so I didn't have the retirement idea first.
To Own The World
Will finds online, imbedded in a web page Rambaldi symbols. Clicking a link it leads
to plans for an element to be turned into a weapon. When it is immersed in or comes into
contact with some other elements, it becomes even deadlier.
However, when he looks into the periodic elements table, it isn’t there. He begins to do research on elements and finds there is no such thing. Except, for a reference to such an element in a chemical used for drugs. Further research shows that a 19th century author and drug addict thought up the element on a drug trip.
After reading an account of his life he figures the reference is an imbedded reference to Rambaldi and is in reality a fictional account: it exists only for this one reference. Only followers of Rambaldi would have read the book.
Since the account details the torture of using the element as a drug--: its deadliness makes it clear its potential for mass destruction.
Without consulting anyone, an online search following links on the site leads to a publisher, in turn leading to the last translator. By typing his name in a CIA site pulls up. Leaving for a coffee and coming back he sees something that looks an ancient language. Not being able to decipher it he copies the first part of the message, then ‘translator’. It translates back ‘please type in agency number and password, country of origin and present location: ’. He goes to the link to the agent’s name that he is to contact, which turns up a blank page. Frustrated, he bangs the keyboard. The site disappears to reveal a picture of a building.
He knew the building, it was nearby. The place he was staying at was bought by Sydney. Knowing she was an agent, he figured the only way he was able to pick up this web site was via special transmission that only agents could pick up.
“Very unusual,” he thought. The building, only ten years old looked from another century. Gargoyles in the shape of strange animals projected water out of gaping mouths into gutters directly below. A large knocker on the door was made of brass and the door itself was black. After waiting for a few minutes the door opened and inside was a long corridor with an exit at the other end. Stairs lead up a number of flights. There was no elevator.
After checking out all the doors on the first floor he went up. Checking the next two levels he went to the basement. There was a flight of stairs leading to the next level below.
Now he began to wonder why he had been able to go this far. There was a room that was unlocked. Inside was a large safe. Inside the safe there was a case, opened, with nothing in it. Touching it was hot, his finger turned red and started to burn. In fact it was so hot he fell on the floor. Yet when it stopped there was nothing wrong his finger.
Obviously he had been led to this place and was allowed to go into the building unhindered. When he got back into the upper basement there were people all over. He could see people typing at keyboards inside of portable cubicles. On the first floor men and women in business clothes went in and out of rooms. He practically had to fight his way outside.
As he walked down the street it was dark At a lamp post he stopped to pull out his keys. Instead there was an address card in his pocket. Since the place was in a small town he went back home. Tomorrow he would go there by car.
By the time he came to the place the sun had started to climb amidst dark clouds emerging from the north. There was the street but there was no house at that address. Instead there was a park. By the slide and sandbox area there was a man sitting on
bench. Will stopped near him.
“Hellow. I’ve been expecting you.”
”What is the element?”
“How did you gain access? Your not with any agency.”
”I’m a…”
”No, you’re a journalist.”
“How did you know?”
”Anytime access is gained to the links a message is sent, put in in a special database. Where it came from is sent to a team that checks out who sent for it. If it is one of us—or an enemy, action is taken. Either to release the data or dispatch a team to capture the person sending for it. In your case, since it seems to have been a half way house at one time for our people we decided to see who came.”
”But the element is too important to let just anyone. See it.”
”Never touch something that isn’t yours. Could get hurt.”
”Must be pretty potent if just touching a box it was in could hurt like that.”
”It is.”
”What is it—what is it for?”
“The agent, where is she?”
”I don’t know.”
”We would like to meet her.”
”Why?”
”She is someone we would like to talk to.”
”That wasn’t her that bought the house I am in was it?”
”Why are you getting upset? Just want to talk to her.”
“I’m leav-“
”Oh, don’t go. Here, have some coffee, I’ll tell you all about it. Here, I was sent
To protect you.”
”From?”
“The people who want the element.”
”Who are?”
”There are a group of people who are scientists, specially trained to seek out the obscure things of the scientific world to use for war, espionage, etc.. They work for democratic countries to keep us abreast and above our competition. They keep us safe; the world is free!”
“What does this element do? It is an element found only in ancient texts that Rambaldi found out about. However, an ancient people thousands of years ago used it in buildings for heat. Crushed into powder and mixed with…I do not wish to say…was used to blast rock from mountains for pyramids that no longer exist…”
”I feel hot, what was in that coffee?”
“Don’t worry, its not a combination of designer drugs… elements…”
“Pyramids, where?”
”One’s from before the Egyptian pyramids existed.”
“Where?”
”Around the world, prototypes of the one’s we have now.”
”I’ve never heard of this; what is the element?”
He grabs the man by the collar but reels backwards. The man is exhausted and seems to black out for a split second.
“What’s wrong with you?”
He pants and pulls out a small metal box. The metal changes colour from grey metal to green, blue, red to white.
“Maybe you should move away from it. Call the bomb squad, the police. You stole it!”
”Yes.”
”You’re a scientist!”
”Yes,” changing from a British to an accent he’d never heard before.”
”What are you?”
He blacks out and in a second breathes hard. Speaking haltingly.
“I’m what you might call a scientific-mercenary.”
”Ah—wha?”
”Works for anyone, any organization. There are thousands of us all over the world.”
Will starts to feel funny. Everything he sees looks luminous the fades. Everything is in bare outline.
”You put something in this!” He could hear an echo to his voice.
“Yes, don’t worry, you won’t remember a thing I said, you’ll be so high you’ll be a living nightmare. Pretty soon, the agents will come for you and take you away.” He made a sweeping motion with his arm and it looked like several arms in slow motion.
“What is the element?”
”Its something Rambaldi found, though he was only one of many.
By now he was becoming unable to think straight.
“How much is the element worth?”
”Billions. Every government would want to get their hands on it.” By now he was shaking.
“But if its so dangerous, why keep it?”
”Money, power. If I just left this in an apartment building for about four days—outside of this box, they would get sick, fall into a coma and literally melt away with no trace.”
The word trace lingered as a long echo that never ended. The man fell off the bench onto the ground, clutching the element.
“Its killing you, let it go. No amount of money…”
”Fame--, I as ‘discoverer’ would get top billing. OH, TO OWN THE WORLD!”
”As it…I can’t think. Let it go. Fame, money, what is that compared to your life?”
He kicked it out of his hand. The man began to recover. Will had not realized his moment of watching him lasted an hour.
“You need to change, for good!”
”You want in on this—I’ll split it—even the fame.”
”Its not worth it. You’ve probably built things that have killed.”
”My research was stolen and other people did.”
”Pray to God to get you out of this. We owe him everything, our life. Your ability make scientific devices, our being able to communicate with writing. This isn’t worth it. You need to stop doing this--accept the consequences of your actions. Change your attitude and behaviour. Stop trying to get out of it. Destroy it and prevent the place where it was found from being rediscovered. And then maybe we can forgive you for whatever you've done in the past. I guess I should have been more forgiving.”
He started to walk away. A leaf fell, the man turned it over. Then he grabbed the element and started to convulse all over again. Suddenly he saw a team of people in hazmat suits move in on him. By the time he was put in the ambulance he was dead.
They took the element, put it in the box. They disappeared. Will kept walking. Eventually the drug wore off. When he got home, the place was turned upside down. He found a note left on his laptop. The next day he left, by bus, leaving everything and everyone behind. There is no trace left of him at this point.
However, we may see him again.