Chapter 4
The bar on Regent St looked like any normal bar from the outside. It was swanky, even for this part of town, and there were two very large door-men, but other than that it was a normal bar. The patrons though, were anything but. If you could get in here, you were untouchable. Whether you were a politician, executive, thief, or killer, inside The Servant you could say what you wanted, and know it wouldn’t leave the room in the wrong ears.
Even though this were the case, and many had died challenging the fact, Kobeur still felt uneasy. He was an honest man, albeit a little morally challenged when it came to warfare, nonetheless he didn’t feel like this was his kind of place.
“Relax, my friend, you are perfectly safe here.”
“I know, Ivan, but we are both still taking a risk being together, regardless of the company.”
“You worry too much. Besides, it is rare for me to be in the company of men of true intelligence and creativity these days. So much of what surrounds us today is so fabricated, it’s hard to see the real world.”
“And what is the real world, Ivan?”
Ivan sat for a moment in contemplation, before snapping his fingers at the waitress. He smiled at Kobeur and waited for the drinks to arrive. Ivan looked at the glass, swirling the whiskey in the ice, almost mesmerised by it.
“The real world, my dear friend, is whatever we make it.”
“We are not Gods, Ivan”, Dr Kobeur quickly replied in a flat tone.
“Of course not, but think about it for a moment. We have influence over the government, and practically control the military and surveillance in the region. With the technology you are developing, traditional warfare will be obsolete, and the only governments that will survive will be the ones that agree to the terms of our trade.”
Dr Kobeur paused for a moment, not sure if Ivan was being facetious or sarcastic. Either way, there was no way he could have been serious.
“Ivan, we make weapons and gadgets. Our work is government sanctioned and controlled. You sound like you’re telling me we’re the rulers of the world, but we are only a small cog in a very large machine.”
Ivan looked at Kobeur for a minute. Although he had preyed on the doctor’s relative innocence early on, there was no way Kobeur could still believe they were in service to the country, and the country only.
“Please, Doctor, don’t be so naive. Do you really think that with the massive leaps in technology you have lead us through, we are still being handled by those idiots in Parliament? The Prime Minister is a puppet, dancing to the song of anyone with power. The house of representatives has long been siding with the internalization of all of the countries technology interests, hedging their bets on your brilliance coming to fruition. The rest of the world is collapsing, and you have been driving a stake through the heart of any challenge with your marvels of technology.”
“Ivan, the drink has gone to your head.”
Ivan sat back for a minute and smiled. The smile slowly faded, and Ivan placed his glass on the table leaning over to Dr Kobeur.
“You still don’t get it do you”, his voice barely a whisper. “You Doctor, are one of the most influential people in the world, and you don’t even know it. In twenty years, most of the world will be in an economic abyss, but Australia will be strong, and we will control half of the world. And this, all of this, I place as a result of the brilliance of your creativity.”
Ivan sat back. Kobeur looked at his glass, finished it, and leaned forward to place it on the table. He looked over to Ivan.
“Ivan, I am but only a man. I am not an extraordinary man, and nor do I want to be. I do not want to contribute to the destruction of what is left of our society, I create what I do to protect our country, and way of life.”
“Exactly doctor, exactly.”
Dr Kobeur stood, smiled at Ivan and shook his hand. As he walked for the door he felt uneasy on his feet. It may have been the drink, but it was more likely the weight of the world that Ivan had just placed on his shoulders. Regardless of this, he was in no mind to notice the two shadows that converged on him as he left the building.
He stopped on the corner of the street to catch his breath. It was by all accounts a pleasant evening, no rain, few lightning strikes, virtually no traffic. If he didn’t feel loaded with the burden presently carried, he might have even allowed himself a slight smile. After all, from this point forward, every moment above the ground was a bonus.
Kobeur didn’t realize that he had been standing motionless, lost in his thoughts, for quite a time. He snapped out of it just as he got a tug on his arm, and was pulled sharply into the alleyway. He was about the scream out, but another shadow placed tape over his mouth and pushed him onto the ground.
The first shadow slumped down next to him. As Kobeur looked over to him, he could make out most of the features of an unshaven, well-built male, probably mid-thirties.
”Relax old man, I’m not going to hurt you”. The voice was raspy, and smelt like its owner hadn’t heard of a toothbrush. “My partner and I want to give you a message.”
Kobeur tried to muffle a response. He was panicking and waited for the knife to penetrate him at any moment, his heart was racing, and he felt like vomiting.
“Don’t try and talk, it is our turn for now. We know you are MDC, and we know you have an alliance with Ivan. We also know that MDC are planning to make moves on a global scale, and that the collateral damage both here and abroad will be immeasurable. What we don’t know is what the final plan is, or how it is going to be carried out.
The other shadow moved towards Kobeur and crouched. It was a woman, slim, and smelling quite pleasant considering the present company.
“Doctor, my name is Cindy. You will never find a record of me, but believe me when I tell you if MDC had a list of public enemies, I’d be at the top of it. Now, I think you are a good man, at least you were when you worked with my parents. I don’t believe people ever really change, they only adapt to fit the current environment. On that score, my partner and I disagree, but, he knows better than to cross me, so I’m making the deal.”
Cindy paused. She pursed her finger to her lips, leaned over, and pulled the tape from Kobeur’s mouth. She also sat slumped next to him against the wall. Kobeur didn’t move. Not because he was afraid, but because he knew that in the crazy world they all lived in now, this present spot was probably the safest place he was ever going to be again.
Jack walked to the end of the alley, checking they weren’t followed or being watched. Looking around he saw the same miserable city, full of miserable people living out their miserable lives. It was another one of those days that Jack felt he needed to get out, before the negativity of the place consumed him entirely.
He walked back to Cindy, picking up on the conversation mid-sentence. “Which is why we need your help doctor. I’ve been snooping around MDC for a while now, and I’m pretty sure the files I’ve mentioned haven’t come across your desk.”
Dr Kobeur replied without hesitation, “Of course not, there is no way this is even happening, you are mistaken.”
“I’m not, doctor, and if you stop and think for a moment, you know full well Ivan is more than capable of this.”
Kobeur hesitated for a moment. As his thoughts went into overdrive the adrenaline eased, and he began to reference the audacious claims against his own previous doubts about the use of his research. It still didn’t sound on tone.
“So you mean to say, that behind my back, MDC has a whole programme of advanced weapon design, capable of harnessing the atmospheric distortions and generating pulse waves?”
“Big enough to level a small building, Doc. I’ve seen the design data, and believe they are already underway with component design. The weapons won’t be exclusively for us either, Ivan has his filthy claws in every remaining terrorist group on the planet. He means to start a new global war.”
“And when it’s over”, Jack interjects
, “There will be nothing left but chaos and debris.”
“It makes no sense, what you are saying. Why would Ivan want this? He is ambitious, almost to a fault, but you make him to be a career villain, an evil mastermind. I need to know how you got to this.”
“Let’s get you out of this alley first Doc. Someone might see us.”
Jack picked up Dr Kobeur, brushed off his shoulders, and led him to the end of the alley. Looking around, Jack didn’t see anything new, so they left quickly, in the shadows.
Chapter 5
The drive back to Cindy’s house was quiet. Dr Kobeur didn’t speak a word, and Cindy thought that was best. When they got to the first turn-off, she blacked out the windows and drove using VR. They may have swayed the doctor, if not already the next session would, however if Ivan got onto them, she didn’t want him knowing any more than they could help.
Back at the house, Kobeur started by saying that Ivan had been involved in the inter-governmental effort to contain the growth of global warming with geo-engineering. When the first sanctioned experiment failed, and the following three rogue experiments followed suit, he then moved onto a panel set up to probe environmental adaption. He eventually became chair of this panel, and was snapped up by MDC when the panel was disbanded.
“And that, doctor, is where Ivan got all of his research and intelligence. He had teraflops of research data, and connections with every government and major industrial group on the planet. You may think you recruited him, but he had MDC in his sights for years. He knew when the global economies were completely disbanded, we would survive. Some speculate he may have even had a hand in accelerating the collapse.”
Cindy let that sink in for a moment. She could see the doctors change in facial expressions, from disbelief and anger, to acknowledgement and disappointment. He shouldn’t have felt disappointed however, as Ivan was a master of deception. It was only Cindy’s pedigree of mistrust of the system, and her tenacity for finding the truth, that led her to this place. Well, that and Jack’s guns.
“So doc, you with us or not?”
“What happens to me if I’m not?”
Jack interrupted with a cough, and a tap on his pistol. Dr Kobeur look surprised.
“Jack, put that bloody thing away. Doc, if you’re out, we’ll drop you anywhere you want and hope we don’t have to cross paths again. If you’re in, we’ll go to the workshop now and I’ll show you everything we have on Ivan and the weapons development programme.”
“You would so readily give up everything you have?”
“Oh, I’m not giving it up Doc, I’m bringing you into the fold. And like I said, my parents thought highly of you, which is an endorsement that can be unmatched.”
The next few days were a blur of emotions for all of them. As they shared information and converged on what was Ivan’s ultimate plan, there was no doubt they were dealing with a man nothing short of evil. These weapons were a warmongers solution to the nuclear arms race. There was no radiation to deal with, which meant invasions could follow immediately. The destructive force of the weapons would eventually rival that of any warhead, but be regenerative in a matter of minutes.
The more they explored the applications and strategies that could be employed, the more concerned they all became. This was of course Jack’s forte, and he was well in his element. Within a few hours he had already developed multiple attack plans that varied from single incursion and tactical assault plans, to full-scale invasions. They were rough in their detail, but proof enough that even with modest planning, the distinct military advantage these weapons could provide the platform for a New World Order.
The three agreed that there was no way the programme could continue, but at the same time they could not reveal themselves for the likely outcome of their summary execution within hours. They needed to saboutage the operation from the inside, without destroying MDC and destabilizing the Government in the process.
Jack went to the fridge for a beer, it was going to be another long night.
To be continued………
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