Xeno Activity Chapter 6 - Stories Online Edit 1

London, England
Commander Neil Barclay, of the British Military Intelligence, stood by the still smoking ruins of building nine. It used to be an old archive filled with world war two documents, most of it never transferred to digital media. The cause of the fire was a simple electrical short; much of the wiring in the building was almost as old as the files. It would have been a major undertaking to bring it up to standard and money was short and always needed for more pressing matters. One of the most famous and efficient secret services in the world, mostly relied on twenty year old computer equipment. Yes, some of the departments used the latest stuff, but not all of them.

Since the File storage belonged to his department, he had come to see how much damage the fire had done. The loss of the documents was a big loss in terms of lost history, but it was nothing more than that. He also needed to be sure that none of what was left over would be carried away by fire fighters as a souvenir. As old as the files were, most of them were still classified.

Bureaucracy and some kinks in the chain of command delayed the fire fighters and prevented them from battling the blaze right away. By the time a person high enough up the chain of command could be reached to permit the Fire Department on site, it was basically too late. There was not much to carry away now.

One of the department's scientific investigators, holding a portable detector, looked at the readout of the yellow instrument and then came over to him. "It really looks like a technical malfunction. I could not find any traces of any accelerants, well other than the twenty truly ancient barrels of Synthetic Gasoline."

"Synthetic Gasoline?"

"Yes confiscated in Germany 1945. A German scientist found a way to make Gasoline from another source, I think Brown Coal. We confiscated some of the product to analyze it later. The Americans actually shot and killed the Scientist and destroyed or confiscated his notes. Why the Gasoline was still stored in a building with ancient paper records and other scientific curiosities of the Reich beats me."

Neil sighed. "What a shame, with the civil fires burning all over the Middle East, we could use an alternative way to make Petrol. How much is destroyed?"

"I am afraid there is nothing much left. The fire spread fast it seems from the patterns. The old ventilation system was running at full-blast, fanning the flames further. There might be shreds and pieces of course."

"Make sure everything that hasn't burned is collected or completely destroyed. I'll send you an Army Unit to help you with that."

Neil was just making the necessary phone call to get more boots to help with the clean–up when he noticed his former Department Chief, retired Admiral Sir Henry, stumbling through the mess of debris and fire hoses towards him. He finished his phone call while he started to meet the old man half way. "Sir Henry, what a surprise! I thought you were enjoying your retirement in South Wales. What brings you to London?"

The old man, with his silvery moustache that matched his neatly trimmed hair, pointed his trademark walking cane over the rubble. "This does!"

"It is a shame I know, all the old files went up in smoke, but there wasn't anything vital or top secret stored at least not since 1945."

"You have no idea, do you? They never briefed you, even when I left."

"Briefed me about what?"

"Did the basement also get destroyed?"

"The ceiling partially caved in on it, what the fire didn't destroy, the fire department's water did."

The old man sighed deeply. "Walk with me, Neil. Let me tell you about an Antarctic Expedition we launched in 1945 to liberate Queen Maud's Land."

"I did not know we even had assets to send anywhere, no less to the Antarctic. Besides what was there to liberate?"

"The expedition was kept secret and it was a failure."

Neil shrugged. "So the documents about that failed expedition went up in flames, I gather. An anecdote, a side story of the Big War is lost. Bad in Historical terms, but I don't see the problem. If it is about the South Pole we have a research station there I believe and so do many other nations."

"Halley V. Yes I know. It's all a happy family of researchers, at least that what most of them are on the surface are at least."

"Much has changed since you retired, Sir. The Soviets are no longer, and the Russians maintain open relations. The Antarctic is protected by a treaty and even the Chinese openly exchange research data."

The Old man gave the younger a cold stare. "Don't treat me like an old fool! I was in this business when you still pooped in your nappies!"

And I am going to be in this business when you need nappies again, Old Man. Neil wished he could say that aloud, but he simply smiled. "So why don't you fill me in then."

The retired MI6 man reached in his coat pocket and retrieved a little black box." All you need to know is on this Memory stick inside the box. The Americans are about to send an expedition to the South Pole and you will be aboard. Your expertise in Meteorology will be a good cover."

"I have no time for something like that. The Middle East is burning and there are fires burning close to shore. Besides you are retired."

"You'll change your mind when the Minister calls. Have a safe trip and pack extra socks. It's going to be cold there, so I have been told."

The old man slapped his neck. "Damn flies, not even the smoke keeps them away."

Neil was too angry to pay much attention to that, his phone rang and it was the number of the Minister that was displayed.

He answered while the old man turned and walked away.

Just as he had the phone on his ear, some of the fire men yelled and one of the water pressure tense hoses ruptured right before him, soaking him with a powerful spray of water. He cursed and got out of the way of the spraying water.

Moments later he sat on the side step of a fire engine with a blanket around his shoulders and reestablished the call with the Minister. "Sorry about the delay, Sir. I just got soaked with water as a hose burst."

"I am sorry too, but I believe my old friend Sir Henry is right and that there is something very important going on, down at the South Pole. He recommended you as you have been a weather man in the Navy before you joined our ranks."

"Sir, with all due respect, but what is so important down there? We got much bigger and more acute problems."

"I am not sure actually, but the old man still has many friends and I am one of them and his nose was never wrong when it came to sniff out trouble. He said he would give you documents that explain it all."

"He did give me a Memory Stick and yes Sir I will check it out when I am in the office."

Neil got up and looked for his jacket. It still hung dripping wet at the ladder hook were the helpful fire man had placed it. He looked for the memory stick but could not find it. With a sense of urgency he searched through all his pockets. Did he actually put it away or did he get hit by the water while he still had it in his hands? No, he was sure he put it in his jacket pocket, to take the phone call!

He searched the ground, the little black box was nowhere! If it had dropped where the hose ruptured, there was no telling where the water torrents had washed it. What angered him most was that he had to ask the old man for another copy and hope that the stick was well encrypted.

He looked around for the firemen helping him, and he found one. "Did you see if I dropped a black box by any chance?"

The Fireman shook his head. "No Sir and sorry about the hose! It is the darndest thing I have ever seen, a hose ripping like that I mean. Never seen a hose rip like that without someone driving over it or dropping something sharp on it."

"Where is your colleague, the one with the moustache?"

"Don't know Sir, he was from another brigade, I've never seen him before."

Neil was no fool; he was maybe a little too careless and didn't pay as much attention as he should have. A deadly sin in his kind of business, still it all could have been a chain of unrelated events.

He stopped one of the Army Lieutenants who were responsible for Site security. "Lock the site down. No one leaves! I want to see all Fire fighters personally!"

"Yes Sir!"

"Do you know if Sir Henry has already left?"

"Sir Henry and his driver passed the front gate 12 minutes ago."

While the Army Officer organized the lock down, he dialed the number of his former boss. The phone kept ringing. Why didn't the old man pickup? Was he trying to teach him a lesson? After a second attempt the phone was answered. "Assistant to Sir Henry speaking."

"I am Neal Barclay and I need to talk to Sir Henry."

"I am afraid that won't be possible. Sir Henry is currently in treatment in the Emergency room. It appears a bee has stung him and caused a strong allergic reaction. The doctor's prognosis is not too good, considering his age and his heart condition."

Neal looked over the smoking ruins and no longer believed the fire was an accident. Something was going on here, something very serious!