Ping. Ping. Ping went the tablet in the Bill's bag.
+++ message SECURE
+++ from: Assembly computer
Bill, do not respond.
Twelve vacant apartments for safe overnight occupation on your tablet. Melissa's thumbprint will unlock them.
Warrants for the arrest have been issued for eight of the ten Belt Corporation board members. Secure Assembly Computer assembled data from message intercepts.
Sixty warrants issued for other individuals participating in attempts to assassinate you and Melissa Adams.
I warned Cecil and she is in a secure location.
+++ EOM
Four hours later after shopping and eating Bill and Melissa took the transport system to one of the apartments listed. Melissa's thumbprint opened the door. The apartment was completely empty of everything.
Melissa immediately stepped to the environment control panel and activated it. Sitting on the carpeted floor, she then activated the wall computer panel and ordered up the news, belt corporation, board of directors.
Bill watched the commentator report on two of the board members that drew weapons and fired on the local police. Both were killed. Five others were arrested and led away. The news commentator then made a statement, “The Assembly Computer assembled the data needed for these arrest warrants. It also recommended that the arrested individuals be confined without outside contact until trial. The fact that they were conspiring with other individuals to assassinate two individuals is reason enough, one from the Johnson family and one from the Adams family. We have reported for over two-hundred years on the tragedies within both families, and the fact that each family blames the other. However until now, no solid proof existed. Sixty other warrants were issued for the arrest of participants in this assassination conspiracy.”
The reporter got a surprised look on her face and pulled her tablet. The surprised look turned to shock and then glee as she read further.
“Viewers, I've just received further information. This has not been double checked, but could be the reason for these arrest. Doctor Bill Johnson, the discoverer of the palladium asteroids, was recovered during the rescue of citizens in New San Francisco. This information is directly from the Assembly Computer. His presence in the Asteroid Belt was the catalyst that initiated this assassination conspiracy. As most viewers know, many individuals have been yanked out of the past by the temporal quakes that triggered the massive earthquakes on Earth. Several million people yanked out of the past have already been integrated into our society. Scientist estimate several million more may be rescued within the next few years. By then the Earth's surface will become uninhabitable. The present casualty count is over a billion.
“Anyone wishing to read a story from that era about the early history of the Belt Corporation may follow this link to a story written by a high school student writing class after the original reported death of Doctor Bill Johnson. It is titled Early History of the Belt Corporation. We shall report all updates as they come in.”