The passwords David provided Jack supplied a treasure trove of information about the inner workings of the elusive council. Unbeknownst to David and the Nolans, they were not as alone as they had surmised... Jack and his merry band of hackers had implanted undetectable spider bots in the system that were constantly updating their information flow. There was an entire network of dedicated individuals working tirelessly, with one common purpose -- the elimination and ultimate downfall of the nefarious culture of death. David and his sister, on the other hand, were far too busy trying to keep their own family alive and avoid the constant surveillance to focus on defeating any evil empires.
David had instructed Ann how to go dark on the net in order to avoid detection while transferring funds. Metzger and his goons may be able to observe that the accounts were dwindling, but were unable to see where the money was going. It seemed to David that this was almost turning into open warfare now. Their daily excursions with the enthusiastic Bart continued, playing their incessant game of cat and mouse with the ever-present van and its internal surveillance equipment. At least the dog is getting something out of this, David observed wryly. Onward they trudged, heads close together to avoid being overheard... what a pair they must make, thought Ann.
At work, Jim was walking on eggshells, trying to appear as if nothing was wrong -- but things were wrong, very wrong and Jim could sense it; there was an almost palpable tension in the air. He couldn't afford to trust anyone, but had to appear casual, nonchalant, in his daily routine. One day while in the executive washroom, Leyland came in and spoke in hushed tones, almost conspiratorial, handing Jim a folded envelope secretly.
"Read this when you're certain no one else can see," he practically whispered.
Jim was taken aback, "Ok," he whispered back... it was all he could manage in his state of near shock. Leyland disappeared as quickly as he had appeared.Jim was confused, looking first to his left then to his right to make certain they had not been observed. He noticed with some relief that there was no one else in the washroom or the hallway adjacent. There was no doubt in his mind as to the danger he and his family were in, but did Leyland? Surely he must, being in the position he was in. Why was he going out on a limb like this, or was he, Jim wondered? Was Masters in fact on his side, did he even have a side? He chuckled almost bitterly. If Masters was on his side, he would clearly realize the peril he was putting himself in, not to mention his own family. Or, was this some kind of ruse... Was Leyland setting a trap using himself as bait?
Jim stuffed the envelope hastily into his pocket. He looked around once more and at the row of stalls in front of him before selecting one with no heater vent over the commode. Entering, he put his hand in his pocket to withdraw the message, but thought better of it. He would stop on his way home, at a random location that would not be surveilled. He would read its contents there, in relative safety. When he returned to his office, Sarah, his secretary, was at her desk... how much could he trust her, he wondered? He would take no chances, he decided, the lives of his family were at stake and much too valuable to gamble away on a bad decision. He would really like a friend right about now, an ally at work whom he could trust and depend on – this was a lot to attempt on his own. He went back about his work.
Meanwhile, closer to home, a different van was accompanying David and Ann on their walk, slowing just long enough for David to catch a glimpse of the passenger -- it was Jack. He nodded slightly and David nodded back. The van then drove on leaving David with a small modicum of relief. His first instinct, that he fought off, was to pull his cellphone from his pocket and call, but then thought better of it. He knew they were being watched and probably listened to as well. He did inform Ann in a very hushed tone that they weren't alone.
After work, Jim stopped at a coffee shop on his way home and ordered a cup. About halfway through he rose and asked the cashier for the restroom... Safely inside he removed the envelope from his pocket and opened it...
'Jim, I'm putting myself and my family in great danger by disclosing this information to you. You and your family are under constant surveillance by Bill Metzger and his men. They're aware that you and your brother-in-law are in possession of information that they want kept quiet, Council business. Do not trust Metzger, and it would probably be in your best interest to resign from the Council. You can cite family issues, or something -- say your wife is complaining about the time away -- anything. Be careful what you say and do, especially at home and work. I can cover for you at work, you're a fine VP and doing a wonderful job; it's the Council that you need to stay away from. I'll communicate with you as much information as I can. I'm sorry I got you into this and will do whatever I can to get you out.’ ~Leyland
Well, Jim reckoned, it looked like Leyland wasn't the enemy after all... if he could be trusted, and that was the $64,000 question. He tore the note into small pieces and flushed them down the toilet. The envelope he crumbled up and threw away. He wanted to trust Leyland, he needed to. Leyland would make a much better ally than enemy. He decided to take Ann for a walk to discuss what had happened. Perhaps, she would have some insight, women's intuition. After finishing his coffee, he headed home acting as nonchalant as possible under the circumstances.
In his rooms above the garage, David went to work. The first thing he wanted to do was to send Jack a text on his encrypted phone. 'I'm glad you're here,' he wrote.
'I'm here, but I'm not here,' was the response. David wondered what was going on. Why was Jack in town... was there something else he needed to know? He supposed if there was, he would hear from Jack. Hungry, he went to the house for dinner. Jim was already home from work. David took his place at the table... they all smiled at each other- 'Let the charade begin,' he thought.
FEAR SETS IN
After dinner, Jim suggested that he and Ann take Bart for a walk. The ever-enthusiastic dog practically leapt at the door when he saw the leash, his signal that it was time to go. It was just getting dusk and Jim thought it might be easier to converse surreptitiously given their ever-present company... either the watchers were getting sloppy or not bothering to cover their tracks. When he believed they were out of earshot of the van, Jim told Ann about Leyland's note.
"Do you think you can trust him?" She asked with a puzzled look.
"Why would he take a chance of giving it to me?" Asked Jim. "He's putting his neck in a noose too if he gets caught."
"Unless he's trying to make you trust him so you'll open up," Ann had her eyebrow arched the way she did when she was suspicious of something. Jim knew the look all too well.
"But there was something in his manner," Jim said. "He acted afraid himself, as if something was wrong. Also the tone of the note..." He stopped to let Ann digest everything, she was smart and he valued her opinion.
At his hideaway above the garage, David was immersed in a chat with Jack on the dark web. Jack wanted Jim and Ann to have encrypted phones as well... just in case. It was apparent that Jack thought something was going to happen soon, that things may be comimg to a head.
'Remember, I'm watching. But I can't be everywhere at once. I want to be able to get you guys out if the SHTF,' he wrote. 'If I have to get you guys out of there, timing will be everything. You need to be able to inform your sister and her husband at a moment's notice. Once you have the phones, you'll be able to text back and forth without any eavesdropping. I'll let you know where to pick them up. Please be careful you're not followed on the way.'
David wrote back that he understood and signed off. He headed back to the house to find Jim and Ann back from their walk. "Well, Bart's loving all the exercise, I'll bet." His sister gave him the eyebrow. Jim spoke, addressing his wife, aware they were not alone.
"You know I've been thinking," he said. "These schools here are better than the ones where we were before, but if the kids are going to get into good colleges, they're going to need a leg up."
"What do you mean?" asked Ann. She could tell there was a deeper meaning to what he was saying.
"We've got the money now to pay for good universities for the kids... somewhere like Harvard, or Yale, not some state university and I don't know if the schools they're in will give them the advantage they'll need to get in. Those sort of places are getting more competitive by the day."
"What's wrong with state run universities? You went to one, so did I." Ann was looking at him directly. He gave her an exasperated look. "Oh," she said, nodding her head. "I see."
"Maybe, a parochial school," Jim suggested knowing that his wife would never go for that.
"What about boarding school," Ann said. "We can afford it and the kids are old enough now to handle it now."
"Get some names. The semester is more than half over, maybe we can get them in after Christmas."
"Ok," she agreed. David sat listening, approving. It would make things much easier not to have his niece and nephew there when the SHTF as Jack put it.
The next morning at work, Leyland got a not altogether unexpected phone call... "I have Mr. Metzger on line 3, Mr. Masters," his secretary said. "I'll take it," he said.
"Leyland," came the voice over the line. "How's every little thing?"
Leyland never liked him, but now he not only feared him. He was beginning to actually loathe him. "Bill," he said. "What can I do for you?" As if he couldn't guess.
"Nolan has to go... One way or another." Metzger said.
"You're not going to..." Leyland stopped, thinking better of saying it.
"Nobody said anything like that -- but it's a distinct possibility."
Leyland could tell Metzger was enjoying this... "What about his wife and family?"
"No reason," Metzger said. "They're not privy to any sensitive information. No guarantees about that asshole brother-in-law though. He's the one that started all this."
Leyland wasn't too worried about David, he barely knew him. "This might all be unnecessary, Jim told me he's going to resign from the Council -- effective immediately. Says he wants more time with his family... not to mention he's very valuable here at the office."
"Ok, for now... we'll wait and see." Metzger hung up leaving Leyland to stare into the handset.
Back online with Jack, David learned where the phone drop was to take place and how to proceed. Jack went on: 'It's too bad we can't have these scumbags arrested. We've got enough evidence already, thanks to your brother-in-law, to put these assholes away for years.'
'What about going to the media?' David wrote back.
'They're all a part of it. Their job is to cover-up for the scumbags. This is so huge, you have no idea! This isn't a few bad eggs, this is government agencies, high-profile nonprofit institutions, pharmaceutical giants, doctors, hospitals... How are you going to take all of them down? Nobody would believe you anyway, they’d make you out to be some kind of loonie. Remember, most people don’t know what we know, they still trust the government and the media. I gotta run- take care and don't forget what I told you.'
In the lap drawer of his desk, Jim found another note from Leyland that he read when he stopped on the way home. It warned him to be careful of Metzger and to stay alert. Jim was beginning to trust him more now. If this was a trap, why would he be warning him to be careful? Jim made up his mind to try and save Letland and his family too, if at all possible. When he got home, he suggested to David to take Bart for a walk with him.
"Leyland has been sending me notes. I guess Ann told you," Jim said.
"Yeah," David replied.
"I want to help him. Will you contact Jack and tell him?"
"I'm going to go pick up some encrypted phones for you and Ann. Jack thinks it's important you have them. You'll be able to communicate directly with him," David told the somewhat relieved Jim.
After David departed to pick up the phones, an exhausted Jim went to bed feeling a little more secure. Ann would find out about schools where they could get the kids out of harm's way and now he and Ann would be able to contact Jack should something go wrong. He fell into a fitful but much needed sleep. The next morning at work, he got an unexpected call.
"Jim, it's Bill Metzger. We need to meet," said the voice on the other end of the line. "Someplace public, a coffee shop or something."
Oh what is that under-dweller up to now?
You'll have to tune in for our next thrilling episode lol!