Post by Christian Moynahan on Jan 10, 2016 22:40:25 GMT -5
10 January 2016
early morning
early morning
The day began, as ever of late, with a headache. Christian arrived at work before the sun rose in Los Angeles, kept his computer monitors dimmed and the lights off, and worked in near silence. His work these days had been sporadic and random, as he had found it difficult to focus for any long time on any one subject. Only two people were fully aware of what was happening to him at the moment, and one was bound by doctor-patient privilege; other friends knew that Christian was unwell, but not to what extent. Marshall had recommended taking time away from work, but that was the last thing Christian could do at the moment, with Ira Reier finding every bit of his own dirt and attacking him with it. He did not need “unfit for duty” added to the list.
Fortunately, saving the country a few times seemed to be worth remembering, as the public had proven quite resistant to the mud-slinging. Reier seemed to have very little on him anyway; the darker stuff, such as promiscuity, did not apply, and there was no evidence that he was experimenting on people.He was hiding that well. As for himself, Christian had responded to very few of the accusations and not issued any of his own, although he could; he left it to Fallon and her PR team to manage his and Ark’s image. Reier himself was likable and was providing more and more of the country with nearly-free energy, so the man had his own shield; but if it came down to the public choosing between Reier and Moynahan….
The other man had to know that. It was likely why he had not pushed any harder than he was.
Sighing, fully aware that he would get little accomplished that day, Christian closed his eyes and rested his head on the lab table. The pain never left; sometimes it was faint, but it was always present. When would he adjust? Why was this happening? His ability had manifested decades earlier; why was it evolving now, all of a sudden?
Decades… he also now had to deal with the fact that he was thirty-six years old. The birthday had passed quietly, and thankfully he had almost a full year before he had to deal with another. He was growing older. He did not feel it, aside from the ability shift. Still, he hated it. He hated getting older, hated thinking about it.
Hated thinking about the years that had passed. So much pain… and despite the bright spots like Maurelle and Lucius and Gabriel and Alice, it was difficult for him not to dwell on the harms. He had been through too much and gotten too little back for it. But such was life, he supposed.
A light tap sounded at the lab room door. “Christian? Are you in there?”
That was Drew’s voice. Christian sighed. “Is something the matter?”
“You have a visitor.”
He did not get up. “You know I don’t entertain unannounced guests.”
“I think you’ll want to talk to this one.” Drew lowered his voice. “It’s about Reier.”
Great. Christian sighed again. “Sen them to the waiting room. I’ll be up at my office in a minute.”
Once Drew responded and left, Christian exited the room and took an elevator up to one of the top floors. From there he entered his office, hung up his black lab coat, and sent for the visitor.
She was a tall woman, a bit heavyset, but not poorly built. Older, perhaps nearing fifty, but something about her bearing made her appear younger. Christian walked over and extended his hand, which she shook. “Good morning, Ms-“
“-Keyes,” she said abruptly. “Thank you for taking the time to speak with me today.”
Christian gestured toward a chair, and Keyes took a seat, as did he afterwards. Then he folded his hands, to allow her to begin the conversation. She raised an eyebrow but did so, albeit without commenting on the slightly darkened office.
“Your colleague must certainly have told you why I’m here,” she began, “or else you would have not agreed to the meeting.”
There was something very off about the woman’s energy. Christian was trying to place it. “I would like to hear it from you.”
“Very well.” She settled back. “I am gathering information regarding the activities of one Ira Reier.”
“And how do I relate to those activities?”
“You have in your employ several teams of energy experts, not to mention those employed by the Kilvayne Corporation. I have access to experts as well, but we need outsiders - people more familiar with the private sector than we are.”
That confirmed one of Christian’s suspicions. Government. “Why would I help you?”
“For one, Reier is a direct competitor. You need him gone as much as we do.”
Christian held up a hand. “Ark and KVC operate in many more fields than just energy, Ms. Keyes. Our loss in that field is not the end of us.”
“But it is a serious blow. KVC stock has been suffering for it. For another, as a scientist, you have a personal interest in learning the details behind Reier’s work. And for another, we have reason to believe that Reier’s methods are dangerous.”
The woman was making good points, but was missing Christian’s own. “I will phrase my question differently: Why would I help the government?”
She sighed. “Do you still have reservations about the government, despite the sweeps that you and Gabriel Constant oversaw when you placed Lucius Kilvayne in power?”
“Lucius is one man. A very powerful and influential one, but still, only one. We were not able to replace all of you, or even most of you. Yes, I still have reservations.”
Keyes shrugged. “Mr. Moynahan, we-“
“Which agency?” Christian leaned back. The headache was kicking in hard.
“At the moment,” Keyes said, “I represent a joint effort among several agencies, as well as a few private interests. The name is Operation Samhradh, and it is a covert operation.”
“Summer.” Christian frowned. “Why a Gaelic word?”
She smiled faintly. “With respect to Reier’s roots. And because it’s barely pronounceable to our American tongues.”
“Reier is English.”
“So he says. We very much doubt that.”
Now Christian raised an eyebrow.
“At any rate,” Keyes continued, “we are having trouble pinpointing the exact source of Reier’s supposedly free energy. Now that he is hiring researchers, we would like to slip some knowledgeable civilians in to study and monitor things.”
That was when it hit him, at the most random time. Without showing his alarm, he casually reached for his cell phone and started typing a message to his security team. “And what happens when my people are caught?”
“They won’t be. We’ll give them complete cover identities.”
“Some of them have listed Ark as their employers on their Facebook profiles. I don’t think it will be that simple, Ms. Keyes.”
Fortunately, saving the country a few times seemed to be worth remembering, as the public had proven quite resistant to the mud-slinging. Reier seemed to have very little on him anyway; the darker stuff, such as promiscuity, did not apply, and there was no evidence that he was experimenting on people.
The other man had to know that. It was likely why he had not pushed any harder than he was.
Sighing, fully aware that he would get little accomplished that day, Christian closed his eyes and rested his head on the lab table. The pain never left; sometimes it was faint, but it was always present. When would he adjust? Why was this happening? His ability had manifested decades earlier; why was it evolving now, all of a sudden?
Decades… he also now had to deal with the fact that he was thirty-six years old. The birthday had passed quietly, and thankfully he had almost a full year before he had to deal with another. He was growing older. He did not feel it, aside from the ability shift. Still, he hated it. He hated getting older, hated thinking about it.
Hated thinking about the years that had passed. So much pain… and despite the bright spots like Maurelle and Lucius and Gabriel and Alice, it was difficult for him not to dwell on the harms. He had been through too much and gotten too little back for it. But such was life, he supposed.
A light tap sounded at the lab room door. “Christian? Are you in there?”
That was Drew’s voice. Christian sighed. “Is something the matter?”
“You have a visitor.”
He did not get up. “You know I don’t entertain unannounced guests.”
“I think you’ll want to talk to this one.” Drew lowered his voice. “It’s about Reier.”
Great. Christian sighed again. “Sen them to the waiting room. I’ll be up at my office in a minute.”
Once Drew responded and left, Christian exited the room and took an elevator up to one of the top floors. From there he entered his office, hung up his black lab coat, and sent for the visitor.
She was a tall woman, a bit heavyset, but not poorly built. Older, perhaps nearing fifty, but something about her bearing made her appear younger. Christian walked over and extended his hand, which she shook. “Good morning, Ms-“
“-Keyes,” she said abruptly. “Thank you for taking the time to speak with me today.”
Christian gestured toward a chair, and Keyes took a seat, as did he afterwards. Then he folded his hands, to allow her to begin the conversation. She raised an eyebrow but did so, albeit without commenting on the slightly darkened office.
“Your colleague must certainly have told you why I’m here,” she began, “or else you would have not agreed to the meeting.”
There was something very off about the woman’s energy. Christian was trying to place it. “I would like to hear it from you.”
“Very well.” She settled back. “I am gathering information regarding the activities of one Ira Reier.”
“And how do I relate to those activities?”
“You have in your employ several teams of energy experts, not to mention those employed by the Kilvayne Corporation. I have access to experts as well, but we need outsiders - people more familiar with the private sector than we are.”
That confirmed one of Christian’s suspicions. Government. “Why would I help you?”
“For one, Reier is a direct competitor. You need him gone as much as we do.”
Christian held up a hand. “Ark and KVC operate in many more fields than just energy, Ms. Keyes. Our loss in that field is not the end of us.”
“But it is a serious blow. KVC stock has been suffering for it. For another, as a scientist, you have a personal interest in learning the details behind Reier’s work. And for another, we have reason to believe that Reier’s methods are dangerous.”
The woman was making good points, but was missing Christian’s own. “I will phrase my question differently: Why would I help the government?”
She sighed. “Do you still have reservations about the government, despite the sweeps that you and Gabriel Constant oversaw when you placed Lucius Kilvayne in power?”
“Lucius is one man. A very powerful and influential one, but still, only one. We were not able to replace all of you, or even most of you. Yes, I still have reservations.”
Keyes shrugged. “Mr. Moynahan, we-“
“Which agency?” Christian leaned back. The headache was kicking in hard.
“At the moment,” Keyes said, “I represent a joint effort among several agencies, as well as a few private interests. The name is Operation Samhradh, and it is a covert operation.”
“Summer.” Christian frowned. “Why a Gaelic word?”
She smiled faintly. “With respect to Reier’s roots. And because it’s barely pronounceable to our American tongues.”
“Reier is English.”
“So he says. We very much doubt that.”
Now Christian raised an eyebrow.
“At any rate,” Keyes continued, “we are having trouble pinpointing the exact source of Reier’s supposedly free energy. Now that he is hiring researchers, we would like to slip some knowledgeable civilians in to study and monitor things.”
That was when it hit him, at the most random time. Without showing his alarm, he casually reached for his cell phone and started typing a message to his security team. “And what happens when my people are caught?”
“They won’t be. We’ll give them complete cover identities.”
“Some of them have listed Ark as their employers on their Facebook profiles. I don’t think it will be that simple, Ms. Keyes.”
Shut down all electronic communications on our networks immediately.
He pressed Send.
“Ah,” Keyes said. “You caught on. You’re even better than they said. Even sick.”
“You’re a Special that controls signals. It’s fairly uncommon and not difficult to identify given your energy signature.” Christian rolled his eyes. “’Sick’?”
“It’s well enough known that you have been struggling with your abilities since last November. At any rate, as tempting as it is, I’m not after any information on Ark. I barely touched your networks. As far as you or anyone else is concerned, I have no abilities.”
Christian snorted. “Absolutely. Thank you for your visit, Ms. Keyes. We’ll not be in touch.”
She did not get up to leave. “And why not?”
“I’m not endangering any of my staff. Reier will be vetting his new hires heavily to make sure they aren’t connected to any concerned parties, especially me.”
“Then at least help us manage the agents we do send in. And help us interpret any information we gather.”
“And be your scapegoat in case you fail?”
Keyes looked at him. “Your public image is better than ours by leagues, Mr. Moynahan. I don’t think ‘scapegoat’ is a term that can be applied to you.”
“Fair enough. ‘Martyr,’ then.”
She narrowed her eyes. “We have reason to believe his process, whatever it is, is dangerous. We are asking for your help. If not for your country, and its people, then at least for the love of science.”
He leaned back and glanced at her briefly. “Who is in control of this operation?”
“That’s classified.”
“You are, then.” The microexpression that had crossed her face said enough. “I already have people embedded in Reier’s organization. You will not screw them over.”
Keyes stared at him. “That’s illegal.”
“So is everything about your operation, which I am now privy to. Should I call Reier and inform him?”
She folded her arms. “What do you want?”
“You send any ‘information’ you want analyzed directly to me. I know you’re capable of it. You keep me informed of every move made in this operation so I can keep my people clear. And you don’t do any investigating into my company.”
“Fair enough.” She shrugged again.
“Then I’ll help you.”
“Excellent.” They stood up and shook hands. “I’ll have an initial report drawn up for you. Meanwhile, go home to your wife. You need the day off.”
Christian gave her a half-stare, half-glare. “Wedding ring,” Keyes pointed out. “The fact that you actually live in Texas, now, that one is less obvious.”
“Don’t make me change my mind,” Christian warned.
She tilted her head as she left. “Of course not, Mr. Moynahan. Thank you for your service.”
“Ah,” Keyes said. “You caught on. You’re even better than they said. Even sick.”
“You’re a Special that controls signals. It’s fairly uncommon and not difficult to identify given your energy signature.” Christian rolled his eyes. “’Sick’?”
“It’s well enough known that you have been struggling with your abilities since last November. At any rate, as tempting as it is, I’m not after any information on Ark. I barely touched your networks. As far as you or anyone else is concerned, I have no abilities.”
Christian snorted. “Absolutely. Thank you for your visit, Ms. Keyes. We’ll not be in touch.”
She did not get up to leave. “And why not?”
“I’m not endangering any of my staff. Reier will be vetting his new hires heavily to make sure they aren’t connected to any concerned parties, especially me.”
“Then at least help us manage the agents we do send in. And help us interpret any information we gather.”
“And be your scapegoat in case you fail?”
Keyes looked at him. “Your public image is better than ours by leagues, Mr. Moynahan. I don’t think ‘scapegoat’ is a term that can be applied to you.”
“Fair enough. ‘Martyr,’ then.”
She narrowed her eyes. “We have reason to believe his process, whatever it is, is dangerous. We are asking for your help. If not for your country, and its people, then at least for the love of science.”
He leaned back and glanced at her briefly. “Who is in control of this operation?”
“That’s classified.”
“You are, then.” The microexpression that had crossed her face said enough. “I already have people embedded in Reier’s organization. You will not screw them over.”
Keyes stared at him. “That’s illegal.”
“So is everything about your operation, which I am now privy to. Should I call Reier and inform him?”
She folded her arms. “What do you want?”
“You send any ‘information’ you want analyzed directly to me. I know you’re capable of it. You keep me informed of every move made in this operation so I can keep my people clear. And you don’t do any investigating into my company.”
“Fair enough.” She shrugged again.
“Then I’ll help you.”
“Excellent.” They stood up and shook hands. “I’ll have an initial report drawn up for you. Meanwhile, go home to your wife. You need the day off.”
Christian gave her a half-stare, half-glare. “Wedding ring,” Keyes pointed out. “The fact that you actually live in Texas, now, that one is less obvious.”
“Don’t make me change my mind,” Christian warned.
She tilted her head as she left. “Of course not, Mr. Moynahan. Thank you for your service.”
