BOOK 2: COMMUNITY / CH. 4: IT'S NOT PARANOIA IF...
MONDAY NOON
“Thank you, John. Priscilla is almost family. It would have been very bad to loose her. But it was an interesting message, I'm guessing from my brother. We'll have to get Priscilla to check the pictures, but she should have recognised him if it was actually him in person.”
“But what does ‘don't let them spill the beans’ mean, Mummy? I guess it's an expression, but meaning what? Make a terrible mess?”
“You don't know it?” Kate was amazed. “Sarah, what about you?”
“Vaguely rings a bell. I guess it's dropped out of use.”
“John, you know it?”
“Yes, Kate, it means let the cat out of the bag.”
“Oh,” Sarah said. “It's talking about us? Writing up? But why? He's lost his gift. Why would he want it kept secret?”
“I don't know,” Maria answered. “But I don't like the way he's been able to trace Priscilla, find her home and link her to me. That speaks of inside information, somehow. That scares me. Actually, the less scary option would be that he's got a partner in crime with the power. Otherwise I've got someone in the organisation who is passing out sensitive data, or someone's broken into a database which isn't even supposed to be net-connected.”
“Mummy, that's scary all right, but there's another option. I don't know if it's more or less scary though.”
“What's that?”
“That he's got my picture from my I.D. and somehow has gained access to security camera pictures linking me to Pris, say when we went shopping together a fortnight ago. Then he found her via that picture. We know the police systems can do that. It'd just need the right corrupted officer. And on that basis, I'm going to run a quick check on people I've spent significant time with recently, unless you think I'm wrong.”
“Yes, it would certainly be worth a check.”
Karen checked her university friends and people she'd spent more than an hour with, including everyone in the rescue team from the barracks. All seemed to be OK, except two. Arnold who was getting worried about something, and George, who was sure everyone was out to get him. George was generally believed to be the most paranoid person in the Christian union, so Karen thought she'd check Arnold first. Arnold hadn't really worried even when he was being chased by armed men, so the level of worry seemed out of place somehow. She decided that it was sufficient motive to give his mind a quick peak, and was glad she had. “Mummy, have you sent anyone to interview Arnold?”
“What? No. I thought you were checking on friends?”
“I checked the rescue party too. Arnold's being interviewed by some people who claim to be Security but are asking the sort of questions he was sent to my house to answer, not who sent him and so on. He's sure they're not security, and is refusing to answer.”
“Good for him. I'll just have a little chat with the good colonel.”
“Thanks, Mummy, I'll just check on George.”
“George the paranoid?”
“Yes. He is feeling paranoid but self-satisfied. I thought that was fine, but just realised that if he's feeling like he was being proved right then that's very worrying indeed.”
Karen didn't wait for an answer but checked on George. He was in trouble.
[Someone relay please, trouble! {address}] she called, and felt Kate joining with her.
[Good job I used the eye hole. Can't be too careful, and I was right. Very good job the extra locks are still holding. Panic button number one was just in the right place too. Shame there was someone watching the back of the block. Hope the police get here quickly. And that they're not fooled by the fake security I.D.'s. Wrong colour scheme, slightly wrong font. I wonder who they are. They're making a mess out of my door. Good job it's not the original. So, contingency planning... who to call? Karen knows people, picked that up from her mind. Didn't mean to pry, lots of explaining to do. Wonder if she'll believe me if I get out of here. Call her, man, she's not scary.]
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[George, can you hear me? I'm scarier than I was last week, for bad guys anyway.]
[Karen? You're thinking at me? How? You're not touching something I'm touching, surely?]
[Recent gift from God. Scary people around doing things to my friends, I thought I should check up on everyone. My contacts are aware and pulling strings.]
[Your mum says five minutes,] Kate passed on.
[Expect the knocking to stop in about five minutes. Real Security, unless the police beat them to it.]
[Door probably won't last that long, Karen.]
[How about if you ran for it?]
[Someone watching from the building opposite. I guess I'd have half a minute's lead if I bail out quickly.]
[Urm, with that rapid descent thing you got fitted? It's scary.]
[Karen, OK, the sack of potatoes smashed when we tested it, but that's different. The principle is fully sound.]
[So was my leg until I broke it. You can't run on a broken leg, George. Save the bailout for when the door's two hits from failing, they might arrive on time. Don't suppose you got a photo of your impostors did you?]
[No photo of them. Why two hits?]
[Contingency, in case it goes after one.]
[Good thinking. Of course I have no idea how long the door's going to hold.]
[But your bailout thing is ready? No safety catches to undo or anything?]
[Yes, it's ready. No point having a quick exit if it takes a long time to get it ready. I've been preparing for today a long time, you know. It's almost a relief it's come.]
[You mean you knew it was going to happen?]
[Yes. I got given a prophesy. Actually...{joy} Well, I'll tell you later, Karen.]
[I just caught something about me in that silence, George.]
[Yes. Urm, Karen, I do like you a lot by the way, an awful lot, but to be precise the prophesy was that I'd be talking to my future wife while I was running for my life from impostors. It makes much more sense now, and I'm really glad it's you.]
[Oh. Urm. Kate, did you relay that?]
[Who's Kate?]
[My friend and employer. She's reading me and telling everyone in the room, including my mum, what you're saying. Well, Kate?]
[Yes, sorry. You mother's coping very well with the news. When's the wedding?]
[Kate! Did you hear her, George?]
[Yes. Not really time to talk about it now, I think the door's going.]
[Hi, George, Kate again. Message from security: friendly vehicle approaching on Cross street, from the city centre. Standard police markings, but armoured. Two guys from security on board armed with stunners are going to jump out and try to catch your pursuers. You jump in, lie flat. Car brings you to Karen so you can have a nice long chat.]
[OK. Karen, I'm bailing out. Hope this works, or I'm going to be in a fracture unit for a while. Aaaaaaaaa. Down, running. It worked! Police car? I don't see it.]
[My info says it's on Cross Street, parked opposite your house. You are at 56, aren't you?]
[Karen, I've never been at 56, it's 156. I keep telling you that.]
[Oh no! I'm sorry! Me and my lousy memory.]
[Running towards 56 then. Good job I was going that way anyway. Oh, pursuit are coming down my rope. Poor things.] [Why poor things?]
[Feature of the system. When it's used it waits a bit then tries to rewind. If it can't then it'll release the rope. Let's you decide to let it go back or take it with you if that's what you want.]
[OK. Car is coming towards you, guys are informed they may need to stun or anaesthetise pursuit, depending.]
[I see the car. I'll try to stop it like I'm a normal victim. Hope this is the right car, three in plain clothes inside.]
[They'll call you George if it is.] “Help, there's people with fake Security badges chasing me!” Two men got out, in the sort of immaculate ‘plain clothes’ that you could have described as Security's uniform, except that while they were equally smart they were were never uniform in style.
“In you get, George! That them on the rope?”
“Yes.”
“We'll get them.” George threw himself onto the floor as instructed, and they sprinted towards the impostors, getting their stunners ready.
[George, it looks like you're safe. I'm going to have a rest now so we can talk later. I'm probably getting tired, all this concentrating.]
[OK, Karen. Talk to you soon.]
George addressed the driver, “There was another on the roof opposite. I got a picture of him with my wrist unit.”
“Oh great. Upload it to the car's computer, will you?”
“No problem. There you are. Not great quality though.”
The driver whistled as the computer identified the man in the picture. “You're certain he was involved? And you're prepared to stand up in court and describe his behaviour?”
“Yes, absolutely. He was standing there, sort of hiding behind that balustrade, like you see him. I took the photo through a crack in the curtains. Then, when I made a more obvious show of looking out, he immediately ducked down and hid far better and I could see some kind of periscope. I'll upload a picture of that too. Here it is. And I heard the hammering stop for a bit, and one of the impostors took a call.”
“What did they say? Did you hear?”
“Yes, they weren't being careful. They said, ‘Yes boss, we'll make sure he dies nice and slowly.’ Then they said, ‘Yes boss, you told us before, just like the girl, just like the girl. Tell her mum she mustn't let them spill the beans, or the cat will have more companions, like ten years ago.’ I don't know what that all meant though.”
“I'll just jot it all into the computer, then HQ can try and figure it out.”
“Is that where we're going to now, your headquarters?”
“Not exactly, but I'll tell you something. Where we're going is making headquarters feel a bit out of the loop today.”