The Krakow Klub (16 page)

Stoellar
was known
as an astute businessman who had a talent for
shedding his assets at peak value for maximum profit. That was also
true of his associates. He could drop them without the blink of an
eye, no matter how valuable they had been in the past. Anything
past its peak was of no further value to him.

They continued talking until late in the
night. Neither ever tired of reviewing and refining plans and
discussing how to streamline the organization. Together, they were
the most dedicated and dangerous people on a planet they would soon
control. At least that was their plan.

One world, two rulers? Possible, perhaps. But
likely?

“I may not have gone where
I intended to go, but I think I have ended up where I needed to
be.”
-
Douglas Adams
,
The
Long Dark Tea-Time of the Soul

“Don't you think it's
better to be extremely happy for a short while, even if you
lose
it,
than to be just okay for your whole life?”
-
Audrey
Niffenegger
,
The Time Traveler's Wife

Jim Slater was not happy. It had been more
than two full weeks since that fateful meeting in the Situation
Room of the White House. He had spoken to the president the day
after the meeting and answered as much as he could about Tom and
his possible threat to the government. He was sure that Mathew
Walker would not have approved of his talking with the president,
but he would let the president tell him about the conservation.

Since that one conversation, there had been
nothing else asked
of
him. With every passing
day, he became more and more agitated and more dissatisfied.
Recently, he had come to face the fact that life in this town was
not as he had expected it to be.

How could there be such a case of stagnation
right after an alien spacecraft had been sighted? Washington, DC,
should be
buzzing
with activity. Various
government agencies should have been in high gear investigating the
situation. Politicians should have been screaming for more money
for space exploration budgets. He should have been loaded down with
work,
but nothing had materialized. It was
just plain weird.

Then, another shock to the world. The
president had resigned unexpectedly. The press was baying like a
pack of wild dogs. Rumors were
rampant,
but
nothing could be confirmed.

Then, the former president’s plane had been
reported missing at sea.
That event, when it became
public, would
add even more fodder to the media frenzy.

Jim had decided to call his boss for an
update or an assignment. When National Security Advisor Mathew
Walker finally returned his call the following day, he was his
usual arrogant and terse self. He informed Jim that if he needed
his assistance, he would contact him. Otherwise, he would just find
something to keep busy.

Walker went on to explain that he was far too
busy orienting the new president on current national security
issues to be bothered by routine matters. After that, he would fly
to London for a few days to meet with a couple of key members of
parliament regarding international security issues.

Jim Slater was not happy. He had chosen a
career in government because he honestly believed that he could
make a difference. But, after several years, he had come to realize
how difficult it was to make changes in a bureaucracy. He was
unhappy with some of the current trends and honestly felt that the
government was straying too far from its constitutional roots.
Perhaps he could use his talents more successfully and more
meaningfully in some other type of job. Just then, his thoughts
were interrupted by the
insistent
ringing of
his phone.

“Hi, Jim, how’s it going? Tom here.
Sorry
that I haven’t called sooner but I’ve
been busy.” The voice was cheerful and hinted that another
adventure might be on the horizon.

Jim wondered how Tom knew his direct
telephone number. He certainly hadn’t given it to him. Then he
smiled, remembering with whom he was
talking
.

“How’s little Mitch? Still the diva?”

Jim smiled at the thought of his little shih
tzu, Mitch, who was probably the most spoiled canine on the planet.
Mitch
adored
Jim
but had
little use for anyone else, except Marge, Jim’s neighbor, who
helped care
for her while Jim
traveled
. However, and surprisingly, she had taken to
Jim’s older friend, Tom, immediately.

“Well, Mitch never changes. She’s perfectly
happy as long as she’s the undisputed queen of the realm. When I
don’t live up to her lofty expectations, there’s hell to pay.
Nothing new there! I’m sure that you remember that her nickname is
‘Mitch the Bitch,’
and
believe me it
is well earned
.”

Suddenly, Tom changed the subject and made a
surprising offer. “I need you to take some time off and come down
to visit me. I found myself a little island not too far from Key
West, and I just bought it. Right now, I could use your input on
some projects that I’m working on down here.
Why
don’t you
just pack a suitcase, grab Mitch, and come visit
me.

“I’ve always
thought
that you and I would make a very good business
team,
and I’m going to make you an interesting offer.
Washington, DC, has become too corrupt for an honest man like you.
Besides, you’ll like the weather down here much better!

“Just call that pompous stuffed shirt that
you work for and tell him that you’re going to take a vacation. If
he doesn’t like it, just tell him that you quit. I can promise you
more money, less hassle, and many more fringe benefits.”

Jim Slater was shocked, to say the least.
What was Tom up to now? He never did anything without some ulterior
motive,
and this was probably no exception. He
could tell by the tone of the old man’s voice.

Then, he surprised himself as he cast his
suspicions aside and decided to step from his comfort zone and
accept the offer. He could always change his mind, but based on his
previous experiences with Tom,
that probably
wouldn’t be the
case
this time.

Slater, the
coolheaded
,
pragmatic, mathematically-oriented thinker, and graduate of the
United States Naval Academy, never acted on impulse. He tossed his
empty Styrofoam coffee cup into the wastebasket and laughed.

“Okay, old man, you’re on. Mitch and I will
be ready to leave on Saturday morning. Where do you want to pick us
up?”

“Leave all your suits at home. We’re going to
deck you out in Key West garb. Very casual and comfortable as well!
Don’t forget your suntan lotion.

“You’re going to love it down here! I’ll send
my craft to pick you up. Just be on the roof of your condo at
eleven sharp on Saturday morning. The ship will be in stealth mode
so that you don’t send your neighbors into a panic.” Tom laughed
and then continued, “We have a date. See you Saturday. Get ready
for some real living!”

With that, he ended the call, leaving Jim
staring at the silent phone in his hand. Without waiting to
question his decision, he quickly punched in the extension for his
boss.

“Dr. Walker’s office, this is Miss
Witherspoon, how may I help you?” Evelyn was always pleasant and
helpful, a sharp contrast to her boss who had no measurable people
skills.

Jim never cared for the formalities observed
in Washington. “Evelyn, this is Jim Slater and I just want to let
you know that I’ll be taking a couple of weeks’ vacation starting
next week. I have some important personal business that requires my
immediate attention.”

There was an audible intake of breath before
Miss Witherspoon responded. He could almost see her adjusting her
bifocals. “Dr. Slater, as you know, Dr. Walker is out of the office
at present, in London as a matter of fact. You can fill out your
request
online,
and I’ll have him review it on
Monday when he returns.”

She continued in her most official and
bureaucratic tone. “This request is highly
unusual,
and you are well aware that a formal request is
required and that it must be approved by Dr. Walker himself. I
think that you could probably
schedule
time
off at the beginning of the following week.”

“
Evelyn, I’m not asking for the
time off; I’m telling you that I’m going to take a two weeks’
vacation starting next Monday.
There shouldn’t be any
problem since I’ve just been gathering dust for the past couple of
weeks. Any more boredom and I’ll
wind up covered in
cobwebs
. Just tell Mathew that I gave you no option in the
matter. I’ll take full responsibility for his
wrath
if there is any at all.”

He ended the call saying, “Thanks, Evelyn.
Have a nice day!”

Jim hung up the phone. Propping his feet up
on his desk, he smiled to himself, silently saying, “Damn,
impulsive behavior is downright invigorating! I’ll have to do it
more often!”

He had no idea how right he was about
that.

****

John F. Scott, known to a few people,
including Jim
Slater, as
“Tom,” was
delighted.

It
was
time to reveal
his true identity to the man who would play a most important role
in all of his plans
. He had become quite fond
of Jim and often thought of him as the son that he might have
had.

For many years, John had lived a rather
singular existence. Almost all his relatives were dead,
and
those few remaining, were not very close to him. In
fact, they rarely communicated at all. He had always felt
different, thanks to Maxx. It had been impossible for him to build
close relationships.

His life had been controlled and manipulated
every step of the way by
Maxx,
who needed him
for his DNA. In return, he had been protected from all harm and had
allowed him to have a most interesting and unusual life.

Maxx had provided just about everything that
John had asked for since he had become an adult. The downside was
that this singular existence had
often
been a
very lonely one as well.

Now, the future looked bright. He had met
Julia,
and Jim Slater was probably about to
become a part of his life again as well. He could see the
possibility of happiness down the road. And it felt good!

John shook himself loose from his thoughts.
That’s enough of that for now! There was much that needed to be
done before his special
guests
arrived. John
called Mister T, his faithful humanoid robot, and said, “We need to
prepare the shuttle craft to pick up Jim Slater and Mitch on
Saturday morning.”

“Right away, boss.” Mister T then exited
silently.

John walked over to the leather sofa in his
office and picked up a tiny bundle of fur that had been sleeping
there. “My little canine friend, you’re going to meet the famous,
make that infamous, Mitch the Bitch soon. You’re going to be
groomed to the hilt so that you’ll make a great first
impression.”

John
had been very
smitten
with Mitch and envied the close relationship that
she had with Jim Slater. The two were
inseparable,
and he missed having such a bond in his
life. After deciding to buy his island property, he began an
exhaustive search to find a little friend for himself.

He finally selected a breeder from Miami. She
was highly respected
in the world of
professional dog trainers and handlers but was more interested in
finding loving homes for her babies than exacting top prices. In
fact, she only allowed her dogs to have an occasional
litter,
and
her veterinarian strictly
monitored the pregnancies
at all times.

She showed a few at some of the top dog shows
for her
pleasure,
but that was it. Money and
recognition were not important to her. She lived for her little
canine babies.

John had several meetings with her before he
got her blessing to adopt a little black and white puppy. He was
adorable and wanted to play constantly. He named the pup, Akiro,
after the Japanese astronomer who had first identified the alien
spaceship in outer space.

He knelt down and placed Akiro on the floor.
The pup scampered out of the room and began playing with one of his
many stuffed toys. John could hear the muffled growls from the
adjoining room and smiled with pleasure.

Now it was time to speak with Julia. He
retrieved his cell phone from its charger and sent her a text for
her to call him as soon as possible.

John dropped the phone into his shirt pocket
and walked outside to enjoy the beautiful day. He looked around
lovingly at his private domain. It was perfect.

He had just bought the property but, already,
he had instructed
Maxxine
to make several
improvements. The most ambitious of which was the enlargement of
the island itself. Maxxine had added a bit more than sixty acres,
more than tripling the original size.

John’s pride and joy was the new golf course
being built on that new acreage. He was quite a good
golfer,
and now he had his very own course. Maybe one of
these days he’d invite a few friends over to the island for a golf
weekend. But that would have to wait a few weeks. The grass just
wasn’t ready yet. He had obtained a special tropical grass that
would withstand the hot climate and could tolerate the salty air
quite well. It had been expensive but well worth the price and he
could be patient until the course was ready for play. After all,
even Myleans can’t make grass grow faster than Mother Nature.