CHAPTER THIRTY SIX
During the course of Tuesday, Jason concentrated on his campaign. He contacted Sloan during the course of the day, asking Sloan to accompany him to Yatala prison that evening to assist in gaining access to Briggs. He outlined to Sloan that it was important and after he had spoken to Briggs Sloan may be required to conduct some official business. Sloan arranged a visit for them both at seven pm, Jason met Sloan in the visitors car park of the Prison at six forty-five; they walked towards the prison gates.
“Briggs was a clear cut case judging from his file,” said Sloan as he fished around in his coat for his I.D. “Briggs was a high profile scientist, he came here from the States in nineteen eighty. He was and still is as far as anyone knows, half owner of Australian Defence Arms Manufacturers. He apparently murdered one of his employees, that’s what he’s doing in here.”
“Things aren’t always as they seem Mason,” said Jason.
“Indeed Jason, things looked a little bit clear cut to be true.” They arrived at the gates separating the two worlds. Sloan produced his I.D. to a small hole in the access doorway at the base of the main gates. There was a few seconds delay before the access doorway opened. They were led along enclosed pathways by two armed guards, into a dull corridor, then into a drab room. The room was small, with a table in the centre and a chair either side. All were bolted to the floor. An obvious camera looked down into the room from a ceiling corner. They both waited for some minutes before the door opened, a man was led in with his hands cuffed behind his back.
“You’re wasting your time,” said the guard. “He hasn’t said a word to anyone for the last few years.”
“This room is unsatisfactory for me to talk with this man,” said Jason.
“I would like a room that is not under surveillance, or bugged.”
“This bloke’s a killer, if you want to be alone with him without help you must be mad,” replied the guard.
Jason put his hand on the prisoner’s shoulder and looked in his eyes. “This man has waited a long time to see me, he can wait a few more minutes while we find private surroundings.” One of the guards disappeared for a few minutes; they were led to another room when he returned. This room was far more spacious with lounge chairs and a television set. Jason sensed the room had no surveillance or bugs. “Please un-cuff Harry and leave him with me, I would ask you to leave as well Mason.”
“We’ll be just outside the door here if you need us,” said the guard.
“Your services won’t be required thank you,” said Jason as he closed the door behind them. Harry Briggs put his arms around Jason, holding him close while he cried. Jason waited for him to compose himself; he arranged two lounge chairs opposite each other and they sat down.
“You’re the first man to treat me like a human being since I was put here. You are Jason Brinkly, I have read a lot about you in the paper lately. How do you know about me?”
“I was sent a messenger, it would take too long to explain, I feel we only have time for you to tell me your story.”
“Very well, I have nothing to lose. I came to Australia in eighty from the States,” Harry spoke in a broad American accent. “I was schooled in New York, then studied nuclear science at Washington University, graduating with honours in nineteen seventy. I worked as a graduate at Cape Kennedy space installation, then on the star wars project. A change of government saw massive cut backs and I was without a job. A friend, although I use the term loosely now, was working at Island Lagoon near Woomera here in South Australia; it’s an American monitoring installation. I got a job there and came to Australia. I brought all my work and information with me. I found a group of Australians with the same goals as me, so we set about forming a company to develop our ideas.
My friend and myself formed the Australian Defence Arms Manufacturers, ADAM for short. We were fifty fifty partners. In negotiations with the Australian government we leased a development site at the Woomera rocket range and employed the other people I had mentioned who had great input. That was in eighty-five. We had some big breakthroughs, selling some of the technology as we went to fund our operations. We launched six of the most sophisticated communication satellites orbiting earth in nineteen eighty-eight, they are like nothing ever produced before. The Chinese launched the first three; the last three were launched at Woomera with help from the Japanese. Those satellites control the most deadly defence system ever devised; it makes all conventional warfare obsolete. We were very careful to call it a defence system, we didn’t want to draw any attention to its devastating capabilities; we weren’t ready.
The computer that controls this thing is two thousand metres below the earth surface, on the outskirts of the Woomera rocket range. The excavation was disguised as a mining venture; there is an important reason it has to be so deep, to protect it from itself. You may be aware of sightings of UFOs from time to time, especially in some areas of the Northern Territory, around Wycliff Well and the Devil’s Marbles. People who make the sightings say they disappear at lightning speed into the desert; they also say these things drain all electrical power from their vehicles when they approach. This is all true, do you want me to go on?” Jason just nodded. “They are what we call ADAM A10 defence pods. They are about the size of a semi-trailer prime mover and are spheres. They basically are two spheres, one spinning within the other at close proximity, only a few centimetres apart. They have a stationary central axis, this contains its computer and weapons system. Using mass electro magnetic energy produced by the sphere’s rotation, to give you some idea, one sphere produces ten times the power of the latest base load power station every second. A gyro compass inside controls the flight path of the sphere, the energy it produces magnifies the earth’s magnetic field around it; by moving the magnetic field, we can control its flight in any direction. It can travel at the speed of light, but steering problems have cut that to around one hundred thousand miles an hour. The computer can think no faster than that, they are autonomous; they have no pilot.
How on earth did we discover all this? An engineer in Perth, Western Australia developed the computer we use; it’s very different, able to think for itself. Not in as much as it can make decisions on its own use, but in as much as it deciphers what information is of use to it from its satellites. It then uses that information to depict global war and defend us from that, its use is purely military. The computer contains information on all major powers military codes and radio frequencies; it monitors them all by itself. The satellites are part of the main computer; they also have what we call neurone technology, based on the working of the human brain. The spheres were discovered by accident, I have long been working on an electro magnetic bearing. This is where magnetic force is used to repel bearing surfaces, leaving a thin layer of air between them, thus no friction and no lubrication. By changing the atoms within the molecules around the bearing areas made of titanium and ceramics, with high-powered lasers, we made the breakthrough. We first tested these bearings in the lab in a small sphere about the size of a soccer ball. As soon as we spun it with electrical impulse, it flew through the wall, we haven’t seen it since. That came to be known as ADAM A1, we now have ADAM A10, nine generations on. An A10 pod will drain any electrical power no matter how strong if the pod gets within fifteen hundred metres, at two thousand metres it has little effect, that’s why its base stations so far underground. Our radio frequencies are unique to the system and remain unaffected by its own presence. That way it can operate directly over the top of itself. The pods when not in flight sit in bunkers not far from the base station, they never stop rotating, and supply power to the complex through a plugging system on their base. The pods use powerful lasers to direct enormous bolts of electro magnetic energy, they raise or lower the strike force through their own discriminating system, a battle ship receiving a far larger blow than a tank. It’s simply earthing its enormous power, the results are devastating, far worse than we ever imagined. It’s amazing you know that the guidance systems and we
apon systems operate on simple GPS from the satellites, rather like a surveyor’s electronic distance measuring equipment. One A10 can strike two hundred targets per second with a range of three thousand metres. If you ever get to see it I’ll explain it in detail. Do you think I’m nuts.”
Jason was unflinching. “Go on.”
"The system began to run smoothly in eighty-nine, it can be controlled by one person at the keyboard in the base station. Now comes the bad bit, we had the American government really interested in looking at it, we were sitting on billions of dollars, they even had a spy we knew of with us. For some reason he was withdrawn in eighty-eight. I noticed that whenever our main players work was over, they began to disappear; now I know they were disposed of. Just prior to us actually showing this to some buyers in late eighty-nine, I was framed for the murder of a colleague, as you probably know. I still owned half of ADAM , my partner gained control of the company in the courts not long after my imprisonment in nineteen-ninety. He then discovered a big problem. I was suspicious on why and who had been causing the disappearance of our crew. Myself and a crew member now obviously departed put an unknown program in the computer; it must have a certain code entered every twenty-four hours or it will deny all access to the bunker. As people leave, it won’t let them back in again. ADAM is protecting itself; I am the only one who knows the code. For a while my colleague thought he could beat it out of me. When he realised I was the only one who could help him, the tables turned and I was protected. ADAM is still flying test missions and monitoring super power military movements as programmed by itself. We still hear of sightings so I imagine it’s still all working. No one can get in the bunker without the code, or an A10 will take them out.”
Jason had listened with great interest. “I would like you to show me this thing.”
“Well, if you have any ideas on how to get me out of here I will, otherwise, the secret will go to the grave with me.”
“I have access to the information that will prove your innocence. I will initiate its course straight away.”
“You mean you can really get me out of here?”
“Yes, innocent people don’t belong in here. Looks to me you were put here for me, I’m sorry. We must gain control of ADAM.”
“That shouldn’t be too hard; my colleague had been looking for a buyer for years. Hard to sell something you can’t show anyone, I believe the price has tumbled to practically nothing, but at the moment that’s all its worth.”
“I don’t think so, in the right hands this could be of great importance. If money is all your colleague is after, he should be an easy target. You may have to spend a few more days here, if you were released before we get control, your colleague may find out. Who is this guy?”
“Matt Sharp, you can find him in ADAM central office in Sydney if it still exists.”
“My people will find him, when they do it will be quick and easy I feel.” Jason felt helpless like Harry had as he watched them lead him away. He thanked Mason Sloan, telling him it was as he thought, Harry was innocent. He asked Mason to conduct an inquiry with Triumph and Norton of the Pagans MC, keeping it confidential until Jason had control of ADAM. Jason rang Norton and arranged a meeting with Sloan for early next morning. Jason headed home; he rang Geoff Harrison in Sydney and instructed him to buy Australian Defence Arms Manufacturers from Matt Sharp. Geoff was flying to tomorrow’s meeting early in the morning, but would make some enquires. He was about to move to Adelaide with his family, but sensed the importance of Jason’s call. He was to relay progress to Jason’s campaign office as Jason was busy canvassing for the election and would not be at the meeting.
It was Friday morning before Geoff called Jason, who was busy talking to the local butcher about bush-fire hazards in the area. He took time out to talk to Geoff, who couldn’t understand why he wanted to buy a company that had an asking price of five million dollars, but nothing of any value bar its name and a large lease at Woomera in South Australia that apparently had not been used for five years. Jason gave the instruction to hastily seize the offer and be sure to keep tabs on the whereabouts of Matt Sharp, who Geoff told him, was over the moon about the sale. Jason thought that made two of them who felt that way.
It was Tuesday the tenth, immediately after Jason had given a campaign speech to a packed town hall that Geoff rang and told him the deal was finalised. ADAM was part of Brinkly International. Jason rang Sloan who immediately took the evidence he had uncovered to the attorney general. A pistol with matching ballistics to the bullets in the Briggs case had been found at Mojo’s house; his wife confirmed it was Mojo’s property. Norton and Triumph were arrested, a hastily convened court hearing released Harry Briggs; Jason’s name hit the front page again. Jason picked up a happy Harry himself from prison, amid a flurry of media, whisking him away to his Stirling home. Jason was now real busy, busier than a cat trying to bury shit in a marble staircase, the election was on Saturday three days away. A report on Jason lay on the Prime Minister’s desk in Canberra; it had been given no attention.