24 They called

Spin balance cover picture

They called

 

 Susan

I have to go the lab tomorrow

 

 

 Did you tell them no?

 

 

 Lydia asked me to come in

 

 

 She say why?

 

 

 Questions about Jonathan

That’s all I know

 

24001


 

Randall’s recollection

 

 Team meeting, Daniel’s lab

Don Smith leads

 

 Thank you for all your work

 

 I will spare you the hyperbole

About service to country and truth

 

 Aside from a few remaining blanks

You found what we wanted

 

 Ingress access is a gold mine

And so is the data you found

 

 More on that later

 

 What we still need is a why

 

 We are hoping Randall

That Jonathan Warbel shared

What these Civil were up to

 

 

 (Randall pauses)

 

 Some things he said were lies

For my protection

 

 Jonathan spoke of the Civil

He said you couldn’t defeat them

 

 They wanted to use his work

To use him as their mule

 

 Jonathan thought if he was unstable

He could block them from doing so

 

 So he committed himself

To destroy his own credibility

 

 In my article

I tried to help him do that

 

 Then all this started

 

 

 Randall

 

 We know from your interview

What you’ve been through

 

 But we need Jonathan’s input now

Can you tell us more on that?

 

 

 Yes, I’m sorry

 

 I reviewed my notes this morning

 

 Jonathan spoke of balancing a tire

But the tire was the Earth

 

 He shared concepts

Like mass and frequency

Gaussian process regression

And “Letting the data speak”

 

 He said the Warbel Effect

Was based on what wasn’t there

Instead of what was

 

 I don’t know what that means

 

 He found “the Lion’s roar”

Magnetosheath waves, whistlers

In the very low frequency spectrum

 

 I’m sorry the notes seem scattered

It was like that at times.

 

 He said the Hubble space telescope

Saw things it shouldn’t have seen

So it was corrected

 

 Jonathan’s work must hold clues

 

 He said the Civil

Were trying to balance the planet

But that was one of his lies

 

 He said he saw the face of evil

 

 Then he said

They weren’t balancing at all

 

 I understood it to mean

They wanted to destroy

 

 Then he said

It’s time to go home

And he died

 

 That’s it

 

24002


 

Movers and shakers

 

 Daniel’s lab

Don debriefs the team

 

 The tensor field study is real

 

 Communications and planning

Are real also, so it seems

 

 Moving mass and studying effects

They seem to be concentrating

On influencing plate tectonics

 

 Earthquake studies suggest shifting

And moving of the Earth’s figure axis

 

 Even changing the duration of a day

 

 It’s laughable except for the fact

Seismic activity and tilt is increasing

Rotation is slowing and Earth’s orbit

Around the sun, is changing

 

 If this is manmade interference

We want to know how it works

How much has been done

And how to stop it

 

 Your work here

Bought us a ticket to that dance

 

 For some of you the dance is over

And you can return to your lives

 

 Sparks data is above top secret

It’s compartmental information

 

 It will never be declassified

You will not share any of this

 

 As of this instant Sparks data is over

Liquidated vanquished disappeared

Never to be mentioned again

 

 The new name will be USIIFNC

US Intelligence Infiltration

By Foreign National Conspirators

 

 Kind of catchy don’t you think?

 

 Without tipping our hand

We will obtain warrants necessary

To gain wideband data access

Dating back decades

 

 We need to determine

The depth of the breach

 

 Deep State will have no choice

But to concur

 

 Randall, if you are willing

 

 We want you to break our story

And other information as it evolves

 

 You will cite unnamed sources

And government whistle-blowers

 

 You’ll get the lead before anyone

 

 This is how it works

 

 Effectively you are off the project

Except as a reporter

Reporting in an official capacity

No more surveillance

 

 

 (Randall smiles and nods yes)

 

 

 As for my team

 

 Haley is headed home

Her expertise is needed there

 

 Tenison will remain here at the lab

Tasked with shredding and transfer

 

 Liamsi if you could please stay on

To help Tenison with that task

At current pay and compensation

 

 It will be greatly appreciated

 

 

 Thank you Don

I will be happy to do that

 

 

 Rothells should come!

 

 

 Daniel has a job here Haley

 

 

 I’ll go!

 

 If I can?

I’ll go

 

 

 Alright Daniel

I’ll see what I can do

 

 That leaves Lydia and Phillip

Your expertise would be valuable

 

 

 I’m out Don

I don’t need the excitement

 

 I’ll stay on to help in the lab

And then I’m gone

 

 

 That’s fine Phillip

Thank you

 

 

 I’m in

 

 

 That’s very good to hear, Lydia

I was hoping you would come

 

 You and Daniel can see me after

I’ll get paperwork started

 

 Ok so that’s it

Thank you all again

 

 Your nation owes you big time

I think you know that

 

 Beyond that I thank you

For truly excellent work

 

24003


 

Are you coming

Because of me?

 

 Because I want you to?

 

 

 Yes I am

 

 

 (Haley smiles)

 

 Why?

 

 

 Because with you

There’s no pretense

 

 You say what you mean

And I feel I can do the same

 

 It’s honest and it’s open

 

 I need to see where it goes

 

 

 Need to see or want to see?

 

 

 Yes

 

 

 (Haley smiles)

 

 That’s good Rothells

Me too

 

24004


 

Daniel’s

Clearance interview

 

 NSA interview room

 

 Why did you volunteer Daniel?

 

 

 This feels big Don

 

 I’m already involved

And I want to do my part

 

 

 So honor and country?

 

 Well that’s refreshing

 

 Haley seems attached to you

Has it anything to do with that?

 

 

 Yes, that’s part of it

I’m attached to her too

 

 

 That’s frowned upon Daniel

But since you’re status is temporary

And Haley lights up around you

I’ll allow it under one condition

 

 Haley deserves to be happy

And she doesn’t get distracted

So that’s not a problem

 

 But I can’t show favoritism

So no open fraternization at all

Understand?

 

 

 Yes sir, no holding hands

I understand

 

 

 You won’t be working with Haley

Haley works in the cage

It’s a classified environment

And you’re not cleared to work there

 

 Does that affect your decision?

 

 Do you still want to work here?

 

 

 Yes I do

I want to help

 

 

 Good

 

 Your IBI is nearly complete

But your EBI could take awhile

 

 

 What’s an IBI?

 

 

 Background investigation

 

 IBI is Intermediate

It follows a PIBI

Which is a preliminary impact

 

 You passed it ok

 

 

 I didn’t know

I was being investigated

 

 

 (Don laughs)

No, you did not

 

 You hacked NSA, Daniel

 

 Investigations are compulsory

They’re on the house

 

 Had you not passed

You’d be in prison now

 

 IBI clears you for some work

 

 An extended investigation

Clears you for the rest

But an EBI can take time

 

 We need to make sure

Your dear sweet grandmother

Wasn’t a war criminal

 

 

 I think we’re ok there Don

 

24005


 

Daniel’s assignment

 

 Don continues

 

 Good

Then let’s go over your duties

 

 You will basically be performing

The same work you did in your lab

But this time in a very secure lab

With a secure staff

 

 And with specialized equipment

Probably ten times more efficient

Than anything you’ve ever seen

 

 You will scrub wideband tapes

For color and coordinate files

Like the ones you found before

 

 The team leader

Will assist you with things

Until you catch on

Probably half a day or so

 

 You will flag data locations

Your staff will collect them

Your time is too important

 

 Data will be logged, serialized

And sent on to analysis

 

 Ok so far Daniel?

 

 Any questions?

 

 

 No I’m good Don

 

 

 Ok then

Now for the rules

 

 You’re the only one

Who knows the process

 

 Your staff collects the data

That’s all they do

 

 Analysis works the data

Without knowing its source

 

 And that’s everything

You’re allowed to know

 

 Your staff is assigned to you

You’re not their boss

They’re not your friends

 

 So do your job, don’t share

And you’ll all get along

 

 That’s the rules

 

24006


 

Haley works in the cage

 

She monitors Ingress traffic

Just as she monitored Daniel’s lab

 

No one knew she was there

But with Ingress

She never speaks

 

Haley collects in real time

She traps everything

 

At the end of her shift

Another operator sits down

 

And after their shift

Another fills in

Until Haley returns

 

Only the best operators

Work the cage

 

24007


 

Breach?

 

 By Randall Sparks

 

 Unnamed sources claim

There’s been a concerted effort

To infiltrate data communications

Of several US government agencies

And some private US entities

By more than one foreign country

 

 While specific targets are unnamed

At this time sources suspect targets

To include power grids, interior

Shipping, lands, weather, dams

And infrastructure

 

 Suspect countries include

But are not limited to China

Iran, North Korea and Russia

 

 Investigations have begun

Under a press blackout

 

 More information

Is expected soon

 

 You will here it tomorrow

 

 But if you want it first

Get up with the Daily Sun

 

 Sparks - on the record

For the record

 

24008


 

Second NSA phone call

 

 Mr. Connor it’s Ethan Stearns

National Security Agency

We spoke awhile back?

 

 

 Yes Mr. Stearns

What can I help you with?

 

(Joe waves at Randall

to come to his office)

 

 

 Mr. Connor

Your reporter Randall Sparks

Was made aware of a data breach

Before we were aware of it

 

 How do you suppose it’s possible?

 

 

 Is it false?

 

 

 That’s not the point Mr. Connor

 

 Leaks threaten the United States

Your country Mr. Connor

 

 

 What secrets did we expose?

 

 

 Now you listen

 

 

 No Mr. Stearns

You listen

 

 Read the first amendment?

 

 No law shall abridge

Freedom of speech or free press

Of which we are part of

 

 Our print revealed no US secrets

 

 Embarrassment isn’t classified

 

 So if you want to set up a liaison

To proof before print, I’ll listen

 

 But you don’t get our sources

And you don’t get to intimidate me

Or anyone on my staff

 

 Because I have a US Congressman

And two US Senators in the rolodex

 

 Capiche?

 

 

 Perhaps we could send a liaison

 

 

 He better be available all hours

 

 

 That sounds fair Mr. Connor

 

 We’ll be in touch

Good day sir

 

 

 Goodbye Mr. Stearns

 

 (Joe gives the ‘high fist’ sign to

Randall sitting across from him

 

 

 Randall mouths ‘yes!’

Neither man speaks)

 

24009