Red to Fade (2 page)

The year is now 2116. In Los Angeles it's night-time. It's a quiet night in the City of Angels. There's a mild heat in the air.

FBI Agent Ryan Clarke, who works in the robbery and homicide division, Los Angeles branch, is driving in his car and on his way to meet another agent, Connor Harper. Ryan spoke with Connor earlier over the phone to arrange a meeting. There's been a lot on Ryan's mind lately; he has figured out the reason why there are agents going missing in the FBI Los Angeles branch. Yesterday Ryan was told some shocking information by FBI Agent Carlton Jones.

Today Ryan tried to get in contact with Carlton. He can't find him anywhere. Ryan finally arrives at the destination where he's supposed to meet Connor Harper. He parks his car in the car park of the West Coast Leisure Centre, a fitness training business. In the West Coast Leisure Centre you can lift weights in the gym, go swimming, play tennis and basketball and take part in many other activities.

Ryan enters the West Coast Leisure Centre. There's a beautiful blonde at the reception desk. Her name is Alison.

Alison says, “Hello sir, how can I help you today?”

“I would like to go for a swim please,” Ryan replies.

Ryan has no intention of going for a swim; he just wants to meet Connor in the spectator section of the swimming pool.

Alison says, “That will be ten dollars, please.”

Ryan hands Alison a ten-dollar note. Alison puts the money in the cash register and prints out a swimming pool pass. Alison hands Ryan the pass and says, “Thank you very much, sir. Enjoy your swim.”

Ryan replies, “Thanks.”

Ryan goes to the spectator section of the swimming pool. Moments later, he makes it to the spectator section and looks around. As usual there's not a lot of people watching other people swim, just a parent watching his kid and a group of guys sitting there for a place to wait so that they can kill some time before their game of basketball starts. There are a couple of girls as well who have just finished their swimming session and they're waiting for someone to pick them up to go home.

There are about ten people swimming in the swimming pool. On the outside of the pool there's a West Coast Leisure Centre employee watching everyone, making sure they are all safe and nobody is up to anything they shouldn't be. In the spectator section there's a white guy wearing black trousers and a blue jumper with a hood. It's FBI Agent Connor Harper.

His law enforcement career started at the age of eighteen. Connor's main goal in life was always to work for the FBI because he felt that was where the main action was. When he was eighteen he started working as a patrol officer for the LAPD and he worked with them for three years. But he wanted to become a detective. At the age of twenty-one, he studied and completed test exams for a detective job placement. He passed all the exams and became a detective, and worked as a detective for the LAPD for four years.

At the age of twenty-five, Connor studied and completed test exams for an FBI agent job placement. He passed all the exams and became an FBI agent. He's been working for the FBI for the last thirteen years. Connor works in the Los Angeles FBI branch. He is a white Irish-American and is currently on a two-week holiday leave. Ryan and Connor have known each other for years as they both work in the robbery and homicide division of the FBI.

Ryan sees Connor and he walks over to meet him.

Ryan says, “Hey Connor, how's it going?”

Connor makes a moaning reply. “I was doing good, man, until you dragged my ass here on my day off. What's up? What's so important you had to meet me here?”

Ryan says, “I didn't want to talk about this over the phone. I just heard some shocking news yesterday from Carlton.” Connor, Ryan and Carlton all work in the same division of the FBI. “Carlton said to me that he thought there was something strange about Joel Davis and a group of agents going for meetings in the main server room on the IT floor.”

Joel Davis is the head of the FBI Los Angeles branch. He is also one of the most corrupt agents in the FBI. The only reason why Joel joined the FBI was to make as much money as humanly possible by hook or by crook. Many times he has stolen money and drugs from the evidence room. He has corrupt agents working for him as well. Joel would often get them to sell drugs to make a fortune. Joel is a really smart guy and nobody has a clue how corrupt he is; everyone thinks he's one of the greatest FBI agents.

“Many times Joel and some agents would go to the main server room for a meeting. So Carlton decided to plant a wireless audio/video camera in the room to see what all of these meetings were about. This was about a month ago.”

Before Carlton planted the wireless camera in the main server room, he got someone to turn off the power in the FBI security personnel room so that nobody could see what he was doing. The agents who work in the personnel room can see video footage of the cameras that are inside the main server room.

“He says that he recorded audio/video footage of Joel Davis instructing other agents about a mission to attack a base and download a file called ‘DC' from a building in a base in the First Dome. He has all of this footage stored in his computer and on storage disks. Carlton told me that he has recorded audio/video footage of Joel saying that there was a ship called
CS-10
that was made to crash in an ocean near America.

“The ship was made to crash land by a group of agents who escaped in an escape pod before the ship crashed. Apparently a salvage team salvaged all the equipment used to create the glacitone and RB-7 robots from the ship. They have the equipment used to create the RB-7 robots, glacitone and tricadell steel, but they don't know how to use it.”

Connor asks, “What is the DC file?”

Ryan answers, “Carlton said that the DC file gives information on how to use the equipment to create the RB-7 robots, tricadell steel and glacitone, and how to build a glacitone dome. He also said that the audio/video footage he recorded showed plans on the large monitor screen in the main server room of the base that suggest that they plan to attack. DC stands for Dome Creation.”

Connor asks, “What is the name of the base they plan to attack?”

Ryan replies, “Carlton says it's called CSB-R1.”

CSB-R1 stands for Clandarian Soldier Base, Red 1.

“He also says that the plan of Joel's mission is in a file called ‘R-1', which is stored in the computer in the main server room. From watching the recorded footage he said that every time they have had a meeting in the main server room somebody always logs in to the computer, then types in a cipher code to get access to the Red 1 folder and open the R-1 file. Joel would always call out the cipher code to an agent; then that agent would type it in.”

Connor asks, “Do you believe what Carlton is telling you?”

Ryan replies, “Yeah, I believe him. Why would he want to lie about this shit?”

Connor asks, “Do you have any of these recorded meetings?”

Ryan answers, “No, man, Carlton has all of them recorded on disks and on his computer. I went to Carlton's house today, but he wasn't there and his house is completely trashed. His computer is gone. I tried to get in contact with him on the phone; I can't find him, his phone just keeps on ringing with no answer.”

Connor feels overwhelmed after hearing all of this information; he doesn't know what to do. But he says, “That might explain why some agents have gone missing; they found out what Joel was up to and then Joel made them disappear, or maybe he asked them to join his crew and they refused and then Joel killed them because he doesn't want them talking about his mission. What in the hell would Joel do with the RB-7 robots and glacitone? There have to be others involved.”

Ryan says, “Yeah, man, that's what I'm thinking. There could be members of congress and people in the White House involved. For years the government has been pestering the Balaxians for their RB-7 and glacitone technology. Carlton said that some of the guys that were at the meetings in the main server room are guys who we work with. He said that Alvarez, Ryder and a lot of others are involved.”

Alvarez and Ryder are agents who work in the robbery and homicide division. Connor says, “There's a possibility that this could start a war between the Clandarians and America; God knows what the reaction could be from the Balaxians after they have some of their secret information taken away from them.”

Ryan asks, “What do you want to do?”

Connor replies, “We need to download that R-1 file and show it to the Clandarians. Did Carlton say when they plan to attack?”

Ryan replies, “No, he didn't. He said that Joel mentioned in one of the recorded meetings that if anyone downloads the R-1 file they will be met with a severe penalty.”

Ryan fills Connor in on more information. Joel allows the R-1 file to be downloadable because he wants to see if any of his crew will download the file; it's a test to see who he can trust and who he can't. Joel has the R-1 file set up with an alert system, which means that he will receive an alert message on his cell phone and computer to let him know that someone is downloading the R-1 file at the exact time that it happens.

Anytime an agent would want to take a look and study the R-1 file the agent would have to ask Joel for an access code to the main server room. Joel would give that agent a temporary access code to open the door. If an agent typed in the temporary access code on the keypad of the main server room door, it would open.

After the main server room door is opened by a temporary access code and the agent has gone inside the main server room and then left and closed the door behind them, the temporary access code becomes useless and cannot open the main server room door ever again. Ever since the R-1 file was created and stored in the main server room Joel has been the only guy to have or grant access to the room.

Connor says, “What the hell does that mean?”

Ryan replies, “Well, I'm thinking he means death. You need access codes to type into the keypad of the main server room door to open it. Do you have these codes?”

Connor answers, “No, I don't have any of these codes. How did Carlton get them?”

Ryan replies, “I don't know how Carlton got the codes.”

Connor says, “Who else have you told about this?”

Ryan replies, “I've just told you and your partner. Carlton said he didn't see my partner or yours at any of the meetings in the main server room. I'm going to tell my partner tonight. I also said to Dylan that I was going to tell you about what's going on.”

Connor says, “I'm going to ask Dylan to see if he would be able to get access codes for the main server room door.”

Dylan is Connor's FBI partner. Before he became Connor's partner in the robbery and homicide division he worked in the cyber division of the FBI, fighting cyber terrorism. Dylan always wanted to work in robbery and homicide because that's where the action is. Dylan and Connor have been partners for years.

Ryan asks, “Do you think that he'll be able to get the codes?”

Connor answers, “Yeah, man, Dylan is an IT whiz kid; he can hack into anything and steal any program codes.”

FBI security personnel are the guys who keep a watchful eye on the whole FBI Los Angeles branch building from their room. They have cameras installed everywhere in the FBI building. The FBI security personnel watch the video footage of all of the cameras that are installed in the building from their video monitor screens in the FBI security personnel room. Joel informed FBI security personnel to contact him every time somebody goes into the main server room.

The only people who have access to the main server room are Joel and his corrupt troops when they ask Joel for access. Joel is able to see video footage of the main server room from his computer. The FBI security personnel aren't a part of Joel's corrupt crew and mission.

Ryan says, “We need to do something about that video camera that's inside the main server room. I reckon Joel and his crew are watching that room.”

Connor says, “I'll think of something. Also I'm going to see if Dylan can get me a password and a user name to log in to the computer in the main server room. Do you have the cipher code to get access to the R-1 folder?”

Ryan replies, “Yes.”

Ryan has the cipher code stored in his cell phone. He pulls out his phone and finds the code.

Ryan asks Connor, “Are you ready to take down this code?”

Connor pulls out his phone. He's ready.

Connor says, “Yeah, give me the code.”

Ryan says, “The code is
TRAX-13-56-78-900
.”

Connor stores the code in his cell phone.

Connor says, “Here's what I'm going to do. I'm going to download the R-1 file, then go to Red 1 and then I'm going to go to the CSB-R1 base and tell them what's going to happen. I'm going to show them the plans.”

Ryan says, “I'm coming with you.”

Connor says, “No, I need someone on the inside. I need you to stay in the FBI building so that you can give me contact information, and also you might be able to monitor Joel.”

Ryan says, “I'm going to try to get in contact with the CSB-R1 base to let them know what is happening.”

Connor asks, “Do you have their planet communicator number?”

You can get in contact from Earth with anyone in the glacitone domes with a planet communicator. The planet communicator is a piece of Balaxian technology.

Ryan replies, “No, but I'll find out. Do you know anyone on Mars?”

Connor answers, “Yeah, Gabrielle Hoffman, she used to work in the counter-terrorism division in our branch before she moved to the Big Rock to work as a Red 1 law enforcer.”

Ryan replies, “I didn't know that Gabrielle moved to the Red Planet.”

Connor says, “I'll try to get in contact with her and let her know what's going on. OK, so I'm going to contact Dylan tonight and let him know what's happening. When I have the information needed to get into the main server room and access the computer I'll give you a call to let you know when I'm going into the main server room.”