The Peace Proxy: Part 1 (8 page)

He usually trusted his instincts, but in
this case, he had to laugh at his reaction. If someone
was
observing his actions, they could do it unobtrusively
in a hundred different ways. He shook his head, dismissing this
light touch of paranoia as he continued into the building.

Charlie was sitting behind his large desk,
with several holographs floating above the surface. Some only
presented a two-dimensional image and were clearly older
archives.

“Charlie, don’t you ever sleep?” Garrett
greeted.

“Not all of us had a beautiful woman to take
us home last night,” Charlie countered.

“Right. What do you have here?”

“I’ve pulled up what I could find on the
ARC. There’s not much about the ARC itself. Millions of references
for ARC-related research, but it is always conducted and released
by a third party, under ARC supervision.”

“Show me what you’ve come up with,” Garrett
requested.

“Nothing Earth-shattering. I started over
there,” Charlie made a gesture toward a flat screen image hovering
to his left, “with the initial announcement from United Nations
concerning the alien disclosure. The ARC was formed a few days
later by the United Federation of Nations, giving it global
authority. Over here are official ARC releases, one hundred
seventy-two in the past thirty-one years. The rest,” he continued
as his hand swept thru the remaining holographs, “cover
protest
, conspiracy theories, and general crackpot stuff.
No mention of employees or budget.”

Garrett nodded as he pulled the chair in
front of Charlie’s desk closer. “You mind?” he asked Charlie as he
placed his hand on the holograph touch screen.

“Not at all,” Charlie replied as he leaned
back in his chair.

Garrett rotated the holographs around the
table, stopping on the original United Nations announcement
concerning the alien discovery.

The
Secretary-General
of the United Nations stepped to the podium. In his mid-fifties, he
appeared fit,
and one would guess ten years
younger than his age. His tone conveyed a hint of barely restrained
emotion. “Fellow peoples of the world. Today I must address what is
unmistakably
the greatest threat to our
survival humanity has ever faced. Using deep-space telescopes,
astronomers have discovered the location of an extraterrestrial,
intelligent species. Something most of you believed only existed as
science fiction. This discovery
was not made
by chance. Several governments have
been
involved
in this search for more than fifty years. We have
determined these aliens pose a direct threat to the existence of
the human race. These beings possess technology far more advanced
than our highest level of theoretical research, and scientific
observations indicate they are…” The Secretary paused briefly,
looking down at the podium. He raised his head and took in the
audience of dignitaries and reporters. His stone-like façade
cracked and his face twisted with emotion at the enormity of what
this announcement would mean to the world.

Garrett wondered what he must have thought
at that moment. In the face of this new threat, many of the issues
the Secretary had addressed in the past must now seem frivolous. He
was telling billions they were no longer the center of the
universe. Did
he
understand there would be
riots?

The moment
passed,
and
when he spoke, his voice carried the conviction of his younger
self. “They are preparing to invade Earth. I tell you this not to
instill fear or panic, but purpose, the purpose that will be
required to defeat this threat. For almost a decade, nations have
been preparing for this contingency. A plan is in place to offer
us, the human race, the best possible chance
of
survival. We are a tough, intelligent, tenacious
species, and we will not forfeit our future generations without a
fight. The success of this plan depends on you. When I say you, I
am addressing
each individual
watching this
broadcast. We must put aside our petty differences and unite in one
cause. We must
unite to
ensure our
civilization does not perish. All the countries represented here
today have unanimously agreed to work together in every way
necessary to build a defense capable of withstanding this
tremendous
foe.

“We do know their planet was similar to
ours,
and they are likely a carbon-based life
form. We have also
determined their
sun has
become unstable. Our last observations detected a large fleet of
spacecraft departing their solar system. We believe this armada
contains their entire civilization and
is
bound
for
Earth. Scientists have
determined it will take ninety-eight years until the invaders reach
our solar system.

“No questions today. There will be another
press conference in three days to disclose the details of our plan
for Earth’s defense.” The Secretary gave the camera a reassuring
nod as he left the podium.

Garrett rotated the holograph to bring the
next article into view. It was a two-dimensional news story. A
newscaster began speaking as the holograph stabilized. “Today,
eleven countries seceded from the recently formed United Federation
of Nations. The renegade
countries
have
created a new alliance. They
plan
to negotiate
‘terms of cohabitation’ with the aliens…”

“What’s this?” Garrett asked. As he turned
his head from the holograph, the computer automatically halted the
playback.

“The Unification Wars,” Charlie replied with
a wry smile, knowing his response did not answer Garrett’s
question.

“Oh,
really
,” Garrett
replied coyly, “and why are you watching it?”

“It was the last time the Federation
was publicly challenged
. The war polarized the
issue of a unified Earth. After it was over, the Federation had
gained legitimacy, and, more importantly,
military
power
which
translated to
control.”

“I’ve heard some officials facilitated the
war to bolster the newly formed coalition.” Garrett filled in,
understanding where Charlie
was headed
with
this line of reasoning. Charlie could tell by Garrett’s response he
did not subscribe to the conspiracy theory.

“Okay, I think the conspiracy theory is
crap, but the ARC
was founded
in conjunction
with the Federation. Its autonomy rests with the Federation’s power
base,” Charlie conceded.

“So you’re looking into the development of
the Federation to determine how the ARC operates?”

“Something like that. I’m going to
make
a few inquiries about your source.”
Charlie finished, as he left the room.

Garrett nodded as he turned back to the
holograph. As he faced the image, the newscaster began speaking
again, returning to the beginning of the last sentence. “They
plan
to negotiate ‘terms of cohabitation’ with
the aliens.” The view shifted from the newscaster to a small screen
above
her right shoulder. The
display
enlarged as she continued to speak. “The
countries have seized all foreign military assets residing within
their borders.” The holograph showed a file video of an old
petroleum-fueled, jet-propelled aircraft taking off from a military
base. Garrett marveled at the
crude
vehicle as
it began its takeoff run. Its four disproportionately large
engines, attached to long, thin wings,
almost
scraped
the ground as the aircraft moved down the runway. He
wondered what it must have been like to fly in such a precarious
machine.

The newscaster continued her commentary.
“The President is en route to Geneva, where an emergency session of
the United Federation of Nations is convening. The Federation faces
its first crisis.”

Garrett leaned back, reflecting on how he
felt about those
uncertain
times as he watched
the events that led to the Unification Wars. He was too young to
remember any detail. His only recollection of the time was a
feeling of anxiety followed by confusion. The war swept past him
quickly, taking his father with it. His memories of his father were
similar in their lack of detail; just a warm, safe feeling
accompanied by a single image of his father’s face. From the angle
of the
image
, his father must have been
holding him above his head or perhaps throwing him into the air. He
was looking up at Garrett, his laughing countenance frozen in the
still image. The sun illuminated his face and Garrett could see
light sparkling through beads of dew in the grass visible over his
father’s shoulder.

A
tone
in Garrett’s
earpiece, indicating an incoming communication, brought him back to
the present. The image on the comband screen confirmed the call was
from Katherine. Garrett extended his fingers to flatten his hand.
His comband projected a video of Katherine’s face across his open
palm.

“Hi, how’s the security breach?”

Katherine’s response was terse, “Fine.”
Garrett could tell
immediately
that something
was wrong. “Let’s meet for lunch,” she continued. “How’s Victoria's
at noon?”

“Sure,” Garrett replied reflexively.
Checking the time, he was surprised to see it was already
eleven.

“Okay, I’ll see you there.” She closed the
connection before Garrett could reply. The
strained
exchange unsettled Garret. No matter what the
crisis, Katherine was always poised, but now her distress was
obvious
. She either could not hide it or did
not
care to
. He vaguely considered the
possibility the information Mike intended to
provide
and the security breach that required Katherine’s
attention were
connected
but dismissed the
notion as far too outlandish.

As Garrett turned his attention back to the
holograph, Charlie came back into the room and announced, “I have
some information on Talbot.”

“Go on,” Garrett encouraged.

“He worked as a programmer for Global
Information Corporation, standard computer science degree, nothing
spectacular
really
. The possibility of him
coming up with this type of information doesn’t look too solid to
me.”

Garrett was silent for a moment as he tried
to sort out the link between Talbot and Mike’s professed
conspiracy. He could not.

“Well, Mike seemed sure this was legit. He
was concerned enough to reveal his identity to me. If you had seen
him, you would agree.”

“I’m not trying to rain on your parade here,
Garrett. This story looks pretty thin, that’s all.” Charlie
reluctantly continued, “Garrett
, remember
this
guy set us up two years ago.”

“I saw it
on
his face.
It wasn’t him.”

“I’m just saying we have to watch ourselves
on this one. We’re running out of prospective employers in this
town.”

Garrett flashed his winning smile. “Come on
Charlie, how bad could it be?” he replied as he checked the time.
“Damn, I’m supposed to meet Katherine in D.C. I have to go. I’ll
come back after lunch.”

“Right, I’ll keep looking into Talbot.”

Garrett took the subway. If he could catch
the 11:30 A-Lev, he would not be late.
He
made
it, but an air leak in the tube delayed its departure. He called
Katherine to let her know.

A local favorite, Victoria’s restaurant was
always Katherine’s first choice when dining out. They usually sat
on the glass-enclosed veranda, but as Garrett approached, he did
not see her at a table abutting the rail where she preferred to
dine. He signaled the maître d’, who recognizing Garrett from
previous visits, heartily welcomed him back. Garrett asked if
Katherine was waiting for a table. The man informed Garrett she had
already been seated and directed him to the second floor. Garrett
found her sitting at a table in the back of the establishment, far
distant from the open seating he knew she preferred. Last month,
she had the two of them wait hours for a table with a view. He
grimly accepted this was not
a social
lunch.
As he approached, she gave him a nervous smile. He smiled in kind,
trying to act nonchalant, despite the uneasy feeling that had found
purchase deep in his psyche since he boarded the train.

“I ordered for us,” she informed Garrett as
he sat.

“What’s going on?” he tentatively
inquired.

She hesitated for a moment, eyes looking
around the room, judging if anyone was within earshot before
saying, “Oh Garrett, they gave us an alpha scan.” The words quiet,
but rushed, were accompanied by a grimace that betrayed the terror
the experience had evoked.

“What?” Garrett asked in disbelief, certain
he had misunderstood her statement. The penalties for an illegal
alpha scan, regardless of the organization, were severe. He had
never heard of the procedure
being conducted
outside the judicial system. His initial shock subsided
rapidly,
and he reached across the table, taking her hand
in his. She was trembling. Her gaze remained on the tablecloth as
she fought to hold back the tears that threatened to burst forth.
This was
new territory in their
relationship,
and Garrett did not know how to react. He
did the only reasonable thing he could manage. He overcame his
fear-driven desire to know what had occurred and held her hand
while she quietly fought to regain her composure.
Eventually,
she collected herself.