Uplift (22 page)

              US Cyber Command Fort Meade

Admiral Walt Simpkins had interrupted the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs to get him on a secure connection.

“Raymond. Is this line showing secure?” Admiral Simpkins asked.

“Yes. Go ahead. Why the rush? Did this need to go to me?” Admiral Raymond Detweiler questioned.

“We’ve intercepted messages from an employee of Richard Patterson.”

“Well good for you Walt. We’ve tried to get people into his facilities, and weren’t having much luck. What do you have that is so important?”

“Sir. It isn’t from one of our operatives…we intercepted messages from known Chinese operatives. What they reported to their superiors was amazing. This Patterson team is reported to have weapons that can cut through our new fields at quite a distance. They have mines, and space capabilities.”

“We knew they were going to develop space capabilities because they purchased that Wallups Island facility.”

“Sir. They have a spacecraft purportedly capable of interstellar flight nearing completion there. Patterson just flew to that facility.”

“That’s impossible Walt. They just bought that facility less than two months ago didn’t they?”

“Sir. Those operatives report that they develop these technologies under another type of field that speeds up time.”

“What? Are you serious?”

“Yes Admiral. They report that under the field, the time passes at thirty times the normal rate. One day equals a month, and one month equals two, and a half years.”

“What do you think Walt?”

“Sir…if this isn’t a development that puts the US at risk…uncontrolled within our borders – I don’t know what is…

and sir…”

“Go ahead…”

“This is one of Richard Patterson’s employees. Patterson has sold weapons abroad before. We don’t know his level of involvement.”

“I’ll take it from here Walt. I’ll send teams from Bragg. They’re close, and have the best equipment. Law enforcement, FBI HRT, isn’t equipped for something like this…I’ll inform the President. Damn Walt. How’d we get so far behind on this one?”

“Sir. I’m fast, but even I don’t work thirty times faster than normal. You’ll need to place Richard Patterson, and all his employees… in what – protective custody right now. Patriot Act says we can hold them incommunicado for 120 days without habeas corpus. We can even renew a second 120 days.”

“Thanks Walt. I’m on it.” This is going to be a shit storm, he thought. The Admiral reached for the red phone – an item out of another era.

Mid-Atlantic Regional Space Facility, Hanger 3

Richard was astounded by the progress on the ship. He noticed the weapons in their mounts, and looked around the bridge of the vessel with its monitors built into all the walls. He could view all around the ship, and could see the status of the engineering, weapons, communications, life support, …everything. He headed back to one of the two cargo bays that held the shuttle, and porcupine mines.

Carole stepped out of the cargo bay just as Richard was about to enter. She blushed hugely, and forced a smile. “Hi there. Didn’t expect you today.”

“Hi there yourself,” he said as he pulled her into his arms, and kissed her passionately.

The cargo bay door opened behind her, and Carole pushed Richard away, and straightened her blouse rapidly. Hershel stepped out, saw them, and also blushed hugely – which really showed with his very light skin.

Richard looked puzzled, and then it dawned on him. He made the best of it trying to keep his hurt and anger under control.

Corey. What does Corvette say about this?

She’s not talking Richard,
Corey said.

Carole spoke to Richard through Corvette, and Corey. I’ve been meaning to tell you. We have worked together, and I became close to Hershel. She could see the look of hurt on his face.

“Show me the ship,” he said to both of them curtly, and they did a lengthy tour of the ship while Richard tried to listen to their descriptions.

“Richard. I didn’t say anything about you, and Sandy.”

“That was different? How did you…nevermind?”

Corey. Will you fill me in on all the details? I’m a bit distracted at the moment.

Sure.

                                         ****

Richard finished the tour, and said he’d like to go see the shuttle. They started to accompany him, but he was adamant about wanting some time alone. He asked if they would send his security detail in, and they did.

A few minutes later Mel, and Joey trotted across the cargo bay.

“Mel. Would you guard the port here for me for a while? No one gets in.” Mel raised his eyebrows as did Joey, but she followed him into the shuttle.

Richard shut the hatch. “Joey. You once made me an offer, and I wanted to know if you were serious.”

“Hell yeah boss,” she said, and looked back over her shoulder. “Carole, and Hershel huh. I’m into revenge sex. Hell yeah,” she said, and started taking off all her gear, and there was a LOT of gear.

Joey looked better than fine under the plethora of kit however; fit, and flexible. She made short work of getting him out of his clothes, and he couldn’t help releasing pheromones that had her panting. They cavorted, and rutted in the shuttle’s cargo bay, and Joey was very aggressive.

Richard lay back about an hour, and a half later. “My… you are frisky. I practically raped you.”

“Boss. I’ve been thinking about doing that to you for a long time. I had a girlfriend go behind my back. I thought she was the one. She had other ideas. I am a thoroughly sated woman. You needed that. It’s been a long time for you. No rape involved. Wait. Wait. Don’t you dare tell me that this will ruin our working relationship – things happen…I realize you needed this – I needed some release myself, and you sure gave me that…we better get back out there before Mel has a coronary.” She pulled him close, and gave him a long kiss. “You are quite something…boss… back to the salt mines.”

They got dressed rapidly, and popped the hatch.

Mel was grinning from ear to ear, but didn’t say a word.

Richard. Special Forces troops are being air lifted to all our manufacturing facilities. They have just landed, have surrounded AcuMint, and will arrive here in about six minutes.

What are they doing? Get as many people as possible into our normal fields, and turn them on at Cary…same with Rapid Field, Shield, BlackArmour, RailGun, and Pulse…also any of our subsidiaries. We’ll see what is going on. Can you get me the audio feed from AcuMint? Corvette? You with us? Carole? It looks like the military is going to try a takeover for some reason. Get us under a normal shield, and get as many crew into the WALLUP as you can.

Here is the feed from the front office of AcuMint
, Corey said.

The camera showed a view of a SF team holding Hamilton Withers at gunpoint. The audio came through as a little faint. “We are seizing all technology under 35 United States Code Section 181 as being in the national interest. You are under arrest under the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year, 2012. Section 1021, and the Patriot Act.

“Why are you doing this, and why is the military involved?” Hamilton asked.

“I’m with DHS which has jurisdiction. The military is assisting at the request of the US Attorney General through the Department of Defense,” said the man. All the military were carrying pulse rifles, or railguns, and were wearing BlackArmour.

“What have we done for you to do this? Do I get a phone call, at least?”

“You get the right to put your hands behind you, and going with us quietly, or we will render you…cooperative,” said the SF sergeant.

Apartment in South-east Raleigh, North Carolina

Leiman Kattemann had been surprised when the two ‘CIA’ operatives pulled up beside him at his apartment complex. They asked him to get into the front passenger seat, and the one in the rear leaned forward like he was going to ask him a question, and then injected something into neck. Leiman felt a warm lethargy spread through his body. He felt good. They drove a while, pulled into a kind of run down apartment complex, and escorted him inside.

They handcuffed his hands behind his back, but it was like his curiosity had been cut off. He waited feeling comfortable. They started asking him questions about what he had revealed in his first note. He wanted to answer them, but any time he tried to talk he found he could not articulate any words. He thought, how strange. The operatives got more, and more agitated which would have been interesting to him if he could feel interest at the time. Then they really would have surprised him, if he could have been surprised at the time. They started arguing in Chinese.

One of the men sat down at a computer, and started writing a long email explaining how the super-truth serum they had given him, didn’t work at all. They were told to let it wear off, and go back to old interrogation methods, and dispose of the body after that. Leiman didn’t know anything, but would feel good for another two hours.

             US Cyber Command Fort Meade

Admiral Walt Simpkins was angry. His team to intercept Kattemann had failed, and that was the main justification for the large raids, and seizures of Richard Patterson’s people. He looked at the new intercepts, and realized that he had to raid the South-East Raleigh location. He knew it would blow the fact that the Chinese encryption had been broken, but they needed the Kattemann link. He sent his team to Raleigh to seize Leiman Kattemann, and the Chinese operatives.

Mid-Atlantic Regional Space Facility, Hanger 3

Richard was angry, and worried, but mainly angry. Corey. Ask Corvette how close the WALLUP is to flight worthy. Get it ready, and get in orbit if you can. I’m taking the shuttle.

Corey responded with a quick download of additional data from Corvette. Corey sent the video of Hamilton being arrested to Carole. He ordered the rest of his security team to disable the plane, and rush to the shuttle. He went to the side of the WALLUP’s cargo bay, grabbed a porcupine mine, told Mel to grab another, and a toolkit that was nearby. Richard knew that the shuttle was flight worthy.

Richard’s security team came running with extra gear hung off them. He ordered Corvette to open the cargo bay, and hangar door. The security team had just dogged the hatch of the shuttle when Richard saw helicopters coming in for landings. His terahertz vision showed soldiers with invisibility shields running toward the hangar. He took off in the shuttle, and was gone before they got within one hundred meters. Carole had gotten the shield enabled on the WALLUP, but it just sat there unmoving.

Richard was in geosynchronous orbit conversing with Corvette through Corey, and coordinating the communications. A quick survey by Carole showed there were forty others on board the WALLUP, besides Hershel. Richard ground his teeth together, took a deep breath, and let it out slowly.

Bad day, Richard?
Corey thought.

I’ve had worse I thought – and I had.

Apartment in South-east Raleigh, North Carolina

“Report from Team Six: We’ve secured the operatives, and Leiman Kattemann. It appears they were trying to interrogate him. He’s still under the effects of some type of truth serum. We asked him questions, and he answered them about himself, but when we asked him questions about the work with Richard Patterson – he went spastic, and clearly couldn’t utter a word. Looks like he has some type of high-level conditioning to prevent interrogation …never seen anything like it. I’ve heard about this drug, and no one is supposed to be able to resist it. We have a lot of gear, and data – they didn’t have time to get rid of anything. Six out. Doug!” he yelled for his aide. “See how long it would take to get me a ride to Wallups Island.”

PROSECUTION OR PERSECUTION

        Shuttle in geo-synchronous
orbit over Wallups Island

“We have no weapons in this thing, do we?” Richard said looking around the shuttle cockpit. Mel. Bring that toolkit. We’ll cutoff most of the projectors, and turn a few of the mines into primary weapons. Then we can mount them on the hull.”

“Boss. No suits sir. How do we do that in space?” Mel asked.

“We can expand our field. We’ll have to turn on an Echo Field to do this faster, and that will put us out of contact so let’s delay a bit on that. We have enough oxygen for a week so that’s our max relative time we can spend here.”

“On it boss. Joey. You, Thomas, and Word come help,” Mel ordered.

Richard. Corvette says that the soldiers are stationed all around the base. We can still get outside camera feeds from all our other facilities. Also – Leiman Kattemann, and two Chinese operatives have been taken into custody according to intercepts I have tracked.