The Interplanetary Visit

Jack and Jeremy went up the Hill

After escorting the Jupitian Prince silently to the recreational room, Jack and Jeremy headed back to the elevator shaft to the lobby.

As the floor announced the lobby, Jack was about to walk out when Jeremy pulled him back in by the arm and pressed the fifth floor.

"Hey! What's that for? Respect your elders!" Jack grumbled as he stepped back into the elevator adjusting his suit.

"I need to talk to you about the boy," Jeremy whispered, despite them only being in the lift. "Follow me," Jeremy added as he pulled Jack out of the elevator on the third floor.

As they walked down the brightly lit hallway that was of same decoration as that of the lobby with the mirrored ceiling, Jeremy held onto Jack's arm, dragging him through a few twists and turns before entering one of the rooms.

As they entered the seemingly empty coffee lounge, Jack yanked his hand back and annoyingly whispered, "Okay, enough. Stop pulling me. We can talk here, whatever it is that you want to talk about."

The room was pleasant and the aroma of coffee filled the room. A small kitchenette was at the corner while the rest of the room was filled with sofas and one large screen at the other end. It was the agents' lounge. Only experienced and senior agents were allowed in, and Jack and Jeremy were relatively senior ranking given that they were the PEIDB director's hand-picked agents despite Jeremy's apparent lack of experience.

Jack was recruited first. As the top graduate of his master's course in astrophysics from Oxford University, the director had found potential in him. Immediately following his graduation ceremony, Jack was approached by the director, himself, walking up to him and wanting to have a chat with him. To get Jack's interest, the director showed surface pictures of Mars right to Jack as they walked away from the ceremony into the quad.

Astonished then at the detail of the Mars pictures, Jack initially thought that he was being approached by NASA and agreed to the job, turning down a PhD offer by his then supervisor. Yet, after some time with the director, he realized that it was not NASA. There was the condition of secrecy in this job, and that he was not to let anyone know his job description or know anything about the company. Instead, he could only reveal being hired by the Astronomical Research Center as a research student working towards a fully paid PhD. It took Jack some time to explain to his relatives and friends about his decision to turn down the PhD offer from Oxford to join a seemingly unknown company even with a good package. Indeed, the job at PEIDB was paying great with perks and power that no other job could have given him. And he stayed on after that, despite earning his PhD from the Astronomical Research Center.

Jeremy, on the other hand, was recruited differently. Jeremy was an average student, though highly active in the paranormal research, so much so that he took the undergraduate course of psychology yet did his honors project in parapsychology in Texas. He almost failed, if not for his supervisor's personal interest in the subject. Though barely scrapping through, Jeremy's report had reached the director's desk through the surveillance department. The director read Jeremy's theory of psychokinesis and ghosts, found it very fascinating and even discussed it with the head researcher of the telekinetic research lab.

A few days later, the head researcher approached Jeremy under the director's orders. With an offer to join an alien watch group, Jeremy jumped in on the offer immediately, only to realize that it was not just an alien watch group. Yet, extremely interested in the subject and attracted by the power and prestige associated, he stayed on. To his friends and family, he joined the research center as a research assistant, but since he was making decent money, no one cared to ask for the details.

Sitting down on the sofa opposite Jack, Jeremy whispered as he turned on the television to a relatively loud volume, "Tell me what is going to happen with the bureau. Had something like this ever happened?"

Jack looked solemnly at Jeremy as he answered, "You know we are not supposed to discuss this."

"I don't care about rules right now, the director is obviously threatened by the boy, and did you not realize how we were not able to move just now? Not to mention all the mind-reading stuff?"

Jack looked right at Jeremy's eyes as he answered, "Telekinesis and psychosis are not in my area of expertise. But what I do know is that I have never seen the director taking orders, ever. And I have never known of any meeting with the other secret government directors physically. There were a few times when I came across video and virtual conferencing documents, but never, as I know of, a physical meeting."

"So, this boy had made something that unusual happen?"

"Yes. The boy is a threat. I have never in my life heard or know of any being that holds so much power."

"Power, he no doubt has. But he said he meant us no harm. He could have killed us there and then at the island or in the office."

"Jeremy, I am questioning your loyalty to the organization. The boy has threatened to flatten us with his warship, he held both of us under mind control, read our deepest thoughts, threatened the director, and you still insist that he meant us no harm? No being should ever possess that much power. People tend to misuse power when given to them."

"I can sense that he meant us no harm. In fact, I must say that I find his presence... soothing. And the things that he demands do make sense to a certain degree."

"Jeremy, do you know of the consequences should the world come to know of our existence and the kind of work that we do? Our technology could devastate the world in the wrong hands. And in this case, wrong human hands. No being or person should have that much technology in their control."

"Is not the director the one in control now? Is he not a being and human?"

Jack looked right into Jeremy's eyes. Frowning, he said, "This conversation is over. I will pretend that I have never heard that statement. You, of all people, should be able to understand the impact should the organization blow the cover in the experiments, research and alien technology. We need to protect ourselves, should the hostile aliens decide a takeover." With that, Jack got up, and went out the door, leaving Jeremy behind staring as the door closed.