The Peace Proxy: Part 1 (7 page)

“Garrett, you had better go dance with this
enchanting young lady before I sweep her off her feet,” Arthur
advised with a wink.

Garrett obliged. He and Katherine danced the
night away. Despite Garrett’s concerns, Arthur’s surprise arrival
had given the evening a comfortable air. Garrett held the
burning
excitement of his developing story
deep in his core. With a new path to redemption at hand, the
night
took on an extraordinary rightness. He
was certain exposing a conspiracy of the nature Mike suggested
would right his listing career. Katherine felt Garrett’s excitement
as well. Surrounded by their closest
friends;
it felt as if the universe had created this gathering for just the
two of them. Everything fit into its place.

As often happens with those few times when
the world is so ordered there doesn’t seem to be a care in it, the
moment passed before either could grasp it and fully appreciate the
complete freedom it afforded. The aircar ride back to their
apartment returned Garrett’s thoughts to Katherine’s earlier
admission and his inability to give her what she needed; what they
both needed. The magical aura lifted, leaving him somber.

“I had a wonderful time tonight,” Katherine
commented, looking into Garrett’s eyes.

“So did I,” Garrett responded with a
smile.

Katherine turned to watch the city pass by
before continuing. “Garrett, where do you think we
are headed
?”

“Back to the apartment,” Garrett joked with
a fleeting hope he could keep the conversation light. He recognized
how insidiously this discussion could grow into a turning point in
their relationship.

“You know what I mean,” her reply was tinged
with sadness.

“I’m not sure I do,” Garrett answered
honestly.

“Do you think we are stagnating?”

“Is this about what you told me earlier?”
Garrett tried to keep his voice neutral. He felt his agitation grow
at having to discuss their future openly before he was able
to internally resolve
the issue. He fought the
urge to respond hastily, knowing he would likely regret anything
but complete capitulation on his part. Despite his best efforts,
his body tensed.

Katherine leaned against him as the
cityscape passed outside the window. The reassuring contact
disarmed Garrett in a way he could not articulate. Katherine always
understood what would calm the storm of conflict inside him. She
truly
understands
me, he
admitted.

“No. Well, a little. Most people our age are
starting a family,” she began. “Starting? No, most people our age
have established a family. Are we moving forward?”

“I think we are.” Garrett chose his word
carefully, “We both agreed when
we
started
seeing each other we weren’t going to let our relationship
interfere with our careers.”

“I thought we weren’t going to use each
other to advance our careers.”

“That’s what I meant,” Garrett replied
tersely.

A forlorn Katherine continued, “I’m
beginning to wonder. Do you see a time when
we
come
first?”

Garrett
stiffened,
and
his posture shifted slightly, pulling away from Katherine. The
conversation was steering itself in the exact direction he did not
want to go. Although
he
knew Katherine had not
meant
for the question
to
insinuate
he
was less committed
to
her than she to him, he could not help but think that the unspoken
message was,
“I’m willing to put you first. Why won’t
you
do the same for me?”
He
understood their relationship was at an inflection
point,
and the slightest misinterpretation of his intent
could end badly. He was certain the only way to approach the
situation was through complete honesty, but he was equally
certain
that when someone made themselves
vulnerable, even someone as strong as Katherine, honesty had to
be tempered
with tact or feelings could be
irreparably damaged.

Katherine recognized his reaction for the
defense mechanism it was. “Don’t take this the wrong way. I’m not
questioning your commitment. I just want reassurance that as our
relationship has grown, we see it the same way.”

Garrett leaned back into Katherine and put
his arms around her. “Fair enough. I think we're great together,
but I'm still a cautionary tale. I have to get my life back in
order before I can handle any more complications.”

“So I'm a complication?” Katherine
questioned, but her tone did not betray even a hint of
annoyance.

“The best kind of complication, and you
know

I didn’t mean it that way.”

“Yes, I do know,” she replied as she turned
and kissed him.

Garrett woke to the sound of Katherine in
the shower. A few minutes later, she walked back into the bedroom,
moving quickly toward the wardrobe, dressing in the sharp business
attire she routinely wore to work.

Garrett sat up. “What’s going on?”

“There’s been a security breach. I have to
go to the office.”

“On Sunday? Why?” he replied.

“Well, when the Secretary of State calls and
tells his
special assistant
she has to come
into the office, she does.” She walked over to the bed as she
spoke. Leaning over Garrett, she gave him a quick kiss.

Garrett put on
a boyish
grin. “Did he say what it was about?”

“Stop being a reporter,” she joked. “It’s
probably minor. I’ll try to be back for lunch. Oh, I almost forgot.
Charlie called while I was on the phone,” she said as she left the
bedroom. The sound of the front door marked her exit.

Garrett put on his robe and moved into the
kitchen. He poured a cup of coffee and called Charlie from the
study.

Charlie’s face appeared on the screen.

“Hi Charlie, are you at work?” Garrett
asked.

“Yeah, I’m at work,” Charlie’s voice seemed
haggard. He was
visibly
tired and probably
hung over. “I’ve been checking out the ARC. You mind coming in so
we can look at a few things?”

“I’ll be there in an hour,” Garrett replied
as he terminated the connection.

As Garrett drank his coffee, he retrieved
recent news coverage of the murder Mike had mentioned.

“Jacob,” he called to the house computer,
“retrieve murders, New York, yesterday.”

Jacob replied, “Only one subject found;
twenty-one articles covering the death of Rubin Talbot.”

He requested the Tribune article out of
habit. He still did not trust the Herald to have reported the
details correctly; despite the reality that each was probably just
retransmitting the information provided by an affiliate.

The holograph displayed the image of a body
in a dark alley. The headline stated “MUGGING RESULTS IN RARE
MURDER.” The photo was taken at a sufficient distance to provide an
adequate view of the crime scene while revealing almost no detail.
Piles of garbage lined the walls of the dilapidated buildings
enclosing the alley. It resembled an abandoned industrial complex.
Even with crime at a historic low, only a fool or someone looking
for trouble would venture into an area like
that by
choice.

Murders, being the only crime for which an
alpha scan could
be used
on a suspect, were
uncommon
. The term alpha scan was a slight
misnomer in that the scanner not only mapped alpha waves but
inhibited the ability of the subject to deceive. Through a series
of questions, the machine identified the waveforms an individual
created when they formed ideas that they knew to be untrue.
This was
enough to determine if the
person
was trying to mislead investigators,
but, if after being exposed, the suspect declined to cooperate, the
scanner was placed into an active mode. The machine then created a
counter wave, targeting the area of the brain used to manufacture
deception. The suspects found themselves compelled to answer any
questions truthfully. This forced nobility did not come without a
price, and, in rare cases, the subjects experienced some loss of
motor function. Although the scan could only
be
applied
after a Grand Jury indictment, few criminals were
willing to risk such a quick removal of reasonable doubt. It had an
interesting side effect on the way criminals viewed murder as well.
Information obtained during a scan that
was not
related
to the crime for which the suspect was accused could
not be used for prosecution, but most believed it usually resulted
in evidence generated through parallel construction. This policy
practically eliminated murder as a useful tool in organized
crime.

As he showered, Garrett reviewed what he
knew about the ARC. Due to the enormous responsibility of
being burdened
with the survival of the human
race, it had
a vast
sphere of influence.
This was
an aspect of the ARC that Garrett had
not considered. Now that he did, the implications of how much
control it wielded over the world’s populace were staggering. In
effect, it controlled emerging technologies, parceling out new
discoveries
to
maintain a balance between
progress and secrecy. “It,” Garrett considered that word for a few
moments. “It” was part of the puzzle. Garrett realized the
organization existed in almost complete obscurity other than
periodic announcements that
were usually aimed
at keeping the public aware the ARC was still there,
work
ing hard for the future. More style than
substance
. Its existence, just like the aliens, was simply
an aspect of life. He vaguely remembered an anti-ARC protest at the
United Federation of Nations headquarters a few years ago. The
protesters alleged the ARC controlled the Federation and was
destroying free enterprise; just another radical
group
looking for a cause, or so he thought at the time.
Garrett continued his review of alien history as he dressed and
caught a cab to the office.

The United States recovered an alien ship in
1947, but the efforts aimed at exploiting the advanced technology
behind the craft were stove-piped due to paranoia over the growing
Russian threat. The secrecy was for not, as the Russians had
obtained their
own
alien vessel from the
Tunguska event of 1908. After several missile bases
were visited
in the 1970s, the United States created an
alien task force. One project that emerged from this research was
the Star Wars system.
Designed primarily as an
outward planetary point defense system
, the Intercontinental
Ballistic Missile defense benefit was a secondary consideration at
the project’s inception. A series of very public acquisition
failures, like the Bradley Fighting Vehicle program, provided cover
for the funds that
were diverted
for
the research. Only one United States President became
aware of the
project,
and he promoted it with
vigor. Unfortunately, after his health declined, all
alien
materials were safeguarded or destroyed for fear of
a security breach. Hence, for a
time,
the
United States became the hotbed of
alien
research, but most of the efforts were fruitless and abandoned
after the 1980s. Government involvement subsided until, after
discovering hundreds of extra-solar planets, the
alien
origin
was revealed
. The
discovery should not have taken as long as it did, but efforts had
been focused
on a different category of
systems: the type that could sustain life and this was the crux of
the problem. The alien’s sun was old…too old. There was much debate
over how a carbon-based life form could survive on the barren rock
that was emitting radio waves. The terrifying answer came back
several months later when an astronomer discovered a third planet
that seemed too far away from the star to be held by its
gravitational influence. It was too far
out,
and it was not a planet. An armada with a mass equivalent to
Earth’s moon was leaving the alien solar system. Based on the rate
of acceleration, it would be on Earth’s doorstep in ninety-eight
years. Once the threat
was verified
, the world
governments united, but it was not to last.

The controversy surrounding the creation of
the United Federation of Nations brought back memories of the
Unification Wars. Following the
alien
announcement, the government of every nation signed the One Earth
Pact, through which all agreed
to cooperate
fully
on
creating a global defense
system to meet the threat. Sadly, a few months later several
countries changed course. They demanded the independence to
negotiate “terms of cohabitation” with the aliens when they
arrived. The group planned to put their efforts into building an
emissary ship. The stakes were too
high,
and
the world could not afford to be divided. The ensuing war was quick
and brutal. Three months after the uprising began, humanity was
united, and so it remained. In a world of seemingly endless
unintended consequences, the human
race
finally achieving solidarity had to be the most ironic, Garrett
concluded as the cab stopped at his destination.

As Garrett stepped onto the sidewalk, he was
overcome by the feeling he was
being watched
.
On this
cool
, crisp morning, everything stood
out in relief. He paused, looking down the street in each
direction. Several aircars passed overhead. One of them flew so low
that Garrett’s jacket
was buffeted
by the
downdraft
generated by the
electrically driven
turbines. Technically, it was illegal
to fly an aircar so
low
outside of a landing
zone, but
few pedestrians were moving
about as
the city slowly emerged from its Sunday morning slumber.