Eternity's War

Book 1: Chapter 12

Sweat began to bead on his forehead as Adam Price stared at the computer monitor in the new security command centre. He had just finished scanning two hours' worth of footage of numerous personnel entering Government House. All of them were faces he recognised. He scoured for the two mysterious people who sat in the president's chamber earlier that day, but had so far uncovered nothing.

He rubbed his eyes, confused as to what events could possibly be unfolding. He turned away briefly and looked at another monitor, which showed a live feed of the entrance to the villa. Several staff members were carrying in bags and equipment. It was nothing short of unprecedented that the president had ordered them to relocate to the beachside villa in Dongtan Qu. While it appeared to be a large stronghold, its security was inferior to that of Government House, which was safely located in the neighbouring Zhengfu district.

Adam was alone with the head of the Presidential Guard, who was referred to as Guard One. All members of the Guard were military trained and were to refrain from using their real names. They were simply employed to protect and, if need be, die for their leader. Approximately two dozen were stationed all across the villa at both random and strategic positions while the vast remainder were ordered to remain behind in Government House until further notice.

Guard One finished scanning the footage. "Nothing, sir. No young woman with a scarf, and no large man with tattoos."

"This doesn't make any sense," Adam muttered. "How did they get inside? There's only one way inside that room."

A knock on the door interrupted the confusion. A middle-aged woman entered the room with a concerned look on her face.

"What is it, Adam?" she asked. "Why did you ask me here?"

"Quiet," he whispered as he closed the door behind her. "I need your help, Karen."

"Okay," she said as she glanced down at the time on her wrist comm. Karen Bowden was the president's deputy counsel, and had worked alongside Adam for many years inside Government House. "So, why are we in this dark room?"

"This room is going to be the new security command centre for the Guard," One explained. "Well, at least while we're stationed here." The room lacked the size of the former centre, but there were few free rooms in the villa that could accommodate the electronics required to observe and monitor the premises. At present, only a sole computer and two monitors had been set up. The remainder of the equipment was still in transit.

"And why am I in here?" Karen asked, impatient.

"Because something's happening, and I don't know who I can trust," Adam explained.

Karen raised an eyebrow at her colleague. "Well of course you can trust me, Adam! But you'll need to start talking; I have a lot to do today and can't stay long."

"Two people were sitting in the chamber earlier, back in Government House," he began, not wasting any more time introducing the problem they faced. "I walked in to speak with the president and they were already there, but there were no names on the manifest, and there's no sign of them entering the building on the surveillance feed."

"Right," Karen said, beginning to understand the situation. "Who were they? Have you seen them before?"

"No," he resumed in a quiet tone. "They wore plain clothes. I think they were ordinary civilians, but the president seemed very flustered when I walked in."

"Well they couldn't possibly have gotten into that room without authorisation. Did you ask the Guard who they were?"

"Yes, but none of them saw anyone enter or leave the room, except for the president. I went back in there later and the room was empty. The Guard were still in place too, and said that no one else had left except for the president."

"Okay," she said, trying to think of a logical explanation. "You could always ask the president himself. He obviously knows who they are."

"No, he's not here. He left the villa, Karen. The manifest says that he signed out ten minutes and has a dozen of the Guard assigned to escort him, but they're all still here!"

"It's true," Guard One confirmed. "None of my staff have left the villa or Government House, but the manifest says the president is being escorted."

Karen let out a large gasp as she placed a hand over her mouth. Her heart began to pound as she realised they may now have a national crisis on their hands. "Quickly, alert all of the Guard now! We need to find him!"

"No," Adam said, "not yet. That's why only the three of us know. I think there is something bigger happening than we realise."

"What!" Karen snapped. "Adam, the president of Athenia is missing. We need to report this immediately. It could be an act of aggression against the state or the Union."

"I think he's fine," he said, trying to ease her fears, "but he may be under duress. I believe it has something to do with those two individuals from the chamber. And this." He gestured at their surroundings. "Why would he choose a private villa over Government House? None of it makes any sense."

Karen nodded, believing that her colleague may be correct. The new president had insisted that the villa on the Athenian coast would offer greater security than Government House due to its inconspicuousness. Only his direct staff and the Guard with the highest clearance had been ordered to accompany him, however, with the vast majority of personnel still working at the usual headquarters, completely unaware that he wasn't even there. Those working in the villa were forbidden from disclosing the information or their location to anyone.

"So what should we do?" she asked, beginning to panic.

"That's why we need your help. We don't know how to proceed. He won't be roaming the streets on his own. We need to find a way to locate him. We've been watching footage from Government House to see if we could follow the pair from the chamber."

"What about his tracker?" Karen asked. "Is it active?"

Adam shook his head. "It hasn't been implanted yet; not until after he is officially sworn into office."

Karen opened her mouth, about to suggest the option of locating him via his comm, but remembered that all government communicators were encrypted for security.

An idea suddenly came to Guard One after thinking for a moment. "Let's search for his limousine," he suggested. "His limousine's tracker will be active."

"Excellent idea!" Adam said. "Let's hope that he's taken the vehicle with him."

One slid his fingers along the touchscreen and typed in several commands. Within seconds, a map of the island projected onto the wall in front of them, showing a bright red dot in Xifeng Qu, located on the western end of the city.

"What's he doing out there?" Karen asked aloud. "And how could he possibly have gotten there in ten minutes?"

Adam stared at the projection and wondered the same thing himself. In the years that he'd known the new president, Archibald was not one to break protocol. "I'm not sure, but we need to bring him back at once. Arrange for a contingent of the Guard to meet me in the garage," Adam ordered One. "And don't share this with anyone." He walked out of the room.

"I'm coming with you," Karen said, following closely behind. The sudden news of Archibald's disappearance had come as a shock to her, and if the president was indeed in any danger, the threat had to be eliminated immediately.

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