Before 24 Billion and Counting

Chapter 24 Part 2 Passing the baton - or the buck

I parked the car behind a company Toyota and walked to Kelly's front door past an assemblage of haphazardly placed boating paraphernalia, now steaming in hot sun after a thunderous shower of rain. 

Kelly opened her door clad in jeans torn into shorts and a white tee shirt. She looked fit and strong and bronzed. 

As I handed her a bottle of Sauvignon Blanc, glistening with condensate, she said "Come in Charles. Thank you. Are you alright?" 

As I wiped my feet on the doormat, I said," I think so Kelly, a bit tired. I was up late but otherwise good. Any special reason for asking?" 

"You'd better see this." 

She gestured to the TV in the sitting room with the remote. 

"Sit down Charles." 

We sat on the sofa as a newscast played on the TV.

"This is yesterday evening's." 

There were a stock shots of the Mauna Kea observatory from the air, while the commentator read from his script, "The Mauna Kea observatory in Hawaii is in quarantine due to an outbreak of a haemorrhagic disease similar to Ebola fever which has yet to be identified. The United States Army is maintaining the security of the quarantine. Channel 14 was unable to visit the site, and the Army would not release any more information than the above bald statement." 

The newscaster looked up as though he had received something in his earpiece, and grimaced slightly. 

Kelly snapped the TV off. 

"What was that all about? And have you got the disease?" 

"There is no disease. It's a cover up. I bet the newscaster was bollocked for putting the word 'bald' into his commentary. The Army can't keep about a hundred civilians behind a fence without a cover story, so they need one while they decide how to back out of the situation - or achieve closure as they might put it."  

"You got out." 

"Yep, and Ellen too. The Army were looking at the road but not the mountains. Ellen was killed in the mountains. I got as far as the plane out at the airport. They picked me up at the last minute and they didn't know how much I'd told, or who I'd told it to while I was out of their control, so they made me sign secrecy agreements and I think, now, they threw me out to see if I would reveal what I know." 

"So you're under surveillance." 

"Probably. But I don't know how effective the US people will be here in New Zealand. We aren't members of worldwide communities like FTAA, EU, and NATO. We've managed to retain control of our own borders, and keep undesirables out. So I just haven't a clue what regime I may be under." 

"But surely they can't keep people locked up indefinitely at Mauna Kea with that excuse?"  

"When they were interviewing Will, Jacob and me their thoughts revolved around taking the observatory out with a nuclear weapon, claiming it was a rogue missile like the Kazakhstan incident." 

Kelly's face blanched, "They couldn't," she said, aghast. 

"Don't kid yourself. This lot are ruthless, and have awesome firepower on tap, and a cause that might lead them to use it. They've already deployed drones presumably to catch anyone following Ellen's route out. I don't know if they're carrying weapons but I wouldn't be at all surprised."  

"But what's so important that they're prepared to take these steps. Is it something the observatory know? Is that why you went there so - well - not exactly secretly, but very suddenly."