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| Chapter 3: SECURITY BREECH The room was tense with the various emotions of the MDMI Board of Directors seated around the conference table. It wasn’t often that all of them were assembled in one place, mainly due to strict security measures, but also because of the extreme natures of each Directors responsibilities and experimental obligations. But the emergency meeting could not convene just yet, because the one Director not present was the most important member of them all, Mad Dog. There was very little conversation being exchanged between the group, which was very uncommon when any MDMI staffers were present with each other. Obviously, the Four Banger’s disappearance was on everyone’s minds, and the mystery could not be solved until Mad Dog arrived with the computer codes that would unlock the alarm system. These codes would allow the cyber-technicians to recreate the chain-of-events sequence that caused the spaceship to suddenly vanish. The Mad Scientist casually studied each of the members present, hoping that the stress of the situation would not cause one of them to suddenly explode in a fit of frustration relieving rage. He could tell that the security officers were understandably upset, but it worried him that they were communicating solely in the telepathic realm. Micropain, while not able to speak verbal language, was very able to telepathically communicate both his thoughts and read other’s minds, so verbal language was not necessary. He often thought of himself as the next rung on the evolutionary ladder, far superior than most other life-forms on Earth, regardless if his ability was given to him by evil scientists bent on nefarious purposes. Swampbuzz, on the other hand, was a pretty simple-minded creature. More of a brute than a being of scholastic achievement, he was still an excellent security officer and was fiercely loyal to those that he deemed worthy. He prided himself on the extreme security measures that he implemented, both at MDMI’s Earth headquarters and on SV Lunar I, so the sudden disappearance of one of the Institutions prize possessions was of great concern to him. The mental conversation taking place between the two Chief Security Officers was one of checks and balances, going over the security measures and double-checking each other’s operational procedures. Nothing could breech the force-field that protected SV Lunar I. It was manufactured by the Garganites, one of the best planet defense manufacturers in the known universe. Swampbuzz and Micropain both came to the conclusion that someone, or something, on the inside of the lunar base was connected to the Four Banger’s vanishing act. "Grrrrrrrrrr..!!" growled Micropain, suddenly scaring the bujeezus out of almost everyone in the room. "Calm, my friend," said the Witch Doctor in his soothingly deep voice, "Now is not the time to turn on ourselves…at least, not until we know what happened." He flashed a wicked grin. "Yes, the voodoo master is right," confirmed the Mad Scientist, "we must wait until Mad Dog arrives in order to verify the exact nature of this situation. Besides, I am positive that the Intergalactic Council equipped the ship with an IGPS (intergalactic positioning system) chip, so locating the Four Banger will not be a problem." "But if we go to the Intergalactic Council for assistance, they will surely keep the Four Banger," snarled Micropain, telepathically broadcasting his frustration to everyone in the room, "and without that spaceship, we will be unable to complete Project: Four Track Mind!" Micropain’s eyes were glowing now, as they always do when he is in an extreme frame of mind. "Please be at peace, my canine friend," urged the Witch Doctor, while pulling out a small rabbit-skin pouch from his robe, pouring a tiny amount of its contents into his hand, "or I will be forced to calm you myself." With that, he blew the silvery powder in his hand out into the air above the table. The sparkling crystals floated in the air, and then shot upward towards the ceiling. As each shiny particle ascended, they would glow and explode in a series of multi-colored displays, much like a fireworks show on the fourth of July. Micropain always loved light shows, and the tension slowly subsided from the gray wolf’s face as he watched the display above the conference room. He knew that the Witch Doctor was right. If he continued to show aggression among his fellow Directors, a more forceful sedative would be quickly administered and he would find himself back on Earth under the direction of Nurse Ratched. He shuddered at the thought, for the Nurse was one of the few humans that he could not mind-read. Everyone in the room seemed to relax with that visual display of voodoo. The Mad Scientist knew that someday he would have to get his hands on some of the Witch Doctor’s magic dust for a chemical analysis. Surely there was something other than a supernatural effect responsible for the mood-altering qualities of that dust. The Witch Doctor knew what he was thinking and casually flipped him the bird while scratching his ear. The classic battle between scientific endeavor and spiritual awakenings was always part of their deep friendship. That, and the appreciation of a good mixture of Amsterdam’s finest tobacco. Suddenly the room fell quiet. The presence of their leader was impressively felt, and everyone knew that Mad Dog had entered the room. |