Chapter 22
I had put the two people who were bound and gagged, into storage. In other words, I put them in the NTZ (No Time Zone). Right now, I could care less if they died there, starved, or if it was the time-suspended place I thought it was. I had other things on my mind.
I was scared.
After going home, I had back-timed. I had watched "me" come in, and take out the two persons sent to break in and steal my computer software and hardware.
I saw "me" take out the two intruders, question them, and then make a phone call. Then "me" was gone, just like that. So what was I supposed to do? I was prepared to come to the rescue of my computer, but it had already been done, apparently. No, what scared me was the fact that when I back-timed, there was no need for me to go back.
Time had been changed.
That left me wondering what the outcome was going to be! How had it changed? Well, I had apparently back-timed already, and had captured the two before they had a chance to steal the computer; which had caused me to back-time in the first place. There was now no need to go back, since everything had been taken care of.
Was there now a new time-line that led off on a slightly different tangent? No matter how I tried, I could not time-dive to when the other "me" was taking care of the two intruders! This meant that something had changed, and something was preventing me from interfering!
This was where I now was, drinking some very old Sherry, and wondering why I had bothered to mess with time. I had been very careful not to make obvious, blatant changes. Stopping the theft of my computer and its software was apparently significant enough to cause some scary side effects!
I promised myself fervently not to interfere in time again! Well, at least in this kind of thing. But there was a danger. Any time I went back in time, I could be interfering unknowingly! This was driving me nuts! I really needed to talk to someone who was a math whiz, and I didn't know anyone that I trusted with the knowledge of my abilities.
This did serve as a wake up call, though. I needed some sort of security, and I needed full time investigators tracking down the 'council' and all its members. I could set them on the right track, but I needed very good investigators.
That meant people professionally trained by the government. Either ex-military, or ex-FBI, CIA, or NSA. I wanted and needed specially trained people. Therefore, I needed to expand my computer access, to include the military and intelligence communities.
After I got firmly ensconced into our glorious military and intelligence computer systems, it was not difficult to print out a list of candidates. I decided on twenty-five candidates from each branch of service, to start out with, for security. I knew not all of them would accept my job offer, and I had to be sure of those that did.
I was going to need an office for this new business. It would be totally legal and above board. I was thinking of a front man, too. I did not want my name associated with this new venture, either on paper or anywhere else, if I could help it.
From the FBI, I had two possible administrators to run my new business; if I managed to get it going. Both had had shining careers, until they got derailed due to office politics. They were both very smart and I wanted them!
One was retiring after a thirty-year career. The other had gone as far as she was likely to go, due to embarrassing her superiors by proving them wrong in a public way. Structured governmental agencies did not take lightly their bosses being proved wrong.
I printed out several pages of likely candidates for the two different functions of this new business. One was 'investigation'; the other would be 'security'. I would need to trust the senior staff of my new business venture. Oh, not with revealing what I could do, of course. But they would be handling the 'council' problem, and would be using the equipment I was going to procure for the business.
I would also have to trust a few of the security personnel, and a few of the investigators. Again, not because I was going to reveal who or what I was, or what I could do; but because of the nature of the material they would be handling. Some would be handling secrets that cried out for government intervention or knowledge, and some would be handling highly illegal items, such as weapons and explosives.
While I thought about the two guys I had put on ice in the NTZ, I was not too worried about them. No one came to see what had happened to them. Apparently, Mr. Jennings and Mr. Lampard did not want it known I had countered their move. At least, that was my conjecture.
I did do something about both of them, though. I spent a day back-timing and following them to their homes. I also listened in to several conversations that they'd had, and made sure that I had opened a way to and from their respective offices through the NTZ. It's always a good idea to have an alternate way into and/or out of a place.
I did a small time-dive to send letters to my prospective employee's. I did the two admins from the FBI, first. If I succeeded with at least one of those, then he or she could do the interviews for the next level.
I also back-timed and procured enough evidence to show them that I was not without resources, myself; and that I had good reason not to trust my government totally, because of what I knew.
I welcomed the first applicant. Her name was Rachael Vintner. She had been with the FBI for a little over 15 years, and was now stuck with no hope of advancement. I met her at a hotel in Washington D.C.
She was dressed very conservatively, and her hair was worn shoulder length. She had clear blue eyes that seemed to take in everything around her. She had an olive complexion that bespoke a Hispanic heritage. She had a firm handshake, and was only a couple inches shorter than my 5 foot 10 inches.
We were in the hotel bar, and I told her I had a serious job offer for her. I told her a little of what it entailed. She listened with a thoughtful expression.
"The bottom line, Rachael, is that I need an experienced administrator; and you are one of two that I am considering. The pay is 75,000.00 dollars a year to start. You would be required to sign a confidentiality contract, but I think when we get into the meat of the whys, you will understand," I told her.
"I see. I must say I am intrigued with your offer. Why so much money? Surely there are others more qualified than I am,"
I opened my briefcase and pulled out a slim folder. I passed it to her to read. As she read, her eyes widened a little. It was part of her official file, with comments by the very superiors who had sidelined her career.
"I must say, you have surprised me. This is a confidential file," she said, pressing her lips together tightly.
"As you can see, I am not without resources. Also, I have more information of such a nature as to really cause the government serious problems. It is not my purpose to do so, but I understand that the government is filled with people who have an agenda other than serving the will of the people," I said simply.
She nodded slowly. "I can definitely understand that statement. So what would my job and title be, if I accepted?" She asked.
"I want you to head up the investigations division. Your title would be Director of Investigations. You are very tenacious, and once you get into something, you don't quit until you have all the facts. I like that. You're very thorough, methodical, and will not sell out the client. How do I know?" I tapped the folder. "Because of that," I finished.
She nodded slowly. I waited for her to ask other questions, but she was lost in thought. So I added a couple of things.
"I am just starting this business, so you will be getting in on the ground floor, so to speak. One of your responsibilities will be recruiting the right people. They have to be competent, loyal, smart, and above all, discrete. We may have to trust them not to divulge anything they find out, to any outside source or agency. This includes police or federal authorities, unless it is called for by you or I," I added to her list of things to think of.
"What about equipment? What kind of budget do I have? Who has final say in my department? You?" she asked as her finger stabbed the table with each question.
"I will give you a budget, and final say over your department. That includes any material acquisitions, as needed, to be used by the business. Everyone will be on salary. I am hiring you for your expertise in the investigations area.
"I am going to be hiring someone else to do 'security operations'. That person might need to use some of the same items your section uses. I am not the federal government with a bottomless purse; but I won't stint your section, or that persons, either," I said earnestly.
"I want to think about this a little," She finally said.
I pulled out a legal document and videotape.
"Take however long you want. As long as I get an answer by Friday. Also, sign this, and look this tape over. The paper says you won't disclose anything you see on this tape to anyone. Believe me when I tell you, I will know if you tell anyone," I said.
"I must say, you have piqued my curiosity. I will sign your paper and view the tape; and I will get back to you tomorrow. That soon enough?" she said, grinning as she read and signed my non-disclosure document.
She didn't even wait 'till morning. I was in my hotel room when there was a knock at my door. I went over and opened it. Rachael was standing outside.
"May I come in?" she said, then barged in anyway.
"Be my quest," I said closing the door behind her.
She reached into her bag and pulled out the video I had given her.
"Is this thing true?" she asked me with a bitter tinge to her voice.
"I'm afraid so. The tape is what I managed to collect of the Kennedy assassination, as well as some other players. It is this 'council' that your team will be looking for. I have the names of several known members, so you won't be starting from scratch," I told her.
"How did you get this? Does the government know? Why was this hushed up?" she asked, and then abruptly stopped.
"Did you see the part with the young man talking on the phone? Well, it was obviously a plan of some sort. The other parts of the video were from privately taken film that was offered to the government, but was refused for various reasons," I said, lying at that point.
I had gone back and filmed the assassination, and filmed a few other things as well. I used film from the era, and then I transferred it to video to make it more believable. All in all, I had done a good job.
"You're saying this 'council' is mainly responsible for Kennedy's death?" Rachael asked me grimly.
"I am. The commission that investigated did not have all the facts when they came to their findings. That was because of outside interference. While there might have been one or two from the government involved, it was mostly an outside order. I mean outside of the government of course," I said, watching her.
She looked at me intensely. "I'm in. When do you want me to start?"
The other person I wanted, for my Director Of Security, was a retired FBI man with 30 years of service. He was fifty-five years old. He'd had a run in with his superiors over his wife's illness.
He had missed a movement to Waco Texas and the cult Dividians because of her. While the Bureau was officially sympathetic to his plight, they sidetracked him as 'not a team player'. His upward mobility came to a halt, and he basically marked time till his retirement.
Hiring him was fairly easy, as he had been looking for something to do in his 'retirement'. He didn't seem surprised about some of what I told and revealed to him. Apparently he had come to the decision some time ago that there was an organization that was operating within the US, with contacts in various governmental agencies, and even deep within the three branches of governments.
I had to ask how he had come to those conclusions?
"Simple, really. I was trained to find subversives. I had discovered that several branches of the government were actively working against each other; and that persons of high rank seemed particularly hell bent on doing the wrong thing.
"A few can be passed off as stupidity, or arrogance. But I noticed a pattern emerge. And that had worried me. Part of the reason I did not advance any farther has to do with my revelation to the wrong person my thoughts on this very subject," he said sincerely.
I was hoping like hell I was not making a mistake here, but I needed him. I hired him on the spot for 75,000.00 dollars a year, and gave him a list of names to screen. I gave him a folder with his mission responsibilities outlined. He read through it, signed my confidentiality documents, and I had my Director Of Security.
Edited By TeNderLoin