Jo-el

Chapter 30 HOSTAGES

The Homeland Security and FBI teams left the hangar, leaving just the two Marines, still watching from the sidelines at the back of the room and the three members of the CIA team.

“Come and sit down, I might need your advice.” I gestured at the Major and Colonel at the back of the building. They looked at each other and then took seats at the table alongside the CIA team who had now finished their briefing. For the first time, I also sat down at the table, I wanted them to accept me as on their side.

“Please understand that this situation is new to me. I’m struggling with what I should and shouldn’t tell you. You are probably wondering how I manage what is shown on the monitor.”

“Among other things, yes,” said Alberton.

“You met me for the first time yesterday. What you’ve seen and what I’ve told you must be right on the edge of your belief system. I realize that because I have only had this technology for one week and I’ve struggled with it every single day. I need you to accept what I say as the truth, even though in the world we live in, it’s ridiculous. Imagine if you were to show a smart phone or computer to a man in say the 1920’s, or the fifteenth century. If I tell you everything now, you simply wouldn’t believe me. So, I’m trying to educate you slowly and prove out each of my statements. Does that make sense?”

The group nodded.

“So there’s a lot more about you, even more incredulous than you’ve already shown us?” asked Alberton.

“Yes.”

“When are you going to tell us?”

I looked at the group, who were still trying to work out if I was human or not.

“When I feel you will accept it.” What I didn’t tell them was I wasn’t sure this was the right group to tell.

“So, I’ve shown you the belt computer around my waist and you probably wonder how I communicate with it? If you remember Colin, I was adamant, yesterday that I wouldn’t remove it. Well, it’s connected to me by tendons, directly to my spine, or that’s what I was told. It won’t work with anyone else. If I removed it, and I haven’t even tried since I first put it on, I would be severely limited in what I can do. But, assuming I took it off and you wrapped it around your waist it wouldn’t work. It was set up to only work for me.”

“Not strictly true, Jo-el,” I heard Sally say.

“Now you tell me, let’s talk about it later.”

“Why are you telling us this?” It was the other CIA agent, a bald, black guy with kind features. I remembered him from yesterday. “Doesn’t that compromise your safety?”

“Because I can’t tell you the next bit without explaining something of how it works. I also think that you’ve seen some of my defense mechanisms and realize it would be almost impossible to take it from me. I need you on my side and I don’t want to be continually on my guard.”

“The General tried to kill you.” It was the Major.

“Not an easy task, as he found out. Yes, I was disappointed by his actions but I also understand. Fear of the unknown. Plus, he could see that the technology I have in American hands would make this country unassailable. That’s his job and I accept that. But it’s not going to happen, it can’t, trust me it would be dangerous for the world. Can you imagine what would happen if your enemies had the ‘bounce’ technology? Your President wouldn’t last five seconds.”

“You know we are videoing this meeting,” Colin Alberton again.

“Yes, of course. I would expect nothing less. I except that eventually most of the people in the world will know who I am and why I’m here. But be careful, if the media gets wind of what I’ve told you today, they’ll never leave you alone.”

“That’s for sure,” said the Colonel.

“Anyway, let’s move on. I can operate the computer using just thought. So when something on the screen changes, you now know why. I can also communicate verbally with my computer, as you do with the rudimentary software that has recently been introduced to smart-phones, but my software is vastly superior. I call my computer, Sally.”

“I hope I don’t have to make an appearance?” said Sally in my ear. “But that Major is pretty cute.” I ignored her again.

Pippa looked fascinated. I’m sure there was a question on her lips, but she kept quiet.

“Sally, show a live video stream of each hostage on the screen.”

The monitor split the screen into seven rectangles. In all but one screen the picture was very dark and you couldn’t see much other than a vague figure lying on the ground or a bed in what appeared to be a tiny room. The one stream that was lit was the Dutch girl, she was being raped, two men were watching.

“Shut down the rape.” I yelled, it disappeared.

“Shit!” I said and similar expletives resonated around the table. “I’m sorry.” I said. “Sally, show me the area around where the girl is being held.” The video showed a tall building on a dismal, deserted street. “Where is she?” I stood up.

Sally answered out loud. “She’s on the third floor, there’s eight men on the second floor, all awake, just the three on the third floor.”

The five Marines and CIA staff around the table were glued to the screen. I heard the Colonel mutter, ‘this is unreal.’

“I’m going there now; I’m getting her out. Get ready to bounce me.”

Pippa leant forward, but didn’t say anything, I wondered what she wanted?

“What’s the status of the three?” I asked Sally.

“All bad.”

“Terminate them now, and bounce me.” I shouted.

Those around the table saw the three men collapse and fall, I caught the end of it as I bounced into the tiny room. The Dutch girl was lying on her back, I’m not sure she was aware of me, her eyes were shut, she was in a filthy condition. Her face was bruised, her mouth split. Blood stains were apparent around the bed, the room stunk of human sweat and feces. The man who’d been raping her was lying on the floor by the bed, the other two were crumpled in a heap by the door.

I heard Sally in my ears, “there’s two guys coming up the stairs, they heard them fall.”

I inserted my arms underneath the girl. “Back to the hangar.”

A second later I was standing a little away from the table, the Dutch girl in my arms. The group around the table had witnessed everything on the screen. They were speechless.

I placed the girl on the table and Pippa covered her with her overcoat. On the screen we watched the two men who’d run up the stairs to investigate the noise. They were standing in the tiny cell, dumbfounded, searching around as if what they were looking for would suddenly appear.

“Sally, monitor the other six, you know what I need.”

I stroked the wet hair from the face of the bedraggled young girl, tears welled up in my eyes. I saw Pippa staring at me, I saw a fondness in her eyes.

“We need to get her to Portsmouth.” Alberton was on the phone, ahead of me, I was warming up to the man. I gazed at Pippa, “are you ready?”

She nodded. I turned to Alberton, who held his hand up for me to wait a moment. After a few seconds he removed his phone from his ear. “They’re ready, a team is in the lobby.”

“Sally, find us somewhere by the hospital.”

Sally’s voice came back, “ready.”

“I picked up the Dutch girl and told Pippa to hold me tight around my arm.”

“Better not mess up this bounce, eh?” Sally needling me, again.

Seconds later the three of us were standing alone in a hospital patient’s room. Sally told me where to go and we walked to the lobby where two nurses and a doctor were standing alongside a rolling bed. They were surprised to see us coming from an internal corridor, but said nothing. Alarm grew in their eyes when they saw the condition of the girl. They immediately took charge of her care, nothing else mattered. Relief swept over me.

We stood for a moment in the lobby, speechless. A few individuals glanced in our direction, but when the bed was rolled away they lost interest.

“I can’t believe what I’ve seen today, Jo-el” said Pippa, “I don’t understand who you are or why you are here but I can see you really care about whatever it is you’re trying to do.” She kissed my cheek. “I better go and find Alberton’s contact, Dr. Frinton.”

“Thanks for your help, Pippa. I’ll be back soon,” I said. “It might be better if I had a place to bring the others, if you can work that out?”

“Sure, I’ll see what I can do.” I left by the front door.

I bounced back to the hangar where the remaining four men sat mesmerized by the events of the last few minutes.

“That whole thing took less than five minutes,” exclaimed Alberton. “You went to Syria, was it Syria? You killed three men. How the hell did you do that? You brought that girl back here and then took her and Pippa to the hospital. What did you mean when you asked about the status of those men? Who on earth are you?”

I sat down at the table and addressed Alberton directly. Behind me the monitor was quiet. “It’s crazy, isn’t it?” He didn’t reply. “Okay, lets cover a couple of things. I have defined a status for what I call ‘bad’ people. Murderers, rapist, it doesn’t matter. If they fit my criteria I’m okay with terminating their lives. Sally does the termination.”

“How?” he asked, bewildered.

“She fires a stream of atoms at them, which penetrate their bodies, forms into a sort of clip that attaches to the aorta. Cuts the blood flow to the brain, instant blackout, followed by death. The clip disappears, an autopsy would indicate death from a heart-attack. Painless actually.”

“How can she do that, Jesus, I mean how can the computer do that? Where is it?”

“Maybe I should make an appearance, Jo-el?”

“Not now, Sally, they’ve got way too much to digest already.”

“It’s everywhere, Colin. Like the internet, it’s a global network.”

“So, you’re telling me you can kill anyone, anywhere in the world just by telling your damn computer to do it?”

“Basically, yes, but there are safeguards.”

He looked at me and then at the two Marine officers, who were visibly shaking.

“That makes you the most dangerous person on the planet. Jesus Christ, maybe the General was right?”

“I’m on your side, Colin. I’m not going to start terminating people just because I don’t like them. There are safe guards.” I repeated. “Why would I meet with you and tell you all this stuff? Think about it.”

“What safeguards?”

“Sally, or the computer if you like.”

“I like Sally, Jo-el.”

“Okay, okay.”

“Sally, won’t carry out my orders to terminate if the individual is a ‘good’ person.”

“And we know that, how?”

“Because I’m telling you. Have I told you anything that’s not true?”

“I don’t know, I don’t know,” he repeated, no doubt trying to think of something.

The Colonel said, “you have the ultimate Star-wars weapon.”

I nodded, “yes, I suppose I do.”

A hush filled the room. The fear in the eyes of the four men around the table was genuine. I scared them, but then, what did I expect? Would it change in time? I didn’t know. Could I see it from their point of view? Maybe not. I wasn’t in their shoes; I wasn’t sitting across the table from this megalomaniac. But I wanted to help the world. How else was I supposed to do that? Was this the right approach? Maybe I should go on TV and tell the world what I know. But as I ran that through my mind it just didn’t pencil. The panic would be enormous. I wouldn’t be believed. I just couldn’t see that working, not yet anyway, not until people were one hundred percent convinced I was on their side.

“I need your help.” I said, eventually.

They all looked at me but stayed silent. Why did I need their help? I was like a God to them, what on earth could they do? Maybe I should tell them my initial goal? I just wasn’t sure; it didn’t feel the time was right. And these weren’t the right people. I realized at that moment I needed to talk to the President, I had to tell him, but would he even allow me near him? I guess I just had to try. But first I had to deal with the current problem. I stood up and reviewed the monitor. The hostages hadn’t moved. It was still early into my window but I’d had enough of this meeting.

“Sally, did Pippa find a place to take the other hostages?”

“Let’s see. No, she fucked up. She didn’t know how to explain how the patients were going to arrive and why they needed an empty room. I guess you should dump her!”

I sighed, Sally wasn’t making this any easier.

“Okay, well let’s go get these guys and take them directly to the hospital. Let’s pick up the American first.”

“Ready when you are boss, I won’t fuck up.”

Bloody computer is more like a woman every damn day.

One at a time I picked up the six remaining hostages and bounced them to the hospital. Sally found a spot out of sight, not too far from the main door. The nursing staff were wonderful and didn’t ask any questions. Pippa was efficient and busy. None of the hostages had guards inside their cells. I changed into an Army uniform and before entering the cells I had Sally cause each hostage to black out. They would never know the truth of how they were rescued. When the sixth man was wheeled away, Pippa and I walked to one side of the hospital lobby, out of earshot. She said she needed the names and home addresses of the seven captives. I said I’d have Sally email them to her. There was a mass of paperwork to do at the hospital and she was okay making her own way back to Langley. She said that Alberton needed her back there to help with the report they had to prepare for the Director.

“I believe you, Jo-el, truly I do. Give them time.”

With that I went back to the hangar and picked up the disc monitor. The four men were still there, waiting to see if there was anything else I wanted to add. I said, ‘nothing for now’, I tried to be upbeat but I don’t think they could sense it. Each eyed me in a suspicious manner, afraid of confrontation. I bounced back to San Francisco and the comfort of my family-room. I was exhausted even with my new-found youth.