From Beyond the Blue Planet Page 3

  “On time! He’s waiting for you … just tap on the door.”

  Seth didn’t stay to probe or pass the time of day, he wanted to get on with the things.

  “Enter,” was the response to his firm rap on the door but he was already entering. “Take a seat.”

  Seth was familiar with the general’s office layout – his photos of meeting the high-ups or attending important events. There were no family portraits and Seth knew the general had never married. He had heard the rumours about Ceri-Baker’s private life, however, but they hardly warranted any photos. Apart from photos there were quite a number of impressive certificates gained from courses the general had been on as he moved up through his career. Conspicuous by its absence was any collection of decorations but Seth knew that that wasn’t due to any lack of courage on the part of the man sitting across desk, simply a lack of battlefield opportunities. Seth had found out from the grapevine that, as a colonel, Ceri-Baker had gone in with guns blazing whenever he had the opportunity, however. But perhaps the general preferred a desk as his battlefield. Seth waited patiently to find out.

  “Okay, Hellman. This is where we’re at with Wofops … and that’s your baby from now on. Eye-am and the edge-of-space thing are finished. Regarding control of food production … the gangs moved on to local militias; then they moved on to local army groups; now they’ve taken the final step … international linking. They have the power and the weaponry to take over food production sites just about everywhere and, failing that, they try to get at our officers if they can.”

  “That last bit, general. How do they achieve that?” The general leaned back in his swivel chair. Even at this early hour his face looked drawn and tired. “They put pressure on our key staff. Hell, they’ve even had a go at me. I’m afraid you will soon find out what I mean, Hellman. They’ll have a go at you with threats about your personal safety and if you don’t crack there, they will try your family … blackmail you regarding their safety. That one’s not so easy to deal with but, fortunately for me, that tactic was not open for them in my case.”

  “So, what are you saying … that I should pack a gun for starters?”

  “You bet. But we can go one better than that.” He swivelled from side to side and a slight smile crept onto his usually rigid features. “I’ll be surprised if you didn’t pick up on the new guy sitting with the msg outside. He’s a Brit, special forces … SAS they call ‘em. He’ll be your bodyguard as of right now. You’ll let him tow along as and when he wants …”

  “A Brit? We running short of muscle or …” Seth stopped, thinking of his kid’s thoughts on that subject. “… something. Why a Brit?”

  “This whole shebang has gone worldwide and EuroFed and other parts further away are all firmly hooked into food protection. The Brits have good intel on all angles of security … It’s not that they are any better than our guys but inter-Fed co-operation on this is vital. We learn from each other. We are not rivals seeing who can kick the most ass. Get on with this guy, Hellman. You may not like me but get to like him. He may just manage to save you and your family from a lotta grief one day.” He pressed a button on his desk.

  It took less than a minute for the tap on the door and for the Brit to walk in. Seth assessed him as he stood to shake his hand. He detected an underlying toughness that said the guy had been around – in places that most people liked to avoid. Apart from that he looked pretty ordinary except for a 2-inch healed slash into one eyebrow.

  “All the way from across the pond, meet Dave Flack. Mister Flack, this is group leader Seth Hellman. Keep him safe for us.”

  “That will have to be a joint effort, general.” “However you work it, Flack. Good luck. Mister Hellman has not got any hardware so I suggest you both make a trip down to the basement … the range and armoury … and fix him up with something lethal. Have you got any questions about the job, Hellman? It’s been ongoing so, you should know where to pick up … tomorrow at the latest I would suggest.”

  Seth and Dave gave each other a cool look then left.

  ………. The armoury was attached to but securely closed off from the range. Dave had handed in his weapon on entering the main building earlier so he needed to draw one for practice or instruction.

  “Done any shooting before?” he asked Seth. “Not really. Ginny hates guns or knives of all sorts. Even baseball bats,” he added with a slight smile. “Well she’s going to have to live with a handgun in

  the house … and mostly attached to her husband,” said

  Dave dryly. “We will put a secure gun-cabinet in your

  apartment though, so you will be able to give her some

  reassurance.”

  “She won’t like it.”

  “Too bad. The gun I’m going to draw for you is the

  smaller of the two Glocks you guys use, the 27. It holds

  nine 40s in a clip. It’s neat and smooth so it won’t show easily under a jacket. Very accurate weapon and will stop

  most things … or people!”

  “What do you fellows use over the pond? Same?”

  queried Seth.

  “No, we go for the Swiss Sig Sauer. Like the Glock

  it has a bigger model for normal …” Dave made an

  inverted commas sign, “… use and a smaller, slicker

  model, the P230 for backup. The Sig has seven point

  380s as against your Glock 27’s nine point 40s. We Brits

  are better marksmen so we don’t need so many slugs,”

  Dave grinned.

  “Just load one in mine,” Seth hit back.

  “We’ll soon see about that,” Dave nodded. Seth was already beginning to take to the Brit. He

  had Seth’s brand of humour. As it turned out, Seth was a

  natural on the range.

  ………. After the shoot, Seth and his protector spent a busy day studying the latest info on the food mafia as Dave called them. They had a thousand and one other details to compare and plan and the day flew by.

  Seth had rung through for Ginny to cook one extra and given a quick but not too explicit account of what Dave’s role was.

  “I think Kev will take to him,” he added.

  “Well he won’t need to immediately,” she said cheerfully. “He’s playing over at Sam’s and having an evening meal with them.”

  “See if you can get him over early,” pleaded Seth. “I particularly wanted him to meet Dave. Love you.” And he rang off.

  At last Seth’s first working day with an official bodyguard closed with the two men heading for the car park. Despite the discreet weapon chosen for him, Seth felt uncomfortable and self-conscious with it holstered at his belt. Dave Flack had his own Glock covered now by his jacket which he had shed for most of the afternoon in the stifling heat of a Californian summer. A further put-down could have been the difference in their cars but Seth was used to his ancient Mustang being parked next to spotless company vehicles. Dave’s was a red Ferrari!

  Dave followed the tatty, faded green Mustang west along Colorado Boulevard which ran parallel with the Foothill Freeway. Shortly it turned north across the freeway onto West Holly Street and then onto Linda Vista Avenue where the Hellmans lived.

  Unusually, Ginny stood at the kerb and she looked frantic to Seth. He swung in and braked hard with Dave pulling in close behind. Both were out of their vehicles in a flash.

  “What’s wrong, Gin?” Seth knew a pang of fear. He was too eager to hear about her problem to introduce Dave but Ginny managed to look at the newcomer and nod. Then she was in tears.

  “Unless it’s some sort of joke, Kev’s been kidnapped. I tried to get him over for you like you wanted but the Calhoun’s said someone had fetched him. I don’t like this, Seth. This isn’t just the bullying thing. What’s going on?” It was all she could do to rush it all out, semi-incoherent.

  Seth gave her a squeeze. “It seems a bit odd but there’s probably a perfectly sensible explanation.” Even as he said it he reme
mbered the general’s words about getting at the family of a key agent. But this was so quick. He hadn’t been approached, warned off or anything. He looked over Ginny’s shoulder at Dave who had been standing quietly absorbing this shock development. His bodyguard narrowed his eyes slightly and nodded imperceptibly. He was obviously deciding whether or not to weigh in with his own words to put her mind at rest but chose to leave it to Seth.

  “Let’s go inside, hon. I’ll ring around and also I can introduce you properly to Dave. We’ll soon get things moving.”

  “I didn’t know what to do. No use ringing you as I guessed you were on the way.” Ginny was fighting to keep herself from sobbing any more. After some thought, she added. “There’s something going on at work isn’t there, Seth? You made out that Dave here was just a work colleague but … a woman’s intuition maybe … I reckon you’re a bodyguard?” She was now addressing Dave directly.

  Seth answered for him. As they went into the house he explained the threat to food production centres and any staff officers involved in Wofops counter-measures.

  “I’ve told you exactly what the general told me. But how could I guess things would move this fast. There is still the chance that Kev’s disappearance is not connected with this, Gin. If it is, we should hear pretty soon from those responsible.”

  An hour later, after they had talked to the Calhouns and then contacted all their sources, they had nothing to show for it. It was now a waiting game and this was the hardest bit. They all ate sandwiches and drank beers and discussed probabilities in low, tight tones. However, there were now to be three developments, two of them significant, the third surprising …

  Firstly a squad car drew up outside and they opened the door to reveal someone who had been pegged for some months as an enemy, Sergeant Lewis McMorris.

  Seth, who had gone to the door, met him with a frozen face. He didn’t say anything or invite him in but simply waited for McMorris to say his piece.

  “Hi, Seth. Heard the news in my cruiser. I know my family have caused your kid plenty-a grief … ‘n I’m truly sorry about that but this is something different. Hell, if there’s anything I can do. What can I say? How’s Ginny takin’ it?” He stood there looking red-faced and helpless, his hands spread out in front of his large belly.

  For all Seth knew, McMorris might just be fishing for the enemy but he had no concrete reason to turn him away or be particularly hostile. He choked out an answer as best he could. “Won’t ask you in now, Lewis … we’re kinda tied up with things at the moment … but thanks for dropping by. If you and your boys could keep a sharp eye around this part of Pasadena … well, you might spot someone suspect. We have a description of the guy who picked him up but you’ll have that broadcast to all vehicles soonish. And … if you get any ideas, come back to me. Ginny? Well she’s not taking it at all well … as you would expect. Thanks, though.”

  The police sergeant moved awkwardly and turned away to his marked car. He had ‘done the right thing’ but was probably glad to move on, thought Seth.

  “Okay, Seth. We’ll do our best. Give Ginny my best.” And he was gone – to Seth’s relief. He doubted the locals would turn up anything but one never knew. They were all streetwise and didn’t miss much on their beat.

  The second development was the expected call from the baddies. Seth took this one and heard a low, hard tone …

  “You must be Kev’s dad, Seth. Right? Listen in … we have your boy. Nice lad. He’s safe and well and I know you want him to stay that way. We know your job and it’s one that could cause us plenty-a grief. We don’t go much on surveillance, Seth. It sorta cramps our style, you know what I mean? We know about that Brit you got in tow too. Here’s the deal … you stop flyin’ your drones over our territories and switch off your cameras. Guess you’ll still get satellite pics but you lose them or spoil ‘em or somethin’, Okay? We’ll look after your boy real good … feed him good too. He’ll quite enjoy it. Might recruit him when he gets older. You never know…”

  “I want him back,” Seth burst in, both furious and anxious. He couldn’t see an end to this.

  “Ah, well, Seth buddy. We have some … sorta operations, you know … ‘n these will take about, hmmm, six months, say? You play along with us for that time ‘n I reckon we can let you have lil Kev back then. How’s that sound?”

  “Six months! This is stupid. You can’t keep my boy for six months … it’ll crucify him. Look; what if I resign this job …?”

  “No good at all, Seth. Then we’d have to break in another Group Leader. No, that wouldn’t work. Let your kid have a six-month sabbatical with us and then it’s all over.”

  Seth was thinking in overdrive but could come up with nothing. Ginny and Dave had been listening in and then Ginny surprised Seth …

  “We’ve got no choice, Seth. We can’t have him harmed. Say yes … if they promise to look after him … to six months.” She looked at Dave for his take. He nodded.

  “Ask for daily … or weekly … proof that he’s still okay. If that can be done, accept,” advised Dave.

  The baddy at the other end of the line had heard all this …

  “Not sure about this. We’ll come back to you on that one. Meanwhile … is it a GO?”

  Seth felt crushed and beaten. He needed more time to think but he had to say something now and that could only be one thing … “Okay. I’ll do what you want … but I need to know which areas you’re talking about. I don’t have control everywhere, you know. And proof of life and the well-being of my son is essential. I won’t do all this on guesswork. We’ll have to arrange contact somehow and as a starter we must speak to him now.” He knew immediately that he had nothing to bargain with. Kevin’s well-being was paramount.

  Much to his and Ginny’s relief their son was put on the line and, although their conversation was only a few words, they knew he was okay – for now!

  Seth looked at Ginny then at Dave when the line went dead. He slowly shook his head.

  “What a helluva mess! I can’t see any way out of this.”

  Dave gazed at him sympathetically, tightening his jaw muscles. “We’ll find a way, pardner. And one bit of good news for starters …” this was the third development. “We have a tracking on the abductor. I’ll explain how that came about, later. We have the area … it’s in the woods not too far from here … where he went and where they are probably holding Kevin.”

  Chapter 5

  Time to ‘dick’ The safety pod with Keelotron aboard was having its velocity increased at a phenomenal rate by the wavebooster on Keelon’s vessel. The wave-booster was a modern addition to the old ship and worked on the same principle as the weapon which had destroyed Eye-am … it took the atoms in its beam into another dimension thus avoiding collision with the 3-dimensional particles in the solar system of which Earth was a part. Braking was initiated while still in that state and so the pod would, in effect, materialise while still travelling at the landing speed of any orbiting craft about to land – in the region of 25,000 miles per hour.

  The pod was made of materials, and with a technology unknown on Earth, however, and had guidance and flight control systems too which even Earth’s top scientists would not have been able to make sense of. The ReeRee unit named Keelotron was in rest mode while all this took place. Its huge frame lay on a special, padded bed with 98 percent of its systems on standby – but it was anything but the food-bin term with which the Chasers had so derided its capability and size. What the Chasers considered small would not be so on the destination planet …

  ………. Seth used some of the waiting time to go through his thoughts about the alien he had met so many years ago – for he was sure that is what he had encountered. Now he was struggling to determine what had happened to this alien and what had been his or its purpose on Earth. It was alone and that did not tie in with exploration. Seth could not visualise a lone astronaut being sent from Earth to explore a planet. Had it landed by accident? Perhaps because of the faulty R
eeRee unit, whatever that was, which Seth had helped to mend? After some time he thought of another possibility … had it intended to make its home on Earth? Maybe because it had been chased or because conditions on its home planet had become impossible in some way? It had obviously begun to learn some Earth-language but it didn’t seem overly friendly. He shrugged and tried to turn his mind to immediate problems … there were just too many unknowns when thinking about his alien contact. If that is what it really was. But what had prompted his mind to start going over that meeting yet again?

  ………. They ate out back as the sun slowly descended to the horizon. Such a wonderful sight, thought Seth, and yet here we are, shrouded in gloom mentally and with no clear idea where it would all lead.

  Dave listened to his personal messenger device as further reports came in. By this time the general was in the frame and trying to give a lead but, finally, it would be the Hellmans and Dave who would decide the play. The Englishman explained his take on their situation …

  “I know we are all agreed that we simply can’t roll in a field tac-response team … however heavily armed they are. Too big a risk for your boy. What I want to do first is gather precise info by using on-the-ground spotters … we can’t use a drone and certainly not a chopper. Scans from a satellite may or may not help. I have an SAS pal who is a sniper, one of the best. He could get into a bees nest and sneak out with some honey. I’ll try to lay on some more from your services … maybe a SEAL or two. Then we liaise and, if possible, move up a tac-response team. If it does seem safe to go in and take on the abductors … and you two will be involved in that decision … then I have to tell you that these food gangs, militias, whatever you want to call them, are extremely well armed. They have some weaponry, hypersonic stuff, which we would have liked to think was top secret. Somehow they acquired some. Probably we are infiltrated.”

  “How can that happen?” cried Ginny. “Surely every single person is vetted and …”

  “Believe me, with the money they have swishing about it’s usually not too hard to buy someone,” cut in Dave. “There is always a weak link in any chain.”