"The weredragons won't be disguised, and the cameras will catch them as we move through the building. How do we get past that?"
"I can fix it," James replied. "You'll have to hurry and exit from the bottom floor. I can control the cameras for ten seconds each without drawing attention or setting off alarms. I'll shut each one off for ten seconds as you pass it, then unlock the door on the bottom level for the same amount of time. It won't be easy to coordinate. Our timing will have to be exact. If the weredragons don't do as you say, we'll all get caught."
"Hey, there's a news update coming in," another agent called out.
Everyone gathered around the screen to hear the president announce, "I have called an emergency summit meeting to discuss the weredragon conspiracy. The leaders of all nations will be joining me in a secluded location to determine whether the alliance with the Talonians should be abolished. The fate of the terrorists will also be on the agenda. They were given citizenship to our countries and are thus guilty of treason. The summit will take place a week from today. I can't share with you the exact location, for there are still weredragons loose on our planet. We were disappointed to discover that many were able to hide from us. Don't be alarmed. We will find them. It is possible that those missing are not involved in the conspiracy at all. If you see one, do not attempt to approach him. Whether involved or not, they may be dangerous. I am truly sorry for the mistake my predecessor made by trusting an alien species. I will rectify it all over the world. Thank you for understanding."
"He did this. He's talking like he has control of all the countries and he's purposely scaring the population. People have weapons. They'll defend themselves as soon as they see any Talonian. He made certain of that. What is he doing?" Shark asked.
"You said it. He's talking as if he has control of the whole world. That's what he's after. How convenient it would be to have all the world's leaders in one secluded place at the same time? Let some contaminated weredragons free and under mind control. Be late for the meeting, while it is attacked by those weredragons. Then, destroy the 'terrorists,' dissolve the alliance, making the Talonians enemies, and become a hero. Consolidate the grateful nations. He would be all-powerful."
"He has help, doesn't he? The director is one of them. How did he convince anyone this was a good thing?" James asked.
"Power.He promised them power. Gaining power is intoxicating to some people. It becomes an addiction. He had some power in the Senate, then more as vice-president. It wasn't enough. He refused to sign the alliance, even lobbied against it. The president's power beat his out. When the former president died, he got what he thought was the highest power possible. It didn't take long for him to realize others were equal to him and had to be consulted in all decisions since Earth now works as a united world. He wants it all. The people who are aiding him are just a means to an end. They'll be shocked to find that his promises were lies. He's not giving up anything. I believe it's called a god complex," Belle explained.
"Do you think it's possible he had something to do with the former president's death? Could he be that crazy?" Shark wanted to know.
"It's not only possible; it's most certainly true," she replied.
"He's got associates all over the world. He has to. He can't be everywhere. There are scientists, doctors, politicians, and henchmen involved. This conspiracy goes from the top all the way to the least of us. What happens if we manage to show the world what he's done?"
"The rest will fall like a house of cards. They'll panic and rat out each other, maybe kill or commit suicide. This will be a mess that takes years to clean up."
"If he succeeds, what then?"
Belle looked him straight in the eye and said, "The world will become chaos. He wants to rule all of it, but he's not omnipresent. One man can't control everyone. Besides, he's crazy. What kind of laws do you think he'd come up with? The economy will collapse. There will be revolts, riots, starvation, basically the end of everything. Do you own any planets, Shark? We may need one."
"That's the one thing I wasn't prepared for. So, we have to stop him. Maxxus arrives tonight. He's not going to allow us to get the weredragons without him. It's going to be hard enough to tell him we can only try for those here. We don't know where the others are or who we can trust to help find them. How do we disguise him?"
"We can't. Maxxus is going to be the inside man at the summit. He'll present himself just before it's supposed to happen and insist on attending. He has a right to be there since he is involved in the alliance and it is his species being charged with terrorism. Until the alliance is abolished, they are citizens and have a right to a defense. The government will be forced to give him the secret location. We'll use that information to stop it. We might be able to warn the other leaders and keep them from showing up, or at least convince them to leave before the biologic is released."
Belle hungher head and sighed. "I'm sorry. Those are just thoughts and suggestions. If you have some, we can discuss them when Maxxus arrives. I don't intend to sound so dictatorial. I'm just so scared an exhausted."
"We all are, Belle. This is crazy sci-fi movie stuff. You do realize we could be all wrong, don't you? We could be reading something into the president's words that isn't really there. I mean, we're so tired and want answers now, so we see what we want to see. I know we're right about the weredragons. They're definitely not to blame, but a terrorist group could be using them," James suggested.
"I'd rather that was the case, but my gut says it's not. They're pushing too hard to blame the weredragons, and terrorist groups like to take the responsibility themselves. They're proud of their accomplishments. The places being targeted don't make sense for your normal, garden-variety terrorists either. This is an act of terrorism, just headed by a different type of traitor."
