~ ~ ~
Some 30 kilometers from the facility headed by Dr. Moshe Levin, the recently appointed head of the combined military forces of the State of Israel, Lt. General Isabella Aharonson, addressed the employees at the Quantum research and development facility, formerly led by Dr. No'am Abrams. She would, within a day, make an appearance to the other facilities to calm nerves and keep the program on track, a program that now had to be accelerated.
This facility, Isabella knew, ought to be informed of the infractions by her, personally. Difficult as the information would be for the others, it would be far more difficult for this specific group. The psychological and morale damage done by learning that one of their own, the man they trusted to lead their critical work, had sold them out, would be incalculable.
"I know this is something that none of us could have been prepared to deal with, but deal with it we must. To-date all of your work, all of your training and research and actual implementations have been an unqualified success. We believe that with the success of the initial phase, the hardest work is now behind us. Historians and genealogists continue to confirm that the landing which facilitated the removal of one branch of the target family hasn't altered anything beyond some immediate effects."
"As time theorists suspected, an event that changes something that already existed in the past is not unlike a pebble being tossed into a calm pond. The radiant ripples caused by the pebble breaking the surface have immediate and strong effect on the surrounding water then, as they continue outward, they weaken and eventually cease altogether. This has proven to be the case with the outcome of the first phase. We still are pouring through records in the temporally shielded archives, comparing them to those outside the shield. The results continue to be favorable, pointing to an unqualified success. Nonetheless, we will continue our research until it is certain that we can safely proceed with the second phase."
"I know you will give the new facility head, Dr. Itzhach Mendlesøn, your full and undivided support as we go forward in this critical second phase of The Project. I'll now take questions, starting first with this auditorium and then those gathered in the main conference room."
"General Aharonson, how can you be sure that nobody else has been compromised? I mean, Dr. Abrams and the military liaison in the General Staff, that Ben-Levi fellow - if a hostile got to them how do you know somebody else hasn't already been manipulated here or in another facility?"
"Thank you, that is an excellent question. While we believe that the problem has been completely contained, we must proceed under the assumption that Abrams and Ben-Levi were not acting alone and that others may have been compromised, knowingly or unknowingly. For this reason counter-espionage steps have been strengthened, meaning each of you no matter what you do here, and when away from this facility, will be under constant surveillance."
"Respectfully, we understood ourselves already to be under surveillance from the very beginning. Clearly it didn't stop those two."
"You're right, and how that happened is still under investigation. To insure as much as is possible – no plan can be guaranteed 100% perfect - that 24/7 surveillance is solid, we have implemented new methods in addition to those already employed. I'm satisfied that you won't even be able to swallow a gnat or avert your gaze to a cloud in the sky without it being registered, let alone communicate with anybody in any manner, covert or overt, without us knowing."
"How about our families? About two thirds of us here were recalled to the facility, without warning or explanation. When will we be able to see them again?" The questions were posed by someone in the first row.
"That was regrettable but necessary, as I'm sure all of you understand. Those who had scheduled leave must stay here. Each facility is now under lockdown until the completion of the second phase of The Project. In the case of people with unique family situations, we have added additional living quarters on the facility grounds. The families thus identified are being moved here, as well as families of the other facilities, by plainclothes military as we speak. I do apologize for the inconvenience. Given recent events a full lockdown is our only option from this point forward. As well as accommodating families with special needs as best as possible, we have also backup supplies of food, water, energy, medicine, etc. As you can imagine, it was best to inform everybody what has happened as quickly as possible, to avoid idle speculation and misinformation. Also, you were all called in at once to circumvent panic by the lockdown once you were here. Any spouses or significant others who can remain where they are will be informed that your research will take longer than expected, without providing specific details. Those with family outside the facility will be allowed one carefully monitored and screened telephone call once a week. Where children are involved, two monitored phone calls are allowed. These calls will be monitored on both ends, though your family will be unaware of this to avoid worry. Anybody else have a question or concern?"
Grumbling at the news that they were in a total lockdown for the unforeseeable future subsided to a murmur, then silence.
This time somebody from the back of the room spoke, "The timeline of The Project has been stepped up, for obvious reasons. We have pretty much figured out what we are doing, and why, relative to the other facilities in The Project. It would have been impossible to have not reasoned the broader picture. Will we be allowed to visit and review the work in the other facilities when the second phase of The Project is completed?"
"No. I would further remind you that each of you signed a legal agreement binding you to not discuss your work here outside of this facility, not with anybody – not even each other. Should you encounter somebody from another facility when out in public, as those of you in the scientific community invariably will, nothing about The Project may be discussed to your dying day. Any breach of this agreement will guarantee incarceration for the duration of your life with no hope for release."
"Anything else? Okay, then I open the floor to those in the conference room."
"Thank you General Aharonson. I think I speak for everybody when I say that we are grateful that you came here personally. Our feelings about our colleague are beyond expression, especially for those of us who worked closely with him on a daily basis."
"Is there a question here?" Aharonson wasn't one for idle chat or public back-patting.
"Of course, yes." The man continued, "As it appears that the contributions of this facility are nearly complete, will we be allowed back to our own lives of research and academia once it has been agreed that work in this facility is no longer required? I have been awarded a research grant that I must start soon or lose the contract."
"All of you, without exception, will be required to remain at this facility until the second phase is complete and we have attained our goals and secured the safety of the State of Israel and the Jewish people generally. If that creates hardships in your own professional lives, I regret that but it cannot be avoided."
"Never lose sight of the fact that if we fail, you will have no research grants, no family, no home to return to. Any additional time you are required to stay here helps to assure that you, indeed all of us, have a future at all. Weighed against that and the security concerns that come with it, I should think any other endeavor, laudable as it may be, pales in comparison." The General's chastening was unmistakable.
Though it was impossible to tell on the wide screen projection in the auditorium, it appeared as if the man posing the last question blushed as he looked down, appearing to studiously examine his shoes.
"Any other questions?"
Aharonson paused for a moment, then continued, "If there are no further questions from the auditorium or those assembled in the conference room, I would like to thank you all for your time and attention." She again looked around at those in the elevated rows of chairs in front of her, when nobody appeared to have anything to add, she looked at the projection of the other group on the screen. Satisfied, she left the stage as a guard smartly snapped to attent
ion to salute her.
The last question surprised Shoshanna, making a mental note to learn the identity of the man who asked it. Based on his question he was a scientist, so presumably intelligent – more so than most or he wouldn't have been invited to work with The Project. Was it really possible that he didn't grasp the questions and concerns raised by the events with Ben-Levi and Abrams? Was his motive only the self-serving one he brought up, of maintaining a research grant, or was there something more that was left unspoken? Maybe his brilliance and focus on matters of science simply precluded him viewing a wider picture of realities on the ground. Whatever the case, they needed to take another look.
Table of Contents
25. Man Down
"We are time's subjects, and time bids be gone." – William Shakespeare
Phase Two: Currents of Time
Haifa, State of Israel
The Shin Bet agent who maintained the afternoon watch over No'am called in the suicide after first pocketing the memorandum he wrote, deleting it from his computer, then secured his living area before exiting and closing the door behind him as curious kibbutz members tried to peer inside.
Flashing a police ID, the agent closed and locked the door.
He walked down a connecting sidewalk, still in view of the residence, to call the head of Shin Bet. As he pressed the direct speed dial button he noticed, from the periphery of his vision, a woman walking a little more quickly than those around her. He didn't give her a second thought once the phone on the other end connected.
"I am sorry to interrupt you sir. I'm the agent assigned to monitor No'am at his kibbutz . . ."
Unable to complete the sentence the agent felt the prick of what may have been a needle, followed by the burn of something injected in his upper back, very near his spine. His assassin continued moving into the gathered crowd without the slightest pause, showing a police investigator's shield and badge to the group at No'am's door. None of the onlookers wondered how a second police officer, not a part of the kibbutz security detail, managed to arrive so quickly.
Unlocking the door to the living quarters she proceeded to search for documents that No'am was scheduled to hand over. "Damn it, nothing." She muttered to herself. It was too late to check the pockets of the Shin Bet agent outside, by now his body would have been noticed. This assessment was confirmed when a couple of people banged on the door yelling that the other police officer was on the ground, possibly dead.
Opening the door she feigned calling the emergency in to police headquarters, requesting an ambulance assist as she closed and locked the door behind her and simply walked away.