Darkworld: Earth

2.27.

“You think it’s him?” Agent Osterham asked.

Agent Morrison frowned, looking at the photo in the file. A twelve year old boy with black hair and blue eyes looked back at him. There was nothing noteworthy in the file. Not for a foster kid. A string of former homes, a few behavioral reports. The kid got decent grades and hadn’t been in a fight since he’d arrived in his current setting after running away from his previous home in another city.

“What is it that flagged this file again?” Morrison asked.

“Date and time stamps on a few of the databases,” Osterham said. “The computer boys are still looking into it, but they’re being cautious. If it is him and he has advanced hacking abilities he might have set up a few traps to alert him if we picked up his trail.

“His face is different. It’s not just the hair, the shape of his skull doesn’t match,” Morrison pointed out.

“You ever seen a Yonohoan?” Osterham pointed out. “The kid must have the ability to change his skeletal structure, because he didn’t look like a neanderthal when we first found him. It makes sense if he used that same ability a second time to escape detection.”

Morrison grunted. “Well, it’s the best lead we have since he vanished on us. How do we proceed?”

Osterham considered the question, then shrugged. “You’re the senior agent. You tell me.”

Morrison grunted again. The pressure to locate the kid who had escaped a full threat response team on his own using unknown alien tech was immense, but the problem was that he was a kid. There had been several false-sightings already. The investigators either had to tread carefully so as not to tip the kid off that they had found his trail, or they had to go in with overwhelming force and hope to catch the kid flatfooted again.

The first false-alarm had been humiliating as they had traumatized an innocent kid for no reason. The kid’s family was now suing the agency and the ESF for seven figures. They weren’t likely to get the amount that they were asking for, but a six figure settlement was likely just to keep the details of the case out of the press.

Despite that, Morrison knew that command would take this lead seriously if he passed it up the chain. The problem was that his name would be attached to it and if it all came crashing down heed be eyeballs deep in shit.

Or he’d be the hero who had tracked down the alien infiltrator not once, but twice.

“I wish it wasn’t a freaking kid,” he muttered. “If it wasn’t a kid I’d go in guns blazing without a second’s hesitation and let the chips fall where they fall. Instead we’re treading on eggshells.”

“Yeah,” Osterham agreed. “Whoever trained this kid and sent him was a ruthless and cold-hearted bastard, that’s for sure. Doesn’t change our job, though. Our job is to find him and make certain that he’s not planning to unleash Armageddon on an unsuspecting populace.”

“The aliens say that he’s a covert intelligence asset, not an agent provocateur,” Morrison pointed out. “Not sure what sort of intelligence they expect to get from our foster system, but that’s what they say.”

“Kids can go anywhere,” Osterham argued. “I mean, not anywhere anywhere, but you see a little brat walking around a federal courthouse or other federal building you don’t think ‘oh there’s a potential threat’ you think ‘I bet his parents work in the building.’ Given that we now believe that he’s a trained hacker, all he needs is access to a secure computer and who knows what sort of secrets he can pull up.”

Morrison grunted again. “Sure does have a lot of firepower for someone who’s just here to spy. They say that the sniper he tagged still has tinnitus. Meanwhile the kid took a round straight to the head and just shook it off. I knew it was going to easy when we caught him the first time.”

“He might be an alien, but he’s a kid alien. We underestimated him. Which is the entire point of sending a kid as a spy. Even when you identify them, you hold off on the thumbscrews because, well, they’re a kid,” Osterham pointed out. “Nobody wants to get rough on a kid. Not until he turns a squad car into bobba fet armor and starts firing into a crowd of civilians.”

“Technically he just used them for cover to affect his escape,” Morrison pointed out. “The aliens say that he has access to lethal weaponry but chose to stay non-lethal. Even for the sniper that tried to put a round in his head. So far the kid hasn’t done anything but hide and try to fit in, if you ask me.”

“Yes. The problem is that can change at a moments notice. He could receive some activation code and suddenly he goes from intelligence gathering mode to fuck your couch mode. All we know is that he’s here, he’s dangerous, and he’s unpredictable,” Osterham rebutted.

“Yeah, I know,” Morrison said. He leaned back in his chair, looking around the office for inspiration. Then he sighed. “I suppose we’ll start like we did before. I’ll set up an interview for the social workers he has on file in his previous homes and see if they remember him. If they don’t, well, that’s a major red flag.”

~~~~~

“As I said, I don’t know who the unknown ship belonged to,” Eolai informed the gathered generals in yet another briefing. He appeared to them as a hologram in the center of their round table above a PHDA. Nobody knew what the alien’s experience was like, except for perhaps his companion, Sergeant Cruz, who was not involved in this meeting at this time. “I have provided your organization all of the information that I have on this incident.”

“Yes, and we thank you for your transparency,” Turnball said. “Your early alert assisted us in our response significantly. I hope that our after-action investigation into the matter has not come across as offensive in any way.”

“You are attempting to improve the forces which are responsible for securing the land upon which your children live, General Turnball. There is no higher calling than that. Your willingness to examine your failures is to be lauded,” Eolai replied. “The Yonohoan people remain dedicated to ensuring that Earth’s security and future sovereignty is secured by your own hands.”

“It is for that very reason why I’ve called for this meeting. I understand that you do not have definitive proof as to the identity of the unknown vessel. I was hoping, however, that you might be willing to do some off the record speculation,” Turnball suggested.

“Off the record?” Eolai said. “I am not familiar with that phrase.”

“I mean purely speculative. Not something that you are willing to swear to. Rumors and gossip, speculation, unprovable hypotheses.”

“Ah, I see.” Eolai was silent for a moment. “Off the record, it was the Rosantean empire.”

“Are you certain?” Turnball asked.

“If I was certain then it would not be off the record,” Eolai said. “It is not an accusation that I can make publicly and I will deny it if you ever put it forward that I suggested it in private.”

“I understand. May we ask what leads you to this conclusion?”

“A vast number of factors, but mostly it is because you are on the boarder of their claimed space. If they were to integrate you into their empire then they would have a forward outpost into an unclaimed area of approximately one hundred twenty light years in which they could continue to expand due to the laws governing the expansions of darkworld who are in the process of becoming brightworlds.”

“So you think that they’ll make a move to claim us?” Turnball asked. “Will they use military force?”

“Let us just say that it is good for Earth that you found the Yonohoans before the Rosanteans,” Eolai said. “They have a history of strong-armed negotiation tactics. While I will not try to persuade you against entering into talks with them, I would encourage you to leverage our existing relationship in whatever manner you believe will best protect your people and your values, Genreal.”

“I understand. Thank you for your time, Eolai. Do you have any other information to communicate with us unofficially at this time?”

“I like your Oranges. They are delicious. I would like to request your efforts in assisting my people in transplanting the trees that grow them to planet Totola.”

“Thank you for your time, Eolai. You’ve given the council much to discuss.”

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