Time Threads #7: The Assassination Attempt on Matsuka and Siobhan

     The Assassination Attempt on Matsuka and Siobhan

Matsuka's plan was to contact a trusted associate and have Siobhan and her alien moved to a safe house where they could quietly review their options; first among which was the identity and agenda of the alien.  Turning her over to the authorities might help ratchet down the growing hysteria and realign their fortunes.  The right kind of spin could even see them emerge as national heroes. Their clan rankings would certainly skyrocket!  Matsuka  mused that she could be inducted into the Order of the First Families, an honor that would certainly seal her place among the elite.  For this enterprise to succeed they needed the support of a powerful ally, someone inclined to see her interests as his own.  Dag Sammerilyan.

    Dag was Matsuka's lover.  He understood the high roller lifestyle of an A- Level Mentor.  For his part, Dag was a ranking officer of the Guardian Council, a task force set up by the First Families to enforce their will, protect the regime, and  prevent any one Family from gaining too much advantage. If anyone could be persuaded to provide cover for Matsuka and Siobhan it was Dag.

    Matsuka made contact through his secure channel. She called Siobhan to join them at the two way screen. Matsuka encouraged her to recount the events of the incident exactly as they transpired.

Afterwards, Dag assured them they had done the right thing by immediately contacting him. Together they would manage the situation, and eliminate the threat to the status quo.  He gave orders to dispatch security personnel to Matsuka's island. Once there, they would quietly escort them to a protected location, and take the alien into custody.

Matsuka and Siobhan were unaware of a peculiar transformation forming in the view screen.  Two focused beams of energy erupted from Dag's eyes enveloping their bodies in a bright amber light. They were transfixed in their seats as the light coalesced into a thick patina designed to smother them to death!

Dag seemed quite pleased with the progress of events.The process simulates death then, harmlessly dissipates minutes later; long enough to convince an observer that the target has suffocated to death. Following 1st Councilor Celestine's orders, a contingent of "gunslingers" (assassination drones) were en route to take out the house security drones, destroy Matsuka's estate and take the alien woman into custody. Everything was going to be spectacularly theatrical.

Suddenly, the death simulator began to break up in a blast of purple energy from the outstretched arm of the alien.  Gradually, the amber coating dissipated leaving Matsuka and Siobhan in a semi conscious state.

The woman approached the distorting image of Matsuka's lover.  "If you're curious as to the identity of the person who foiled your assassination I will gladly enlighten you. I am Zana-7!  And Siobhan Metalahwaggon is under my personal protection!" But the image dissolved before she could finish.

Time Threads #6 : A Threat Too Large to Ignore

"1st Councilor Celestine's Decision", June 2011

"There are only two acceptable options. Liquidate the girl and her Mentor, or have them voluntarily surrender their temporal processors through surgical extraction. In either case the alien dies." First Councilor Celestine said from the verdant plains of her estate. "You can do it remotely, then send in a team of "gunslingers" to verify and mop up. I want it to be clean and tidy, Dag!" And then she added with a visible sigh of regret, "I know she was your primary lover, and an honored, loyal citizen. But the risks are substantial to the harmony of the status quo. Siobhan Metalahwaggon is too tempting a morsel to be allowed to be at large; neither here or anywhere along the Timeline. I trust your oath to the Guardian Counsel is undiminished." Dag smiled and said, "They will submit or die, First Councilor."
Either way it was a death sentence for Dag's lover and her apprentice. Surgically removing temporal processors in adulthood meant spending the remainder of one's days in a vegetative state. The vast neural connections surrounding temporal processors were too complicated to sever without jepordy to the patient.. Cognitive functions could not survive extraction procedures.  Besides, Matsuka would never submit to that option. But what choice did she have? What choice did any of them have?
No one dified the Families and survived. Obedience to their will was absolute. As a member of the Guardian Council, Dag's first responsibility was to protect and defend the regime. All threats identified by the Families no matter how insignificant were dealt with swiftly and decisively.
The balance of power between the First Families relied upon transparency and equality. Advantages were shared equally, and threats were perceived as dangers to the common good. To allow Siobhan to live, even in exile somewhere along the Timeline was to administer an ancestral poison pill. The power of the ruling clans could be snuffed out clearing the way for some other family to rule. That prospect was the essence of anarchy. And given the peculiarities of Timeline dynamics removing certainty from the art of lineage development thrust the mind to the brink of sanity. No there had to be a third way!
         What if a convincing ruse made it appear that Siobhan, and  Matsuka were killed, and there was credible physical evidence that could hold up to scrutiny. Then, Matsuka and Siobhan could escape to a safe house down the Timeline. He had heard whisperings about a handful of controversial figures who melted into anonymous obscurity somewhere in Time. As for the alien... she would be taken into custody; interrogated by counterinsurgency drones and dissected for the benefit of science. No dodging Timeline Assassins for his woman. No looking over his shoulder for the rest of his professional career. It also meant never seeing Matsuka again! But at least he could console himself with the knowledge that somewhere, somewhen Matsuka was alive and thriving. That was an outcome worth risking everything.

Time Threads #5: The Threat

The Gathering at Iveny House

Siobhan was a little annoyed at the last minute instructions Matsuka conveyed to her about circuitous travel precautions, and misdirection in order to reach Iveny House; an atoll estate in the middle of an inland sea. Surely, Siobhan thought, recent events did not warrant these extreme exercises in tradecraft?
Upon arrival, however it was Matsuka who angrily interrogated Siobhan.
          How could she be so careless? What was she thinking? Did she truly believe that such a display of mental power would slip by unnoticed? Everyone is under surveillance!  No one had ever created such a massive time/space distortion through sheer mental projection.  And certainly no one had ever plucked an alien from across who knows how many light years to float above the ground like a circus act!  Did Siobhan believe that such a performance would go unnoticed merely because it took place in a remote area? 
Every clan spent considerable effort searching for the faintest glimmer of advantage over any rival clan. Everyone was being watched! Speculation about Siobhan Metalahwaggon went viral in minutes.   
         What were her clan connections? Why were her powers hidden until now? Were there powerful siblings in the wings? Was Matsuka training a secret cadre of mutant mentalists? Was the alien part of an advance invasion team?
Such awesome abilities had to be contained before they changed the balance of power between the Clans. Matsuka and Siobhan were in grave danger. It would be necessary to move Siobhan to a safe location along the Timeline.
Meanwhile, Matsuka needed to create a legend for the alien; something that downplayed Siobhan's abilities while suggesting a more plausible explanation for the humanoid's existence, such as, a crash landing. Her clan had influence with the Guardian Counsel. And her lover was a high level member of the Directorate! The situation was still fluid.