Worthington and Jones make quick work of the trip from upstate North Carolina to Georgia. They have rousing conversation and she congratulates him on the successes he’s managed at the Southeast Branch.
“It’s like a whole new thing,” she says as she weaves in and out of the slow movie traffic on the highway. Jones can’t seem to suffer driving the speed limit for very long and she goes as fast as she can without putting anyone in danger. “I’ve never known the Southeast branch to be so productive, you know? The work with physical transformation has truly astounded the board and we’re eager to see what you have for us next. We’ve put your newest work into the field in Tennessee. It’s unstable in humans, that much is already clear from the unfortunate meth users who have come into contact with it, but it is like a divining bell for those with First People ancestry.”
“After the mess at Duke, I’m done with field work,” Worthington said confidently. He was happy to cook up demented ideas, but he couldn’t bare to see anyone struggle through the transformations. He’d tried to reverse his work in earlier patients, and he hasn’t really seen the results of the newest things being developed at his branch. Only the resurrection.
“Well this test was a disaster, so we pulled the plug. There are loose ends being handled now.”
“What’s the point of the field work?” Worthington asks with genuine curiosity. “It seems to just end up being a financial liability for the Consortium.”
“We do the field work for the data. There’s a lot to learn when you introduce chaos into a controlled environment. It’s not just about the test subjects. It’s a stress test of law enforcement, of our ability to cover our own tracts. It’s good to know what can be manipulated in the press, to see what truths become urban legends and conspiracies. In this data driven era that we live in, we can chart the spread of our work and document the fallout in real time. We are on a precipice, doctor, and we are always recruiting. With our datasets we can identify the heroes who rise to the top to restore order. And there are some extraordinary heroes among us. I believe you’ve encountered some before. Our friend Eakran seems to be at the center of that resistance. Like he has empowered people and I would like to know why.”
“You think that he is hostile toward the Consortium? I had my doubts…” Worthington starts.
“I’m certain that he has no appreciation for what the Consortium of Human History truly is, he has probably never even heard of us. But he does have very interesting friends.”
When they arrive in Georgia, it is still regular business hours and the Institute is open for business. Dr. Jones flashes a badge to the receptionist that prompts a call to the fourth floor receptionist and soon a security detail escorts Jones and Woerhrington to the official director of the IBF. They don’t speak with him for long before they are back inside the elevator and headed to the basement, escorted by the basement level security guard, Giovanni.
Dr. Thomas Eakran greets them as the doors open and the three doctors converse in the privacy of Eakran’s office.
“It’s good to see you again Roy. It’s been a while,” Eakran starts graciously. “To what do I owe the pleasure of your visit?”
“To be frank, Dr. Jones and I are interested in the subject. The resurrected man. Personally, I would like to take him to my lab…”
Jones interjects, “Doctor, you’ve met with representatives from my organization before, but as the current head of operations, I’ve been eager to meet you personally. I wonder why you have resisted invitations to our gatherings. Dr. Worthington can attest to the inspiring nature of time at the headquarters. You would fit in quite well there.”
“I tend to avoid frequenting places that requires a blindfold for admission. If you don’t mind my asking, why is the Consortium so secretive? Your concern is with human history, is it not? I think transparency is the key to an uncorrupted history.”
Eakran has always been skeptical of the Consortium and the representatives that he had encountered. They usually approached him in the academic setting and he was put off by their demand for one on one time when he had just met them. He had admired Woerhrington, though, and he figured that the organization was annoying, but ultimately harmless.
“The secrets we keep are for the benefit of mankind. Would you say the same doctor?”
“Definitely.”
Jones nods. “We have so much in common. Maybe it is time that we share our secrets. Who knows what we could all be together. Should I go first?”
“How do you mean?” Eakran asks.
“I mean, I will let you in on a secret of the Consortium, and you trust us with one of yours. Deal?”
Eakran smirks and nods. “I am curious about the secrets of your Consortium. Please, go ahead.”
“We have representatives, tentative representatives, they are still in their standard probationary period before they are certified as full ambassadors, but we have representatives to the same organization that funded your trip to this planet. There are now human representatives to the Interstellar Panel, and I am told that we have you to thank for that. Eakran 15 of Druont. It is an infinite pleasure to thank you in person. The Consortium has been petitioning the Panel for decades and we were only recently designated as the official human organization that represents Earth in all manners before the Panel. And now we are well on the way to inclusion, and it is in large part due to your reports on human life.”
Worthington can’t believe his ears. It seems that Eakran is an alien. And that Jones has given him a sort of promotion, or she has upgraded his clearance that allows him access to the knowledge that the Consortium had made contact with aliens.
“I did not know that an organization had petitioned to serve as representative,” Eakran says. He is disturbed by the reveal that Jones lays on him. He is happy for Earth, but what exactly is this Consortium, he wonders. “I want to hear all about it.
Worthington sits quietly and listens like the conversation between Eakran and Jones is a science fiction radio broadcast. Apparently the Consortium had made alien contact long ago and when they learned of the Interstellar Panel, they petitioned for inclusion, which prompted their willingness to fund Eakran’s trip for assessment. Eakran isn’t fully aware of all of this, and he has been on Earth for decades, completely out of touch with the inner workings of the Panel.
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