Jason Rider-
ex-military technician
Current: computer software developer
Mr Rider, it has come
to our attention that your recent ‘curiosity’ led to a breach of UNI protocols.
The United Nations Intelligence takes such a frivolous act from an ex-military
member to be an insult to our privacy. As such, we are entitled to take the
exposure of project ‘HONESTY’ as an act of treason. By exposing the files you
exposed yourself; thus, to seal the breach you must also be sealed.
Under UNI security protocol 11, sub
section 4.9, we hold the right to have you placed under house arrest awaiting
trial for acts against the UN conglomerate presidency; starting immediately.
However on inspection of your data files
we have extracted sufficient information to deduct that there is a high
probability that you could prove useful to our current projects. Therefore we
are offering employment in UNI’s secret branch; this work is classified but
rewarding. To decline this permanent position would lead to your arrest.
At 22:00 tonight, messengers will come
to receive your decision, if you wish to join us pack your bags and be ready.
Fenworthy,
UNI-Operative.
“Impossible!
How?” Rider questioned further, each query pressing his fingers harder into the
crimson leather of his armchair.
The room was
dark, lit only by the simulated Victorian fireplace wired into the centre of
the wall. The Victorian wooden room was alien from the rest of the home, being
metallic and electronic. The rest of the house was chilled and clinically
sterilised by the chemical balancer vent placed, as standard, on the walls of
every home. However, Rider hated the cold, solid feel of the titanium rooms.
The custom fit living room was warm crimson and soothing; even the computer
generated flames felt relaxing. Apart from the fire, armchair and antique
replica carpet, the room was unusually bare. A single suitcase rested against
the door behind him, the only new item in the room. Rider was used to being
alone but the flickering flames in his eyes revealed the fear of being exposed.
He was pale against the darkened room.
Suddenly a
soothing vibration filled the room and a female voice appeared. “Activating 30
second timer. Current time, 21:59 and 30 seconds”. The voice dispersed for a
full five seconds. “UNI personnel detected at a 100 metre radius, proximity
closing”.
“So it comes
to this…” Rider sighed, raising to his feet and activating the close proximity
circumference monitor. “…what have I got to lose?”
15 seconds flashed in the upper right corner just as two men
clad in black military jackets power-walked past the monitors view.
10 seconds.
Rider rested his
elbow on the indent of the monitor’s wall panel. He bowed his head and pressed
his fingers onto the bridge of his nose, disrupting the balance of his glasses.
5 seconds.
He twisted a wall
dial, dissipating the vibrations of electricity and extinguishing the
CG-fireplace.
3… Rider turned on his heels and faced the door, bracing
himself against the wall.
2…1…times up.
Rider was a tall
and thin man; the weakness in his emotions made him look feeble at best. He
marched up to the door and opened it a moment before the visitors had time to
rap his knuckles.
“Mr J Rider, I
presume?” The man stood tall and stocky, a shadow in the dusk of the street. A
single emblem, a rectangular bar, struck horizontally across his left breast
pocket; the emblem was marked “KNOWLES”.
“Can we just go,
I am ready”
“So you have
chosen to work with us?” Rider nodded, taking this opportunity to scan the
second soldier; it was too dark to see any difference in him. The speaker
resumed “excellent, if you would follow us please”.
Rider stumbled
out of the doorway and was received by the two men, who then escorted him to a
thin and streamlined vehicle which looked alien in the white waves of
moon-light that striped across the roof. The second soldier pulled open the
rear door. A hand gesture swept towards the inside of the vehicle. The first
soldier pressed his palm on to Rider’s shoulder blade. Rider entered the
slender, expensive vehicle. Knowles followed and took up Rider’s left flank. The
other soldier sat on the right. The vehicle was silver on the inside with bars
of black metal separating the seats. There was white copperplate writing on the
back of the front seats. “Blackhawk”. Rider noted the name and noticed the
driver was dressed similarly to the soldiers, except for the golden arrowhead
on his right arm. In the rush of the moment and the burst of engine force,
Rider had neglected to notice the steering console was shaped like a widened
“W” and series of numbers and lights on the panels around it.
“Just relax
Mr. Rider” the first words to emanate from soldier two. “we’re taking you
home”.
“Home?” Rider
queried with disbelief. “I’m still outside my door, yet I feel like I’m not
going to feel at home for a long time”
“Hah! I like
this one Knowles”
Knowles responded to his name instantly. “Well, let’s just
get him to UNIS-”. He stuttered. “UNI”
Rider noticed
the size of the second soldier; he was at least 4 inches taller than Knowles,
on estimation. He was also brutishly more muscular, on estimation. Bordering on
intimidating.
A beep
interrupted the silence and green lights turned on in the back of the front
seat headrests. The driver twisted round, glared at Rider, and then eyed the
soldiers.
“Preparing to
launch the blackhawk, strap him in boys”
“Sir!” the men
responded in unison. Suddenly the men turned to Rider and each placed a hand
behind his shoulder. They pulled two belts that quickly clipped into place in
the centre of Rider’s chest. This made him feel particularly claustrophobic.
Knowles kept hold of the centre buckle and they both pulled the lower straps
into position. The soldiers saw the discomfort in Rider’s eyes and smirked at
each other. Both soldiers repeated the same procedure for themselves.
“Firing up
secondary engine. Maintaining sound dampener”. The engines roared into life but
quickly a mechanical sliding noise reduced the roar to a small whimper. “Hang on there Mr. Rider we are about to go
pretty fast, don’t go breaking down on me.”
Rider watched
as the streets rolled by in a blur of horizontal blues, black and grey. The
driver was accelerating to well over 140MPH but this “car” was clinging almost
magnetically to the road. He tapped on his headset and the static became
audible.
“Wing units.
Approaching aero-zone. Arrival in five seconds. Be prepared” A mumble in reply
crackled back. The vehicle skimmed round a bend going right. Lights lashed into
the Blackhawk’s windows. The vehicle came to a sharp stop.
2 groups of 5
men flanked the vehicle and begun attaching more metallic plates to the doors.
Rider knew the control systems were too advanced for this to be an ordinary
car. It was a jet. The Blackhawk was being reconstructed by these engineers at
double speed; tightening bolts, fuelling engines, aligning plates and even
polishing. The vehicle had wings, jet-tipped wings with the power capacity to
reach almost near orbital altitude in 30 seconds. Rider let out a quick exhale,
followed by a sigh.
Knowles elbowed
Rider in the side. “Ain’t she a beauty? Just relax and you might enjoy the trip
to base” Knowles tapped a wave to one of the technicians who replied with a
thumbs up. “Base, that’s where the real work begins”
The steering
wheel, now being used on an x-y axis, controlled the newly converted Blackhawk.
Rider felt at ease for the first time in the vehicle, the mechanical rumble
that rattled his teeth was gone and was replaced with a soothing whistle.
Soldier two nudged him and pointed out of the window. It was only then that he
noticed-partly because he could see the clouds and stars around him- that they
were flying already. He felt stunned; he just laid back and shut his eyes in
disorientation.
One hour
passed.
“Incoming
message from UNI Agent Dean Anderson” The female voice sounded identical to the
voice in Riders home.
“Perfect
timing as always”. The driver said irritably. Three keys on the dashboard were
quickly tapped by his digits and the windscreen displayed a message.
“Lieutenant Harley, on closer inspection of your “cargo’s” bio, we have
concluded that his assistance would be of more use to us in colony base-
MANHATTEN; rather than headquarters. We thank you for your cooperation”
UNI Agent D.A
Security division.
Knowles’s calm demeanour flared and blazoned. “Damn those
suits! What gives them the right to play us like this?”
“Calm yourself
soldier, the ‘suits’ happen to be the ones who call the shots around here. They
also just happen to be our employers; though I question whether employer is the
right word”
“Sorry sir”
Harley tightened his grip on the steering control and tapped
a calculation into the navigational conduit. He pressed out a tiring sigh.
“However, they do have a habit of complicating things. It just so happens we
were 30 minutes from HQ. I recommend getting some sleep, we have a six hour
flight ahead of us.” He turned to his passengers. “But I see our ‘cargo’ is
quite at ease. Shame. He won’t get peace like that again for a while.”
The soldiers
laughed at the sleeping Rider who was “like a baby”. Rider, however, was awake
the whole time, listening to them and concentrating on what was yet to come. He
had no idea at the time what he was heading into, but it was clear he had to be
prepared.
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