THE SWORD AND SICKLE

PART TWO: DECEPTION

CHAPTER-FOUR

PRESS CONFERENCE, part 4

©2017, Olan L. Smith

"Hammett turned to address Secretary Alderman and said, "I understand you have Jackson's in custody."

Yes, sir, they are under my control."

"And just how did you manage to capture them?"

"Sir, I saw the body of Menisci and noticed it glowed; it was ultraviolet radiation. I figured that we could control his powers by polarizing the light in a room using powerful electron magnets. We found an FBI agent who happened to be his wife's cousin and trained her to send a mental message to lure them to her house. We built a polarized transport device and cell to contain them, and it worked."

Hammett's face looked enraged as he opened his mouth to say, "Both of you are fools! Levi and his wife are playing you to draw attention to them. You can't contain this man. You are a mere gnat to him, Pesky. Believe me, he was in my mind. He stopped my aging, and he is planning to overthrow the world. You better find a way to contain this, or we are in it for the long haul. That, of course, is only my humble opinion, as a feeble old man."

"But sir," said Smithson, "this was the only thing we could think of to stop an assassin. At least he is not going to kill anyone while in our custody."

"He is not in your control, you shithead! At this very moment, he could reach out with his mind and crush you, like a bug."

Alderman spoke up. "Then why doesn't he? Why go through this charade? Why doesn't he just crush us all and get it over with?"

"I don't believe he is that powerful at the moment, but is he going to be? Hell, yes, he is," said Hammett. The human mind is more powerful than you know. We already have people working to become what he is, for military purposes. The problem is always the same: once you have someone this powerful, how do you control them? Believe me. Not for one second do I believe he is invincible or that he is a god. He is either some kind of freak of evolution or he is an alien being from either our realm or another. In any case, you should be focused on how to stop him. Bring in Dr. Burton and her crew from the CIA to work on this. Bring in the military parapsychologist team to help. And what do you think has happened to the daughter of Levi and Venus?"

Alderman responded, "We have been unable to locate her, and no one has reported an abandoned child."

"And you won't find her either. In my opinion, she is not on Earth. She is more than likely on the ship. Now Joe, are you going to make me proud, or are you going to rain sadness? I can't be president looking like this. But as you have witnessed, my mind is strong, so don't make me have to do this again. I have to keep my mind calm. Now, leave me be."

Joe thought, "Why did he dress me down in front of Alderman? Didn't he understand that I needed to maintain the respect of my subordinates? This must be a show of power on his part to remind me that I'm merely a puppet, a face to present to the public, but I also know that the Constitution has no place for two presidents at once." He decided to dismiss Hammett and promised never to see him again."

When they emerged from the hospital, he turned to Secretary Alderman and said, "In the morning, I want you to personally check the security for the Jacksons and bring Burton in as soon as she is finished with Special Agent Bastion. I will inform General Abrams to cooperate with Homeland Security on this. In the meantime, who has been picked to go with Bastion to Missouri?"

"I picked Casteel to accompany her," said Mr. President.

"Have him keep an eye on her, then... I am not sure I trust her."

"Why, may I ask?"

"Well, first, she is kin to Venus, and second, I don't like that she is aware of so much. Hell, I don't like it that Dr. Burton knows what she knows."

"Do you want her eliminated?"

"Not unless she poses a threat."

"Yes sir."

"Good night, Alderman."

Good night, Mr. President."

―――――

Assistant Chief Detective Greta stopped on her way to see Dr. Burton for fuel and coffee. As soon as she stepped into the station, her mind filled with the thoughts of all the people inside. Her mind had shifted. Power flooded her, and she knew that she would never be the same. Many of the thoughts she heard were mundane, day-to-day stuff, but all of them seemed to be worried about the country. As she walked to the register, she looked at the headline on the Washington Post. In big, bold letters, it said, "DIANNE MENISCI, ASSASSINATED!" Below the headline, it reads, "Levi Jackson and his wife are apprehended by Homeland Security and the FBI as persons of interest in the murders." She picked up the paper to read the article. As she read it, she ran across her name: "President Smithson gives credit to Assistant Chief Detective Greta Bastion for the capture of the alleged assassins." Shit! She thought. Now, how am I supposed to do my work? Everyone on the planet will know my name. She put the paper back and looked at the tabloids. Her picture was on all of them. One headline read, "IS LEVI JACKSON THE MESSIAH?" Another read, "ACTING PRESIDENT SMITHSON ANGERS THE SDL!" She felt like she was shrinking and walking away unnoticed. She heard the people in line think that she'd been the one. She is Assistant Chief Detective Bastion. She captured Levi Jackson. Then she heard the clerk think, Hey, lady, get your head out of your ass and pay me." Looking up, she said, "I'm sorry," and handed him her federal credit card. "I fueled up on pump number ten and a cup of coffee." He picked up the card and asked her for her ID. She pulled out her federal driver's license and gave it to him as she tried not to look at him.