Deception Point Part 7

By Tram Doan

        On the Milne Ice Sheet, the sky is calm, the biosphere is quiet again. But NASA Director Lawrence Ekstrom has no intention of going to bed. He walked back and forth in the domed house for several hours, then stared at the hole the rock left in the ice, then stroked the scorched shell of the rock.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Publishdrive
• Release date: Jun 2, 2024

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DECEPTION POINT PART 7

TRAM DOAN

TABLE OF CONTENTS

DECEPTION POINT PART 7

On the Milne Ice Sheet

The End

By Tram Doan 2024

DECEPTION POINT PART 7

On the Milne Ice Sheet

On the Milne Ice Sheet, the sky is calm, the biosphere is quiet again. But NASA Director Lawrence Ekstrom has no intention of going to bed. He walked back and forth in the domed house for several hours, then stared at the hole the rock left in the ice, then stroked the scorched shell of the rock.

Finally, he came to a decision.

Now, sitting in the PSC communications room, he was looking straight into the sleepy eyes of President Zach Herney. The President of the United States was still in his pajamas and didn't seem comfortable. Ekstrom knew that after knowing the whole truth, the President would not feel comfortable at all.

After Ekstrom finished speaking, the President looked uncomfortable as if he thought he was too sleepy to properly understand the words he had just heard.

- Wait a minute. - Herney said. - I still don't understand it at all. Did you just say that you accidentally learned the coordinates of the meteorite by catching an electrical distress signal - and then pretended that PODS had discovered it?

Ekstrom said nothing, silent in the darkness, trying not to let this nightmare engulf him.

It's clear that the President doesn't like that silence at all.

- Before God, Larry, you tell me that none of this is true!

Ekstrom felt a bitter taste in his mouth.

- The meteorite has been found, Mr. President. That's the most important thing.

- I told you to tell me that it's not all true!

Ekstrom's ears were ringing. I need to tell the President everything, he told himself. It's a little difficult, but everything will pass.

- Dear President, the failure of the PODS project has caused the President's reputation to seriously decline. When we caught a radio call for help mentioning a meteorite in the heart of a glacier, we thought this was an opportunity to help the President regain points.

Herney was stunned:

- By faking the success of PODS?

PODS will be quickly fixed and will work fine, but not in time for this election. The President is losing points every day, and Sexton keeps criticizing NASA, so...

- Are you completely out of your mind, Larry?

- The opportunity is right before your eyes, Mr. President. And I decided to take it. We caught the electric wave sent out by a Canadian scientist after discovering the meteorite. He died because of the storm. No one is any different about that meteorite. And PODS is flying in orbit. NASA needs a win, and we have the coordinates in hand.

- Why are you telling me all that now?

- I think you should know the truth.

- Do you know what Sexton will do when he finds out about this?

Ekstrom didn't want to think about that possibility.

- He will tell the world that the President and NASA have deceived the American people. But you also know that he is right, not wrong.

The president isn't lying, it's just me. I'll take it all on myself...

- Larry, you forgot something important! I am determined to run an honest and positive election campaign! Nothing comes out! Last night was so clean. Glorious. But now you tell me I just lied to the whole world!

- Just a small detail, Mr. President.

- It's still a lie! Larry. - Herney said impatiently.

Ekstrom felt that the room was suddenly stuffy and extremely cramped.

There are still many things he wants to report to the President, but maybe that will have to wait until tomorrow morning.

- Sorry for waking the President up. I just thought I should tell you the whole truth.

On the other side of town, Sedgewich Sexton took another sip of cognac and paced the room angrily.

I don't know where Gabrielle went!

In Senator Sedgewick Sexton's office, Gabrielle Ashe was sitting in the dark, looking bored at the computer in front of her.

INCORRECT PASSWORD - ACCESS DENIED

She tried a number of different character strings, but each time it didn't work. After searching around the office to find a certain drawer that the Senator had left unlocked, or any clue to investigate, Gabrielle gave up. Gabrielle was preparing to leave when she suddenly saw something sparkling on the Senator's desk calendar. Someone used blue, red, and yellow ballpoint pens to mark Presidential election day. Of course the Senator never did that. Gabrielle reached for the calendar. The letters POTUS were written in glossy ink over that day's number!

Surely Sexton's ever-optimistic secretary wrote these words. The Secret Service often uses the abbreviation POTUS to refer to the President of the United States. On election day, if all goes well, Sexton will become the new POTUS…

Gabrielle put the calendar back in its place and stood up, planning to leave.

She suddenly stopped and glanced at the computer screen.

ENTER PASSWORD:

She looked at the calendar again.

POTUS.

Gabrielle was suddenly filled with hope. It's very possible that Sexton used POTUS as his password. Simple, upbeat, and personally relevant.

She typed those characters.

POTUS

Holding her breath, Gabrielle pressed the enter button. A beep sounded.

INCORRECT PASSWORD - ACCESS DENIED

Gabrielle slumped in her chair, deciding to give up. She went back to the bathroom to climb out of the office. But just after walking a few steps, her cell phone rang. In a tense mood, Gabrielle was startled. She stopped suddenly, looked up at the large Jordain clock hanging on the wall to check the time, and pulled out her phone from her pocket. Almost four o'clock in the morning. There was definitely only one person calling her at this hour - Sexton. Surely the Senator is wondering where she disappeared for so long. Should I answer the phone? If Gabrielle answered the phone, she would have to lie. But if he doesn't answer, Sexton will definitely become suspicious.

She received the call:

- Hello?

- Is that Gabrielle? - Sexton seemed very impatient. - Why so long?

- I'm stuck at the FDR memorial. - Gabrielle replied. - And now...

You're obviously not in the taxi.

- No. - She replied, - By the way, I stopped by the office to get some more documents about NASA related to the PODS project. But still haven't found it.

- Hurry, hurry. I want to hold a press conference early in the morning, and there must be specific numbers.

- I'll be right here.

The line suddenly went silent.

- Are you in the office?

Sexton seemed suddenly confused.

- Yes. I'll be on my way in ten minutes.

The line was silent again for a moment.

- Very good. See you later.

Gabrielle turned off the phone, accidentally not noticing the characteristic ticking sounds coming from the Jordain wall clock right in front of her.

It wasn't until he pulled her to hide behind the Triton mini-submarine and saw the blood stains on Rachel's arm that Tolland realized she was injured. Looking at Rachel's absent-minded eyes, he immediately guessed that she had never felt pain. Placing her safely behind the ship, he turned to find Corky. The cosmologist was rushing across the deck, his eyes wild with fear.

Must find a hiding place. Tolland thought. Busy with dealing with the rapid developments, he had no time to feel scared.

Instinctively, Tolland looked at the stairs leading up. The lonely staircase running straight up to the transparent glass observatory was too empty. Going up there would be like committing suicide. There is only one direction left.

Immediately, he turned to look at the mini submarine Triton, secretly hoping that maybe it could take all three people underwater, escaping the bullets from that deadly black plane.

Silly. The Triton only had room for one person, and it took ten minutes for the winch to lower the ship to the ocean surface. In addition, if the battery and compressor are not charged enough, the ship will die in the ocean.

They're back! - Corky lost his voice in fear and pointed to the sky.

Not having time to look up, Tolland pointed to the nearby bulkhead, a gentle aluminum walkway leading to the decks below. Corky didn't