Nano Surveillance (Dave Henson Series Book 1) (17 page)

Chapter 48 (March 22, Friday 8:00am Mountain Daylight Savings Time)

              It was early Friday morning when Dave, Dana and Joe drove from the NSurv offices over to the hanger where the Cessna Citation M2 was stored. Joe was still in awe of his new position. It had already been a whirlwind experience. He had just spent much of the previous day getting trained on how to operate a miniature drone and now he was heading to the Caribbean in a private jet for a surveillance mission. Dave had briefed him in detail yesterday on the mission and he understood his role clearly. He was to operate the nano-dragonfly from a secluded area along the shores of St. John Virgin Island and monitor a Mr. Barbas and his visitors on a yacht called the “Kosmos”. Besides finding the job technically challenging and exciting, he was just as much enthralled with NSurv’s main objective. Exposing the administration for what it was. A corrupt group of politicians that were more focused on serving their own self-interests than those of their constituents and the country. He knew the administration’s actions over the past decade were the reason for the country’s economic decay. If the country was to ever be turned around, this administration, and politicians like them, had to have their actions become transparent to the public. NSurv would make them accountable to the public via its nano surveillance technology, and the transparency that it would foist upon the politicians. He relished both the opportunity to learn more about this technology, as well as the purpose it would serve, freeing the public from an oppressive and all-encompassing government.

              Dave explained to Dana and Joe their flight plans. They would refuel in Houston, Texas and then land at Cyril E. King airport in St. Thomas. He anticipated their arrival in St. Thomas at 5:00 pm local time. From there they would take a taxi from the airport to the ferry docks in Charlotte Amalie. Finally, they’d take a ferry from Charlotte Amalie to Cruz Bay on St. John. They would be staying at the Westin in Cruz Bay during their stay in St. John. 

              The flight and trip had been long, but they finally made it to the Westin hotel on St. John around 8:00pm local time. Even though it was already evening the weather was still a balmy 80
o
F and the easterly trade winds were still providing a light breeze when they arrived at the hotel. Dave looked up after stepping out of the taxi and was amazed at the millions of stars visible in the early night sky. The Milky Way galaxy was easily observable. Like McCall, Idaho, there was little light pollution in the Caribbean. This was one of the reasons he chose to locate NSurv in Idaho. He loved the wide open country and the beautiful night skies. The only difference between Idaho and St. John this time of the year was the temperature, which he was relishing at the moment. The cold winter weather of Idaho took some getting used to, but like his other colleagues at NSurv, he made every effort to enjoy the winter sports, including skiing, snow shoeing and snowmobiling into the back country.

              After checking in and dumping their luggage in their rooms, they met for dinner in the hotel’s restaurant to review their plans one final time. They would effectively be on a stakeout for the entire weekend.

              After Dave ordered a bottle of Robert Mondavi Cabernet Sauvignon wine, and Jerked Sea Scallops and Conch Fritters for appetizers, the three got down to business.

              “Ken Hardy should already be on Barbas’s yacht, and Jason Evans is scheduled to arrive sometime tomorrow morning,” Dave said. “I’d like us to get an early start. I’ve already reserved a rental car to get us out to Cinnamon Bay beach.”

              “Should we bring our bathing suits,” asked Dana with a big smile.

              “Absolutely. Though we need to be discrete and preferably out of view of the tourists and locals as much as possible, we’ll inevitably run into some of them. So most definitely yes, we should dress as if we’re typical vacationers. Also, we couldn’t come down to the Caribbean in March and not enjoy the sun, sand and beaches a little.”

              “Shall we plan to bring all of our equipment tomorrow?” asked Joe.

              “Absolutely. Though the two nano-dragonflies that Dr. Gillian gave us can support much of our surveillance objectives, I still want to release a canister or two of nano-dust onto that yacht. I want to keep constant tabs on Ken Hardy and Mr. Evans over the next several weeks. We’re already tracking Mr. Barbas as you know. Besides the surveillance items, we’ll take the scuba gear and a couple of canisters of nano-dust. If conditions are right, I’ll pay Mr. Barbas and his guests an unsolicited visit.”

              The waitress returned to their table with the bottle of wine. She held it up and presented it to Dave so that he could inspect the label and ensure it was the wine that he had ordered. She then proceeded to open the bottle of wine. After pouring a small amount of wine into Dave’s glass he swirled the glass gently on the dining table and then held the glass up at a tilted angle to visually inspect the wine. He then brought the rim of the wine glass to his nose briefly to smell the wine’s aroma before consuming its content and tasting the bouquet of flavors on his palate. He nodded to the waitress that the wine was acceptable, which she then proceeded to refill his glass and pour wine for Dana and Joe as well.

              After placing their entrée orders with the waitress, the three continued to discuss their plans for the next day as they ate the Conch Fritters and Jerked Sea Scallops. As they ate they watched boats lazily entering and exiting Great Cruz Bay harbor. In the distance they could also hear live bands performing in beach bars down near the ferry dock area.

              “Wow, I can’t believe this is my second day of work,” commented Joe as he looked out at the Caribbean Sea. “If I knew making a living was going to be like this, I’d have looked for a job after I got my bachelor’s degree. “

              Dave and Dana both laughed. “Your one lucky guy,” Dana commented. “My first year out of college was spent sitting most nights at town and school board meetings until 10:00pm, and then racing back to the office to write articles for the local newspaper on the contents of the meetings.”

              “We’ll see how excited you still feel about the job on Monday,” responded Dave. “This first assignment is going to be both dull and intense for you. Keeping those nano-dragonflies in the air constantly will get mentally exhausting and physically challenging.”

              “I’m looking forward to it,” commented Joe with a big smile.

              The three finished up their dinner and retired to their rooms by 10:00pm. Their plan was to meet at 7:00am in the parking lot outside the hotel lobby. Dave would pick up the rental car before Dana and Joe arrived in the parking lot.

Chapter 49 (March 23, Saturday 7:30am Atlantic Standard Time)

              Dave parked their car in the Cinnamon Bay beach parking area before any other beachgoers had arrived at the beach. Dave and Joe explored the beach area and the wooded area near one end of the beach. As they walked down the beach they could see Barbas’s yacht, the “Kosmos”, anchored about a quarter of a mile off shore. The wooded area adjacent to the beach was more like a jungle, but they eventually found a small open area that could serve as a good base camp for their work. It was 100 yards or so from the beach itself, and it would be very unlikely any beachgoers would stumble upon them or even see them through the thick jungle underbrush. They then went back to the car to get Dana who was standing guard over their equipment. After loading up all of the equipment on their backs, the three walked back to the location Dave and Joe had selected.

              As the three set up their mini campsite they heard the sound of an approaching helicopter. Through the tree canopy they saw the helicopter pass directly over them. It was on a direct heading to Barbas’s yacht, which had a small helicopter pad near the bow of the yacht. They watched the helicopter slowly hover for a second before setting down onto the deck of the Kosmos. A single man stepped out of the helicopter. With binoculars Dave was able to identify the man as Jason Evans, a billionaire who had made his fortune selling cheap brands of cigarettes, but for some twisted and ironic reason had more compassion for the environment than his customers. In recent years he had expanded out into the commuter rail business and other public transportation endeavors. Dave could see Barbas and Ken Hardy were there to greet him as he walked away from the helicopter. A few seconds later the three men stepped into the yacht’s sky lounge while the helicopter pilot and 2 additional crew members secured the helicopter to the yacht’s deck.

              “Well it looks like our work begins now,” commented Dave. “We didn’t get here a minute too soon. Joe, let’s start with just the nano-dragonflies. We’ll each handle one, while Dana focuses on recording the video and audio feeds from them.”

              Like a well lubricated machine the three quickly finished setting up their base camp and powering up their computers and equipment. In 15 minutes Dave and Joe were each flying their respective dragonflies in the direction of the Kosmos. They had decided that Dave would lead and have his dragonfly enter the sky lounge first. Joe would have his dragonfly hover above the yacht for five minutes before he flew his in as well. Fortunately the sky lounge had numerous windows opened up for Dave to direct his dragonfly into. As soon as the dragonfly was in the lounge he immediately landed it onto the top of the frame of a large painting and shut down the wing motors. As he flew the dragonfly into the sky lounge the three of them could see Barbas, Hardy, and Evans sitting relaxed at a dining table having breakfast. A couple of attendants milled around the dining table serving the three men mimosas and pouring them coffee. None of them heard the dragonfly enter the lounge. Dave adjusted the controls on his computer to have the dragonfly’s onboard camera zoom in better, and to increase its microphone sensitivity, so that they could more clearly see and hear the men’s conversation.

              “On behalf of the President, he sends his warm regards to the both of you,” said Ken Hardy as he sipped on his mimosa. “He understands the financial commitment and moral support you’ve provided to him over the years and he is extremely appreciative. With the passage of the Transportation Movement Act he hopes to be able to repay some of his debt to you.”

              “Well we surely hope so,” said Jason Evans. “As you’ve said, I’ve invested heavily in the President over the years and it’s now time for him to deliver. I see a number of opportunities where my rail and public transportation businesses can help in building out the infrastructure as called for in the President’s TMA plans. Also, my mining company in China produces the rare earth magnet material that the MAGLEV rail systems are going to need.”

              “Don’t worry,” responded Hardy. “You’ll get your fair share of business opportunities when the TMA becomes law. However, we first need to get the President’s TMA passed in Congress. To do this, we’re going to need more financial help to get it passed. We’re going to need help from big donors like yourself and Mr. Barbas to help get this bill passed. We’re already very close to having the necessary votes in Congress, but we have a dozen or so fence sitters that need to be coaxed over to our side. We will certainly sweeten up the pot for them in the TMA bill. However, we need to have their constituents help push them over the fence to our side. Thus we need your financial help to build the messaging campaign for doing so.”

              “The President’s got my and ABO’s support Ken, at least for another few months,” said Barbas. “If the President can’t close the deal by early summer, then I will cut bait. Like Jason here, I’ve invested a fortune into this President and he has continued to under deliver for me.”

              Dave directed Joe to fly his dragonfly in on the opposite side of the lounge and more closely to the men sitting at the dining table. Dave wanted to have a clear shot of the table so that any paperwork being passed around could also be observed. Joe effortlessly flew his dragonfly into one of the windows of the sky lounge and sat it down on top of a shelf containing books and nautical items. Again, the three men at the dining table were too focused on their conversation to notice the dragonfly come skittering into the lounge.

              Joe and Dave checked the field of view on the camera of the second dragonfly, so that they could get a perfect wide angle shot overlooking the dining table where the men sat.

              Barbas, Evans and Hardy were continuing to discuss strategy and tactics for getting the Transportation Movement Act passed in Congress and how each would personally benefit from it, when one of Barbas’s staff came in and leaned over and spoke quietly into Barbas’s ear for a brief second. The staffer then quickly left the three men.

              “Gentlemen, we still have a great deal of items to work out this weekend, however, it is time for my morning exercise. I think that you both could benefit from a little exercise as well. So, I will have my staff take you to your rooms so that you can change into your bathing suits. Plan to join me and a few of my staff for our morning swim on the stern of the Kosmos in fifteen minutes.”

              Evans and Hardy looked at each other for a moment in surprise before Hardy spoke up and said that he had not brought along any swimming trunks.

              “No problem, I’ll have my staff bring you a pair. I’ll see you in fifteen.”

              Barbas then stood up from the dining room table and left the two men sitting stunned. Two of Barbas’s staff then entered the sky lounge to lead the two men to their separate state rooms.              

              Fifteen minutes later Barbas, Hardy and Evans, along with several of the yacht’s staff, were jumping from the yacht’s swim platform into the Caribbean Sea for a morning swim. A couple of the staff members looked more like body guards due to their physical appearance and lack of personality. The other staff members, consisting of three woman and two men were very fit, attractive, and chatty.

              Though in his mid-seventies Barbas led the group on a swift paced swim to Cinnamon Bay Beach. Evans and Hardy trailed far behind Barbas, and if it weren’t for the two body guard Kosmos crew members that stayed beside the two of them as they struggled to swim to the beach, they may have actually drowned. Neither was very physically fit, and swimming in the sea was unsettling for both of them.

              As Barbas and company swam towards the beach Dave, Dana and Joe stayed low and just watched and listened.

              “Man that Barbas has a lot of energy,” commented Dave. “I hope I can be half as energetic and fit as him when I’m 74 years old.”

              Dana looked over at Dave with a slight smile and said, “Oh, I am sure you will be Dave. No moss will ever have the chance to grow on you.”

              Dave looked back at Dana and their eyes locked on each other for a brief moment. Dave could sense in Dana’s eyes, and the tone of her comment, that there were still feelings between the two of them. It was something he would need to explore more with her at some later point. Working with her over the past couple of weeks had rekindled his feelings for her, feelings that he knew deep down inside had never really gone away since they severed their romantic relationship years ago.

              As the last of Barbas’s group finally made it to shore, with Evans and Hardy bringing up the rear, the majority of the Kosmos staff laughed and talked with Barbas as they walked along the water’s edge. Evans and Hardy chased after them. The two body guard types, however, each walked in separate directions along the beach. One walked ahead of Barbas and company, while the other walked away from the group, and in the direction of where Dave, Dana and Joe were. As the body guard approached the end of the beach he did not stop. Like Dave and Joe, he had found the small trail that led from the beach towards their little clearing area. The man continued to walk in their direction. As he did, Dave directed Dana and Joe to quickly lay their equipment flat on the ground and to get down on the ground themselves. The man continued to walk in their direction to within about 20 yards of them, before he finally stopped. For nearly a minute, he intently scanned the twisted jungle overgrowth and listened carefully. He then lifted his right wrist up to his mouth and said, “Clear here. I’m returning to the beach.” He took one more 360
o
scan and then relieved himself. After emptying his bladder he walked back towards the beach.

              “That was a close call,” whispered Joe. “I thought he was going to walk right into our little camp.”

              “Yes, it was a little close for comfort,” responded Dave. “I am sure Mr. Barbas is on high security alert after his public appearance the other night on national television. However, let’s get our stuff reset up. We need to make sure we’re ready when our friends return to the yacht.”

              The rest of the day the three continued to monitor the meetings between Barbas, Hardy, and Evans on the Kosmos after they returned from the beach. The discussions focused mainly on two topics; raising the funds for the messaging campaign to get the TMA passed in Congress, and how both Evan’s and Barbas’s businesses would specifically benefit from the TMA once it became the law of the land. Actual conversation on eliminating global warming and solving many of the other worlds social and economic problems were rarely discussed. As Joe and Dana listened to the men’s conversations throughout the day, they became even more hardened in their views that these men were only out for themselves and that their concerns on global climate change were simply a red herring for their own personal gains.

              “I can’t believe these guys,” said Dana. “They are such phonies and frauds. Why can’t the public see through them?”

              “Because they have a national media that fully endorses their do-gooder causes and presents them to the public as wonderful and caring people,” Dave said. “Though most of the press knows these men are really in it for their own personal gain, they support them because of their own liberal and utopian fantasies. That there can be a world where everyone is well fed and taken care of, if only there was a one world order government of unlimited size and scope. These people simply think that more government is the solution to the world’s problems, when history has clearly shown time and time again that it is just the opposite. It’s a very unfortunate reality that most of today’s so-called journalists are completely ignorant of the world’s tragic history caused by zealous political leaders and governments. And for the few journalists that have bothered to read history, they are arrogant enough to believe that they, or the politicians they prop up, won’t make the same mistakes again. Throughout history this cycle has continuously occurred with devastating effects. When the press is either run by the politicians, or as in this case, becomes the administration’s lap dog, the public and the country ultimately suffer. In many cases, the society collapses and never recovers. This is why a free press that truly works for the best interest of the public as an oversight body, rather than achieving its own personal objectives, is so critical for the health of a country. When a national press effectively becomes a mouthpiece for one group of politicians that it is philosophically aligned with, then it effectively ceases to exist as a separate body, and only foments the seed for political corruption and the ultimate decay of the country.”

              As the sun was beginning to set the three noticed a small ship’s tender launched from the stern of the yacht. Minutes later Dave saw Barbas, Evans and Hardy walk out of the yacht’s stern saloon and step down a staircase and into the waiting tender. They were wearing evening sports coats and slacks. Besides the three men, there were several young women accompanying them wearing evening dinner dresses. Following behind them were the two body guards they had seen earlier in the day, plus one other they did not recognize.  The third body guard positioned himself in the stern of the boat and pulled the cord on the outboard engine after everyone was seated. A moment later the tender was making its way to shore.

              “Apparently they’re going out on the town tonight for dinner,” commented Dana.

              “I’m getting a little hungry myself,” responded Joe.