Operation: Fellowship

[reismark]

UNDERGROUND LAB -- UNDISCLOSED LOCATION; COMMONWEALTH OF ALIEN RACES

Dr. Thomas X. Light paced the room; his pulse rising with the passing time and step quickening with every beat. Never before in his life had he been as nervous as he was now. The reports from the newswire about Akiria were worsening by the hour. The only question that now remained in Dr. Light's troubled mind was if his worse fears would be realized.

The screaming in the next room continued unabated. As a moral person, hearing such a cry would normally anger the good doctor, but this situation was different. Screaming and suffering was a good thing here, because it meant that the staff was still searching - still looking for the one thing that gave Dr. Light nightmares. The screaming continued.

Then, just as suddenly, it stopped. Dr. Light took a deep breath, pressed the button, and spoke into his comlink:

"Did she survive the procedure?"

"Yes, but not surprisingly, she's in a severe state of shock... and withdrawal," said the voice on the other end.

"That means..."

"Yes, we found it."

Dr. Light's heart sank. All of a sudden, the newslink reports seemed calm compared to the real gravity of the situation. The voice on the other end continued:

"We're already breaking it down and analyzing the wiring, but I think it's going to be obvious what the trail eventually leads back to."

"Did she say anything discernable during the procedure?"

"Only something about happiness, and 'the plan'..."

"So is it safe to say that the entire island has these?"

"Yes, I think it would be a relatively safe assumption."

Dr. Light's knees suddenly weakened; his arthritis was starting to act up again. He collapsed into a chair towards the back of the room and pondered the situation: He'd worked too hard, too long on his labor of love for it to fall apart, for it to be taken away from him like this. He knew he didn't have much time left in this world, but for the first time in a long time, he found new resolve, and felt young again. It was amazing, he thought, how the worst of times brought out the best in creatures.

He needed to call the Prime Minister, he realized. The government needed to know the truth about Akiria.

They needed to know that Akizeta was in control... complete control.

[Drogue]

begin transmission
Meaningless propaganda. Why write? We are peaceful. We are free. Akiria is happy. Akirians are free to leave anytime they wish. Akirians stay because they are happy. Their dreams are fulfilled. Why spoil that?
end transmission

[Nikolai]

Shocking! Is there anything to do?

[Drogue]

To what end? Will the Sovietskii allow Akirian inspection teams, to survery the effects of the rebellion?

[reismark]

OOC: Just to clarify, none of this is public knowledge IC. It'll gradually get there though.

THE WHITE MANSION -- UNDISCLOSED LOCATION; COMMONWEALTH OF ALIEN RACES

The Prime Minister of the Commonwealth of Alien Races, Reismark Basheerin, had the reputation of being one of the wisest individuals not just in the nation, but in the entire world. He would always know the best course to take; he would never rush into any situation without first considering all of the possibilities.

But, to be honest, this situation befuddeled even his mind.

"You're absolutely sure of this, Doctor?"

"Absolutely, Mr. Prime Minister," replied the voice of Dr. Thomas Light over the telephone. "The biological, chemical and technological reports are utterly conclusive..."

The private pictel screen that was concealed in the Prime Minister's desk top activated, and images began to appear, one every few seconds. Medical photographs, technical schematics, all painting a picture that the doctor proceeded to put together.

"It was found implanted several layers beneath the skin after about twenty minutes. It was so small, and colored so similarly to the bone cells, that my staff admitted missing it on the first couple of passes. It was found in the back of the neck right between the cerebellum and the spinal cord, an optimal place for its purpose.

"There was no battery found. We believe that somehow the device manages to hook into and feed off of the body's natural energy supply, an amazing discovery on its own. It's comprised entirely of a metal alloy, a rare form of titanium known to exist in only two nations: Akiria, and another nation in a different region halfway around the world.

"While we were unable to sustain the device for long after removing it, it continued to function long enough for us to be able to track it. We were able to retrieve part of an IP3 address which pinpointed the destination of the device's signals to a computer system in Akiria's southeast. We were unable to compromise the system, but we have no doubts that computer eventually leads directly back to the central control unit - to Akizeta."

The gravity of all this weighed heavily on Reismark's mind. He didn't want to believe it, but this was coming from his chief AI expert, one hailed as possibly the greatest in the world. Why should he doubt him?

"I know, Doctor, that you went to great lengths and emotional turmoil to find the truth. Thank you."

"We are ready to move further, Mr. Prime Minister, at your word."

"Get back to me in a few hours with some plans to move forward. For the first time in a long time, the right course of action here is not readily apparant to me."

"Of course, Mr. Prime Minister. It isn't to me, either."

Click. Dial tone.

The pictel presentation remained, though.

Reismark looked at the evidence again. Could it be true? Could the compassionate people of Akiria, 221 million strong, have been transformed into computer-controlled drones, overnight?

He looked inside himself, and found the answer to one of his questions. It wasn't how he would act, but one just as important.

He wouldn't stand idly by.