The Plot

Part 1

       She struggled to get loose but the man's grip was too strong as he started dragging her away from the building, but suddenly they were bathed in a bright light as the door opened. A man in a security guard's uniform stood silhouetted in the doorway. "Is everything all right here?" he asked.

She found herself released from the man's grip, but he whispered in her ear, "I know who you are. If you tell anyone what you heard tonight we will kill you and your girl friend."

Then aloud the man said, "Yes, everything's fine. We were just walking this young lady back to the building. It's very dark out here with the security lighting out."

She scuttled through the door and stood next the guard, glancing back to see the men who had chased her, but they had melted into the darkness.

The security guard gave her a concerned look. "Are you okay, Ms Rozman?" he asked, glancing at her name tag, "Those men weren't bothering you were they?"

"I um...", she paused while she quickly thought. The man said he knew who she was and would kill her and her friend if she talked. He was brutal. That was no empty threat. She couldn't risk her best friend's life. She needed time to work out what to do. "Yes I'm fine thanks," she said in a slightly shaky voice, "Those men were just escorting me to the door. It's so dark out there."

"Yes, there's been an electrical fault," explained the guard, "All the outside lighting is out until tomorrow when it should be fixed."

She said goodbye to the guard and walked around to the stairs to the second floor where she made her way along a long passageway until she stopped at a door with the sign:
Astrophysics Laboratory 2. Authorised Personnel Only.

She waved her hand over the scanner and entered.

Her friend Grace looked up from the computer terminal she was working at. "Oh good you're back, Shannon," she said, "Come and have a look at this formula. I worked it out with the computer's help."

Shannon tried to get her breathing under control as she sat down next to her friend and looked at the figures on the screen. She tried to concentrate on the numbers in front of her but her mind was a swirling maze after her run in with the three men a few minutes earlier. "It looks good I think," she mumbled.

"Are you okay?" Grace asked, looking at her with a concerned expression.

"Just a bit out of breath," Shannon replied, "I went for a quick jog while I was outside." She hoped her best friend would believe her. She knew Grace well enough by now to know that her friend had an uncanny knack of knowing what she was thinking sometimes.

They were interrupted by the sound of the door opening. A tall woman with long blonde hair stepped into the lab. "Time to go home girls," she said, then added with a smile, "It's almost your bedtime." 

"Very funny, Mum," Grace replied, "Can you have a quick look at this formula before we go?"
While Tracy Hammond sat down at the computer with Grace looking over her shoulder, Shannon calmed her breathing and focused her thoughts on the research they were doing into designs for future spacecraft capable of interstellar travel. Her best friend Grace and her mother didn't know that she knew about their 'ability'. If she was worried or stressed about something they would somehow work out what it was. It was almost like they could read minds. 

"That looks promising, Grace," Tracy's said getting up from the computer, "But it's getting late. Let's go home. You can work on it some more tomorrow."

*****

It was ten o'clock as Doug Watson sat down at a desk in the security centre and sipped on a cup of hot coffee. It was his ten minute break before continuing rounds in the large Silver Star Research Facility. He had only been working there for five months, but he knew his way around quite well by now. There were five above ground floors, two basement levels, and also three smaller separate buildings. Because of the highly classified nature of the research going on there security was very high. At night there were always at least seven security staff on duty and during the days it was double that number.

Tonight he was concerned. The girl Shannon Rozman he had found outside Exit Number Eight looked upset although she had said she was okay. He didn't recognise any of the three men with her, but he had only caught a glimpse of them.

He pressed a key on the computer terminal in front of him. "Computer, please bring up the staff file on Shannon Rozman," he said.

"Limited information is available on this staff member for your clearance level," the computer's soft female voice replied.

"Okay then, tell me what you can."

A holographic image appeared in front of the computer keyboard of a teenage girl with long dark hair. "Ms Shannon Rozman, age seventeen, is working as a temporary intern in the astrophysics unit under Professor John O'Brien. She has been granted special Level One security clearance by Dr Tracy Hammond. That is all."

"That's all you can tell me? Okay then show me the video from the outside camera over exit door number eight from nine till nine fifteen tonight."

"Camera 8D has been off-line since sixteen twenty two this afternoon."

"I don't suppose the audio component of the camera is working?"

"Negative. Camera is booked for repair tomorrow morning along with failed exterior lighting circuit at rear of main building."

"Okay, thank you. End request."

"Have a nice evening Mr Watson," the computer responded.

Doug sat back in his chair and thought. It might be nothing, maybe the girl wasn't upset at all. But then he remembered his training when he first started at Silver Star. Security guards had to be alert at all times and report anything out the ordinary. Should he report it to the security chief? The computer said Ms Rozman's level one security clearance had been granted by Dr Tracy Hammond who was second in charge of the complex. He had met Dr Hammond only once in his five months there. She was a tall strikingly attractive woman with long blonde hair, and had seemed very approachable and pleasant. Doug made his decision. Dr Hammond would be at home right now so he would call her first thing in the morning with his concerns.

*****

"What are we going to do? That girl probably heard everything we said."

The three men were standing near the wall of the engineering building away from security cameras and outside lighting.

"Just keep calm, Rick," one of them said, "I put the fear of God into her. I don't think she'll tell anyone, and besides that she probably didn't hear the whole plan anyway. We were talking in low voices. She probably just picked up a few words."

"I hope you're right, Ed."

"I saw her name on her ID badge. Shannon Rozman. I happen to know she is doing some kind of work with John O'Brien and Dr Tracy Hammond's daughter in one of the labs. Tomorrow I'll drop her a message reminding her to keep quiet or else."

"Okay then, that leaves you in charge of things at this end. Tony and I are heading back to the facility tomorrow."

"Fine, I'll be touch. Now don't worry. In a few weeks this thing will done and we'll all be rich."

*****

Tracy had just sat down at her desk in the Mars Research Unit the following morning when the phone buzzed. "Answer," she said briskly.

The voice activated phone showed a holographic image of a man staring seriously at her. He looked vaguely familiar.

"Sorry to disturb you Dr Hammond," he said, "I'm Doug Watson on the security team. There was a minor incident last night which is probably nothing, but I felt I should report it to you directly, just in case it's significant."

"Okay, what is it?"

"It concerns the young intern Shannon Rozman."

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