Aekhem

Earth

III

When the request for confirmation from the Japanese Government arrived to Donovan's email he just responded:

"Data cannot be confirmed, our servers could be sending reports from seismographs close to a naval military exercise"

Mr. Mitsaki from the Geology Division of Natural Disasters in Japan responded with the same indifferent tone:

"Thank you for the information"

Donovan sighed, took the phone and dialed a number, somebody picked up a receiver and did not say a word, Donovan just said:

"Thirty eight three two two north one for two three six nine east" he listened to the voice at the other side of the line and said "Yes Sir" and hang up.

Sighed again and smiled. Dubois, he thought, who could have told? He set up a trap and Dubois fell right in the middle of it. What a shame, good element. He checked Dubois files in his computer and started erasing them all. He just kept a couple of files in a USB stick. Then pressed delete and there was no more James Dubois at the USGS anymore. Again he picked up the phone and dialed another number.

" AF National Security" responded the militarized voice.

"Put me through General Robinson, code three three J E E two one slash six" his ID code learned like everybody had to nowadays.

"Sir Yes Sir" said the officer at the other end.

For Donovan, the AF at the National Security or Attack Force was only a bunch of crazy mercenaries that were overrated but necessary in these days of chaos.

"Donovan, what do you have for me" Robinson friendly and eager voice.

"Edgar, not going to around it, we have a little mouse here at the office that I think needs a little relax time at the beach"

Robinson understood. Donovan's hierarchy allowed him to just give an order or a suggestion and not being questioned about it. When he said the beach, he knew it was Guantanamo in Cuba and when he said mouse, he was talking about a dissident.

"Oh, and Edgar? It seems our mouse in question has gotten himself involved with a female" he said this while going through some of the employees emails and saw Doris Wallen had gotten more than a few from Dubois, even the ones he's got. He loved technology, specially spy programs. Nothing happened in his building that he did not know about. He knew everybody's strengths and weaknesses.

"I'm sending you the file right now and Edgar, please tell your boys to be discreet?"

"Donovan, you are a patriot like no one" Robinson said. Donovan thought what a fanatic bastard that was "we will deal with the plague at your office, exterminators on his way" Donovan hung up.

This time he chose his cellular phone to make another call. He pressed a few numbers for encryption call and again silence at the other end as an answer, Donovan said:

"Mr. President, we have a situation in Japan coastal line. Nothing to be alarmed about but it could have international political consequences" he listened to the president's indications and responded "yes sir, not confirmed yet, just a report, nothing to be worried about, yes sir, perfect, will do, thank you Sir" after being so serious his tone of voice changed and started smiling "Of course, Sunday, at the Golf

Course, I'll set it up Mr. B"

He pressed the speaker phone button from his desk phone and told his secretary:

"Jocelyn, go ahead and let the people at the Golf Course we are going to need it this Sunday. The President, a few guests and yours truly and Jocelyn get security organized as well, thank you"

He had told everybody half truths. Nobody could blame him if something went wrong. How could he have known the real truth when his own chief of research ended up being a Taliban informer? He would have to change the security standards once again. Damn Taliban, they were all over now.

He closed what was left of Dubois and Wallen files. Put it all in the USB stick and into an envelope marked as BBQ Recipes. Somebody out there was watching him and knew what this envelope contained. He was being watched all the time, what he said, who he'd called and even maybe what he was thinking. The road to power was long after the fall but had great compensations and there were more on the way.

His cell phone shook a text message from his bank, wire transfer to his account. He smiled.

He made another call:

"Baby, this is your baby calling, which one was the one you wanted, the gold or the black jag?" he waited for the answer "you will have it tomorrow baby, I will personally bring it to you" he hung up.

He searched for his wife's phone number in his cell phone and called her:

"Dear, I have to leave for Washington right now, you know how it is, big meeting. Yes don't worry. I'll be careful. Good.

I'll see you in two days. Kiss the kids for me. Yes, I do too"

Three o'clock already. Time to leave. Way too muchwork for one day.