This is part two of an excerpt from Greg Guma's new
novel, Dons
of Time, available from Fomite Press, Amazon and B&N. "Wherever you look there you are."
After a break for dinner the other members of Harry's collective left the
room and the conversation resumed around the woodstove. Now it was Tonio’s turn
to explain. He started simply, talking about his early thirties and what he’d
learned since meeting Danny Webster, his reasons for accepting Shelley’s offer
to chair TELPORT, and, with as much technical language as he could muster, the
company’s goals and on-the books plans. His intention was to work up to the
secret they had kept for two years. In the process he described Angel, holding
back about their relationship, and casually mentioned, without much detail,
some of his recovered memories and suspicions about his uncle’s death.
When he finally reached the pay off – the discovery of remote time
viewing and his personal pursuit of Jack the Ripper – Harry was less shocked
than worried and amused.
“It’s true,” Tonio insisted, uncomfortable being the one who sounded
crazy.
“I believe you. The question is, does the Don know?”
Tonio assured him that wasn’t possible.
“Are you sure?”
Choosing frankness over defensiveness, he admitted that he wasn’t
absolutely certain, in fact that it was part of his reason for being in
Vermont, and that even his oldest friend Paulie might be watching him on
Shelley’s orders.
“As long as it’s Paulie I think we’re safe,” Harry said, who’d met him
during a ski trip. “But Wolfe Enterprises isn’t what it used to be. That’s why
I ask.” Tonio’s frown said: tell me more!
“Daddy has satellites now, three so far. It’s still a young industry,
and about five years ago Wolfe Enterprises bought E-Global, which builds and
launches satellites and sells images to a wide variety of businesses –
agro-cartels, oil companies who need to check on rigs, fishing fleets that want
info on the best feeding areas, normal corporate shit. Live stream or images,
whatever you want from their cameras in the sky. You just need the bucks.”
He paused briefly before continuing. “The trouble is, they also work
with the feds. It’s synergy, a public-private partnership. The government’s
satellite operator has a program, NextView, which shares the costs of satellite
development with the private sector. From what we know it covered about half
the cost of E-Global’s most recent model, GlobeWatch-3. And among its tasks is
to provide surveillance for the Department of Defense.”
Harry speculated that Shelley’s takeover of TELPORT might in some way
be related to other moves he was making in tech and aerospace. “Fuck man,” he
added to hammer his point home. “He could be watching us now, the building at
least.”
“But he’s not, right?” This was as good a time as any to make his
pitch. “That’s why I need you. Look man, we know remote viewing could be
exploited, any technology can be. The Pentagon invented the Internet, right?
You told me that. But Danny isn’t doing this for the military or the Agency.
He’s just a nerd inventor creating his dream and offering it to the public.”
“With a weakness that’s already been exploited,” Harry reminded him.
“Yes, but I run the company, the RTV end is totally insulated from the
other units and anyway, no one knows what happens in Nutley except the three of
us – now you. Danny runs the lab, Angel handles operations. What we need is
help with strategy and tactics, plus your cyber skills. From what you said I can
see that security and prevention need to be a higher priority.”
“I could do that. What’s your job?”
“Staff guinea pig.”
Harry laughed. “Right man for the right task.”
“Seriously, we need you. I need you. I need someone who has my back.
Also someone I can level with, and work with to figure out what went down with
Gianni. I’m almost positive it was a hit.”
“And the candidates?”
“At the moment? The CIA and Shelley.”
“Hard to say which would be worse.” Harry leaned back in his chair and
took a series of deep breaths, considering the weight and shape of the
information. “And what can you do for us,” he asked, “for the movement?”
“Underwrite it?” The lack of response told Tonio that wouldn’t be
enough. “All right, how about this? Either we go public with RTV or no one gets
it.”
“Good start.”
“And if we use it ourselves,” he added, struggling to reflect what
Harry might want to hear, “if we do, we use it to get some real truth out there,
no matter whose ox is gored.”
“Right on,” replied Harry, pumping a clenched fist in mock salute. “So,
where do we start?”
On the trip Tonio had come up with a list that covered the gamut. But
now that he was in the cabin, near a warm wood fire, safe and relatively
comfortable with a trusted old friend, he didn’t feel like discussing security firewalls
at midnight. But he did want to know what Harry thought about his uncle’s
death. After briefly explaining the evolution of his suspicions he asked for
ideas on what to do next.
To Harry the answer seemed obvious, “Find out what the man was doing
that could get him killed.” It sounded like the right place to start. Unfortunately,
sleeping with his mother was the first clue that came to mind.
"Well-constructed, action-flooded sci-fi
set in a realistic historical world." -- Kirkus Reviews
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