Читать книгу Image Carriers - Genel Anthony - Страница 7

What does this all mean for mankind?

The group united as they walked around Tom’s house, picking on little snacks on shiny silver trays Tom and two of his guests had made. The kitchen was huge, and expensive cooking utensils hung off silver hooks over a large steel rectangular bench-type table that seemed to separate the kitchen into two parts.

About eight or nine people walked around the house, feeling quite at home. Yet, upon closer inspection, one could see that they were not really comfortable, but looking guarded or anxious. Why? And who are they?

Tom quickly gathered his visitors around and instructed them to make their way into the large room. They shuffled loudly, some of them eating chips, nuts, biscuits and sandwiches cut into triangles, while a few others did not touch anything. The last guest walked into the lounge room behind Tom and sat quietly on an armrest of an old, bulky lounge chair. Someone else sat in the chair.

“Okay, okay, everybody,” Tom spoke, gesturing for them to focus on him. “Tonight’s meeting was another success, and we are really beginning to understand what is happening. Kris’s images were especially interesting…” He stopped and

looked down; seeming to think what to say next for a moment. He then continued. “We will have a lot to analyse over the next couple of months or so. Okay, let’s quickly summarise what we already have!”

“I still think this is very dangerous!” said a lady sitting near the old drapes by the window. “If this is all true, why us, what can we do about it?” Michelle was predictable. At nearly every meeting, she concluded with the above statement. The group was expecting her comments.

“Michelle,” Darrin interrupted, “this is very important and you always seem to be downplaying our discoveries. Aren’t you interested in finding out what the hell is going on here?” Darrin is a quiet middle-aged man and spoke very little. When he first attended these meetings, he didn’t say much. He sat back and observed. It was Tom that encouraged him to trust the group. Darrin had many images, and his recent contributions were informative. Lately, Darrin was talking more, surprising many of the group members. “Michelle,” he continued, “don’t forget we are all in this together. This is what we agreed to do. Things are changing and we are getting more information. Isn’t this what we have been striving towards?”

“I agree!” A loud voice echoed near Tom. Amanda wasn’t shy and was very talkative. However, everyone in the group noticed that over the last few months, Amanda wasn’t as talkative and as bold as she once was. She awkwardly got up from her chair near Tom and began walking towards another more comfortable chair on the other side of the room. “I agree with Darrin. For God’s sake, this is what we have been working towards. I think we are really zeroing in!”

Michelle chimed in, exclaiming, “I know guys! All I am saying is that this is getting dangerous. I have two young children, and if this information is true, what are we supposed to do about it! All we can do is warn our family and friends?”

“Most of us have children” was a response from the corner.

“Tom, what do you think our next step should be?” Amanda asked.

“Okay, okay, I will be quick on this one, as I can see some of you are keen to get going. I think we are also in for some bad weather tonight, so let’s move this forward and close our meeting for this month.” Tom paused again, as if thinking how to put his next question or he lost his train of thought. He seemed to be rapidly growing older. Many in the group wondered if Tom was up to these meetings because he looked physically exhausted at times, perhaps even sickly.

“And…” Darrin jokingly added, prompting Tom to continue his sentence. Darrin was fond of Tom and would not allow anyone to disrespect him.

“Oh yes,” Tom continued. “Let’s all think about what transpired here tonight. Remember not to document anything. Write in code and keep safe. We will resume as per usual in seven weeks’ time or thereabouts…”

“Tom?” Martin intervened. Martin, a mysterious man who joined the group only twelve months earlier, one of the last to join the group, was indeed an obscure man. He rarely spoke about himself or his personal situation. Well- groomed, extremely handsome, tall and intelligent, a man of few words, but when he talked, people listened. He spoke with empathy and logic. Whenever Martin talked, the group would stop what they were doing. Martin only spoke when he had something important to say. “I think maybe, we should bring the meetings forward considering what we discovered tonight.”

“I think our meeting dates should stay the same. I am finding it hard to get away every seven or eight weeks as it is. We have lives, you know,” Michelle protested, looking anxiously at her watch and being very conscious about the deteriorating weather outside.

“I agree with Martin,” said Darrin. “We should have an earlier meeting to discuss our next plan. It doesn’t have to be as long as our regular meetings.”

“I also agree!” interjected Amanda. Then the rest of the group added their approval for an earlier meeting, and those who couldn’t make it would be updated at their regular meetings.

The covert meetings Tom held at his place were not set in concrete, and some members of the group don’t attend the meetings, opting to see Tom on their own. Others would turn up when they could, while others preferred to touch base via email and telephone, as they preferred to keep their identities secret.

Any member that couldn’t make the meeting was not ostracised or scolded, as Tom and the other members understood their concerns or unavailability. Tom, being their Overseer, would simply contact them and pass on information, collect their messages for sharing with the rest of the group and so on. After all, this was Tom’s role.

Martin also told Tom and the group that he and his partner were moving away, and that he would not be able to attend the meetings anymore, but would still keep in contact over the phone and internet. He told the group that they had bought a sizable property down south, and that the group was welcome to visit them at any time.

The meeting ended and Tom saw the last of the group members leave his sizable property. Some partners drove up to collect their spouses, sounding their car horns loudly, as they pulled away from his marbled enclosed stoop.

Tom returned inside, but not after checking that the last car left his grounds. He then set the sophisticated alarm system. He ensured that the perimeter was secured. He left the mess and uneaten food on the table in the lounge room and walked into the small room opposite the staircase. His cleaning lady was away and was due back the next day. She often chastised him when he cleans up as this was her job and she did not want Tom to do anything around the house that she could do.

Tom entered the little room that resembled a cloak room of sorts. In the olden days, people had cloak rooms for visiting guests to hang their coats when they arrived. These grand old houses with cloakrooms are still around today, usually hidden or getting ready for demolishing. Tom instinctively searched around the room, seeming to look for someone hiding or watching him, before walking slowly towards a bookcase that looked like it was built into the wall. It looked ancient. He moved his right hand to the side of the bookcase and rubbed his fingers along the wall as if feeling for something. He then found a grove in the wood, near the back. He inserted two fingers and gently moved the bookcase forward. It jerked a little before coming away from the wall quite easily. It slid neatly and quietly to the side, revealing another door.

Behind the bookcase was a secured silver door, reflecting the dim hallway light shining into the modest room? On the wall next to this hidden door was a computer pad, where Tom had to key in a code to unlock the door. Tom carefully entered his private digits, and the door flung open, revealing stairs going downwards into a well-lit room. The lights were still on from before. Tom slowly entered, walking down the stairs. The room was rustic, with bare walls and limited floor coverings. It resembled an old cellar that had been done up. Tom had put down a large Persian rug only recently to make their private meetings more comfortable.

In the centre of this concealed room was a large oval work table, similar to a large conference table found in expensive boardrooms. There were about twelve black leather seats around the table. There were also spare seats along the wall near the room’s entrance. Faint beeping noises could be heard from what looked like a control panel in the far left- hand corner. Tom walked over to the panel and quickly checked the computer screens and the alarm status. Like a Safe Room, Tom could view the whole house and grounds from this location. Everything in order, he thought. He turned to the large table where paper lay scattered. He picked up his notes and sighed loudly as he read their discoveries. What does this all mean?

Tom finally left the room, ensuring that everything was turned off as he closed the bookcase and the door behind him. He thought about his guests and how they often quarrelled with each other. If only they knew the important role they were still going to play. If only they knew what was just around the corner.