. The bomb which destroyed the Sentinel cruiser would later be classified by explosives experts as a moderate-sized chemical device. The shockwave was sufficient to blow out all the windows on the ground floor of the apartment building. Bright shapes fluttered across John’s vision and his ears were ringing as he struggled to comprehend what had just happened.

  ‘John,’ a voice tried to cut through the noise.

  John tried to focus. A face slowly materialised out of the bright shapes chasing across his retinas. Socrates.

  ‘John. Can you hear me?’

  The noise in John’s head subsided to a dull roar. He slowly nodded his head.

  ‘I’m … alright. What happened?’

  ‘The cruiser exploded. Based on the nature of the explosion I would speculate it was deliberate sabotage.’

  ‘Either that or the Flux Cell malfunctioned.’

  ‘I do not believe a malfunction in the Flux Cell would result in this form of explosion.’

  ‘You’re probably right,’ John said. ‘Help me up.’

  John sat up with Socrates’s help. He realised he was a lot closer to the apartment building than he remembered being. The shockwave from the explosion must have thrown him back several metres, almost to where Vanessa had taken the call from her boss.

  ‘Is Vanessa alright?’ John asked, casting around.

  ‘I’m alright,’ the UN agent said. She was lying on the ground near the apartment. She appeared shaken but unharmed. John was grateful for that. He stood up, holding onto Socrates. His partner appeared completely unharmed by the explosion. The charred remains of the Sentinel cruiser were scattered across the road and surrounding footpath. Some of the pieces were still on fire. The road would be closed for hours as emergency crews dealt with the aftermath of the explosion. John moved his jaw from side-to-side. Nothing appeared broken. The dull roar in his ears was subsiding by the second. Taking another look at the remains of the cruiser, he realised just how lucky they had been.

  He pulled out his phone and dialled his old partner. Michael Fernali answered on the second ring.

  ‘I was just about to call you. Streeter and I had—’

  ‘Someone just tried to kill us.’

  ‘Say what?!’

  ‘They blew up our cruiser.’

  ‘You alright?’

  ‘Yes, amazingly enough. At least we’re on the right track.’

  ‘How do you figure that?’

  ‘We found another one of the hacker’s nests. We must be hurting them, otherwise they wouldn’t try to take us out.’

  ‘Okay, I guess that makes sense. Not the safest approach.’

  John took a deep breath.

  ‘I know. This one was close. Closer even than that incident back in 2042.’

  ‘You mean when you went in, with no backup, and almost got yourself shot to pieces?’

  ‘Yes.’

  ‘I guess you’ll never change. What do you need?’

  John took another deep breath. He surveyed the scene of the explosion once more. A few passers-by were already beginning to gather by the side of the road.

  ‘I’ve requested a team of techs to comb through the hacker’s nest and enough Sentinels to ensure their safety and secure the scene. I need to keep this quiet as long as possible.’

  ‘I’m on it. You want the intel on the accident location?’

  ‘Sure, hit me.’

  ‘Alright. Streeter and I ran a search in a three-kilometre radius of the accident. We flagged a number of potential targets, given the industrial parks in that area. There are quite a few multinational companies, some of them involved in high-def optics, aerospace engineering and even defence contracting.’

  ‘Give me your best guess.’

  Fernali let out a long breath.

  ‘It’s hard to say, given we don’t know who these people are and what they’re after. I’d say the multinationals involved in defence would be the obvious choice.’

  ‘Makes sense.’

  John suddenly remembered something.

  ‘Is there any reason a Ruling Council transport ship would be landing in that area? I saw one setting down near the accident site.’

  ‘Nothing from the search we did. Sorry.’

  ‘No problem. I might have a way of finding out.’

  ‘I don’t want to know.’

  John managed a weak laugh.

  ‘No, you probably don’t.’

  ‘You sure you’re okay?’

  ‘I’ve survived worse. Although not by much. Get our teams down here asap.’

  ‘Will do.’

  John ended the call. Flicking through his contact list, he found the number he wanted. The one person that could tell him why a Ruling Council transport ship had landed near the site of an accident caused by someone working with the mysterious operatives. John found the number and dialled. The call was answered on the third ring.

  ‘John, I trust this is important?’ Councillor Alara Green said.

  ‘It is. I’m suddenly quite sure of it.’

  ‘Alright, what do you need?’

  ‘I need to know if there’s a Ruling Council facility in North Ryde.’

  There was a long silence. It was punctuated by the sound of emergency sirens echoing in the distance. Finally, the Councillor answered.

  ‘What I’m about to tell you is confidential information. You do not disclose this to anyone. Understood?’

  John looked at Socrates. His gaze travelled from his partner to Vanessa. Both of them stood just far enough away that they wouldn’t be able to overhear his conversation.

  ‘Go ahead.’

  ‘The Iona Corporation’s primary Flux Cell manufacturing and testing facility is located in North Ryde.’

  Twenty-Four

  Emergency response times for fire, ambulance and police in Iona were amongst the fastest in the world. The Sentinels were even faster. Three cruisers, each one carrying a pair of Sentinels and technicians pulled up in front of the apartment building in Pyrmont. Everyone new on the scene eyed the remains of John’s cruiser warily. They all knew the risks. Many of them had been in life-or-death situations before. It was still a chilling reminder of how dangerous their jobs really were.

  ‘I take it those charred remains are what’s left
of your car?’ Anna Sorensen asked. She was the first to arrive.

  ‘Yes. Luckily, we were far enough away,’ John replied.

  ‘What was the trigger?’

  John opened his hand. He was still holding the remote.

  ‘Interesting.’

  ‘How so?’ John asked.

  ‘Well … if you’re trying to kill someone, the ignition switch is a much surer option. Using the remote is risky. Most people open their cars at least a few metres away from them.’

  ‘Are you saying someone wasn’t trying to kill us?’

  Sorensen looked at the remains of the cruiser. Her gaze turned to the apartment building and the three of them.

  ‘Hard to say but, judging by the distance from the apartment building to the car, I’d say there was a high probability you would use the remote outside of the kill zone.’

  ‘Okay. That changes things.’

  ‘What do you mean, John?’ Socrates asked. He had been speaking to Harry Tan, Sorensen’s partner.

  John indicated the remains of their cruiser.

  ‘All of this. Clearly this was intended to send a message.’

  ‘That’s some message,’ Tan said.

  ‘Yes. Whoever is behind these attacks is ramping up their efforts,’ John said.

  ‘Escalation,’ Sorensen said. ‘You think they’re building up to something major?’

  ‘Almost certainly. I just don’t have enough information to guess at what their end game is at the moment.’

  ‘I remember when the Global Energy Crisis spread across Europe. The Danish army was sent in alongside NATO forces to stop a number of protests. While we managed to break up the initial congregations we didn’t realise what was happening until it was too late. They were distracting us from their main objective—the oil depots,’ Sorensen said.

  ‘You think this is a distraction?’ John asked.

  Sorensen smiled, a rare sight on her otherwise serious features.

  ‘I don’t know. I think I might just be nostalgic for the days when the world was a simpler place. Before the Flux Cell. Before the Iona Corporation.’

  ‘That’s an interesting sentiment for someone who moved to Iona to become a Sentinel,’ John said.

  ‘There wasn’t much work for an ex-military demolitions expert post-GEC. Besides, I like the weather here. It’s warm.’

  They all laughed at that. Except Socrates. His eyes remained fixed on John.

  ‘What is our next course of action?’ he asked.

  John looked around. His eyes found Agent Koelmeyer. She was sitting by herself, near the entrance to the apartment building. Clearly the explosion had shaken her more than she would admit.

  ‘Let’s get these guys set up.’

  Socrates nodded but said nothing. Sorensen and Tan returned to the remains of the Sentinel cruiser, herding pedestrians away. The sound of sirens announced the arrival of fire and ambulance services, along with a pair of unmarked police cruisers. If the hacker didn’t know that his second nest was compromised by now, the news crews would alert him to that fact soon enough. John hoped the techs had managed to salvage something useable from the computer hardware inside. He made his way towards where Vanessa sat on a low decorative wall.

  ‘You alright?’ he asked.

  She nodded.

  ‘I’m okay. I think the shock of it all just hit me.’

  ‘Don’t worry. It’ll pass.’

  She stood up.

  ‘This isn’t my first near miss,’ she said. ‘I just didn’t expect it to happen again so soon.’

  John nodded, looking into her eyes.

  ‘Want to tell me about it?’

  ‘Maybe some other time.’

  ‘Fair enough. Socrates and I are going to help these guys out and then head off.’

  ‘My boss needs me for a bit. I’ll catch up with you two later.’

  John nodded as she walked away. He found himself admiring her limber physique once more.

  ‘What is so amusing?’ Socrates asked.

  John hadn’t realised he was smiling. His eyes found the smouldering remains of his Sentinel cruiser. His smile disappeared as his eyes hardened. Turning to his partner, he said, ‘Can you handle this by yourself?’

  ‘Yes. Where are you going?’

  ‘To find out who’s behind this.’

  ‘Do you require my assistance?’

  ‘No. Stay here and help out. I’ll meet you back at HQ later.’

  John actually took two steps towards his cruiser before he remembered what had happened. He pulled out his phone and was about to call a cab when someone approached him.

  ‘Tesh,’ Detective Jastrzebski said. ‘This your mess?’

  John paused, his finger above the dial button. His eyes narrowed as he looked at the detective.

  ‘This really isn’t a good time.’

  Twenty-Five

  The person John went to see was not some government official, or law enforcement agent or high-ranking military operative. Nonetheless, the person he went to see was probably the one person best placed to tell him exactly what he was up against. It was a man who had guided him throughout his career, providing advice and challenging him when he needed it. That man was his uncle, Nathan Tesh. In his late sixties, he was still quite physically fit and his hazel-coloured eyes were filled with a kindness that put people instantly at ease.

  ‘John, come in. It’s been a while,’ Nathan said.

  ‘Ah, yes, sorry about that. I’ve been meaning to drop by.’

  ‘It’s alright. You’re a Sentinel now. I’m sure you have better things to do than spend time listening to your uncle relive his glory days. Where’s your partner?’

  ‘The Chief reassigned us. Something about being reckless and needing someone who could keep me out of trouble.’

  His uncle laughed.

  ‘That would do it. Shame, I quite liked that Michael fellow.’

  ‘Fernali and I have known each other for a long time. Now that we’re both Sentinels, I’m sure we’ll keep working on and off for a long time yet. Even though our jobs are … ’

  John’s words trailed off as the memory of his cruiser exploding filled his mind. He could still hear Socrates warning him as he pressed the button on his remote. The momentary confusion, his vision blurring and ears ringing in the aftermath of the explosion. Realising he had been flung several metres backwards. The strange thing was he didn’t remember the shockwave. One moment he was walking towards the car. The next, he was lying on the ground. It was almost as if …

  ‘Are you alright, John?’ Nathan asked.

  ‘It’s been a long couple of days,’ John replied.

  Nathan’s expression turned serious.

  ‘Come inside and tell me about it.’

  John followed his uncle inside the old red-brick house located in a quiet street in the suburb of Vaucluse. Even though his uncle had travelled a lot for work when John was younger, he still had fond memories of spending time with his uncle in the house and the garden outside. He had enjoyed their walks along the coastal cliff, near the old lighthouse. Sadly, the lighthouse had been destroyed during the GEC riots, although the Ruling Council had promised to rebuild it.

  ‘You want anything to eat or drink?’ Nathan asked.

  ‘Coffee would be good.’

  ‘Coming right up.’

  John sat down on a kitchen stool. Resting his arms on the benchtop, he watched as his uncle prepared the coffee. Nathan had always refused to get one of the modern coffee makers. He preferred to grind the beans himself and use the pourover method. It took longer but John was yet to find a better cup of coffee.

  ‘Here you go,’ his uncle said, handing him a steaming mug of coffee.

  The rich aroma filled John’s senses, making him momentarily forget all the things that were weighing on him. He took a sip. The coffee was just as rich and aromatic as he remembered. Where exactly his uncle got the particular beans he used was a closely guarded secret. Nathan leaned against t
he kitchen bench and the two of them drank their coffee in silence for several minutes. Taking a long sip, John placed his mug on the counter. He took a deep breath.

  ‘You want to talk about it?’ Nathan asked.

  ‘I’m not even sure I know where to begin,’ John said.

  ‘I find the beginning is usually a good place to start.’

  ‘It all started yesterday morning. A new case, a new partner. A mysterious light plane that seemingly didn’t exist.’

  ‘Sounds interesting.’

  ‘Let’s just say things went rapidly downhill from there.’

  ‘I assume that accident in North Ryde had something to do with it?’

  ‘How did you know?’

  Nathan smiled.

  ‘Most people wouldn’t realise the significance of a red-light force-field barrier sensor failing. That’s because most people don’t realise they simply don’t fail.’

  John nodded, even as a part of him, that part that made him such a good investigator, realised his uncle had just revealed a little too much. He had first begun to suspect the truth about his uncle years ago, when he was still in his teens. Now he was practically certain of his deduction. It was also the reason he came to his uncle for help.

  ‘This investigation goes deeper than anything I’ve ever been involved in. I need you to promise me you won’t repeat anything I tell you,’ John said.

  ‘Who am I going to tell?’ Nathan asked.

  ‘I’m serious. Once I tell you the details you’ll understand why.’

  His uncle spread his hands.

  ‘I understand. Don’t worry, whatever you tell me stays between the two of us.’

  John looked at his uncle for a moment. Then he recounted the events of the last day and a half, culminating in the explosion that had almost cost him his life. His uncle listened to every word without interrupting. The lines in his forehead became more pronounced as the narrative went on. When John was finished, Nathan stared off into the distance.

  ‘Are you alright?’ John asked.

  Nathan nodded, slowly. Then, he said, ‘I know who’s behind this.’

  Twenty-Six

  An antique grandfather clock in the hallway chimed as the hands aligned on the Roman numeral eleven. The sound reverberated throughout the old house, permeating every surface, causing the molecular structures to resonate with a matching frequency. John picked up his mug. He finished the last of the coffee. Setting it back on the counter, he looked at his uncle.